While Carolyn was willing to sacrifice me in Siem Reap, she did join me in Bangkok after I survived for an anniversary tour, our 35th, from Bangkok to Singapore. The object was to swathe ourselves in luxury hotels, and learn more about these fascinating countries.
Our self-indulgence started in Bangkok at one of the premier hotels. I believe it was the Oriental, whose 150 years of celebrity attraction now included Fred and Carolyn Hoyt. Our trip included the highlights of Bangkok, especially (for me) Ayudhya and its splendid ruins.
We boarded a train that took us down Thailand, to Hua Hin, where we spent a night at the “Railway Hotel,” another on the “must stops” on the tour of the peninsula.
At the border, we were greeted by a driver, who would show us the superhighways and byways of Malaysia, a country whose mix of progressive Islam and Chinese cultures made it one of the most enjoyable discoveries for me of Southeast Asia. It was a great start that our first stop was in Pulau Penang, one of the cities that I’d “discovered” with David as primarily Chinese (the Straits Settlements) dominant. The area housed one of the extensive business hubs on the country, and I would soon get to visit Dell and other operations attracted by low wages, a favorable business environment, and an educated work force.
Not coincidentally, our arrival coincided with the reopening of the refurbished Sarkie Brothers Hotel, the Eastern and Oriental, on the Gulf of Thailand. I could sit there dreamily considering retiring to a bungalow facing the Gulf with my xiao lao po.
The trip took us via superhighway to one of the inland cities, I think Ipoh, a city whose charm (i.e., history and appearance) resembles George Town (Penang). Small shops, Chinese influence.
The trip continued through Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, with a visit I remember to a rubber plantation, where our Hindu guide’s grandfather had worked as a cook. Typical British mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian. He also told us when he married a Malay, he had to raise his children as Muslim.
The crown jewel in this nostalgia trip to the past, of course, was an overnight or two at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.
Imitating the rich and famous is certainly fun, but I’ll get Carolyn to Siem Reap in the future!