November 12, 2011 · 11:20 am

Letting go of Misfortunes at Loi Krathong

As some readers know, I’ve been chronicling parts of this journey for Huffington Post. Most HuffPo posts are unique from this blog, but this is the first post where there is similar material. If you have already read the HuffPo piece, you can look forward to some more personal insights here.

Call it fate, luck, karma. We all try to reconcile or pasts and wish for better futures. Cultures around the world have created festivals around doing so.  We’ve been celebrating the Northern Thai way for the past three days during the Loi Krathong and Yi Peng festivities.

The Loi Krathong portion involves setting floats adrift to pay homage to the spirit of the water. The float takes away the bad parts of the person giving the offering. During Yi Peng, paper hot air lanterns are released into the air, taking misfortunes with them.

Every door in Chiang Mai is decorated with lanterns, the streets are streaming 24 hour music and it seems that every resident is putting on a backyard fireworks display.

Here we are visiting the decorated gates along the Old City moat.

Kayan and Diya Loi Krathong

Kayan and Diya Loi Krathong

Ava and Kayan colored their own Khom Loi, or hot air lantern, during a party at JJ Market. This video shows them braving the fire to let go of their Khom Loi.

If you’re interested in releasing your own Khom Loi ( FDNY would be at our door in no time if we tried to do this in New York City), here is a step by step guide. This is shown on the smallest Khom Loi. They come in sizes up to about 4 feet, which require at least 4 people to light.

Light the fuel cell.

Wait for your Khom Loi to fill up with air.

Slowly release it.

And bid your misfortunes away.

Happy Loi Krathong.

We have another opportunity to hope our futures are bright when we attend the kite flying festival for Makar Sakranti on January 14, 2012 in Varanasi, India. Stay tuned.

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November 11, 2011 · 1:04 pm

Dogs in Chiang Mai

When we first told Ava we were going to Chiang Mai, her eyes lit up with excitement. Then I heard her telling a friend that she was going to see Chaiya My.

Chaiya was our beloved family dog who passed away in August. Ava used to call her Chaiya My. It took some explaining (and choking back tears on my part) that Chaiya is still in heaven, not Chiang Mai.

We have had no shortage of doggy friends in Chiang Mai. In most developing countries, the stray dogs look like scraggly road terriers. A pale brown color, pointy noses, and forlorn expressions. Here, the dogs all look like purebreds. Even though they don’t live in a home, they seem to ‘belong’ to a store, a hotel, a temple, even a cart. Here are a few cuties that were willing to pose.

And this is the one that belongs to our apartment building.

For the dogs who are even more fortunate, here is our local grooming spa.

And here is the price list. 30B = $1. I can tell you it cost us about 30 times this to groom Chaiya in New York City. Hot oil treatment? Can I get one of those?

But don’t get too close.

Despite it all, we still miss our Chaiya My, even in Chiang Mai.

To learn about dogs displaced by the recent flooding in Thailand, go here.

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November 9, 2011 · 9:01 pm

$2 Toddler Haircut in Chiang Mai

Kayan desperately needed a haircut so I took him to Thundercuts around the street form our hotel. He had three women distracting him while this very capable hairdresser chopped his curly locks. He quickly learnt that juup juup is kiss kiss in Thai.

Kayan Haircut Chiang Mai

The Thai adore little kids, especially chubby boys. We get stopped on the street and surrounded in restaurants as women pour on their juup juups. Not a bad life for a little boy.

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· 4:53 am

Finding Food and Transportation in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is our first extended stop. We’ve rented an apartment at The Grand Napat for one month, in hopes of creating regular family living in a strange city.

Our first order of business was to find a grocery store. The apartment concierge sent us to Tesco, which is the Thai equivalent of Walmart.

Tesco Market Chiang Mai

I was so overwhelmed by the choice and size that we left with an odd mix of goods:

– 36 eggs. That was the only size available.
– $5 jar of peanut butter. Some things are necessities no matter how much we try to integrate.
– No salt. We gave up looking after isle 22.

After discovering some local markets brimming with fresh produce, I’ve decided that one run to Tesco is enough.

Wararot Market Chiang Mai

Eating out can get tedious, but the food here is so fresh and reasonably priced that we may cook in less than anticipated. No meal has cost the family more than $5. That includes fresh juices, soups and main dishes. I feel really silly about that jar of peanut butter, but it works when in a bind.

We were told Tesco was a 5 minute walk, but with kids everything takes three times as long and double the hassle. We opted for transportation back. This brings us to task two of Chiang Mai – figuring out transportation. One way is a songtaew, which means ‘two rows’. Songtaews are are semi-covered mini vans with fixed routes and rates. We did this after the grocery run as it was our only option.

Songtaew Chiang Mai

Sandeep was a little nervous of the kids sliding out and somehow thinks a tuk tuk is safer (??). We tried a couple of drivers for shorter routes and think we will pledge allegiance to Khayan. Ava is very confused that his name is the same as her brother’s. We don’t meet any Kayans in New York City. It must be a sign.

Kayan meets Khayan

Check out the back of Khayan’s tuk tuk. It’s loaded with Yi Peng Lanterns for the festival on November 10th.

Chiang Mai Tuk Tuk

Stay tuned for more on that. It is the reason we chose to come to Chiang Mai in early November. Here is a quick preview.

Yi Peng Festival Chiang Mai

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November 7, 2011 · 10:12 am

When in Hong Kong…

There is no way I could have predicted that three days into our trip I would find myself wearing devil horns. I’m justifying it as a cultural experience.

The expatriate scene in Hong Kong is a culture all its own. Sandeep’s brother has lived here for 4 years and has a wide group of expat friends. An expat in Hong Kong is the term used for the 5% of the population that is not of Chinese origin and didn’t grow up in Hong Kong. They know each other well enough to party in droves every Friday and Saturday until 4 AM. Even though the crowd spans at least 4 decades, the scene is like college with funds. Towards the end of the night I figured, if Asian business leaders wear Minnie Mouse ears and slurp Jello every weekend, then I better stop being a puritan and get on board.

Devil Horns

That’s probably all the partying you’ll see from us for the next 10 months.

On a more low key note, the most memorable meal we had in Hong Kong was at a private dinner. There is debate as to the origins of private dinners. Some say they are a way for the culinarily skilled to show off without dealing with Hong Kong rents. Another theory is that these spots sprung around the city in the wake of SARS, when people were afraid to go out to restaurants but still needed a venue to meet friends. Regardless, many are still speakeasies in their original apartments, such as the unnamed one we visited above Al’s Diner (scene of the devil horns). To avoid any gripe with law officials, only beer is served (beer is not considered alcohol here from what I am told) and all other alcohol is BYOB.

Private Dinner in Hong Kong

This private dinner venue was run out of a no-frills apartment (yes, that is the bathroom you see behind the fridge) by a family from Chengdu province, which is known for their spicy food. Our wine, along with the seven bottles shared with our neighboring table, were perfect complements to our flaming palates.

Private Dinner Hong Kong

 

Where were the kids? We took the opportunity to leave them with a friend, to whom Ava said “When I grow up I am going to give my Mommy and Daddy away to Dora the Explorer.” Clearly they weren’t missing us either.

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November 2, 2011 · 11:09 am

First Day Happiness

It’s liberating to know that from now on, all we need to worry about are the kids and two bags. And between the loud personalities and bright colors, I am hopeful that we don’t lose a kid or a bag.

Getting Ready to Leave at JFK

Before departure, what we dreaded most about our adventure was the 16 hour flight from JFK to Hong Kong. How on earth were we to entertain two toddlers in a confined space for that amount of time? Our strategy of a 1:20 AM flight paid off. The kids slept for 13 of the 16 hours, allowing us to watch 3 movies and do some napping of our own. The MacGyver in me made Kayan a little crib on the floor of our seats and he passed out immediately. Laying down an airplane blanked between him and layers of passenger dirt was probably not hygienic, but the kid’s got to build his immunity for this trip anyway.

Here are two things I learnt on day 1 in Hong Kong.

It’s much cleaner than Manhattan. Not a high bar but, given that the cities rival each other in population density and general energy, I figured it would be a closer call. For once I didn’t cringe when Ava wanted to use the bathroom at the playground. It had a personal attendant whose bleaching skills I had already admired while watching from the swing set.

On the Streets of Hong Kong

Hong Kong a culinary wonderland. We arrived at Sandeep’s brother’s apartment at 7 AM, ready for dinner. Lin Heung Tea House is around the corner from the apartment and the dim sum was already flowing. I confess that I couldn’t tell that much of a difference in taste from it and my favorite New York joint Chatham Square, but the crowd of elderly sipping their morning tea and workers fueling up for the day was entertaining to watch. I’m not sure that they were equally entertained by our to kids who broke every rule of chopstick etiquette.

– Do not drop chopsticks. Dropped. Three times.
– Do not stab food with chopsticks. Stabbed to pulpy heaps.
– Do not make noise with chopsticks. In all fairness, Wednesday is music class at home.

Dinner at La’Taste was the freshest Vietnamese I’ve had and their grilled chicken was the only thing other than candy that Ava ate since leaving New York.

First day on the trip – total success. Happy kids, happy parents. Let’s hope this holds for the next 304.

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October 30, 2011 · 11:22 pm

Last Weekend in Americana

We’ve already had somewhat of a culture shock moving out of the city and into the suburb of Dobbs Ferry to stay with my amazing aunt, uncle and cousins. Our first morning, Ava whispered to me over breakfast “Why is it so quiet?” Being the only one on the train tracks at 10 AM was a lonely change from the excitement of the city subway. And what’s one to do on a Friday night?

We decided that since we were out of the city and it was our last weekend in the U.S., we were going to make it as American as possible. So we went bowling. And I reaffirmed that I’m really bad at bowling.

Bowling Score

Part of the consideration for leaving November 1st was that we would miss winter. The weather gods, however, seemed to want to make sure we didn’t leave without the experience of a good winter storm. It snowed six inches on Saturday, causing a tree to fall and take out the deck. Sandeep got a dose of suburban life clearing the yard of its branches.

Snowing in Dobbs Ferry

We’ve also only been eating American food. That’s included pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, fried green tomatoes and fried pickles, all at Cedar Street Grill, which rivaled any city restaurant. My Aunt even decided to celebrate Thanksgiving early, so this morning was spent slicing potatoes, baking pumpkin bread and marinating chicken (yes, we fell short on the turkey).

Early Thanksgiving

The kids carved a pumpkin and are pondering their Halloween outfits for tomorrow.

I don’t think we could have been any more Americana than we were this weekend. And what a wonderful way to say goodbye.

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October 25, 2011 · 1:35 am

Stuff We Won’t Miss

Three exhausting days of packing done. Here are some things we found lurking in our apartment that we definitely won’t miss.

– Six used toothbrushes, none of which are ours
– A twelve piece ceramic tea set
– About a dozen tupperware containers with no lids
– Three half full bottles of children’s ibuprofen
– One expired bottle of children’s ibuprofen
– A maternity suit jacket, without its companion pant
– Two gloves that don’t belong to each other
– Four cell phone chargers that don’t fit either of our phones
– Enough hair accessories to keep Ava uniquely styled every day of the year

Ava's Hairware

Even in the smallest of apartments, most of us are privileged to be surrounded by things we ignore. Given that we are packing light, it will be a change for us to be in a position where we appreciate everything we have.

What stuff are you ignoring in your home?

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October 17, 2011 · 10:34 pm

Packing Up House

We pulled the trigger on this trip when we bought our tickets several weeks ago. Since then, here’s a partial list of what we’ve done to get ready.

– Vaccines and check-ups.
– Wills and life insurance, morbid but who knows.
– Organizing credit cards and general finances, which may not matter if we drain our savings.
– Finding renters to assume our lease.
– Booking movers and storage.
– Helping our nanny find a new family.
– Deferring Ava’s school for a year, because even a 3 year old applies to school in NYC.
– Taking photography classes so that I can provide you with pictures worth viewing.
– Painting our rented walls.

Painting the Walls

Despite this the prep work, it’s not until I started packing our lives into boxes that I felt the trip was actually doing to happen.

We ordered a 35 box home packing kit thinking that would cover us. Halfway through packing, I’m wondering if I should have saved all of those Diaper.com, Amazon and Zappos boxes. How did we end up with so much stuff? Clearly most of it is not necessary, given that we are able to fit what we need for the next 10 months into two duffle bags.

A couple of weeks ago, we were under the assumption that we would need two very large suitcases. We then realize that wheeling two bags while chasing two kids and jumping trains may not work. Instead we opted for camping bags. Our first purchase was the extra large size, which Ava and Kayan both managed to fit in together with their blankets and plenty of room to spare. We’ve since downsized further. Between doing laundry once a week and the kids outgrowing any clothes that fit, we’re packing light. Our rationale is that there are very few things we consider necessities that cannot be purchased abroad.

I asked everyone what they would miss the most about our daily lives that we can’t fit into our luggage.

Ava
“The park, because I love it and it loves me back.” “My toys.” “Dora.”

Kayan
“Mamadaddyava.” The kid has no clue what’s happening.

Sandeep
“The view.” “My weekend coffee.”

As for me, I’ll miss my kitchen and the certainty of a hot shower.

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