Head (South) East

Koh Lanta: In and Around Bamboo Bay (May Pai Bay)

2012-02-13T13:15:00.000+07:00

Our daily breakfast...

Coffee with milk

Fruit platter

Vegetable Fried Rice (about a dozen of these were ordered over the course of the holiday)

Fresh-squeezed orange juice

Our room

The view from our balcony

At the bar with pals...

Beef Larb

Vegetable and tofu curry

Watch This Film: Enemies of the People (2010)

2012-02-10T15:25:00.000+07:00

Koh Lanta: Getting There

2012-02-09T15:30:00.000+07:00

After nearly 20 weary hours on 5 different modes of transport, we made it to the car ferry from the Krabi mainland to Koh Lanta.

Unfortunately, the snail's pace of the ship was difficult to endure after the endless journey from Bangkok.

At least there was plenty to see from the vans' windshield...

Finally we arrived at Bamboo Bay and ate a thoroughly satisfying meal!

Papaya Salad.

Vegetarian Pud Thai

Fresh Barracuda

Banh Xeo Muoi Xiem

2012-02-08T15:30:00.000+07:00

Special fried spring roll (cha gio) filled with mayonnaise-lathered potato salad

A hearty dose of folic acid

Banh Xeo

Enjoyed @ Banh Xeo Muoi Xiem - 190 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Q.3, HCMC

Bangkok: The Amulet Street Market & Soi Samsen Area

2012-02-07T14:37:00.000+07:00

Chicken Pad See Uw at Jenny's Restaurant

Brown rice

Vegetable Curry

An array of spice

Bangkok: The Grand Palace Complex (Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang)

2012-02-06T14:30:00.000+07:00

Apparently shorts and tank tops don't fly, so we borrowed appropriate clothing.

Tired Traveler

Films About Music: Until The Light Takes Us (2008)

2012-02-04T14:26:00.004+07:00

Norwegian Black Metal isn't for everyone. A scene more renowned for the arson of thousand-year-old churches and murder than the brutal sounds it created, this doc sheds some mottled light on the ideology behind the madness. Articulated by most of the pioneers in the film, I figure it to be a twisted conflation of homophobia, neo-fascism, paganism, anti-consumerism, and Tolkien mythology. Basically, if mega-churches and McDonald's piss you off, some of what these angry, reactionary Scandinavians say may strike a chord with you. The music, which reverently eschews downtuning in favor of traditionally evil scales and chord progressions, is darkly atmospheric and punctuated by high-pitched screams. Basically unpalatable to all but a select few. This is a fascinating by-product of affluence.

Watch the film in its entirety below or click HERE for a better quality video:

Until The Light Takes Us on Vimeo.

And for a post-film pick-me-up... Supposedly adapted from an old Thai pop song:

An Evening in Bangkok

2012-02-02T17:00:00.000+07:00

Green Mango Salad

Yam Paldook Foo (crispy catfish with green mango salad)

River Taxi Along the Saen Saeb Canal

Slices of fresh mango and sweet, sticky rice on KSR

Streetside Pad Thai on KSR

An Afternoon in Bangkok

2012-02-01T15:00:00.000+07:00

The streets of Silom: quiet in the day, a veritable Gomorrah when the night settles.

Streetside chicken and mushroom curry

Streetside fish curry


Tuk-Tuk

The Jim Thompson House: the original Thai silk magnate and his expansive, teak-wood complex.

Along the Saen Saeb Khlong.

Primitive: An Art Exhibition by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

2012-01-31T16:00:00.000+07:00

Unmitigated excitement gushed from Gavin when he discovered that renowned Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul's exhibition Primitive was showing at the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok. Being a big fan of Weerasethakul's 2010 work Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, Gavin was quite pleased when we inadvertently stumbled upon his latest mixed-media installation.

The video projects exhibited were commissioned in 2009 in the war-torn province of Isan and inspired the filmmaker to make Uncle Boonmee.

Primitive is showing until February 28th, 2012 @ The Jim Thompson Art Center in Bangkok. To learn more, visit THIS website.

A Weekend Recap: The Last Days of the Tet Holiday

2012-01-30T13:31:00.000+07:00

Mapping our route

A return to Chinatown

Someones dinner?

Markets empty in the midday

Refreshments

Lots to see

"Look at the size of those cherries!"

Monkey mask

Brunch at Black Cat

Toad-in-the-Hole for me

The Ben Thanh (fried soft-shell crab sandwich) for Gavin

An afternoon beer/orange juice at La Cantina with friends

We Are In Paradise...

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000+07:00

Siem Reap: An Array of Meals

2012-01-18T14:51:00.000+07:00

Beef Loc Lac

Tofu Curry

Steamed rice

Tofu Amok

Chicken Skewers

Various pieces of pork at a soup stall

Chicken Feet

Spicy stir-fried frog and vegetables

Vermicelli noodle salad

Vegetable Amok served in a coconut

Papaya salad

Fresh spring rolls

Stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables

BBQ Chicken

One of our many breakfast feasts @ Terrasse des Elephants, a lovely boutique hotel

Papaya Salad

Fish Amok

Catfish Kor Ko

Sticky rice with fresh mango

Coconut Creme Brulee

What We're Listening To: Youth Lagoon

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000+07:00

Youth Lagoon

The Year of Hibernation

Fat Possum Records; 2011

Another fuzzy, warm album to carry your weary head back to those halcyon days of youth. Simply crafted and doused in reverb, this is music to soothe frayed nerves and spark nostalgia.

Roluos Group: Lolei, Preah Ko, and Bakong

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000+07:00

Dating from the late 9th century, this cluster of temples is less trodden by tourists and is a good example of early Khmer architecture. Aggressive trinketeers abound, but it is a nice locale for an afternoon trudge through the think blanket of humidity.

Inside the Lolei complex is a technicolor-daydream Theravada pagoda where young adherents to the faith drift in and out of long shadows.

Many of the earlier temples were built using brick instead of the laterite and sandstone popular during the middle and late Khmer periods.

Watch This Film: Hearts and Minds (1974)

2012-01-13T22:18:00.003+07:00

Made as the conflict was still churning on, Hearts and Minds is the definitive filmic statement on the Vietnam War. A deftly edited collection of interviews and footage, watch this and the folly of war becomes all too apparent. Filmmaker Peter Davis was celebrated and loathed for his work and one can't help but cringe at the callousness of many of the high-ranking officials in the film. Maybe the worst of the batch, General Westmoreland (the US Chief of Staff at that time) infamously and appallingly states on camera that "the Oriental doesn't put the same high price on life as does a Westerner. Life is plentiful. Life is cheap in the Orient."

If you have an hour and fifty-two minutes of free time, I implore you to give it a viewing:

Ta Som & East Mebon

2012-01-12T22:00:00.000+07:00

Overlooked by many visitors, Ta Som is well-worth a trip, especially if Ta Prohm was completely inundated by gawkers and you couldn't quite get that perfect, unadulterated shot of temple-devoured-by-tree.

East Mebon is out of the jungle, blisteringly hot, and is the counterpart to Pre Rup. According to our kind, knowledgeable driver, massive funeral parties would begin in this primitive, pyramidal complex (dating from the 10th century) and finish off at Pre Rup, where the bodies would be cremated.

If you find yourself in Siem Reap and need an affordable, reliable, and friendly driver to assist in your conquering of Angkor Wat, we highly recommend the aforementioned Mr. Sorn Ram. Contact him: (855) 12571459 or sornram.sender@yahoo.com.

Ba Cay Choi (The Three Broomsticks Town)

2012-01-11T22:00:00.000+07:00

In the name of discovery and progression, we stumbled into Ba Cay Choi (The Three Broomsticks Town) on Phan Xich Long thinking it was a hip watering hole due to the log-cabin exterior (shades of Karga- the coolest bar in Istanbul), a stark contrast from Saigon's norm. While it wasn't exactly a bar and the drinks served weren't the kind that contain alcohol, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found through those wooden doors: a Harry Potter/LOTR-inspired fantasy world. The spindly, labyrinthine building houses a kitchen, movie theater, restaurant/bar, private party room, a photo studio, Wii playroom, and a work shop to complete the many DIY kits they sell. Basically, this has to be the perfect place in Saigon to throw a party for kids. To add to its mystique, no photos were allowed inside Read more about it here.

After a few "brews", I splurged on one of the DIY dolls (69,000 VND).

I got to crafting last week.

Despite the completely Vietnamese directions, I think my little strawberry outfit turned out quite alright:

Ba Cay Choi is located at 141 Phan Xich Long in Phu Nhuan. Visit their website here.

Good Places on the Internet: UBUWEB

2012-01-10T22:32:00.000+07:00

Sun Ra + John Cage .... Terrence McKenna's final interview... The complete prose works of Samuel Beckett... an Anton Corbijn short with Capt. Beefheart... phone conversations between Bob Dylan and his most ardent stalker/paparazzo... Jean Cocteau's complete recordings... If any of this sounds of interest to you: UBUWEB.

Billed as a repository of "visual, concrete and sound poetry (historical, contemporary, insane)", this site is an astounding collection of audio/video/miscellany that begs for hours of sifting through. Enjoy and thanks to Goertzky for the tip.

Watch This Film: Project Nim (2011)

2012-01-09T13:24:00.000+07:00

Project Nim. Animal Research. Nim Chimpsky. Language Construction. Interspecies Communication. Documentary Film. Sign Language. Thought-provoking. Tear-evoking.

This Week...

2012-01-07T13:24:00.000+07:00

A massive Japanese golden pear and a dragon fruit.

A thick cup of Vietnamese coffee in my favorite Teacher's Day present

Thanks for the mug Kim Bao!

Take out Mi Quang from Ngu Hanh Son on Phan Xich Long

Banh Beo


Che Dau Van (white bean pudding) for dessert

Flowers from Gavin's students

Crafting

Unpolished brown rice with fried egg tofu and bok choy sauteed with garlic and soy sauce

Neak Pean

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000+07:00

Nagomi II: Sushi on Phan Xich Long

2012-01-05T15:00:00.000+07:00

Cucumber Roll and Sake Maki

Edamame

California Roll

Grilled Squid

Sake Don

Miso

Salmon Skin Roll

Nagomi II, 274-276 Phan Xich Long, Q. Phu Nhuan