Emperor Qin's Terracotta Army

In March of 1974, Chinese farmers were drilling for water when they came across a curious discovery. Instead of hitting water they came across pieces of ancient statues. The farmers told authorities who eventually dug out the artifacts to find one, then another, then another terra cotta soldier dating back from 200 B.C. Excavation has continued ever since and their discovery ended up being the ancient burial site of Emperor Qin, and what the Chinese now claim the 8th wonder of the world.
The Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi reigned over the territory of Qin until 221 BC and then over a unified China until his death in 210 BC. Whoever said “you can’t take it with you” never talked to Mr. Qin. For his death, he had huge armies constructed to accompany him to the after life.
Emperor Qin was buried in a separate mausoleum and his armies were split into three different chambers. The largest of these chambers is thought to house up to 2,000 terracotta soldiers as well as horses and carriages.
Most of the burial site remains underground but reconstructing it to its former glory means not only digging the soldiers back up but putting the pieces of each back together in a complex puzzle. Thousands of years of the earth shifting has shattered most of the soldiers many of them stand today without heads.
Next to the sheer size of the tomb and the quantity of the soldiers, perhaps the most amazing part is that each of them is entirely unique. The soldiers differ in their facial features, hairdos, their uniforms, and even the details of how they rolled up their sleeves.
On top of that, each of the soldiers were buried with their weapons. Wooden crossbows were lost through time but cast iron arrows and swords are still found in excavation.
Incredible ancient constructions around the world all claim to be the 8th wonder of the world. Angkor Wat in Cambodia is another I’ve been lucky enough to visit myself but without comparing it to Emperor Qin’s army, I’d say they are both worthy of being called one of the world’s remaining ancient wonders.

the other Xi'an, China (the town aside from the terra cotta soldiers)

A man bikes up to a local shop to deliver beer. Inside, fires burn to cook some street food.
Elderly Chinese in town find numerous ways to 'exercise'. On a rainy Tuesday morning, couples were dancing in the park, some exercised their vocal chords with Chinese Opera, and this lady practiced hacky-sack outside her meat shop.
A large stack of dumplings cook waiting for buyers in the Muslim quarters. My Chinese is so poor it's guess the filling and hope for the best.
This man may be busy on his cell phone but that doesn't mean he's not headed to the gym to drink some weight gainer and work on his pecs.
In the back alleys I got strange looks from everyone who looked my way. Here, bicycle taxis sat unused and unlocked while a young boy and his father walked home.

How can you say you don't like it if you've never tried it?: A daily special from the Xi'an Muslim market

IF you're just dying to know what a 36 hour train ride through central China is like -and I know you are- grab a pillow

and lay down next to this slide show for the day and a half. If you want to make it even more realistic, try speaking broken Chinese to imaginary people (it doesn't matter if they aren't there, they wouldn't understand if they were), eat only strange box-bowls of spicy instant noodles, and when using the bathroom squat over the toilet.

Leaving behind Thailand, going to Xiamen, China. Could this be more random?

When things could have gotten real heated in Thailand, Thaksin gave a taped speech to suppoters at Sanam Luang promising not to get involved in Thai politics again. This diffused the political rumors of his comeback and gave the country a relative political calm. Some supporters still claim foulplay by the new government but Thaksin only has one worry now, and that's his billions of dollars frozen up in Thai bank accounts.

Instead of politics, he's actually turning his focus to football ...err... soccer that is, and is looking to buy Manchester United. I don't know, and really don't care about the details, or if the deal will go through but with his money inaccessible, he's not ready to spend hundreds of millions of USD just yet. On top of that, the government has now changed its mind and demanded Thaksin return to the country to face the charges brought against him. How this all turns out only time will tell, but luckily for my poor mother, I'm out of the country and working on bigger and better things for her to worry about.


And so I switch my focus from Thailand to China...



A 4 1/2 hour plane ride took me to Xiamen, the port town just across the straight from Taiwan. There was little to do there but spend the night and wait half of the following day in line to buy a train ticket, then return back to the hostel to collect my things before returning to the train station to catch my train. May not sound too exciting but when you're in China, and if you're in the right mood, everything can be exciting.

Among the things I saw during my not-so-exciting day:


This lady riding her bike through town with live chickens tied to it. (Look closely.)

A Wal-Mart in China. (Not pictured.)

An entire downtown that seemed to all be under construction at once.

A man with a bamboo pole balanced over his shoulder with live chickens, ducks, and turtles tied to it. (Not pictured. Sorry.)


And I had just a tiny bit of time to take a stroll through this Chinese park.

A great time to be on my way out from Thailand?

Every night in Bangkok, angry voices echo over through the city calling for change. Democracy protests have grown into a nightly spectacle at the Sanam Luang where pundits demand not only the end of the CNS (Council for National Security that took control of the country in last September’s military coup) but also the reinstatement of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (right).

The result has been a growing unease over the current political situation and the future of the country in general. Rumors have begun to spread about the CNS instituting a curfew and on the opposite end, it has been said the democracy protests are trying to lure the military into drawing first blood to incite a war. These have proven to be no more than rumors but the country’s stability is deteriorating.

Still, the politics of the situation are taking the country into a dangerous direction it needs to avoid. The CNS would prefer that Thaksin remain in exile outside of the country, yet they have gone after him and his family with charges of corruption, malfeasance and tax evasion. They have failed to pin any of the charges to him or his family but have recently frozen over 73 billion Baht in Thaksin’s Thai bank accounts.

In order to continue to protect his family and try and recollect his frozen assets, Thaksin has little choice but to return to Thailand. But just today Surayud Chulanont (right), the current Prime Minister, issued a statement saying that Thaksin could return to stand up for himself if he wished, but he warned that the CNS could not guarantee his safety. Those still in support of Thaksin claimed tens of thousands would welcome him home at the new Suvarnabhumi airport, the very building of which is cause for many of allegations of corruption on Thaksin.

Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai political party has been dismantled on flimsy charges of bribing opponents and Thaksin and his constituents have been banned from politics for five years. This seems unlikely if he returns soon. His presence alone would give the Bangkok protests instant legitimacy and cause great alarm to the CNS. Even if Thaksin stays away from the protests, clearing his name means defeating the CNS in a politically charged courtroom. Their fates are tied together; victory for one means loss for the other and neither is about to give up soon.

What’s worse is that this is adding to any already volatile situation in the deep south where sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims continues to grow. Mostly isolated to three provinces, extremists have been murdering teachers, burning schools and setting off bombs. Both Thaksin and the CNS have showed an inability to quell this violence and now it’s taking a back seat to the political mess. But this doesn’t mean those involved in the social fight aren’t looking to take advantage. Insensitive to the situation, monks have recently taken up to joining protests in Bangkok demanding Buddhism be named the national religion, a move not taken lightly by the Muslim minority. So far the bombings have been predominantly in the south, but the New Year’s bombings in Bangkok have proven how susceptible the city is to attacks.

All this boils down to is the country is dangerously close to finding itself in chaos, without a great leader. The King remains in an unused third-party whose opinion is widely respected and could have great potential to ease all of Thailand’s problems. Everyone in the country would take his words as law and he is perhaps the only person who couldn't be alleged to be corrupt. But the King has grown very old and feeble. Moreover he has historically devoted himself to social policies and has kept himself almost entirely out of politics. But now the politics he refuses to deal with are threatening to tear apart his great country.

Still, it's not likely any of this brings violence to Bangkok any time soon. This is Thailand after all. Nobody was killed or injured in the coup that started all of these problems and daily life for most Thais has gone unchanged. Most have opinions about the recent politics but are unlikely to do more than talk. Even for those who feel strongly about the politics opting for violence is not likely. For one thing, unlike where I grew up, no one has any guns. On top of that, the current protests are far from troublesome.

For now, life for most Thais and all tourists goes on as usual. The situation is well worth monitoring but in Thailand when push comes to shove, people often just say, "mai bpen lai."

I don't know how it started, but I saw how it finished

People watching on Khaosan Road, I sat at a sidewalk bar when I noticed a scuffle between some girls just five meters away. I saw some guys holding two falang girls back who were yelling at somebody in the street. Looking out to the street I saw an angry Thai girl walk right up to the girl and throw a haymaker at her.

Too busy running her mouth, the falang just blinked.

And then the fight was over.

The Thai girl's fist met the falang's face with loud pop. The punch knocked the girl to the sidewalk and the Thai girl strutted away without anything else to say.

I looked around me but no one else noticed the fight. Looking back over to the girls, the guys who were 'breaking up' the fight stood there clueless what to do. The girl got up off the cement, her nose already gushing blood. Her eyes were already red with tears. Then initial shock wore off and she began to sob. And then to hysterically cry.

Her girlfriends got some napkins and surrounded her trying to comfort her and stop her nose bleed. The few people who did notice the punch, then went back to their drinks and their conversation. Men walked up and down the street selling Zippos, women from the north croaked wooden frogs trying to sell handmade trinkets, and the night went on like any other.

Democracy now! ...or... snacks now, and maybe democracy later

If I were in any other country, I might be afraid. It has been 10 months since the military overthrew the elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup but in the last two days large protests have occurred around Bangkok. On Sunday night I walked over to the Sanam Luang, historically the spot for such a political protest in Bangkok. There I met a reported 13,000 other people who came out in protest of the current government and calling for Thaksin’s return. But like I said, in any other country I might be worried, but not here.

First, 13,000 people isn’t even that many in a city of over 11 million and to be honest, I’d be surprised if there were really 10,000. Second, half the people present were only there because they expected large crowds and brought their food carts knowing that Thais can’t resist some dried squid or meat on a stick. A monk sat behind a table selling his own amulets, CDs, and books (that’s ridiculous in itself.) Another man sold tsunami videos. Others actually set up tables and chairs for makeshift noodle soup restaurants. Stranger still, others laid out mats and were doing business giving Thai massages throughout the evening.

With a backdrop of the holy Wat Pra Keow, speakers took turn riling up the crowd chanting back and forth and giving heartfelt speeches. Those in the crowd serious about Thailand returning to democracy wore yellow bandannas around their heads and waved red and white flags demanding the current government to “Get Out!” Politely seated on the ground around the stage, most enjoyed their snacks in between talking points and their flag waving.

When the final speech was over the crowd gave a last hoorah and out came a band (Pua Cheewit or Thai folk music) but most were already on their way out. Without incident, the protests came and went and all that was left was the famous field filled with trash. The place was filthy. It wasn’t dirty as in a couple people didn’t throw away their trash or a couple trashcans got knocked over. It was much worse. Nobody threw anything away. The field was covered in plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, bottles, cans, and ‘disposable’ sitting mats. I walked out with the masses, my empty water bottle in my back pocket, and at the main exit of the field I found a huge line of empty dumpsters to throw it in.

Later that night I laid down to sleep around midnight and another speech started. This time it was at the government building kilometers away, but I could hear the speaker's words loud and clear. It must have been audible over most of Bangkok. The voice yelled over the city and echoed off all the taller buildings. As most Thai people were in bed, pro-democracy rhetoric went on loud and clear over the entire city well into the night.

The protests have increased since though each in smaller size. They all demanded that General Santhi, currently the head of the government, to step down. In response to the people's demands he said, "No."

The Randoms

Here's just a small collection of photos from Bangkok. I wouldn't call any of them spectacular but if you've never been out to Thailand, they offer up some of the city's different personalities.
Just another night on Khaosan. I don't think this character was looking for anything more than attention. I don't want to ruin it but having been in this country for a while now, I recognized that his mask was actually made from sticky rice baskets.
These monks were just leaving their wat to go out to the streets and walk for their daily alms.
I went out early in the morning to find some good shots while the rising sun provided perfect lighting over the city but found very little to shoot. Besides the monks, the city hardly wakes up before nine o'clock. The streets were quiet outside Wat Phra Keow other than a single tuk tuk whizzing by.
Bangkok has never been known as a beautiful city. This picture is a case in point. I'd say it's a rather ordinary picture of a ordinary part of the city, just on the edge of Chinatown. The details that make this particularly ordinary are the the grimy bus, the mess of electrical wires, the drab architecture, and the huge portrait of the King and Queen residing over all of it.
Wandering around downtown Bangkok I happened upon a garage where three old men spent their days restoring antique cars. They had only finished a couple and the rest of the large garage was full of fixer-uppers. I believe most were Russian and Italian cars but I couldn't be sure. This was all a bit of a surprise to me because in my 2 years here, I've never seen any older cars on the road.
We're all suckers for neon lights. If no bright lights illuminated this stretch of Chinatown, I nor anyone else would walk down the street looking to grab a bite to eat. These lights were a let down though. I didn't have an appetite for shark fin or bird's nest soup and I found out that, for me, the neon lights only advertised overpriced food.
This isn't an ordinary temple to find in Thailand. Its actually one of the few remnants of the ancient city. I believe it's an old port on the river. That's at least what I picked up from talking to locals.
The most well known bridge in Bangkok, this is also some of the best architecture you'll find in the entire city. Dinner boat cruises go up and down the Chao Phraya every night with this bridge as its destination.

So what brings you here?

Sometimes all people want is a good listener. I understand there's something about vocalizing one’s problems that helps them deal with them but it never fails to be at least slightly awkward when a complete stranger begins to tell you the darker parts of their personal history. It can happen on a long bus ride, hanging out in a hostel commons, or say, at the Blues Bar in Bangkok on a Tuesday night.

I liked the bar from the beginning. It’s true that I was lured in by the beautiful Thai woman sitting down outside the entrance, but it wasn’t her presence that made the bar such a great place. The owners, an attractive Thai couple, were hanging out, the guy playing his favorite records on an antique player, and the woman pouring the drinks. It’s a narrow place with only enough room for five small tables in the front, the tiniest ‘stage’ for a band you’ve ever seen, and a bar in the back with very little standing room. Undoubtedly, the owners took notice of every person that walked through the doors.

I arrived at the bar two hours before anyone else without initially realizing there was live music. The waitress followed me in, took my order, then sat down with me to pass the quiet hours before the bar filled with locals and regulars. Her name was Ying and like so many others in Thailand, she was not shy to tell me about pivotal points in her life leading to her working in Bangkok.

While I ate my fried rice for dinner she decided to tell me about the tragic death of one older brother and the following suicide of the other. Then she explained her recent anxiety about her cheating boyfriend who impregnated another girl and her fears that his infidelity put her at risk of STDs. Apparently already over the heartache of being cheated on and lied to, she acted as though closure of the entire relationship was dependent on her test results.

This phenomenon is not uncommon during travel. Perhaps people find me a trustworthy person to confide in or perhaps they tell everyone that will listen, but amongst the transient world of backpackers and the hostels and bars they frequent, tragic personal stories are often told within minutes of knowing someone’s name.

A favorite quote on the road is “not all who wander are lost.” Another line could be “many who wander are trying to get lost.” I’ve met people running from crimes committed, marital disasters, and violent homes. Others ended up on the road because of jobs lost, murdered loved ones, and cubicle breakdowns. Then there’s more than a few people who think their drinking problems go unsubstantiated when they are constantly traveling from one place to the next mixing in with the party crowd where their drinking is considered normal. Of course, there are still vacationers, workers on sabbatical, and gap year travelers as well, but it’s surprising how many tragic stories are told to strangers over a Beer Singh.

By the time the blues band started playing, the bar was to capacity, and everyone was packed around the small, shaky tables leaving just enough room for someone to walk from the front door up to the bar. Around the tables there was little room for knees or elbows but because of the intimate seating the bar was a friendly place where everyone was forced to talk with those they were rubbing up against. Sitting along the wall, going to the restroom would have meant asking at least two people to get up and move, and also running the risk of bumping a table and spilling drinks.

Sitting around my table were two couples, a Frenchman, and the beautiful Thai waitress that flagged me there in the first place. She waited on the entire place herself constantly reaching over and through people to deliver drinks and collect empties. She knew many of the patrons by their names and knew what almost everyone’s drink order was without asking.

The band played in the middle of the bar amidst the crowd, the keyboardist sitting next to patrons on one side, and the bassist leaning on the bar on the other. A blind man would have mistaken the deep, soulful voice of the Thai guitar player for that of an old black man. He classic American blues and his English, unlike that of any other English-singing Thai band, was impeccable. After the drummer’s first solo, Ying easily reached across to him and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. In the back there was standing room only and at the front door the crowd overflowed out to the sidewalk where a handful of people enjoyed their drinks with a little more leg room.

The Australian couple sat nearest to the band and the girl used her extra space to dance with her arms, holding her beer up high. She wore more than a little bit of glitter around her eyes and with her short black hair, dangly earrings and neck-and-elbow dominated dancing, she kinda looked Egyptian. Her boyfriend, the neo-hippy, was all frizzy hair and smiles.

The other couple was a Thai girl and a guy from the Bahamas. They drank Thai style, with an eighth of Sangsom, coke, soda water, and a bucket of ice. She, like most Thais, was fun-loving with a contagious laughter. When the inevitable happened and she accidentally knocked the flimsy table spilling her entire drink on her lap, all she could do was laugh.

Next to me was the Frenchman. He spoke no English and no Thai. At first I was amazed he could get by traveling knowing so little of either language. But as I talked with him it became obvious he was used to having little conventional language to communicate and was capable of telling stories and making jokes by helping his few words along with charades. Between sips of his Jack with a single ice cube, he decided to tell me the turning point in his life, his reason for being in Thailand.

He spent his earlier years in Paris working long and frantic hours. He had been happy with his workaholic lifestyle until one day he walked in on his wife with another man. He acted out his initial bewilderment with a lost look in his eyes and his mouth agape. Making a pistol out of his hand and putting the index finger barrel to his head, he mimed the misery it caused him. Chance brought him to Thailand where he began to embrace their laid back lifestyle. Only then, years later, was he able to look back and understand why the lack of attention he paid to his wife caused her to seek companionship elsewhere. He came to the conclusion of his story, threw back the last of his Jack and smiled with satisfaction.

These conversations are never entirely one-sided though and the eventual question always comes up: so what brought you to Thailand? Luckily for me I don’t have a heavy tale of loss or betrayal like so many of the ones I’ve heard. If I did, I don’t think I’d be quick to tell it. But my practical answer I came out to teaching English but a more honest answer would have to be that I have a sincere love of travel and the nights like these that make it so interesting.

Rediscovering Bangkok

I’ve spent my last several days here in Bangkok keeping to myself and researching my future travels instead of walking around and exploring the city. Half the reasoning is that I have a lot of things I need to make happen if I’m going to get where I want to go (look for that post about future travels soon) and the other half is that I’ve been to Bangkok so many times it feels like I’m home. I’d feel guilty about not exploring any other place but here, I’ve seen it all. Or, that I had.

Bored by the words I was either reading or writing, and inspired by a book I bought on photography, I went out exploring neighborhoods within walking distance of where I always stay in Bangkok. Not 10 minutes from the backpacker trodden street of Khaosan Road, I was surprised to find the vibrant alleys of Thai neighborhoods. In these skinny lanes, locals old and young alike were hanging out in the streets. Monks walked from the wats, food carts sold Thai food unappealing to falangs, and in this particular spot, rough looking stray cats lazily hung about.

Walking further towards the river I found guesthouses hidden on the river with nightly rates only a fraction of the cost of the noisy, unkempt rooms of Khaosan. Despite the cheap accommodation I found no falangs. The Chao Phraya River was calm and so was the riverside; it was the peaceful side of living in Bangkok that’s lost when people reduce the cities to traffic jams, Buddhas and ladyboys.

Continuing past the neighborhood I followed a street of eccentric shops selling unique t-shirts, antique coins and stamps, license plates, old graduation rings, and Buddhist amulets. Kitschy bars and coffee shops sat empty along the street as well, obviously unknown to the travelers who would prefer their style to the plastic tables and chairs of the cheap tourist drinking holes.
The street passed over canals every kilometer or so and just when I thought I had seen every type of improvised transportation in Thailand, there were these men sitting on a raft with a strange prop rigged up. What the boat lacked in speed, it made up for in style.

Along another canal a street was lined with large green nurseries that contrasted the otherwise gray hue of Bangkok so brightly that I had to walk alongside them. Even though it was obvious I wasn’t there to buy, shop owners were extremely friendly and proudly showed off their orchids, cacti, and lawn ornaments that only a grandma would buy.

As I once again neared the Chao Phraya “blah bloi” shops began to appear alongside the flower shops. These shops sold eels, fish, turtles, and toads, not for eating but for releasing back into the water in order to make merit. Just another contradiction in practice in Thailand, these animals were caught only so that someone else could do the “good deed” of setting them free again. What this does for the merit of the shop owners selling them, only Buddha knows.

The street ended at the river and a boat stop, market, restaurant and “Love You Bar” shared the waterfront. At this pier is where the captive fish, etc. were meant to be released and it was obvious that people did. The water was teeming with large fish. For those who didn’t buy fish to release, the opportunity to make merit was not entirely lost. A dozen people set up stands selling stale bread, chips, and fish food to through into the water. This is a Thai favorite and I’ve done it countless times, but never have I seen the water so concentrated with fish. This picture was taken when no one was feeding them. When a slice of bread was thrown in, a frenzy ensued and the fish were so frantic they piled upon each other until the fish on top, out of the water, violently flipped their tails to get back underwater, splashing anyone near.

As the sun was falling I headed back for the crowds and neon lights of Khaosan Road. For the most part, nothing’s changed since I was first there over 2 years ago. Springbreakers, hippies, hipsters, yupsters, trustafarians, families, hookers, ladyboys, locals, cops, and crooks all still walk up and down the street looking for something. The same bars advertise the same stiff drinks and counterfeiters offer the same fake diplomas, certificates, and licenses. The same carts sell the same pad thai, fresh fruit, fried insects, and banana pancakes. And, of course, the same t-shirt stalls still sell the same SAME SAME t-shirts.

Still, some things have changed. A couple new clubs have sprung up and a large section of stores was gutted to make room for a serious hotel currently being built. Cops are now a permanent fixture at both ends of the street presumably for safety but they do little more than watch TV and shoo away illegal food carts. With the exception of Jack Johnson, music pirates sell newer music and now they offer to upload it directly to your iPod instead of selling the actual CDs.

Passed Khaosan, out alongside the heavy traffic of Rama IV, I walked towards the Democracy Monument. Having forgotten about the political turmoil that started with the coup just days before my trip out here, I was surprised to see the landmark covered in people. The very democracy the monument stood for was challenged during last September’s coup and even more recently when the new interim government declared the Thai Rak Thai political party “illegal.”

This might have caused a larger uprising in other countries but no matter what anyone says, as long as the King lives, Thailand is very much a monarchy. The King doesn’t make the political decisions, but if he renounced the coup and told the people to take to the streets, everyone would. The stability of the nation is dependent on him and his opinion trickles down to become the opinion of the people. Even the protesters who were out for political reasons all had the phrase “We Love The King” written above all else on their pickets. The signs were mostly lying on the ground however, and the people at the monument lent their presence itself as a reminder of the country’s turmoil.



I was recently given the advice that if while out traveling I had some “time to kill” I should do something different instead of laying low in a place I knew well already. Bangkok is certainly a city I know well, but the advice still holds true. In a matter of several hours stretching from a late afternoon to an early evening in a place I’ve spent nearly 2 years, I was still witness to new hidden corners of the city where a Bangkok I didn’t no existed, thrives.