City Photocopy and Restaurant

Sometimes when you are traveling, the meal you buy for $1 from a tiny local food stall might be one of the most delicious meals you've ever eaten. Sometimes little hole-in-the-wall restaurants can be much tastier, not to mention more authentic, than some five-star restaurant buffet. Over the weekend, when I was in Vientiane, Laos, I ended up eating lunch at the City Photocopy and Restaurant.

Turns out, it's quite aptly named. A little food card parked at the restaurant will take your orders (one middle-aged can speak English, but Thai and Lao are intelligible, so you can order in either language) and then you can go inside to sit down at one of the little plastic tables set up surrounded by printers, scanners, and boxes of paper.

The shop makes copies, has computers available for internet access, takes passport photos, and will handle visa applications. They also serve very good local food for 10,000-15,000 kip per plate.

I ordered a plate of khao hmu daeng (red pork) that was so good that I came back the next day for more!

Another Weekend in Vientiane

Another Weekend in Vientiane, Lao PRD

I began my morning at a funky little place called the Temple View Cafe, where I had an incredibly delicious Laotian breakfast.

I ordered a Lao meatball, a pork meatball cooked with tomato, egg, and cheese and served with slices of toasted baguette. It was incredible! Seriously delicious! I also ordered a hot cappuccino, because 'when in Laos, do as the Laotians!' You can't visit Vientiane without enjoying the amazing coffee.

The Temple View Cafe was aptly named. Sitting by the window gave me a nice view of the lush grounds of a small local temple just across the narrow road.

After breakfast, I walked through the city center to the Ho Phra Keao, one of the former sites of the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha is quite a storied artifact, said to have originated in ancient Ceylon before passing successively to the Lanna kingdom of Chiang Rai, the Kingdom of Chiang Mai, Vientiane, Ayutthaya, until it finally reached its current residence at Bangkok's Grand Palace.

 Now, Ho Phra Keao is a small museum with a few ancient sculptures and artifacts inside that you can visit for a 10,000 kip ticket (just over a dollar).

Afterwards, I crossed the street to Wat Si Saket, the oldest temple in Vientiane. I liked Laos the last time I visited, but it's really nice to visit again. I have a much better feel for Vientiane on my second visit. It's small enough that I can get around on food, and I know where things are now. It was easy to navigate my way to these old temples without a map.

Even though there's a good bus route with great maps, I don't mind walking at all. It's about 10 degrees cooler than Bangkok right now. I don't even mind that my room doesn't have air-conditioning. I really don't need it right now, despite how hot it is back in Thailand.

Wat Si Saket was nearly empty. It's not really a big tourist season right now, and anyway, it was a Monday morning. That meant that I had the whole place nearly to myself.

Being here though really did make me wonder what the rest of the country is like. Vientiane is by far the  biggest city, but it's only one of the top sites in Laos. I've been meaning to pay a visit to Luang Prabang, but I've never made it up there. Hopefully I can see more of Laos soon. I really love how quiet and peaceful the country feels.

In the evening I walked down to the Patuxai, the Laotian Gate of Victory. I had really wanted to see it lit up at night. It was every bit as impressive as I had hoped!

I guess the thing that really struck me on this visit to Laos was just how quiet Vientiane was. It was only around 7:00, but the streets were deserted and nearly all of the restaurants and cafes were closing for the night. Even Patuxai, which I would have thought could have been a popular evening hangout, was more or less empty except for a few young people jogging around the surrounding park.

Maybe that's what I like about Vientiane. It's so much quieter even than Siem Reap. Maybe this tiny little city of coffee and croissants should be my new go-to visa run destination. And because I've seen pretty much every site in town, it gives me an excuse to be lazy and relax with a cup of coffee and a good book instead of rushing around to go sightseeing. That sounds just fine to me.

Back to Laos

Just after 1pm on the Sunday afternoon  after graduation, a small AirAsia Airbus jet touched down at Wattay International Airport in the Laotioan Capital, Vientiane. It had been a short flight - under an hour - and as soon as we had reached altitude, it seemed, we had begun our descent. Compared to Bangkok with its traffic and skyscrapers, Vientiane feels much more like a provincial town than the capital of a country. With a population of just around 200,000, it's one of the smallest capitals in the world.

$35 USD got me a visa-on-arrival, and $20 got me two nights in a private fan room at a cheap backpackers hotel near the city center. I'm just here for a few days to get my new Thai visa, but I might as well make the most of it.

On the flight over, I looked through my Lonely Planet guidebook. It turns out that I've actually done every single thing they mentioned last time I was in Vientiane. Like I said, it's a very small town. I'll spend tomorrow visiting a few historic temples, and maybe walk down by the river. My only real goal is to enjoy a few cups of good Laotian coffee! Laos was, after all, once a part of French Indochina, and a bit of that coffee culture can still be found in the abundance of cafes and bakeries on every corner in Vientiane.

Laos is a Communist country, but you would hardly know it if it wasn't for the hammer and sickle flags that hang from government buildings and banks here and there. The government may be a party state, but the economy is definitely capitalist, with iPhone shops on the street corner, and mini-marts full of Oreos, Pringles, and even Almond Breeze almond milk.

It's a very, very quiet place. Quite rural and incredibly peaceful. There's almost no traffic at all, and many of the roads aren't even paved. I'll enjoy a few quiet days in this sleepy little town, relaxing and soaking in the Indochinese atmosphere, before heading back to the hubbub of the Big Mango on Tuesday.

 
After I checked in to my hotel, a small private room at a backpacker's hostel with a fan, rock-hard bed, and shared bathroom (but hey, it's just $10 per night), I took a walk. I'm right in the city center, near the Patuxai, the Gate of Victory.

I also stumbled upon the That Dam, the "Black Stupa", an ancient and overgrown stone chedi in the middle of a quiet roundabout. It reminds me a lot of some of the ruins in Ayutthaya.

Finally, I paid a visit to the JOMA Bakery Cafe, one of my favorite spots in the city. I ordered a signature Lao iced coffee and a croissant, and leafed through the Vientiane Times for a while. I'm taking it slow this weekend, and it sure is nice! On my second visit to Laos, I'm really enjoying Vientiane! It's a lovely, quiet, distinctly French-Indochinese city with a ton of history, a laid-back atmosphere, and no traffic to speak of. Really a nice place to visit for a few days away from Bangkok.

Bangkok Life Update: Springtime in Thailand

It's getting HOT!

The hottest part of the year in Thailand is coming soon. It's getting harder and harder to be outside during the day now, but at least these nice pink flowers that only show up in the hottest part of the year are in full bloom now.

I saw them at Chatuchak park the other day from the skywalk at the BTS station.

They aren't cherry blossoms, but they do bloom in the springtime in Thailand (AKA the hottest part of the year). Songkran is coming up soon, which will give everybody the chance to cool down a little bit.

My school year is almost over, but I'm still working hard. I've been helping out at a little school owned and just recently started up by a former colleague of mine. I've been going in on the weekends and helping to write up some curriculum and lesson plans.

I'll be doing some work at this school a little later.

For now, I'm just working hard and finishing up the school year!

Bangkok Life Update: Farewell

As I mentioned in my last post, it's nearly time to close one chapter in my life. My last five years teaching at my school in Bangkok have been amazing and formative, but it's time to move on. I'll miss it.

I'll miss the fun and brilliant students. I'll miss my colleagues and friends that I've made at work. I'll miss going to work in such a beautiful place every day, where peacocks literally walked free in the gardens surrounding my office.

A couple of days ago, my department had a farewell dinner for me after work. I didn't know exactly where this place was, but we got directions and my colleague Chris (my only friend who owns a car in Bangkok) drove. When we arrived, we were a little surprised to find ourselves at a temple near the river.

The rest of the Foreign Language Department was already waiting for us. We walked through a narrow alley behind the temple to a really cool restaurant right on the banks of the Chaophraya River.

And the food was delicious! Every department meal I've been to in the last five years has always been amazing, and this was no exception. We had spring rolls...

...and this dish that's made of raw shrimp topped with chili pepper and raw garlic, which, I know, sounds weird but is actually quite good.

 There was a ton of other dishes as well. Whenever we have departmental meals, we always eat family-style, ordering several dishes and sharing.

At the end of the evening, my boss gave me a goat pillow made from the Royal Projects based at the school. It really meant a lot to me. It's a little piece of the school that I'll always be able to keep with me.

So, now I'm just hanging out in Bangkok until graduation. It's almost the hottest part of the year, and  Songkran will be here soon. I'll be celebrating it in Thailand for the second time, which I'm looking forward to.

And then, it will be time to move on from my job and my life in Bangkok and maybe... Thailand?

More to come soon.

My Last Day of School

Wow.

Well, this is it.

It feels so surreal! After five years teaching in Bangkok - my entire adult life so far - I've taught my final class at the school where I've worked since 2013. My last day of class was at the end of February, and now final exams are done and my last grades have been submitted. All that's left is the graduation ceremony.

My students really made my last week of class special. The M6 (senior) class that I've taught since M2 (8th grade) my first year is graduating. They were the first main English class I ever taught, and I've taught them every year since. I've really gotten to know these students well over the last few years. On the last day of class, they presented me with Thai flower garlands, like the ones we get at Wai Kru Day. 

Another class that made my very last day special was my M5 class (11th grade) who I've taught since their first year at Mathayom in M1 (7th grade). It was my first year and they were the first-year students. We were both new to the school together, and over the last few years I've gotten really close with this class. When they learned that I would be leaving the school, they gave me a final class that I would never forget.

After returning a final test to them and giving the class one last review for the final, they surprised me by singing to me and giving me a poster with pictures from our class over the years. On the back, each student wrote me a personal note. I can't begin to say how much this means to me.

I will miss this class! I was with them from their first year at the high school almost to the time they graduate. I've learned far more from them over the past  years than I've taught them, and I've always found it to be an honor and a privilege to teach their class. As I told them, after this year I may no longer be their teacher, but I will always consider them to be my friends.

A Walk to Old Town

a large portrait of the king

This weekend, the weather was perfect! I decided to take a walk. I headed out away from the skytrain and downtown area on foot, past Dusit Palace where a big cultural fair was taking place, and towards the Old Town.

royal throne hall

 I ended up walking nearly 5 kilometers, all the way from my apartment to the Golden Mount. Along the way, I discovered cool old areas I had never been to before. As I got away from downtown, everything became quiet slower. There was barely any traffic down these narrow, leafy streets.

streets in the old town

I don't even know why I started walking, really. I just felt like going on a bit of an adventure in the cooler weather.

old buildings in Bangkok

I set off without any sort of plan at all, past the UN building and towards an area that I had only ever been to by bus or boat.

At one point, I even saw a baby water monitor poking his head up from the sewers to say "hi".

baby water monitor

 Eventually, I made my way to the Golden Mount Temple. I had come to a sort of hidden back entrance into the temple's Bodhi Garden, which I didn't even know existed! Even though this is one of my very favorite places in Bangkok, even the Golden Mount still has a few surprises for me.

The garden was cool and shady. Only a few people were there: a couple old men sitting and relaxing in the shade and a few amateur photographers.

I still like finding new areas in Bangkok, and seeing my old familiar areas in a new perspective. After five years, the city can still feel new to me sometimes.

When I first moved to Bangkok, the rooftops of the Loha Prasat were painted black. The building was under renovation for years, but all of the spires are finally completely gold. I admit, it looks good.

I also made my way down to the Giant Swing at Wat Sutat. It's another famous Bangkok landmark, but one I don't always think about. It was once used in a big annual Brahman ceremony, but that was stopped about a hundred years ago after too many people swinging from the Giant Swing had gotten injured.

Further on, I found a small park. I think this land was once an old prison, but that was long ago. One of the guard towers still stands over the park though.

This isn't really much of a blog post, but I had a nice day walking through the old town, and I wanted to share some of the areas I discovered. It's nice that Bangkok can still show me new things even after living here for so long. I really do love this city!