In Dutch, onderweg = on the go. I keep this blog as a place for pictures and accounts of my experiences. Barry on the go.
The use of Dutch in the name was inspired by my admiration for the Netherlands and its longstanding commonsense policies on many issues.
After graduation, I embarked on a series of trips designed to compensate for the 17 vacations days a year I will have to work with now that I've started my new job. My itinerary for the summer of 2007 was as follows:
Western Europe: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain
South America: Colombia & Ecuador including the Galapagos Islands
Visiting friends and family in Southern Calfornia: San Diego and Los Angeles
Bus tour of the Southwestern United States: Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California
Here are the pictures in that order.
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I first went to Brussels and stayed with Eric & Didier. I also saw my friend Severine.
While I was there, I took a couple of short trips: one to Paris to meet Camelia and her friend Andrea, and the other to Cologne to see Adrian from Brazil. In Paris, we hit Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame and Versailles.
Adrian showed me old Cologne
On my last weekend, I went to the Ardennes, a forested area in SE Belgium, visiting Durbuy, La Roche & Bastogne with Eric and his dog Astrid on Saturday.
On Sunday we went with Eric's downstairs neighbors to Luxembourg for the afternoon.
In Spain I visited my host family from my high school exchange in Cadiz and friends in Madrid.
On June 12th I went back to NYC, and on the 13th left for Bogota, Colombia.
I visited my friend Roberto, and met a friend of my friends in NYC named Juan Diego. Through Juan I met Juan Guillermo and Roberto and spent a couple nights at their farm in Villeta, about 1.5 hours from Bogota. From Bogota I went to Cartagena de Indias on the Caribbean coast for three days. It is similar to Salvador, with a strong African component and beautiful historic colonial downtown.
Colombia is excellent!
From Cartagena, I went to Quito and stayed with my friend Jose Luis. We hung out in Quito several nights, and then went with his friend Fidel to the osteria (inn) he manages in Cotopaxi, 2 hours from Quito. On the last day we went to the Mitad del Mundo (Half of the World), or about 0 degress latitude. The true equator is near there, and holds amazing properties over gravity...objects don't fall! After Mitad del Mundo we had cuy (guinea pig)for lunch. I didn't like it...it wasn't very meaty.
I departed from Quito to Baltra, the island airport that serves Santa Cruz, the island with the largest population and the center of tourist activity in the Galapagos Islands.
I stayed in Santa Cruz for several nights, and the moved over to Isabela, the largest island. All the time, I encountered lizards, iguanas, turtles of all sizes (each island has its own species, usually identifiable by the markings on its shell), some cool birds including blue foot boobies, sea lions and penguins.
Most of the wildlife lived from the sea, as the island is volcanic. Thus the terrain is rather rugged and inhospitable apart from the many lovely beaches. The weather is overcast for the most part during the Northern Hemisphere's summer, and they say the best weather is later in the year. I met some cool Israeli and English people over the last days in Isabela. The last day in the Galapagos I snorkled with sea lions that swim with you and stare at you and they're so cute. Here are some of the pics.
From Ecuador, I flew back to New York where I spent the 4th of July.
From there I went to San Diego and LA, visiting family and friends in both places.
From San Diego, I went to Phoenix to rendez-vous with Didier to accompany him on a tour of the southwestern United States.
We visited AZ, CO, NV, UT & CA over 12 days, stopping at the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Mesa Verde, the ruins at Chapin Mesa, Monument Valley, Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Desolation Point, Dixie Forest, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Monterey, Carmel, later finishing in Los Angeles.
My friend Michael and his fiancee Kira met me in Utah, too. I stayed in Didier's room in almost every hotel and blended in with the group meal almost everywhere so the whole trip was practically free!
This is part of the San Andreas fault line.
In early August, I moved back to NY, found an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and began working.
Oh what a feeling to be finished with my schooling!
My Mom, Dad and Eddie came out for the ceremony. We spent the weekend eating well and seeing sites and museums in DC, including a drag brunch at Perry's and a trip out to the National Arboretum. Enjoy.
This year, I went with Michael and Camelia to see the Cherry Blossoms in bloom. It was a beautiful day, and the last good one for viewing them. Here are some photos.
Chris, Joe & I flew out of NYC on March 1st on Thai Airways, destined for Bangkok. The most direct route took us over the North Pole, and and 17 hours later we were there, except for our ankles, which arrived a bit later.
March 2
Bangkok is very cool. It's hot, humid, bustling and, despite being overrun with tourists, has a lot of personality. Scyscrapers, many half-finished from the financial crisis of the late '90s, and hot pink taxi cabs abound. Because it's so warm, one of the nicest ways to get around Bangkok is a Tuk Tuk, a brightly decorated, three-person bench with wheels pulled by a two-stroke motorcycle. They're smaller than cars, so they weave through traffic more easily.
A Tuk Tuk ride in Bangkok
Despite being somewhat tired, after checking in we immediately showered and went out for dinner and drinks. As is common in Thailand, the cab driver did not take us to the restaurant we told him but an entirely different one from whom he received some type of kickback, though we were none the wiser until we reread the review in our guide several days later. From there we went to the gay area of Bangkok, the center of which seemed to be Silom Road. The narrow streets are full of gay bars, many of which are full of aged, unattractive white men out for the so-called skin trade, and just as many others geared toward ordinary Thais.
At the Telephone Bar on Silom Soi 4
From there we went a few streets over to one of Bangkok's notorious sex shows. Before the show was another spectacle, which was a rotating line of boys one the bar, displaying themsleves for would-be customers. The show that followed was somewhat tame, whereas other shows include live sex and more. Unfortunately, we did not get to see any of the lady shows which, according to one traveler I met, do include the infamous popping out of ping pong balls and even mixing of cocktails, all using tools Mother Nature provided. Breaking the rules, I snapped a few shots of a ridiculous but entertaining number we saw, which included wax-melting and leather outfits.
March 3
The next day we took it easy, got massages (excellent massages are available throughout Thailand for between six and ten USD per hour) and laid by the pool. The bars that Saturday were closed because of Makha Bucha day, one of three major holidays for Thai Buddhists, during which alcohol cannot be sold. In celebration, almost everyone in Thailand was wearing yellow most of the time we were there. For dinner, we met up with our friend Camelia at the place we intended to go the night before. Then, very tired from the sun and jetlag, we went back to the hotel and to bed.
March 4
The next morning we headed out by Metro to the Chatuchak Weekend Market, also called the JJ Market. By itself it is a small city filled with long rows of stalls, selling everything from cabbage to vintage movie posters to silk, and much more.
Amazingly, all of these candies are made from peanuts
That afternoon we visited the Temple Mount, which is part of the Wat Saket Temple. It is filled with shrines to the Buddha and temples.
From there we went to the Grand Palace. You can't get in with shorts or exposed shoulders, so I donned this lovely ensemble taken on loan from the visitors office. It was hot as hell without it, so by the time we left I was drenched.
The Grand Palace is saturated with beautiful temples, statues, shrines, wall painting and literally tons of gold.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped through another smaller market. I swear you can find anything you want if you look long enough at the markets in Thailand. We also stopped and had some street food, reputed to be the best place to sample Thai cuisine and, from the looks of it, where most Thais take their meals.
It was very spicy
March 5 & 6
The next morning we fly to Phuket for several days in the sun. I had a paradise-like image of Phuket before going, but the area we stayed in -- Patong Bay -- was the trashiest beach town I've ever seen. We stayed there because all of the gay life is there, but other areas of the island and, based on what I heard, other islands nearby are calmer, cleaner and more picturesque.
To my surprise, 7 Eleven has a stronghold on the Thai convenience store market. They are everywhere!
Here is a funny ladyboy working the gay beach with her sarongs. Attitudes about gender identity in Thailand are incredibly laissez-faire; no one bats an eyelash, and you often cannot tell whether someone is a girl or a boy. It was very refreshing and entertaining.
At night, all of the gay bars are located inside a complex surrounding the Paradise Hotel. It's a fairly laid-back but enjoyable scene.
March 7
The next day I flew back to Bangkok for a connection through to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to meet up with Camelia. Siem Reap is the gateway to Angkor, the site of a series of capital cities built for the Khmer empire. There are many sites to visit there, some of the most notable of which are Angkor Wat and Bayon City. The size and remoteness of the structures is deserving of the word amazing. I had heard before and during the trip that they were one of so-called Seven Wonders of the World, but based on my Internet research that appears to be false. The whole area is a photgrapher's dream, both for the architectural beauty and the way the changing light makes every picture unique.
March 8
We hired a Tuk Tuk driver named Mr. Lai, and left from our hotel before dawn to see Angkor Wat, as is recommeded to enjoy the light of sunrise setting off the structure's silhouette. We then spent a good hour in the daylight, walking though through, up and down and around the enormous temple.
We ten moved onto Bayon City, which is a baroque style temple with bas-relief faces. It was built much later than Angkor Wat, and is equally impressive.
We moved on to see several other temples, which were all beautiful. Elephants, lions and multi-headed snakes seemed to be common themes throughout. Here are some other pictures of the other sites we visited.
A modern day recreation shows the multi-headed snake in better detail
For dinner we had a great meal, some cocktails and good conversation at the Dead Fish restaurant, where every ten minutes they do a short show of Apsara dancing, which is traditional Cambodian dancing that draws its themes heavily from agricultural life. The baskets shown below were used a coquettish back-and-forth between the boy and the girl.
March 9
The next morning, we hired Mr. Lai again to take us for an elephant ride. They're such intelligent and adorable animals. We got to feed them little bananas afterwards.
After saying good-bye to the elephants, we stopped at a site containing a memorial to the many Cambodians killed by the Khmer Rouge under the leadership of Pol Pot. It is estimated that he killed 25% of the population, included most of the educated people. The bigger and better known Tuol Sleng interrogation and torture center in the capital, Phnom Penh, recently opened as a museum.
From there we headed to a floating village near Siem Reap. The "village" consists of a bunch of floting structures, which include many homes, a police station, amusement park and a restaurant, which has a crocodile farm attached to attract tourists. The local residents use boats to travel from structure to structure. Living in this way seems rather clever when you see that the homes on land are all built on tall stilts to stay above water during th rainy season. Our boat driver told us that that area was split into Vietnamese and Cambodian communities, but we couldn't tell the difference.
After having lunch and relaxing we were picked up again in the afternoon to visit a tethered helium baloon from which you can get an aerial view of Angkor Wat and areas nearby.
The Tethered Baloon ride and view of Angkor Wat from above
March 10
The next day, Camelia and I took it easy and laid by the pool during the day. In the evening, we caught a flight to Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City, to rendez-vous with our classmates for what Georgetown MBA calls the Global Integrative Experience. It is a mini-consulting project that students perform for companies, located this year in South Africa, Czech Republic, Brazil, Dubai or Viet Nam. This was the reason we came to Asia in the first place. Our client was state-owned Vietcom Bank, the country's largest financial institution.
After having dinner, Chris, Joe and I went for a cocktail at the Park Hyatt, whose bar is reputed to be gay-friendly. From there we checked out a bar we had read about called Sam (Samsara). Most of what I can remember is that it was hot as hell inside, but it was interesting to get a glimpse of how the Vietnamese socialize. We moved quickly to another bar, Apocalypse Now (can't make sense of that name choice), before retiring for the night. This was the first and last attempt to experience gay Vietnam. Despite the raving reviews we had read, Vietnam's gay scene is still in its infancy.
March 11
The first thing you notice about Viet Nam when you get there is how atrocious the traffic is. Vietnamese roads are the most chaotic I've ever seen. Scooters cover the pavement, and they along along with the cars engage in a unqiue brand of merging and improvised yielding. Almost no one stops at traffic lights, and quite a few even drive against traffic. The most troubling part about it is that no one wears helmets; I saw two collisions while I was there, though luckily no one was seriously injured.
A tame example of Saigonese roadways in action
A view of the river and some of the city from our hotel
The next thing you notice about Viet Nam is how quickly things move. The country has been experiencing rapid growth of the past several years. there were even Gucci and Roberto Cavalli shops opening up near our hotel.
Our first day was spent touring the Mekong Delta, care of Georgetown. We drove for about two hours by bus to a boat, which took us to several islands. First, we had some local fruit and enjoyed a short concert of traditional music.
Then, we visited a coconut candy operation, and bought some of the warm, chewy candies at the end of assembly line. They also sold another Vietnamese specialty, snake wine!
Then, we took a short trail to see some of the island's flora, before arriving at a canal that took us back to the main waterway by rowboat. The leaf shown below is the one used to make the typical Vietnamese hat, also pictured.
One the way back to the bus, our tour guide expressed an uncomfortable liking for me, and egged my class on into chanting my name so that I would sing a song on the boat's microphone. It was mortifying. We then had a mediocre lunch of catfish before returning to the hotel.
March 12
The next day we had a tour of a local plant. We got the short end of the stick and were sent to Cargill's animal feed manufacturing facility over the local Nike factory.
In the afternoon I went with my classmate and friend Rob to Vinh's Tailoring to be fitted for customer-made suits. To get there from the hotel we took a cyclo, a Vietnames version of the Tuk Tuk which is powered by a bicycle. The suits cost about USD200 each, so I bought some work clothes while the getting was good.
March 13
The next morning we had a presentation from Intel, which is building factory in Vietnam. The American Consulate in Saigon also spoke about Viet Nam's political and economic position today, which was very interesting.
In the afternoon, I went to the War Remnants Museum, which treats Chinese and American conflicts in Viet Nam. It honors journalists' role, but aims more as bringing attention to the atrocities of war in Vietnam, mostly through pictures. A considerable section was devoted to the victims of dioxin, the agent in napalm. They also have a bunch of American war equipment, aircraft, etc. captured during the Viet Nam War. Many people I know criticized it as weak, propagandistic and overly one-sided, though I didn't share that opinion entirely. It was moving at times, and served as a gentle reminder of the intransigence of factions involved in idealistic wars and of the unintended consequences of those wars, the innocent bystanders.
In the evening, we presented a case to a class of Vietnamese economics and business students, and before bed had a few drinks at the Rex Hotel, a well-know spot in Saigon's District 1.
March 14
On Wednesday, we took a two-hour flight to Ha Noi, where Vietcom Bank's headquarters are located. Ha Noi is just as busy as Saigon, but the streets are narrower and the weather is cloudier. The result is a damp, dingy and dirty city. The architecture there is more noticeably influenced by the French. The whole city centers around Hoan Kiem Lake, at the center of which sits the Ngoc Son Temple. We did some walking around that afternoon, had dinner at a nice restaurant and a beer near the lake, then to bed.
March 15
At nine o'clock we presented our findings to a fairly large audience at Vietcom Bank. They were gracious hosts, and invited us to lunch afterwards.
In the afternoon, we attended a water puppet show at the Thang Long Water puppet Theatre, walked around a bit more and passed by the Ha Noi Opera, which was modeled after the Paris opera House. Then, we headed back to Saigon after a quick meal.
The puppeteers use levers behind a grass curtain
March 16
On last day of the Georgetown-run program in Viet Nam, we visited the Dieu Giac Orphanage, run by several loving buddhist nuns. It was hands-down the highlight of my time in Viet Nam. The children were so adorable and well-behaved, and seemed so much to enjoy our visit and playing with our cameras. The conditions there were not terrible, though the children work with practically nothing. The orphanage is badly in need of more resources for feeding the children and hiring teachers and others to give the kids more personal attention. For those reading this who wish to make a donation to the orphanage, you may contact the nuns by e-mail at dieugiac.vn@hcm.fpt.vn to obtain the necessary money transfer information.
March 17
The next morning we flew to Hue, the imperial capital of Viet Nam's Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945. It is located smack in the middle of the country. We spent that day touring the Citadel there, which includes many temples and gardens.
March 18
The next day we took a boat tour up the Huong River to see many pagodas, temples and tombs belonging to several of Viet Nam's emperors.
That night we went to an art gallery and bought some very lovely silk embroidery paintings.
Later on, we flew north to Ha Noi. We checked into the one of the biggest flewabag hostels I think I've ever stayed in. Here is a picture of Chris looking very frightened.
March 19
The next morning we waited in long lines to visit the tomb of Ho Chi Minh, surely vietnam's most revered leader. His body is preserved in a climate controlled room that has more security than Fort Knox. It was anticlimactic, to be sure.
That afternoon, we changed hotels, ran some errands and booked a two-day tour of Ha Long Bay for the following morning.
March 20
Ha Long Bay is a Unesco World Heritage Site. In it there are tons of tiny islands of stone created by water erosion. Basically, there are two types of rocks in the earth there, and one of them is more easily worn away than they other, creating a great site of natural beauty. The Vietnamese have a legend involving dragons and pearls that explains their existence. I forget the details.
March 21
The next day we toured Cat Ba Island, Cat Ba National Park, a local bee farm and then spent the night in the town of Cat Ba.
March 22
We spent the following morning playing cards with a nice Danish couple on boat back to the bus which took us to Ha Noi to catch our flight home. We were so ready for a break from deep-fried spring rolls, processed pork products and uncomfortable beds.
It was an overdue end to a long trip, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I woke up this morning to about 1/4 inch of ice and a few inches of snow covering everything, which of course meant that the city is mostly shut down today. As expected, school is cancelled, too!! One of the things I've always loved about living in Midatlantic region of the US is that people aren't used to bad weather. At the mere suggestion of snow, grocery stores sell out of bread and milk and schools can't delay or cancel classes fast enough.
Not Really that Bad
Bailey Loved Running in the Snow During This Morning's Walk
I'm off in boots and a hat now to have lunch and Margaritas at Lauriol Plaza. Hope every one is having a great day at work.
About a month ago I noticed a small circular area on my right cheek in which there was no longer any hair. It was most peculiar, especially beause it just appeared there from nowhere, seemingly overnight, and the skin below it was as smooth as before I started shaving.
I took my problem into the finest in medical care, the Georgetown University Health Clinic. They think it might be a fungus, so I've been applying an antifungal topical cream for the past five weeks. The doctor says if that doesn't work it means that I simply have a case of alopecia areata, which is hair loss confined to particular area. The Internet says the hair will probably grow back soon, and if it doesn't they'll try injecting steroids into my skin, but I'm not holding my breath. I now suffer from delusions of hair loss, thinking I see new bald spots appearing daily.
A week or so ago I went with my friend Michael to the ice skating rink in the Washington Sculpture Garden. You can only enter the rink on the hour, and since we arrived at about five minutes past and the long line we saw was not moving, we skipped the skating and had a look at the art in the Sculpture Garden.
From there, we went walking and stumbled upon the Indian Museum, and since it was free went inside to have a look.
This has got to be the one of the poorest federal museums in Washington. It had an air of being some federally-mandated initiative, and as such failed in several key areas. First, the building looked expensive, and most of the space inside was poorly utilized. Half of the four story structure belonged to its atrium, in which only three quite recent recreations of Indian canoes resided. There was also an excessive number of retail shops. More confounding still is that the museum didn't focus on Indian tribes in the US, but aimed instead at the wider range of indigenous peoples of the Western hemisphere, which limited its utility for most Americans. Then, the material inside proved not to be very educational at all. The exhibits consisted of high-tech, modern media, with many a glass-enclosed showcase showing color photographs and looped videos played on monitors. What a waste of money, never mind the squandered opportunity to house some of the rarest and most important artifacts of indigenous culture in the country known today as the United States.
An upward view at the atrium ceiling
An example of an Aymara / Quechue reed boat (we saw similar ones in Lake Titicaca in Bolivia)
Another example of an Indian canoe and some art from a British Columbian tribe
Several examples of the Bible translated to Indian languages - I'm sure the accuracy is spot on
From there we wandered down the Capital Mall, and were reminded that there was a protest against the Iraq war that day. We commented to each other on the low turn-out as well as the fact that we and so many we know were not taking part despite extreme opposition to Bush's war. There are so many reasons, but none of them are very good, especially considering our good health and the warm temperatures that day.
One of the first weeks in January my friend Michael had me over for dinner, and introduced me to his friend Francy, who is the spitting image of Eddie from the series Absolutely Fabulous. We had a delicious meal followed by blueberry pie.
I arrived back in Washington on the 9th of January. It was great to catch up with my friends here, and make some new ones.
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I found the greatest roomate situation ever through Craigslist while I was still in Brazil. I had emailed and spoken on the phone with Marc, the owner of the house, several times. I also had my friend Chris go over to meet him and see the place in my absence. Despite a small amount of apprehension about moving in before ever meeting him or the other housemate, Leandro, I decided to move in. And what a surprise. I mean, talk about lucking out. I'm living in a three-bedroom house smack in the middle of Georgetown and Dupont Circle. The furnishings are beautiful, and I had to take very little of my personal belongings out of storage. I have the only bedroom on the second floor, which has its own bathroom and looks onto several tennis courts and a park. The house came along with a smart, well-behaved Corgi, a breed which I recommend highly as a pet. Here are some pics of the house and Bailey.
I left São Paulo on Dec 24, arriving in Newark on Christmas morning. I took an expensive cab to my friend Colin's house in Brooklyn. The driver got lost on the way.
Colin accepted me warmly, and we hung out in his room, ate Chinese food and talked all day and evening as though I had never left. I would stay with Colin the whole time I was in the City, and thank him for having me.
A couple of days later, my former roomate Holly had her annual birthday part at the Roxy. On Wednesdays, they still have rollerskating as they did back in the day. Every time I go I am amazed at the skills of some of the guys and girls there, many of whom seem to have been regulars since the 1970s. It was great t see Holly and Amy, our other roomate from Washington Heights.
I also enjoyed seeing my good friend Lincoln and finally meeting his brother, Colton, after hearing only stories about him for so long.
Other friends, Gretchen and Jay, had us over for dinner one of the nights, too.
On the 31st, my friend Darren had me over to his and Patrick's apartment in Brooklyn for a New Orleans tradition: a New Year's gumbo. They call the New Year reveillon, which interestingly is the term also used in Brazil for that holiday.
For New year's Eve, I had dinner with my Colombian friends Pocho & Juan Manuel and Pepe and Juan, visiting from Spain and Argentina, respectively (see also Argentina entry on this blog). We also had dinner another night while I was in town.
Happy 2007 I also got to see my good friend Chuck a couple of times. Holly came along one of the nights.
