Flight Attendants

In movies, flight attendants of the early boom of flying were always attractive young women in a very specific style of uniform. With the more casual standards of dress in American business and changing attitudes towards women and perhaps even to the job of flight attendant (shown perhaps by the fact that I haven't once used the word "stewardess"), that stereotype is no longer true.

Walking through an American air terminal, you may recognize a flight attendant by the determined walk, wheeled black weekend bag, generic navy uniform or plethora of official looking IDs. So it was like a fun exercise in yesteryear for us to walk through Seoul-Incheon International where Asian carriers dominate and there were groups of identically, impeccably clad stewardesses (yes, they were all young, pretty and female) in the colors of their airline.

Lisa and I discussed the difference and decided that different attitudes towards men and women and the workplace between the East and the West were probably at the root of the difference and while it probably strikes a blow for feminism, we both liked the friendlier service of the Asian carriers...

The Longest Day

Flying across the International Date Line allows you
to have a 36 hour Thursday. To make our particular
trip surreally longer, our departure from
Bangkok was at 1:30 AM so we had a full day of
Thailand fun, then a full day of intercontinental
travel.

We were blessed again with a good seating arrangement
on the BIG flight - one of the rows of 2 in the rear
curve of the plane - same size seat, but no neighbor,
nobody behind us (guilt free recline) and a tad more
space.

All good fortune must come to an end. For us, that end
is JFK Airport. After 24 days of the Asian Buddist
"have a cool heart" style, we are jolted back to
reality by New Yorkers and the angst-ridden goings on
at our departure gate. Oh, don't forget the wallet shock at
lunch (airport Chili's) - no booze and still cost more
than our priciest hotels in Asia. Tack on the 3:30 flight that
hadn't left yet at 5:30..... all together 34 hours
from doorstep to doorstep

We're back.

Thailand

Just a few day before we left on this trip, I was at Fav's for lunch with Mom, Grandma and Aunt Madelon (note to Charlie - Ken S was our waiter, he says "hey Mr Kennedy"). It was my last chance to ask Madelon for Thailand tips and advice. (For those outside the Murray clan, Madelon served in Thailand in the Peace Corps.)

After the term "3rd world" came up, Madelon disputed that Thailand was not a 3rd world country now and wasn't when she was there. I found this a surprising statement and figured that Madelon was just trying to make the point that we would be comfortable and safe in our trip. I'd taken enough poli sci classes to know that my professors thought of Thailand as "3rd world". The closest I'd ever come to 3rd world was a trip to the Bahamas and I don't think that really counts.

Lisa and I had an itinerary that allowed us to see Thailand in stark contrast to its much poorer neighbors. After 4 or 5 days in Thailand, we spent 2 weeks in Laos and Cambodia before returning to Bangkok. In our first foray, we noticed news stories that hinted at Thailand's comfort: problems with illegally trafficked workers from Burma and Cambodia as well as the emphasis on green, eco friendly choices. An economy whose business sector wants low wage workers more than it fears legal repurcussions is a booming economy.
Upon our return to Thailand after the Mekong Valley sojurn, we noticed other, smaller signs: Thais dining in Western restaurants, grand public transit and infrastructure, exhorbitant rents and teenagers with braces.

I presume that the old academic notions of "1st world" and "3rd world" are breaking down, so I'm sure that the poli sci classes of today would have a new designation for nations in Thailand's sector.

As for these two travelers, our eyes have certainly been opened in new ways.

size Matters

So for years, I've dismissed the notion that Asians
are smaller than Westerners as myth rolled up with
cultural stereotypes. I read something once about
Japanese being shorter on average than Americans, but
thought maybe it was just Japan. I mean, there are
like 4 Chinese guys in the NBA and none of them are
point guards...

I'm ready to reassess. The reason I'm hitting my head
every other day may have something to do with the low
ceilings and door frames.

Shopping for tee shirts in Lao, I had to go with
Double X-L - and pay extra for what I presume to be
the Lao body language sign for "needs more material".
They said "big" several times.

The kicker came the other day at the mall. Lisa
dragged me onto a scale. (NOTE: we are both down
several pounds). A curious teenager peaked over the
top of the scale as I got on. When he saw the meter
hover around 90 kg, he swayed backwards, his jaw
dropped and he let out a shocked "oh" that could have
been a "whoa", though I'm sure his command of American
slang was not very strong at that exact moment.

To paraphrase Ron Burgundy "I'm kind of a big deal
around here" ;)

The Mall

During a blazingly hot day in Phnom Penh, we happened upon the Sorya Market. Contrary to the dozen or so other markets we've seen in Asia, this was not an open air, bargain for a price, 15 stalls that sell the same merchandise. Sorya is Cambodia's (only?) American style mall.

Call it a cop-out, but we enjoyed all 5 floors of air-conditioned glory. I bought a pair of Ray-Bans for $5 (surely, they are genuine) and I had some fried noodles at the food court. The oddest moment came when Lisa took a picture of me at the food court. A security guard appeared, as if from nowhere, and declared "no camera".

Presumably, he thought we were industrial spies, taking the concept of indoor shopping back to America to make millions

Phnom Penh

As the days go on here, we've been talking to each other about how ODD a place this really is; So full of contradictions. most relate to the combination of poverty and luxury or the attitude so close to a nonchalance regarding their history of the last 35 years.

As unsettling as those things can be at times, we both really liked it here.....

Stuff I didn't eat today

Our bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh had a 20 minute stopover somewhere (didn't catch the name). It was a rest stop Cambodian style. We bought some potato chips and cookies in packages.

I passed up freshly cooked

• frog
• cricket (or grasshopper, Í can't really tell the difference)
• tarantula

I swear the frogs had the same smell as Cajun crawfish....must have used cayenne.

(Gordon, if you are wondering, Lisa didn't eat any of these choices either, so you haven't lost your lead...)