Acclimated Already!

Woke up at 4 am absolutely drenched. Took the down comforter (the one in the flannel duvet cover with the polar bear motif) and put it back into the closet, and brought back the thin quilt my sister made for me.Much better.

Asia Impressions

Some random impressions from my vacation.

Thailand:

• There are a lot more fat Thai people than there were in 1989


• The level of English expertise has dropped dramatically.


• The currency is 1/10 the dollar value it was in 1989 but most things only cost 5x more (so things cost half the number of $$)


• Phuket is 3x more expensive than Bangkok


• The air is cleaner


• Traffic moves a lot better - fewer and briefer traffic jams


• There are more tall women


• There are way fewer beggars on the streets


• Sidewalks are not for walking on. They are for:
  
  
  • Parking motorcycles
  
  
  • Setting up vending stalls
  
  
  • Outdoor food stall seating
  
  
  • Sleeping dogs
  
  
  • Motorcycle short-cuts
  
  
  • Sleeping drunks
  
  
• Most Thai massage places are now legitimate - it's hard to find a "body shampoo" place


• In 1989, MacDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut were only patronized by Westerners. Now they are mostly patronized by Thais


• Every Thai above the age of 5 has a cell phone

China:

• This is not your father's China


• Mao's greatest fears have come true - rampant Western influence has all but destroyed Chinese culture


• The food tastes great - though it may be unidentifiable


• In China, a Christmas Tree is a symbol of commerce, not religion


• Glass jar, hot water, spoon, loose tea instead of coffee cup on each desk


• Wonderful tea. Jasmine tea has whole jasmine flowers in it