Tag Archives: Art

Travel Guide

Travel Guide: Bangkok x2

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This is the first in a series of three posts chronicling my October break trip with my dad. You can read my introduction to that trip here and you can read about my first trip to Bangkok here. The destinations that followed, Hanoi and Hoi An, can be found here and here.

Thailand's idea of how to wire a city. I couldn't stop taking pictures of these the first time I was there!
Thailand’s idea of how to wire a city. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of these the first time I was there!

We landed in Bangkok late Friday night and were up at and it early the next morning. Our first stop was Wat Pho, which is a beautiful temple complex. Dad struggled a bit with the heat, but he persevered admirably. My guidebook (Lonely Planet’s Discover Thailand) had a really good walking tour, so we simply followed that. I liked Wat Pho a lot because each temple was different. There were shaded areas throughout the complex, which also made it very pleasant to walk around.

We took as mall water taxi to get to Wat Arun, which is an experience I think everyone should have
We took a small water taxi to get to Wat Arun, which is an experience I think everyone should have.

And then we arrived at Wat Pho:

After a delicious lunch of pad thai, green curry, and Thai iced tea, my Thai favorites, we crossed the street to visit the Grand Palace. Mitch and I were in Bangkok a year ago, as I mentioned, but it was fun to go back and see it all through my dad’s eyes this time. Now that I’m used to certain aspects of life in Asia, and certainly now that I’m used to traveling in Asia, I’ve somewhat lost track of what used to make me uncomfortable or strike me as new or different. I revisited all of that during my weekend in Bangkok with my father.

I did warn Dad that he’d have to don a pair of elephant pants over his shorts to be allowed access to the Grand Palace. He was skeptical, but elephants pants suited him. The Grand Palace itself is only used today for ceremonial functions, but visitors are are restricted to viewing from the outside. The temples on the palace grounds, however, are what make the site spectacular:

No palace is complete without a guard:

Why are silly hats a guard requirement?
Why are silly hats a guard requirement?

The next day we visited the Jim Thompson House, which was a new spot for me. Jim Thompson made his home in Bangkok after years of working in Thailand for the Office of Strategic Services, a forerunner to the CIA. He is responsible for turning Thailand’s silk production into an international industry and his house, which includes a rather impressive collection of Asian art, is now a museum. Photos are only allowed outside of the house:

Jim Thompson House
Jim Thompson House

While I appreciated the guided tour and learning about Thompson’s art collection, which was unlike most art that I’ve seen because I’ve mostly seen art around Europe, I also really enjoyed the views from the house’s windows. They provide an insight into real life in Bangkok. I do expect the scenery was a bit different when Jim Thompson moved into his house, however.

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Finally, I was glad for the opportunity to revisit Chatuchak Weekend Market. We were actually shopping for souvenirs this time and got a lot better at bargaining each time we did it. Learning from mine and Mitch’s past mistakes, Dad and I went to the market hungry and tried some tasty food. Live and learn, right?

The clock tower at Chatuchak Weekend Market. Not only is it iconic, but it's also a useful orientation tool.
The clock tower at Chatuchak Weekend Market. Not only is it iconic, but it’s also a useful orientation tool.
Exterior of Chatuchak Weekend Market. My interiors photos couldn't possible capture the size and scope of this operation, but the exterior should give you an idea of the resourcefulness of many of the vendors.
Exterior of Chatuchak Weekend Market. My interiors photos couldn’t possible capture the size and scope of this operation, but the exterior should give you an idea of the resourcefulness of many of the vendors.

Since I’d been to Bangkok before, I took the fewest number of photos while we were here. We stayed from late Friday night to early Monday morning, which was more than enough. Bangkok is loud, busy, smelly, chaotic, and a wonderful experience. I’ve now been twice and I’m glad; the first time let me see the city and the second time let me take a closer look because I was no longer surprised by what I saw. A very good friend is spending a couple days in Bangkok next month and I can’t wait to hear his thoughts about it!

Tuk tuk

Click here to read about our second stop, Hanoi.

Singapore

Lights and music are on my mind.

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Who gets the title reference? Anyone? Anyone? Answer: This song!

On Friday night, I joined two of my friends at the opening of the Night Festival here in Singapore. The Night Festival runs from 7pm-2am Friday and Saturday night for two weekends and consists of free museum admission to the Art Museum, National Museum, Peranakan Museum, and Philatelic Museum (that means stamp collecting!), as well as street performances, installation art having to do with light, dance performances, interactive stage performances, and food and drinks available on streets closed to cars. We were more than a little overwhelmed with options and choices, and largely unfamiliar with the wide area in which the festival was located, but we followed the crowds and the music, bought ourselves some strawberry margarita popsicles, and had a good time!

These drummers wove their way down the street and stopped to play right in front of us! I learned later that they're a group from the UK.
These drummers wove their way down the street and stopped to play right in front of us! I learned later that they’re a group from the UK.

The New Stream Brass Band claims to be a New Orleans-style jazz band, and the word style is key. Growing up in Rochester and attending the Jazz Festival regularly has introduced me to enough jazz to recognize authentic New Orleans jazz. This wasn’t, but the musicians played and sang and got quite a large crowd. They were a lot of fun to watch because they were clearly enjoying them, and the music did remind me of bands of I’ve heard in the past.

New Stream 1

New Stream 2

I couldn’t help but take a picture of the food truck offerings from a truck called Cow. It was painted white with black spots!

Food truck
These prices were so reasonable! We were shocked.

The light installations all involved music or sound in some way, too. There were even fire dancers at one show!

These guitarists were really good!
I completely understand why children are fascinated with mobiles. So were we!
This was just sort of fascinating. The birds looked like they’d been made of wire.
Light show with fire dancers at the Singapore Art Museum
This group’s name is Alchemy – cool, right?
French graphic designers put together this display to celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday

I got a good laugh at the civility of this festival. No one was walking on the grass to get underneath the giant mobile, but my American friends and I looked around at the lack of barriers or explicit signs, and did just that. People waited at crosswalks to cross the street. Only some streets were blocked off and there were crossing guards with whistles positioned at the streets that were still open to traffic. Even though alcohol was available, very few people were drinking. There was no trash anywhere. No one was climbing trees or light poles for a better view. It was all very, very calm. How strange!

I might go back next weekend to go to the Art Museum. I haven’t been there and this would be a good (read: free) opportunity to see what it has to offer.

Travel Guide

Travel Guide: Ho Chi Minh City

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This trip was my first solo travel experience. We didn’t plan it that way, but Mitch wasn’t able to come at the last minute so I made the trip to Vietnam by myself. I am not a person who does well alone; I’ve written about that before. I am not a person who travels to foreign countries alone. But, this weekend, I became a person who can do that and do it well. This whole Malaysia experience has taught me that I’m a lot braver and more adventurous than I thought I was. To be quite honest, I have to be grateful to Malaysia for helping me grow into a stronger, more independent woman.

And onto the trip!

I absolutely loved Ho Chi Minh City, still better known as Saigon. (The airport code is SGN – how cool is that?!) The French influence in Ho Chi Minh, and in District 1 in particular, is obvious everywhere, from tree-lined boulevards with sidewalks and numerous public parks to a plethora of cafes. Anywhere with coffee culture holds a special place in my heart. There are aspects of Ho Chi Minh City, too, that make it distinctly Asian – more people have motorcycles than cars, traffic lights are in short supply, and when stuck in traffic, many bikers prefer to ride on the sidewalks. The gallery below contains general shots of the city. Then, I’ll get into specifics about what I saw.

My first stop was the War Remnants Museum, formerly known as the Museum of American War Crimes, which tells you basically everything you need to know about the museum’s bias and perspective. Since I’m an American History teacher, I can’t say that anything in the museum surprised me, but it was very interesting to see the Vietnam War (they don’t name the war in English, but multiple museums referred to it as the “war against US aggression”) presented from the other side. I took pictures of a few exhibit explanations and quotations posted on the walls to share with my students the next time I teach the war. (Sorry, not going to display those here – shoot me a message if you’re interested.)

Independence Palace, also known as Reunification Palace, was my next stop. I have to admit that I was less than thorough in my exploration due to stifling heat, oppressive humidity, and lack of air conditioning. Since I’m much more used to the architecture of old European palaces, it was interesting to see a modern palace. My photos of the interior didn’t come out very well because I wasn’t using the flash, but I did get some decent shots of the coolest part of the palace, which was the bunker in the basement. The bunker acted as a command center during the war and was completely equipped for people to stay for extended periods of time. The old radio equipment (ironically supplied by the US when Ngo Dinh Diem was in power) was fascinating.

The Central Post Office is famous for its interior (old French maps, phone booths) and is a popular spot to take wedding photos! The massive portrait of Uncle Ho (so called by numerous posters around the city and explanations in museums) surprised me.

Central Post Office with newly married couple! Central Post Office Uncle Ho

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, built by the French in 1880, is located on the same square as the post office. Most of it was closed to visitors and reserved for people praying, which I really liked. Again, no flash so not the best photos.

To see the Saigon River, I walked down a wonderful street called Dong Khoi. While in that area, I had a cup of coffee (one of many) and window shopped in all the little boutiques. I returned to that area Saturday night for dinner and drinks. I didn’t see the river by night, but I saw it as the sun was beginning to set.

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By night, I did see . . .

The Opera House
The Opera House
People's Committee Hall (not sure what this does or is supposed to do and my guidebook didn't have anything to say about it)
People’s Committee Hall (not sure what this does or is supposed to do and my guidebook didn’t have anything to say about it)

Sunday morning I went to Ben Thanh Market. The chaos and odor of Asian wet markets no longer surprises me, and I am no longer rattled by vendors constantly calling after visitors to purchase this or that. Instead, I simply enjoyed the people-watching and the coffee.

I also ventured to the Fine Arts Museum, intriguing because I have no experience with Asian art. Interestingly, the museum was un-air conditioned and very few of the pieces were protected by glass. I don’t know anything about art conservation, but I can’t imagine that’s good for the art. The Ho Chi Minh City Museum was also excellent. This is where I found a collection of actual artifacts from the Vietnam War. The War Remnants Museum told its story in photos, but this is where newspapers, uniforms, weapons, official documents, old uniforms, and ingenious objects like a boat with a false bottom are housed.

Despite all that I saw and did, I can’t say I really feel that I experienced Vietnam. When Mitch and I were in Bangkok in November, I thought I understood how people in Thailand really live. I don’t have the same feeling about Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, or whatever you want to call it. All of my exploring took place in District 1, which I know is incredibly Western and the most frequented by tourists. Next time, I’d love to take a boat up the Mekong River to see fishing villages (friends did this and their photos were wonderful), I want to see the pagodas in Chinatown, and I really want to go to Hanoi. Obviously, there’s a lot out there; hopefully I’ll get to see and learn more!

Safe travels!