Southeastern Pop

The last thing I was looking for when I came to Southeast Asia was music.

That changed on a sweaty night in Bangkok when I and a thousand others witnessed pop-punk Canadians Simple Plan tear through a set. Although most of the audience was under twenty one, the energy was undeniable. It was an energy that is mainly lost back in the US, especially for bigger acts.

From then on, I’ve been kind of obsessed with live shows in Asia. I go whenever I can, usually catching well known acts as they pass through KL and Singapore.

While neither city is New York or L.A., a respectable amount of currently popular artists make one city or the other a stopping point during their Asian swings. Recent visits include Coldplay, Kanye West, and Muse. While some performances are not up to par in terms of energy (some felt let down by West’s April show in KL), most at least contain some interest. Often, the energy of the audience is quite infectious.

Local acts and regional stars are worth seeing as well. Watching controversial Indonesian dangdut star Inul Daratista move her hips ways that would make Shakira blush was quite an experience, especially since KL is a relatively conservative city.

And then there are rappers Too Phat. Almost laughably tame by US hip hop standards, the group has a rabid following around the region. While they’ve taken heat for mentioning taboos like sexuality (including a verse that mentions lesbian affects in a country where homosexuality is illegal), the duo’s shows are basically innocent hip hop. They celebrate the culture, however consumer driven it has become, in a way that has been lost to America’s hip hop scene for years.

Southeast Asia’s music scene has an energy that is quite infectious. It’s well worth the price of a ticket to experience it for yourself.

S-E-A of Rain

Weather is certainly something that one has to deal with while visiting tropical regions. Things can get dramatic with typhoons and such, but usually, its simply rain which gets to you.
On occasion, rain isn’t even the correct word for such a weather event. There was the time in Bangkok when I was caught in something that felt more like standing in a shower, fully clothed. And not your shower at home, mind you, one of those hotel showers with superior water pressure. Aside from coming from above, one has to watch out below. Many spots just aren’t up to the task of draining torrential rains once they’ve hit the ground. More than once, I arrived at work with soaked shoes, simply unable to avoid the meters-wide puddles which blocked the walking routes along my commute. An evening out Indonesia was marred by a city-wide puddle which dampened my jeans up to mid thigh.
What can one do in the face of such torrents?

Stay indoors, or at least under cover.

But, because this is not often feasible, here are some other ideas to protect you.

Be like the locals, whenever possible, carry a rain slicker. In Vietnam, everyone carries multiple slickers (a.k.a. rain ponchos) on their motorbikes. they simply pull over and don these whenever it starts raining.
Umbrellas are helpful for shorter trips, say from a building to a taxi, but walking any distance in a strong rain renders them useless.
If you are walking or travelling by motorcycle or bicycle, aside from a rain poncho, consider plastic bags to place over your feet. You can fasten them with rubber bands.
Wear sandals. While this might not be possible for someone on their way to work or going out for the evening, it is the surest way to avoid a day of squishing around in damp socks.

I had a whole “rain suit” for a little while. The plastic pants which were supposedly to keep my pants dry did the exact opposite, trapping the humidity underneath and causing my legs to perspire like I was in a sauna.


The most important advice: rain and wetness are unavoidable during the long wet season. If all else fails, you can enjoy jumping in the puddles.

Funky Fruits

One thing that many of the people who visit Southeast Asia aren't familiar with is the fruit native to the region. I have come to enjoy some of these "strange" fruits quite a bit. There is the sweet and soft dragonfruit, the sour pomegranate and the earthy, rubbery jackfruit. These fruits are sold on the street everywhere from Bangkok to Sai Gon to Kuala Lumpur.
But, perhaps my favorite family of tropical fruit is the small, round trio of sweetness known to many as the rambutan, the litchi, and the longan. (For those of you down with tree species thing, all three are part of the family Sapindaceae). You may also be familiar with this group if you spent any time in Central America.
Rambutan (pictured above) has a spiky-looking exterior. The feel of this shell is something like holding one of those spiky, squishy rubber balls that kids and dogs sometimes play with. After making and incision in the shell with a knife or fingernail, it can be peeled away easily, revealing a fleshy, white orb. Some people pop the whole thing in their mouth, sucking the flesh from the large pit. Others bite more daintily, taking several passes to gnaw the edible part away from the pit. I usually followed the former method, although the hardness of the pit can be a danger to your teeth, and the pit is just big enough to cause some discomfort to your airways if swallowed. Still, the wet, almost candy-like taste makes any risks worth it.
Longan and litchi are quite a bit juicier than their larger cousin. These bit sized fruits, the size of a grape when unpeeled, lack rambutan's spiky exterior. Instead they have a flat, leathery skin with litchi's being a little rougher. When punctured, a bit of juice escapes from inside. For this reason, some people use a tooth to begin the peeling process. Whether or not you do so is up to your definition of what is sanitary. Inside, the fruit, a similar texture to rambutan, is surrounded by its juices. It's necessary to suck it into your mouth at one time. It is a little easier to relieve the flesh from its pit than rambutan, although a little care needs to be taken because of the pits hardness. Even if this method is performed with great care, your fingers will probably become sticky from the excess juices.
I find longan to contain the most juice, while litchi has and almost overwhelming sweetness. Both are perfect, especially on a hot, humid day in the tropics.

Eating Your Way Through Sai Gon Nights

There best thing about Ho Chi Minh City is the sheer number of hidden restaurants. Some of my fondest memories of the city involve wandering down inconspicuous alleyways and happening upon my next favorite food stall. Opening for a few hours each evening, these places serve only a handful of dishes. Sometimes, these is only one dish on offer. My favorite places were usually furnished with plastic lawn chairs and cheap folding tables. The decor isn't the point, though. It is all about the food. Imagine a cook who has had the opportunity to perfect one dish over the course of his or her career. The results of this kind of practice can be quite amazing.


Take banh xeo, for example. This specialty dish is sometimes referred to as a Vietnamese pancake. The "pancake" is made of a batter containing coconut milk, rice flower, and curry spices. The batter is used to make a crispy "pancake". The sweet coconut milk creates a nice contrast with the spices, giving the dish a heartiness. The pancake is then stuffed with pork, shrimp, mung bean sprouts, and onions. To eat, diners are expected to roll the whole thing in a leaf of lettuce and dip it in sweetened fish sauce. The lettuce adds a fresh and crisp element to the dish and also serves to keep the oil from the pancake off your fingers. I've had several variations to the traditional stuffing, including a vegetarian version with bean sprouts and thin strips of deep fried tofu.

Judging by how packed these back alley cafes were every night, these dishes were quite popular with everyone in Sai Gon.

For something soupy, there are numerous places serving a soup/stew which is cooked on a small gas grill right on your table top. Called lau in Vietnamese, the ingredients for the soup are often placed on your table raw. You are expected to put them into the boiling broth as you eat. I usually opt for the seafood version (Lau Bien). The soup is then filled with shrimp, fish, squid, and shellfish. Because freshness is highly prized in Vietnamese cuisine, I've seen, on several occasion, a waiter scooping a net full of live shrimp and sardines from a bucket and dropping them directly into the boiling broth on the table. Though the momentary jumping of the "freshest" of seafood gave a bit of a tug at my conscience, the freshness definitely was noticeable in the taste.

Despite their unlikely locations, word of mouth advertising seems to be all that's needed to get people to try that which is on offer at these specialty cafes. A spot with quality grub will earn an untold number of recommendations from satisfied diners. What is sometimes little more than a section of alley can turn into one of the most happening places in the city.

There are many other types of back alley specialty fare. I will attempt to further scratch the surface in later posts.

Bye Bye Convenience

Those who enjoy the quick twenty minute, 60,000Dong taxi ride from Tan Son Nhat Airport into Central Ho Chi Minh City as in for a little jolt. A new airport, Long Thanh airport in Dong Nai province is in the planning stages and is projected to by operational in 2011. This means that a 40 km ride will stand between you and Ho chi Minh City. And that doesn't take into account the traffic.
The government plans to deal with the traffic with a ten lane highway connecting the airport to Ho City as well as one connecting to port town Vung Tau. Will that help? Eventually, perhaps.
OK. So I'm being rather selfish. Tan son Nhat is outdated and because it is in an urban area, expansion is difficult, if not downright impossible. Vietnamese authorities have grandiose dreams of Long Thanh becoming a hub for Southeast Asia. Given the favorable projections for Vietnam's tourism industry and also for their economy overall, this is probably more realistic than the government's usual pipe dreams.

I just hope that the Long Thanh Airport and the new age it heralds for Vietnam's development do not change this most unique of countries too much.

En Route: The Best Airports

The Best: Incheon (see photo). The main terminal is massive. Unlike Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport, there are restrooms and seating areas within walking distance of the shops. As a Duty Free fan, I found Incheon to be a nearly orgasmic experience. The shops are quite plush, making even the lowliest traveller feel like a member of the jet set.
Also, the transit smoking room is equipped with cushioned chairs. Although this didn't help the stale smell of second hand smoke, it beat the plastic chairs that have marred my rear end in other areas.
The Best Scenery: Narita. On the final approach to Narita, the scenery in quite idyllic. On my last trip, it eased my sense of exhaustion to watch the green hills and coniferous trees float past. It reminded me of an old Japanese painting.
Worst Bar: LAX, where I and my travelling companion, the only customers at the time, were rushed through our beers so that the bartender could take a smoke break.
And the Best: O'Hare's bar at the international terminal. It's been several years, but the delightful bartender was quick with a joke and knew all the flight information by heart. She even kept us up to date on the status of our flight, which was delayed.
Most Over-Hyped: Suvarnabhumi. You have to walk past so many shops in order to get anywhere. If nature calls, chances are you wont be able to locate a restroom before it's too late.
Worst place to go through customs on returning to the states: Anywhere, but most of all, O'Hare. From the over zealous custom officers interrogating everyone about how much currency they are holding to the cowboys who on each trip, accost me for some idiotic reason or another. It never happens anywhere else.

Finally, Most interesting. Tan Son Nhat, Ho Chi Minh City. Probably because of the history. As you taxi towards the terminal, you'll see rows of concrete hangers siting vacant on the overgrown airfield. Makes you wonder about the places history as a base for both French and American Air Forces.

Best of the Air

Cathay Pacific is definitely the sexiest airline serving East Asia. It is consistently ranked among the best by Skytrax, and has won the “Gold Medal” two of the past four years.

Does that mean you should consider using Cathay for your next trip? Depends on what you need (or want).

For me, it’s all about schedule. I simply choose the carrier with the most direct flight and the most reasonable price. Once, that happened to be Cathay Pacific. I have to agree, it was one of the best airlines I’ve flown. Keep in mind, though, that I come from the Midwestern USA, home of some of the worst major carriers in the world. I’m used to domestic flights where a disgruntled stewardess tosses a bag of salty peanuts to you and asks you if you’d like to purchase a beverage for $2. Virtually any airline that flies internationally can top that experience.

But really, my Cathay Pacific experience was one of the best I’ve ever had aloft. No, that statement has nothing to do with the proverbial “mile high club.” First of all, the seats were designed so that even if the person in front of you leaned back, their seat did not encroach on your leg space. Furthermore, even in economy class, each person had their own personal video screen. I found little old lowly me, used to sleepless, leg cramping trans pacific flights, suddenly able to choose exactly what I wanted to watch.

Great! Now, if only they could do something about the food, which was standard plane cuisine (slightly below the quality of a bad TV dinner).

The above mentioned amenities did alleviate some of the pain of the long flight. However, ocean hopping is still ocean hopping. If you aren’t itching to get off a plane after twelve to fourteen hours, something is wrong with you.

Still, Cathay’s economy class gave me the same feeling as those (rare) occasions when I am able to use my frequent flier miles to trade up for a business class seat.

What Did You Just Say?

Many people, when visiting a region, like to have a few words of the local language in hand in order to streamline getting around or to exchange pleasantries with the locals.

If one plans to spend any length of time in a country, learning a language becomes more important, if only to streamline your shopping trips. For the most part, people are accepting of any attempt to speak their language, although you may get a few blank stares as you struggle along the lower part of the learning curve. The good news is that many of Southeast Asia’s languages are related to each other. Thai and Lao are mutually intelligible to native speakers, and Malay and Indonesian share over 80% of their vocabularies.

Here’s a brief overview of what I know about some of Southeast Asia’s languages:

Khmer is the only mainland Southeast Asian language that is not tonal. However, it is written in a syllabic script, meaning that learning it in any depth would require the mastery of a new way of writing. Khmer has no cases or genders as in Spanish or French. Rather, separate words are placed in front of a noun to show its number, or verb to show its tense.

Vietnamese has a similar structure to Khmer, but is spoken with tones. That means that a word that is spelled similarly can be spoken in a different pitch to change its meaning. This is quite a difficulty for Western learners at first, but becomes much easier with practice. Another important element of Vietnamese is that it is written in a Roman script, meaning that English speakers do not have to learn a new alphabet in order to master the language. Also, all words have only one syllable, meaning that there is no long words to memorize.

Thai is another tonal language, although many people tell me that speakers who have not yet mastered the tones are understood quite well by native Thai speakers through context. However, Thai, like Khmer, is written in a syllabic script (which is quite complex to learn, especially because there are no spaces between words), although there are several methods of Romanizing the language. No method is universally recognized, so you may see several different spelling for the same word.

Indonesian and Malaysian are quite easy to learn. There are no tones and the languages are written using the roman alphabet. Words are given more specific meanings (tense, number, etc...) by adding prefixes onto the stem word. This language has a learning curve which steepens as times goes on. For tourists looking to learn some basic phrases, however, Malay and Indonesian are probably the easiest the put to use.

The different dialects of Chinese are similar in structure to Vietnamese. The advantage of learning these languages (namely Mandarin or Cantonese) is that there exists several well established and widely accepted ways of translating the languages phonetically into Roman script.

Raffles Hotel

Here's a shot of Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Definitely one of the most well known Hotels in all of East Asia. Rooms cost more than is feasible for most visitors, but I'm certain it's worth it if you can afford it.

Raffles

These days, there are few stories as wild and interesting as the narrative of the life of Thomas Stamford Raffles.

Raffles, the British colonial official who founded Singapore, started his career at age 14, when he became a clerk at the East India Trading Company. He was forced into work at such an early age because of the untimely death of his father, who was the Captain of a slave trading ship.

Raffles was self taught. He learned the Malay language and read extensively on the cultures of insular Southeast Asia. He combined this with his wit and natural intelligence to gain a posting in Penang.

He quickly rose through the ranks of the colonial administration.

Most of Britain’s conquests in the region (and worldwide) were fraught with bloodshed. Raffles’ career, therefore, seemed out of place in this bloody part of history. He was, without a doubt, a colonizer, but, by abolishing slavery and allowing the local peoples to retain their language and many of their customs, he showed a light hand with his leadership.

He remained a student of Malay language and culture throughout his life.
Raffles is famous for being the founder of the city-state of Singapore. His pen was the one that wrote Singapore’s first constitution. As with his work elsewhere, he allowed many of the native people to retain their customs and language while imposing a moral code upon the area. Slavery and gambling were outlawed. However, people were allowed to adhere to their traditional religious beliefs.

Surprisingly, Raffles died penniless, at age 45, after returning to England. He had incurred debts while establishing colonies, and his anti-slavery stance and hands off governing style did not win him any friends among England’s elite. His estate was sold to pay off his debts.

Singapore is still stamped by the name of Raffles. Stamford street is one of the city’s main boulevards. Raffles Hotel has been made world famous by its luxury and celebrated visitors. With all the streets, buildings and universities bearing his name, Singapore, now an independant state, still pays tribute to its founder.

Water World

Thai New Year (Songkran) is a time of celebration. Many Thais return home during Mid-April, to visit family and friends. However, there is a rather unfortunate aspect of these festivities. The tradition which sounds harmless, but a bit mischievous, involves flinging water at one another. Sounds fun until you get doused by the hard flung contents of a bucket whilst driving a motorcycle. I’ve known of more than one person who ended up with a case of road rash from falling after being surprised by an unexpected splash to the face. The problem is that everyone is fair game during Songkram. If you’re outdoor, you’re going to get wet, probably when you least expect it.

The water throwing has gotten so aggressive that Thai officials have tried to impose restrictions on the tradition in order to give those who do not appreciate it time to go about their business in a state of dryness.

According the the Bangkok Recorder, nearly 100 people have died thus far throughout the country due to road accidents. Over 1000 have been injured.

These casualties are often due to overzealous water throwing, although the above normal levels of traffic and the fact that many mark Songkran by consuming large amounts of alcohol are surely to blame as well.

I have met several sets of travellers who thought that their vacations were “ruined” because they chose to come to Thailand during this time. The truth is, were I to spend hard earned money on a vacation, I would feel the same as them. The water throwing is too aggressive and the fact that you have to feel apprehensive about going ANYWHERE because of the high number of accidents is a big turn off.

If you want to experience a gentler version of this festival, both Cambodia and Laos have beautiful ways of celebrating. This includes water throwing, though without the same full on approach as Thailand.

So you don’t think I am too negative, if you have Thai friends and have the chance to spend time with their family during Songkran, you may find an enjoyable time full of food, conversations and family traditions.

Vietnam's Underdog Air Carrier

With the re-emergence of Ho Chi Minh City based Pacific Airlines, the Vietnam Airlines’ monopoly on airspace has ended. Most people had simply just accepted the mediocrity (and mystery meat sandwiches served as cabin fare) of VA because there were no other options . Pacific airlines has been in the picture from time to time, offering a few flights to limited domestic destinations. The difference this time is that indebted Pacific will have the backing of a Singapore based investment firm. This means that the airline has the funding to shrug of its debt and move forward on plans to widen their offerings. Right now, the Pacific flies between Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hanoi domestically, and Taiwan internationally. They plan to market themselves as a low-cost airline for regional travel. The proposal calls for adding routes to Southeast Asia’s major cities (including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Bangkok).

While Vietnam Airlines will probably remain the most convenient choice for many fliers travelling domestically, I hope that a sense of competition with their re-strengthened
rival will lead to an increase in quality of service.

A Taste of Place

Sometimes, they will ask: “Is that’s what it’s really like?”
Well, cameras often are part of a lie. It’s easy to make any place look cool, like CSI or a Michael Bay flick.
But sometimes I am happy to say, “Yes. I was there. That’s exactly how it looked. That's exactly how it sounded.”
So here are some films that I think show a realistic view of Southeast Asia (as I know it). Most are quality works of cinema as well.

Cyclo: This 1995 Vietnamese film has some great camerawork which captures Sai Gon. Though the country has opened up for greater development since the film wrapped, a lot of the neighborhoods haven’t changed much. The constant hum of motorcycles during the street scenes bears a close resemblance to the real song of the city’s outdoor areas. The interior scenes capture the atmosphere of the airy but crowded living spaces in the city.

City of Ghosts: Despite the fact that many critics branded this film as too preachy, it has some respectable cinematography of dusty Phnom Penh. The aged temples, monsoon stained villas, and narrow, foreboding alleyways are signatures of the city. Also, the canvas roofed markets and street stalls captured in the street scenes are almost too realistic.

Of subtler elements, the film has several scenes lit by florescent, a consistent form of lighting found in Southeast Asia. The way the lights flickered and played off the plaster walls made me think I was sitting there in Matt Dillon's guesthouse room.

Cavite: An indie film where many of the scenes take place in Manila's streets, as well as the narrow lanes of the city’s squalid shantytowns. Though I have never been in the extremely poor areas, I can say that I could almost smell the jeepney clogged streets and busy, narrow aisled markets when I was watching this film.

Perhaps the first film I saw which was set in Southeast Asia was The Year of Living Dangerously. An early scene in this film was set in a narrow neighborhood in Jakarta. It captured all that attracted me to Asia: It’s exoticism, mystery, energy, and the seeming proximity to both life and death.

Finally, a fun one. As far as the back alleys and endless apartment buildings of Bangkok, I recommend a trio of films by the Pang brothers from their pre-horror days. The best of these is One Take Only, a film which follows a drug dealer and prostitute as they try to make it out of their gritty lives and onto something better. The apartment tenement where they live is typical Bangkok, managing to be both clean and dirty at once. In Bangkok Dangerous, we see some of the city’s back alley’s a go-go bars from the point of view of a deaf hitman. This film has more grit than the reality. Finally, The Tesseract, which follows an expat psychologist and a drug runner as they wander, and sometimes sprint, though Bangkok’s back alleys and markets. These films are extremely fun as well as giving you a unique viewpoint of Bangkok.

The Sleeping Land

Laos is not one of the “glamour” destinations of Southeast Asia. And there’s probably a reason for that. After having been to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiene, Laos' capital, is a place that seems to be in a perpetually sleepwalking. There were times when the sound of, well, nothing seemed to be causing some sort of pressure on my eardrums. However, any distress was short lived because Laos is one of the most beautiful places in Asia.
By some definitions, all of the country can be categorized as a “backwater”. Well, it depends on what you mean, but by most definitions, this is a valid brand. “Quaint” might be a more polite adjective. “Oh how quaint, you eat with your hands in Laos.”

I jest. Some of the most beautifully constucted temples can be found throughout the country, especially in Luang Prabang, the country’s second largest city. Also, for those of us fans of old school buildings, there are some amazing wooden houses scattered about.

Overall, the thing that stands out most is the pace. At first, many people are put off by it, but eventually, the rhythm of life in Laos grows on anyone patient enough to give it some time. There is a sense of peace that comes from watching everything float by at a leisurely pace.

If you are visiting Southeast Asia, don’t start in Laos. But don’t miss it either. If you do, you’ll miss the earthiness which has been sopped up by all things modern in most other parts of the region.