Yangon: Stepping into Burma

"Then, a golden mystery upheaved itself on the horizon - a beautiful, winking wonder that blazed in the sun of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu temple spire. It stood upon a green knoll. 'There's the old Shwedagon,' said my companion. The golden dome said, 'This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about.'"

--Rudyard Kipling, Letters from the East (1898)



Monks stroll past the Shwedagon Paya
(click on photo for full album)

"Myanmar? Where's that?"

This was the response I got from many backpackers, when I told them I was going to Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma). If I thought Laos was obscure, then Myanmar was a complete unknown. Even travelers who've been everywhere from Bali to Bangkok had never heard of Burma.

Before I landed in Yangon, there were many signs that I was heading into frontier territory. I applied for my Vietnam and Myanmar visas in Hong Kong. While the Vietnamese consulate was crowded with backpackers, the Myanmar consulate was totally empty. The consular official there seemed surprised that anyone even wanted to visit her country.

Before arriving, I read articles about about the country's brutal military junta. I admit to watching Rambo 4, and still wanting to do it anyway. The decision of whether to visit is a controversial issue, best detailed in this Lonely Planet article, "Should you go?" (PDF file). When I landed in Yangon airport, I was braced for the worst. I was expecting an Orwellian ordeal.

The big shock was that the airport was actually nice. The white, gleaming hall looked brand new. Instead of snarling soldiers, the immigration officials were all cute, cheerful little women. Later, I found out that only the international terminal was nice. The part of the airport for domestic flights was as ugly and decrepit as I expected.

I'd like to romanticize Yangon, but my first impression was: Third-World Hellhole. More than once, I asked myself, "Why the hell did I take a vacation in Burma?" The city was littered with buildings that should have been demolished decades ago, streets criss-crossed with enough huge cracks to undermine the best shock absorbers and an appalling amount of dust and dirt everywhere.

Yangon was a far cry from the buzzing urban machines of Shanghai and Bangkok. In Asia, a booming region with countries battling for economic dominance, Myanmar felt like the slow kid left behind in the race.

"Residential Development"


"Public Transportation"

The mix of economic mismanagement and diplomatic isolation made the country feel like a time capsule of what Southeast Asia was like in the early 20th century. Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore might have been similar to this before they leaped into hyper-charged GDP growth.

In a fair world, Myanmar should be one of the richest and most-visited countries in Southeast Asia. It has large deposits of oil, natural gas, precious gems (particularly rubies), teak wood, jade and metals. Its man-made and natural sights are spectacular, rivaling anything I've seen in Asia--including China.

The first thing that struck me was the people. Men and women wear sarong-like garments called longyis. Women and children wear a yellow paste on their faces called thanaka. It's used as make-up, moisturizer and sunblock.

Employees at Motherland Inn 2, my guesthouse in Yangon


Noodle vendors at Bogyoke Aung San Market

Burmese are surprisingly upbeat, friendly, and cheerful despite their poverty. They are amazingly hospitable to visitors, making them natural-born hosts.

I've seen Buddhism all over Asia, but never as fervently practiced and revered on such a grand scale as in Myanmar. In a nation where people struggle to find enough to eat, they lavish all their wealth on their temples. The poverty of their living circumstances is a stark contrast to the magnificence of their Buddhist architecture.

Shwedagon Paya complex

Instead of sterile exhibits, Burmese sights have no velvet ropes, glass cases, and warning signs to keep tourists from touching. People are invited to wash monuments with water, add coatings of gold leaf and maintain them. They're living pieces, not just museum artifacts.

From what I gather, Burmese people are concerned with building up merit to ensure they have better conditions in the next life. They do this by showering their attention and gifts on temples and monuments.

Giant reclining Buddha at Chaukhtatgyi Paya

This is a 180-degree difference from how Americans focus on the here and now. Try to imagine if Americans spent all their disposable income on renovating their churches instead of on their houses and cars, then you'll have some idea of how passionate Burmese are about Buddhism. Anyone interested in this religion should definitely check out Myanmar.

I read that Myanmar gets half the tourists Laos gets, and only about 1.5% of Thailand's intake. That makes it the least-visited country in Southeast Asia. It's hard to appreciate that when only looking at the numbers.

The lack of tourists made a big difference in my experience. Whenever I'd go to temples and other sights, the locals would far outnumber the foreigners. I felt more privileged at getting to observe another culture. Everything felt more authentic and less manufactured to chase travel dollars.

Until Myanmar, I'd assumed that all the great sights of the world had been discovered by the hordes. It's one of the last places left for a pure journey.

Inside Information

For great articles on Burma travel, check out the New York Times Myanmar Travel Guide. The Wikitravel Myanmar Guide also has some good tips.

Need more convincing to go? Here's a fabulous photo essay called The Spirit of Burma. The complete photo album is up at Zenfolio.com.

Burma's media is tightly controlled by the military junta. The best independent source of news is The Irrawaddy. It's a news magazine founded by Burmese dissidents in Thailand.

Burma experiences power outages every night. It's a good idea to always keep a small flashlight on hand.

Money Matters

The most practical advice I can offer about traveling to Burma is to bring lots of U.S. dollars. They must be in pristine condition, Burmese are super-picky about what bills they will accept. Also bring lots of smaller bills. You need to pay in U.S. dollars for admission to tourist sites like the temple complex of Bagan.

Burma has no financial infrastructure. Foreign banks pulled out when U.S. President George W. Bush enacted economic sanctions on the country, and all the local banks collapsed in a financial crisis in 2003. There are no ATMs and most places won't accept credit cards.

Certain top-end hotels will allow you to get cash advances on your credit card, but will charge punishingly high rates. I knew one Belgian backpacker who didn't do any research and showed up cashless. He said a cash advance had a 20 percent fee.

A safe place to exchange dollars for Burmese kyat (pronounced "chat") is the Central Hotel. If you're confident in your haggling skills, try going across the street from the Central Hotel to the Bogyoke Aung San Market. If you look like a foreigner, you won't have to look hard for a moneychanger, they'll find you. US$100 bills get better exchange rates than smaller bills.

Always count the kyat yourself before handing your dollars over. Important: once you've counted the kyat, do not let the money changer touch the kyat again. Travelers have said they're like magicians in their ability to snatch back bills without you realizing it.

Yangon is the best place to exchange money. You can exchange money in the other main tourist sites like Mandalay, Inle Lake, and Bagan, but you'll get a worse rate. I did most of my exchanging in Yangon at the beginning of my trip, then exchanged smaller amounts as I went along.

Spend all your kyat before you leave Burma. You won't be able to exchange your kyat once you're out of the country.

Where to stay

The Motherland Inn 2 is the main center of Burma's tiny backpacker scene. Make sure to call them to book a room, their online reservation form doesn't work (welcome to Burma). They also offer a free pickup service at the airport. The cars are pretty dirty and old, though.

It's a great place to meet other travelers. Since the Burma tourist scene is so small and everyone goes to the Big Four (Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake), you're bound to run into the same people over and over again.

The one downside is that it's a good 30-40 minute walk from downtown Yangon. Taxis cost like US$1.50, so it wasn't a big deal. If I visited again, I'd stay at the Mayshan Guesthouse or somewhere else more central.

Most guesthouses also offer travel services for booking onward transport. When I ordered a plane ticket at a travel agency, the price was nearly the same as what Motherland Inn 2 quoted. Also get the desk clerk to call and book your next hotel for you. They're usually happy to help.

Internet

You can access the Internet in Yangon, but the speed is really slow. Part of it is bad infrastructure and also the government tries to censor it. Luckily, most Internet cafe operators know how to get around the firewalls. This was a surprise, because when I lived in China, it was much harder to access sensitive websites. I thought the mountain town of Pwin U Lwin had the fastest Internet speeds.

Moving on

Most backpackers use long-distance buses to get around the country. I wouldn't recommend this, as distances are vast and the roads are in abysmal condition. It doesn't matter how plush your bus is, the roads will make the ride miserable. I flew everywhere, and the planes are serviceable.

Air Bagan has the nicest planes, but they're often sold out. I usually flew on Yangon Airways, which is also fine. The planes are small and propeller-driven. Avoid the government-run Myanma Airways. It's easy to steer clear, since most local travel agents don't even bother to sell tickets for it.

Many airlines do a daily "circle flight" stopping at the Big 4: Yangon, Mandalay, Nyaung U (for Bagan) and Heho (for Inle Lake). It's almost like an aerial bus route.

Luang Prabang: The French Connection

Royal Palace Museum

A wide thoroughfare like the Champs Elysee? Check. Sidewalk cafes? Check. French mansions and architecture? Check. It's official: Luang Prabang is the Paris of Southeast Asia.

With its abundance of exquisite Buddhist temples and well-preserved French houses, Luang Prabang felt more like a capital city than Vientiane. The constant flow of travelers also created a real buzz to the place that Vientiane lacked. It's much more of a hot destination than the capital.

It also resembles Paris in a less pleasant way. Luang Prabang may have gotten too popular for its own good, as an Australian backpacker commented to me. Finding a guesthouse that costs less than 100,000 kip a night (US$11.78) was a miracle.

You know you've been traveling in Southeast Asia for too long when anything over US$15 a night for a private room seems too expensive. There are so many tourists in Laos that finding budget accommodation can be difficult. You can't really negotiate, because the manager knows that if you turn down his room, there will be another foreigner who will take it.

Most guesthouses in Laos also don't accept reservations, maybe it's just too much work for the clerks. So I was stuck with tramping around from one place to the next, inspecting rooms and inquring about rates. Clean beds tend to be common, but bathrooms vary wildly in quality.

The best advice for finding a place to stay is to time your arrival at around 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. By the afternoon, all the cheap rooms have been taken and you'll see "Full" signs on every guesthouse entrance.

Eiko, a Japanese traveler, agreed and said that bargain-hunting in Laos was difficult. She said when she usually shops around in other countries, she encounters a wide range of prices. But in Laos, every vendor seemed to charge the same prices. Her theory was that Laotian people don't like to compete. That's plausible, since they're so laidback.

Or maybe prices are set by the government, as Laos is run by a Communist party. Another reason is that Laos doesn't have much of a manufacturing base, so most products are imported from foreign countries. Thailand is a big supplier of goods. With the foreign tariffs, the prices for everything are higher.

Luang Prabang is one of the few cities in the region built for walking. Big cities in Asia tend to be minefields for pedestrians. Potholes, tuk-tuks, taxis, motorbikes, and crowds of locals can turn the shortest walk into the toughest obstacle course. But the city's main drag, Sisavangvong Road, is mostly for pedestrians only. The streets running along the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers are also eminently walkable.

Wat Xieng Thong

There is also better nightlife to be had. Phousi Road is home to several outdoor bars with green, leafy environments. Ironically, the hottest nightspot is the 10-pin bowling alley. Most bars close at 12 a.m. for the curfew, but the bowling alley stays open until 2 a.m.

Laos has one of the highest retentions rates for foreign expats. Once they're assigned to Laos, they never want to leave. The boss calls and asks if you want to take an assignment in war-torn Africa? Forget it!

After seeing Luang Prabang, I can see why. It's the perfect place to live the bohemian fantasy: living in an exotic land, eating organic food, helping out in community projects and socializing with friendly locals. Everywhere you can buy ethnic handicrafts and go on "ecotourism" trips. Maybe I got it wrong. Luang Prabang could be the San Francisco of Southeast Asia.

Vientiane: Southeast Asia on Silent Mode

Patuxai, Laos' Arc de Triomphe

"You gotta go to Laos," backpackers kept telling me. When I asked why, it was hard for them to explain. But they assured me that the country was awesome. It reminded me of when I was in Europe, and travelers kept saying I should go to Prague. There's no one famous thing to see; the whole city itself is an attraction.

Countries acquire reputations. Cambodia has Angkor Wat, Vietnam has its war history, and Thailand has spicy food (and spicy girls) . But at the mention of "Laos," my mind was a blank. There was no preconceptions or stereotypes to fall back on. I didn't know what to expect, and that promised for an interesting experience.

Even more than that, I was looking forward to meeting up with Colin and Brynn, the two friends I missed before I moved out of Taiwan. In a pleasant surprise, they greeted me at the airport with cardboard signs! I was so happy to see them. Ken, a long-time traveler we had met in Taiwan, orchestrated our grand summit.

Reunited, it feels so good: Colin, me and Brynn at a baguette restaurant

It's the best possible way to start a trip: meeting up with friends who also love traveling, in a country that you're eager to visit. We piled into a taxi and went to the Syri 2 guesthouse, where Colin and Brynn were staying.

We were so excited to see each other, we talked really quickly to try to catch up. They filled me in on the trials and tribulations of cycling through Malaysia and Thailand, and I told them how Vietnam was a living experiment in Chaos Theory. Ken talked up how great Laos was, pointing out the delicious food and the relaxed atmosphere of the place.

When we got out of the taxi, it hit me that our taxi was the only car on the road. The street was stunningly quiet and dead empty. And this was one of the main thoroughfares! Ken laughed at my confusion and said, "That's what passes for traffic around here."

Honking horns, roaring motorbikes and ear-pounding construction are all part of Asia's soundtrack. It's like some god aimed his remote control at Laos and hit the mute button. Where was all the noise?

Vientiane is such a sleepy town, it's hard to believe it's the capital of an Asian country. It could have been a provincial town in Thailand. The language and culture of Laos have a lot in common with Thailand, except Laos feels more untouched.

Altar in Wat Ing Peng

It was one of the few places I've been to that had absolutely no foreign chain restaurants. American ones like McDonald's and Starbucks, and not even Japanese ones like Mister Donut and Yoshinoya.

I used to take it for granted that foreign restaurants have taken over the world in a way that Alexander the Great could only have dreamed of. Thanks to its French colonial past, Laos had better coffee and pastries anyway, as well as other food.

To illustrate, I had my first meal in Laos at Joma Bakery Cafe. The hardest part was deciding what to get! Everything looked delicious. In the end, I got a ham-and-cheese croissant, two large chocolate-chip cookies, and a mango smoothie. No regrets. If Joma opened up in America, it would be the coffee chain that could kill Starbucks.

Vientiane has a really perplexing dining situation. For a town of its tiny size, it shouldn't have any Western food at all. But every restaurant had baguette sandwiches and European cuisine. The French influence was much more prevalent here than in Vietnam.

Ken explained that a lot of diplomats and NGO workers operated out of Vientiane because it was the capital. As one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, foreign aid was a big part of Laos' economy. Laos was also a popular destination for French travelers, so the eateries cater to their tastes (read: high standards).

Similar to Vietnam, Laos has a mandatory curfew, so everything shuts down by around 11:00 p.m. to midnight. In Hanoi, police would barge into every bar at the stroke of 12 and stand around menacingly until everyone left. There were after-hours clubs, but they always appeared closed on the outside. I've heard the nightlife in Laos was even more underground, so you had to know friends who were throwing private house parties to get any action.

This had a positive effect. Laos had far fewer of the drunken dumbass foreigners you find in places like Thailand (the exception being Vang Vieng). Or if they're in Vientiane, at least they're sober most of the time. In any case, the slow pace of the country has a way of seeping into your DNA. Even tourists seemed to walk slower and talk quieter.

I really cherish being in places that don't have obvious sights. I can be free to just wander around and relax. Vientiane was perfect for this, as it had lots of great restaurants and no big-draw attractions.

Every afternoon, we would all head to one of the riverside restaurants along Fa Ngum Road. The important business was simply to lie down on pillows, sip fruit smoothies and watch the sunset. Relaxing is a lost art in the modern world, but Laos has perfected it.

Note: My beloved red Casio camera broke upon my arrival in Vientiane, so I wasn't able to take any pictures. Colin and Brynn kindly donated their photos of Laos to me. Thanks guys.

Hanoi: The Chinese Connection

Quan An Ngon, my favorite restaurant in Hanoi.

For most of my time in Asia, I've lived and traveled in what I call "The Chinaverse" (Chinese universe). By this, I mean China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, and arguably Malaysia. After visiting Hanoi, I wondered whether I should add Vietnam to the list.

As I rode the cramped "airport minibus" (really a minivan) from the airport into downtown Hanoi, I was struck by the dirty and dilapadated countryside. I saw filthy street markets, broken buildings, and swarms of motorbikes violating every rule of traffic known and unknown to man.

The last time I saw that kind of poverty, it was when I took a public bus from Shanghai to Qingpu, a squalid industrial suburb bordering the city. Vietnam was already seeming more like mainland China than any of the other places in the Chinaverse I'd been to.

Indeed, pundits like to think of Vietnam as a mini-China, or even "the next China." A hardworking, highly entrepeneurial people coupled with a government that's embracing the free market is a recipe for fast economic growth. There is talk of corporations that are developing a "China plus one" strategy, to have Vietnam as a backup supplier if things go awry in the mainland. Translated: if workers start demanding--and getting--higher wages.

Despite the economic slowdown, Hanoi seemed as busy as any other city, with lots of building going on. For me, that's lost its novelty, because it appears like half of Asia is under construction at any given moment. I got my fill of hearing the sound of drilling, welding and sawing when I lived in China.

My interest in Vietnam came about in a strange way. I didn't have a Vietnamese girlfriend, I wasn't a war-history buff, and never really got into the Vietnamese scene in Hawaii. It wasn't until my friend Thomas introduced me to Madame Jill's, a Vietnamese restaurant in Taipei, that I started down the road to Hanoi. The food was great. Like Chinese food, but less oily.

I couldn't wait to try the real thing in Hanoi. The reality was a bit disappointing: street food really lives up to its name in Vietnam. People eat on low plastic tables and sit on small plastic stools on the cracked sidewalks. Everything just seems really unsanitary, compared to street food in places like Malaysia.

Atmosphere can make a big difference in the food. Madame Jill's has a terrific ambiance, so my expectations were probably too high. When I travel to less modern areas, sometime I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that the term "developing country" means that it still isn't finished, so I need to give the place a break.

Then I heard about Quan An Ngon. The idea behind the restaurant was to hire the best street vendors to be cooks, and move the setting to a pleasant courtyard. Sounded like a winner to me.

Two Canadians, Jaime and Jaime, a couple from Toronto, joined me on my culinary quest. I happily ordered my favorite dishes. Here are a few of them:

Vietnamese fried spring rolls


Rice rolls


Fried meat buns


Stir-fried noodles with beef

All the food was amazingly good. The spring rolls were divine. They practically melted in my mouth, it was like I barely had to chew. I'm addicted to those things.

The atmosphere was also fun. The chatter of conversation and the clatter of bowls was balanced with the elegance of the polished wooden tables and a white overhead canopy. The staff were attentive and sported neo-traditional uniforms.

The other highlight of Hanoi was the Temple of Literature. While the temple itself and the surrounding grounds were nice, my favorite part was the sidewalk market just outside it. Artists and calligraphers had set up shop on the street to sell their wares.

Many of the old men were drawing Chinese characters. That and the Chinese temple nearby made me feel like I was back in Beijing. Although Vietnam did exhibit some French influence in the "tube houses" and baguettes, I couldn't shake the Chinese connection. Makes sense, since Vietnam was a French colony for about 70 years, but it was a vassal state of China for 1,000 years.

I feel like a cultural surgeon nowadays. I always try to dissect a country to find out which parts of its culture came from other countries. Every new place seems to remind me other destinations I've been to.

To end this blog post, here are more photos of local people:

Streetside barbershop


Having a chat at Hoan Kiem Lake


Old woman watches Hanoi life go by

Betting on Macau

"Bigger than Vegas" is what I kept reading about Macau, one of the few places in Asia that has legalized gambling. A lesser-known fact is that it's also where Chinese officials gamble away public money.

A former Portuguese colony, what drew me to Macau was its blend of Latin and Chinese influences. Asian countries can often be stereotyped as homogeneous, inward-looking societies. In reality, there are many nations that reflect a mix of Western and Asian cultures. Hong Kong is the London of the region and the Philippines has a strong Latin feel due to its past colonization by Spain. Globalization is simply a new name for an old trend.

I was in Hong Kong applying for visas. Most of the countries I planned to visit will issue visas on arrival, but not all of them. While I was waiting to get my passport back, I went sightseeing with fellow travelers I met at my hostel, Yes Inn.

In January, it seemed like there were a lot of travelers passing through Hong Kong from Australia. Half the travelers I met were exchange students or backpackers doing a working holiday "down under."

Robert was a German going back to his country after doing a working holiday in Australia. Josh was an Australian traveler from Melbourne heading home after backpacking through Europe.

Taking the MTR back to the hostel.

Macau is a popular day trip from Hong Kong. The ferry terminal near MTR Sheung Wan station runs boats there all day long. You can take a TurboJet boat there in about 1 hour.

The water was a bit rough as we came out of the harbor, so I was worried it would be choppy the whole way and I'd get seasick. Luckily, the ride smoothed out later.

Our first stop was the Ruins of St. Paul. Only the front facade of the cathedral remains. There are metal stairs behind it that allow visitors to climb up to the top.

Afterward, we went on a walk through the old town of Macau. Portuguese-style houses filled the landscape. Every organization, from banks to tourism offices, got its fair share of arches and pillars.

Along the street, restaurants and snack stalls clamored for business. Women on the street gave out free samples of food, such as dried glazed pork and cookies. My favorite treat I bought was an egg tart, which I've seen all over Asia. But Macau is the place to get it.

Next, we hit up some casinos. The Casino Lisboa is one of the oldest on the island. It definitely seemed old, because it was much smaller and simpler than the glittering palaces I'd seen in Las Vegas.

Traveler after traveler at the hostel told me I had to visit the The Venetian, because that one was the biggest and the nicest in Macau. They were right.

Josh and Robert were more into taking risks than I was, playing roulette and the slot machines. Although once, Robert got too eager and hit the "Max Bet" button. So they were only able to get one spin on that machine. They had to exchange more money for chips to keep gambling.

As an economics major, Josh was able to calculate the odds and quit playing a game while he was still ahead. He explained to me that each time he won at roulette, the chances of winning again drop significantly.

In the past, a pretty girl once asked me whether I gambled. I told her, "I don't gamble with money. I only gamble with my life." What gets me excited is not money, but thinking about what exotic place I'll live in next. Taking a chance on the roulette of life is the ultimate high.

Bureaucrats: The Minions of Hell (+helpful visa info!)

Shanghai Notary Public Office in China

Complaining about visas is a common pastime among expats in Taiwan. But this is on a whole other level.

In the past 2 months, I've had to deal with the bureaucrats of 4 governments. This is easily one of my worst experiences in living abroad. Visas suck, paperwork sucks and officials are the personification of evil. Anything I want to do, there's an official ready to block me for no good reason. Here's a review. I've included the addresses and directions of the government agencies at the end.

National Immigration Agency (Taipei, Taiwan)

I went to the NIA to renew my ARC (Alien Resident Certificate). Although I didn't have a work permit yet, I had a letter from the Council of Labor Affairs saying that they were processing it.

The CLA was being really slow about it. It's much easier to get an English teacher work permit. Editor jobs require 2 years of documented work experience. But they refused to recognize my China work experience as real experience, so things were difficult. I was really glad to get the letter saying my work permit was finally proceeding.

The first time, the NIA official rejected me by saying the letter wasn't enough. I went back to my company, and they gave me a receipt showing they paid a fee for my work permit and a record showing my work permit was on the log of permits to be processed.

The second time I went, I tried to go to a different official. She scanned my U.S. passport into a computer, then said, "No, I can't help you."

"Why?" I asked.

"You have already overstayed your ARC."

Huh? I looked at my ARC. "But it expires Nov. 30. Today is only Nov. 25," I said.

She shook her head. "It expired Oct. 31."

What the fuck?! "How did that happen?" I asked, struggling to sound polite.

"When you changed jobs, your last employer canceled your work permit. You must leave Taiwan 14 days after your work permit is canceled." She pointed at the computer.

"But what about my ARC?" I held it up to her.

"No! It already expired!" She pointed at the computer again, more vigorously. "You must go Hong Kong. Pay overstay fine at airport before you leave Taiwan."

So it doesn't matter what date is stamped on my ARC or on a visa in my passport. Only my last employer and the government know exactly when my work permit is canceled. That means the real expiration date is on a computer system that I can't access! That makes no sense!

Hong Kong Immigration Department (at the Hong Kong airport)

The lines at immigration in the Hong Kong airport are usually fast. Just in case, I decided to dress well and carry a briefcase. That always works. Not this time.

The official flipped through my passport, then he saw the stamp saying I'd been banned from Taiwan.

"What happened in Taiwan?" he asked.

"I overstayed a visa," I answered. Honesty is the best policy, right?

"Were you arrested? Did you go to court? Did you have to go to jail?" he demanded.

"What?! No! I just paid a fine." I showed him the receipt saying I'd paid the overstay fine of NT$4,000 (US$121) So serious. Is that what happens to visa violators in Hong Kong? Scary.

By this time, another official was directing the people standing behind me to proceed to other immigration counters. Bad sign.

"Are you an English teacher?" he asked suspiciously. Wow, he really made them sound like scum. (To be honest, some are.)

"No, I'm a magazine editor."

"What magazine?"

God, it never ends! I opened my briefcase and gave him a copy of the magazine.

"Is this for children?" he asked.

"It's meant for high school students to learn English," I explained.

"Do children read this?"

"Well, it's more for high school students. Teenagers."

"What grade level?" he challenged.

Was he really that dumb or was he trying to catch me in a lie? "The magazine is for high school students," I repeated.

"So grades 9 to 12 then," he said smugly.

"Yes!" I said, exasperated.

"I have to talk to my boss. You sit there." He pointed to a dark, sad corner of the airport.

Goddamnit.

Chung Hwa Travel Service (Taiwan representative office in Hong Kong)

I explained to the lady behind the window how I needed a new visa while I was waiting for my work permit to be processed.

"So you already have a job?" she asked.

"Yes, but I'm still waiting to get the work permit."

"It only takes 7 to 10 days for the Council of Labor Affairs to process a work permit," she claimed.

Not if they don't recognize China work experience. I've already been waiting for 3 months!

"Can I get a visa to let me stay in Taiwan while I'm waiting for the work permit to go through?" I asked.

"Okay, I'll give you a visitor visa. But only for 30 days. You must tell your company to work faster!" she stressed.

What?! My company applied for my work permit 3 months ago, before I even started the job. It's the CLA that's been so slow. Instead of giving me the usual 60-day visitor visa, she only gave me 30 days. It's like she thought, "If I give you less time, your company will work faster." The problem is that the work permit is processed at the government's speed, not my company's. She just screwed me over.

China Ministry of Foreign Affairs Visa Office (Hong Kong)

I'd heard that China became really strict about granting visas around the time of the Olympics. There were horror stories about businesspeople being rejected for visas and expats having to make visa runs to Hong Kong every month. My main worry was if there was a long processing time. I didn't want to spend an extra week in expensive Hong Kong.

The good news is that China visas are a popular service. Hotels, hostels and even the cheapest guesthouses offer a China visa service. A lot of travel agencies will do it for you as well.

What a lot of people do is apply through China Travel Service, a company owned by the China government. They have branches all over Hong Kong and overseas, convenient hours and relatively good customer service.

If you're just transferring at Hong Kong airport, the CTS branch there can process China visas in 4 to 5 hours, faster than anywhere else. Taiwanese passport holders can get a visa in 1 hour, the lucky bastards!

I prefer to apply for visas directly, to avoid the extra expense of using an agent and for safety reasons. It's ironic: the Chinese government has done a lot of bad stuff, but I trust them to return my passport. I wouldn't want an agent to hold my passport hostage.

(Update: The main China Visa Office only seems to grant 30-day-visas. If you want a longer visa, it's better to go through an agent. Ask around and get recommendations from other travelers. Check out the "Inside Information" section of my Hong Kong post for more details.)

However, in cities like Bangkok, where people sometimes have to wait in long lines for visas, using an agent might be a better option. As a rule, the worst scenario is this: you're at the embassy of a rich country where the poor local population goes to look for jobs. When I applied for a Taiwanese visa in Singapore, the consulate was almost empty. In stark contrast, the Taiwan consulate in Bangkok was packed to the gills with migrant workers going to work in factories in Taiwan.

I picked up my passport from Chung Hwa Travel at 4 p.m. and went straight for the official China visa office. Hong Kong is a maze of elevated walkways, stairwells and escalators, just one big 3-D maze. If you're at street level in the wrong area, it's almost impossible to cross the streets.

As a result, I got hopelessly lost. The visa office closed at 5 p.m. and I got through the door at 4:50 p.m. I ignored the nasty looks from the staff who were getting ready go home and started filling out an application.

One official kept coming up behind me to look over my shoulder. Probably to hurry me along, but I thought about oppressive government surveillance.

When it asked for my occupation, I didn't check off the "media and journalism" box, because I heard rumors that China will deny your visa on that basis. Or they will examine you more closely. I checked in "Other."

The good thing about going at closing time was that the place was empty and I didn't have to wait in line. I went right up to a service window. I turned in my application, passport and 1 passport-sized photo. The website says sometimes people are asked to provide a bank statement, and flight and hotel reservations. Luckily, I wasn't asked to.

"What is your purpose in visiting our country?" the lady official asked.

The real reason was to get a "proof of employment" certificate in Shanghai. Instead, I answered, "Tourism, sightseeing."

She turned the pages of my passport. When she saw the the Taiwanese immigration stamps, she frowned. Did she think I was a Taiwanese spy?

She barked, "I give you 30 days. Only for travel. Nothing else!"

Way to welcome me to your country, bitch.

She asked for my Taiwan boss' business card, and stapled it to my application. Probably to prove I had a job. It was the only one I had, so I reminded myself that I needed to get more business cards for the other visas I'd apply for in the future. Maybe embassies are trying to prevent unemployed backpackers from lingering in their countries for too long.

The staff seemed grumpy but efficient. I got the service, but without the smile.

Shanghai Notary Public Office (China)

This was what I'd been dreading the most. Dealing with Chinese Communist Party bureaucrats in mainland China. Failure to get what I needed was a very high possibility. But I had to get a "proof of employment" certificate to prove I'd worked in China, because the Taiwan Council of Labor kept demanding it before they'd give me a work permit.

I met up with my old boss in Shanghai, a cool Western guy. He gave me a copy of the company's business license, and I still had my work certificate from my records. He suggested going down to the notary office and see if those were enough.

At the office, I asked an official in Chinese if she spoke English. She got really annoyed and the staff launched a search through the building to find an English speaker. They finally found a young guy to do it, but he seemed quite unhappy. He looked over my documents and rejected me on the spot. He said they needed a copy of my employment contract.

I went back to my old boss and repeated what the official said. Although my old employer was an English school, it was registered as a consultancy. So the English teacher contract I had in my records did not have any legal power. Only documents in Chinese matter.

My boss wrote a whole new contract for me in Chinese. He's studied the language for years, so it wasn't a problem. He had a Chinese colleague proofread it for mistakes.

With a flourish, he handed it to me. "Here's your new fake contract!"

"What does it say?" I asked.

He explained. "You were a business consultant that helped in the translation and editing of English documents, advised Chinese companies on how to enter the U.S. market and handled pre-departure English training for employees before they went on business trips to America and England."

"Holy shit!" I said.

My second try at the notary office, the officials seemed satisfied with the new documents. Then: "The dates on the China visas in your passport don't match the dates of these documents!"

I took a deep breath while they discussed it among themselves in Mandarin. Finally, one said, "Okay, just fill out this form and pay 300 yuan (US$44) to the cashier." Success!

After I paid, I went back to the counter to retrieve my documents. The guy held out my U.S. passport to me. Just as I was about to take it, he threw my passport on the desk with a loud smack!

I was furious! Why did he have to be such a dick? I wanted to smash his face into the desk. My immigrant parents struggled to get U.S. citizenship. Show some respect, motherfucker.

Choking back my hate, I asked, "When do I pick up the certificate?"

"You come back in 2 weeks," he said flatly.

Spend 2 more weeks in Shanghai?! No way!

"The other half will arrive in Taiwan in one month."

"What other half? What do you mean?"

"The certificate has two parts," the notary official explained. "One half you pick up in Shanghai in 2 weeks. The other half will be sent to the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taiwan in one month. These two documents together will be useful."

You gotta be fucking kidding me! Who thought of this system? What if I was trying to do a China-Taiwan business deal? Billions could be lost while I was waiting for this process to finish.

In the end, I was lucky to know an American friend in Shanghai who was visiting Taipei a few weeks later. She agreed to pick up the certificate and bring it to me.

American Institute in Taiwan (de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei)

Taiwan is not officially recognized as a country, which means that governments have to play a lot of name games. Taiwanese embassies abroad are called Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices. Likewise, foreign embassies in Taiwan go under a variety of names. For more info, check out this Wikipedia entry about Taiwan's foreign relations.

One last piece of bureaucracy to deal with: renewing my U.S. driver's license. After fighting Asian officialdom in 3 countries, I was tired of all the bullshit.

I e-mailed my local DMV and requested that they mail the renewal forms to me in Taiwan. When I looked over the forms, I cursed: one of them required the stamp of a U.S. notary. That meant another trip to a government office. Shit!

After being emotionally scarred by Taiwanese, Chinese and Hong Kong officials, I was afraid. Since these Americans represent the world's only superpower, would they be assholes?

The AIT offers notary services, and you can make appointments online. That was convenient.

I showed up at the AIT and waited for my turn. As I walked up to the window, I braced myself for whatever abuse this bureaucrat would dish out.

"How are you today?" the American official asked. He was an older man who looked like he had a graduate degree in Asian studies. He'd spoken in Mandarin to the other Taiwanese people ahead of me.

"I'm okay," I replied.

"What can I do for you today?" he asked.

"I'd like for this document to be notarized. It certifies that I hold a U.S. driver's license." I passed the form under the slot, along with my U.S. passport. He read everything carefully.

"Do you need this?" I held up my driver's license to the window.

He chuckled and waved it away, saying, "I believe you!" He stamped my document and gave it back to me.

That's all?! Makes America seem so fast and efficient. Too good to be true.

As I turned to leave, he yelled, "Hey!" I cringed and expected the worst when I turned back to him.

"You have a Merry Christmas!" he said cheerfully.

"Uh, thanks! You too," I said. That was weird. He treated me like a human being.

Update on driver's license: After I left to travel Taiwan to travel around Southeast Asia, the Hawaii DMV e-mailed me to say they had increased the renewal fee. I owed them an extra US$6. I was in Hong Kong at the time, but luckily I still had my checkbook. I wrote out a check and a letter specifically telling them to send my driver's license to my house in Hawaii.

A few weeks later, my Mom mentioned during a long-distance call that my driver's license still hadn't arrived. I e-mailed the DMV to ask what the status was.

They e-mailed to say they had sent it to my last known address: Hong Kong! Pissed off, I wrote an e-mail saying that I was traveling and did not have a fixed address. Please send it to my Hawaii address. I had to delete the first three drafts of the e-mail, because I was cursing too much. Goddamn them.

Later, my Mom reported that my driver's license arrived at last.

Appendix: Addresses and directions for government agencies

Taiwan National Immigration Agency (see location map)
Address: 15 Guangzhou St. Taipei City 100 Taiwan.
Phone: 886-024-111 (foreigners' hotline)

Directions: Take the MRT to Xiananmen station, it's one stop away from Ximen. Go out Exit 2. Walk straight ahead, then turn left at Yanping South Rd. Walk straight, and turn left at Guangzhou Rd. Find the NIA main entrance.

Taipei hostel picks:

Eight Elephants Hostel Shida

Chocolate Box Backpackers

Chung Hwa Travel Service
Address: 40th Floor, Tower One, Lippo Centre, No. 89 Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Phone: 852-2525-8315

Directions: Take the MTR to Admiralty station (PDF map). Go out Exit B. Turn left and walk up the stairs into the Lippo Centre, it's #27 on the station map. Once inside, go left. Go to the second set of elevators, behind the ones that you first see. Take the elevator to the 40th floor and go into the visa office to the right.

Hong Kong hostel pick: Yes Inn

China Ministry of Foreign Affairs Visa Office
Address: 7th Floor, lower block, China Resources Building, No. 26 Harbour Rd. Wan Chai, Hong Kong S.A.R.
Phone: 852-3413-2300 (recording of visa information)

Directions: Take the MTR to Wan Chai station and go out of Exit A5. You'll come out on an elevated walkway. Follow the signs to Immigration Tower. At Immigration Tower, turn right to Central Plaza, then right again to Fleming Rd., crossing elevated walkways. You'll see signs above your head at each stop.

Cross under the overpass to "Chinese Arts & Crafts HK Ltd." That's the China Resources Building, it's #23 on the station map.

Take the escalator down to street level. Do a U-turn to your left and go to Harbour Drive. Go right, toward Fleming Rd., and you'll see a small blue sign that says "Visa Office -->". The entrance is on Fleming Rd., at the corner of Harbour Drive.

Shanghai Notary Public Office
Address: No. 660 Feng Yang Rd. Shanghai
Phone: 800-620-4848, 6215-4848

Directions: Take the metro to Nanjing West Rd. Station. Go out exit 2. Go right and cross the street to the other side of Nanjing Rd. Walk toward Shimen No. 2 Rd.

At the intersection, you'll come to a fork in the road. Nanjing Rd. will be on your right, Shimen No. 2 Rd. on your left, and another road in the middle. That's Fengyang Rd. Cross the street, and you'll start to see signs for the "Notary Public Office." It will be on the left side of the road.

Shanghai hostel pick: Le Tour Traveler's Rest Youth Hostel

American Institute in Taiwan (see location map)
Address: No. 7 Lane 134 Xinyi Rd. Sec. 3 Taipei 100 Taiwan
Phone: 886-2-2162-2000

Directions: Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Xinsheng station. Go out Exit 2. Walk south on Xinsheng Rd., toward Jinan Rd., until you get to the bus stop. Take bus 226 to "Xinyi-Jianguo Intersection." Walk east on Xinyi Rd. Although the address says the AIT is on a lane, the main entrance is on Xinyi Rd.

Kicking back in Kuala Lumpur

The Petronas Towers

I’ve never been as confused as when I was in Kuala Lumpur (everyone calls it “KL”). Every place I visited and every person I saw reminded me of other countries. I don’t think I can definitively say what makes something “Malaysian.”

Over and over again, I heard how multicultural Malaysia was. Believe the hype. Chinese, Indians, and of course Malaysians, this country has it all. Check out the photos:











I love taking photos of locals, so KL was people-watching heaven for me. Each of those shots could have been taken in a different country, Malaysia is that diverse. A lot of people wear traditional clothing, especially the Muslim women with their headscarves. The color and variety of ethnic fashions were amazing. Compared to Malaysians, most Westerners in Asia look like they’re wearing the same uniform. A case in point:


A bunch of Western tourists in KL

I'm used to seeing Buddhism in Japan, China and Taiwan, so seeing open worship of Islam was an eye-opener. Headscarves and long robes were a far cry from the short skirts and revealing outfits I've seen on women in other Asian countries. The most conservative women wore black abayas and their faces would be covered by a niqab. The only visible part of them were their eyes. KL was the first place I've been that felt as much Middle Eastern as it was Asian.

The Chinese women were a stark contrast. Their clothes were more modern and trendy, similar to what I've seen in Hong Kong and Taipei.

One of the most fun things about travel is finding out what things are the same and different compared to your home country. It's like witnessing globalization in action. One of my favorite pictures from this trip is the one I took of three Muslim guys in white robes sitting on a step. They're talking while holding food from McDonald's. Another example was when I would see Indian women with bright saris and bindis, yet they'd be chatting away on cell phones.

The city’s architecture also evoked images of other metropolises. The dirty streets and crumbling buildings were so Manila. But the massive banks and gleaming shopping centers could have been transplanted from Hong Kong. KL has a brand new light rail and subway, but they aren’t integrated well. It takes a long time to transfer between lines. Modern but not efficient, that’s totally Bangkok. The mosques and Islamic towers could have come from Dubai.

KL made me realize how residents in Taipei are mostly middle class. There was a much more blatant gap between rich and poor in Malaysia. Ethnic Malays have the government positions and the political power, while the Chinese control the economy and private business. This situation leaves the Indians feeling increasingly bitter, from what I’ve read.

Ethnic Malay people reminded me of Filipinos: cheerful, friendly, relaxed and able to speak English. The difference was that the English spoken by Malays sounded more like their neighbors, the Singaporeans.

While KL was multicultural, I didn’t get the feeling that the races all existed in harmony. It wasn’t the Honolulu of Southeast Asia. Everyone seemed to stick to their clique. The government also seems to be creeping toward a Muslim-style theocracy, despite the fact that the Malaysian constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

Moving on to a lighter topic, I’ve become a bad tourist lately. I’m really lazy about doing sightseeing nowadays. I usually visit one or two of the most famous sights, then quit. Now I'm simply happy to wander around, take photos of local life and hang out with other travelers (or local friends, if I'm that lucky).

I’ve become a lot less militant about having to see every attraction listed in the guidebook. This is because I can only take short trips these days, so my main goal is to relax. When I do extended trips, I try to see more sights.

When it comes to food, Malaysian cuisine is fantastic! I first had chicken satay when I visited Singapore in 2006, and I’ve been hankering for it ever since. It’s a classic dish, so I was really looking forward to eating it again. Luckily, Jalan Alor, one of the most famous food streets in KL, was close to my hostel.

In Taipei, it’s hard to find places where you can eat al fresco under a canopy. A refreshing aspect about dining in KL is that a lot of places have outdoor seating. Jalan Alor was no exception. It reminded me of the hawker centers in Singapore, where the food mattered more than the décor. Most restaurants in hawker centers only had basic furnishings: folding tables, plastic chairs and packs of tissues instead of real napkins.




Scenes from Jalan Alor food street

Here’s what I had for dinner my first night:


Chicken satay with peanut sauce, sweet and sour chicken, and a mango smoothie.

This grand feast was mine for a mere 19.50 ringgits, about US$5.60. I also became a mango addict while I was in KL. I’d get mango smoothies with my meals, and buy cartons of mango juice at a supermarket before going back to my hostel every night. Sipping fruit drinks reminded me of being home in Hawaii.

My good Canadian friend Colin said that the hostels in Malaysia were magnificent. If the one I stayed at in KL was representative, then I'd happily backpack through the rest of the country. It's called The Haven Guesthouse. This hostel had a colorful, jungle lodge atmosphere. While I stayed there I met Maarten and Lize, a Dutch brother and sister. They had come up to KL after traveling through Indonesia.



They were refreshing, since I've been pretty down on Westerners in Asia lately. Maarten and Lize are the type of people I hoped to meet when I first started traveling: fun, worldly yet unpretentious, and great conversation partners. Their striking good looks were just a bonus.

Inside Information

Getting into town

By air: This depends on which airport you land in. If you're landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), you can take the the KLIA Ekspres train into the city. RM35 one-way, 28 minutes.

Air Asia flights land at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). You can take Air Asia's Sky Bus to KL Sentral Station. RM9, about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. From KL Sentral, you can get a prepaid taxi or cross the street to Tun Sambanthan monorail station.

By bus: The main spot is Puduraya Bus station. In my experience, bus drivers often drop you off on the road near the station, not in the station itself. It's an unpleasant walk to the station, with a corrugated metal wall on your left and buses on your right belching exhaust in your face.

The good news is that Puduraya Bus Station is connected to Plaza Rakyat LRT station. The bad news is that it's not marked with signs. Look between the aisles of the bus-company counters until you see an exit (Malay: "keluar") on the other side. There is a bright red Air Asia hotel reservation counter next to the exit for the LRT, "Masuk entrance pintu 5."

Walk out of the exit, and you should see a walkway covered with metal sheeting. Head left and up the stairs. Follow the path to the red-and-blue Plaza Rakyat LRT station.

Where to stay

Bedz KL is my favorite place to stay. The hostel has everything a backpacker wants: a big comfy common area with TV, excellent rain-style shower stalls and friendly staff. It's in the Golden Triangle, a great area for nightlife and shopping. The hostel is on Changkat Bukit Bintang, where there are many trendy bars. Also nearby is Jalan Alor, which has tasty street food.

Sadly, The Haven Guesthouse, which was mentioned in my story, has since gone out of business.

Where to eat

Jalan Alor is the hotspot for local food. Pavilion Mall has a great food court in its basement. KL is full of quality eateries everywhere. Head to ethnic neighborhoods like Little India and Chinatown.

The Starhill Gallery mall has an amazing array of designer restaurants in its basement dining area.

First Cup Cafe, an outdoor restaurant in front of BB Plaza mall, has awesome breakfast food. Their pancakes are some of the best I've had in Southeast Asia.

Where to party

Asian Heritage Row has plenty of clubs and bars. Changkat Bukit Bintang also has a good selection of cool hangouts. Bangsar is another hotspot, but it's bit further out of town. For the latest word, check out the nightlife magazine KLue.

Hot Tips

Going to the cinema is cheap in KL! Usually around RM11 (US$3). Golden Screen Cinemas is one of the biggest theater chains. The nicest cinemas are in Pavilion Mall, Suria KLCC Mall, and Berjaya Times Square.

Miss Western fast food, but tired of the usual McDonald's? Head to Berjaya Times Square Mall, which has restaurant chains that are hard to find elsewhere in Asia: Krispy Kreme Donut, Papa John's Pizza and Wendy's are some of the rarities to be found there. There's also a huge branch of Borders bookstore there. It's probably my favorite mall in Southeast Asia.

For electronics, head over to Plaza Low Yat, a multi-story monument to gadgetry.

Getting out

Bus: Most buses leave from Puduraya Bus Station, a hot, dirty, and chaotic place. Touts will pounce on you and try to steer you to their bus company.

You can get to Puduraya by taking the LRT train to Plaza Rakyat station. Even better, there are two bus counters in the station. You can buy your bus ticket there in peace, without the hassle of touts. But you'll still have to board your bus at Puduraya.

Transnational Express is the government-run bus company, and has reasonable prices and comfortable buses. They have a bus counter in Plaza Rakyat LRT station, so you can buy your ticket there instead of the Transnational booth in Puduraya, which usually has long lines of customers. Konsortium Express Bus is a sister company of Transnational, with plusher buses.

For full details of buses around the country, check out Journey Malaysia.