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

Water parks & Muslim Countries

Some would think that you travel to get away from your own culture, to see new sights, traditions and customs. However, when it is 90 plus degrees and 100% humidity, we seek out sources of water. When in a big city, these sources of water come in the form of water parks. Yup, water parks with slides, inner tubes, laughs, screams, coca cola & berkas, of course. We managed to squeeze in a few hours at a water park in Jakarta, Indonesia and one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

As the only western (aka white people) at the water park in Jakarta, we were an anomaly. Add to that, the fact that I was wearing a bikini, we stuck out like the proverbially sore thumb. Put a beer in my hand and the locals started taking our pictures. Stephen was the king of the park, because he had the bikini babe at his side who could ride the slides much faster than anyone else. It seems no one else understood the proper technique of laying out and riding high on the curves to maximize velocity.

Okay, we digress. Berkas at the waterpark. Totally unaerodynamic, somewhat dangerous and certainly not attractive. They came in all types & colors. Some were just one piece lycra suits with a hood. Others had draping with a scarf type piece wrapped around the neck. Don't get us wrong, not all the women had on berkas, just no one else was wearing a bikini.

We've dubbed Indonesia "muslim lite" as it didn't seem required to wear a berka at the park and they did sell beer.

At the water park in Kuala Lumpur, where it was part of a resort hotel complex, there were lots of other westerners, wearing a variety of outfits, including bikinis. Despite the fact that Malaysia appears to have a stronger Muslim culture, the park seemed more liberal - maybe because KL is a more cosmopolitan city.

AS THE TUK TUK SPUTTERS...

Our travels have taken us from Portland to Seoul to Jakarta, Indonesia. We spent a few days in central Java gazing at 8th century temples and then flew to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After two back to back overnight trains, we ended up in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. The home of the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. We are spending a week at a 'resort' here and will visit lots of waterfalls, cemetaries, temples and national parks. We are healthy and having a blast.

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


rachel & stephen

SE Asia Warm-up

In order to prepare for our three months traveling in SE Asia, we decided we needed a warm-up trip to get in the groove of traveling. When some friends organized a trip on the Owyhee river, we jumped at the chance to go on this 'must do' river trip.

We spent almost a week paddling the Owyhee River in Eastern Oregon with an amazing group of friends. (Pictures to come when we figure out these Indonesian computers!). The river is in the SE corner of Oregon, about 8 hours from Portland.

The Wild and Scenic Owyhee River is described in many ways; Grand Canyon of Oregon, the loneliest river in the U.S., bizarrely beautiful, and more. The Owyhee River is almost unmatched in its remoteness and beauty. The river travels through magnificent desert canyons with walls towering over a thousand feet overhead and is home to a wide array of wildlife and birds. Petroglyphs and hot springs are sprinkled along the way.

The trip highlights include incredible scenery, amazing food, wigs, star-filled nights around the fire, skit night, camraderie and the crazy five raft tow across Owyhee lake. Thanks so much to all the folks on the trip for making it such a memorable send off. I'm still laughing at so many things from the trip, especially the fashion show.