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| 1Bangkok1 |
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| 2Ayuttaya |
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| 3Sukothai |
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| 4Doi Suthep |
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| 5Chiang Mai Trek |
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| 6Long Boat |
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| 7Luang Prabang |
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| 8Vang Vieng |
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| 9Vientiane |
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| 11Bangkok2 |
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Photos on Picasa
Still need to add Angkor Wat and Hong Kong, but this should keep you busy for a while.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Quarter century club
Picking up from last post (I'm more rested now): We took the bus to the Cambodia border, crossed the border, picked up a minivan to the bus to Siem Riep. After hearing horror stories about the crossing and transportation, I was apprehensive about this leg of the journey. However, it went relatively smoothly despite the rough road and excessive stops. They try to tire the passengers out as much as they can get away with, so that when they arrive in Siem Riep they pull up in front of the hotel they have an arrangement with, and the passengers are too tired to try to get to the hotel or guest house they had planned on. Unfortunately for them, too many people are privy to this, and there are the usual hordes of tuk-tuk drivers waiting to take you anywhere.
Despite the prevalence of luxury hotels, some of which have facades you'd expect in Vegas, we stayed at a guest house that charged $1/night (Cambodia prefers to use USD except for amounts under $1. Change is given in riel, with 4000 riel = $1). For this low low price, they included reptile and amphibian friends to keep guard on my mosquito net and in the bathroom.
In the very early morning we hired a tuk-tuk tour guide to take us around Angkor. We arrived before the sunset at the most famous, and therefore crowded, of the temples, Angkor Wat, and watched the sun rise behind it. We then saw Bayon, known for the identical faces looking down on the site from the towers. They are supposed to be Buddha images, but some say they resemble the king who had them built. We climbed Phnom Bakheng, and incredibly steep mountain temple with great views from the top of the surrounding area. We saw several others, as well, some of which were still covered in vegetation, others currently undergoing reconstruction.
It is impressive to realize that despite the immensity of what remains, they were only religious buildings: only the gods were allowed to inhabit buildings of stone, humans had to build out of bamboo and timber. None of these remain.
The next day we took a bus to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. We met up with Lauren's friend Julie. Her and her friend took us to a table bbq restaurant, and later a rock and roll bar sparsely filled with farang ex-pats.
The next day visited S-21, the high school turned Khmer Rouge security prison turned genocide museum. The most powerful exhibit was the photography and commentary of a Swedish photographer who visited Cambodia (though not S-21) at the height of the Khmer Rouge as a guest. At the time he was a supporter, excited to see a nascent communist country avoid the mistakes of its older peers. The photos are shown alongside his commentary at the time, his private thoughts at the time, and his current commentary, which takes on a very different tone.
We then explored several of Phnom Penh's markets. I got a shave and a haircut for $1.50.
That night we ate take-out on Julie's friends roof-top, above her apartment. We were treated to an incredible lightning show, with some of the streaks taking up over 1/5 of the sky.
The next day we flew to Bangkok, arrived in Kho San Road around 8:30pm, and found out there was an overnight bus leaving in 15 minutes to the next morning's ferry to Koh Tao.
We are now in Koh Tao, and I have a Open Water PADI diving certification course to finish up. We'll be heading to Railey soon.
Despite the prevalence of luxury hotels, some of which have facades you'd expect in Vegas, we stayed at a guest house that charged $1/night (Cambodia prefers to use USD except for amounts under $1. Change is given in riel, with 4000 riel = $1). For this low low price, they included reptile and amphibian friends to keep guard on my mosquito net and in the bathroom.
In the very early morning we hired a tuk-tuk tour guide to take us around Angkor. We arrived before the sunset at the most famous, and therefore crowded, of the temples, Angkor Wat, and watched the sun rise behind it. We then saw Bayon, known for the identical faces looking down on the site from the towers. They are supposed to be Buddha images, but some say they resemble the king who had them built. We climbed Phnom Bakheng, and incredibly steep mountain temple with great views from the top of the surrounding area. We saw several others, as well, some of which were still covered in vegetation, others currently undergoing reconstruction.
It is impressive to realize that despite the immensity of what remains, they were only religious buildings: only the gods were allowed to inhabit buildings of stone, humans had to build out of bamboo and timber. None of these remain.
The next day we took a bus to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. We met up with Lauren's friend Julie. Her and her friend took us to a table bbq restaurant, and later a rock and roll bar sparsely filled with farang ex-pats.
The next day visited S-21, the high school turned Khmer Rouge security prison turned genocide museum. The most powerful exhibit was the photography and commentary of a Swedish photographer who visited Cambodia (though not S-21) at the height of the Khmer Rouge as a guest. At the time he was a supporter, excited to see a nascent communist country avoid the mistakes of its older peers. The photos are shown alongside his commentary at the time, his private thoughts at the time, and his current commentary, which takes on a very different tone.
We then explored several of Phnom Penh's markets. I got a shave and a haircut for $1.50.
That night we ate take-out on Julie's friends roof-top, above her apartment. We were treated to an incredible lightning show, with some of the streaks taking up over 1/5 of the sky.
The next day we flew to Bangkok, arrived in Kho San Road around 8:30pm, and found out there was an overnight bus leaving in 15 minutes to the next morning's ferry to Koh Tao.
We are now in Koh Tao, and I have a Open Water PADI diving certification course to finish up. We'll be heading to Railey soon.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Got Worms?
Just got off a 12 hour bus ride from Vientiane (Laos) to Bangkok at 5am.
Just booked a bus to Siem Riep (Cambodia) that leaves in 2 hours.
Just want a beer, a shower, and a bed.
After Luang Prabang we took a bus to Vang Vieng, a backpacker ghetto. It was once a small Laotian town, but now it's overrun by tourists who are either hung over or drunk, sitting around in bars watching American sitcoms and cartoons. Many backpackers on long trips just stay here and get a job in a restaurant or a bar. It's famous for tubing down the river and stopping at makeshift bars for a couple of hours, then going to the bars where you can buy a bucket of a mixed drink. We explored the nearby caves with some fellow travelers.
We were of course very well prepared, and forgot flashlights and decent footwear. It was very beautiful and exciting to explore what we could before we felt too under equipped to continue. It didn't help that I told our group of 5 that tourists exploring the caves in the past had become lost and perished before search teams had reached them. Maybe I should've kept that gem to myself.
The next day we had book a kayaking trip halfway to Vientiane, at which point we would be picked up and driven the rest of the way. However, Lauren was feeling pretty ill, so she decided to pass on it. I went with Heather, a Brit we'd met on the long boat to Luang Prabang.
For the most part it was pretty mellow, although we did have clear blue skies for once, instead of the sickly grey. There was a (very) small stretch of rapids, then an amazing lunch of chicken kebabs, fried rice, and baguettes. Then some of us climbed up the rock face and jumped about 40 feet into the river. Also very fun.
Vientiane is a very cool city. As the capitol, it obviously has a lot more going on, but it is also a lot less tourist-oriented. They have a version of L'Arc de Triomphe (Patuxay), with south-east Asian influence on the ornamentation and completion (well, it was never and most likely will never be completed). Heather and I did climb to the top and get some good views of the city, however.
Walked to two Wats (details to come later, with photos), and then caught the overnight bus to Bangkok. Here now. Tired.
Just booked a bus to Siem Riep (Cambodia) that leaves in 2 hours.
Just want a beer, a shower, and a bed.
After Luang Prabang we took a bus to Vang Vieng, a backpacker ghetto. It was once a small Laotian town, but now it's overrun by tourists who are either hung over or drunk, sitting around in bars watching American sitcoms and cartoons. Many backpackers on long trips just stay here and get a job in a restaurant or a bar. It's famous for tubing down the river and stopping at makeshift bars for a couple of hours, then going to the bars where you can buy a bucket of a mixed drink. We explored the nearby caves with some fellow travelers.
We were of course very well prepared, and forgot flashlights and decent footwear. It was very beautiful and exciting to explore what we could before we felt too under equipped to continue. It didn't help that I told our group of 5 that tourists exploring the caves in the past had become lost and perished before search teams had reached them. Maybe I should've kept that gem to myself.
The next day we had book a kayaking trip halfway to Vientiane, at which point we would be picked up and driven the rest of the way. However, Lauren was feeling pretty ill, so she decided to pass on it. I went with Heather, a Brit we'd met on the long boat to Luang Prabang.
For the most part it was pretty mellow, although we did have clear blue skies for once, instead of the sickly grey. There was a (very) small stretch of rapids, then an amazing lunch of chicken kebabs, fried rice, and baguettes. Then some of us climbed up the rock face and jumped about 40 feet into the river. Also very fun.
Vientiane is a very cool city. As the capitol, it obviously has a lot more going on, but it is also a lot less tourist-oriented. They have a version of L'Arc de Triomphe (Patuxay), with south-east Asian influence on the ornamentation and completion (well, it was never and most likely will never be completed). Heather and I did climb to the top and get some good views of the city, however.
Walked to two Wats (details to come later, with photos), and then caught the overnight bus to Bangkok. Here now. Tired.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
same same but different
Currently in Luang Prabang (Laos). Spent the last two days on a boat from Chang Khong to Luang Prabang. It's a great way to travel, and to meet people to do things with once you arrive. And the scenery was beautiful.
Luang Prabang is a great town so far. I can finally get some use out of the French I studied for years. I can't tell if Laos in general has a different feel to it, or if it is Luang Prabang itself, but I like it.
Today we did a 35k bike ride up and down hills to reach a series of beautiful waterfalls. It was a hell of a ride; a road bike would've been better than the mountain bikes we rented, but at least they had gears. There are about 7 different pools with waterfalls, some of which you can swim in. The most popular one had a 15 foot drop you could jump off and a tree with a rope to launch into the pool from. Good times.
Also: Beer Lao is better than the Thai beers I've tried so far (Singha, Chang, Leo, Archa).
Luang Prabang is a great town so far. I can finally get some use out of the French I studied for years. I can't tell if Laos in general has a different feel to it, or if it is Luang Prabang itself, but I like it.
Today we did a 35k bike ride up and down hills to reach a series of beautiful waterfalls. It was a hell of a ride; a road bike would've been better than the mountain bikes we rented, but at least they had gears. There are about 7 different pools with waterfalls, some of which you can swim in. The most popular one had a 15 foot drop you could jump off and a tree with a rope to launch into the pool from. Good times.
Also: Beer Lao is better than the Thai beers I've tried so far (Singha, Chang, Leo, Archa).
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Trek to Karen villages
3/19-3/21
We went on a 3 day trek out of Chiang Mai. We had 3 guides to escort/cook for/entertain the 13 of us on the trip. The guides names were Poe (translation: baby), Nop (translation: beautiful), and Jackie Chan (translation: Jackie Chan). The pharang (foreigners) on the trip were from France, Holland, Russia, Ireland, England, and us from the US. Not only did I get to practice a lot of French in translating things for the Parisians (they spoke very little English), but I also gave the Russians English lessons in exchange for some Thai rum.
We rode out of Chiang Mai in the covered back of a pick-up truck, but we were over capacity, so a guide climbed up on the roof rack and I stood on the back gate. It would've been nicer had the air been fresher, but I had a better view and the thrill of almost being bounced off was worth it.
The first stop was an elephant ride. Somewhat depressing, fairly dirty, but also very exciting. Some of the elephants seemed worse for the wear, but considering they only have to wander up and down a river twice a day to be fairly well taken care of, it could be worse. Lauren was grinning so wide she swallowed more bugs than the FDA recommends for a month.
We then hiked for about 2 hours to reach a waterfall we could swim under and relax. The hike made it pretty obvious why they organize the groups by age, but even so there were pretty big differences in ability. We hiked another hour to the camp in time to catch our collective breath before the sun set over the mountains.
The next morning we hiked 1.5 hours to our lunch spot. After lunch and a nap, at Lauren and my request, we split in to two groups: she, Poe, and I took a 3 hour hard hike to the next waterfall/camp, while the others took an hour long easy hike. I can say much of their hike, other than they told us they were singing and joking the whole way. Lauren and I were out of breath and sweating hard for pretty much the whole 3 hours. When we weren't out of breath we were jogging along "flat/easy" parts of the trail, racing the sunset so we wouldn't be lost in the dark.
We did see some amazing things: traditional agriculture is a lot more beautiful (and probably less environmentally damaging) than modern techniques; if you plan well, irrigation is efficient and simple; jungles are amazing and full of reptiles, birds, and insects (and the local dog I befriended who kept us company). The number of ants alone that we saw was absurd.
About an hour before dusk, the path through the jungle we were supposed to take was blocked, so we had to veer off in another direction to try to hit it later. This meant following animal trails under bushes, over trees, around rocks, and through rivers, before we came to a swamp. Of course we were on the wrong side. Our guide slipped off his shoes and waded in, telling us to follow where he went, but not to fall through.
Fall through? We were walking on a woven mesh of the roots of the grasses and plants we were wading through. Right as he said this, my foot broke through and I was soaked up to my waist. We slowly made our way through, ignoring the spiders and insects and pretending he didn't just warn us about water snakes.
When we emerged on the dry land at the bottom of the hill on the other side, Lauren had several slashes on her legs around knee height from the sharp grasses, Poe had cuts on his thighs, and my shins had a mark or two. Leg hair seems to have at least one use.
Over a few more hills and down a few valleys later, we finally made our way to the camp, just as the sun was setting.
The next day we had a comparably easy hike, and then went bamboo rafting down the river. This was a lot of fun, like tubing down the Truckee or American river in California, only with some minor rapids and a lot of Thai spectators relaxing on the banks under bamboo shelters.
Three days wells spent.
We went on a 3 day trek out of Chiang Mai. We had 3 guides to escort/cook for/entertain the 13 of us on the trip. The guides names were Poe (translation: baby), Nop (translation: beautiful), and Jackie Chan (translation: Jackie Chan). The pharang (foreigners) on the trip were from France, Holland, Russia, Ireland, England, and us from the US. Not only did I get to practice a lot of French in translating things for the Parisians (they spoke very little English), but I also gave the Russians English lessons in exchange for some Thai rum.
We rode out of Chiang Mai in the covered back of a pick-up truck, but we were over capacity, so a guide climbed up on the roof rack and I stood on the back gate. It would've been nicer had the air been fresher, but I had a better view and the thrill of almost being bounced off was worth it.
The first stop was an elephant ride. Somewhat depressing, fairly dirty, but also very exciting. Some of the elephants seemed worse for the wear, but considering they only have to wander up and down a river twice a day to be fairly well taken care of, it could be worse. Lauren was grinning so wide she swallowed more bugs than the FDA recommends for a month.
We then hiked for about 2 hours to reach a waterfall we could swim under and relax. The hike made it pretty obvious why they organize the groups by age, but even so there were pretty big differences in ability. We hiked another hour to the camp in time to catch our collective breath before the sun set over the mountains.
The next morning we hiked 1.5 hours to our lunch spot. After lunch and a nap, at Lauren and my request, we split in to two groups: she, Poe, and I took a 3 hour hard hike to the next waterfall/camp, while the others took an hour long easy hike. I can say much of their hike, other than they told us they were singing and joking the whole way. Lauren and I were out of breath and sweating hard for pretty much the whole 3 hours. When we weren't out of breath we were jogging along "flat/easy" parts of the trail, racing the sunset so we wouldn't be lost in the dark.
We did see some amazing things: traditional agriculture is a lot more beautiful (and probably less environmentally damaging) than modern techniques; if you plan well, irrigation is efficient and simple; jungles are amazing and full of reptiles, birds, and insects (and the local dog I befriended who kept us company). The number of ants alone that we saw was absurd.
About an hour before dusk, the path through the jungle we were supposed to take was blocked, so we had to veer off in another direction to try to hit it later. This meant following animal trails under bushes, over trees, around rocks, and through rivers, before we came to a swamp. Of course we were on the wrong side. Our guide slipped off his shoes and waded in, telling us to follow where he went, but not to fall through.
Fall through? We were walking on a woven mesh of the roots of the grasses and plants we were wading through. Right as he said this, my foot broke through and I was soaked up to my waist. We slowly made our way through, ignoring the spiders and insects and pretending he didn't just warn us about water snakes.
When we emerged on the dry land at the bottom of the hill on the other side, Lauren had several slashes on her legs around knee height from the sharp grasses, Poe had cuts on his thighs, and my shins had a mark or two. Leg hair seems to have at least one use.
Over a few more hills and down a few valleys later, we finally made our way to the camp, just as the sun was setting.
The next day we had a comparably easy hike, and then went bamboo rafting down the river. This was a lot of fun, like tubing down the Truckee or American river in California, only with some minor rapids and a lot of Thai spectators relaxing on the banks under bamboo shelters.
Three days wells spent.
Doi Suthep self-guided expedition on motorscooter.
3/18
I decided to rent a motorscooter (on Ben's advice) to explore some of the area around Chiang Mai. I bought a map made by an American biker group, and planned out a big route (about 6 hours, including stops). Unfortunately I ended up getting a later start than planned. I headed up towards the summit of Doi Suthep, passing by Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, a few waterfalls, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Puphing palace, and then finally another national park with a trail up to the summit.
It was a windy, cloudy, wet morning as I rode up the mostly empty, winding, mountain road past the Chiang Mai Zoo into the lush jungle of the foothills. I turned off into a park (paid the entrance fee) and rode along a one lane road to the end, where I parked and walked to a waterfall. As it was wet and the middle of the week, I was the only tourist there. The narrow roads were as enjoyable as the waterfall itself.
I reached the wat, parked and headed up the 300+ stairs into the center of the temple. It had an amazing courtyard with views off all four sides that would have been spectacular on a clear day. As they were they were still impressive; it seemed like the temple was above the clouds. This was the temple with the boys sweeping the tiles, the monk with the cat, etc.
I continued up the mountain road towards the summit. When I reached the palace, I was turned away because they were closed for lunch from 11:30 - 1:00 each day. I decided I'd check it out on the way back down from the summit.
The national park containing the summit had no other tourists, and I also had trouble finding anybody working the tourist facilities. I found the trail head and started jogging up the jungle path. I was constantly assaulted by bugs; the Great Australian Wave makes taking steady photos of the views pretty hard, but I'll post photos from this day later as well. Definitely glad I was taking my malaria pills. I lost the trail for a while and ended up jogging along a logging road for about a kilometer before I doubled back and found the trail again. After a while I reached what was the highest point I could see through the dense trees and undergrowth, so I dubbed it the New Summit of Doi Suthep and ran back down so I could get on the road for the main part of the expedition.
With my adrenaline pumping and the excitement of being back on the road I headed back down the steep, winding, gravely road. At every turn there were signs to blow the horn, and on the straights there were signs saying that it's a two lane street, even though my scooter took up half the width. The clouds had lifted somewhat, and the views heading down to the main road were a lot better than on the way up. A word of advice: pull over to look at them; don't gaze when you are coming up to a hairpin turn.
I slid out, laughed at myself, bandaged myself up, and decided I probably shouldn't do the 4-5 hour expedition I had planned to do after the mountain detour. I cruised back down to lick my wounds and have a beer.
I decided to rent a motorscooter (on Ben's advice) to explore some of the area around Chiang Mai. I bought a map made by an American biker group, and planned out a big route (about 6 hours, including stops). Unfortunately I ended up getting a later start than planned. I headed up towards the summit of Doi Suthep, passing by Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, a few waterfalls, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Puphing palace, and then finally another national park with a trail up to the summit.
It was a windy, cloudy, wet morning as I rode up the mostly empty, winding, mountain road past the Chiang Mai Zoo into the lush jungle of the foothills. I turned off into a park (paid the entrance fee) and rode along a one lane road to the end, where I parked and walked to a waterfall. As it was wet and the middle of the week, I was the only tourist there. The narrow roads were as enjoyable as the waterfall itself.
I reached the wat, parked and headed up the 300+ stairs into the center of the temple. It had an amazing courtyard with views off all four sides that would have been spectacular on a clear day. As they were they were still impressive; it seemed like the temple was above the clouds. This was the temple with the boys sweeping the tiles, the monk with the cat, etc.
I continued up the mountain road towards the summit. When I reached the palace, I was turned away because they were closed for lunch from 11:30 - 1:00 each day. I decided I'd check it out on the way back down from the summit.
The national park containing the summit had no other tourists, and I also had trouble finding anybody working the tourist facilities. I found the trail head and started jogging up the jungle path. I was constantly assaulted by bugs; the Great Australian Wave makes taking steady photos of the views pretty hard, but I'll post photos from this day later as well. Definitely glad I was taking my malaria pills. I lost the trail for a while and ended up jogging along a logging road for about a kilometer before I doubled back and found the trail again. After a while I reached what was the highest point I could see through the dense trees and undergrowth, so I dubbed it the New Summit of Doi Suthep and ran back down so I could get on the road for the main part of the expedition.
With my adrenaline pumping and the excitement of being back on the road I headed back down the steep, winding, gravely road. At every turn there were signs to blow the horn, and on the straights there were signs saying that it's a two lane street, even though my scooter took up half the width. The clouds had lifted somewhat, and the views heading down to the main road were a lot better than on the way up. A word of advice: pull over to look at them; don't gaze when you are coming up to a hairpin turn.
I slid out, laughed at myself, bandaged myself up, and decided I probably shouldn't do the 4-5 hour expedition I had planned to do after the mountain detour. I cruised back down to lick my wounds and have a beer.
Monday, March 23, 2009
3/23/2552 (Thailand is very advanced)
Hi All.
I don't have my notepad with me, so I'll hold off on some of the "epic" story telling.
Instead, a random observation:
While at one of the temples outside Chiang Mai, I was lucky enough to observe a monk performing a service/giving a blessing to a patron. It reminded me of the little I've seen in mosques and churches, in that the monk was praying over him, and occasionally flicked water onto the man with a brush of reeds. I enjoyed seeing this common thread of all religions and cultures.
Also, while the monk was performing the service, a cat was climbing all over him trying to get attention, rubbing against his hands.
At the same temple I saw young boys (not in monks' robes) sweeping the water around on the tiles, trying to keep it somewhat dry. While it was still raining. I did slip and almost fall because of my bare feet. Can an ancient buddha image grin? I think so. Can an ancient buddha image make it stop raining after? Probably not, but the rain did end.
I am alive and mostly uninjured: my abrasions are mostly healed (yes, I had a spill off the scooter on a wet dirt road near the summit of Doi Suthep; yes, it was worth it; yes, I'd do it again), the grass cuts are fading, and the insect bites are clearing up as new ones replace them. I'm also not having the bizarre dreams many people taking Malarone (to prevent malaria) experience.
Currently in Chiang Rai, a smaller, more northern version of Chiang Mai. It used to be a popular destination for Thai tourists. It's a lot cleaner and nicer, but also seems to be more laid back/boring. Bangkok is still where I'd like to live in Thailand. Headed in to Laos in the next few days for about a week. We'll be taking a boat for 2 days down the river to get to Luang Prabang from Chang Khong.
I don't have my notepad with me, so I'll hold off on some of the "epic" story telling.
Instead, a random observation:
While at one of the temples outside Chiang Mai, I was lucky enough to observe a monk performing a service/giving a blessing to a patron. It reminded me of the little I've seen in mosques and churches, in that the monk was praying over him, and occasionally flicked water onto the man with a brush of reeds. I enjoyed seeing this common thread of all religions and cultures.
Also, while the monk was performing the service, a cat was climbing all over him trying to get attention, rubbing against his hands.
At the same temple I saw young boys (not in monks' robes) sweeping the water around on the tiles, trying to keep it somewhat dry. While it was still raining. I did slip and almost fall because of my bare feet. Can an ancient buddha image grin? I think so. Can an ancient buddha image make it stop raining after? Probably not, but the rain did end.
I am alive and mostly uninjured: my abrasions are mostly healed (yes, I had a spill off the scooter on a wet dirt road near the summit of Doi Suthep; yes, it was worth it; yes, I'd do it again), the grass cuts are fading, and the insect bites are clearing up as new ones replace them. I'm also not having the bizarre dreams many people taking Malarone (to prevent malaria) experience.
Currently in Chiang Rai, a smaller, more northern version of Chiang Mai. It used to be a popular destination for Thai tourists. It's a lot cleaner and nicer, but also seems to be more laid back/boring. Bangkok is still where I'd like to live in Thailand. Headed in to Laos in the next few days for about a week. We'll be taking a boat for 2 days down the river to get to Luang Prabang from Chang Khong.
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