Ants, luckily not in my pants

Ants seem to be a theme in my new life in Cambodia. They are with me everywhere I go - crawling on my arm while doing legal research in my office, being sold in the market in a big basket, and even on my dinner plate.

Now don't get me wrong, I certainly have nothing against the little critters. They actually taste pretty good, but can be a bit unsettling either stuck in your teeth or marching all over your legal documents. I guess the Buddhist way of life is to just let them be, which I'm trying to embrace.

Cambodians eat some crazy sh*t - to say they embrace the snout to hoof mentality is putting it lightly. No hormoned-up chicken breasts for them. Protein can be found in any nook and cranny - spiders, cockroaches, crickets. You can buy a bag at the market and munch on them just like popcorn. Cheap, filled with protein & low in calorie.

As it is the Holiday season is upon us, a good 'ole roasted turkey or honey baked ham or even a tofurkey is sorely missed by this somewhat homesick expat.

Weird SE Asian Sh*t

Here is a very incomplete list of some of the things we found somewhat peculiar in our travels...

~ Face whitening creme/powder on women to the point they look like Casper the friendly ghost
~ Golden Retriever on a motorbike with his family of four
~ Giant Buddhas all over the place
~ Basket of piglets on the back of a motorbike (quite common in Vietnam)
~ Scissors used in so many ways - cutting lawns, cutting hair, cutting lettuce
~ Luggage - never have we seen so much baggage accompanying people, sometimes it looks like it could be all their worldly belongings
~ Shrink-wrap machine - much of this luggage gets wrapped in plastic at the airport by a crazy spinning wrapping machine
~ "Small money" - the mantra of shopkeepers or anyone else who takes money as their job - no one ever has change, even if you are giving them the equivalent of $5 for something that costs $4.50
~ Smoking - they smoke like it is their job & it is done EVERYWHERE
~ Flip flops for all your footwear needs - hiking, at the office, working with heavy machinery
~ Food sitting in carts all day long - yum yum
~ No waiting in line - this is typically a combat situation where you get boxed out by little old ladies

Bothersome Bali

Sure, most people would kill for two weeks in Bali. Don't think we're not grateful to have spent time in this tropical pardise. However, nowhere in our four months in SE Asia have we been bothered more by hawkers trying to sell us things, especially the Kuta Beach area.

Of course, you might say that Bali is as touristy as it gets and we're white-waling ATM machines, so what do you expect? I get all that, but it was nonetheless over the top.

Example One - while walking down the street, we are both clearly sporting sunglasses & watches. It seems that we are somehow looking bereft of these common accessories because we only have one of each. In the course of walking one block toward the beach, we are stopped by no less than five people trying to sell us a watch or sunglasses or both.

Example Two - as we are less than 1/2 block from the beach carrying a surf board, towels & other assorted beach items, we areasked by at least four people if we need transport. From the direction we're walking, the items we're carrying, and our proximity to the beach, it seems fairly obvious to the casual observerthat we are not in need of a ride anywhere.

Example Three - as the guy next to us was getting a massage in his beach chaise-lounge, a roaming beach vendor taps his leg to get his attention to try to sell him a tatoo. "Cheap, cheap" was said multiple times.

Example Four - while sitting at the beach in my own chaise-lounge, I emphatically told a roving masseuse/manicurist/pedicurist that I didn't any of her services multiple times. She decided to sit down on my chair against my protestations, pick up my foot and make disapproving sounds about the state of my nails. "Need pedicure, yes, yes".

All of these attempted exchanges begin with something like, "Hello Mister", "Where do you go?", "Hello My Friend", "I remember you", or "I remember you". You have to hand it to these hawkers and roaming beach vendors because they are beating the pavement (or beach) enthusiastically every single day. We understand this is their job, we're in a developing country, etc., but it still gets old fast, especially when one of the more enthusiastice salesman actually grabs you as you are walking by.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Stephen and I have both been "backpack" traveling for close to twenty years. When we started traveling, you had to carry all of your money in travelers cheques on your person for your entire journey or get it wired to you along the way. This was a pretty scary proposition if something happened or if you couldn't find a place to change your cheques, you were sol.
ATMs have made travel so much easier and safer. No longer are we carrying thousands of dollars on us at all times. You can find cash in just about every podunk town from N. Laos to W. Sumatra.
Communication with the outside world or even with your next stop was virtually impossibe or prohibitively expensive back in the old days. Mail was slow, if it ever actually reached its destination. The internet and cell phones have changed the travel dynamic enormously. Less frequently are travelers hanging out in hostels swapping war stories and travel tips because they are too busy face booking, blogging, skyping & sending texts to people across the world.
The major advantage of these technological advances ist he abundance of information available to the vigilant cyber-seeker. Some of our best travel tips have come from reading fellow travelers' blogs, which are more up to date than the most recent guide books out there.
One constant has been the Lonely Planet Guide Books, which are the bible for the backpacker set. A common site is to see a busload of weary travelers spill out the door while thumbing through a much worn LP guide.
For those not in the know, LP guidebooks have been around since the 70s when Tony & Maureen Whieeler traveled overland to SE Asia from Europe. These books have truly developed the backpacker travel through SE Asia (and the rest of the world) with the greatest hits nicely laid out with all logistics and details, budget accomodations and sites to see.
Even with the advent of blogs, travel advisor and travel chat boards, nothing tops "SE Asia on a Shoestring" for the sheer volume of information located in one large volume.
Another thing that hasn't changed is the traveler talk. Typical conversations begin with the requisite "Where are you from?", possibly some connection to that persons city or country or origin, a past visit there, a friend from their home, or the ability to speak their native language. You quickly move on to other required questions like "How long is your trip?" and "Where are you going/where have you been?".
Since most folks are on the greatest hits tour, the itineraries are strikingly similar, just varying in duration. As in every social group, there are ways to rank its members. Backpackers at the top of the spectrum are those traveling the longest. Round-the-world year long travelers often thumb their noses at those on mere vacations of three or four weeks.
Another technique to categorize and rank travelers is through budget. A new term has been coined in recent years - "flash packer", which is travelers willing to spend $15-$25/night v. "back packers" in the $4-$15 range. Back packers feel superiour to flash packers because they are not only getting more for their money, but they can endure rooms with no A/C, dorm rooms & communal squat toilets. They are more hardcore and traveling more 'local'.
Traveler talk quickly turns to the cost of things with lots of bragging about low costs paid for accomodations for street food & with incredulous at the exorbinant price someone else paid.
After almost 20 years of travel, we've found we are very much in the upper end of the age spectrum. We can officially be called flash packers as filthy rooms with no windows & communal cold water showers for $5 is no longer a great deal. Our aging bodies, stiff necks and over active noses require a bit more.
We also no longer look at 12-15 hour local bus rides with chickens, chain-smokers and people on the roof as an adventure. Now it is brutal and takes days to recover.
Nothing like some budget travel to remind you that you are no longer 25!

Friends Along the Way

When traveling for four plus months, home, normalcy, routine and a comfortable bed can all seem very far away. However, when you're lucky enough to have several friends sprinkled through Asia and even some coming over to visit, that little taste of home alleviates much of the homesickness.
We have been graciously hosted by family and friends in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia & Indonesia. These folks are all doing amazingly cool things in their respective countries and they shared their overseas world with us.
The "ex-pat" lifestylei s different than our humble one back in Portland. Drivers, maids, cooks, nannies, international schools, security guards and housing stipends can all be part of the "package". Although it certainly is glamorous to have a staff and other such perks, the downside can be a total invasion of privacy or a dependency on others for some of life's essential tasks. However, we are more than willing to bite the bullet and give this lifestyle a whirl.
Our expat friends gave us the low-down on what it is like in their area, introduced us to amazing folks, gave great travel tips & allowed us to see the region from a more local perspective.
As a backpacker humping it through SE Asia, sometimes we feel like we are on a greatest hits tour where our main interactions are with our travelers like ourselves. Staying with our friends allowed us the opportunity to get out of the grungy backpacker hostels and see wheer the real people actually live, albeit the upperclass real people.
The lifestyles of our friends is vastly different depending in which country they live and if they are in a capital city or not.
The lifestyle of Ho Chi Minh City for our adidas executive pal is exciting, hectic & lacking no creature comforts, although she does have to maneuever around a few cows to drive down her street. The lifestyle in Phnom Penh is similar as it has many western style restaurants, bars, spas and lots of social activity.
However, things were a bit different when visiting our friends in Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, located on the western tip of Sumatra and the area hardest hit by the 2004 Tsunami. Banda Aceh has a long history of conflict and muslim fundamentalism. The at-home comforts are available, but their is a distinct lack of western dining opportunities and mind-set. It is a dry area, although you can buy alcohol from the "chinese shops". Women wear jil bobs and are covered from head to ankly and it much better for western women if they follow suite with the exception of head wear. The town is small, living is easier than in the hectic capital cities and the beautiful beach and jungled mountains are only minutes away from the center of town.
A huge thank you to the hospitality, generosity & kindness that these folks offered to the us weary travelers!!

Hash House Harriers

They call themselves drinkers with a running problem. The Hash House Harriers is an international group of social, non-competitive running and drinking clubs.
The template for a hash run is loosely based on hare hunting. One or more hashers (the "hares") lay out a trail that the rest of the club, hounds, follows. The trail may include false trails, short cuts and the hounds follow a trail laid-out in chalk.

Hashing began in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia when a casual group of British colonial officials and expatriates, would meet after work on Monday evenings to run, following a paper trail, through the environs of Kuala Lumpur to get rid of the excesses of the previous weekend.
There are now literally thousands of 'hashes' all around the world, from Myanmar to Sri Lanka to Washington D.C. All are welcome, regardless of fitness level, as long as you are ready to have some fun and see some sites off the beaten trail.

Stephen and I have now hashed in two countries - Cambodia and Thailand.

To begin our first hash in Phnom Penh, we met at the train station and piled into a flatbed truck with 40 other enthusiasts to be driven into the countryside. The rain started on the drive to the run and continued throughout the entire 10k run. While running through the maze of rice paddies, there was thunder, lightning, wading through waist-deep puddles and lots of laughter. By the end, we literally looked like we had taken a shower fully clothed.

After the run, the group circles up with beers in hand to sing hash songs and chug beer. It was an utter blast and I even got an interview with a local law firm after meeting a fellow hasher who is a lawyer by day.

Our hash in Bangkok took place about 30 minutes outside of the capitol. We ran through canals, raised walk-ways, narrow pathways and small villages with the ever presence of stray dogs watching our every move. We got to see sights we would never see as a typical tourist or even as an expat living in Bangkok. The group welcomed us with open arms, shared lots of Tiger beer with us and even invited us for dinner at a very local Thai restaurant.

We absolutely recommend hasing to anyone so inclined. We will now seek out hashes in the rest of our travel spots and maybe back in Portland.

AS THE TUK TUK SPUTTERS....

We are back in Bangkok awaiting the arrival of newyled friends from Portland. We are looking forward to climbing again in S. Thailand and some quality beach time, weather permitting. We will spend time again with my step-brother Jeff in Phuket and then head south to Indonesia to do some volunteering.

The Volunteer Vortex

For those not in the know, an NGO is a non-governmental organization; basically the international equivalent of a non-profit. These babies abound in Cambodia as this country is in need of so much to rebuild after the death and destruction of the Khmer Rouge. While Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge were only officially running the country for four years, they managed to kill over two million people (1/3 of the Cambodian population - all of the educated, foreign language speakers & even those with glasses).

Since the NGOs, like non-profits, are typically underfunded and understaffed, they jump at the chance for some quality free help. We've noticed a common theme from our own experiences and with others with whom we've talked about their volunteer stints.
Job descriptions, cultural trainings, introductions, explanations, or even a little hand-holding do not exist. Beginning a volunteer stint is more like jumping into the middle of a situation and starting to run at top speed, don't forget to tie your laces tightly.

When Stephen and I inquired into teaching English at an orphanage we'd read about, the director told us to come for a visit and experience a class. After watching the class for a few minutes, the next thing you know, we are co-teaching that class and teaching on our own the next day. No talk about what level English, how long the kids have been studying, what are the goals or focus. Get 'er done because everyone is too busy to help.

A local NGO was planning a fundraiser and I stepped in to help for a week while the main event planner was on vacation for a week. On my first day "in the office", I'm contacting CEOs of local businesses about ticket sales & ticket deliveries, asking local businesses for sponsorships and sending out press releases all without really understanding the nature of the event or understanding much about the actual NGO itself. And, of course, there are the techical problems of working in a developing country, e.g. constant computer issues not to mention cultural and language barriers with the co-workers.

Before you know it, the main event planner has quit her volunteer position and I'm the new expert on the event, being asked questions and telling people what to do. To say I found it stressful is an understatement.

We have been staying with a former CBS TV Producer who is volunteering for a month to make a PR video for another NGO. It is a project that under 'normal' working conditions would take 4-6 months to complete with an entire team dedicated to the project. We've witnessed her struggle with the local film crew while attempting to learn the scope of the project without much internal help.

Needless to say, volunteering can be very challenging, but it is also incredibly rewarding. Stephen and I found the teaching in the orphanage to the be the highlight of our trip so far and were heart broken to leave all the kids.

AS THE TUK TUK SPUTTERS...

After and oh-so-sad send-off from our kids in Phnom Penh (we needed party for them, so we staged a fake birthday bashed w/ hot dogs and a baked a cake - interesting load on the Moto that morning), we are off again and landed back in Bangkok - familiar ground. We have a few interviews here in Bangkok and then meet our newlywed friends, Brett & Kimberly fresh from India. Then it's off to Railah Beach for climbing (again) and then Indonesia for more surf and sand....running from the rain! peaceout!

Angkor Wat-ITIS

We've all experienced it in some form or another. Whether you've visited one too many cathedrals in the capitols of Europe or pehaps it's occurred while getting your money's worth at the Smithsonian Museums or maybe after touring the National Parks of Utah.
The symptoms are all the same - glazed eyes, sore feet & a particular lack of interest in the amazing sites in front of you. We've seen people exiting the temples who appear to have just attended a funeral - looks of anguish on their face and rubbing red puffy eyes.
Angkor Wat-ITIS is a worse affliction that Cathedral-ITIS, Museum-ITIS
or National Park-ITIS. There are several reasons why it is to be feared.

First of all, there is the heat. Cambodia is a tropical country and even the most acclimated will soon be dripping in sweat. While attempting to savor the intricate carvings at your third or fourth temple, these thousand year old engravings all start to look the same. You begin to think, "I can revisit these in my guidebook", or "How dangerous is heat stroke, really?"

The next factor is the sheer enormity of Angkor Wat - over 25 temples in the area close to town, plus many more in outlying areas. The 'temple loop' is spread over 20 miles and most visitors use the ubiquitous tuk tuk to make the circuit. As the day goes on and enthusiasm wanes, these three-wheeled chariots become more and more comfortable. There are more temples than one could absorb in a month, let alone the two to three days most visitors allow. Unfortunately, the awe of these wonders of the world fades more quickly than one might think.

The third and possibly biggest contributing factor to Angko Wat-ITIS is the incessant singsong wails of "Do you want to drink something", "Do you want to buy a guidebook", "Do you want to buy a postcard" and the swarm of women and children who accost you as you arrive at each temple. I'm still haunted by these eerie little voices. You can be sipping from a bottle of water, thumbing through a guide book and they will try to sell you the exactly what you already have in hand. This is especially dangerous when some of the cutest kids you've ever seen will count to ten in fifteen languages for you or tell you the capitol of your state or the population of each Australian country all to get you to part with a dollar for their postcards or guidebook.

Each of these little entrepreneurs is tyring to sell you the exact same thing and after a few temples, you are out of patience and out of money. It doesn't help that westerners have "ATM" stamped on our foreheads.
Despite the widespread affliction of Angkor Wat-ITIS, we haven't heard of any hospitilizations or deaths from this disease. So, get yourself to Siem Reap, Cambodia and visit these wonders of the world. But, be sure to pace yourself - drink gallons of water, get plenty of foot massages & order a big bottle Angkor beer at the end of every day!

Remote, remote, remote

Stephen and I thought we'd been off the beaten path before, but never like our trekking adventure in N. Laos. After a six hour mini-bus ride and an hour boat ride on the Nam Ou River (a Mekong tributary), we arrived at the beautiful Khmu village of Muang Ngoi in N. Laos. This village has one dirt road, no cars, and only has power from a generator 6 PM to 10 PM each day. The setting is pure Shangri-La - steep limestone cliffs surround the riverside village and looks similar to the Amazon basin (check out the sunset shot!).

With four others, we set up a two day trek for the whopping cost $18, including meals, accomodation and guide. Since it is the rainy season, we had been warned that it might be kind of muddy - that turned out to be the understatement of the year!

Not even 15 minutes into the trip, we started walking through ankle deep mud, literally filled with leaches and buffalo shit. The hike led us through a maze of rice paddes. We saw local farmers working the paddies under the beating sun with water buffalo cooling themselves in nearby creeks. Throughout the day, you could hear someone in our group yelp as they discovered a leach stuck on their leg or foot as they furiously tried to dislodge the little bloodsucker.

Our trek led us through several villages until we arrived in our homestay village. Our journey encompassed a 6 hour bus ride, 1 one hour boat ride and 8 hours of hiking through the mud, heat and mountains. The village was on a ridge, nestled in the mountains encircled by a wood fence to keep the animals from escaping. We set up shop at a local villagers house and got to know the town. The village was so alive - kids, pigs, dogs, chickens, roosters, and chickens everywhere. We got a fair amount of stares as the only westerners for miles.
Let the festivities begin - soon enough, our host Papa was pouring us shots Lao Lao, homemade rice wine. We were served an appetizer of freshly slaughtered chicken claws & innards. Dinner was actually delicous and many local villagers came for the feast. Before you know it, our guide, Moon, was playing the guitar, shots were flying and everyone was singing "Hotel California". Totally surreal to say the least.

After killing too many bottles of Lao Lao to count, we all slumbered peacefully side by side in the hut, until the village came alive at 5 AM. Roosters were crowing, pigs were snorting, babies were crying, music was cranking and the day was beginning. We waved good bye to our new friends and set out to hike for another 7 grueling hours through the incredible setting before we took a boat back to our jumping off point.

The Buy/Sell Dance

Although backpacking around SE Asia is pretty darn amazing, it takes a lot of logistical work on a daily basis. This can be uncomfortable, tiresome and embarassing at times.
Anytime you want to buy an item, not including perishables, you need to bargain for it. SE Asia isn't a region of hard-core bargaining and offense can easily be taken by locals if you start out with what they consider an outlandishly low price. In the land of not losing face, it is important not to cause a loss of face.
Also important is not beginning the bargaining process unless you are serious about buying. Nothing pisses of a vendor more than that. Stephen was literally kicked out of a store while trying to bargain for some t-shirts. The woman thought he wasn't serious, althoughhe was, and she yelled at him and told him to leave. The customer is NOT always right in these parts.
I find the buy/sell dance the most uncomfortable when looking at hotels and guesthouses. It goes something like this - you walk in, see if there is availability, get a price, you get a key to look at a room, usually accompanied by the proprietor. While being stared at by the person holding the key, totally put on the spot, you have to decide if this room will be the place you'll hang your hat for the night.
Often at this point, you are sweaty, hot, smelly and very tired of carrying all of your worldly possessions on your back. The proprietors are aware of all these mitigating factors in your decision-making process.
When there are two of you making the call, you don't really get a quick minute to huddle and make an informed consenual decision. Instead, you either say no if the place is too awful or sort of shake your head and agree to it. If you say no, you must face the walk of shame back to the lobby and leave, usually mumbling something like we may come back after looking around. You and the proprietor both know there isn't a chance in hell that you'll be back, but hey, it's all about saving face.

Tubin' Laos, Dude

Throughout our travels, we've been told about the wonders of Laos - cheap, beautiful, fun, outdoorsy & how SE Asia used to be. It seems to be the #1 destination on the established backpacker trail through Asia, which is fed intravenously by Lonely Planet books (see future blog entry).

No matter what else anyone said about Laos, without a miss, they all mentioned tubing in Vang Vieng. We had even seen backpackers proudly sporting their "tubing Laos" t-shirts in S. Thailand. Who are we to buck backpacker tradition in Laos and not go tubing?

Here's the drill - you go to the tube shop, give them $10, with $6 of the $10 a deposit, returnable if the tube is back by 6 PM. The giant tractor inner tubes are then loaded onto a tuk tuk and off you go to the river.

Let Spring Break Laos-style begin. Bob Marley is pulsating up the river valley and the first bar can be visited before even dipping a toe in the water. Nothing like a little beer or cocktail to get you situated for your day of tubing, sans life jacket. This is Asia after all.

Signs at the put-in say "Dont tip the children as it encourages them to skip school." We weren't exactly sure what this meant, but we would soon find out.

We set off with an Irish trio, a Finn & a Swede in the fast-flowing brown river in a light rain. Not 200 yards into the tubing experience, while our butts were still relatively dry, we spotted the second bar. Small children stand on bamboo pilings at the shore and throw water bottles on strings or pass long bamboo rods to passing 'tubers' to reel them in like giant fish. This can be both difficult and comical as the river is flowing quickly with lots of swirling water close to shore.

Each bar along the way is essentially the same rickety bamboo structure on the side of the river cranking Bob Marley, selling Beer Lao & giving away free Lao Lao shots, Laos rice whiskey, something akin to moonshine. Some of the bars even have second story towers with trapezes to swing out into the water.

It is utterly surreal. The Farang (Asian name for foreigners) are eating this up. Drunken Farangs are falling out of their tubes while being pulled to shore by 75 lbs. grade school children. After successfully landing on solid ground and having a drink or three, Farangs are then swinging from trapezes, narrowly missing the originating bamboo towers when they hang on too long.

Prior to tubing, we had noticed quite a few limping, bandaged backpackers around town and now we figured out why.

We decided to pull over at the third bar. Stephen and I got off the river with relative grace, although the two third-graders pulling me to shore almost gave themselves a hernia.

Not so for our Irish friends. The first Irish lassie pulled a child into the drink who was attempting to reel her in and a second child aborted his rescue mission after he too was pulled into the river. We were to see her eventually way down river. The second Irish lassie lost her tube while being pulled to shore, but her husband was able to dive in and save the tube.(see photo) Complete and utter hilarity.

After drinking the requisite Beer Lao and doing one swing from the trapeze, we set off down river with no other stops at the eight plus bars offering refreshments to the parched tubers. About 7:30 that night, we saw a barefoot girl in a string bikini stumbling around town in the dark with her tube. We don't think she got her $6 deposit back.

After speaking with many experienced tubers in our travels in Laos, we heard horror stories of near drownings, people stuck in reeds in the river until midnight and about many a trip to the hospital in Vang Vieng.

AS THE TUK TUK SPUTTERS...
We are back in Luang Prabang, having just spent some time in a remote area of N. Laos. We trekked to a hill tribe only accessible by foot through mud, rice fields, mountains and jungle. We overnighted in the village with a family and had the unique opportunity to learn more about the culture of the various tribes. We leave for Vietname on Saturday and are still having a fantastic journey.

Notes On Turning 42

42 - double the legal drinking age. If that doesn't make you feel old, I don't know what does.
However, spending your 42nd day in Laos is definitely the way to go.
We woke up in Vientiane, the sleepy capitol of Laos. Laos is a former French colony and it retains some of the old world European charm, including good coffee and baguettes. A plus in the land of rice and nescafe.

After slurping down a creamy cappuchino, Stephen and I took a tuk tuk, basically a motorcycle pulling some enclosed seats, to the bus station. The buses consisted of small Toyota pick-ups with a covers and benches in the back. This was our transport for the next several hours. the pick-up was loaded down with more produce than your average Safeway sells in a week, including 20 lbs. of green onion inside the passenger area. Stephen got to snuggle up to the onions for the journey.


Riding in the truck, called a sangthew, is close quarters at the best of times. At one point, we had ten people in the back and four up front, plus the driver. Our 'neighbors' were so gracious despite the complete language barrier; they shared fruit and baguettes with us and we shared baby wipes and gum with them.

After a few hours, we left our new friends to hook up with our kayak guides. We paddled in inflatable kayaks on the Nam Lik River. The river was brown due to the monsoon rains that seem to pull down half the riverbank everyday. The riverside was jungle - green, luscious & wet.

After a great day on the river, we were driven to Vang Vieng in the back of another pick-up truck. Vang Vieng is a former military airstrip turned into backpacker central. Think international Spring break.

Restaurants all serve the exact same menu of international greatest hits - pizza, burgers, fried rice and the potent Beer Lao. Each of these places plays episodes of ''Friends" repeatedly throughout the day and night. You can be at one restaurant and literally hear four episodes of Friends at other places, all different episodes, all with the same annoying laugh track.


Vang Vieng is famous for 'tubing'- more on that in a future blog. What the town itself lacks in charm, the setting more than makes up for it. After a dinner, had a three dollar massage and then settled down for the night in a riverside bungalow with a couple of Beer Laos and took in the view. Not bad for an old lady!

AS THE TUK SPUTTERS...

We are in Luang Prabang, definitely our favorite place in Asia. It is a charming, French colonial town set in the mountains of Laos right on the Mekong river. It is littered with Buddhist temples, beautiful architecture and excellent food. We've trekked to hilltribe villages, shopped for handmade Laotian goods in the night market and just relaxed in this beautiful setting. Tomorrow we are off further North to spend a few days living a treehouse surrounded by Gibbon monkeys.

Climbing in Thailand

First word - SWEATY.
Imagine being blinded by water pouring off your own eyebrows while reaching for a hold. Think of coming off a climb and literally needing to wring out your shirt. Picture chalking up simply to stop the water flow on your palms.


Second word - MOSQUITO

Imagine belaying with mosquito coils burning at your feet with the sweet toxic smell burning your nostrils. Think of being bitten while hanging on for dear life. Picture coming home at the end of the day covered in itchy red bumps.

Third word - POLISHED (as the British climbers would say)

Imagine reaching for a nice big hold only to have your fingers slip off it because a thousand other hands have been on that same piece of limestone. Think of shiny, pretty rock that is hard to hold. Picture an area filled with Thai guides while white clients sweat all over the climbs.

Fourth word - MONKEYS

Picture starting to climb only to be stopped by a pack of monkeys scurrying up the rock wall with ease. Imagine jumping out the way to avoid being peed on by a monkey thirty feet over your head. Think of monkeys literally blocking your path to a climbing area.

Fifth word - GARBAGE
Imagine arriving at the climbing sight to see a pile of styrofoam to-go boxes, water bottles and cigarette butts. Think of Thai guides belaying with cigarettes in mouth and casually tossing the butts aside. Picture random bottle tops, mosquito coils and glass around the belay station.

Sixth word - PARADISE

Imagine jaw-dropping views of crystaline turquoise waters with limestone cliffs in the backround. Think of living in a $9/night bungalow on stilts with the sound of monkeys in the background. Picture swimming in the sea after a challenging climb.

Climbing in Krabi at Railay and Tonsai beaches was absolutely our favorite part of the trip thus far. We met amazing people from around the world, challenged ourselves mentally and physically, and loved the outdoor playground we spent seven days exploring.

AS THE TUK TUK SPUTTERS...
After 10 plus days in Southern Thailand, we are now in Northern Laos. Laos is amazing. It is really mountainous with lots of rivers. The people are super-chill. They call themselves lazy. We have been kayaking and tubing so far in Laos. Tomorrow we head to Unesco World-Heritage site, the city of Luang Prabang.

Two-Wheeled Vehicles

So many people, so many places to go and so few cars in SE Asia. Seems like moped/motorcycles/scooters outnumber cars at least 5 to 1. We have seen some interesting sights cruising by on two wheels.

Here are a few of our favorites - family of five on a scooter; man, woman & chicken on a moped; moped driving past elephant on road; scooter with a sidecar selling ice cream; scooter drivers wearing jackets backwards on arms only; moped pulling over 1/2 ton of sugar cane; and motorcycle taxis in Bangkok (where for a small fee you can be whisked across the city, avoiding much of the traffic that hold up regular taxis).

In big cities at red lights, all the mopeds et al pull in front of the cars and take off ahead of the cars as soon as the light changes. It is something akin to moths going to a bright light and then dispersing when the light goes out.

Since you can't beat 'em, join 'em. We are currently enjoying our second scooter rental of the trip. Stephen is the trusty driver and I'm the back seat navigator. My biggest job is to remind him to stay on the left side of the road as Thailand uses the British system of driving.

We've had a few adventures so far. Our biggest accomplishment to date is to ride with our backpacks & all gear from our hotel to the bus station, over 30 km away. I felt like a turtle on the back of the bike about to humpty dumpty backwards. We've visited beautiful temples, waterfalls, remote beaches and city centers by scooter. Stephen feels like he is in a video game and as he improves his skills, he enters higher levels, hoping one day to be good enough to take on a major Asian capital. You gotta have dreams!

We've even had help from a local pseudo-taxi operator by putting the moped in the back of his truck when it was raining and taking us to the gas station.

AS THE TUK TUK SPUTTERS...
After a few days in Bangkok visting ornate Wats, reclining Buddhas, space age malls, and eating amazing street food, we are currently visiting my step-brother outside Phuket in Southern Thailand. It is a beautiful beach on the Andaman Sea. We are heading to Krabi soon for a week of rock climbing right on the beach. We are really enjoying Thailand.

Sawatdee and Lah Gorn (hello and goodbye in Thai).

rachel & stephen