Wanderlust

Just one more sight to see

2011-06-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Arriving in Bangkok on Tuesday, we did a lot of nothing. We checked into a nice room for our last two nights in Thailand and made use of its roof top pool. We spent a very enjoyable evening with friends and made plans for Wednesday, our last full day.

We decided to visit Ayutthaya, since it is just 1.5 hours outside of Bangkok by train, making it a good day trip. Ayutthaya was the capital of the area from 1350-1767, containing beautiful temples and royal facilities. It is believed to have been a hugely international city of nearly 1 million inhabitants. Thanks to war (mainly a Burmese invasion that burnt the entire city to the ground) and time, these structures are now all ruins. Some are restored and others are still left as is. I had wanted to visit during my last trip to Thailand, but hadn't, so I was excited to get the opportunity this time. I love sights like this, with all the history and stories that the bricks must contain. I have a feeling that Jeff doesn't find them quite so interesting, but he humors me!

Although we arrived to the city later than planned, we had no trouble picking up a tuk tuk tour guide who would take us around to all of the better sights. We spent a few hours exploring the various wats and royal constructions before heading back to Bangkok on one of the evening trains. While we know that we certainly didn't see everything we could, we had a great time with what we did do.

The start and end to our day

A Buddha that has been restored to modern standards and enclosed inside a Wat.

We witnessed some sort of blessing ceremony.

One of the most iconic images of Ayutthaya, a plaster Buddha head encased in the roots of a Bodhi tree.

Remnants of original plaster

A surviving Buddha statue. Few exist in such good condition.

The original brick base of these stuppas are now exposed. The crowning spire of the foreground stuppa has fallen.

This amazing Buddha was restored in the 50's

We noticed that all of the ruins housed many street dogs. These guys had climbed a wall, trying to beat the heat.

One of the more intact sites

I apologizing to those who would have liked to know the names of the Wats and ruins seen above, but we saw them in a rather short time span and I simply wasn't paying attention!

On a side note, I have to say that I just love train travel. I know it's probably due to the novelty of it all, since train travel is not nearly as established in the United States as in other countries, but it was just so much fun!

Leaving Chiang Mai

2011-06-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Even though I am now home as I type this, there are still a few sights and activites that I'd like to share with you. Our last week was wonderful and busy and lazy, all at the same time, so I just didn't manage to get to the blog.

Last Monday was our final day in Chiang Mai. There was only one place more that I wanted to see before we left, which was Wat Doi Suthep. This is a particularly important temple in Northern Thailand. The story behind it says that a white elephant, which is highly sacred, was discovered in Thailand and a relic of the Buddha, a bone, was placed in a shrine on the elephants' back. The elephant was then set free. As the story goes, the elephant eventually died on the top of a large hill outside of what is now Chiang Mai, so in the late 1300's the Buddha relic was installed in a memorial on that spot. In the early 1900's a monk gathered support to build a temple around the memorial, and we now have Doi Suthep.

One of the more notable features of the temple are the 305 stairs that bring you up to it. I loved the beautiful green scales of the two dragons that line the stairs.

Dragon heads

Stairs up to the temple

The sky that day was amazing, moving from slightly stormy to bright sun while we were there. This lead to some great photos. I had such a hard time picking just one or two to share with you, so I'm sharing a bunch!

Entry at the top of the stairs

The central stuppa, darkened by storm clouds

One of many shrines

Prayer bells lining the roof

Central stuppa after the sun came out fully

Incense and lotus flowers left as offerings

The incredible view of Chiang Mai

After Doi Suthep, we headed to the train station to catch the night train south to Bangkok. The night train is a very comfortable way to travel, since they have a full dinning car and you get a full bed to stretch out on. The landscape outside of Chiang Mai is beautiful, and we were lucky enough to see an amazing sunset before turning in for the night.

Train travel

Sunset over a rice paddy

Stay tuned for more of our last week!

Piranhas and hippies

2011-05-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

In my last post I mentioned that we left Chiang Mai for a few days to visit a small town called Pai. Pai is a very small town located in the foothills of the Himalayas that is generally known as a laid back hippie hang out. Growing out of a history of opium trade, current day Pai now has more of the earth loving, peace seeking vibe than anything else. It's surrounded by peaceful green valleys and amazing views.

Shot from the back of the motor bike

I had read that the drive up to Pai was incredible for the views it presented, but not to be undertaken by those with sensitive stomachs. Since neither Jeff nor I have any trouble with motion sickness, I truly didn't give it much thought. Yet, as we found ourselves bumping along in the far back seat of a mini van with terrible suspension and inadequate ventilation, being thrown from side to side as the van wove its way back and forth (and back and forth...) along the twisting 's' curves of the mountain road, we both found ourselves feeling more than a bit urpy. Thankfully, the trip only lasted a relatively short three hours.

Once in Pai and settled into a guest house (our room had a fun open air bathroom!) we set out to see what the town had to offer. We shortly came to the conclusion that sights and activities are short on hand in Pai, and that the town appears to be more of a place to do very little. We were, and still are, more than a little perplexed by the schedules, or lack thereof, that the store owners keep. As we wandered we passed innumerable stores that we closed or appeared open but completely unattended. As we searched for a place to eat, we were hard pressed to find one that clearly was open and serving food. Since we were looking for lunch around 3pm that first day, we thought that perhaps businesses were open during the more normal breakfast, lunch and dinner times. As we later observed, there really was no rhyme or reason that we could find for the opening or closing of business, so we assume it must simply be at the proprietors will.

Fun towelepant waiting for us on our hotel bed

Huge bug that was almost the length of Jeff's hand.

The next thing we noticed about Pai was the abundance of comforts tailored toward the new age set. Meditation masters, reiki sessions, yoga classes for all skill levels, health shakes, raw food restaurants, artist retreats, mountain foothill communes, even a restaurant with a decidedly Wiccan slant (and awesome food) surrounded us on all sides. Bars invited patrons to join in for open mike jam sessions and cafes advertised the benefits of homemade herbal products. Men and women with flowing clothes and dreaded heads wandered the streets. Pai definitely knows who it caters too.

The next day, we rented a motor bike and went in search of one of the local waterfalls. After a few wrong turns, we managed to find it and spent an hour or so splashing around in the surprisingly warm (for mountain water) pools. I'd show you a picture, but where ever water is involved we use our waterproof camera to snap shots. As this is the camera with the missing cable, it keeps its secrets for now. But, picture a low, sprawling waterfall that spills over multiple levels, creating many shallow pools, and you'll just about have it.

Coincidentally, there happens to be a somewhat unusual attraction found near this waterfall: piranha fishing. A British man named Dave owns and operates a guest house built next to 3 man made ponds, with which he stocks many varieties of fish. Piranha happen to be one of them. You don't have to be a guest to stop in and fish, so we went over for lunch and two hours of fishing. While we didn't catch the big ones, we did have a lot of fun with the three little guys we did manage to hook. I caught a tiny tilapia, and Jeff caught two juvenile catfish. We were warned that the catfish were the only ones to watch out for, due to having spines laden with ouchy poison. Of course, Jeff managed to catch two. Thankfully we were well warned on how to handle them. By the way, everything was catch and release.

Cruising through a small village

Time to fish

Jeff's first catch. The second was roughly the same size.

My own tiny catch

Finally, to wrap up our day, we got caught in an absolutely torrential down pour as we walked back to our guest house. Within minutes we were soaked to the skin, so there was no point in taking shelter. I personally loved it, since the rain was warm and fun to play in, but Jeff wasn't so thrilled!

Two days was enough, so we made our way back to Chiang Mai the next day. Thankfully, this time the van had better seats, better air, and better suspension, making for a much more pleasant descent!

A little culture

2011-05-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

Wow, I hadn't realized that it's been almost a week since my last post. It's probably due to the fact that we're not running around like crazy, and are mainly based in Chiang Mai. We did spend two days in a small mountain town called Pai, which I'll post more about shortly, but for the most part have been enjoying slow days and our comfy hotel room.

After our cooking course last Monday, we didn't do a whole lot on Tuesday. Looking for a little activity, we came across a brochure for dinner at the local cultural center and decided to give that a try. The evening included a traditional Khantoke dinner, often served at weddings and gatherings, and multiple demonstrations of traditional dances.

Our Khantoke dinner. We sat on the floor in traditional fashion.

The food was very good, and seemingly endless. As we ate, waiters were quick to come around and refill our dishes as much as we liked. I particularly enjoyed the Burmese pork curry, and we both ate way too much of the sweet crispy noodle dish!

After dinner, the show started with a bit of music that was followed by the dances. Each dance was fairly unique, with different style costumes and music, but all followed a definite style of dance that focused on hand movements above movement of the feet. We saw traditional dances from Burmese tribes, Northern Thailand and Laos hill tribes, modern incarnations, and even dances created just for special royal functions. Even some local hill tribe children were included in the show. (The lighting made getting good photos very difficult, but I think these give you some idea of what we saw.)

Fingernail dance

I got to join in! They brought lots of us up on stage to teach us a simple dance.

Teens from a local tribe performing a fantastic drum dance.

A rice harvest dance.

Seeing the beautiful traditional clothing and dance styles was very interesting. Although the day to day experiences in a foreign country are always engaging, it's also important to explore and attempt to understand the history of a new place as well. We both enjoyed the show and were happy to learn more about the Northern Thai people. Plus, as I mentioned above, dinner was yummy! If you ever get to visit Chiang Mai, we'd recommend spending a night at the cultural center (www.oldchiangmai.com).

Speecy Spicy, Hotsy Totsy

2011-05-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

In the words of the Swedish Chef, "Bork bork bork!"

Jeff and I learned to cook a little today. Or tried to, at least.We took a Thai cooking class and between the two of us we made: yellow curry, green curry, tom yam soup, chicken in coconut soup, green papaya salad, chicken and cashew nuts, pad thai, spring rolls, banana in coconut milk, and mango with sticky rice. We couldn't even look at food by the end of the afternoon, we were so full!

The class was a whole day affair. Our instructor, Tommy, picked us up at our guest house first thing in the morning. Once we had picked up the rest of the class, he took us to a large local market and began explaining the integral ingredients of Thai food. Since I've shown you markets before, I hold off on the pictures of this one, with one exception.

Mmm, crunchy!

After the market, we headed outside of town to their private farm where they grow many of the fresh ingredients. We learned more about the fruits, vegetables, and spices that go into Thai foods, and then we got down to business. Mortar and pestle at hand, we learned how to pummel our own fresh curry paste. From there, we moved into the kitchen where we boiled, chopped, stir fried, deep fried, and munched the day away.

We had a great time. Tommy, our teacher, was very funny, constantly throwing in unexpected pop culture references all day. The food we made was fantastic, and surprisingly easy to make. I say that now, but I'm sure recreating it all at home might not be the same. At least now I have a better idea of what I should be doing the next time I try!

No powders here.

Jeff, stir frying cashew chicken

The first three dishes I created

The first three dishes Jeff made

By the way, should you ever find yourself here, we highly recommend Thai Farm Kitchen, www.thaifarmcooking.com. Rather than a class in town, they have their own organic farm in the countryside. The staff are great, and the food you make is fantastic.

Keeping cool

2011-05-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I are now in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It's rather warm here. So warm, in fact, that even the locals seek shade where ever they can find it.

We found him curled up inside a shrine at a local temple.

Taking time to relax

2011-05-17T03:18:00.000-07:00

Seeing that it is our honeymoon after all, Jeff and I decided that it was time to relax and take some time to ourselves. After 3 weeks of moving every 2-4 days, long bus trips, and constant activities, we needed a little down time.

We left Phnom Penh for the beach town of Sihanoukville. We arrived on a weekend when the local population also had holiday time, so it looked like it was going to be very busy for a few days. That, and the fact that we didn't really take to the atmosphere of the town, lead us to look elsewhere. Friends had recommended we head out to Bamboo Island and book a bungalow with a place called Koh Ru, so that is exactly what we did.

Koh Ru is pretty much the only thing on Bamboo Island. It sits on a beautiful, empty beach with no sun lounges, no vendors, no tuk tuk drivers. Heck, no roads. You rent a bare bones, wood plank box called a bungalow and then you do nothing. Blissful nothing. Bathrooms are shared and showers are cold. Koh Ru has one main gathering area that is also the restaurant and bar, so you don't even have to make the choice of where to eat each night. Papasan mattresses that have seen better days are thrown everywhere for your comfort. Your daily activity choices include taking a swim, reading in the hammock, eating, and drinking. You could throw some sunning on the beach or a game of chess in there too, if you wanted. No internet. It was wonderful to be so unoccupied and amongst other similarly minded souls.

Bamboo Island beach

Beach

Chilling

Our bungalow

Proof that I too am on this trip

We stayed on Koh Ru for three nights. Today, we decided the relaxing should continue, although on an entirely different scale. Koh Ru was what you could politely call rustic. If you have serious issues with sand, dirt, or bugs everywhere, then it wasn't for you. While we didn't mind, we did find ourselves facing a necessities day (when you literally have no clean clothes left) so we splurged on a treat and checked into a resort just off of the beach on the mainland. We now find ourselves in the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in, for just $30 a night. It's huge, with a super comfy bed, satellite flat screen tv, wifi in the rooms, granite and tile bathroom with rain style shower head shower and a separate bath tub. The bath tub is huge, and is my dream. It was the first tub that I've ever been able to lay out completely in. Plus, it's next to a window into the room so that I can luxuriate and watch tv at the same time. Oh, but for privacy, it has a remote controlled curtain! The hotel also has a gorgeous pool. It's a great place to wait for our clothes to get back from the wash, especially since we don't have anything to wear other than our swimsuits!

Hotel pool

Our room

Our bathroom

Now the only thing left to do is to figure out where we're going from here. Find out next time!

Street life

2011-05-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

While I greatly enjoy sharing our activities with you, it has occurred to me that this simply gives you an idea of what we see, not where we are. I'd like to share with you a bit more of the reality of being in Cambodia.

Cambodia is a country of roughly 14 million people who are to this day still attempting to undo the damage wrought by just 4 years under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's. As of 2010, the per capita income was just $2,470. Agriculture makes up more than 50% of the populations livelihood, of which rice is the main crop. Poor education is common, especially in the older and rural populations, and street begging is all too often the replacement to school for young children. Even so, the Cambodian economy is now growing at a faster pace thanks to the ever increasing influx of money from tourism. While scammers are plentiful, it's been our experience that most Cambodians are extremely friendly and want to keep the money from tourism coming in. Many speak English better than many other countries I've been to, and the country seems to appreciate tourism more, rather than simply expect it as a given.

I'd like to share a little more of what we see everyday when we walk down the streets. These pictures were all taken in Phnom Penh, and therefore do not represent what you see in the countryside, but should still give you a better appreciation of where we are. The country and culture here are well worth getting to know.

The fresh meat section of the market that was just down from our guest house

Fresh cooked meals available in the market

More fresh fruits and vegetables than I can identify

A small street side restaurant. These are found up and down the streets.

Typical building structure in Phnom Penh. A shop is often on the first floor, with apartments or private residences above that.

A gas station. Seriously. These home made gas stops are everywhere along the streets. My favorites are when the gas comes in Johnny Walker bottles.

A welding/metal shop located just across the street from our guest house. Next to it, you might find a restaurant, a mini mart, or a home. The variety of life on just one block is amazing.

I have many other photos to share, but I think this gives a small idea of where we are and how different life is like here. Differences like these are why I enjoy traveling and exploring other countries. It's good to have an open perspective on the world.

Temple time, part 2

2011-05-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit delayed on posting our second day at the temples, due to a bit of an issue with the blog website. But, it seems we're up and running today, so here I am!

Last Sunday was our second day of exploring the many temples around Siem Reap. We didn't have plans to see all of them, since there are so many, so we visited some of the larger and more popular sites. Of course, with that comes more crowds, but that's just to be expected.

Our first stop was Angkor Wat. Built by Suryavarman II from 1113 to 1150, it was a temple dedicated to Vishnu, with whom the king identified. After his death, the temple became his mausoleum. Angkor Wat was eventually converted into a Buddhist Wat in the 13th century. Examples of both religions are evident throughout the vast complex, mainly in the large bas relief carvings that tell stories of the gods and kings. As I previously mentioned, pictures can not convey how truly amazing this, and all of the structures are, but I hope you like them anyway.

Angkor Wat from a distance

Small section of wall carvings

A devata, or female deity

One of the large center towers, with Jeff for size reference :-)

Next on our list was Angkor Thom, a complex that includes numerous temples within its walls. The most well know, I'd say, is Bayon. As with Angkor Wat, this is a temple that has been altered numerous times and was both a Hindu and Buddhist temple at times. The most prominent feature of Bayon are the Lokeshvara, or faces of the Compassionate Lord. It is estimated that there were, at one time, more than 200 of these faces to be found in Bayon.

Bayon

One of the many faces of Bayon

We couldn't resist playing with a little optical illusion

A fun carving I noticed at Bayon

After exploring Bayon and the other temples enclosed in the Angkor Thom walls, our last stop for the day was Ta Prohm, a temple you may have seen before without even knowing it. Ta Prohm, built in 1186, is largely unrestored and is famous for having very large trees growing in and on the structure. It was this jungle taken appearance that lead to it being filmed for the original Tomb Raider film, a novelty that is still quite played up around Siem Reap.

Ta Prohm

A tree growing fro a corner of the temple

Another tree located on the roof


An interior hallway that demonstrates some of the original arched ceilings

Finally, another fun size comparison :-)

There you have our visits to just a few of the amazing ruins of Siem Reap. I hope you can someday visit these structures yourself, because there is simply no comparison to experiencing them first hand.

Border crossings are fun!

2011-05-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hello from Cambodia!

Jeff and I left Koh Tao on Thursday afternoon and decided to head straight for the Cambodian border. It took roughly 24hrs, but we arrived Friday in Siem Reap with no issues. Our easy crossing was largely due to travelers that have come before and have posted warnings about the well established scams awaiting us at this particular boarder crossing. Armed with as much info as we could gather, we arrived in Aranyaprathet, ignored the Thai "officials" who claimed to be the only way to get a visa into Cambodia (and at twice the actual price), and walked out of Thailand. We proceeded to decline the unofficial Cambodian "expedition fees" when purchasing our visas, pointing out that we were the only travelers in the office and were sure we could wait the few minutes for processing. We thankfully did not encounter the fake police that sometimes haunt the area, and proceeded to the bus station on the Cambodia side. Easy. In fact, it was as easy as walking through a mile of scams can get!

Once at the bus station, we decided to hire a taxi to take us in Siem Reap, both for comfort and due to the fact that the bus wouldn't leave for another 4 hours. Shortly before leaving, our cab driver got into a fist fight with another driver. We suspect the fight was over us, but we're not exactly sure what the specific complaint would have been. As we were safely tucked into the back of the taxi, we watched our driver take the upper hand in the fight (seriously, he sent the other dude flying) until security showed up, when he proceeded to jump into the taxi and speed off with us in tow! With the exception of that unusual start, the final leg of our trip was uneventful and rather enjoyable.

Siem Reap is a beautiful city, with all the creature comforts anyone could want and at any price you want to pay. I'm very happy to be back, as I didn't get to explore it very much the last time I was here. In fact, I'm thrilled to be back in Cambodia. The differences between here and Thailand are abundant and obvious, and we're having a good time experiencing the changes.

Today was the start of our temple exploration. After a week being a beach bum, a dose of culture and history was welcomed. Going off of a guide book that has landed in our hands, we decided to see a few of the older temples before seeing the real biggies like Angkor Wat tomorrow. Although we did not see them in this order, I'm presenting them to you according to their age.

The Roluos group - Preah Ko, Lolei, and Bakong - is one of the oldest sites in the area. The temples reflect the changing religions and architectural styles of the various eras, including Hinduism, Buddism, and worship of the ancient Khmer gods. The construction and artwork are awe inspiring. Pictures do not do them justice, though I've certainly tried.

Preah Ko is a temple dedicated to Shiva and was built in 879 as a honor to the ancestors of then king Indravarman I.

Preah Ko

Bakong is huge, and the first that we've seen built in the more pyramid like style. It was constructed in 881 and was the first to be built out of sandstone. Scrambling to the top was fun!

Bakong

Top of Bakong

Lolei is small, and some of the prasats (towers) are now heavily supported by scafolding, but it was one of my favorites of the day. Built in 889 by Yashovarman I, it was also a temple built to honor ancestors.

Lolei

While I was taking a few pictures, Jeff was approached by a young Khmer man who spoke fantastic English. He asked if he could chat with Jeff, explaining that he was an English teacher, and eventually took us to see the small school he had set up at the monastery that shares the grounds of Lolei. He lives there for free room and board in exchange for teaching the monks English.

Monks studying

Banteay Srei is located a considerable ways outside of Siem Reap, but was well worth the trip. Very small compared to the rest, Banteay Srei was built in 967 by two Brahmans (religious men), rather than a king. This temple was my favorite of the day due to the incredible carvings found all over the small site. The intricacy of them all is impossible to capture, since they spread up the walls, across the doors, and over most of the temples' surface.


Jeff, at his first temple of the day

Example of the amazing carvings on the buildings


Banteay Srei

So there you have our first two days in Cambodia. Tomorrow will be a day full of ancient sculptures, incredible architecture, and lots of really big, old rocks. I'll be back with more pictures soon!

Swimming with the fishes

2011-05-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Much to my delight, I've returned to my own personal paradise. Last Friday we arrived in Koh Tao, a place I'd stay forever in. Sun and sand, chill atmosphere and no demands beyond the choice of morning, afternoon or night diving. I'm so happy to be back.

Sairee Beach

Buddhist blessing at the bow of the boat, where the spirit of the boat lives

We arrived via a night ferry. Basically, a large open room padded wall to wall with 1 inch thick mattresses. As far as night travel goes, this was actually one of the better options I've come across. Sure, you may find yourselves quickly making friends with a neighbor, but at least you can sleep most of the trip.

Night ferry

As soon as we landed, I made my way back to Big Blue, the dive shop where I learned to scuba dive. Much to my delight, some friends still work here and my favorite beach dogs are still around. I took a refresher course, since I hadn't been diving in a year and a half, and was pleased to find that it all comes right back. Since then I've been out on at least one, but usually two dives a day. The whale shark is here, but he or she still eludes me. I'm hoping I'll get lucky and see it before we leave.

Ugly, my favorite beach dog, chilling in front of Big Blue

The rest of my time here is spent doing very little. Relaxing and eating are legitimate time passing activities. Jessica and I had pedicures yesterday, and Brigitte and I wandered around town taking pictures. I haven't worn shoes in 4 days. It's rough, let me tell you.

Many businesses here keep these sweet singing birds

A typical street. Our room resides in the purple building

Beach food vendor offering grilled corn

Sadly, we have run into one small mishap here. On Saturday Jeff went snorkeling and came home terribly sunburned. He's pretty much spent all his time sine then in our room, recovering. We won't be moving on until he'll be comfortable to travel again, but when we do we think we'll be heading over to Cambodia. Maybe that's where we'll be the next time I write!

Let's head south

2011-04-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday we met up with our friend Jessica from back home, who is also on vacation here. Since I also wanted to catch up with a college friend who was in the south of Thailand, we decided to head for the beach. Some sun (or a lot of sun!), sand, and surf sounded just right.

We booked three tickets on the overnight bus/ferry combo from Bangkok down to Koh Phi Phi, an island in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of southern Thailand. Our bus arrived late, which, looking back, was just the first indication of what was to come. When the bus finally arrived, they loaded us up into what would have been better used as a freezer than a bus. The AC blew strong and cold non stop, leaving everyone to scramble for any blanket or scrap of fabric they could cling to. The bus crept away from the starting line, but it was immediately evident that our driver could not drive stick on a large vehicle. That, or our bus was having very severe transmission problems. The grinding of gears and revving sound of an engine in neutral had everyone cringing. Then, he stalled. He stalled the bus right in the middle of a very busy Bangkok intersection, and called for all the men to get off the bus and help push. They did, and amazingly they push started the darn thing!

We spent the next two hours or so in 1st or 2nd gear, never seeming to reach more than 20 miles an hour. We had little hopes of arriving on time. Thankfully, at some point in the night our driver either figured out the whole stick thing, or switched out with someone who did, because we finally found ourselves traveling at a normal speed down the highway. Although the night was absolutely miserable due to the cold, we did arrive in one piece to Krabi, and only a few hours late. A comparatively short ferry ride later and we were settled on the beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi.

Having had a long day, we didn't do much at first other than find the best fruit shake stands and street market food. It was here at a street food cart that I ran into my friend Matt, who I know from college, and his beautiful wife Erica. I was thrilled to see Matt again after so many years, and we had a great time as a group for two days. They are on their own great adventure and are traveling the world for 2 to 3 years, having left their "regular" lives in the States behind for a while. If you're interested, the tales of their travels are great, and they're much better bloggers than I. Head over to www.livingif.com to see for yourself. They'd love to hear from you if you have comments (and so would I!)

There's really not a lot to do on Phi Phi, and that's the beauty of it. A tourist mecca, you'll find sun worshipers on the beach throughout the day and followers of the gods of party dancing the night way. Diving can be found at any number of the dive shops on the island, but we instead went the snorkeling route. For a mere 7 dollars a person we were taken to all the beautiful spots around the island by longtail boat, which is like a large canoe powered by a car engine and a super long propeller. We got to see monkeys (which are evil), to snorkel amid beautiful fish, to sun on a white sandy beach and finally to watch the sun set into the ocean. It was a great trip, followed by a great night on the beach with some drinks and fire shows as entertainment. I hope to share some pictures soon. I just need to find the right cable for my small camera, as we must have forgotten it.

We didn't stay long on Phi Phi, but we got exactly what we wanted from it. We're headed to Koh Tao, an island off the West coast, where we'll continue our lazy sunny days and where our friend Brigitte will be join us. It's great having so many friends to share our fun times with!

Day two in Bangkok

2011-04-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

(A slightly delayed posting :-)

We only spent three days in Bangkok, since we'll be back there again before we leave. On Sunday, we set out for the Vimanmek Mansion, which is believed to be the largest teak home in the world. According to our map, we should have been able to easily walk there. As it turned out, the walk became one of the more interesting activities of the day. When we started out from our hostel, the streets were filled with businesses catering to us. A few blocks out and the signs contained more Thai than English. A few more blocks and we started to comment on how the English had disappeared completely and that it was very nice to see a more local area of the city. After a while, though, we realized we hadn't seen another foreigner in a long time and people were starting to look at us like a bit of a curiosity, rather than a meal ticket. We'd been looking for our cross street, but hadn't seen it, and thought the landmarks we'd crossed matched up with our map. As it turns out, we'd overshot our cross street by miles and had walked off our map completely. While it was an extremely hot day for such a error, we didn't mind much as it wasn't hard to turn around and make our way back, and we got to see part of Bangkok that we otherwise wouldn't have.

We finally made it to our destination, the Vimanmek Mansion. It is a massive 74 room, three story building built in Victorian style. The Mansion was constructed for King Rama V to live in while his palace was being built. He only lived there for five years, and for the majority of the next 75 years the house saw very little use. It is now a museum filled with his treasures collected from around the world. King Rama V was a fan of the modern European world and is credited with opening Thailand up to the rest of the world. His collections only further prove his love of all things international. Inside the rooms are displays of furniture, china, dishes, silverware, and decorative items from all over the world.

We were provided with a English speaking tour guide who explained the history of this beautiful house. The house and grounds were gorgeous, and we both were glad we'd made the trip to see it. We were not allowed to take pictures at the mansion, but you can see it here: http://www.vimanmek.com/exhibit/vimanmek.php

We could have seen more, since our tickets allowed us entrance into a number of other buildings and exhibits, but we decided it was time to call it a day. We hadn't completely adjusted to the heat and time change, so we headed back to the area of our hostel and planted ourselves in a quiet restaurant for cool drinks and good food. Food, much like everything else in Thailand, is approached with a slower pace. Sitting down for a meal is one of my favorite times here, since you're never made to feel rushed or unwelcome. Most places allow plenty of time for browsing the always ample menu and then do not care how long you stay after the food has arrived. We usually have to call for the bill, rather than having it arrive at our table before we've even finished our food. Meals are peaceful and enjoyable, something to savor, rather than the heartburn inducing grab and go that we all to often fall victim to.

Besides the sleep issues, we're both very much enjoying exploring Thailand and look forward to more. The southern provinces appear to be next on our stop, so I may have lovely pictures of beaches to share next time!

Kate and Jeff are in Thailand!

2011-04-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

Proof!

After too many hours on the plane, some interesting ice cream in the airport in Korea, and a poor first nights sleep, Jeff and I are now happily wandering around Bangkok.

We spent our first full day, yesterday, taking a lazy walk around the city. We made our way down toward the river and ended up visiting the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. Being Saturday, it was probably a bad day to visit, since we found ourselves lost in the swarms of organized tour groups, but we still enjoyed the experience. The palace and temples are incredible.

Part of the Grand Palace

A temple guard Jeff was fond of


Beautiful lotus flower

Jeff being "regal" in front of the palace

Between the Palace and Wat Pho, we accidentally wandered into the thick cluster of shop stalls and food markets that are clustered around the river ferry terminal. I loved being back around the sights and smells of the street food.

Market Stall

Market stall featuring fish and warm food

What we didn't exactly love, though, were the constant and persistent scams being thrown at us. There's only so many times you can be asked if you want to see "big Buddha" because all of the official sights are closed due to a "ceremony" (the palace and temples were, of course, open). Thankfully, we know better and know to ignore them, but we still saw a few people on the streets get taken in.

At Wat Pho we saw the amazing and huge reclining Buddha. Even though I'd seen it once before, the sheer size and beauty of it is still amazing.

Reclining Buddha

Line of Buddhas at Wat Pho

We wrapped up the visit with a half hour at the hands of the massage therapists at the Thai Academy of Massage. Half an hour of being twisted, pushed, pulled, and contorted by small Thai women with fingers like stone. It was great.

By 4pm, we were barely keeping our eyes open due to the time change, so we had a small dinner of yummy coconut chicken and called it a day. We'll be around Bangkok for a few more days before heading South to do little more than sit on a beach with a cold drink in hand. It's a hard life.

Happy garden statue at Wat Pho

New trip, new blog!

2011-04-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

This week Jeff and I are finally leaving on our honeymoon. Jeff picked the destination, so we are headed off to Thailand and Cambodia! I'm very excited to be returning to SE Asia. The food, the culture, the...sun!! Yes, it's exceptionally warm and sunny there, and after what seems like an entire year of rain in the Pacific North West, we are more than ready for some vitamin D.

Now if we would just start packing...

Until next time...

2009-12-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

It seems my trip has sadly come to an end. Tomorrow morning I leave Saigon for Tokyo and then on to Seattle. This will probably be my last blog of the trip, as I obviously have little left to share. My last few days in Cambodia were wonderful. I spent a lot of time volunteering with the orphanage and again at the dump. I also just spent time getting to know Phnom Penh. It's definitely not for everybody, but it's just right for me. I met some fantastic people and had a great time there.

View of the river front in Phnom Penh

Independence Monument (Phnom Penh) at night

Well folks, it seems that's it. I find myself with little more to say. It's been a great trip. I've made some fantastic new friends from all over the world. Safe travels to you all and I hope to see you all again someday. For those of you following me around from back home, I'll be seeing you very soon. We should do lunch, seeing as I won't have a pesky job to worry about for a little bit.

As I can't seem to find the words to wrap this up, I think I'll go the cheesy route and quote a song that has suddenly popped into my head:

Happy trails to you, until we meet again...

Thanks everyone, it's been fun!

Adventures in a Jeep, to Siem Reap and back

2009-12-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

Saturday I headed north, bound for Siem Reap and all kinds of Indiana Jones/Lara Croft fun. Outside Siem Reap lies Angkor Vat in all its glory, along with many, many other exciting temples and ruins. Enough ruins to keep you going for days. Before we left, a friend made a comment along the lines of "How much do you like rocks?" He couldn't have been more right, but, as it turns out, I like rocks a lot! Except for the fact that the evil Nazi's didn't show up, temple demons didn't attack me, no booby traps made attempts at my life, and no awesome treasure was to be found, it was all I dreamed it could be.

Now, Indy never pulled up to those awesome temples in an air conditioned tourist bus, did he? No, of course not. So could I possibly conceive to do just that? Not a chance. I needed a sweet ride to carry me to my archaeological expedition. It just so happens that my new friend Isaac has that sweet ride, an old military Jeep complete with no doors, shovel bolted to one side, axe bolted to the other (until someone stole it), and gas can bolted to the back. He offered to take me to Siem Reap in it. I didn't even have to ask! This thing is so awesome that we caught Japanese tourists posing for pictures with it once.

We set out Saturday for what should have been 6 hours on the road. 9 hours later, we pulled into town. Why the extra three hours? Well, those would be courtesy of the two flat tires along the way. Even better, it was just one tire's inner tube that conveniently decided to pop twice, in different locations. Thank goodness for nice people on the side of the road, people who can patch tires in their back yards, and Isaac's fluent grasp of the Khmer language. I swear, I offered to help, but after being told it wasn't necessary, I documented instead.

Trying to change the first flat out for the spare.

Patching the first flat. This process was repeated shortly down the road.

After our adventure with tires on Saturday, I got a good night's sleep and was ready to tackle Angkor and all it could throw at me. I won't write much, as the pictures have much more to say than I do. I will say that it was an amazing, awe inspiring, impressive day. I had so much fun exploring hand etched hallways, crawling through tiny doorways and windows, scrambling over tons of upturned stone, discovering fantastic carvings, and simply marveling at what these ancient peoples were able to create oh so many years ago (we're talking the 1100's here folks.)

Angkor Vat (too bad about the restoration scaffolding)

Standing in one of the stone archways at Angkor.

Stone etching of a devote hindu. The temples were both Buddhist and Hindu, depending on who had won recently :-)

Angkor tower

Temple gate

A corridor in the 2nd temple of the day

Self portrait in that corridor

Temple 2 had these four faced towers all over it

3rd temple, long ago reclaimed by the jungle

Me in a destroyed hallway of temple 3

5th temple of the day. This is what happens when you neglect the yard work.

There, you have now seen just a few of the, ahem, nearly 275 pictures I took while there. Heh heh, couldn't be helped! I just realized that I forgot to load a shot of the 4th temple, which is too bad because it was equally impressive in it's own unique way. Also, if I can get the appropriate names of the above mentioned temples, I'll update the blog.

My awesome exploits concluded today with a fairly uneventful drive back to Phnom Penh. Thankfully, no more flat tires. Only one thing marked today as different from any other day of travel, and that's the fact that I drove! Yep, that's right folks, Kate was behind the wheel of the superbly awesome Jeep on the streets of Cambodia. Come on, it doesn't get much better than that.

The people of Cambodia

2009-12-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

I found myself a nice cafe on the river that generously is providing me with free wifi this morning, so I thought I'd share some of my recent pictures. These are from my trip up the Mekong and from my volunteer trip to the dump. I've also started volunteering with a local orphanage, and will be working with them for the rest of the week. The children are beautiful, and I know I'm getting as much from them as they are from me.

Fish drying in the sun along the river

Woman washing in the river

Me, on the roof of my boat

Beautiful family

Farm fields outside of Phnom Penh

The old dump. Sadly, people live here.

This beautiful girl lives at the dump. She came to get food from us. One of the other volunteers gave her a jump rope.

Other dump inhabitants

While I happen to be in Cambodia, people everywhere in the world are living like this, even in the United States. There is always someone, somewhere who could use your help. If you can find even the smallest amount of time to donate to those in need, I strongly encourage you to do so. Ok, I'll step down off my soap box now. Later all.

Vietnam to Cambodia, or, going up the river

2009-12-06T05:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a bit delayed on my updates, and I'm not giving you any pictures today, either. Not because I don't want to, or because I don't have great ones to share, but because I don't have wifi at the moment so I'm writing from an internet cafe and the pictures are currently on my laptop.

Since I last wrote, I arrived in, enjoyed, and left Saigon. I spent just 2 days there, as I'll be back there for my flight home and can finish up then. I actually enjoyed Saigon. I arrived a little suspicious, as I expected a repeat of Hanoi, or worse. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find a lovely city. Saigon is definitely still crazy but much calmer than Hanoi, in my opinion. While there, I toured the War museum, which documents the Vietnam War (or American War, as they call it) from the Vietnamese perspective. I could go into more detail about experiencing that, but it would hard. Suffice it to say, it was a hard day for me.

On Wednesday I started a 3 day tour of the Mekong Delta. In typical Vietnamese fashion, a good majority of it was cheap and touristy, but the third day more than made up for the first two. The third day was entirely transport up the Mekong River by slow boat to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The trip took the entire day and included about 8 hours on the boat. It was one of the best days I've had in quite a while. There are villages and farms all along the shores of this fantastic river, and all of the people seem to enjoy seeing the boats go by. Both children and adults alike come to the shores to shout hello and wave when they see us. It was an amazing opportunity to see what life is really like there, from their houses to their clothes (or lack thereof), to their farming and fishing practices.

At one point we were switched from the Vietnamese boat to a Cambodian one that would take us the rest of the way. This is when the trip really got good. Our captain had no problem allowing us to travel on the roof of the boat, so that is exactly where a bunch of us planted ourselves. We plugged an ipod into a speaker, got some good music going, and spent the next 3 hours waving to the beautiful children on the shorelines. Please, don't get me wrong. It was sobering to see the way some of these people live, but their exuberance was just so wonderful that you couldn't help but wave and call back.

I've now been in Phnom Penh for two full days. I can already say that I really like Cambodia and find it refreshing in comparison to some parts of Vietnam. This is a beautiful city full of beautiful people. The locals here are fantastically friendly and helpful and always seem to be smiling. This is amazing, considering what they've been through in the past 35 years. After the mass genocide of Pol Pot, Cambodia was left in ruins. Today, around 40% of the population is under 15. The Killing Fields, which I visited yesterday, stand testimony to the atrocities that occurred here. No words can really express the flood of emotion that occurs when viewing a tower filled with thousands of skulls, or the mass graves of women and babies. Yet with all this, the Cambodian people seem to have picked themselves up, dusted off, and bravely continued on with the business of life. You can't help but admire that.

Of course, not all is smiles. Poverty is a huge issue here. I saw this firsthand this morning, when I joined a group of volunteers and headed out to help the families and children who live at the local dump. Yes, the dump. Although the dump is now closed, the small community of scavengers that developed while it was open is still there. They have nothing, no jobs, no money, no education, and often no food. We bought 165 dollars worth of food, including 400 loaves of bread, apples, pineapples, sweet potatoes, and bananas, and handed it out. We also went with a medic and offered basic treatment to those in need.

I couldn't believe the filth. I couldn't believe the squalor. I also couldn't believe the smiles on these beautiful children who instantly reached out to hold my hand, ask me where I was from, and just be my new friend. They were often half or entirely naked, mostly walking around the garbage heaps with no shoes, and they seemed so happy to see us. I worked with the medic, helping to treat minor open wounds and address simple issues like scabies. Basic medicine, such as tetanus shots and multivitamins, mean so much to these people, yet only come in the form of the volunteers.

Nothing we did was complicated or expensive, but we left knowing that we'd made a big difference, at least for today, in the lives of those people, those children. I think it was that knowledge that has made me decide to stay in Phnom Pen for a bit. I'll be helping out with other organizations, just lending a hand where I can. I don't know with who or what yet, but I'll keep you posted. I feel like my trip has just found the purpose it was looking for, even if it did come just 2 weeks before I head home.

Easy riding, sorta

2009-12-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I spent one day in Da Lat, a city on the edge of the Vietnamese Central Highlands. As it was just a one day stop over before heading to Saigon, Petra and I decided to take a motorcycle tour of all of the good things to see. (Jenny left our little group Sunday morning, as she was catching a flight to Kuala Lumpur.) We thought we were getting an "easy rider" tour, tours on the back of classic Honda motorcycles. Instead, we got little motorbikes. That's the way it goes in Vietnam, though. You never get exactly what you expect. In fact, should you actually get exactly what you expected, be thankful and tell the rest of us all about it.

Besides the style of bike, the tour itself was great. Our tour guide (my driver) spoke excellent English and taught us a lot about the progression of the Vietnamese economy over the past 35 years, from Communism to Socialism to their recent entrance into the World Trade Organization. Sadly, he also taught us a lot about the problems Vietnam has with racism, as he is of an ethnic minority here and has worked all his life trying to escape the prejudice imposed upon him. It saddens me that there seems to be no where in this world where people manage to just get along. At least, no where that I've found yet. Come on people, all we need is love.

Da Lat has fantastic climate and great soil (thankfully untouched by Agent Orange), making farming the thing there. Somewhat surprisingly, flowers are one of the big cash crops, although vegetables are also grown in abundance. The other huge crop is coffee. I haven't checked his facts, but the guide told me that Vietnam is number 2 in the world for coffee exportation. Around town, you see fields upon fields of coffee trees, every front yard is used for drying coffee beans, and the air is heavy with the fragrance of green coffee beans. The crops bring a lot of money into the area. So much money, in fact, that the huge, beautiful homes in the area all belong to the farmers.

Fields of lettuce

Fields of daisies

Coffee, still green on the tree

Coffee drying in the streets

After the farms we walked through a minority village, then got to see how rice wine is made. Pretty strong stuff, let me tell you. From there we moved on to a huge waterfall and a pagoda with the best happy Buddha that I've ever seen. A curious sight was that of other Buddha's with what we would consider a swastika emblazoned on their chests. It takes a moment to remember that Buddhism originated in what is now India, and that Hitler corrupted a symbol of luck and prosperity originally found in Sanskrit.

Vietnamese Buddha

Best happy Buddha ever

Our final stop of the day was the Crazy House, which is actually multiple fanciful buildings that twist, turn and grow like something out of Alice in Wonderland. It's not something you'd expect to find here, but it was quite fun to explore. All in all, a good day. I repeat myself, but seeing Vietnam from the back of a motorbike is just cool.

Climbing around the crazy house

We passed this guy, or he us, 4 times before I could get this shot.

On a side note, cute Christmas displays are popping up in some of the shops and hotels. That and the fact that Poinsettias grow wild here (and northern Thailand and Laos) and I've got my own little holiday spirit going on, all the way over here!

Poinsettias

Da Lat store front

Motorbikes, clothing, and market food

2009-11-27T03:18:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit since I've been able to write. Traveling through the land of slow to no internet access will do that. Since my last update in Hanoi, I've covered quite a bit of ground. Vietnam is loooonnngggg, meaning too many uncomfortable 12 hour overnight bus trips. Thankfully, as I am now in Nha Trang and closer to Saigon, there will be no more of those.

After leaving Hanoi I stopped for just one day in the little town of Ninh Binh. Just after arriving I met two lovely girls, Jenny and Petra, who planned to see the same sights as I the next day. We hired two motorbikes for the trip. After my adventure on Koh Tao and having just come from Hanoi traffic, I wasn't sure if Ninh Binh was the right place for me to make another attempt at driving, so I hired a driver along with my bike. Although it turned out that I could have handled the drive, I really didn't mind having the driver. Not only did he take us through a bunch of local towns that we would never have found on our own, his driving allowed me to snap pictures from the back of the bike. In my opinion, seeing Vietnam from the back of a motorbike is definitely the way to go.

Limestone cliffs over rice paddies, shot from the bike.

Sweet old man who took me on a tour of a temple

Gateway in the ancient capital city of Hoa Lu

The three of us left Ninh Binh that night, after a bit of hassle with the bus company, and arrived in Hue the next morning. Sadly, bad weather struck at that point. Hue was cold, grey, and soggy with rain. We made one good hearted attempt to see the city, since Hue has a buffet of ancient attractions to take in, but turned back before long due to the miserable weather. We hunkered down in our hostel and were back on the bus by the next morning.

Awesome main gateway to the citadel, the ancient royal city (as seen through rain).

Petra and I trying to stay dry in our awesome polka dot ponchos

That bus took us to Hoi An, wonderful land of tailors and clothing made to measure. Most people can't help but do some shopping in Hoi An, despite best intentions not to. It's just too tempting, seeing beautiful dresses and coats on display, all custom made for you to your specifications, all at much better prices than you'd pay in the States. Men get suits and dress shirts, women pick up nice dresses and winter coats. I myself walked away with some new heft in my backpack. It couldn't be helped.

Beyond clothes, Hoi An is simply a lovely city. We stayed there for 4 and a half days, which was a well needed respite from constant movement. When you've been living out of a backpack for quite some time, it is amazingly nice to really spread your belongings out for a bit.

Anyway, back to Hoi An. The streets are lined with French colonial architecture, bright yellow paint, cobblestone side walks, and leafy green arbors. Although motorbikes are ever present, many more people choose the good old fashioned bicycle, adding a calm air to the streets. At night the river front restaurants emit a gentle glow from their many red and gold lanterns. There is a big central market, where you can buy anything from fish to fruit to home goods. Then there are the market food ladies. Oh, how they tempt me with their nameless, sometimes unidentifiable food! Yummy Vietnamese rice pancakes and sweet, sweet goo that can not be described (trust me, that's a good thing). To top it off, the sun came out on our last day, leading us directly to the most beautiful beach I've seen in a long time. Warm waves, seashelled sands, and good company.

Can you tell I really enjoyed that city?

One of the many dress shops

Store front display of coats

Typical building, with a lovely green awning

The market

Colorful lanterns. I love, love lanterns and they were everywhere.

Jenny and I at the beach

We left Hoi An Tuesday night and arrived here in Nha Trang Wednesday morning. Nha Trang is a much larger city, but still very calm at the moment, since it is low season. Mainly a beach resort town, the city itself leaves much to be desired. If the sun comes out, as it is desperately trying to do, we'll be spending some well wanted time on the beach. Heck, we'll be on the beach, sun or no sun.

Yesterday included a rather fun trip to a mud bath and mineral spa. I've never done a mud bath before, but it was cool. It also helps when you've got good company. Tomorrow, on to Da Lat.

My muddy group, sans me, since I took the picture

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Dare I say it...

2009-11-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

I actually had a great time in Hanoi today! Although I was lazy and spent the most of it watching movies, I decided that I should give Hanoi one more chance with the time I had left. In the afternoon I set out walking to the Literature temple, a place that is considered to be Vietnam's first university. Getting there was fun in itself, as I passed through the "normal" parts of the city where everyday life and commerce takes place, such as tire stores (gotta keep those motorbikes on the road!) and paint shops. I love seeing people going about their everyday lives. The women selling food, walking with huge baskets balanced on their heads. The men lounging on their motor bikes. The children walking hand in hand with grand or perhaps great grandparents. I like the fact that, while I'm obviously noticed, they allow me to blend in with the rest of the city, giving me the opportunity to step away from "tourist" and just be me again. I get a feel for the real Hanoi this way.

The museum itself was beautiful. This is the Asia I've always admired, with red lanterns and banners, dark woods, and beautiful architecture. Vietnam draws much of its influence down from China, so all of this is noticeably different from Laos and Thailand. Though official Vietnamese no longer uses a kanji type script, this older language is still visible at the temples, adding even more to the charm. I very much enjoyed what I saw there, if for no other reason than it was nice to see some age and history in this very modern city.

The walk home was perhaps my favorite part of the day. In places the stores have expanded past the sidewalks, forcing you to walk in the street with the motorbikes and cars for a bit. It was as I was walking there, becoming part of the crazy street traffic, that I realized that the insanity of Hanoi had somehow drawn me in and was actually becoming fun! I noticed that the horns honking were becoming background noise (still a loud, annoying background noise) and that somehow you instinctively hear only the horns that are actually directed at you. I found myself laughing as I stopped short, narrowly avoiding colliding with a motorbike that came flying out of an invisible alleyway. Crossing the street has become a bit of a dance which begins the moment I step off the curb. The bikes and cars become my dance partners; we whirl and twirled carefully and complexly around each other until I am safely on the other side. Around me, others are also participating in this dance, and I have yet to see anyone miss a step.

To top off the night, I stopped into a small Italian style Gelateria and Cafe for dinner before catching my bus to Ninh Binh. I had delicious seafood cream soup with french baguette and an iced Vietnamese coffee. The food was delicious, the service so incredibly polite. I couldn't help but grin my entire way home, often prompting smiles in return from those around me. I was undeniably happy.

So Hanoi, perhaps I was hasty in my judgment of you. You've redeemed yourself a bit today. Good for you. Still, I look forward to what the smaller towns have to offer. No offense.

Flower vendor's bicycle

Sidewalk - place to walk, place to park

Temple structure

Traditional musicians

Pretty little girl with Dad (Grandpa?). Wish I had the camera up in time to catch her from the front.

Ha Long Bay

2009-11-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

I've just returned from 4 days in Ha Long Bay and tomorrow I'm off again. Hanoi just isn't where it's at. While I have wifi from the comfort of my hostel, I thought I'd get a few pictures up. Ha Long Bay was just as amazing as I hoped it would be. We got to see the bay and all of the amazing limestone islands from one of the many junks that travel the waters there. We walked through an awesome cave that actually housed people during war time, kayaked a bit, and even saw some monkeys. We spent one night on the boat, then the next two nights on Cat Ba island. Cat Ba was supposed to be a beach retreat for me, but we were unfortunately presented with a bit of rain and chill. No matter. I still met some fantastic people and had a relaxing time.

Of course, this means my pictures didn't come out as beautifully as I would have liked. I don't think you can really get an idea of just how beautiful this place was, with hundreds of small limestone islands rising from the water. Ha Long means "descending dragons", and I can certainly see why. It's not hard to picture the many islands as humps in a swimming dragon's back. In the mist, its magical.

While on Cat Ba, since the was no sun for a nice swim, I instead took a walk and strolled through a more residential, non touristy area. I had a great time, as the locals eagerly asked me to take their picture wherever I went. They had me smiling the whole time.

I returned today. Hanoi has surprisingly gone from unbelievably warm and humid to a bit chilly in a rather short period of time. Winter is setting in, apparently. So I think I'll follow the warmth and head south from here. I'm really looking forward to discovering what the smaller towns of Vietnam have to offer. Stay tuned :-)

Cruise ships with the misty islands in the background.

Cat Ba harbor

Sunset from the beach

Some locals live and work on these smaller boats

Fisherman and dock workers that wanted their pictures taken

Local kids playing soccer

Beyond first impressions of Hanoi

2009-11-12T03:25:00.000-08:00

I'd like to write that Hanoi simply made a bad first impression and has since charmed me off my feet. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. It's not as bad as it first seemed, but still nothing that's going to keep me around. It is, simply, a very large city with tons of people and little to see or do. I've walked around a bit and even found that the streets manage to get a bit calm(er) later at night, took in a museum, and found a swimming pool to cool off in today, but mainly have stayed in my hostel, lazily enjoying the movie room. I'm not the only one. Most people I've met seem to agree. Hanoi doesn't call to them, so the movie room is a popular place. Not to mention the supressive heat and humidity make you instinctually seek out air conditioning.

Tomorrow I'm leaving on a cruise of Ha Long Bay, the reason most people come to Hanoi. It's an incredible land of mist shrouded islands and archipelagos, and is what is becoming my new favorite thing: a Unesco World Heritage site. So, three or four days without internet or communication, but I should have some darn good pictures when I get back.

Hanoi Traffic. Imagine this times thousands, with constant horns honking. Wish I could get the video to load.

A game the men play on the streets

Vietnamese woman

No folks, those aren't shadows, they're power lines and they hang as low as my head. Scary.

Another planet

2009-11-10T03:57:00.000-08:00

It's quite possible that I've been flown in a mere hour to another planet. Or at least another dimension. You know my last post, describing the lovely calm that Laos is infused with? Throw that out the window, I'm now in Hanoi, Vietnam.

My taxi driver got lost, so I spent an hour driving through Hanoi, my head splitting from the constant use of the horn. I'm now on the sixth floor of my hostel and I can still hear the horns honking on the street. There are no traffic laws, just thousands of cars and motorbikes going in any direction they please at any time. Twice my taxi driver pulled u-turns in the middle of the street, in reverse. In all the countries I've been to, driving here is by far the worst. The few people I saw cross the street basically just had to step out into the meley and pray.

I did see one of the most amazing sunsets ever, just like you see in all of the pictures of Vietnam. Hope I can catch another on film. Now, off to find some food somewhere out in that insanity.

Leaving Laos

2009-11-10T03:50:00.000-08:00

I spent 3 full days in Vientiane, arriving Friday evening and leaving Tuesday afternoon. If anything, my stop here was a refreshing break, a good resting point before undertaking the insanity that is Hanoi. As tourism in Laos has only really picked up in the past 6 years or so, Vientiane is still refreshingly small and quiet. A city of roughly 500,000, it simply doesn't strike you as the capital of an entire country. A local told me that 10 years ago Vientiane still had quite a few dirt roads. Now thoroughly modern, traffic is still light enough that you can cross the street without waiting for the lights and like the rest of Laos, everything closes down between 10pm and midnight. In the day time, the slight hustle of the streets is a mere buzz in the background, the honking of a vehicle being the loudest sound you'll hear. Come night time, the city goes absolutely silent. This is a strong reflection of the traditions and culture of the Laos people, who are also extremely polite and quiet. It is rude to yell or raise your voice in public, even to call to someone at a distance. Even the tuk tuk drivers are considerate, taking a polite no as an answer, in contrast to the drivers in many parts of Thailand who persist until you are out of earshot.

As there are not a wealth of attractions to keep you running from place to place here, I allowed myself time to sit for hours in cafes, sipping coffee and browsing the internet. I walked quite a bit, taking in a few monuments and temples, including That Luang, the national symbol of Laos. I was lucky enough to sit in on various Buddhist ceremonies, including a large all night worship designed to welcome new Buddha statues into the temple. I had a great time walking a location here known as the Buddha Park, a collection of eclectic and whimsical cement creations that incorporate both Buddhist and Hindu figures. I even took a yoga class. My muscles are still complaining two days later :-)

Right now I'm passing the time in the international airport, an airport consisting of a whole 3 departure gates. I'm flying to Hanoi today, following the recommendation of many fellow travelers, rather than enduring the 24 plus bus ride. I'm very much looking forward to Vietnam and can't wait to see what it has to offer. By the time I get this posted, as the airport has no wifi, I'm sure I'll be well on my way to finding out.

Independence monument, built in the early 60's and unfinished to this day

Street vendor, carrying sticky rice baskets

Sticky rice baskets

That Luang by day

That Luang by night

Gate detail in front of a lit statue. Idea for this picture courtesy of Melody K.

Two old men at a monk ceremony

A participant of the night long worship welcoming the new Buddhas. Hundreds of people dressed in white sat beneath thousands of white threads, all of which lead back to the Buddhas.

Me, being a little silly at the Buddha Park

Inhabitant of the Buddha Park

Reclining Buddha in the Park

More park inhabitants

Something to look at

2009-11-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

I've found myself a much faster connection, so here are some pictures to correspond with recent posts.

Me on the small boat that takes you to the big boat.

The boats that take you up the river

Traveling down the Mekong

Motorcycle powered tuk-tuk

Path up a hill to an old temple. Hundreds of stairs!

French colonial style in Luang Prabang

Aprentice Monks

Tiny Buddha tokens, found in an old temple

Monk robes hung to dry

Waterfall wonderland, one of the many lower pools

Monks coming in to recieve morning alms

Women lined up to give alms to the monks

Chilies drying in the sun

Grill at the night food market in Luang Prabang

Floating down the Nam Song river in Vang Vieng

Beautiful mother and child that I passed while floating

Well, there, that's done finally. It was a week in coming. Honestly, this is just a smattering of the beautiful things I've seen here. It's a nice place.

I feel the need, the need for speed!

2009-11-05T04:03:00.000-08:00

Well, to those of you who prefer my pictures to my writing, you're out of luck for a little bit. While I am able to find decent wifi connections in Laos, the upload speed is just too slow for me to create blogs with pictures, unless I want to sit for 3 hours. I head to Vientiane, the national capital, tomorrow and hope to find the speed I need there. Hense the Top Gun reference, which I hope you all got and appreciate. Once pictures load faster than one every half hour, I'll make up a good one with some of the better shots of Laos.

I'm finding Laos to be very relaxing and do not regret adding it into my trip at short notice. The people are friendly, the general pace of life is slower, and everything is so much quieter. Right now, I'm in Vang Vieng. It's a very small town that is, and will continue to, undergo a tourism boom. I've caught it while it's still fairly quiet, still very farming based. But if the number of guest houses under construction indicate anything, I doubt I'd find the same place 10 years from now. The big draws to the area are the mountains and the river. The mountains are practically beyond description. They are great towering cliffs, blue in the distance and awe inspiring. Many are peppered with caves, so caving and rock climbing are popular. Kayaking and tubing are the big river activies. For those of you who know tubing, I hope your injuries are healing nicely. For those who need a description, you basically rent a tractor tire inner tube and float down the river from bar to bar. They pull you in from the river, you drink at your discretion or lack there of, you fly off a few zip lines and swings, then you float home again, stumbling up to the first street food vendor you see. It's a bit ridiculous, but it's generally good fun. I made the trip sober yesterday and had a fantastic time.

This afternoon I borrowed a bike from my hostel and crossed the river, heading out of town into a small farming village. Cows are still driven down village streets and the farm fields lying in the shadows of the mountains are gorgeous. I loved getting a feel for the local life. Even with the tourist presence, you still see beautiful, often naked, children playing in the river, alongside men fishing by hand with nets and older women bathing. In town here, children run everywhere because everything is family focused. Babies are slung over backs of mothers and grandmothers at work in the shops and markets. Toddlers run around with bare butts in front of the family businesses. The adults love to have the babies say hello to the westerners, so I walk around hearing Sabai-dee from these chubby little faces where ever I go. It really makes me smile.

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will be taking a kayaking trip down the river to Vientiane. I've never kayaked before, but it's got to be exponetially better than another bus ride. I'll let you know how it goes, and hopefully with pictures next time.

Laos

2009-11-01T02:51:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday night here, and I hope everyone had a great Halloween last night. I spent Halloween in Luang Prabang, Laos. It was certainly an unusual one.

Last Wednesday I left Thailand. From Chaing Mai I took a bus to the border town of Chaing Kong, and there boarded a slow boat headed south on the Mekong River. I just love saying I took the slow boat :-)

The boat was super crowed and long and made my bottom hurt, but hey, I spent 2 days on a boat on the Mekong River. That's just plain cool. I met a lot of great people too, some of whom will appear below.

Saturday night I arrived in Luang Prabang. I have to say, I really like this city. It's a Unesco World Heritage site, meaning that no buses or large trucks are allowed in town in an attempt to preserve the city. What few vehicles are on the road are motor bikes, some cars, a new (to me) motorcycle version of the ever present tuk-tuk, and bicycles. It's beautifully quiet. Compared to the bustle of Thailand, it's an oasis of peace. The people are lovely here too. They're a very polite, quiet culture. Add in that the main city was once French founded and occupied, leaving behind the most beautiful french colonial buildings, and you've got a great town.

Yesterday I spent the day just wandering around the many beautiful temples that pepper the area. In the center of the old quarter is a tall hill, Phuo Si, which offers some interesting temples, an amazing view of the city, and a few hundred stairs to climb. I climbed around mid-afternoon, but I've been told that sunrise/sunset is amazing from there. After that I found a few more temples and wats to explore. Here, unlike in Thailand, a temple is only considered a wat if Monks are still in residence.

After the revolution in 1975, many temples fell into disrepair. This is something they are working on changing, and have in the past years begun restoration work. To me, though, I rather appreciated the state of them here. In Thailand, you can find the smallest wat in the most out of the way town and it will still shine with gold and glitter like a gem in the sun. They have the money to keep all of them that way. Here, the temples feel more like houses of worship, used and loved. A little dusty, a little neglected, but still very holy and more natural.

Last night a group of us went out to appreciate the Laos take on Halloween. Of course, it was nothing more than a few restaurants trying to draw in the Western crowd, but it was cute none the less.

Today was great. 5 of us hired a tuk-tuk and headed off to a local waterfall. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting how beautiful and fun this place would be. It is a huge, multi-tiered waterfall, with level after level of milky blue-green pools. We spent some time swimming in one, sitting under on of the smaller falls, and generally having a great day. There was also an Aisiatic Black Bear preserve within the grounds of the park. It was terrible to hear about the illegal capture and sale of these animals, but great to see that someone is working to help stop it.

Tomorrow I may head off to somewhere else, I haven't decided yet.

I know I'm a day late, but Happy Halloween all!

Note: The internet at the cafe I'm at is just too slow to get any pictures uploaded. Watch for an update to this post containing all of the pictures that should have been here.

Jungle muck and leaches

2009-10-26T01:50:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a three day trek in the jungles of Northern Thailand. I rode elephants, hiked the jungle, slept on the floor, barreled down a river while standing on floating bamboo, and froze my butt swimming at a waterfall. Good times!

My hostel runs a trek to visit some of the local hill tribes, which consist of tribes originally from Burma, China, and Laos. Lots of places do that here, but I went with this one because they have an exclusive agreement with the tribes and return the majority of the profits to them in order to build water systems, schools, etc. Most other places around here just drive you up to a village and let you stare at the people. The one I went on was led by a member of the tribe and we actually had to hike through the jungle to get to the tribes. We spent two nights with two tribes, visiting their villages, having dinner with them, and just seeing what their life is like.

On the whole, the experience was well worth it. They didn't quite prepare us for what we were in for though. The description mentioned "walking" each day. What they didn't say is that "walking" is actually hiking up and down jungle hillsides on muddy cattle paths barely wider than a foot in some places. Or that some paths had been wiped out due to rain, water buffalo, and elephants. Or that rain brings out the leaches. Yeah, they didn't mention that. Go figure.

The bamboo rafting turned into a crazy whitewater ride, as the river rose quickly and unpredictably just before we were ready to set off. Even our guide was visably concerned, having needed to use other trek participants to just steer the raft through the fast water. (Tel, you were brilliant man!) A few crashes and one quick swim, but everyone made it back on land safely.

We wrapped up with the above mentioned icy plunge. There wasn't a person on the trip that wasn't thrilled to get back to a hot shower last night. I think a good massage is in order as well. Think I'll go visit the Women's Correctional Facility and get one :-) (Note: Not kidding. The women's prison has a massage program. They are all within 6 months of getting out and earn money for once they've been released.)

Getting groped (they were asking for bananas, but they'd eaten them all)

Bed

One of the adorable kids

Women from the village

Drying our muddy, muddy shoes

Making our way

Villagers working in the rice fields

Rafting

Group shot at the waterfall

Awesome view

Chaing Mai

2009-10-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. I'm in Northern Thailand now, in a town called Chaing Mai. I've only been here a day but already really like it. It's a city that feels more like a town. It's a very old city, founded in the 1200's I think. The fun part is that it originally was a walled city. A small section of the wall still stands. Even better, outside that wall was a moat, a moat that still exists and delineates the old city from the new. How neat is that? Today was a wander the city, see some Buddha's day. I present pictures for your enjoyment.

A Crumbling Stuppa (Monument)

Public transport, at rest

Fruit Stand

Store Front

The remaining wall

The moat :-)

Ahh! The computer battery is dying. I had more I wanted to put up! Next time, I promise :-)

Kanchanaburi

2009-10-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Note: I wrote this on my Tuesday night. It is now Thursday night for me and I'm in Chain Mai. I wasn't able to upload it due to a bad internet connection. It's more sombre than I normally am, but I thought it was still worth posting.

Yesterday I arrived in Kanchanaburi, a town just about 2 hours out of Bangkok. I'm actually headed way north, to Chaing Mai, and I decided to come here for a day just to break up the insanely long bus/train ride. There isn't a lot to do here for me, as many actractions offered here are better in Chaing Mai, but it was enough to fill the day.

First, my hostel's location rocks. Check this out.

Those are the rooms, floating on the River Khwae (Kwai). I'm in one on the first raft in the lower right corner. The view is neat. I'm also constantly being watched by these guys, who are also fun. Julie, if you're reading this, you'd have fun here. The geckos are everywhere.

The humidity here is killing me. I'll have had 3 showers by the time the day is done. I hope the north is cooler.

I started the day with a walk to the railway bridge built over the river. If you don't know, this bridge and the rail line following through the limestone cliffs between here and Burma were constructed by Allied POWs and local human labor. This was brought on by the Japanese during their invasion of Thailand and the surrounding areas during World War II. They wanted the railway finished quickly so that they could move supplies into Burma and further their campaign into India. Although engineers estimated construction would take 5 years, the Japanese army forced it's completion in roughly 6-12 months. They worked day and night, with basically hand tools. Fires lit their way at night, causing one local pass through the cliffs to get the name Hellfire Pass. Between 15,000-20,000 allied POWs (mainly Australian, Dutch, and British) and 80,000-100,000 SE Asians died during the construction of the bridge. They died of illness, of disease, of accidents, of bombings, and of brutality. After all of that, the bridge was destroyed by the Allied forces shortly after completion and wasn't rebuilt until after the war. The rail line on the Burmese side was never repaired.

I learned all of this at the bridge. Of course, I recognized how horrible this all was, but still I walked away fine, having walked across the bridge and snapped a few pictures.

Later on, after lunch, I decided to walk down the other end of town. I came across two cemeteries, one Thai and one a war cemetery, situated alongside each other. My first stop was the Thai cemetery. It was beautiful, with the exception of some vandalism, and very peaceful. Very different from an American cemetery, as you can see.

I then stepped into one of the larger war cemeteries here. It was beautiful, with flowers growing at every single grave marker. I read somewhere that the Thai people were very kind to the Japanese POWs once Japan lost the war. As a result of their kindness even after such atrocities had been commited on their people, many Japanese felt a need to atone for their actions. Many either errected the monuments to the dead or maintained the cemerteries and war locations out of honor and respect. The local japanese community continue this today, so perhaps that is why this cemetery was like a garden.

I began to walk among the many grave markers, reading names, nationalities, ages, and final words placed by the family. I'll be honest, I don't think I got 20 feet in before I was crying openly, and hard. I didn't know these men. But I knew that these were people who were loved, leaving grieving mothers and infant children behind. A majority of them were under 25 years old. I walked the entire cemetery, finally seeing what war had done here. This place was markedly different from the peaceful Thai plot that lay along its border. Those in the Thai cemetery had past on for any number of reasons, but for most it was simply old age. They lived and died as they should have. The allied cemetery, in stark contrast, should not exist. Not a single man should lay there, yet thousands do, taken from their families unnaturally early. I cried the entire time I was there and am even tearing up again as I write this. War is not nameless or faceless, as our press would lead us to believe. It's not numbers and speaches from a podium thousands of miles away. It's men and women, children, families.

Please, take a moment to look at a little of what I saw. These men deserved better. The best we can do is remember them and all others who died needlessly during that, and every, war. If a veteran is still in your life, thank them for giving us all that we have now and be grateful that you still have them.

Finally, the day wasn't all tears. I was rather sombre as I walked home, and probably looked it. I passed a little old lady sitting in a store front and she smiled at me. Out of respect, I said hello in Thai, nodded forward with my hands pressed into polite position, and smiled back. Seeing that, her face lit up. Beaming at me, she returned the gesture. It instantly put me in a better mood. So simple, nothing more than learning a proper hello in a foreign language.Yet it can be so powerful too.

Next time I write I promise to not be so serious. Anyway, I'll probably have gotten to see elephants by then, so who wouldn't be happy about that?

A first

2009-10-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Again, with the toilets. Sorry, I had to. I encountered my first squat toilet today. Glad I was wearing a skirt. You men really have it good when it comes to this.

Heading North

2009-10-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

The time has come to say goodbye to my beautiful beach. Tomorrow night I leave for Bangkok, and from there I'm headed to Kanchanaburi. Ever see the move "Bridge over the river Kwai"? Yeah, I'm gonna go see that bridge.

My week here has been amazing. I haven't worn shoes all week! I dove at least two times every day this past week, puting my dive total at 10. These included a deep dive down to 30 meters and a night dive, which was absolutely amazing. The undersea world is completely different at night. I saw puffer fish, blue spotted sting rays, and giant barracuda. These suckers were huge. I'd turn my flash light and boom, one would be hanging out right off my side. So cool. Unfortunately, I of course don't have any pictures of those, but I did do a photography dive and have included some of the pictures below.

Oh yeah, I also added a few more pictures to the Koh Tao post.

Today, I was foolish enough to try to learn how to ride a motor scooter. 4 of us wanted to head to a nice snorkeling beach and motor bike/scooter is pretty much how everyone gets around here. 2 in my group had ridden before and assured me that it was easy and I'd get the hang of it in no time. Yeah, I fell for it. Now, we're not talking the tiny little mopeds that buzz around the streets of the US. No, this bike had all terrain tires and weighed more than me. That should have been my first warning. Seconds after starting out on the bike, I realized that I wasn't only learning to ride, I was learning to ride on the opposite side of the street! Forgot about that. Good timing me. Still, all went well on the city streets. Then we got some bad directions that took us down a horrible, bumpy, rutted, hilly dirt road. Dirt bikes would have been more appropriate. Myself and my friend Regina, from Denmark, were the bike newbies and were really struggling with them, so of course, we end up getting separated from the two who know what they're doing. We found ourselves semi-stranded on this no where road, nearly loosing control every second. We reminded ourselves that we're strong women, and finally got our arses out of there. The trip back on the paved roads was actually fun compared to the dirt. Never did get to go snorkeling, though. All in all, I did ok. Only came out of the ordeal with one bruise :-)

Tomorrow I think I'll rest. Between the diving and the devil bike, I'm exhausted!

Getting ready to descend

Awesome jellyfish

Sea urchin

One of the white eyed moray eels I saw

Me, diving!

Anemonie

The amazing undersea world

See ya!

Koh Tao Pictures

2009-10-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of where I am. By the way, I haven't had shoes on at all since I arrived here Sunday morning and don't plan to put them on for a long time yet. I'm in barefoot heaven.

Front of a boat. The ribbons honor the spirit of the boat.

The beach I'm at.

The annoying and funny birds that sit on the floor and yell at you when you don't feed them. Ignore them long enough and they'll try hopping onto the table and taking what they want. Saw one try to fly off with a french fry and heard reports of whole pieces of toast being swiped.

Ugly, one of the sweet island dogs

My bungalow

Me and my Open Water team and instructors on graduation day

The ever awesome fire twirler

One of the many amazing sunsets here

That is all. You may all return to your cold and snow now :-)

Paradise

2009-10-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

I'm in the most amazing place. I left Bangkok on Saturday night (Saturday night for me, anyway) and arrived the next morning in Southern Thailand. One short ferry ride and I found myself in paradise. The island is Koh Tao, and it's beautiful.

I'm crossing one of my life's to-do's off the list: scuba diving. I'm enrolled in a dive school for my PADI open water scuba certification. We got in the water for the first time today and it was incredilble! Even though we were in super shallow water, just to learn, and even though I struggled a bit with some tests like taking my mask off underwater, I still thought it was fantastic! Schools of little fish swam around, some parrot fish came by, there were even some sea cucumbers. I can't wait until tomorrow, when we go on our first real dive.

The beach is amazing. Blue green waters, warm breezes, soft sand and an amazing view. The people here are great (although the Thai girlie-boys here threw me off a bit; too realistic!). There are so many westerners from all countries who've just packed in their lives back home and come to live here. It's completely relaxed and easy going. We got back from the test dive today and all sat around at the beach bar having a beer together. My bungalow is just feet from the beach, and restaurants of every flavor are at my fingertips. As I type, I'm listening to a light dance beat coming from a local bar mixing with the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

I'm an completely happy here. In two days I've become so laid back that I haven't even taken many pictures. I'll try to get some up soon, though. I believe that everyone should find relaxation like this from time to time. So many in the US feel that a vacation is a privilege or even something to be avoided, in order to further their career. Then, when they do go, they're so bent on making the most of their time that they schedule and plan right down to the last minute, going home just as stressed as they left. More people should see vacation as a right, something well earned and well deserved. Vacation should be a time to relax, to let plans slip through your fingers. It should be entirely about what you want.

I can't imagine living for work. I never will be able to. I'll work only to the extent that it allows me to live, and baby, right now I am really living.

Beach

2009-10-10T05:41:00.000-07:00

Beach, beach, beach, beach. I'm headed for the beach.

Breathe

2009-10-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

I was a bit caught off guard yesterday, by a Buddha. Yesterday was a day full of Buddhas, as have been all of my days here, so I don't know why one in particular had such an effect on me.

I was flying solo for the first time, as my travel buddies from my hostel headed off to another city that morning. I started the day by dropping into an Indian Restaurant, where they spoke no English and I no Thai. My phrase book didn't help. So, they made me something, I don't know what. It was two thin tortilla like breads, with a thin layer of something between them, and a grey sauce to spread on top. Don't have a clue what I ate, but it was yummy.

I then spent the rest of the day walking the city and exploring various religious and historical monuments. Wats (temples) are a dime a dozen here, so there's a Buddha pretty much where ever you turn. I also toured the Grand Palace, which was fittingly the glitziest area I've seen so far. I saw the tiny Emerald Buddha, actually made of Jade, that has apparently been a war trophy for a number of years. I hear they had it in Laos for 200 years before the Thai took it back in the 1700's. Kinda reminds me of college football.

Then, as the day worn down, I treated myself to dinner. I picked a little restaurant near the Palace and had a shrimp/coconut tip curry. It was so yummy! The best part is that "treating" myself to a nicer dinner means paying just under $4, rather than the $1 and change I pay at the street vendors. Love that.

Finally, I headed home. This is where my Buddha reached out too me. I had just emerged into a large intersection, only a block away from my hostel. I was passing yet another Wat, which by now I'm getting used to finding. As I passed the front entry, something about it called me in. At first, I was just looking around for a good photo op. As I walked further in, though, I began to realize that this one was different than the rest I'd seen. It was quite, more simple. People were there to worship. I was the only Westerner there at the time. I slipped my shoes off and made my way into the great room, where a giant gold Buddha sat, forever in his peaceful cross-legged position. Although, he sat on an ornate base, this Buddha was for the most part unadorned. The room was massive and open, to the point that there were even birds flying around the ceiling. People sat in prayer, and for whatever reason I sat too. I'm not a religious person, but I didn't need to be of any belief to find peace in this room. I sat, and my camera was forgotten. I sat, and listened to the music and the quiet chatter in the room. I sat and looked up into the peaceful, almost sleepy eyes of the Buddha. Suddenly, the music was gone, the chatter faded, I felt the need to close my eyes, and all I knew was my own breath. For just a few seconds, all my attention went to following my breath in and out of my body.

All too soon, a noise to my side broke me from my state. I wasn't sure why that quiet moment had happened, but I just went with it. Eventually I made my way back out of the room. As I was walking toward the front entrance to leave, a Monk caught my eye and we smiled at each other. Then I made my way home.

I didn't take any pictures from inside the temple. Even though it was not a silent place, it was still a very peaceful one. I wouldn't raise my camera in the face of that. Instead, I found a discreet location from the outside where my Buddha was still visable. I'll share him with you. I hope you all find peaceful moments in your lives, no matter when, where, or why they come to you.

My first days in Bangkok

2009-10-07T07:08:00.001-07:00

My internet connection tends to drop on me, probably because I'm upstairs in my room. The signal is stronger downstairs. Loading pictures takes a while. Anyway,that's why some posts will get more pictures a few days after I originally post them.

Yesterday was Tuesday for me, and my first day in Bangkok. I met some cool people and did a lot of walking around. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted all of my pictures from yesterday. Go me! Fortunately, I hadn't taken a lot and can retake them all easily. I hope to be able to show you tonight or tomorrow some of the beautiful religous temples that are just all over this city. They really are amazing. Today I managed to visit the Golden Buddha (5.5 tons of solid gold!), the Reclining Buddha, and a few various Chinese temples in China town. I also took a water taxi, which was sweet.

To work out a day of walking, I got a Thai massage. Those of you thinking dirty thoughts, put them away. Yes, the oft advertised "bang bang massage" is readily available here, but this one was purely on the level. It was given at Wat Pho, the official Thai massage school here in Bangkok. This tiny Thai woman had fingers like stone and could have easily accomplished a Vulcan neck pinch, if anyone could. She even cracked pretty much every vertebrae in my back. If you have the chance, I recommend getting one.

I have to say I feel remarkably comfortable here too. Sure, there are a ton of other tourists and travelers everywhere, but the feeling even from the Thai people is pretty easy going. Many want my money, that's clear, but I feel safe walking around. The poverty is disconcerting at times, but I've come to expect that as I travel. Just tonight, walking home (not alone, Mom :-) was easy and relaxed.

The food is fantastic. Street vendors everywhere with any number of items. I can't wait to try more, it's a gastronomic paradise for me!

Temple guard at The Golden Buddha

The Golden Buddha

Chinatown market

Temple guard at Wat Pho

The Reclining Buddha (note size of door in background)

Garden statue at Wat Pho, just because he makes me laugh

Korea was shinny

2009-10-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't write anything while I was in Korea. I was in Seoul for a day, put up in a very nice hotel by the airport. They fed me well, the room was nice, and the toilet...well, you'll see. Yes, I took pictures of the toilet, like any good tourist would. This is the arm on the side of the toilet, hope you can read it.

I spent most of the day in a sleepy fog, and I didn't convert any money so I didn't really have much to do. I did go walk around the hotel and downtown, which happened to be a high end, happy, shinny shopping area. Shinny was the best word for what I saw of Korea. Happy, shinny advertisements; happy, shinny stores; and of course, happy, shinny people. I have to say, though, they dress much nicer than the average american does, and it was nice seeing so many men dressed sharply in good suits.

Gonna try to add some pictures, bear with me.

Thoughts from 30,000 feet

2009-10-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a cell phone in college. I couldn't afford one, for starters, but I also didn't really see the need. I got where I was going without having to call from the road or google a map, I managed to make dates with friends and meet them on time, I found a phone when I absolutely needed to call. I spoke with people in person, or from the land line phone in my apartment. I checked my email from my computer. My room-mates knew my schedule well enough and I knew theirs, so someone could be tracked down physically if absolutely necessary. It wasn't hard, and it worked just fine.

I also didn't have facebook in college. I didn't know what my high school friends were up to, what states they were in, or who had married, had kids, etc. I didn't' know what my classmates were thinking after we split for the day. I didn't know any of this, and I was fine.

Now, I have both of these miraculous inventions and am far, far too plugged in. Don't get me wrong, my cell phone has been a life saver many times over, so much so that it's hard to remember those days without it. I also rather like Facebook, as I enjoy knowing what some long lost folks are up to (but I don't give a darn about those quizzes you all take). Yet here I sit, on a plane to Korea, hovering over the Sea of Okhotsk just off the Siberian cost, a mere 7 hours since I've turned off my phone and forgone internet connection, and I feel like a part of me is missing. More than once I've had the urge to text someone, to reach out and share what I'm experiencing and to see what they're up to. I want to call Jeff and tell him all about this cool plane ride I'm having. I'm so used to constant, at my fingertips any time I want, communication. I feel like an amputee, having lost a limb but still feeling it's presence. This ain't good folks.

So this is me, unplugging. Sure, there will be emails and this blog. I doubt I'll escape completely (there are some people out there who would probably hunt me down if I failed to communicate for long enough). That's not fair to those who care about me, anyway. Never the less, I'm about to leave the phone turned off for some time. The computer will stay in the bag for a few days on end. I'm going to speak to the people around me for a while, get some good face time in, if you will.

I've just met my seat mate, a very nice girl headed to Manila to visit her folks. There, I've started already.

Oh, if you're reading this, then I've arrived safely in South Korea and am probably at this time sleeping or searching out something yummy to eat. I hear Korean BBQ is quite tasty.

Later all.

Update: This was written some hours ago on the plane With the 12 hour flight and the 16 hour time change, I'm not sure when. I did arrive safely to Korea, was placed in a very nice hotel by the airport, and promptly slept like the dead for 8 hours. It's 5:30 in the morning on Monday here. Think I'm gonna avail myself of my free breakfast voucher in an hour or so.

Procrastination

2009-09-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

I'm bad at plans. I'm good at thinking about the things I should be doing, but not at actually doing them. I should pack. I've been saying that for 3 days. I'll pack tomorrow, I swear.

You say goodbye, I say hello...

2009-09-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry, too much Beatles Rockband lately I guess. Anyway, so many of you have expressed interest in hearing from me while I'm traveling, seeing my pictures, and basically verifying that I'm still alive (I'll be fine!) that I've decided to start a blog. Way easier than tons of emails. I've never been very good at writing for public consumption, so I'm not promissing anything! But I should be able to update you from time to time with where I am, what I'm up to, and to share a few of the many pictures I'm sure I'll be taking. I leave a week from now, so this next week will be for packing my bag and tying up loose ends. After that, it's 12 hours to South Korea, a day there, and another 5 hours to Bangkok, Thailand the following day. Once I'm there, we'll see what turns up!