Home Sweet Home

After 81 days, 34 flights, 35,000 miles in the air, countless miles on the ground, six countries (eight if you count airports) and thousands of dollars, I finally made it home. I had a great time and am really glad I had the opportunity to study abroad in India and travel around Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Every place I visited was fascinating and enjoyable, but my two favorite countries were India and Thailand. While India may have been dirty and a complete headache, there were so many cool things to see and do. However, if going to India, the trip could probably be condensed in terms of both time and geography, as most of the important sites are located in the same region. I enjoyed Thailand as well because it was really easy to travel in and it was a lot of fun. Thailand is very westernized and there were a lot of things to do there - temples, jungles, beaches, palaces and more. Oh, and the food in Thailand was awesome.

America, F*** Yeah!

I have uploaded all the pictures from my trip. The links are on the right side of the page, but unless you have a lot of free time and patience, I would recommend looking at the "highlights" pictures for the three regions I visited. In total, there are only 100 pictures - all of which have captions and are the best pictures from each region. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading. It feels good to be home.

Formula One

It's been the talk of the town all week. There will be a Formula One race in Bahrain on Sunday. People from near and far have traveled to witness the event. The race has been especially hyped because it's the first race of the season and the return of famed German driver Michael Schumacher. We've been hearing about it all week and were bummed that we would miss it on Sunday. However, some of our hosts were able to score our group about thirty tickets to the qualifying events today. The cars were incredibly fast and incredibly loud. I was able to enjoy them from my seat in Row 1.

Formula One Racer

Next stop: Charlottesville, Virginia

Bahraini Hospitality

My school group has been in Bahrain for about almost a week now and I have been amazed with the hospitality. Sure, our professor has been coming here for thirty years and knows half of the island, but the level of hospitality people have shown is unprecedented. We've visited about a dozen companies and every single one has been ecstatic to have us. We've received tons of gifts and everyone has been very welcoming. Our group has even been featured in the national newspaper twice. Among our company visits, we've seen a number of forts, a camel farm, a handful of mosques, the royal golf club, a horse race and a few other things. Further, we've been invited to dine in a mosque and have had meals at night in the desert and in Bahraini homes in small groups. It has been really interesting to see this side of the Middle East and realize how different it is from what we read in the newspaper and see on CNN.

Dinner at the Desert Camp

Bahrain, Day 3

Tuesday was an extremely long day. Many of us were tired from an evening of Middle Eastern entertainment on Monday night. The hotel put on a belly dancing show complete with a smorgasbord of Middle Eastern fare. Despite going out past midnight, we were out the door by 8:30am to make it in time for the opening bell on the Bahraini Stock Exchange - our picture was in the newspaper on Wednesday morning. After ringing the opening bell, our group went over to Bahrain Central Bank (their version of the Federal Reserve) to learn about their economy and monetary policy.

Next, we went to the Grand Mosque and got a spoonful of Islam. I feel like an expert now. To complete the afternoon, our bus dropped us off on the middle of the bridge to Saudi Arabia to see the sun set over the Arabian Peninsula. Later, we took a three hour walking tour through Manama, the main city in Bahrain. On our tour, we saw a number of mosques and churches and got to experience the marketplace and Bahraini street food.

Bahrain

On our second day in Bahrain, our class visited a ship building yard. This shipyard builds new ships and repairs ships already in service. We were able to tour one of the ships that was under repair - an unnamed American vessel. It was really interesting to see the ship and ask questions and learn about what it's like to be a crew member on a freighter. In the afternoon, our class went to a real estate development that is currently being built. The development is a series of condos and hotels that will be built on man-made islands, reclaimed from the Persian/Arabian Gulf.

Bahrain

The Persian Gulf

After several days in Egypt, I arrived in Bahrain last night after a short stopover in Qatar. The Kingdom of Bahrain - where I will be for the next week - is a tiny island nation in the Persian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and Iran. There is a bridge that connects the country with Saudi Arabia. Bahrain, which has a population of about one million, is completely westernized (with the exception being pork) and is BY FAR the most developed place I've been to on this trip. It's pretty much just like the U.S. The economy in Bahrain is largely based on oil, yet in recent years, the country has become a money center - much like New York, London or Hong Kong. Bahrain also gained notoriety during the last few years, as a Bahraini prince would host Michael Jackson any time he got into legal trouble (read: little boys).

Downtown Manama - Bahrain's Capital

I met up with about thirty classmates from business school who are taking a week-long class in Bahrain with me. Today, we talked with a few banks who educated us about Islamic Finance. Basically, the banks must adhere to the principles of Islam, one of which strictly forbids charging interest. To get around this, the banks set up investments and accounts in a specific way to get around the restriction on interest charges and payments. It's a fairly interesting (pun intended) structure and process.

Luxor

We left Cairo on Wednesday evening and headed for Luxor via overnight train. Luxor is on the Nile in the middle of the country. It was one of the most important cities in Ancient Egypt and, thus, is home to a number of temples and tombs. On our first day, we explored Luxor Temple and the Temple of Karnak. Both are large complexes constructed on the bank of the Nile. Luxor is a lot hotter than Cairo - making the pool at our hotel perfect. It's also a lot cleaner and more touristy than Cairo.

Temple Paintings

Today, our second day, we crossed the Nile to see a few temples and Valley of the Kings. Valley of the Kings is a large valley in which a number of Egyptian pharaohs were buried. There are roughly sixty tombs that have been unearthed, but archaeologists believe there are about thirty more which haven't been discovered. This is the location that King Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922 - yet all the treasures have been moved to Cairo, Berlin and England. We went into three of the tombs, but there isn't a whole lot to see as all have been robbed over the centuries. Most have paintings and hieroglyphs on the walls.

Luxor Temple

We're heading to Bahrain tomorrow, which is my final destination before coming home next week.

Pyramids

Our motley crew - all eight of us - visited the pyramids at Giza on Tuesday. There are three large pyramids and several small ones. Tourists are permitted into the two larger pyramids, but the third one is closed to help maintain the integrity of the structure. The first pyramid, the Great Pyramid or Cheops, is the oldest and largest and is the only remaining building of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We waited in line for tickets to make sure we were able to go inside. Not a whole lot inside - just stale air, lots of climbing and darkness.

The Great Pyramid

The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid

After touring the pyramids and seeing the Sphinx - all of which were smaller than I anticipated - three of the eight of us decided to ride camels to the top of a hill to get a better view. Camels are a lot bumpier than I had imagined and they can go relatively fast as well. One person with us actually got bucked off his camel - but he landed on the sand and was alright. We then stayed around to see a light show at the pyramids.

Riding a Camel

The Pyramids at Giza

Cairo

My ten weeks in Asia are over. The last two weeks of my trip begin today in the Middle East. I landed in Cairo at 6:30am today and had one final day before a number of my classmates arrive. Several are arriving this evening - seven to be exact - while we will be meeting up with more on Saturday in Bahrain, where we have a week-long class. Our plans in Egypt include exploring Cairo, visiting the pyramids and heading down to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.

The first reaction I had this morning was, "Holy sh*t it's cold!" I don't know if it's because I was expecting ridiculously high temps or the last ten weeks have been unbearably hot. Either way, I was not expecting the temperature to be in the mid-fifties this morning - which to me feels like below zero.

I spent the day - while wearing pants for the first time in weeks - at the train ticketing office and walking through the old town. It seems that Egypt has used India's playbook when it comes to bureaucracy. In order to buy eight train tickets for Wednesday night, it took me more than two hours and multiple trips to the train station. Like the Indians, the folks at Egyptian Rail make everything 18 steps more difficult than it should have to be. Despite that, I was able to procure tickets to Luxor. After that debacle, I rode the Cairo subway to the old town. It was nothing overly impressive, just several ancient churches, synagogues and mosques all clustered together. The real highlight will be the pyramids tomorrow.

It's Miller Time!

On a side note, I've uploaded all of my pictures from Southeast Asia and have also created a highlights album, which only has 25 pictures. You can view both by clicking on the links on the right side of this page.

Miss Saigon

My last day in Asia was marked by a relaxing saunter around Saigon. In a lot of ways, Saigon reminds me of Bombay. First, like Bombay, no one in the country - at least the southern part - calls it by it's new name, Ho Chi Minh City (Mumbai for Bombay). Second, the city is relatively new in terms of history - both have only been cities since the European imperialists came knocking. Finally, both seem to lack a major Asian cultural aspect and are reminiscent of major metropolises in the U.S. and Europe.

With Woodson gone and all the sights already covered, I spent the day walking around Chinatown and revisiting the main market in Saigon. Neither were overly interesting. I even had time to get a haircut today - it was kind of awkward when the barber wanted to jam a pair of scissors up my nose to give me the full treatment, but there was no way I was having it. I closed my day with a visit to one of Saigon's countless pho shops - one that Bill Clinton dined at during one of his last official state visits in 2000.

Pho

Pho is probably the national dish of Vietnam. The Vietnamese eat it like it's going out of style. It is more or less a noodle soup, with thin, long rice noodles, meat and scallions, in either chicken or beef stock. Sometimes they like to put funkier stuff in it - such as pig's blood - but I made sure that wasn't the case. The pho at this place was the best I've had in Vietnam. One thing (although there are many) that seems odd in both Vietnam and Thailand - the temperature is extremely hot, yet people eat very spicy and very hot (temperature-wise) food.

At present, I am en route to Cairo from Saigon via Bangkok. While Vietnam was interesting, it was definitely not as exciting as the other countries in Asia I visited. Part of that is likely due to basing ourselves out of Saigon. Had we gone to Hanoi and tackled the northern part of the country, I think there would have been more history, culture and scenery to experience. A lot more Charlie, Chuck, Chip and Chazz too. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Egypt and I enjoyed Vietnam, but I'm pretty sure that I will not miss Saigon. Pun intended.

The Emperor's New Clothes

After a long day of touring emperors' tombs in Hue on Friday, we took a car through Da Nang and to the ancient city of Hoi An on Saturday. To make ourselves feel and look like emperors, Woodson and I stopped by one of the many tailors in Hoi An to have custom suits and shirts made for us. Choosing absolutely every single aspect of your suit, from the number of buttons to the size of the lapel to the color and material of the inner lining was really an interesting and intense process. Nonetheless, at the end of the day, we both had very nice tailored suits. It was amazing to see the fabric transformed into a perfect fitting jacket. Note: the hat pictured below did not come with the suits.

Looking Fashionable in Vietnam

Having spent plenty of Vietnamese Dong on suits, we decided to wander around town. Hoi An is an old trading port datin back hundreds of years, with significant influence from the Portuguese, Chinese and Japanese. Many of the buildings were constructed in the colonial style and have survived Vietnam's various wars. As such, the entire town is protected as a historical site by the United Nations. However, many of these historic buildings have become nothing more than peddlers of cheap merchandise for souvenirs. Nonetheless, Hoi An was an interesting and beautiful place to visit.

Hoi An

Our whirlwind two-day trip to Hue and Hoi An in Central Vietnam ended on Saturday evening with a flight back to Saigon. Woodson left for the U.S. on Sunday morning and I am headed to Cairo on Sunday evening. One more day to experience Saigon and Vietnam.

Hue

After waking up at 4am to catch our 6am flight, Woodson and I made it to Hue (pronounced "hway") this morning. Despite being extremely tired, we headed out for a long day of adventure. Hue is the former capital of Vietnam and has a number of temples, tombs and sites. In order to see them all, we rented a pair of mopeds for the day - which were named Ladyboy and Fat-bottomed Girl. While they were nice rides, they were nothing like The Green Monster and Hellboy, our mopeds in Chiang Mai.

Riding Hogs

Our route took us through the countryside on bumpy roads to see a few tombs of emperors. Then, we headed back into the city to see a pagoda and the old town and citadel. To finish out the day, we cruised ten miles to the east to have a beer on the beach of the South China Sea.

Tomb Outside of Hue

Cao Dai and Cu Chi

We took a side trip from Saigon to visit the countryside. The first stop was Cao Dai, which is the Holy See, or Vatican, for the Cao Dai religion. Cao Dai is a religion that was founded in the 1920s and basically incorporates the best parts of Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. The architecture of the building was interesting, very psychedelic, for lack of a better word. We witnessed one of their ceremonies - of which they have four per day, one every six hours.

Ceremony at Cao Dai

The next stop was Cu Chi, a small city outside of Saigon. Cu Chi was the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War and was the entry point for the Viet Cong into South Vietnam to launch their attack on Saigon. Cu Chi is specifically notable because it was home to South Vietnamese rebels who supported the North and fought against fellow South Vietnamese. They dug a number of tunnels - which we got to explore - and used a variety of booby traps to subdue and defeat the South Vietnamese through guerrilla warfare. To get to the tunnels, we walked through the jungle - Charlie was everywhere.

Saigon

I arrived in Saigon (a.k.a. Ho Chi Minh City) in Vietnam on Tuesday evening. After withdrawing two million dong from the ATM, I was good to go - that's just over one hundred dollars. The city is very modern and very large. The doesn't seem to be a whole lot in the way of cultural things to see, but Woodson and I hit the hotspots. One of which was the War Remnants Museum. However, it should probably be renamed the "War of American Aggression Museum." The entire museum depicts the Vietnam War from their perspective and interestingly describes in great detail the American plans to invade, conquer and kill Vietnam. We felt right at home amongst this Commie propaganda. Despite that bit of "truth" that was dropped on us, the rest of Saigon has been fun and the people have been very nice - even though we are from a "belligerent and aggressive" nation. The highlight of the day was a trip to the U.S. Consulate - don't worry, I'm not being deported.

Taste of Thailand

Of the three countries I have visited so far on this trip - India, Thailand and Cambodia - Thailand has had the best food, hands down. Thai is arguably the best of Chinese cuisine combined with the best of Indian spices. I'm not sure how much I agree with the Indian spice part, though. India has some pretty pungent and offensive spices, plus they overdo the spices in everything... possibly to compensate for rancidity. Another differing factor between India and Thailand is how the food looks. As Woodson has said numerous times, Indians don't concern themselves with presentation - most dishes look like they could have come from a used diaper. Thailand is the exact opposite and the food has been fantastic.

Spicy Pork Salad and Beef Curry

There are four basic types of food in Thailand: soups, curries, noodles and stir fry. Thai soups typically are with a clear broth and a lot of noodles. There are a few creamier soups too, but given the torrid climate, I haven't sampled too many. The curries are simply delicious. The key differentiator from India here, I think, is coconut milk. I'm not a fan of coconut, but only the richness, not the flavor, is brought out in the curries. I've only had a few, but Woodson got me to try the red curry, which has been one of my favorites in Thailand.

Thai Soup

There are a number of different types of stir fry. Thais use all types of meat and combine them with an assortment of vegetables. They have been very good as well. Finally, noodles. There are oodles of noodles. Okay, that was a terrible sentence. But, nonetheless, my favorite type - which I typically order at home - is a combination of fried wide rice noodles with chicken and bok choy in a light, sweet and spicy sauce. Sometimes they add baby corn, carrots or broccoli. There are all types of noodles, thick or thin, fried or boiled, bland or spicy.

Spice-Eating Dare

Most people worry about the spiciness of Thai food. Most of my food has been fairly bland and then I have added spice. When asking for spicy, Thais know better than to give white boys too much. In the photo above, Woodson dared me to eat a spoonful of hot peppers for 200 baht. While I was more concerned with pride, I dutifully downed the peppers only to receive a painful morning and about six U.S. dollars. In all, I think one of the things I'll miss most about Thailand is the cuisine. Oh, and the Chang beer.

Man Versus Food

The challenge faced me from the moment upon landing in Thailand. That's right, The Deprived. (If you are unfamiliar, please refer to my post from a few days ago.) It seems fitting that my last meal in and memory from Thailand will be the conquest of The Deprived.

Imagine this... two buns, four grilled beef patties, four slices of American cheese melted into an undescribable taste and texture, topped with three slices of bacon and a healthy dollop of barbecue sauce. That is The Deprived. At a whopping 990 calories, or 1,430 if you count the french fries, The Deprived is no laughing matter. However, I did have a Diet Coke, so it sort of offsets everything else. Much like Hillary's quest to conquer Everest, it was my duty to defeat this red, white and blue monstrosity to show Thais just what Americans are made of. It wasn't just for kicks or personal glory, but for national pride. All the marbles were on the table.

The Deprived

The real trick was how to bite into the behemoth. As presented, the sandwich was too wide for a normal human to get his jaws around. Yet, if squeezed too much, a conglomeration of barbecue sauce and melted cheese would ooze all over your hands. It was a delicate ballet, combining wits, stamina and skill. But, yours truly prevailed.

It wasn't too difficult a task and the result was yet again American dominance. Now, the real test will be to see if my stomach can make it to Saigon in one piece. Let's see what this Air France 747 jumbo jet can do - yes, the Froggies fly an American-made sky fortress.

Kata

After a few days on Phi Phi Don, I took a boat back to Phuket and made my way to Kata, a beach town on the western coast of Thailand. Similar to Phi Phi, the water is clear, green and warm. The beaches are sandy and white, with shallow bays. The beaches in Phi Phi tended to be a younger crowd, while Kata seems to be more on the older side. Kata also has a very large Scandinavian contingent - many of the restaurants have Norwegian or Swedish flags and a lot have the word "viking" somewhere in their name.

Kata Beach at Sunset

Pronounciation Guide

To clarify for you - namely Mr. Snyder - where I am, I thought a pronunciation guide might be useful. In Thailand, the letter "h" is hard. So, Zac, despite how you might think Phuket could be pronounced, it is actually "poo-ket". To further clarify, I am on Phi Phi Don ("pee-pee-don") in Ko Phi Phi ("ko-pee-pee"). Here are a few more pictures of Ko Phi Phi...

Phi Phi Don

Also, for those interested, I have uploaded all of my pictures from Thailand and Cambodia. Click on the Southeast Asia link on the right side of the page. I warn you, however, that there are more than 300 photographs. I will pare that number down after visiting Vietnam next week to make them more manageable to view. Enjoy!

Beach on Phi Phi Don

The Deprived

Let me tell you a little story. Imagine yourself landing at the Bangkok Airport, a new place in a foreign land. You've been in a place with arguably terrible food and without beef for seven weeks. Now, at 9am, after fourteen hours of traveling, you're hungry and, well, deprived. Imagine, that after going beefless for nearly 50 days, the first restaurant you see (a Burger King) would have this on the menu...

The Deprived

Not a cheeseburger. Not a double or even a triple. But, a quadruple cheeseburger. It was almost like fate calling.

Ko Phi Phi

After flying from Cambodia to Bangkok to Phuket, staying overnight and then hopping on a ferry, I finally made it to Ko Phi Phi. Ko Phi Phi is a set of six islands, only Phi Phi Don is inhabited, in a bay in the Andaman Sea. The islands are essentially giant mossy rocks that stick out of the sea and have shallow, sandy coves. The picture below is of the main beach in Phi Phi Don - it doesn't do it justice. The sand is white, the water is a greenish color and very clear and feels like bathwater.

Phi Phi Don