We are a bit behind on updating the blog – we arrived last night in Shanghai after a wonderful week with Robert’s grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Sydney, Australia. After we left Malaysia a couple weeks ago, we spent an enjoyable three days in Singapore. In stark contrast to much of the rest of Southeast Asia, Singapore was incredibly modern, clean, regulated, and efficient. It was first settled around 1300, and ruled as the kingdom of Singapura (he Lion City). In 1819, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles claimed Singapore as a British colony; it flourished as a trading hub and center of immigration until February 1942, when the British surrendered it to the Japanese after World War II attacks. The British administered Singapore as a colony again from 1945-1959, when Singapore became independent. On our first day, we took a walking tour around the Chinatown area, where we visited Chinese temples and Chinatown Complex Food Center, one of Singapore’s iconic food halls where hawkers serve inexpensive favorites like chicken rice (tender chicken breast boiled in chicken broth over rice slow cooked with garlic, ginger, and more chicken broth). The food center is the hub of a few high-rise apartment buildings, typical of the government designed and built housing that over 80% of Singaporeans call home. Because food cleanliness standards are extremely high, we were able to try anything that caught our eye without the wariness we developed towards street food from our frequent stomachaches over the past three months. The Chinatown food center is home to Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, the world’s cheapest Michelin-starred meal, where chicken rice is only $1.40. Our favorite chicken rice was at a nondescript stand near our hotel, Shuang Shun Chicken Rice, 346 Geylang Rd – make sure to get the roasted chicken instead of plain boiled. We spent much of the next day at the National Gallery. We saw wonderful art from all over Southeast Asia, which was a satisfying way to wrap up our time in the region. It was also one of the first times we can remember going to an art museum that featured artists from places like Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam etc., and it was interesting to see the narratives and creativity of Asian artists. We went for a long walk by the spectacularly designed waterfront, and visited the Marina Bay Sands, the world’s most expensive casino property, featuring three skyscrapers inspired by a deck of cards, topped by a park, bar, and infinity pool. Just beyond Marina Bay are the Gardens by the Bay, home to Singapore’s iconic Supertrees, vertical gardens that harness solar energy for a nightly lights show. From the start of the boardwalk to the Gardens, the entire waterfront was brilliantly designed, a seamless integration of office space, public parks, restaurants, shopping, and public transportation. Rooftop gardens and public parks abound in Singapore, making the 100% urban populated country clean and green. We went back to Chinatown for a late-night meal of roti with chicken curry, spicy Szechuan peppercorn tofu, and a large, ice cold Tiger beer each. We spent our final day at the Singapore Zoo, definitely the best zoo either of us had been to. Some highlights included the extremely active and playful monkeys and orangutans, white tigers, and flying foxes – the largest species of bat in the world. We were able to get very close to many of the animals who lived in large, open areas. That evening, we went back to our hotel to collect our bags and have one last chicken rice before going to the airport. Although our flight to Sydney didn’t leave until 1:30 AM, we wanted to get there early to relax and enjoy what is supposed to be the best airport in the world. We got an amazing deal on our flight – it cost only $110 each for the 8 hour Singapore-Sydney route on Scoot, Singapore’s low-cost airline, which flew a brand new 787-9 Dreamliner. We got even luckier when we boarded and there were enough empty seats for us to each have our own row of three to lie down. After a decent sleep in poor man’s business class, we arrived in Sydney around noon.
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Our final stop in Malaysia was George Town on the island of Penang. Founded in 1786 by Captain Francis Light of the British East India Company, Penang was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and a hub for trade and commerce. With its colonial architecture, cultural fusion, and extensive street art, George Town earned its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 2008. The vibrant Malay, Chinese, and Indian communities cook up a diverse range of delicious dishes, making Penang famous for its food. After a 4-hour bus from the Cameron Highlands, we caught the ferry from Butterworth to George Town. We checked in to our guest house, then had iced coffee, noodle soup, fried rice, and an oyster omelet at Kedai Kopi Malabar, a Chinese restaurant with different carts cooking the various specialties. We spent the afternoon wandering George Town’s pastel colonial streets, stopping at Hong Kong Shoe Store, where Penang native Jimmy Choo learned his trade from the man who still runs the simple shop. The day ended at Red Garden Food Paradise, a food garden with delicious cuisine from all over Asia and live music performers who did their best renditions of American pop songs (with moderate success). We shared dumplings and garlic sautéed greens. We started the next day with another iced coffee (a strong brew mixed with a little condensed milk) at Malabar, then enjoyed dim sum at Tai Tong Restaurant. Our next two stops were touristy museums, one that explained some of Penang’s history and culture and another that was simply a glow-in-the-dark photo op. We rounded off the day with a weissbier and mac and cheese at Edelweiss, a Swiss-style tavern decorated with antique clocks. We slept in on our third and last day in George Town, so we headed directly to Hameediyah for a gut-busting Indian feast, including the best naan and tandoori chicken we’ve had. Although delicious and a good value at $11 for a tableful of dishes, Hameediyah was perhaps an unwise precursor to our next activity: a hike in Penang National Park. We caught the 101 local bus for the hour-long ride to the park featuring tropical trails overlooking clear blue waters and pristine beaches of the Strait of Malacca. We hiked to a beach, spotting enormous lizards scurrying in the brush and a about a dozen monkeys swinging in the trees. After another long ride back to George Town, we visited Line Clear, a 24-hour institution, for teh tarik (pulled tea), the national drink of Malaysia. Teh tarik is made by mixing hot black tea with condensed milk, then pouring the product back and forth to blend the flavors and cool the liquid to drinking temperature. Penang was a fascinating capstone to our time in Malaysia, and we strongly recommend it for great food, creative art, and diverse culture. On Wednesday, we took a nausea-inducing bus ride up to the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia, best known for growing tea and strawberries. We walked around in a light drizzle, and ate a delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant, Singh Chapati. We woke up early on Thursday for a full-day tour in which we rode on a sideways bench in the back of a 30-year old Land Rover over the bumpy terrain. We chatted with a British couple who we coincidentally ran into again in the Cameron Highlands and in Penang, hundreds of miles away. While the tour was convenient in that it provided transportation to a few interesting locations, we regretted not simply sightseeing on our own, since many of the stops were not so great. After seeing a museum that consisted of what seemed to be junk from someone’s attic with few descriptions, we visited a flower and cacti nursery, which was pleasant, if a little dull. We next went to see the tea fields, and the scenery was beautiful. We went for a nice walk through the mossy forest, then visited a butterfly center that had some really cool bugs, birds, and snakes. We ended the tour at a strawberry farm, and went to a different Indian restaurant for a dinner of tandoori chicken, garlic naan, daal, mint chutney, curry, and vegetable rice. This morning, we took another long bus ride to Buttersworth, where we caught a ferry to George Town, the multicultural food capital and former British colonial hub on the island of Penang. We are excited to spend the next three days exploring the city before heading to our final stop in Southeast Asia: Singapore. After our relaxing time in Phuket, we landed late in a new city and country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. KL is a growing, diverse, modern city with excellent infrastructure and impeccable cleanliness. We think that strict rules, such as a $250 fine and/or up to 3 months imprisonment for not paying a public transit fare, help keep things orderly. The largest groups in KL are the 46% Malay, 43% Chinese, and 10% Indian. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, so pork and alcohol products are less ubiquitous and are labeled “non-halal.” We took a free walking tour provided by city hall to get oriented, and saw some colonial architecture left before Malaysia became independent from the British in 1957. We had lunch at FS Nasi Kandar, a casual Malay/Indian eatery full of office workers. In the afternoon, we visited the Islamic Arts Museum, which boasts a spectacular collection of fine books, colorful textiles and ceramics, dazzling jewelry, ancient weaponry, and model homes from across the Muslim world and the past millennium. The museum is a must see. We spent the evening exploring KL’s high-end commercial district, Bukit Bintang, and stopped by the famous Petronas Towers, the tallest in the world between 1998 and 2004 at 1,483 feet. The next day, we had an Indian lunch with dosas, chapatti bread, mango lassis, and rose milk at Chat Masala. We took the local commuter train to the Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine of temples built in limestone caves. We then dashed across the city to visit the National Mosque, an airy 1960s building with white tile and blue fountains, before heading to another walking tour in Kampong Bharu, a traditional local neighborhood threatened by development. The old-fashioned houses, street stalls, and small businesses stand in great contrast with the gleaming skyscrapers and high-end malls nearby. We tried nasi lemak, the very popular national dish, at Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa. KL is a vibrant, modern city with an entirely different feel than other cities we’ve visited in Southeast Asia. Its ambitious growth will continue to transform the skyline and the country. After 2 ½ months of nearly non-stop travel and sightseeing, we decided we wanted a break, so we went back to Thailand for five days on the beach in Phuket. We spent the first three in Karon Beach, where we rented a nice bungalow right off the town’s main street for $18 per night. We spent the days reading, swimming, and relaxing, and the evenings going out to dinner and bars with live music. One evening, we stayed in to make grilled cheese sandwiches and watch TV. For the past two days, we’ve been in Patong, Phuket’s most famous tourist spot filled with fast food chains, kitschy souvenir shops, and seedy nightclubs. Patong was definitely not among our favorite destinations – we probably wouldn’t go back, but we had fun seeing the many tourists and spectacles, and going out dancing. We are in the airport waiting to board our flight to our next country: Malaysia. After looking forward to our travels for so long, it’s hard to believe we are already done with Taiwan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. We miss our family and friends back home, but we are having such an amazing time, and feel so lucky to have the time and opportunity to take this trip together.
Despite all the good we saw in Myanmar and its people, the country’s government is responsible for serious human rights violations. The military shares power with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate who was formerly under house arrest for 15 years because of her pro-democracy movement. Aung San Suu Kyi became the State Counsellor and the country opened to tourism (with provincial limits) following elections in 2010, the first in 20 years – the beginning of some reforms. Visits from President Obama and Secretary Clinton, the first ever high-level trips from an American administration, added to the sense that the country was opening up for the first time in decades. While business has improved, the internet is supposedly less censored, and foreigners can visit – developments welcomed by our Mandalay tour guide – the government continues to engage in armed conflict with tribes in some provinces. Most disturbingly, the military has attacked the Rohingya Muslim minority in the Rakhine state, and hundreds of thousands have lost their villages, fled the country, or been killed. It is a genocide. We recommend reading Nick Kristof’s reporting in the New York Times to better understand the atrocities against the Rohingya. Human rights advocates have called for Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel Prize to be revoked for her downplaying and failure to stop the events. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has appropriately revoked an award it gave in 2012. We grappled with whether to visit Myanmar because of these events, ultimately deciding that most of our spending would directly support business owners, rather than the government. Unfortunately, while not on as large a scale as the Rohingya crisis, human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial killings occur in other Southeast Asian countries, so the dilemmas of how to visit ethically and whether to visit at all are always present. Because we have met wonderful, welcoming people everywhere who demonstrate that a country is not synonymous with its government, we usually do not avoid travel for political reasons. We likewise hope that people will not avoid the United States because of anti-foreigner and anti-LGBT sentiment from some officials in our government. Engagement, exchange, and mutual understanding will hopefully counteract these problems. In Myanmar, we witnessed a lot of child labor, such as tea house servers younger than 15 and brick molders in their teens, and we feel especially lucky to have been born in a free country and have access to education. The thick pollution made our throats itch and eyes water – which gave us even more appreciation for environmental protection, which should not be taken for granted. These challenges can be mitigated by tourism, so deciding whether to visit is not straightforward, and there are compelling reasons for and against visiting. Uncornered Market shares some tips for ethical travel in Myanmar, which we found helpful when planning our trip:
After a long bus ride from Bagan, we visited Mandalay Hill, a Buddhist site overlooking the city. We relaxed and explored the city on foot the next day, tired from our full days in Bagan. On our second full day, we took a bike tour with a local to learn more about a city that, on the surface, is not the most tourist-friendly. Our guide was extremely friendly and hardworking – he started his business recently with an investment from his Belgian friend. Pedaling through dusty and bumpy rural terrain just outside the city, we saw people working hard in tough conditions - a brick factory with manual labor, fields harvested by sickle, and laundry washed in the river. We stopped by a fish market, flower market, and met many locals. Outside the city, many people clearly had not seen many Westerners or tourists in general. Children ran up constantly to greet us, so Robert bought a big bag of candy to hand out to them. In the afternoon, we visited the Bagaya Monastery, one of two remaining teakwood monasteries in Mandalay. We went to the jade market, where workers use foot pedals to spin stones on which they smooth gemstones by hand for use in jewelry. We continued to the Mahamuni Buddha Temple, where worshippers have applied so much gold leaf to the Buddha image that the gold is 6 inches deep. We enjoyed the sunset at the U Bein Bridge, the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world, built in 1850 and three-quarters of a mile long. We ended the day with a delicious dinner at our guide’s home cooked by his wife. He introduced us to his two daughters – an eight-year-old and a baby who he is hoping to teach English and send to school so they can get jobs in tourism, a growing industry. Food in MyanmarThe food in Myanmar was different than the rest in Southeast Asia, somewhat more similar to Indian food than Thai. We particularly enjoyed Shan noodles (tangy, chewy rice noodles with broth on the side, a specialty of the Shan state); tea leaf salad (an invigorating mix of fermented green tea leaves with crunchy fried beans, roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and fried garlic); nan pyar (bubbly flatbread with a side of curry peas); and Burmese milk tea (one part evaporated milk, one part condensed milk, and one part hot black tea). Our favorite restaurants were:
We were particularly touched by Kyaing Thin Tea Shop in Mandalay, known for its literary crowd, which gave us tea on the house and shared this note: Dear foreign guests, FriendlinessAll over Myanmar, many Burmese people wanted to take photos with us, presumably because of our good looks! Or possibly because only 80,000 American tourists visit Myanmar every year, so perhaps our looks were merely interesting or amusing. As you’ll see in the photo below, Burmese people wear thanaka, a powdery face cream made from ground bark mixed with a little water that helps smooth skin and protect against the sun. More than any country we’ve visited, people had big smiles and were eager to say hello. Bring some candy to give to kids and you will be extremely popular! Remember to say mingalabar (a greeting that means “hello” and also “auspiciousness to you” – good luck is a central component in Buddhist culture).
Two years ago, Alexa and I watched our first episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, our favorite travel show. He visited Myanmar at the beginning of its opening to tourism in 2013 after decades of isolation. The entire episode was interesting, but one bucket list location truly awed us: Bagan. Bagan was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom between the 9th to 13th centuries. To earn great merit, the kings built over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries between the 11th and 13th centuries, about 2,200 of which still stand today. Brick structures remain, while the wooden sites disintegrated over the centuries. Bagan has not yet attained UNESCO World Heritage status because of disputed rebuilding practices by the military government following an earthquake in the 1990s. A serious earthquake in 2016 destroyed much of that renovation work, so Myanmar reapplied for the designation last year, although controversy over temple preservation and local overdevelopment persists. We first visited Shwezigon Pagoda, built roughly 1000 years ago, but still gleaming from gold leaf and the vibrancy of worshipful crowds. Most of the tourists we saw were domestic, as Bagan is one of Asia’s most important pilgrimage sites. We visited most of the major temples throughout our first day. We ended with a breathtaking sunset on top of a temple next to Dhammayazika Pagoda. The sun dipped below the mountains just beyond the Irrawaddy River. The next day, we stopped at some of the countless groups of smaller stupas, which we had to ourselves. Bagan is so vast that only the large, famous temples have crowds, and much of it is completely open to explore. |
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