Around The World With Beaded Bracelets

Posted on June 30, 2015 by jaynezak

“I learned that you should feel when writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountain top, but like a child stringing beads in kindergarten, – happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.” Brenda Ueland

That should really be the name of my blog. I don’t know when it started but I buy cheap ethnic bracelets in different countries around the world for myself and gifts. People like them. (temple cedar bracelets – Viet Nam)

I try to spend under five dollars a bracelet and buy them in markets or from street vendors. A dollar or two is even better. (ceramic – Mexico)

It is an easy to pack gift and a nice memory for me of a country I have been to. I mix them all up and wear them almost every day. Today I am wearing Argentina, Mexico, Myanmar and Thailand. (Myanmar, Thailand)

It’s good to buy indigenous jewelry because it helps the local communities. Many countries have stores or markets that feature local artisans. The bracelets are made from wood from local trees, nuts, seeds, glass, silver, tin, brass, bamboo, woven, pottery and even plastic. Sometimes they have religious significance and sometimes only decorative.(Peru)

My favorite one comes from Panama and is made from a tagua nut which is known as vegetable ivory. Due to tagua’s properties in color, appearance, hardness and feel like those of natural ivory, it is being substituted for the latter one. This helps in the depredation of elephants while at the same time keeps rain forests from being deforested which in turn favors the ecosystems and the environment.

I also buy ethnic designed bracelets for myself. When I wear them, they remind of the special day in the country where I bought them. (Myanmar, Cambodia, Murano glass – Italy, Argentina, real coral-Croatia)

Another important factor to consider is that making things by hand provides work to thousands of people in these poor countries giving them and their families a better life and the opportunity of offering their children a better education. (shells-Panama)

Shopping for bracelets is perfect street consumerism for me.(Coca nut -Argentina)

There is the thrill of finding the bracelet among the crafts and tourist crap. I know these look touristy but there was a beach in Panama that was covered in these pinkish orange shells so they remind me of that beautiful beach. Yes I brought home a bag of the shells also. (Panama)

Then there is the delicate negotiation of getting the right price without insulting anyone.There is the danger of going too low and the stupidity of paying too much. (plastic- Turkey or anywhere that has real Turquoise)

Finally we have the adrenalin rush of the purchase. (Aborigine – Australia)

It makes my world better and their world better. It’s a win – win situation.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Ta Prohm, Cambodia – The Tomb Raider Temple

Posted on May 11, 2015 by jaynezak

Ta Prohm, Cambodia – The Tomb Raider Temple

“Indiana, we are simply passing through history. This… this is history.” Raiders of the Lost Ark

I know – wrong movie but it was such a good quote for this. Yes, Ta Prohm is the temple where Angelina Jolie played Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. Disturbingly many more Americans probably know where Angelina Jolie is right now and do not know where Cambodia is. Some may know the Tomb Raider temple is in Cambodia. (The Tomb Raider tree)

Ta Promh has been left the way it was originally found.

The jungle had completely engulfed the entire complex when it was discovered in the last century.

It was amazing to see how the massive trees have grown around and atop the structures, their roots seemingly strangling and holding up the temple’s towers and other buildings.

At Ta Prohm you can start to appreciate what the first explorers saw when they re-discovered these temples.

It is easy to relive the emotions of the French naturalist Henri Mouhot when he came across it hidden in the jungle in 1860.

Ta Prohm was dedicated to the family of Jayavarman VII as shown by the inscriptions on the stele ( stone monument) The inscription lists many of Jayavarman’s ancestors, as well as giving details of the construction. Perhaps most compelling though is the information the stele gives about the people whose lives revolved around this site. Nearly 80,000 people were involved in serving the temple, coming from over 3,000 surrounding villages. The stele also mentions that there were 102 functioning hospitals in the Kingdom. Numbers like this give a fantastic insight into the sheer scale of the Khmer empire at that time.

The structure measures 145 by 125 meters and has a maze of courtyards and galleries, many impassable because of the dense overgrowth of creepers and roots.

I had to put this photo in of a Cambodian butterfly at Ta Prohm Temple. Thanks for taking this Kim. I needed to use at least one of your “National Geographic photos”. Most of the photos atTa Prohm were taken by Wong Kimsian.

The “jungle temple” is best visited early in the morning when everybody else is at Angkor Wat to get your best photographs of the ongoing battle between nature and architecture.

Fly Safe,

JAZ

Animals I Met When Traveling

Posted on April 15, 2015 by jaynezak

Animals I Met When Traveling

“Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to.” Alfred Montaper

Kangaroos Australia

Tasmanian Devil Australia

Baby Wombat Australia

Koalas Australia

Sheep Australia

Cat Turkey

Deer Japan

Llama Peru

Iguana Panama

Elephant Thailand

Parakeets (Emilio White) Argentina

Coati Argentina

Cow Cambodia

Monkey Cambodia

Water Buffalo Viet Nam

Louie Miami

Fly safe,

JAZ

The Mekong Delta, Viet Nam

Posted on March 9, 2015 by jaynezak

The Mekong Delta, Viet Nam

“Now without the bombs and gun shots, people can have a better sleep.“ from someone in the Mekong Delta.

The Mekong River has its origins in the mountains of Tibet, and it traverses six countries and 4500 km before spilling out into the Mekong Delta region of Viet Nam.

After the rainy season, the water is brown from the silt that has been washed into it upstream.

During the dry season the river becomes blue-green in color. There are many boats of different sizes and shapes traveling in all directions, including cargo boats, fishing boats, ferries, tourist boats and house boats.

Everything happens on the river including the floating market of Cai Bei.

All along the river, small huts are perched precariously on stilts so that the water at high tide does no more than wet the floor.

Some are in good shape, but most are ramshackle, and one wonders how they manage to survive.

During the Viet Nam War there was there was fighting there between the Viet Cong and the US Navy boats. After the war the Khmer Rouge attacked Viet Nam to reclaim the Delta area. This campaign precipitated the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and later downfall of the Khmer Rouge.

The Mekong Delta is called the Rice Bowl of Viet Nam because most of the countries rice production comes from the Delta. They also have most of the country’s fisheries.

The towns along the river are fun to explore by foot or bicycle.

You will find French colonial architecture and delicious fruits and vegetables.

The Mekong Lodge is an interesting place to stay on the Delta.

It is reachable by boat and a good location for exploring the nearby villages and floating market. They are socially and environmentally responsible using eco-friendly materials for the bungalows, solar energy, rainwater, local ingredients and local employees. There is not a lot of English but it adds to the charm. Hand motions are the universal language and I am fluent in them.

I had a great foot massage in a bamboo chair outside of my room overlooking beautiful gardens and fruit orchards of longan, rambutan, mango, durian trees and flowers. http://mekonglodge.com

Another option are local guesthouses where you can stay with a lovely family on the Mekong.

I spent some time at Muoi Huong Tourist Garden (070 3859992) with their lovely family and highly recommend it for a wonderful local experience. (Binh Hoa Phuoc Island, Long Ho District, Vinh Long, Viet Nam).

I had a chance to talk to people in the Mekong Delta. What I noticed throughout Vietnam was some of the nicest friendliest people I met came from the Mekong Delta.

There is an interconnectedness that all Vietnamese have with past generations that we do not have. Every home has an altar to their ancestors with photos and their favorite things on it. The smell of incense used for prayer permeates the country (not so good for me because I am allergic to it). But I love the idea of it – how the smoke rises up to connect them with their ancestors.

They worship at communal houses.

They work hard. They are underpaid and they do not complain.

They have been helped by the efforts, work and suffering of previous generations and ancestors.

Now they are part of the present, with each other, working toward a future when others will pray and thank them.

Special thanks to my tour guide in Saigon and the Mekong Delta Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh. Thanh is smart, funny, intuitive, helpful and very knowledgeable about everything related to Viet Nam. I had the best time exploring the Delta with him and highly recommend him as a tour guide.

Di du lịch một cách an toàn,

JAZ

Bayon, Angor Thom, Cambodia

Posted on February 17, 2015 by jaynezak

Bayon, Angor Thom, Cambodia

“Bayon can be said to be the most imaginative and singular in the world, because more unearthly in its conception, a temple from a city in some distant planet…imbued with the same elusive beauty that often lives between the lines of a great poem.” Bruno Dagens

Bayon and Angkor Wat evoke similar aesthetic responses yet are different in purpose, design, architecture and decoration. Bayon was built in late 12th century to early 13th century, by King Jayavarman VII. The dense jungle surrounding the temple camouflaged its place in relation to other structures at Angkor so it was not known for some time that the Bayon stands in the exact centre of the city of Angkor Thom.

To get to the temple you cross a bridge lined with amazing statues.

You continue on to my favorite place – the terrace of the elephants.

On approaching from a distance, it resembles a rather formless initially disappointing jumble of stone.

Inside you discover a maze of galleries, towers and passageways on three different levels.

The structure is rich in decoration, detailing scenes from battles, religious rituals, and everyday life.

The most famous thing about the Bayon Temple are the over 200 faces carved into the stone temple towers – some indistinct and crumbling and others perfectly preserved.

It is generally accepted that four faces on the towers are images of the bodhisattva (fully enlightened beings) who delays entry into Nirvana to aid the spiritual development of others.

The characteristics of the faces – a broad forehead, downcast eyes, wild nostrils, thick lips that curl upwards slightly at the ends-combine to reflect the famous ‘Smile of Angkor’.

The feeling at Bayon Temple for me was very different from Angor Wat. It is smaller, greyer and in the jungle.

There are slabs of stone and crumbling ruins all around.

You can see how they brought the stone from quarries thirty miles away and lifted it up.

My guide in Cambodia was Mr. Wong Kimsien. Kim was very knowledgeable and fun. He had a good sense of humor and was able to go with the flow and switched gears whenever necessary. He also took most of these photos and the ones at Ta Prohm as well. He is a very good photographer. Thank you Kim for being such a good tour guide and all your kindness.

Bayon is less crowded than Angor Wat so you can even find a quiet space for a blessing under the sightless gaze of the ever-present faces.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Why Don’t We Eat More Cambodian Food?

Posted on February 8, 2015 by jaynezak

Why Don’t We Eat More Cambodian Food?

“Now that you are eating the rice, you can enjoy the taste of the food.” Cambodian waiter in Siem Reap to me.

I don’t like rice but I am grateful to rice for keeping people from starving. It is the most widely consumed food in the world especially in Asia. In Asian countries it is weird if you don’t eat rice. So this trip I managed to not eat rice in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Viet Nam but in Cambodia everyone eats rice. If they see that your plate has no rice, they put rice on it. In many restaurants, rice is free or included. They did not understand the no rice thing. Having had so much starvation for so many years, it is odd for them to see people jogging to lose weight or not eat rice. I needed to eat some rice in Cambodia to understand the food. I felt a little of that first world privilege that I had a choice not to eat it.

Khmer food takes influences from a variety of countries. Cambodia was a French colony for many years and also has many Chinese immigrants, so both French and Chinese foods are widely found. Thailand is nearby and influences the flavors as well. as well. Common ingredients are rice and sticky rice, fish sauce, palm sugar, lime, garlic, chilies, coconut milk, lemon grass,, kaffir lime and shallots.

I have never eaten Cambodian food before so I can’t judge anything other than that I thought it was fresh and delicious. The flavors are strong, clean and not too spicy for me. (Cambodian curry)

Hunger is a legacy that lives on in Cambodian food and everything is edible. This is not my first fried bug country but there are a lot of them here. Platters of fried tarantulas and spiders are common in the market.

They told me the red ants that were biting my leg on the hammock were delicious when cooked with beef and they were right.

My new favorite Cambodian dish is Amok, a popular Khmer dish. Amok is a national dish, made from fish, coconut milk and curry paste and cooked in banana leaves. I had it with fish and chicken.(fish amok and morning glory)

I love trying new restaurants and my new favorite restaurant is in Siem Reap Cambodia. It is Batchum Khmer Kitchen restaurant (http://batchumkhmerkitchen.com) I ate there twice. The food is fresh and organic (as most food is in agricultural communities).

It is located in a quiet part of the Angor Archaological Park overlooking tropical gardens and rice paddies. (watching the quick tropical rainstorm while eating)

The second day I went for a coffee and did not plan on staying for lunch but it is so beautiful and relaxing there and the food is so delicious and the staff is so friendly that we ended up staying.

In the Khmer language the word for rice and food are the same. In Cambodia, they go together.

Fly safe,

JAZ

Thirty Things That I Wanted To Do In 2014. Did I Do Them?

Posted on January 3, 2015 by jaynezak

Thirty Things That I Wanted To Do 2014. Did I Do Them?

“Every hundred feet, the world changes.” Robert Boitano

Go to Colombia. Yes
Go To Southeast Asia. Yes
Go to Seattle. Yes
Read more books on the 1000 Books You Have To Read Before You Die. Yes
Go to the theatre with my son. Yes
Meditate every day. I think this may be like a dieting resolution. I will make it every year. Still not every day.
Do an Urban Art tour in LA. No definitely in 2015
Do a spa day with my daughter. Yes
Watch even less Real Housewives. Yes they are getting boring now that so many of them are going to jail.
Go to Guatemala. No
Go To Miami. Yes
Have more spiritual friends. Now I want to have less spiritual friends.
Eat less sugar. Hmmmmm not sure but probably not.
Go to the Bridge On The River Kwai. No
Try ten new restaurants in LA. Yes Orsa and Winston, Bucato, Sushi Tsujita, Bachi Burger, Cleo, Republique, Wallys, Everleigh, Carousel and Escuela De Taqueria
Try ten restaurants in other places. Yes Andres Carne De Res – Bogota Colombia, Matiz – Bogota, Colombia, Salou – Cartegena, Colombia, Morning Glory – Hoi An, Viet Nam, Golden Rice – Hue, Viet Nam, Pepper Tree – Phu Quoc, Viet Nam, Washoku Bar – Tokyo, Japan, The Dining Room – Siem Reap, Cambodia, Salumi – Seattle, Washington, Anchovy and Olive – Seattle Washington.
Have ten meals with Kitchensurfing. Yes
Go back to Japan. Yes
Spend more time at 826 LA.Yes
Practice tai chi. Yes sort of.
Go to a ryokan.Yes
Go To Angor Wat, YES ( a bucket list item)
Drink less coffee maybe No
React less. Maybe
Go To Agua Dulce. Not yet
Get more people to read my blog. Still trying
Do more yoga. Yes
Go to Bainbridge Island. Yes
Go to the Grand Canyon. Not yet.
Go to a Grouplove concert. Yes

Not too bad. Two thirds yes. I don’t beat myself up over stuff like this. On to the 2015 list. I’ll make it smaller and harder.

25 Things I Want To Do In 2015

1. Do something big that I am afraid of.

2. Drink less coffee.

3. Go to Rio.

4. Go To Another Grouplove concert.

5. Finish my hamburger blog.

6. Get more people to read my blog.

7. Try eleven more new restaurants in LA.

8. Try eleven restaurants in other places.

9. Go to another place on my bucket list.

10. Read more books – the kind you hold in your hand that smell like books.

11. Go to Sao Paulo..

12. Meditate every day.

13. Look up less random questions on the internet.

14. Go To Brazil.

15. Have more real friends.

16. Go to The Stanley Film Festival.

17. Get more involved at 826 LA.

18. See ten documentary films.

19. See ten foreign films

20. Eat less gluten.

21. Read more of other people’s blogs.

22. Do more beach walks.

23. Be more grateful every day.

24. Finally do that urban art tour in LA.

25. Be a tourist in LA.

Happy New Year and Fly Safe,

JAZ

Travel Well, Fly Safe

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Tag Archives: Cambodia

Around The World With Beaded Bracelets

Ta Prohm, Cambodia – The Tomb Raider Temple

Animals I Met When Traveling

The Mekong Delta, Viet Nam

Bayon, Angor Thom, Cambodia

Why Don’t We Eat More Cambodian Food?

Thirty Things That I Wanted To Do In 2014. Did I Do Them?