EER R&R: Bangkok Part One

Oh Bangkok. What lovely memories I have of you. The food. The traffic. The colors. The occasional elephants. The hot water! When I studied in Khon Kaen I loved coming to Bangkok (2-3 times during the semester) because we stayed right in the city and our hotel had hot showers. I never saw the tourist sites (except Khao San Road since we stayed nearby), but I loved the energy, the abundance of street food, and the greenery and relative quiet of many city streets. Fast forward 13.5 years, and I'm ready to rediscover this lovely city... although hot water is not my only luxury this time.

Immigration was quick but baggage took a while, and I made it out to a taxi within about an hour of landing. The taxi driver very helpfully tuned the radio to American pop hits since, as he said "I know Americans! They like American music! They do not like Thai music. I like Thai music. But Americans do not like Thai music!" I didn't bother arguing, especially since I'd never heard most of the American songs anyway so it was all new to my ears.

We made it into Bangkok fairly quickly, though traffic was a bit backed up downtown. Luckily the hotel let me check in a couple hours early. Thank goodness for status which also got a room category upgrade! I took a quick shower and changed clothes and then had the doorman help me get a cab to my first stop - the tailor. It took a bit of back and forth to understand the address (even with the map I'd printed out), and I realized later that it was much easier to go by skytrain. Oh well. I got to see some of the neighborhood!

The tailor experience didn't start off great, but once the inexperienced salesman turned me over to one of the tailors it went smoothly. I chose the fabrics for suits and shirts, we did quick designs, he took the measurements, and I was done for the day! When I had initially inquired with the tailor about getting things done while I was in town, they told me they were closed for ten days for Songkran (Thai New Year) right in the middle of my stay. So I needed to get the fittings done right away, and I decided to have them mail me the finished products. That would leave more room for souvenirs in my suitcase anyway!

I took the skytrain back to the hotel and called the spa to check their availability. Luckily they were completely open, so I went right up for a foot/leg massage and then a head massage. It was perfect. Exactly what I needed after traveling - great ambience, great staff, great amenities. After that I decided to eat in the hotel for dinner. They have a Chinese restaurant that was okay, though I don't think I did the best job ordering. Oh well. Service was lovely. I FaceTimed with my parents before bed and then had a great night's sleep.

Friday I woke up for breakfast (amazing, diverse spread!) and got ready for my first food adventure with Traveling Spoon. I read about this company a couple months ago and then read an FS blog post about one woman's experience with them in New Delhi. When I checked the website and saw their heavy Asia presence (and in the cities I was visiting!) I started researching. Traveling Spoon matches travelers with hosts in their home cities for meals, cooking demonstrations, and market experiences.

For Thailand I chose a host who advertised some of my favorite Thai dishes and had studied in the United States. I thought that was a nice combination. The first date I suggested didn't work for her, but she was free on Friday so I confirmed, and we set it up! I met Cherry at a BTS station and we walked to a neighborhood market. She had already purchased some of the ingredients but talked me through noodle, tofu, veggie, mango, and sticky rice choices. We headed back to her apartment to cook and chatted the whole time. She had me be the sous chef, chopping, washing, and prepping ingredients as she talked through the theory of the various tastes and techniques. We made tom kha gai soup, pad thai, and spicy pork with savory basil. Plus we had mango with sticky rice for dessert! After cooking the dishes we sat down and feasted and chatted some more. It was absolutely delicious, and I got some great insights into Thai culture for a modern family in Bangkok. This was a really great experience, and I encourage others to take advantage while traveling in the region.

The rest of the day was napping since my cold was now full-blown, and I had room service for a light dinner.

Buying noodles and tofu at the neighborhood market

She wanted me to take a photo but looked away

Chilis. I don't do chilis well. This was considered a very minor amount, but it was way too much for me.

Prepping the next dish

Tom Kaa Gai simmering

Mmmm Thai basil...

Adding the noodles to pad thai

Pad Thai

About to enjoy the results!

Pad Graepow

Typical Thai condiments

Tom Kaa Gai Soup

EER R&R: Taipei Part One

So this R&R ended up with some really serendipitous planning. It was postponed from February to March to April to accommodate other people's leave in my office, and then I wanted to be back before Eastern Easter so that other folks could take advantage of a four day weekend (plus if I was on R&R for those days I would have to take leave since they are local holidays). But then the week before I was leaving (on a Monday night after a work day), the Lebanese government declared a holiday on Monday. So... a three day weekend, three+ weeks of travel, and then a four day weekend for recovery. Best. Decision/Accident. Ever. I spent the three day weekend packing and planning and resting and playing with my cats and watching movies and then was able to actually shower and dress right before leaving for the airport. Never have I started a long journey quite so rested - it rocked.

I flew from Beirut to Dubai on Emirates, which was fine. I watched Sisters and something else I can't even remember right now. (I just Googled. It was The Good Dinosaur.) The flight into Dubai took off late, so I had a relatively short layover (albeit in the middle of the night) and was ready for sleep when the meal was over on the second leg, right after I finished Room. Then I slept most of the rest of the flight, waking only in time for a snack and some mindless television. I have this new contraption that I adore - I got it right before going to Germany last month (have I blogged about that yet? maybe by the time this post is uploaded...), and it works like magic. SOOOO much better than a regular travel neck pillow. Buy one. Now. I present - the J Pillow.

We landed a bit early in Taipei, and I made it through immigration, baggage claim, and customs pretty quickly. D was there to meet me (coming off her own four day weekend), and we took the bus into the city. Cheap, easy, quick. Her apartment is in a nice location and absolutely lovely. I settled in and then we took a walk around the neighborhood so I could see the neighborhood and find the metro. I wasn't hungry so we grabbed snacks from 7-11 or the equivalent and then gabbed until well past our bedtimes.

Wednesday I said I might go out and explore or I might just sleep. I just slept. It felt great. I've said this before, but jet lag sleep is some of my favorite sleep. I was up and showered and dressed by 1:00pm, and I revised EERs (the real ones) and caught up on emails until D got home at 3. We (predictably) gabbed for a few hours and then walked to Bei Fang (Northern Dumplings), a phenomenal local place nearby. Their dumplings, which were the equivalent of $3 for 10, were amazing. Hands down the best I've ever had. With some fried rice, it was a delicious and filling meal for $5. Tonight we gabbed a bit less and made it into our beds at a decent hour. Except I needed to be up at 4:00 to catch my taxi to the airport. And D insisted on making sure I got up. She's pretty amazing that way. I was up at 2:30 with a really sore throat, which I hoped was a reaction to the air pollution. Nope. It was, predictably, the beginning of a cold.

Anyway, I made it to the airport in plenty of time and checked in - painful because the luggage allowance online was NOT what they were saying at the airport, so I had to pay extra. I was miffed because I'd decided to bring more since the allowance was so generous, but now I faced paying on the way there AND the way back when I anticipated having even more stuff. Lesson learned for my Bali trip.

I had intended to grab a bite to eat at the airport, but I didn't realize there was nothing near my gate until it was too late. By this time I had been up for five hours with no food and an increasingly sore throat. A few gummy bears gave me some needed sugar, and once I had the meal on the plane I was able to take some Advil. I watched The Big Short on the plane. It was interesting and well-acted, but I still don't 100% understand the mortgage bundling and CDOs.

Perhaps making up for the luggage debacle, my seat was somehow business class. Except it definitely wasn't. I couldn't see farther back but am pretty sure the next section back had normal economy seats. I had a comfy seat, bottle holders, a foot rest and leg rest, and lots of armrest room. The section was pretty empty. But I know the flight didn't have a premium economy section since I asked (multiple times) during the luggage debacle. Plus the seat was allocated before I got to the airport when I checked in online. Weird. I will look for the way back.

And now, this is the end of Taipei part one. Up next - Bangkok!

Operation Explore, Eat, Relax (EER) R&R: Setting the Tone

(Note: I am woefully behind on posting. This trip ended more than a month ago, and I'm currently on the next adventure. But bear with me as I take advantage of speedier internet in Europe to get caught up on this amazing Asian vacation.)

I think it's only fitting that my April R&R can be summed up by the acronym EER (explore, eat, relax). For non-FS folks, April is when the entire Foreign Service comes to a standstill to write employee evaluation reports (EERs). This year's form is shorter but - surprise! - asks for more. I finished my own EER draft and those of my officers before leaving, so I feel they're all in a good place. I'll need to probably do some editing when I get back, but the hardest part (for me) is over.

So, on to EER R&R!

I've been planning this R&R since late 2013. As soon as I knew where my friend D (of A-100 and Kampala fame) was going to be posted, I started scheming. The other portions took numerous forms over the years, but I finally settled on a winning combination: Taipei, Bangkok, and Bali.

D's posted in Taipei right now, and I thought that was a perfect reason to go visit this charming island. Plus, the food. I hadn't been to Thailand since studying abroad in Khon Kaen in 2002 (and I'd never done any touristy things in Bangkok then), and I also wanted to get some clothes made. And Bali. That was kind of a whim, but I am so excited. (And before you ask, I have neither read nor seen Eat, Pray, Love, but given how many people have asked me about it, the blog title is a bit of a cliched take on that.)

So two+ years is a long time to plan and R&R, but to be honest I am actually winging a lot of this. Not in terms of flights/hotels, but tours and things. I usually sign up months in advance. I only signed up for the Bangkok tours a few days before leaving and I am still not booked for anything in Bali (though I have a decent idea of a few things). Taipei I'm going to tackle day by day while D is working. But the overarching theme going into this is definitely explore, eat, relax.

From dumplings and night markets in Taipei to three different food-related tours in/around Bangkok to a hosted meal in a village in Bali to copious amounts of pork products in all three places - food, glorious food! I do miss E/SE Asian food in Beirut...

I'm going to hit the highlights in all three places for exploring but not kill myself doing it. Which feeds into relaxation. That is really one of the keys here. Spas, walking, sleeping in, naps, more spas, people-watching, and avoiding the work email are the order of the day.

Stay tuned for more updates - with pictures, I promise! - in due time. I caved and brought my laptop on this trip since I wanted to be able to write and catch up on internet stuff (I have yet to start my 2016 photo calendar...), so it's worth the extra hassle. So the goal is to upload photos while still on vacation and have things ready to go once I get back.

Here's to EER R&R!

Frankfurt in March

No photos for this blog (it was a work trip without many scenic views), but here's a quick recap of a week in Frankfurt.

I had the privilege to attend (and present at) a work conference in Frankfurt in March. I had never really spent time in the city, escaping to Heidelberg on my one out-of-the-airport layover there. We all stayed in a central location and had ample access to lots of amazing food options. I had a few good friends attending the conference and met some other fantastic people while talking/learning about awesome consular issues. It was truly a wonderful experience, all around. I also loved getting to see our Consulate there, especially their consular section; I always love to see how other posts set things up.

Every night was an opportunity for hanging out with fun people while eating copious amounts of good food (mostly pork, since many of the participants were coming from Muslim countries and, it's Germany). We had a fun night at an apfelwine cellar with many, many different parts of the pig, and it was delicious. Plus spaetzle. And apple crepes, sort of. Let's see. There was Thai, and Italian, and Indian, and Chinese, and hearty, delicious German food every day for lunch. So much fun! I stayed a couple extra days and met up with my friend Texpatica from A-100 who is posted in Frankfurt. She very kindly took me to the commissary where we gorged on Taco Bell, and I stocked up on meat and sundries. So. Much. Fun! I'd never been to a military commissary before, and it was a fascinating cultural experience. We spent the afternoon hanging out at her apartment with her adorable cat Amelia and catching up. What a lovely way to spend a day :-). Oh! How could I forget - we also went to the Wiesbaden Easter Market. It was quite a cultural immersion, but I didn't buy anything. The only things I was tempted to buy were made of straw and tree bark, so they didn't really scream I-am-worth-it to me. But fun nonetheless.

It was a short week, but I had a blast in Frankfurt despite the gray, gloomy weather most of the time.

I love direct, short flights to Europe from Beirut!

Morocco: Essouaira

As my regular readers know, I don't like getting up early but can be enticed when unusual wildlife encounters are on offer. Today's fare: goats in trees.

We left Marrakesh at 7:30 and started west towards Essaouira, a former Portuguese city on the Atlantic Ocean and now a famed wind/kite-surfing and fishing destination. I snoozed for the first ninety minutes of the drive, waking as we made a quick bathroom stop before reaching our first destination: argan country!

Argan oil is made from the nut of the argana spinosa tree which only grows in the vicinity of Essaouira in Morocco. They've tried growing it elsewhere to no avail; it likes this area. As a result, the region's 13.5 million argan trees contribute 100% of the world's argan oil (also known as Moroccan oil), the latest cosmetic and health food fad. And for good reason - argan has amazing vitamins and anti-aging properties and is super rich with antioxidants as well as tasting great. Traditionally argan nuts were harvested once per year, fed to goats (who adore them), re-harvested from goat droppings, and then processed into oil. Most cooperatives skip the goats these days, since the digestive enzymes (which do a great job cracking the nut's hard outer shell) make it harder to preserve and not fit for consumption. Women do all of the argan processing, and it's estimated that two million people in the region gather an income from this thriving business. 

The trees have strong, twisted trunks and flat branches, which makes them easily climbable by the region's goats who are absolutely crazy for argan fruits! Our first stop was on the side of the road to see one such tree filled with goats. What a sight! No sooner had I stepped off the bus than a shepherd was handing me a tiny, fuzzy baby goat to cuddle. Day made. He nuzzled and cuddled and was a sweetheart before I passed him off the next person. Then it was time to photograph his elders in the tree. You really have to see the pictures to believe it - it was quite a sight. 

We stopped a bit farther down the road to inspect the fruits more closely. They're green on the tree and turn yellow when ripe and brown when dried. Once we arrived at the women's cooperative we were visiting we got to see firsthand how this oil is made. It's an arduous process!

The dried fruits (nuts? I get confused with the terminology) are pounded between rocks to remove the tough outer shell. Then they move to another rock station where the nut's tough outer shell is removed. The nuts are then either toasted (for food-grade argan oil) or sent directly to processing. They use the discarded husks/shells as fuel for the fires for toasting. 

The nuts (toasted or not) are put into a special device resembling a moving mortar and pestle where they are ground into a powder and some of the oil is extracted. Another woman then adds a tiny bit of water to this resulting mess and kneads it for two hours. At the end the ground/kneaded nuts form a cake-like patty that is pressed and the oil reserved. The cakes are made into black soap used as an exfoliant. I believe they said it takes 80 kg of fruits to get 5 kg of nuts to get 1 liter of oil. Or something ridiculous like that. It's time consuming and very hard work, but these ladies made it look easy. Before we were let loose in the store we had a chance to sample bread dipped in pure argan oil (deliciously nutty), local honey (about what I expected), and amlou - argan oil mixed with honey and crushed almonds. Amazing. I hear Whole Foods sells it. Worth every penny. We also sampled a few of the lotions and other byproducts before doing quite a bit of damage to all of our wallets!

From there it was off to Essaouira for a day by the sea. We had an orientation tour of the port where fishing boats bring in significant amounts of the world's sardines and anchovies and where fishing boats are made and repaired. The smell was overwhelming, but the cats and seagulls were in hog heaven and among the healthiest I've ever seen!

We wandered through the main square and the souqs en route to the sixteenth century Portuguese fortress with great views of the water and coast. From there we were on our own, and I was tired and hungry and cranky so roped a few people into lunch at the first halfway-decent looking place we could find. It turned out to be perfect, and my mood improved exponentially. Most of us had been waiting for Essaouira to do lots of shopping since the products are good, relatively cheap, and the level of hassle is relatively low. I wanted some Ramadan lamps and opted for two small square tabletop ones since I have neither a home of my own or room in my suitcase to bring back the big ones I love. A future adventure! I wandered a bit more but was pretty shopped out and felt good about what I'd bought already. I have some fun gifts for birthdays this year!

A couple of us headed back to the square where we met up with our tour manager and ate delicious gelato which hit the spot. It was a very warm, almost hot, day, and I'm once again so glad I'm doing this trip in January when the weather and tourists aren't extreme. 

Our group came together and shared shopping stories before boarding the bus to head back to Marrakesh. I was tired by the time we got back and opted to order in food and catch up on writing and emails before we head to Casablanca tomorrow.

Goats in trees!

I mean, really. How cool is this?

I got to hold this little darling as well. What a fluffy sweetheart!

Looking contemplative

Their minders are in the shade...

Argan nuts

Argan kernels roasting

Drying in the sun

Women hard at work.

An example of the rocks they use is on the right.

All stages of the process

Essaouira

The very fragrant port

Ships in dry dock awaiting repairs

Cigarette butts. The amount of litter was insane.

Baiting hooks/lines is a separate profession.

Some of today's catch.

Lots of fresh citrus juice.

Father/son hat knitting duo.

The son works nearby and just came by to say hi to Dad and show off.

Lots of shopping here!