Back to Thailand

A mission to the UNESCO Regional Bureau in Bangkok with three other young professionals enabled me to travel to Thailand for the third time. This was a great opportunity to meet various colleagues working in different units of the UNESCO Bangkok, the UN Economic and Social Commission for East Asia and Pacific and UNDP; learn about diverse programs at the country level; and reflect on how to harmonize work at the Headquarters with activities taking place in the region. Thailand has a lot of great things to offer: gourmet food, nice people, unique culture, beautiful beaches, great shopping as well as inexpensive beauty/health procedures. If I could I would travel there each year just to get a Thai massage which completely relieves stress accumulated throughout years. There many wonderful Thai dishes but the one I craved the most was mango sticky rice. Unfortunately, it was not a mango season but it was still possible to get it in many places, including on the street.

When in the past I visited Thailand to study culture with a college class and attended the International AIDS Conference, I had a lot of time on my hands to see the main sights in Bangkok thus this time I did not have to run around doing that. The only sightseeing was visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site, an ancient city of Ayutthaya. It was founded in 1350 and was a Thai capital for 417 years until the city was sacked by the Burmese army which destroyed many of its finest temples. Its architecture is a fascinating mix of Khmer (ancient Cambodian style) and early Sukhothai style. Thus, Ayuthaya has many sections that seem to replicate the grandness and opulence of Angkor Wat. For example, prangs, towering corn-cob like structures, representing Mount Meru denote Khmer influence and look something like the famous towers of Angkor Wat. Buddha relics were often housed in a vault in these structures, which resulted in many robberies in recent years following their first archeological discovery. One of the main differences between Thai prangs and Khmer prangs is that Khmer structures often used sandstone and laterite and Ayutthaya prangs were mostly built with bricks and then covered with stucco.

During the weekend, I went to the beautiful island of Koh Samet which was the inspiration for the literary masterpiece of Thailand's most famous romantic poet, Sunthorn Phu. The island, located about three hours away from Bangkok by car, is still not completely spoiled by the tourism and offers some secluded areas. However, a Swiss lady who has been coming to the place for 30 years indicated that it has made quite a transformation from a quiet fishing island it used to be. I ended up staying in a simple bungalow on the Vongduen Beach which was too crowded for my taste so I escaped to the nearby beach. It was easy to walk from there to other beaches and I really enjoyed exploring the island. If you are not looking for the peace and quiet, the Vongduen Beach is a great place to spend time socially since in the evening there is a good choice of seafood restaurants with music and there are fire shows on the weekend. Given that it is popular, the bungalows are overpriced for that reason. From what I observed, the best price/quality is Vongduern Villa and this is where I plan to stay next time.

Back in Paris, four of us went to a Thai restaurant to revive memories of our trip. Some reviews say that Le Banyan restaurant is supposedly the best Thai restaurant in Paris. The food display was beautiful (see below), the meal tasted great and lunch menu had a favorable price. However, Thai dishes were transformed in a way into "haute cuisine" which makes one miss more simple, spicy and home-cooked Thai food.

Exploring Burgundy and Champagne

Following non-stop rain in Paris during the whole August, a weekend escape to Burgundy and Champagne proved to be like a sun ray in the grey sky. On the way to Beaune, a Burgundian wine capital, the clouds started clearing out and the town met us with sunshine and warmth. Beaune charmed us with its stone houses, flower embellishments and wine stores where one can taste various wines. It must be interesting when the yearly wine auction takes place in its historical l'Hotel Dieu, a former hospital with impressive design.

Driving along Cote d'Or we saw many wineries and stopped to enjoy a refreshing glass of Chablis in one of cafes in Nuits Saint Georges. Wine tasting in wine houses there is quite expensive since the area produces a lot of grand cru wines.

It took us some time to find the Chateau de Pont Bernard which I reserved for a night from Gites de France. The fairy-tale mansion was well hidden in the Burgundian countryside. A young family who owns the house renovated it over twelve years and now it looks like a castle from the past. The owners were very hospitable and made us feel at home, especially when they served us coffee and tea with home cooked bread and le pain d'epices, a traditional cake with spices, in a sun kissed terrace by the swimming pool. Besides le pain d'epices, other traditional food to try in Burgundy is boeuf a Bourguignon and Escargots a la Bourguignonne and cheeses, brandy-soaked Epoisses and Bleu de Bresse.

On the way to Champagne, we visited a secluded UNESCO world heritage site Abbey de Fontenoy, one of the oldest cistercian monasteries, founded in 1118. Located in a middle of a forest, the nicely renovated abbey radiated the spirit of tranquility and holiness.

The champagne route across vineyards was especially picturesque. Another lucky discovery in Gites de France was a bed and breakfast in the middle of champagne vineyards. It is owned by a family running Champagne Rogge – Cereser business. The stone house with modern design bedrooms and bathrooms started running about a year ago. It was an amazing feeling to sit back and relax and drink champagne while looking at the vineyards from which this fizzy drink was produced. Next morning we had a tour with a passionate account on how the family produces their small scale champagne. Now I will appreciate drinking champagne even more when I know how many various stages and processes go into its production.

In the end of our trip, was a visit to the renowned Reims Cathedral, a crowning place of French kings for many years. From Reims, we brought back light rose biscuits to be had with champagne. We also stopped by Epernay, a capital of Champagne region, where major Champagne houses like Moet and Chandon are located on the avenue de Champagne. The town did not impress us much since it did not have a quaint atmosphere of Beaune.

The Magic of Buenos Aires

Attending the meeting on debt swaps for education provided me with a perfect opportunity to finally visit Buenos Aires. The vibe of the city made me wish that the visit lasted longer. It is strange how many parallels one can find between Paris and Buenos Aires. No wonder the city is called Paris of Latin America. I could easily see that Buenos Aires in Latin America is what Paris is in Europe. Both cities have diverse neighborhoods, beautiful architecture, great shopping, gourmet food, café culture, cultural opportunities as well as fashion conscious and proud inhabitants.

Most of Argentinians have strongly European, including Italian, German and East Europian jewish, origins. Portenos, Buenos Aires inhabitants, like Parisians, are proud, individualistic and stylish but friendlier. Young people follow most recent trends and older people exhibit class and style from old times. Ladies wear fur coats and elaborate hats and men - cashmere coats, silk scarves and sombreros. This pre-war elegance does not exist anywhere else.

Portenos and Parisians are crazy about dogs so there is the same problem of dirty streets. One can see many large dogs around Buenos Aires. It is much easier to afford keeping a large dog in Buenos Aires than in Paris since it is possible to hire a special dog walker. I saw many of them walking ten dogs or so on a leash at the same time! I am not aware of such service in Paris so maybe that is the reason that Parisians tend to have much smaller dogs.

Both French and Argentineans are passionate about soccer so it was interesting to watch the final game of the Latin American Cup between Argentina and Brazil at a local bar. For Argentineans, it was a matter of honor to win so they were cursing and slamming the table when the game was not going as they expected. As a contrast, there was a group of Brazilians sitting quietly and drinking champagne as if they knew an outcome of the game. Unfortunately, I did not get to witness Argentinean victory and see the celebration in the streets. I only saw Argentineans sulking the same way as Parisians were after the final of the World Cup 2006.

Like Paris, the best way to see Buenos Aires is to walk everywhere so this is exactly what I did. It helped to experience the atmosphere of Buenos Aires' diverse neighborhoods. Colonial architecture makes one really feel in Europe. In Palermo Soho, which reminded of Soho in New York, I enjoyed having lunch outside while watching people and explored trendy boutiques. Starting in this neighborhood, avenida Sante Fe was a long street with many shops and crowds of people stumbling out of them. An interesting sight was a huge bookstore El Atheneo (corner of Santa Fe and Callao) which was established in an old movie theater with an artwork ceiling.

Due to a recent economic crisis, shopping in Buenos Aires is "dangerous" since many things, including luxury and designer goods, are much cheaper than in Europe. In one store where I commented that clothes have similar style and quality as the ones in Parisian boutiques, the flattered owner gave me a present. Many tourists buy leather stuff in Buenos Aires, one of the better quality brands being Navarro. A taxi driver took me to a Navarro store even though I said that I have no need for a leather jacket. Apparently, leather jackets, shoes and bags are prepared for the western market so only Argentineans come there to shop. As for souvenirs, I bought mate containers with bombilla, a small metal straw used as a filter, and mate leaves. Traditional mate is a social drink, which tastes like tea and is drunk from the same mate by family/friends anytime throughout the day.

On the way to Recoleta, I tried dulce de leche flavor of the famous Argentinean ice cream El Freddo. Recoleta, an elegant district with aristocratic and luxury houses, is a home to the cemetery where Eva Peron is buried and Plaza Francia which is usually filled with craftsmen, musicians, live statues, etc. The shopping pedestrian Florida avenue with Galeria Pacifico, a shopping center I found interesting because of art pieces on display, led me towards San Telmo neighbourhood. During the weekend, I stayed there at a boutique hotel with an authentic atmosphere, called Lina's Tango House, where people have an opportunity to learn how to dance tango. San Telmo is known for its tango clubs as well as Sunday antiques fair and tango and other street performances around Dorrego Square.

For more prevailing tango atmosphere, it is also worth visiting La Boca neighborhood with its pedestrian street Caminito, the name of which was inspired by a famous tango. The houses on this street are made of metal sheets painted in different bright colors.

Good quality and delicious food is another reason why Buenos Aires reminds of Paris. The most popular meal in Argentina is el asado or parillada, a mixed grill of steak and other cuts. Traditional parillada includes meat, sausages, chinculines (lower intestines), rinones (kidneys) and morcilla (blood sausage) accompanied by chimichurri, a tasty marinade. In Argentina, some cuts of beef and its flavor are quite different from the ones available in Europe or North America.

The best steak I had was at a restaurant in Las Canitas, a gastronomic neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Lomo tenderloin, one of the best and most expensive cuts, was so tender and juicy that it was literally melting in the mouth. Argentinean Malbec wine and parmesan salad accompaniment made the meal even tastier. I was told that Argentineans themselves prefer Bife de Chorizo, which is sirloin and not as tender as Lomo, but supposedly has more flavor.

We also went to La Chacra, a typical parilla restaurant, where we tried a variety of meat cuts, however, the restaurant was more touristic since it was well advertised. Almost every day, I savored delicious empanadas filled with ground meat, olives, boiled egg and spices. What surprised me was that in Buenos Aires people eat quite late, after 10pm, then have drinks and go out to a party or dancing at 3am. No idea how it is possible to function at work next day. Maybe portenos have difficulty in falling asleep after stuffing on beef cuts :)

Also, the nightlife in Buenos Aires is so exciting that it would be a crime to sleep early. During the national day of the traditional tango instrument bandoneon, we were privileged to see the tango show at Torcuato Tasso Cultural Center performed by most renowned Argentine artists, Seleccion Nacional de Tango and musicians who played in Anibal Triolo's orchestra. An emotional atmosphere was created with older generation musicians from the tango orchestra passing their craft to the younger generation and the crowd singing popular songs along. We had an opportunity to hear Suzana Rinaldi sing, who is a world renowned tango singer and a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.

An interesting observation is that although nowadays tango is so valued, its roots weren't so glamorous. In the end of 19^th century, tango music originated in Buenos Aires' brothels frequented by immigrants made up by sailors, craftsmen and working class from Europe who left their families in search of new opportunities. In the beginning, tango was danced by men only and women were added later. At present, tango revival is taking place in Buenos Aires. Young and old portenos take lessons and dance Argentine tango into wee hours in millongas. I was so inspired that when I came back to Paris I started taking tango lessons, which are offered for free on the banks of the Sienne in summer months. Here is another Paris-Buenos Aires connection. It was Paris and not Buenos Aires that made tango popular among higher classes.

Buenos Aires and Argentina really fascinated me so I was eager to learn more about it when I came back to Paris. I went to see a movie Buenos Aires 1977 about military junta which captured and tortured young people who supposedly were in opposition. I was really shaken because a movie, based on a real story, was mostly about what the prisoners were going through daily, their torture and final escape. Following a prosperity from 1880 to 1945 when Argentina became one of the top 10 richest countries in the world and then the presidency of Juan Peron, who tried to empower the working class, the armed forces seized power from 1976 until 1983. Opposition repression, dissident disappearance, cooperation with the US intelligence and Army, defeat in the Falkland War, growing corruption, increase in foreign debt, conditions imposed by creditors and IMF, brought by this military dictatorship caused disastrous economic problems.

Restored democracy in 1983 did not solve them. Hyperinflation, growing fiscal deficit and government policies that did not work resulted in the culmination of economic crisis, debt default and chaotic climate in 2002. Newly elected president Nestor Kirchner in 2003 took positive restorative steps, including restructuring country's defaulted debt and paying off outstanding IMF debt, which brought Argentina back on track of economic growth and political stability.

2007 NBA Championship

It was very nice to go back to visit friends in Washington, DC, where I had lived for three years before I moved to Paris. One of the special moments was that my friend had tickets to watch the game of Washington Wizzards against Cleveland Cavaliers in Eastern Conference during the 2007 NBA Playoffs and NBA Championship. The Lithuanian Zydrunas Ilgauskas was playing for Cavaliers so I was even more excited. What I did not expect was that we will be sitting right in the front! We were so close to the players that we could almost touch them and actually could be anytime hit by the ball (which happened to some spectators in front rows). Besides an amazing game where Cavaliers won and later went to finals, it was very interesting to observe what was happening during time outs and on players' bench from such a short distance (see photos taken above, including notorious James Lebron).

Amiens Cathedral

On the occasion of St. John's Day, my husband and I went to meet my sister, her boyfriend and two friends in Amiens, a quaint town about one hour by train from Paris. The highlight of Amiens is its cathedral, the tallest and the largest classic Gothic church of the 13th century in France, classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Recent research has revealed that its principal facade was originally painted. Using laser projectors, those surprising colors are recreated during a bilingual narrated light and sounds show. During middle ages, the materials to produce colors were brought from foreign lands so the colors were considered valuable since they were not easily available. It was fascinating to learn the symbolism of colors. For example, blue used to have the symbolic meaning of virginity or devotion to St. Mary (see more information in French on the meaning of colors).

Easter in Lithuania

Painting eggs for Easter is a special Lithuanian tradition. The egg is considered a symbol of life and rebirth of nature since pagan times. The tradition of egg dyeing is much older than Christianity and it was believed that painting symbols on eggs has magic power. In Lithuania, there are different ways of dyeing eggs. Many use a thick needle and hot wax to make patterns, including blossoms, snakes, stars, branches of rue, snowflakes, on a cooked egg. Once the egg is colored and wax removed the patterned areas stay white and stand out against the color (see photo below).

Those who have an artistic flair use a small knife to scratch marvelous designs on dyed eggs. My grandfather, an architect and artist, has turned many eggs into art using this technique. Even though I tried to learn a number of times from him, I am too sloppy and impatient to draw detailed and concise patterns on an egg.

My family uses simpler techniques to dye eggs. Dyeing eggs is an even more special experience when the whole family is participating. Since we cannot be together very often, performing this family ritual brought the family closer. We rolled eggs in different colors of a market dye until the egg was covered with bold color patches, looking like Jackson Pollock's painting. In order for eggs to have natural patterns, we wrapped around them leaves and flowers from the garden and onion skins, held in place by mesh and string. They were then released in a pot filled with onion skins to acquire the reddish brown color (see what came out of our eggs at the top). Since old times, most common dye used in Lithuania is onion skins. However, other natural dyes such as red beet, birch and black alder are being substituted by commercial dyes.

Easter breakfast began with my father peeling an Easter egg, cutting it and giving a piece to every member of the family. This was done so that peace and love would always reign within the family and everyone would live in harmony. Another tradition was that each of us took a colored egg and tested whose egg is the strongest by hitting each other's egg. The egg was held in the fist so that only its tip protruded and the other person hit it with the tip of his egg. Following eating mandatory Easter eggs, we feasted on the rest of the dishes, which were very meat based. The reasoning behind meat dishes is to recover from the fasting during Lent. I don't think many Lithuanians fast these days but the tradition is left nevertheless.

This year we did not play an amusing egg rolling game, which my sister and I loved as children. The eggs are rolled from a ramp made from a piece of wood, bark or carton with a downward incline. They aim at eggs of another player located in the circle on the ground. When the rolled egg hits another egg then the lucky player takes both eggs. In the end of the game, the one wins who has the most eggs left (see more on Lithuanian Easter traditions here).

New Apartment in Quarter Latin

Due to circumstances, I was forced to look for a new apartment. Since 15^th arrondissement where I lived previously was not very "happening" it was time to experience another neighborhood of Paris which would be more exciting. The first time I saw the lovely apartment in Quarter Latin with a view of Pantheon I knew that this was it. Now I feel very Parisian living in this ancient bohemian arrondissement which has been home to intellectuals and the University of Paris. A big comfort is that many places such as St Germain, Marais and Bastille are within walking distance.

Fontenbleau Visit

My husband's Valentine's Day present to me was a necklace from Portugal and mine to him – a trip to the Fontenbleau forest 40 minutes away from Paris. He loves nature and outdoor activities so was very happy to escape from the city. Dinner at an expensive restaurant is not his idea of a romantic time together. There was also another occasion to celebrate – the Lithuanian Independence Day on the February 16^th - so we joined a group of Lithuanians hiking in the forest. The day happened to be very warm for February so jackets were not necessary. We followed well-beaten paths across the forest until we reached the rocks which we climbed until we found a nice lookout point. As the dusk was falling, we made fire and prepared a pick-nick. After filling our stomachs and drinking strong Lithuanian liquor we sang various Lithuanian songs, flames reflecting on our faces. Going back in the dark was quite a test. One of the girls forgot her glasses and could see nothing in the dark and if this was not enough - she had blisters on her feet due to uncomfortable shoes. My husband, being used to helping out his teammates in multi-sport races, carried her on his shoulders. One of the guys from the group could not find his bike in the dark so the search was summoned until it was found eventually. Dying from fatigue, we walked to the train station to find out that the train has just left from Avon. Only my husband and I had a place to stay since that was a part of my present. Nevertheless, the Lithuanians are tough and do not get lost in situations like this - after debating hitchhiking the group managed to find a local man who put them up for a night for a good deal.

My husband and I separated from the group to relax at a local house in Avon where we enjoyed wine and cheese in our charming room which I rented by chance online from a lovely French couple. In the sunny morning, hearty breakfast consisting of coffee, fresh bread and croissants with jam awaited us. Our hostess was a good conversionist so it was interesting to find out more about her life and we were in no hurry to leave. My husband thought this escapade was a great present and I had to admit myself that disregarding the fatigue of the day before I was glad we did not have a usual fancy dinner in Paris to celebrate the Valentine's Day...

Original Interpretation of Baltic Folklore

The concert of Nympheales was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise to a large audience gathered at a church in the 16^th arrondisment of Paris. Nympheales is an unusual instrumental trio: harpist (French Cecile), soprano (Colombian Marcela) and mezzo-soprano (Lithuanian Birute). Following the classical baroque singing, more impressive was the second part – original interpretation of the Baltic folklore. Three women dressed in Lithuanian traditional clothes enhanced the audience. Birute's emotional singing of Lithuanian ethnic songs was accompanied by the sounds of "kankles", a traditional Lithuanian instrument, and aristocratic sound of the harp. Marcela enriched the performance by singing in Lithuanian and even playing Columbian drums with one Latvian song. This is a lovely example of a harmonized interplay of cultures…

New Year in the Lithuanian Countryside

I went to Lithuania for winter holidays and was keen on celebrating the New Year in Vilnius by watching a bright spectrum of fireworks. However, New Year festivities in the Lithuanian countryside ended up being much more enjoyable. At first, celebrating in a traditional summer house with no central heating and water but only a well and a fireplace did not seem very tempting. While warming up in sauna, I found out that there are no showers so the only option was to jump into the lake with floating ice. There was no way in the world I was going to do that! Eventually, a notion of being sweaty into the year 2007 won over so I rushed to the freezing lake to wash off. Cooling off after the extreme heat in sauna was really refreshing… As a result, I rushed to icy water even more than once!

Following sauna, we all dressed up in traditional Lithuanian clothes.

Throughout the evening, we feasted, danced, sang, played many games, and exchanged little presents. The game with presents started off with all of us sitting in a circle, pilling up presents in a center and rolling a dice in turn. Once someone rolled out a correct dice combination, he could choose any present from the pile. The game got quite passionate, especially influenced by drinking each time someone won a present. After all presents had owners, it was possible to steal a desired present from anyone, either leaving it to yourself or giving it away. Once everyone had a present, the game was over. On top of all this fun, I still had a chance to admire fireworks. At midnight, we went outside to watch exploding fireworks we brought and drink champagne.