Monday, April 16, 2007
More Bali Pics
1) Bomb Memorial for the 2002 Bali bombing - Kuta, 2) Traditional Balinese House (Lora's), 3) See! HAHAHaha, 4) Benji, Farun, and Rizal - Balangan, 5) Balangan sunset, with golfcourse sillhouette
BALI's Back
I'm still here, healthy, except for peeling skin, and in good spirits, except for memories of a sweaty hostel sleep last time night that got me up various times during the night - nothing too out of the ordinary (I didn't have a single sleep in Bali where I didn't wake up at least once in the night). However, it's not about the sleeps! That's why I choose to save $1.5o with a fan.
I got into Bali on the 28th of March. Arrived at the airport to see billboards of surf advertisments, pamphlet racks filled by surf tourism, and hungry surf donkeys waiting for their decks to come out onto the conveyer belt. After getting begged for a tip by an airport customs imposter who carried my bag 5 steps to customs, I broke free, out of the swarms to meet Brett and Lora, who were waiting outside. Good times, reunited with some sunshine coast kids. I found a place in Kuta (the main surf junkie, business oriented, tourist trap of Bali) about a 1 minute walk from Kuta beach which has a nice beach break, and 30 seconds from Un's Hotel/The Balcony Restaurant, the hot spot that Lora's friend's family owns and where it all goes down. My place - $4/night including breakfast. I'm set.
The Balcony was my central scene. Some of you may know it as the place Brett performed at here in Bali - a sick show too apparently (Wilderness Crew is blowing up in Bali, requested constantly by pros and industry cats). Posted on the walls are photos of all the pro surfers that have eaten there (the wall is full), and boards that pros have donated - Taj, Parko, Andy, and a Slater board with a broken nose in the bathroom. I met a few surfers - Rob Machado, Benji Weatherly, Mikala Jones, and a lot of the Bali rippers. It's a humbling scene - these guys are celebrities to anyone that surfs, but it's not like the trainwreck scene that is Hollywood whatsoever. It's a crazy trip though, because you're chilling with a guy like Machado, and you look down into the street and there's a huge Hurley ad with him on it. It was def. a cool experience, and you feel like you're at the heart of surf culture for real.
A typical day was spent going up to the Balcony, ordering an avacado juice, using the phone to call Brett/Lora and then heading out to the beach, sitting in loungers, eating Tea Pat (tofu dish in peanut sauce) and surfing the beach/reef breaks (Bali's southern coast has 100s of breaks, some being right on the shore, others being a boatride away to outer reefs, and known as some of the best waves in the world, especially the cliffs that are home to Balangan, Dreamland, Padang Padang, Impossibles, and Uluwatu). There was a break in that routine when we went NW to Amed and did some snorkelling, and to Ubud, where we fed some monkeys at monkey forest. One of these little guys actually took my water bottle, twisted it open, and tilted the bottle up for a sip!! ehehMonkeys these days....
Besides the surf, what sets Bali apart from most other spots in Indo, is the culture and religion though. Three times a day everyone sets out Hindu offerings, which are handmade small coconut leaf baskets with flowers, inscence and food in them, and are placed outside shops, or on roads. The offerings are for the gods and spirits and are supposed to bring prosperity and good health to families. Also, temples, and statues are seen everywhere, even in the heart of shoptillyoudrop Kuta. Traditional Balinese houses look like temples as well. There's a huge gateway entrance with a stone carved backing right behind it to keep away evil spirits, and individual stone huts for every part of the house, with stone paths cutting through the lawn, going from hut to hut. There's a lot of tradition, and a lot of family love. Ceremonies for deaths and births can be held by whole communities of people wearing traditional balinese clothing for days. It's a good vibe, and a nice atmosphere.
Pictures: 1) Kuta Square, 2) Dreamland, looking towards Padang Padang, Impossibles, and Uluwatu, 3) Nusa Dua, lounger and tea pat anyone? 4) From Rizal's house on the Bookit (the "toe" or the "nipple" - the south tip) looking down on the airport (the middle stretch of land) and Kuta and Kuta beach 5) Hmm.. this Balangan wave looks rippable.
I got into Bali on the 28th of March. Arrived at the airport to see billboards of surf advertisments, pamphlet racks filled by surf tourism, and hungry surf donkeys waiting for their decks to come out onto the conveyer belt. After getting begged for a tip by an airport customs imposter who carried my bag 5 steps to customs, I broke free, out of the swarms to meet Brett and Lora, who were waiting outside. Good times, reunited with some sunshine coast kids. I found a place in Kuta (the main surf junkie, business oriented, tourist trap of Bali) about a 1 minute walk from Kuta beach which has a nice beach break, and 30 seconds from Un's Hotel/The Balcony Restaurant, the hot spot that Lora's friend's family owns and where it all goes down. My place - $4/night including breakfast. I'm set.
The Balcony was my central scene. Some of you may know it as the place Brett performed at here in Bali - a sick show too apparently (Wilderness Crew is blowing up in Bali, requested constantly by pros and industry cats). Posted on the walls are photos of all the pro surfers that have eaten there (the wall is full), and boards that pros have donated - Taj, Parko, Andy, and a Slater board with a broken nose in the bathroom. I met a few surfers - Rob Machado, Benji Weatherly, Mikala Jones, and a lot of the Bali rippers. It's a humbling scene - these guys are celebrities to anyone that surfs, but it's not like the trainwreck scene that is Hollywood whatsoever. It's a crazy trip though, because you're chilling with a guy like Machado, and you look down into the street and there's a huge Hurley ad with him on it. It was def. a cool experience, and you feel like you're at the heart of surf culture for real.
A typical day was spent going up to the Balcony, ordering an avacado juice, using the phone to call Brett/Lora and then heading out to the beach, sitting in loungers, eating Tea Pat (tofu dish in peanut sauce) and surfing the beach/reef breaks (Bali's southern coast has 100s of breaks, some being right on the shore, others being a boatride away to outer reefs, and known as some of the best waves in the world, especially the cliffs that are home to Balangan, Dreamland, Padang Padang, Impossibles, and Uluwatu). There was a break in that routine when we went NW to Amed and did some snorkelling, and to Ubud, where we fed some monkeys at monkey forest. One of these little guys actually took my water bottle, twisted it open, and tilted the bottle up for a sip!! ehehMonkeys these days....
Besides the surf, what sets Bali apart from most other spots in Indo, is the culture and religion though. Three times a day everyone sets out Hindu offerings, which are handmade small coconut leaf baskets with flowers, inscence and food in them, and are placed outside shops, or on roads. The offerings are for the gods and spirits and are supposed to bring prosperity and good health to families. Also, temples, and statues are seen everywhere, even in the heart of shoptillyoudrop Kuta. Traditional Balinese houses look like temples as well. There's a huge gateway entrance with a stone carved backing right behind it to keep away evil spirits, and individual stone huts for every part of the house, with stone paths cutting through the lawn, going from hut to hut. There's a lot of tradition, and a lot of family love. Ceremonies for deaths and births can be held by whole communities of people wearing traditional balinese clothing for days. It's a good vibe, and a nice atmosphere.
Pictures: 1) Kuta Square, 2) Dreamland, looking towards Padang Padang, Impossibles, and Uluwatu, 3) Nusa Dua, lounger and tea pat anyone? 4) From Rizal's house on the Bookit (the "toe" or the "nipple" - the south tip) looking down on the airport (the middle stretch of land) and Kuta and Kuta beach 5) Hmm.. this Balangan wave looks rippable.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
From the Jungle to the Pavement
Kuala Lampur - land of buildings
KL clubbing -- Jesse, Julia, and Carly
2nd best - Petronas Towers
Besides being extremely stylish, those glasses also work for 3D moviesPicking up where I left off, we finished our second hike and decided right then and there that we could probably catch a bus out of the park that night. We had already paid for the night at our bungalow but they were cool with it if we just paid half. So we did. Showered, packed, and walked out to the road to wave down the city bus going back to the east coast with our mind on Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. We waited for an hour and a half with me trying to tell Jesse it was all his fault the bus would never show up. While we sat there listlessly, I watched the second monkey we've seen all trip (neither in the wild) play about with its chain and get all the fun you could imagine out of a broken, dirty plastic chair. Just as a torrential downpour met us the bus decided to show up.
2 hours later at 8:00pm, we arrived at the train station in town. Our train wasn't to leave until midnight. 5 hours and then we would catch a 9 hour bus across the border and into the Kuala Lampur city centre. We got a bite to eat and Jesse got sick from that bite. Quite possibly the worst time--about to board a rickety old train with forsaken bathrooms and no leg room. So the trip was a lot worse for him. He made it, but bitterly and in a daze.
The train actually didn't pick us up until 2am, which means we were waiting for a good 6 hours. We were dead tired from the hike earlier that day but I didn't want to sleep, so Jesse obliged spreading out a newspaper to lay on. There he was, tired, sick and dirty with duct tape on his toes and his body sprawled out on newspaper....even the train station beggars wanted to give him some money.
We got into Kuala Lampur at 7:00pm the next day. We wandered around looking for rooms only to discover that the Formula 1 Grand Prix was in town and that all of the hotels were booked out to the burbs. We were in a bind. I suggested we just hop on another overnight bus to anywhere but Jesse was too sick. Following a rumor, we found a guesthouse that would let us sleep on their roof. So we did. Oh man, was it ghetto but at least they set us up with a mattress and sheets. I had a mosquito net but Jesse didn't--after that glorious sleep he awoke with hundreds of bites, and they only got to his arms and chest. God knows what else was up there, rats, cockroaches, and bed bugs I'm guessing.
We have a room now at the same place, so no worries. The rest of our time in KL has been spent visiting all the sights that one is supposed to see--the parks, Chinatown, Little India, and the Petronas Twin Towers (the second tallest buildings in the world). We also met up with my friends Julia and Carly who I knew from Junior High and High School back in Moraga. We literally ran into them in Vientiane (Laos) and met up again in Hanoi (Vietnam) and Koh Tao (Thailand). We had some good silly times here in KL together --eating Durian (a famous fruit that tastes like egg and onion, that is to say disgusting), getting lost, drinking, and dancing.
Next up: Malaysia's east coast. Until then.....
2 hours later at 8:00pm, we arrived at the train station in town. Our train wasn't to leave until midnight. 5 hours and then we would catch a 9 hour bus across the border and into the Kuala Lampur city centre. We got a bite to eat and Jesse got sick from that bite. Quite possibly the worst time--about to board a rickety old train with forsaken bathrooms and no leg room. So the trip was a lot worse for him. He made it, but bitterly and in a daze.
The train actually didn't pick us up until 2am, which means we were waiting for a good 6 hours. We were dead tired from the hike earlier that day but I didn't want to sleep, so Jesse obliged spreading out a newspaper to lay on. There he was, tired, sick and dirty with duct tape on his toes and his body sprawled out on newspaper....even the train station beggars wanted to give him some money.
We got into Kuala Lampur at 7:00pm the next day. We wandered around looking for rooms only to discover that the Formula 1 Grand Prix was in town and that all of the hotels were booked out to the burbs. We were in a bind. I suggested we just hop on another overnight bus to anywhere but Jesse was too sick. Following a rumor, we found a guesthouse that would let us sleep on their roof. So we did. Oh man, was it ghetto but at least they set us up with a mattress and sheets. I had a mosquito net but Jesse didn't--after that glorious sleep he awoke with hundreds of bites, and they only got to his arms and chest. God knows what else was up there, rats, cockroaches, and bed bugs I'm guessing.
We have a room now at the same place, so no worries. The rest of our time in KL has been spent visiting all the sights that one is supposed to see--the parks, Chinatown, Little India, and the Petronas Twin Towers (the second tallest buildings in the world). We also met up with my friends Julia and Carly who I knew from Junior High and High School back in Moraga. We literally ran into them in Vientiane (Laos) and met up again in Hanoi (Vietnam) and Koh Tao (Thailand). We had some good silly times here in KL together --eating Durian (a famous fruit that tastes like egg and onion, that is to say disgusting), getting lost, drinking, and dancing.
Next up: Malaysia's east coast. Until then.....
Monday, April 9, 2007
Khaosok and Koh Tao
Khaosok National Forest -- Jesse in his bamboo world
Khaosok National Park--Dinosaur roots
Khaosok National Forest- thick bamboo
Koh Tao- Jesse's self-portrait with my silhouette in the background
Koh Tao sunset....we drank beers in the warm ocean every night to this scene
The Jungle
We left the islands. It had to happen at some point, I guess. After all the drinking and doing nothing, Jesse and I decided to head straight into the jungle and sweat out the last week. We went to Khaosok National Park in Thailand, halfway between the east and west coasts. It's one of the oldest rainforests in the world (160 million years old), one of the biggest, and one of the last remaining homes to wild elephants, tigers, leopards, and bears. Also, the world's largest flower is found here, the only place it can be found actually. We came too late to see it bloom, but when it does it has been described as smelling like a rotting corpse.
Well, we didn't see any of it, the flowers or the animals. That was somewhat disappointing to us until we realized that it probably wouldn't be a good thing had we encountered any large mammals anyways. But we did see a lot, heard a lot, and smelled a lot.
The first night there, we found this exotic looking tree frog just hanging out on the curtains of our room--it was lime green with long legs and orange, suction-cup toes. Jesse and I were little girls about it, arguing over who should do what about getting it out of the room. We ended up using a plastic bag to shimmy it out, then slamming the door and sighing with relief.
We went on two hikes, the first one along a river--grueling and long without enough water--the second serene and eery through the densest bamboo jungle, so wet it felt like your soul was sweating. We didn't see many animals, like I said, but you could feel them out there. Bird cries serenaded us the whole time, some sounding like yelps, others like flutes, and then some that sounded like wind-up toys--and this all probably came from the same bird. We even heard some velociraptor rumblings. Also, the trees sounded like they were seething or quietly screaming. I'm not sure what it was, but maybe or probably insects of some wild kind.
The only animals we saw were lizards, and we encountered a lot of them. Mostly small but all exotic to our eyes. Some were green, others grey--all had extremely long tails. Miniature dinosaurs. And at the end of our second hike, I heard a yelp from Jesse ahead of me--he had just witnessed a long snake (maybe 2.5 meters) too thick to get one hand around....we walked hurriedly after that.
Both hikes ended at waterfalls with swimming holes. We spent awhile at both swimming and eating our lunch of raisins and peanuts. Each time swimming I emerged with a leech on my leg, and both times it led to Jesse and I frantically searching in our shorts for a colony of them. It was the first time I've ever had a leech on me, so that was exciting.
The smells, too. At times it was sweet like candy, other times it smelled like you would imagine earth to smell like--green, brown, and heavy. Sometimes like almonds, others like jasmine, and still others like Jesse. I said it felt like your soul was sweating, well it also smelled like the ground was sweating.
Jesse lost about 3 pairs of sandals during our time on the islands and he had discarded his shoes somewhere in Vietnam, I think. It had been a week since he had any footwear and the duct tape covering his toes are evidence of that. Just before we got on a bus out to the forest, he rushed out to buy shoes and the biggest he could find were a US size 9 1/2 which won't even fit me comfortably. And you could probably guess they weren't of the best quality either. These were what he hiked in. The first day 18 km and the second 10km. He was spending a good hour and a half each day just tending to his feet--neosporin, bandaids, ducttape, rubbing and crying. He made it though and I'm proud of him (he finally found some sandals that fit him here in Kuala Lampur (Malaysia)).
I didn't take many pictures, and the ones I did just don't do the place justice. The scenery was too full, too complex, too wild to capture within a box frame. It might be saying something about my photography, but I think it says more about the place (with emphasis on "think"; see also: "hope"). It was beautiul and we only brushed the surface.
Right now, we're back on pavement in the capitol of Malaysia, the site of our next story.
P.S. Even though the pictures might not be the greatest, I'll post some of them....but the internet cafe I'm at has their CD drive bolted shut....next time....I promise.
Well, we didn't see any of it, the flowers or the animals. That was somewhat disappointing to us until we realized that it probably wouldn't be a good thing had we encountered any large mammals anyways. But we did see a lot, heard a lot, and smelled a lot.
The first night there, we found this exotic looking tree frog just hanging out on the curtains of our room--it was lime green with long legs and orange, suction-cup toes. Jesse and I were little girls about it, arguing over who should do what about getting it out of the room. We ended up using a plastic bag to shimmy it out, then slamming the door and sighing with relief.
We went on two hikes, the first one along a river--grueling and long without enough water--the second serene and eery through the densest bamboo jungle, so wet it felt like your soul was sweating. We didn't see many animals, like I said, but you could feel them out there. Bird cries serenaded us the whole time, some sounding like yelps, others like flutes, and then some that sounded like wind-up toys--and this all probably came from the same bird. We even heard some velociraptor rumblings. Also, the trees sounded like they were seething or quietly screaming. I'm not sure what it was, but maybe or probably insects of some wild kind.
The only animals we saw were lizards, and we encountered a lot of them. Mostly small but all exotic to our eyes. Some were green, others grey--all had extremely long tails. Miniature dinosaurs. And at the end of our second hike, I heard a yelp from Jesse ahead of me--he had just witnessed a long snake (maybe 2.5 meters) too thick to get one hand around....we walked hurriedly after that.
Both hikes ended at waterfalls with swimming holes. We spent awhile at both swimming and eating our lunch of raisins and peanuts. Each time swimming I emerged with a leech on my leg, and both times it led to Jesse and I frantically searching in our shorts for a colony of them. It was the first time I've ever had a leech on me, so that was exciting.
The smells, too. At times it was sweet like candy, other times it smelled like you would imagine earth to smell like--green, brown, and heavy. Sometimes like almonds, others like jasmine, and still others like Jesse. I said it felt like your soul was sweating, well it also smelled like the ground was sweating.
Jesse lost about 3 pairs of sandals during our time on the islands and he had discarded his shoes somewhere in Vietnam, I think. It had been a week since he had any footwear and the duct tape covering his toes are evidence of that. Just before we got on a bus out to the forest, he rushed out to buy shoes and the biggest he could find were a US size 9 1/2 which won't even fit me comfortably. And you could probably guess they weren't of the best quality either. These were what he hiked in. The first day 18 km and the second 10km. He was spending a good hour and a half each day just tending to his feet--neosporin, bandaids, ducttape, rubbing and crying. He made it though and I'm proud of him (he finally found some sandals that fit him here in Kuala Lampur (Malaysia)).
I didn't take many pictures, and the ones I did just don't do the place justice. The scenery was too full, too complex, too wild to capture within a box frame. It might be saying something about my photography, but I think it says more about the place (with emphasis on "think"; see also: "hope"). It was beautiul and we only brushed the surface.
Right now, we're back on pavement in the capitol of Malaysia, the site of our next story.
P.S. Even though the pictures might not be the greatest, I'll post some of them....but the internet cafe I'm at has their CD drive bolted shut....next time....I promise.
Monday, April 2, 2007
Island Living
As ryan explained in the last post, the circle around SE Asia and back to Bangkok has been completed and as we arrived in Bangkok we had this weird feeling like we were done.. ready to board the return plane and share our stories, but of course, our leg south remained and with that we tried to rest up........ until..... we found out we could connect with our high school boys robbie and franz! ok, early night out the window, lets do this up right.
We like to think were vets at this point and we can walk in stride and relaxed along kho san road, but its still intimidating and choatic. We let franz and rob pick the meeting spot, and where else, but the kho san mcdonalds to share some hugs, just like Sechelt without the borrowed cars and drive throughs..
There is something special about meeting up with good friends in ridiculous places, so the energy is high, turning heads on this busy street with stories, laughter, and yelling isn't easy but we managed to do so. We choose an Irish pub to do the damage because we had a few irish blokes with us who craved some Guinness... and you don't need to convince ryan for a tall Guinness pint..
conversation buckets and beers, once the night was going we brought back the competitive spirit from high school basketball with some doubles pool... i have a vague memory of franz yelling in my ear as i leaned over the white ball with the eight ball in the distance , "are you a money player or what!?!" .. scratch, other team wins.... we were a better duo with him driving to the basket and me waiting for the baseline jumper.. oh well .. it is also funny how informal we are.. when i asked where robbie went, franz let me know he puked in the washroom and left, thanks for the goodbye robskie! see you boys back on the coast
We felt like we had tackled Bangkok pretty well (sky train, shopping district, football field sized market, river taxi's, grand palace and pad thai) ok ready for Koh Tao, a southern island just north of Koh Phanang.. the island is owned by the King so there is no messing around, not with the environment and not with the communal feel.. watch out if you challenge it, four years ago, a fellow moved in and tried to create a monopoly with a huge diving resort, and when he got too cocky he was shot outside the 7/11... not sponsored by the king but yeah, don't mess.... because of the diving it is not overwhelmed with the party feel and the beach and coral reefs are well protected.. the beach is not on much of a slope so it allows for wading in the water with the sunset in the distance ahhhhh , so what if it was just ryan and I?
We have to throw a shout out to our Moraga California friends Carly and Julia (Ry's childhood schoolmates) for showing us the ropes and encouraging me to try my first thai salad, mm!
with such beauty at hand we felt it was time for some snorkeling. We were promised some shark viewing along the south coast but the visibility was a bit rough with all the sand, I was craving an adventure so i decided instead of taxing to the next dive spot, i would travel and snorkel along the rocky coast to the next beach, a decision helped by the theft of my lovely sandals the night before.. Ryan, being sensible, and having a bag to tend to, laughed at me but also offered support, you know, like the i don't want to have to deal with the paperwork if you die out there kinda support
so I'm off, a journey that lasted 2 beaches, three point breaks and a lot of climbing.. the snorkeling was amazing, huge reefs, flounders the size of my torso, pointy nosed fish that swim a little to shallow for my liking.. i never felt in danger, but i also never let my guard down.. the feeling you have when your climbing a tree as a kid... the tides you have to respect, i tried to go back on the rocks at one point and started to get tossed, after that i promised my self i would swim the rest of the way, 2km or so and i met ryan, who let out a laugh and a sigh of relief! it was a blast, in such developed islands, its rewarding trying to find peace or solidarity alongside the landscapes, besides running into the odd plastic bag which i mistook for a jelly fish, or avoiding a broken bottle amongst the rocks, it was my untouched paradise.
Little did we know that the beach we choose to go to was private with no foreign snorkels, and permission needed... as they saw me struggling up to the shore i think they were flexible with their rules... the interesting thing about private beaches that we found out was women are much more inclined to bath topless = 0 .. Ryan and I took it in stride and there were no looks.... 1.) we didn't have sunglasses to hide behind 2.) peripheral vision is hindered when the sun is bright and low and, 3.) we''re proper gentlemen as you all know!
We plan to take adam here when he returns and we'll see if we might do a scuba diving course.. As of now were preparing for a beach that claims to hold between 10-30,ooo partyers, the full moon in Kho Phanang... aaawow! we'll be safe Mrs. Farrell and mom...
To come, Ryan and I want to get away from the beach and spend a week or so inland in one of the oldest rainforests in the world, to give an example of the biodiversity it has over 30 species of bats! I'll take plenty of photo's.. suz I'll try to learn some bio lingo so i can really get into what we see... love the treks so it could take up some time.. were skipping Samui, Phuket and Krabi to do so.. people turned us off on them for their number of '"girly bars"and the concrete jungle that has recently emerged.. Chillytown, you been barrelled yet?
We like to think were vets at this point and we can walk in stride and relaxed along kho san road, but its still intimidating and choatic. We let franz and rob pick the meeting spot, and where else, but the kho san mcdonalds to share some hugs, just like Sechelt without the borrowed cars and drive throughs..
There is something special about meeting up with good friends in ridiculous places, so the energy is high, turning heads on this busy street with stories, laughter, and yelling isn't easy but we managed to do so. We choose an Irish pub to do the damage because we had a few irish blokes with us who craved some Guinness... and you don't need to convince ryan for a tall Guinness pint..
conversation buckets and beers, once the night was going we brought back the competitive spirit from high school basketball with some doubles pool... i have a vague memory of franz yelling in my ear as i leaned over the white ball with the eight ball in the distance , "are you a money player or what!?!" .. scratch, other team wins.... we were a better duo with him driving to the basket and me waiting for the baseline jumper.. oh well .. it is also funny how informal we are.. when i asked where robbie went, franz let me know he puked in the washroom and left, thanks for the goodbye robskie! see you boys back on the coast
We felt like we had tackled Bangkok pretty well (sky train, shopping district, football field sized market, river taxi's, grand palace and pad thai) ok ready for Koh Tao, a southern island just north of Koh Phanang.. the island is owned by the King so there is no messing around, not with the environment and not with the communal feel.. watch out if you challenge it, four years ago, a fellow moved in and tried to create a monopoly with a huge diving resort, and when he got too cocky he was shot outside the 7/11... not sponsored by the king but yeah, don't mess.... because of the diving it is not overwhelmed with the party feel and the beach and coral reefs are well protected.. the beach is not on much of a slope so it allows for wading in the water with the sunset in the distance ahhhhh , so what if it was just ryan and I?
We have to throw a shout out to our Moraga California friends Carly and Julia (Ry's childhood schoolmates) for showing us the ropes and encouraging me to try my first thai salad, mm!
with such beauty at hand we felt it was time for some snorkeling. We were promised some shark viewing along the south coast but the visibility was a bit rough with all the sand, I was craving an adventure so i decided instead of taxing to the next dive spot, i would travel and snorkel along the rocky coast to the next beach, a decision helped by the theft of my lovely sandals the night before.. Ryan, being sensible, and having a bag to tend to, laughed at me but also offered support, you know, like the i don't want to have to deal with the paperwork if you die out there kinda support
so I'm off, a journey that lasted 2 beaches, three point breaks and a lot of climbing.. the snorkeling was amazing, huge reefs, flounders the size of my torso, pointy nosed fish that swim a little to shallow for my liking.. i never felt in danger, but i also never let my guard down.. the feeling you have when your climbing a tree as a kid... the tides you have to respect, i tried to go back on the rocks at one point and started to get tossed, after that i promised my self i would swim the rest of the way, 2km or so and i met ryan, who let out a laugh and a sigh of relief! it was a blast, in such developed islands, its rewarding trying to find peace or solidarity alongside the landscapes, besides running into the odd plastic bag which i mistook for a jelly fish, or avoiding a broken bottle amongst the rocks, it was my untouched paradise.
Little did we know that the beach we choose to go to was private with no foreign snorkels, and permission needed... as they saw me struggling up to the shore i think they were flexible with their rules... the interesting thing about private beaches that we found out was women are much more inclined to bath topless = 0 .. Ryan and I took it in stride and there were no looks.... 1.) we didn't have sunglasses to hide behind 2.) peripheral vision is hindered when the sun is bright and low and, 3.) we''re proper gentlemen as you all know!
We plan to take adam here when he returns and we'll see if we might do a scuba diving course.. As of now were preparing for a beach that claims to hold between 10-30,ooo partyers, the full moon in Kho Phanang... aaawow! we'll be safe Mrs. Farrell and mom...
To come, Ryan and I want to get away from the beach and spend a week or so inland in one of the oldest rainforests in the world, to give an example of the biodiversity it has over 30 species of bats! I'll take plenty of photo's.. suz I'll try to learn some bio lingo so i can really get into what we see... love the treks so it could take up some time.. were skipping Samui, Phuket and Krabi to do so.. people turned us off on them for their number of '"girly bars"and the concrete jungle that has recently emerged.. Chillytown, you been barrelled yet?
Sunday, March 25, 2007
words
We haven't said much about what we've been doing over the last couple of weeks, but Adam's been good about giving you an idea through the pictures....his patience deserves credit considering it takes 5 minutes to download just one onto the blog. I figured I could offer some words to go along with the pictures.
So, there was Cambodia, about 2 weeks, 3 cities, and filled to the brim. I told you a little about Sihanoukville on the coast....beach beach beach. Then Phnom Penh, the dirty crazy capitol. I guess what stands out to us, and what may be of interest to you, was seeing the Killing Fields and the S-21 prison. I don't really want to go into the history of it all, mostly because I don't have the energy to take out the Lonely Planet Guide and copy it word for word, but maybe all you need to know is this: from 1975-79, Pol Pot's regime managed to kill a lot of people indiscriminately and gruesomely. He wanted a classless society, so he tried to eradicate the classes....if you were educated, you were in trouble, so doctors, lawyers, anyone that could speak a foreign language, were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. And it goes without saying that any political opposition was met with a heavy hand. If a person was guilty, his/her entire family would be considered so, and not just one's immediate family but cousins, uncles, aunts, and perhaps even more distant relatives were at risk. In effect, the regime took pity on no one. In fact, at the S-21 prison the entire first floor is full of the pictures of prisoners (the mug shots that the regime took for their records), and in whole sections of the walls you find only young faces with scared and confused eyes. We saw children as young as 6 or 7. It was crazy, room after room was full of these mug shots, and it was....I don't know....interesting..... to just run your eyes across them seeing eyes, noses, and ears that you might find on anyone out in the street. People that looked like people we've met. That might seem obvious, but that was the most chilling part of it all.....not the pictures of mangled bodies (which were on display as well), but of normal healthy faces perhaps awaiting their fate.
Before visiting the S-21 Prison, we went to the Killing Fields where thousands were executed and buried in mass graves (I think there were around 120 graves). Just a field that one might mistake for a park, except for the giant stupa in the middle filled with level after level of human skulls, to the point where you have to strain your eyes and neck just to see to the top. It was the first time I've ever seen a human skull and I thinkI got my fill. I wasn't sure really what one does in a situation like this......... I took pictures........ but that seemed inappropriate somehow. They separated the skulls into categories like "juvenile women aged 18-25" or "adult men aged 25-40" ....that seemed strange for some reason.
It was hard to connect all this. Like if there was just one picture of one of my family members at the prison, I would be inconsolable, but somehow we're able to walk through room after room of pictures and stare at hundreds of skulls, and afterwards we can still laugh and eat. Almost every Cambodian had at least one family member--and in many instances 3 or 4--fall victim and I can't imagine what it would be like for them to do the same tour we did....... we saw both in one day.
Ok then, so next was Siam Reap in the north where the famous Angkor Wat ruins are. It was the center of Southeast Asia from the 8th c. to the 14th c. .....I can't tell you much more than that. The ruins are all stone temples. For me, it felt like a playground for big kids.
The place is absolutely enormous. You can buy a 3 day pass, which many people do, because it's impossible to see all in one day. We went for the sunset one night, which is free if you buy a pass for the next day, and then the next morning for the sunrise (I know......). Pretty funny though because there was neither, we'll just call it a set and a rise. In the morning it was storming with thunder, lightning, and heavy rains.....I don't know what compelled us to stick with our plans, but we did. The place to see the sunrise is at the main temple, Angkor Wat (the biggest religious building in the world) and most people stay at the entrance to watch the sun rise over the towers, but I figured there would be nothing to see from there and decided to venture into the temple by myself. You have no idea how busy this place gets during the day, but when I went I was the only person in there, and I emphasize only. It was scary climbing the steep steps to get in and then wandering through the gray vacant stone rooms all around the temple. It was one of the more amazing moments of my trip even though I was pissing my pants the whole time. I was sure I would run into the lost soul of some improperly buried monk who would threaten me with an eternal curse if I didn't help him.....but it didn't happen, at least I don't remember it happening.
I don't want to talk to much more about all the temples and our long day wandering around because I've already written a novel (which I'm sorry about....maybe split the reading up into two or something) and because you just need to see it anyways. One final word about it though: Jesse almost got kicked by a horse.....there's a couple just grazing, he decides to feed one at my encouragement he do so, he makes too quick a move, the horse wheels around and throws the back legs at him, but Jesse swiftly maneuvers out of the way with the funniest look on his face.... if those legs had landed, he would not be providing little Jesse Dills to this world....... the moment is forever with me.
So, that was Cambodia. We got into Bangkok a couple days ago after the longest bus trip of our lives. There's no pavement from Siam Reap 6 hours to the border of Thailand. If there had been an earthquake, it would've felt normal. We almost drove into a muddy lake, and we saw an enormous fire burning through a few Cambodian stores in Poi Pet..... that's the story. More to come. Farewell, Adam.
So, there was Cambodia, about 2 weeks, 3 cities, and filled to the brim. I told you a little about Sihanoukville on the coast....beach beach beach. Then Phnom Penh, the dirty crazy capitol. I guess what stands out to us, and what may be of interest to you, was seeing the Killing Fields and the S-21 prison. I don't really want to go into the history of it all, mostly because I don't have the energy to take out the Lonely Planet Guide and copy it word for word, but maybe all you need to know is this: from 1975-79, Pol Pot's regime managed to kill a lot of people indiscriminately and gruesomely. He wanted a classless society, so he tried to eradicate the classes....if you were educated, you were in trouble, so doctors, lawyers, anyone that could speak a foreign language, were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. And it goes without saying that any political opposition was met with a heavy hand. If a person was guilty, his/her entire family would be considered so, and not just one's immediate family but cousins, uncles, aunts, and perhaps even more distant relatives were at risk. In effect, the regime took pity on no one. In fact, at the S-21 prison the entire first floor is full of the pictures of prisoners (the mug shots that the regime took for their records), and in whole sections of the walls you find only young faces with scared and confused eyes. We saw children as young as 6 or 7. It was crazy, room after room was full of these mug shots, and it was....I don't know....interesting..... to just run your eyes across them seeing eyes, noses, and ears that you might find on anyone out in the street. People that looked like people we've met. That might seem obvious, but that was the most chilling part of it all.....not the pictures of mangled bodies (which were on display as well), but of normal healthy faces perhaps awaiting their fate.
Before visiting the S-21 Prison, we went to the Killing Fields where thousands were executed and buried in mass graves (I think there were around 120 graves). Just a field that one might mistake for a park, except for the giant stupa in the middle filled with level after level of human skulls, to the point where you have to strain your eyes and neck just to see to the top. It was the first time I've ever seen a human skull and I thinkI got my fill. I wasn't sure really what one does in a situation like this......... I took pictures........ but that seemed inappropriate somehow. They separated the skulls into categories like "juvenile women aged 18-25" or "adult men aged 25-40" ....that seemed strange for some reason.
It was hard to connect all this. Like if there was just one picture of one of my family members at the prison, I would be inconsolable, but somehow we're able to walk through room after room of pictures and stare at hundreds of skulls, and afterwards we can still laugh and eat. Almost every Cambodian had at least one family member--and in many instances 3 or 4--fall victim and I can't imagine what it would be like for them to do the same tour we did....... we saw both in one day.
Ok then, so next was Siam Reap in the north where the famous Angkor Wat ruins are. It was the center of Southeast Asia from the 8th c. to the 14th c. .....I can't tell you much more than that. The ruins are all stone temples. For me, it felt like a playground for big kids.
The place is absolutely enormous. You can buy a 3 day pass, which many people do, because it's impossible to see all in one day. We went for the sunset one night, which is free if you buy a pass for the next day, and then the next morning for the sunrise (I know......). Pretty funny though because there was neither, we'll just call it a set and a rise. In the morning it was storming with thunder, lightning, and heavy rains.....I don't know what compelled us to stick with our plans, but we did. The place to see the sunrise is at the main temple, Angkor Wat (the biggest religious building in the world) and most people stay at the entrance to watch the sun rise over the towers, but I figured there would be nothing to see from there and decided to venture into the temple by myself. You have no idea how busy this place gets during the day, but when I went I was the only person in there, and I emphasize only. It was scary climbing the steep steps to get in and then wandering through the gray vacant stone rooms all around the temple. It was one of the more amazing moments of my trip even though I was pissing my pants the whole time. I was sure I would run into the lost soul of some improperly buried monk who would threaten me with an eternal curse if I didn't help him.....but it didn't happen, at least I don't remember it happening.
I don't want to talk to much more about all the temples and our long day wandering around because I've already written a novel (which I'm sorry about....maybe split the reading up into two or something) and because you just need to see it anyways. One final word about it though: Jesse almost got kicked by a horse.....there's a couple just grazing, he decides to feed one at my encouragement he do so, he makes too quick a move, the horse wheels around and throws the back legs at him, but Jesse swiftly maneuvers out of the way with the funniest look on his face.... if those legs had landed, he would not be providing little Jesse Dills to this world....... the moment is forever with me.
So, that was Cambodia. We got into Bangkok a couple days ago after the longest bus trip of our lives. There's no pavement from Siam Reap 6 hours to the border of Thailand. If there had been an earthquake, it would've felt normal. We almost drove into a muddy lake, and we saw an enormous fire burning through a few Cambodian stores in Poi Pet..... that's the story. More to come. Farewell, Adam.
Heading South
Well, we have just about a month left in our trip. We've done the circle, now it's time we spend some time on the south beaches, and in the sun. This is where the crew splits into two. Me going to Bali for 2 and a half weeks, Jesse and Ryan in southern Thailand and maybe meeting me in Malaysia when I come back. Keep commenting, we enjoy everyone we get. We'll try to keep the photos and the posts coming. I hope this 22 hour train ride to Malaysia doesn't get the best of me.
Angkor Photos
1) Angkor Wat at sunset. 2) Angkor Wat. 3) Bayon. 4) It's the crew! Bayon faces. 5) Somewhere in the Angkor Empire
Cambodia Photos
1) The ghettos of Pnomh aka our guesthouse neighbourhood 2) Sihanoukville. Morning swims, not showers. 3) Skulls from the Killing Fields of Choung Ek. Victims burried in mass graves, and murdered usually with blunt objects to save ammunition. Skulls used in a comemorative stupa. 4) Khmer Rouge Prison S-21 at Tuol Sleng - "Hill of the Poison Tree." Was know as "the place where people go in but never come out," and used for interrogation, torture, and execution (aprox. 17,000 murdered). 5) Ryan sharking at Phnom Penh guesthouse. Way to go Ry, what good form! D=\
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Laos Photos
1) The Mekong, Waterfalls - Luang Prabang, Laos National Monument, Buddah Park - Vietntiane, Plain of Jars - Phonsavan
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Northwest Kampuchea
We're not spending too much time in Cambodia, but the time spent has been memorable, and eye-opening. The level of poverty that has overwhealmed a lot of families is noticeable everwhere you go. It is depressing seeing little kids forced by their parents to go out in the streets in the middle of hot afternoons and late nights to either sell beaded jewelry, postcards, and sunglasses or beg for US dollars. Usually these kids are younger than 10, often as young as 4 or 5, and sometimes holding small babies. Looking into their eyes you see the beauty in Cambodia in the people, but at the same time feel the desperation. If anything, you can look at and almost touch the wealth gap here as if it's tangible.
Unfortunately, we're almost out of Cambodia though. We leave for Bangkok tomorrow - completing our little SEA tourist circle, before heading south. I've said I was gonna post photos a little while ago - I'm sorry, you know how it is. My memory card is all full, so I'll try and unload and upload today, and if not, when we get to Bangkok. We've missed a lot in picture, so I'll upload in a few posts, all the places I think you'll enjoy most - Angkor being last, which someone can explain then, even though pictures are worth 1000 of these little things I'm using.
Peace, pictures soon.
Unfortunately, we're almost out of Cambodia though. We leave for Bangkok tomorrow - completing our little SEA tourist circle, before heading south. I've said I was gonna post photos a little while ago - I'm sorry, you know how it is. My memory card is all full, so I'll try and unload and upload today, and if not, when we get to Bangkok. We've missed a lot in picture, so I'll upload in a few posts, all the places I think you'll enjoy most - Angkor being last, which someone can explain then, even though pictures are worth 1000 of these little things I'm using.
Peace, pictures soon.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
cambodia
It's a wild place. As much of a culture shock coming from Vietnam to Cambodia as it was coming from San Francisco to Bangkok. In Vietnam we experienced the most luxury of our whole trip....guesthouses being the best measure for us, we had TV in every room often with 60 channels, soft beds, A/C in a couple places, western toilets, soap/shampoo, even toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Cambodia though....right now (we're in a beach town called Sihanoukville), we each have our own room, prison cells, on the second floor of a restaurant/bar....just a mat, a blanket and a mosquito net. There's about 10 kittens that like to bat around cockroaches on the floor outside the rooms. When you come up, they scurry into the closest room through the cracks and holes in the walls and doors. A few of the rooms are their favorites probably because those are the rooms they were born in....... I think my room is one of those. Oh, and rats too.
It's disgustingly hot at night with no reprieve. When I got into bed last night, it was sandy, but it wasn't me who brought it in........you're sweaty, you're sandy and even if you take a shower right before bed, you don't escape the cycle. You pretty much treat the skin on your body like it's the bottom of your foot.
Because and despite of all this, I think Cambodia will end up being our favorite country. Nothing is watered down, nothing is kept out of sight.
The people, too, are so different....they look different.... in the other countries we've visited, people protect themselves from the sun because whiter skin is considered more beautiful, a symbol of one's social class, but here everyone is so dark. Some look Indian, others African, and others Mexican. Their hair is wiry and curly. It looks like they've been here for a long time.
Like I said, the realities of this place aren't kept out of sight, and there's a lot of tragedy in this poor country. There are many beggars on the beaches and on the streets, tired mothers with babies, amputees, paraplegic kids with only crutches, and blind men with untrained seeing eye dogs who trot along with a bucket in their teeth for change.
There's less of a buffer here so that it's all here for you, the good and the bad.....everything in between.
Cambodia though....right now (we're in a beach town called Sihanoukville), we each have our own room, prison cells, on the second floor of a restaurant/bar....just a mat, a blanket and a mosquito net. There's about 10 kittens that like to bat around cockroaches on the floor outside the rooms. When you come up, they scurry into the closest room through the cracks and holes in the walls and doors. A few of the rooms are their favorites probably because those are the rooms they were born in....... I think my room is one of those. Oh, and rats too.
It's disgustingly hot at night with no reprieve. When I got into bed last night, it was sandy, but it wasn't me who brought it in........you're sweaty, you're sandy and even if you take a shower right before bed, you don't escape the cycle. You pretty much treat the skin on your body like it's the bottom of your foot.
Because and despite of all this, I think Cambodia will end up being our favorite country. Nothing is watered down, nothing is kept out of sight.
The people, too, are so different....they look different.... in the other countries we've visited, people protect themselves from the sun because whiter skin is considered more beautiful, a symbol of one's social class, but here everyone is so dark. Some look Indian, others African, and others Mexican. Their hair is wiry and curly. It looks like they've been here for a long time.
Like I said, the realities of this place aren't kept out of sight, and there's a lot of tragedy in this poor country. There are many beggars on the beaches and on the streets, tired mothers with babies, amputees, paraplegic kids with only crutches, and blind men with untrained seeing eye dogs who trot along with a bucket in their teeth for change.
There's less of a buffer here so that it's all here for you, the good and the bad.....everything in between.
First Class
We usually don't splurge too much out here. The food is usually what's cheapest on the menu (fried rice, noodles), and you should see some of these garbage dumps, I mean rooms that we stay in. But we're budgeting well, eating a variety of different foods, and usually not spending too much time in our rooms. We splurge on occaison. Like today. We went to a shopping district where we spent an hour playing video games (I'm a wizard on Raiden 2, and pack a mean haymaker that's now the high score in Saigon's Diamond Plaza), then went to a restaurant - the classiest place me and ryan have eaten here - Dill wouldn't even come in! That's how classy this place was. Hostesses at the front showing you your table, great view, good service. You might have heard of the place - Pizza Hut. Try the Hawaiin.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
I love our crew
So Ry and I are just checking some mail quick in our lobby where we get free internet... in minutes, before the passwords are entereed, Ryan is asked, "excuse me, how much for a roooom?" in slow, well pernounced form from someone expecting an answer in broken english.. we both started laughing before she even asked, because it has become the norm for him, the joke ended as Ry's Viatnemese brother informed her they were full
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Mid Vietnamese Update
I plan on writing often, but there's a lot that gets in the way over here: Travelling on long, cramped busses down the coast, headaches, the runs. It's usually not because our schedules are too cramped or we've been having too much fun, because there's internet cafes on every block of every town (almost not kidding). Right now we're in Hoi An, just making our way down coastal Vietnam, while chillin in the main towns along the way. Hoi An's known for the fabrics - any kind of clothing you want, they'll pretty much tailor it for you and have it made the next day. Imagine flipping through like, a sears catalogue blowout sale, everything 80% off. We haven't actually bought anything though, except for a few t-shirts and some books, saying that we'll do it up in Saigon or Bangkok. I guess the plan is if we have any dollas left, we'll go nutty in Bangkok for clothes and souvenirs.
We bounce to Nha Trang in a few hours - the real beach city. WE've seen some nice beaches and surf in Danang and Hoi An, but Nha Trang is supposed to really be off the rocker. We'll be snorkeling beach bums for a few days down there before hitting Saigon, then off through the dirt roads of Cambodia. I've booked a plane ticket to Bali on March 28 (+1 happy birthday chortfest) for a few weeks of hanging loose on perfect peelers. Jesse and Ryan are thinking about it, but it might be where we part ways for a while.
Hope everything's good on the other side of the world. Till next. Pce.
We bounce to Nha Trang in a few hours - the real beach city. WE've seen some nice beaches and surf in Danang and Hoi An, but Nha Trang is supposed to really be off the rocker. We'll be snorkeling beach bums for a few days down there before hitting Saigon, then off through the dirt roads of Cambodia. I've booked a plane ticket to Bali on March 28 (+1 happy birthday chortfest) for a few weeks of hanging loose on perfect peelers. Jesse and Ryan are thinking about it, but it might be where we part ways for a while.
Hope everything's good on the other side of the world. Till next. Pce.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Rainy Day in Hanoi
Today Adam and I strolled down to the Cineplex and watched the hit musical, Dream Girls. It was splendid. How about that talent Jennifer Hudson- great story.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Wide open eyes in Laos
The Northeast of Laos: best to comment on it now before the sprawling urban life of Hanoi fogs my memory.. there is certainly enough for both Ryan and I discuss on the blog
Several reasons distinguishing this area from others we have been.. the first- its off the main tourist trail.. its not that we urn to get away from it but i felt more responsible for my well being, the whole experience was definnetly a bit more raw (no pun intended when comparing food markets).... however, you cant escape all modern living as the difference from years ago is now market owners are on their cell phones as they chop up a pig fresh off the bike
Secondly- we all felt it was important to explore the landscape that now stands as a symbol of the secret war during the American-Vietnam war in the 1960's and early 70's.. .Northeast Laos was littered with explosives day and night for about five years and now holds the title of the most bombed nation in the world... they call it a secret war because only after did America admit to bombing outside Vietnam... What was the goal? our guide told us it was becuase the lands has been mistaken for the Ho Chi Min Trail..... our short literature on the subject explains how the US thought of Laos as a centerpeice to fending off Communism in SE Asia (domino theory).. and some dinner conversation brought up the fact that planes flying back to base after bombing missions would have to abandon any bombs still aboard and Laos was unfortunately on the flight plane... as in most cases, I would imagine its a mesh of all three
The main realization i made was that the effects of war are never transient ... 100 Laos people die each year from the bombs and the US still provides all funding to strip the land of UXO (Unexploded ordanance), nothing of major significance is ever really 'in the past' ...
As proof, the UXO has become somewhat of a culture in these towns, particularly Phonsavan.. the shells could be found supporting a house, split and filled with coals to cook up a roast (aka bomb bbq) and has been exploited for any economic gain... craters are stripped of all metals as Vietnam offers Laos 50 cents for every kilogram to remake into spoons and such.. not much but viable
to unwind we went to this little arcade and enjoyed some 1945 and Street Fighter with some youngsters... When we had become saturated with gaming ryan still had plenty of coupons (see the movie "the wizard" for a comparison to what he brought to the controls) so he passed them on to a child pretending to play but wasnt in control as the 'insert coins' was still flashing, we all did this as kids, but in this case the child thanked ryan.. walked to the counter and exchanged the coupons for a few cents.. and returned to being perfectly content hanging over the screen and admirering the computers play.. poor but always smiling and happy
Vieng Xai a day later... It is a town surrounded by vertical limestone mountains that are littered with caves. It was a hideout for the leading political figures- and damn- with a little determination a cave can turn into a palace! these residences were equipped with bedrooms, makeshift kitchens, boardrooms, landscape representations for strategy, a library equipped with the full Lenin collection and even a secret emergency room! we missed the nuclear scare so these hallways of sealed door behind sealed door with an air filter inside seemed quite foreign... no wonder canned food was flying off the shelves in these days...
Lastly, our travels through these regions have made us realize the gaps that need to be filled when we return...but for now were enjoying the entertainment of fiction too much as it helps us get through the long journeys, we all enjoyed "the island", thanks jeff!
Several reasons distinguishing this area from others we have been.. the first- its off the main tourist trail.. its not that we urn to get away from it but i felt more responsible for my well being, the whole experience was definnetly a bit more raw (no pun intended when comparing food markets).... however, you cant escape all modern living as the difference from years ago is now market owners are on their cell phones as they chop up a pig fresh off the bike
Secondly- we all felt it was important to explore the landscape that now stands as a symbol of the secret war during the American-Vietnam war in the 1960's and early 70's.. .Northeast Laos was littered with explosives day and night for about five years and now holds the title of the most bombed nation in the world... they call it a secret war because only after did America admit to bombing outside Vietnam... What was the goal? our guide told us it was becuase the lands has been mistaken for the Ho Chi Min Trail..... our short literature on the subject explains how the US thought of Laos as a centerpeice to fending off Communism in SE Asia (domino theory).. and some dinner conversation brought up the fact that planes flying back to base after bombing missions would have to abandon any bombs still aboard and Laos was unfortunately on the flight plane... as in most cases, I would imagine its a mesh of all three
The main realization i made was that the effects of war are never transient ... 100 Laos people die each year from the bombs and the US still provides all funding to strip the land of UXO (Unexploded ordanance), nothing of major significance is ever really 'in the past' ...
As proof, the UXO has become somewhat of a culture in these towns, particularly Phonsavan.. the shells could be found supporting a house, split and filled with coals to cook up a roast (aka bomb bbq) and has been exploited for any economic gain... craters are stripped of all metals as Vietnam offers Laos 50 cents for every kilogram to remake into spoons and such.. not much but viable
to unwind we went to this little arcade and enjoyed some 1945 and Street Fighter with some youngsters... When we had become saturated with gaming ryan still had plenty of coupons (see the movie "the wizard" for a comparison to what he brought to the controls) so he passed them on to a child pretending to play but wasnt in control as the 'insert coins' was still flashing, we all did this as kids, but in this case the child thanked ryan.. walked to the counter and exchanged the coupons for a few cents.. and returned to being perfectly content hanging over the screen and admirering the computers play.. poor but always smiling and happy
Vieng Xai a day later... It is a town surrounded by vertical limestone mountains that are littered with caves. It was a hideout for the leading political figures- and damn- with a little determination a cave can turn into a palace! these residences were equipped with bedrooms, makeshift kitchens, boardrooms, landscape representations for strategy, a library equipped with the full Lenin collection and even a secret emergency room! we missed the nuclear scare so these hallways of sealed door behind sealed door with an air filter inside seemed quite foreign... no wonder canned food was flying off the shelves in these days...
Lastly, our travels through these regions have made us realize the gaps that need to be filled when we return...but for now were enjoying the entertainment of fiction too much as it helps us get through the long journeys, we all enjoyed "the island", thanks jeff!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Eastward
Hanoi!!! In every email I've written, Hanoi is followed by exclamation marks.....not so much the city that deserves it (we'll find that out soon) but just the jubilation that we've made it. It's been a journey indeed, and looking at the map, it seems that our trip out here from western Laos will probably be one of the only times we'll be off the tourist trail. Perhaps "fun" isn't the right word to use, but I think we're all happy to have done it even if we're relieved it's over. So here's the story:
We head north from Vientiane 4 hours to Vang Vien where we had already been. One night there. Then straight east to the dirty center of Laos, Phonsovan. Oh man, dirt dirt dirt. You drive or walk down the street and you think the plants on the side are dead, looks like it's fall, but really they're just dusty. They don't rely on the rain so much for nutrients as they do for a good shower. Phonsovan itself is one long strip, a one-storied town that struck me as country western. Besides just a place to stay on the way, we were there to see the Plain of Jars... Jesse's material though.... Other than that, we spent the nights playing pool and video games at this one joint (man, i suck at pool...it's depressing). We stayed at this guesthouse with a thousand rooms, all of them vacant, algae green ceilings and dirty wallpaper floors....just asking to be haunted....
Then east again to a town called Xamneua. A winding journey out of the plains of Laos into the mountains. Up mountains, down valleys, run to the edge and back up, around and around mountains, through passes. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Jungles, forests, tiny villages....men staring, children playing, women carrying loads of jungle and earth, cows chomping and crossing, dogs sleeping, chickens looking stupid. 8 hours of this on bus benches trying to contort one's body into any sleeping position.
Xamneua: A college town without the college, at least that's how it felt to me as we rolled in from the mountains.... all tired french architecture with green, red, and blue roofs. At any one time, there was no more than 10 foreigners in town and on our last full day, I'm pretty sure we were the only ones until the next bus rolled in at nightfall. There's really not much there except for the old Communist caves in Vieng Xai (an hour out of town), which Jesse's talking about..... that and the market where we bought the most delicious mangos.... God's nectar....... we were eating 10 a day. We stayed in a nice little guesthouse for $3 a night, but there were only 2 single beds so Adam had to lay squished in the corner on the ground.... I have to give him credit for his cheapness..... we said he could sleep there and not pay anything for the room, and he did it for 3 nights.
Pretty much our time in Xamneua was spent reading and wondering/worrying about our trip over the border into Hanoi: it's the Tet New Year which is celebrated all over Southeast Asia and lasts for up to a week, it's most celebrated in Vietnam where everything shuts down, including buses. So, we figured we could make it to the border, but we had no idea if we could make it anywhere past there. We had heard rumors too that the closest town in Vietnam from the border was 53km away; we saw ourselves either huddled up in the Vietnamese jungle overnight or hitchiking in vain over hundreds of Km to Hanoi. Either way we were going for it because there was no way we were staying another night in Xamneua, plus we HAD to make it for the celebrations in Hanoi.
A 3 hour ride in a truck to the border over bumpy, dusty roads at 6 in the morning. Excited to be heading into the next country on our list. Passports stamped and we walk into Vietnam. Of course, we were right, no buses. Our only option is to hire a van for $15 each to a town halfway to Hanoi and hope for a bus there. I felt bad because we were taking this guy away from his family on his New Year, but his brother/friend said this job was bringing good luck to his family, so it was all right. 4 hours over one-lane windy roads through the greenest jungles I've ever seen.... villages every couple minutes and rice paddies forever. We get into a town called Mai Chau in the afternoon and discover quickly that there are no buses running. No one speaks English in this town. Guys are offering to take us the next 4 hours into Hanoi on the back of their motorbikes. Women are trying to sell us pig hoof. We're depressed. There are no restaurants open which absolutely devastates Jesse, and so we end up eating crackers and instant noodles, which the hotel crew was nice enough to heat up for us, and also these peanuts which all the locals refused to eat for some reason and just shook their heads when we bought them.....we have no idea why, but one guy motioned to us that they make your armpits smell really bad....but we survived. We resign ourselves to taking the first bus out of there in the morning at 6. A hot, sweaty sleep with mosquitoes measuring us up from the ceiling. In the morning, we wake up excited to get the hell out, pack up, and walk out to discover the gate is locked and us appropriately locked in. Adam scales the wall to begin the escape when a girl arrives with the keys. We make it out and on to the bus where we wait for the departure watching dead pigs get butchered up by shirtless men joking with each other in the early morning light. In minutes, we're snaking our way through the morning fog with internal smiles jubilant to finally, finally, finally get to Hanoi.
More to come about the destination.
Sorry about the length of this, but I love to hear myself talk.
We head north from Vientiane 4 hours to Vang Vien where we had already been. One night there. Then straight east to the dirty center of Laos, Phonsovan. Oh man, dirt dirt dirt. You drive or walk down the street and you think the plants on the side are dead, looks like it's fall, but really they're just dusty. They don't rely on the rain so much for nutrients as they do for a good shower. Phonsovan itself is one long strip, a one-storied town that struck me as country western. Besides just a place to stay on the way, we were there to see the Plain of Jars... Jesse's material though.... Other than that, we spent the nights playing pool and video games at this one joint (man, i suck at pool...it's depressing). We stayed at this guesthouse with a thousand rooms, all of them vacant, algae green ceilings and dirty wallpaper floors....just asking to be haunted....
Then east again to a town called Xamneua. A winding journey out of the plains of Laos into the mountains. Up mountains, down valleys, run to the edge and back up, around and around mountains, through passes. Repeat and repeat and repeat. Jungles, forests, tiny villages....men staring, children playing, women carrying loads of jungle and earth, cows chomping and crossing, dogs sleeping, chickens looking stupid. 8 hours of this on bus benches trying to contort one's body into any sleeping position.
Xamneua: A college town without the college, at least that's how it felt to me as we rolled in from the mountains.... all tired french architecture with green, red, and blue roofs. At any one time, there was no more than 10 foreigners in town and on our last full day, I'm pretty sure we were the only ones until the next bus rolled in at nightfall. There's really not much there except for the old Communist caves in Vieng Xai (an hour out of town), which Jesse's talking about..... that and the market where we bought the most delicious mangos.... God's nectar....... we were eating 10 a day. We stayed in a nice little guesthouse for $3 a night, but there were only 2 single beds so Adam had to lay squished in the corner on the ground.... I have to give him credit for his cheapness..... we said he could sleep there and not pay anything for the room, and he did it for 3 nights.
Pretty much our time in Xamneua was spent reading and wondering/worrying about our trip over the border into Hanoi: it's the Tet New Year which is celebrated all over Southeast Asia and lasts for up to a week, it's most celebrated in Vietnam where everything shuts down, including buses. So, we figured we could make it to the border, but we had no idea if we could make it anywhere past there. We had heard rumors too that the closest town in Vietnam from the border was 53km away; we saw ourselves either huddled up in the Vietnamese jungle overnight or hitchiking in vain over hundreds of Km to Hanoi. Either way we were going for it because there was no way we were staying another night in Xamneua, plus we HAD to make it for the celebrations in Hanoi.
A 3 hour ride in a truck to the border over bumpy, dusty roads at 6 in the morning. Excited to be heading into the next country on our list. Passports stamped and we walk into Vietnam. Of course, we were right, no buses. Our only option is to hire a van for $15 each to a town halfway to Hanoi and hope for a bus there. I felt bad because we were taking this guy away from his family on his New Year, but his brother/friend said this job was bringing good luck to his family, so it was all right. 4 hours over one-lane windy roads through the greenest jungles I've ever seen.... villages every couple minutes and rice paddies forever. We get into a town called Mai Chau in the afternoon and discover quickly that there are no buses running. No one speaks English in this town. Guys are offering to take us the next 4 hours into Hanoi on the back of their motorbikes. Women are trying to sell us pig hoof. We're depressed. There are no restaurants open which absolutely devastates Jesse, and so we end up eating crackers and instant noodles, which the hotel crew was nice enough to heat up for us, and also these peanuts which all the locals refused to eat for some reason and just shook their heads when we bought them.....we have no idea why, but one guy motioned to us that they make your armpits smell really bad....but we survived. We resign ourselves to taking the first bus out of there in the morning at 6. A hot, sweaty sleep with mosquitoes measuring us up from the ceiling. In the morning, we wake up excited to get the hell out, pack up, and walk out to discover the gate is locked and us appropriately locked in. Adam scales the wall to begin the escape when a girl arrives with the keys. We make it out and on to the bus where we wait for the departure watching dead pigs get butchered up by shirtless men joking with each other in the early morning light. In minutes, we're snaking our way through the morning fog with internal smiles jubilant to finally, finally, finally get to Hanoi.
More to come about the destination.
Sorry about the length of this, but I love to hear myself talk.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
flippin pancakes!!
hey how y'all doin?
my name is Billy and this is a guest blog for Adam,Ryan and Jesse.
I met these guys on the slow boat to luang Prabang and have been hangin with them for a week or so now. a couple of nights ago Jesse said to me "do u fancy drinking some whiskey tonight?". So Jesse, Adam and i got stuck in and drank most of the bottle before hitting a bar and heading to a crazy club in a plush hotel. (the hotel was frequented by adam and "brown" or "red" depending on the night!) After a crazy night filled with drunken shannanigans i came out of the club with "yellow" and came across Jesse in the car park, behind a pancake stand. It became obvious rather quickly Jesse was wasted!, hammered, past the point of no return!!
Yellow and i were laughing at Jesse's effort at makin pancake when brown pulled up in a flash lookin car with her pimp and some other laos people.
This took my attention from the pancake situation for a minute, as they surrounded the pancakestand. When i looked back at jesse he had began to cook his pancake and there was now a pile of egg n pancake mush on the hotplate!
Dispite the mess and the look of bewilderment on the pancake guy's face, Jesse managed to sell his pancake for 10 G!!!!
Brown and her posse departed and Jesse had made his way to a tuk tuk so Yellow and i offered him a lift on her scooter.
now justpicture this..... a petite laos girl with two pissed up white guys on the back of her bike swerving all over because Jesse was "heavy"!!
anyways all in all we had a great night.
i look forward to crossing paths with these guys again in the future!!
peace out y'all
my name is Billy and this is a guest blog for Adam,Ryan and Jesse.
I met these guys on the slow boat to luang Prabang and have been hangin with them for a week or so now. a couple of nights ago Jesse said to me "do u fancy drinking some whiskey tonight?". So Jesse, Adam and i got stuck in and drank most of the bottle before hitting a bar and heading to a crazy club in a plush hotel. (the hotel was frequented by adam and "brown" or "red" depending on the night!) After a crazy night filled with drunken shannanigans i came out of the club with "yellow" and came across Jesse in the car park, behind a pancake stand. It became obvious rather quickly Jesse was wasted!, hammered, past the point of no return!!
Yellow and i were laughing at Jesse's effort at makin pancake when brown pulled up in a flash lookin car with her pimp and some other laos people.
This took my attention from the pancake situation for a minute, as they surrounded the pancakestand. When i looked back at jesse he had began to cook his pancake and there was now a pile of egg n pancake mush on the hotplate!
Dispite the mess and the look of bewilderment on the pancake guy's face, Jesse managed to sell his pancake for 10 G!!!!
Brown and her posse departed and Jesse had made his way to a tuk tuk so Yellow and i offered him a lift on her scooter.
now justpicture this..... a petite laos girl with two pissed up white guys on the back of her bike swerving all over because Jesse was "heavy"!!
anyways all in all we had a great night.
i look forward to crossing paths with these guys again in the future!!
peace out y'all
Vientiane Times
Laos has been chill. The scenery, temples, rivers, activities - definitely a beautiful place, with some beautfull humans. The last few days, we've been going out to a rooftop bar every night to watch some football (Lets go MANU!), play some pool (Dill's a closet shark and Ryan's been creeping in the shadows - I think he's the hustler..just a reaaallly slow one - he'll probably be murdering at the end of the trip...you read it here first), and enjoy some Beer Laos with some of the local/foreigner mix of fellas and fellitas. Bars close down a little early, but there's a classy club that's open late so we checked it out one night and cut a rug (y'know. can't stop. won't stop. uhuh, uhuh). Was a fun night anyways, even got to groove to some Lao jams.
In the day, nothing like kicking it by the river on a hot day, laying on pads, big umbrellas if needed, 7ups in big buckets of ice for 30 cents each, and a cozy little novel. Splendid.
In the day, nothing like kicking it by the river on a hot day, laying on pads, big umbrellas if needed, 7ups in big buckets of ice for 30 cents each, and a cozy little novel. Splendid.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Vientiane
Last day in Vientiane before we head East towards the promise land that Vietnam has come to represent for us. The coast, the beach, and the food. We aren't sure how much technology we'll encounter on our way over because it's not exactly the tourist trail, most people seem to fly from here to Hanoi.
I might be taking some material from Adam and Jesse who claimed they would blog yesterday or today..... so with that fear, ill try to keep it relatively short and a little specific.
Some sights from Vientiane:
The swimming pool. It's hot as hell here with no beaches and a dirty river, so we hit the pool. We didn't exactly escape the river though....just a big bowl filled with water from a hose, most likely straight from the river. No filtration of course. Leaves, twigs, and other tree droppings littered the surface. The deep end was murky. Our ventures in were short-lived.
Mini-golf. 18 holes squished within a lot smaller than our basement suite in Vic. The greens were concrete and each hole was bordered by a low guard rail....otherwise, the balls would just roll right off. We played skins in teams (each hole is worth money) and Adam and I took 17 of 18 from Jesse and our English friend Billy. I should say, however, that it was all Adam. It was 17 straight until the last whole where an embittered Jesse salvaged a little something with a hole in one. Funny place.
It hasn't all been western leisure in an eastern frame. Seen some temples. A park full of Buddhist and Hindu statues. Walked around, ate some food, and read some books. All in all, Vientiane's been a good time.
You might have to count a week before you hear from us again, and maybe we'll be in Vietnam when you do.
I might be taking some material from Adam and Jesse who claimed they would blog yesterday or today..... so with that fear, ill try to keep it relatively short and a little specific.
Some sights from Vientiane:
The swimming pool. It's hot as hell here with no beaches and a dirty river, so we hit the pool. We didn't exactly escape the river though....just a big bowl filled with water from a hose, most likely straight from the river. No filtration of course. Leaves, twigs, and other tree droppings littered the surface. The deep end was murky. Our ventures in were short-lived.
Mini-golf. 18 holes squished within a lot smaller than our basement suite in Vic. The greens were concrete and each hole was bordered by a low guard rail....otherwise, the balls would just roll right off. We played skins in teams (each hole is worth money) and Adam and I took 17 of 18 from Jesse and our English friend Billy. I should say, however, that it was all Adam. It was 17 straight until the last whole where an embittered Jesse salvaged a little something with a hole in one. Funny place.
It hasn't all been western leisure in an eastern frame. Seen some temples. A park full of Buddhist and Hindu statues. Walked around, ate some food, and read some books. All in all, Vientiane's been a good time.
You might have to count a week before you hear from us again, and maybe we'll be in Vietnam when you do.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Doctor's Note
Sorry about the time between posts, but we've all managed to fall victim to some stomach problems. First, it was Adam. He had to lay curled up, moaning in bed while Jesse and I took advantage of the river in Vang Vien (Northern Laos, just north of the capitol, Vien Tiane) tubing down and stopping at riverside bars along the way with rope swings and zip lines at each one. We were basking in our health until I bit the bullet that night. The early morning beers coupled with the late night beers apparently took their toll leaving me up all night clutching the toilet bowl.
So, there we were the next day, Adam and I with empty stomachs and angry headaches watching TV in our guesthouse (the first TV we've had, and we couldn't have been more thankful)..... HBO (Bewitched, Roxanne, Spanglish, Shark's Tale) and way too many soccer highlights. That night, Adam and I were both feeling better and were craving pizza, but that turned out to be a bad idea. Another night for me with the toilet bowl.
So Jesse was beaming of course, so proud of his superior immune system. But Humility found its way to him this morning and he's still getting acquainted.
So, there we were the next day, Adam and I with empty stomachs and angry headaches watching TV in our guesthouse (the first TV we've had, and we couldn't have been more thankful)..... HBO (Bewitched, Roxanne, Spanglish, Shark's Tale) and way too many soccer highlights. That night, Adam and I were both feeling better and were craving pizza, but that turned out to be a bad idea. Another night for me with the toilet bowl.
So Jesse was beaming of course, so proud of his superior immune system. But Humility found its way to him this morning and he's still getting acquainted.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thai eats
So, I figured we needed to talk about the food in Thailand and how we've been eating it considering it's still fresh in our minds....before we get too Laos on you.
I guess you always start with the general, so to sum it up it's been great, both in flavor and in the fact that that none of us have been puking our guts out....... yet (and now, the proverbial knock on wood.... I doubt that's a proverb) So yeah, tons of pad thai, tons of fried rice....we like to keep it cheap even though nothing costs over 4 dollars. In a sense, we've been playing it safe at the restaurants, not so much because we're cautious but just because there's a lesser number next to the pad thai, fried noodles and rice, and the soups which Jesse digs. No fish, no pig hoofs, no dog (haven't seen any....pass the word to Sadie, Metro, and Maren).
Jesse is by far the most adventrous of us opting for the street vendors before anything else, which i give him some credit for (I don't know why), but it's mostly because the guy needs to eat 10 Thai meals a day to satisfy his gut and the vendors are usually much cheaper. Adam and I dabble here and there though (especially here in Luang Prabang). In Thailand, Adam ate nothing but fried rice and pad thai... he needed a pad thai fix everyday and he's going through withdrawals here in Laos, getting all jumpy and hallucinating. As for me, I think Adam and Jesse think I'm anorexic simply because I've been sticking to three meals a day, but in my defense (which I have the liberty of offering seeing as how this is my post) I enjoy not overeating, which can be devastating in the heat. Also, I've vowed to supplement with fruits, but that hasn't happened at all.
As for the spices, we've all had some curries, but mostly watered down. I think I handle the spice better than the other 2 but that's definitely not saying much at all. One day in Pai before a bike ride, Jesse had this chili fried rice that he ate as fast as he could because it was so spicy. He didn't talk to us for half an hour; I think his brain was actually fried.
And as for any western food, we've pretty much avoided it except for the occasional sandwich and burger. Jesse actually ate a burger with his chili fried rice in Pai (he claims everyday that he's a "growing boy")....he ordered a BLT and they brought out a pork burger that a vampire couldn't penetrate. He ate it though, and then another lady brought out a BLT and he realized he ate someone else's pork jerky. There's plenty of other food stories that maybe we'll add in the commentary but I'll leave you with this for now.
I guess you always start with the general, so to sum it up it's been great, both in flavor and in the fact that that none of us have been puking our guts out....... yet (and now, the proverbial knock on wood.... I doubt that's a proverb) So yeah, tons of pad thai, tons of fried rice....we like to keep it cheap even though nothing costs over 4 dollars. In a sense, we've been playing it safe at the restaurants, not so much because we're cautious but just because there's a lesser number next to the pad thai, fried noodles and rice, and the soups which Jesse digs. No fish, no pig hoofs, no dog (haven't seen any....pass the word to Sadie, Metro, and Maren).
Jesse is by far the most adventrous of us opting for the street vendors before anything else, which i give him some credit for (I don't know why), but it's mostly because the guy needs to eat 10 Thai meals a day to satisfy his gut and the vendors are usually much cheaper. Adam and I dabble here and there though (especially here in Luang Prabang). In Thailand, Adam ate nothing but fried rice and pad thai... he needed a pad thai fix everyday and he's going through withdrawals here in Laos, getting all jumpy and hallucinating. As for me, I think Adam and Jesse think I'm anorexic simply because I've been sticking to three meals a day, but in my defense (which I have the liberty of offering seeing as how this is my post) I enjoy not overeating, which can be devastating in the heat. Also, I've vowed to supplement with fruits, but that hasn't happened at all.
As for the spices, we've all had some curries, but mostly watered down. I think I handle the spice better than the other 2 but that's definitely not saying much at all. One day in Pai before a bike ride, Jesse had this chili fried rice that he ate as fast as he could because it was so spicy. He didn't talk to us for half an hour; I think his brain was actually fried.
And as for any western food, we've pretty much avoided it except for the occasional sandwich and burger. Jesse actually ate a burger with his chili fried rice in Pai (he claims everyday that he's a "growing boy")....he ordered a BLT and they brought out a pork burger that a vampire couldn't penetrate. He ate it though, and then another lady brought out a BLT and he realized he ate someone else's pork jerky. There's plenty of other food stories that maybe we'll add in the commentary but I'll leave you with this for now.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
North...
Another day, same old, and yet totally different. Nothing's to be expected or regretted. Everything's to be experienced to the fullest. How else did you expect us to roll? Just a lot of fun, living here, living now, not thinking too hard about what's next. Just hoping for enough time left over for the south - Beaches, Bali? Who knows where we'll end up. Anything's plausible...I mean, we're already in the North of Thailand..can't get that much further out.
But we're thinking of everyone back home. Friends, family, moms and dads. Relax. We are.
Peace.
Pics In Order: Chiang Mai Zoo - hungry giraffes, Oh my buddha! Dill in prayer at Doi Suthep, Again, Muay Thai styles, The Chiang Rai chill shack (today).
Monday, January 22, 2007
Check off Chiang Mai
Adams flat tire was a set back yes, but I merely made the best of it =) I don't think the guys were bitter at me riding down the easy terrain while they walked... but maybe waiting for them with a cool beverage at each street side hut was a bit much... But hey, I was the first one to see where we should of turned off, and the first one to map out the turnoff to the pool... a leader you could say !
Now that I have defended myself-- all three of us are feeling refreshed and rested after a night in Chiang Mai... upon arrival we decided to get a taste of home with an enormous double cheese burger and fries. Overpriced yes, but tasty. The regret was that 10 minutes after our meal we discovered the biggest Sunday market in Thailand.... for the Victoria crowd, picture Douglas street lined with hundreds of vendors selling clothes, jewellrey, paintings, carvings etc etc and then all the parking lots crowded with food stands and people vying for a stool seat to eat their 25cent curry..... my fav was the green curry with coconut milk
Today is the last day we have to conquer Chiang Mai and it has involved the Zoo (great local species but as always, semi depressing).. the big attraction for the Thai people was refrigerated penguins.. the Zoo was only in passing on our way too Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.. a towering temple that you have to walk many steps to reach.. amazing stuff and a great view of the entire city, but unfortunately camera compatibility problems continue. They will start to come in piles.
Lastly, a quick shout out to Joe Brooker, who's Colts pulled out a stellar 2 minute drill to take their arch rival, the Patriots.... we caught the 4th quarter live at 10 am... If the super bowl is being televised in Loas, we'll find it!
Now that I have defended myself-- all three of us are feeling refreshed and rested after a night in Chiang Mai... upon arrival we decided to get a taste of home with an enormous double cheese burger and fries. Overpriced yes, but tasty. The regret was that 10 minutes after our meal we discovered the biggest Sunday market in Thailand.... for the Victoria crowd, picture Douglas street lined with hundreds of vendors selling clothes, jewellrey, paintings, carvings etc etc and then all the parking lots crowded with food stands and people vying for a stool seat to eat their 25cent curry..... my fav was the green curry with coconut milk
Today is the last day we have to conquer Chiang Mai and it has involved the Zoo (great local species but as always, semi depressing).. the big attraction for the Thai people was refrigerated penguins.. the Zoo was only in passing on our way too Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep.. a towering temple that you have to walk many steps to reach.. amazing stuff and a great view of the entire city, but unfortunately camera compatibility problems continue. They will start to come in piles.
Lastly, a quick shout out to Joe Brooker, who's Colts pulled out a stellar 2 minute drill to take their arch rival, the Patriots.... we caught the 4th quarter live at 10 am... If the super bowl is being televised in Loas, we'll find it!
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Pai and Other Things
Pai:
4 hour bus trip from Chiang Mai, windy roads, old buses. Both trips, there and back, at least one co-passenger at the brink of letting everything in their stomach into a plastic bag. Nervous times for all those involved.
Small town, many tourists, but one of the only places where you'll find locals and tourists living and partying together. Almost so touristy that it becomes OK. Western business owners, white musicians, hippies of every color.
Rented bikes for 2 of the 3 days. Everyone else rented motorbikes, but we saw one too many head injuries and were down for the workout anyway, well we weren't but we thought so. Rode 2 hours in the desert sun to see a waterfall without water falling on the first day. The ride back made it worthwhile though. Countryside flowing.
Second day, rode to see another waterfall. Missed the turnoff by about 7 km. Turned around and Adam blew his back tire. I got off and walked with him as Jesse rode every 1km and just waited for us. Still bitter. Decided against the waterfall and went to the pool instead. Great decision.
A couple nights of drinking, sleeping in huts and that was Pai.
Quick note about my last post. Not to worry, we aren't jaded, just that the tourist/traveller divide is an element of this experience I thought needed some air time. We're all smiles, and taking all the good and bad, the ups and downs.
I was hoping to post a couple of pictures, but it's always a battle to get your camera connected to some of these computers. Next time.....hopefully.
4 hour bus trip from Chiang Mai, windy roads, old buses. Both trips, there and back, at least one co-passenger at the brink of letting everything in their stomach into a plastic bag. Nervous times for all those involved.
Small town, many tourists, but one of the only places where you'll find locals and tourists living and partying together. Almost so touristy that it becomes OK. Western business owners, white musicians, hippies of every color.
Rented bikes for 2 of the 3 days. Everyone else rented motorbikes, but we saw one too many head injuries and were down for the workout anyway, well we weren't but we thought so. Rode 2 hours in the desert sun to see a waterfall without water falling on the first day. The ride back made it worthwhile though. Countryside flowing.
Second day, rode to see another waterfall. Missed the turnoff by about 7 km. Turned around and Adam blew his back tire. I got off and walked with him as Jesse rode every 1km and just waited for us. Still bitter. Decided against the waterfall and went to the pool instead. Great decision.
A couple nights of drinking, sleeping in huts and that was Pai.
Quick note about my last post. Not to worry, we aren't jaded, just that the tourist/traveller divide is an element of this experience I thought needed some air time. We're all smiles, and taking all the good and bad, the ups and downs.
I was hoping to post a couple of pictures, but it's always a battle to get your camera connected to some of these computers. Next time.....hopefully.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Small World
It's funny how sometimes we read about places, and picture them to be another world, almost as if they don't exist. When you're finally there, you realize how real it is, and how connected everyone is. Even if we don't speak the same language, there are a lot of universals that are present everywhere that we all can relate to.
With tourists everywhere, there's really not many spots you can go to that are truly untouched. It makes it feel like a small world. Just today I saw a guy wearing a Storm t-shirt (Tofino surf shop). Just made me feel that really, we're not too far from home.
Pics: Chiang Mai, Tuk-Tuk action, Elephant rides - hills of Chiang Mai, Took - The God, Pai resort.
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