So after being home for almost 4 days now, life is slowly getting back to where they left off in early Nov with daily americanos. I have not done a whole lot, just unpacked and started to sort through the pics and starting to process/play with the photos so they look better.
I have not really been in the mode to deal with so called 'life' just yet. Good thing Jenn has taken care of most of the holiday stuff for us, as I am in no mode to deal with it right now. We had three holiday parties to go to yesterday, which was tough but manageable. The last one thrown by my 70+ year old friend Nathan Louie who Jenn and I met at a MACLA volunteer event. Nathan is a great guy and I was never been able to attend any of his parties. The house and people that were at the part made it pretty interesting. The house was PACKED with everything you can imagine, from animals heads on the wall, to random picture of white guys on the wall, buddhas from a few inches to 3 or 4 feet tall, clocks galore, the bathroom was something else , it was filled with all kinds of blinking lights and wall decorations with bright neon lights...pure craziness and something made me think I was in some sort of movie set. The 50-60 plus crowd of people consisted of older white people and chinese of all ages. Nathan is friends with a lot of the chinese students who come to SJSU to study. So we got to mix and mingle with them. Also met Kurt, who just got back from studying chinese in Beijing for 2 years. It always trips me out when you see white guys speaking fluent mandarin, that was Kurt yesterday speaking with the chinese students. The school sounded interesting and intense, I think one of the only ways I will be able to learn the language.
A few things really tripped me out when I got back home. First trip out of the house was to Ranch 99, in which pretty much everyone there speaks mandarin and some almost look down to you if you don't speak it (which includes me). Reminded me of Thailand and Vietnam, as most people in both of those countries think I am either thai or vietnamese with some chinese background. Cambodians pretty much knew I was not cambodian (most likely cause most are darker than me). Also people tripped out when I say I am from California and don't speak chinese! Something I need to correct here.
Starting on the photos, getting daily updates from Lou on the rest of his trip, and having to deal with the holiday shopping madness makes me wish I stayed just a few weeks longer and makes the comedown from a 5.5 week travel that much tougher. As Sonny said 'he goes through listening to me bitch for about 2 weeks til I am back to normal'. I also think anything from a 4 week to 3 month trip is a good amount of time to fully endulge in a culture. After chatting with some folks that were making the year around the world trip, I am not sure if thats for me anymore. Mentally its got to be tough, maybe when I was a little younger and had less worries.
Starting to make my ways through the photos brings back lots of memories like they were just last week. Getting back into the swing of things will slowly some around, especially with work starting back up tomorrow. For now, I can try to make those life's changes that I think about when abroad and hope I don't fall back into the rut here back at home!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Culture Shock
Brrr...it's cold here!
After being gone for about 5.5 weeks, another travel adventure comes to an end. As much as I was looking forward to coming home, I already miss the madness and uncertainties of traveling and living out of 2 backpacks. I think I can safely say that I am addicted to traveling and already thinking of where I should go next. Have 3 more days off until I have to head back into work. Should give me just enough time to get back into the groove of things and then more time off for the holidays. It's actually a bit weird being home, especially going to Ranch 99 this morning and hearing pretty much all chinese being spoken. And as always, after being gone for so long and then coming home it does not seem like much has changed here.
So now it's time to sort through the thousands of photos and reflect on the trip!
After being gone for about 5.5 weeks, another travel adventure comes to an end. As much as I was looking forward to coming home, I already miss the madness and uncertainties of traveling and living out of 2 backpacks. I think I can safely say that I am addicted to traveling and already thinking of where I should go next. Have 3 more days off until I have to head back into work. Should give me just enough time to get back into the groove of things and then more time off for the holidays. It's actually a bit weird being home, especially going to Ranch 99 this morning and hearing pretty much all chinese being spoken. And as always, after being gone for so long and then coming home it does not seem like much has changed here.
So now it's time to sort through the thousands of photos and reflect on the trip!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
It all works out in the end....
So after finding out that my flight to Bangkok was canceled and being moved to a flight about 9 hours later, I was very close to taking a motor bike back to the city and waste the day with Josh and Lou. I negotiated a price of 100k doung with a driver to take me to the royal hotel, buckel a helmet on, give him my big bag for the front and we start to go. He goes to the other end of the terminal and asks other drivers where Royal hotel is. One guy does not know and then I scream near the lake and the second guy starts to write a number on his hand with no pen. Then the motorbike taxi pulls out 150k doung and I say no, thats not what we agreed. I take my bags and head back to the terminal, ignoring the guy that is trying to talk to me.
After thinking about it for a bit, I decide to just spend the time at the airport. I first go back to the AirAsia office and get my Thursday flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai flight confirmed, cause if this flight gets canceled then I am stuck in Bangkok, which would be much better then being stuck in Hanoi. While waiting in line, I start chatting with a girl from Sydney about her issues and travels and after getting food vouchers from AirAsia and confirming my flight, we decide to kill time together. After killing a few hours chatting and reading, we had food at the food court and run into two girls from Canada, also supposed to be on the flight. We all hang out and trade travel stories.
As 4pm rolls around, I check my email and see that I accidently took Josh's computer power plug and since he would have no computer and internet for his last day, he moved his flights up a day and suggested I do the same since my plans to have one last big night out in Bangkok got ruined with the canceled flight. I quickly run over to China Airlines and see if there is room. Luckily it sounds like both flights are open and she instructs me to go to the ticketing office for China Airlines. After finding the ticketing office, I discuss with the guy my options and he tells me I can buy a ticket to Taipei that leaves in less then an hour (the one Josh is on), try to get the credit when I return to the states for my flight from Chiang Mai to Taipei (the one I would now be missing), and he can move me up a day on the flight from Taipei to SF. I tell him lets do it! One small issue, no credit cards, he did not have change for my large bills, and I was 15 short of what I had in small bills. I tell him my friend on the same flight should have the 15 I am short and I still needed to grab my bags that I left with the Canadiens and Ozzy. So he runs to the ticketing to start the check in process and I run to the food court to grab my stuff and say my good byes and head to the ticket counter. Get checked in and have them check if Josh has checked in yet, which he has. Migrate through customs and security and head to the gate to look for Josh so I can pay for the rest of the ticket. Josh is not at the gate and we look everwhere including yelling his name in the bathroom since he was having stomach issues. Then as I pass a restaurant, Josh see's me and yells my name. I get the extra money from him and pay the guy for the ticket!
So now I am in Taipei and will be catching the flight to SF that leaves in about two hours, arriving into SF a day early. No last night in bangkok with Charly, which I was REALLLY looking forward to but with the flight getting in at 11pm and having to leave at 7am does not really give me much time to really enjoy myself. Next time.
So as I always say to myself "Everything Happens for a reason", so many variables to getting me on an early flight back home!
Hopefully Jenn's see's this and/or her email so we have a ride when we arrive!
After thinking about it for a bit, I decide to just spend the time at the airport. I first go back to the AirAsia office and get my Thursday flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai flight confirmed, cause if this flight gets canceled then I am stuck in Bangkok, which would be much better then being stuck in Hanoi. While waiting in line, I start chatting with a girl from Sydney about her issues and travels and after getting food vouchers from AirAsia and confirming my flight, we decide to kill time together. After killing a few hours chatting and reading, we had food at the food court and run into two girls from Canada, also supposed to be on the flight. We all hang out and trade travel stories.
As 4pm rolls around, I check my email and see that I accidently took Josh's computer power plug and since he would have no computer and internet for his last day, he moved his flights up a day and suggested I do the same since my plans to have one last big night out in Bangkok got ruined with the canceled flight. I quickly run over to China Airlines and see if there is room. Luckily it sounds like both flights are open and she instructs me to go to the ticketing office for China Airlines. After finding the ticketing office, I discuss with the guy my options and he tells me I can buy a ticket to Taipei that leaves in less then an hour (the one Josh is on), try to get the credit when I return to the states for my flight from Chiang Mai to Taipei (the one I would now be missing), and he can move me up a day on the flight from Taipei to SF. I tell him lets do it! One small issue, no credit cards, he did not have change for my large bills, and I was 15 short of what I had in small bills. I tell him my friend on the same flight should have the 15 I am short and I still needed to grab my bags that I left with the Canadiens and Ozzy. So he runs to the ticketing to start the check in process and I run to the food court to grab my stuff and say my good byes and head to the ticket counter. Get checked in and have them check if Josh has checked in yet, which he has. Migrate through customs and security and head to the gate to look for Josh so I can pay for the rest of the ticket. Josh is not at the gate and we look everwhere including yelling his name in the bathroom since he was having stomach issues. Then as I pass a restaurant, Josh see's me and yells my name. I get the extra money from him and pay the guy for the ticket!
So now I am in Taipei and will be catching the flight to SF that leaves in about two hours, arriving into SF a day early. No last night in bangkok with Charly, which I was REALLLY looking forward to but with the flight getting in at 11pm and having to leave at 7am does not really give me much time to really enjoy myself. Next time.
So as I always say to myself "Everything Happens for a reason", so many variables to getting me on an early flight back home!
Hopefully Jenn's see's this and/or her email so we have a ride when we arrive!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Unbelievable!
As luck would have it, my flight from Hanoi to Bangkok gets canceled. They put me on a later flight that leaves at 9pm tonight and arrives Bangkok at 11pm. Will have to see it it will be worth it to even leave the airport area since my flight out of Bangkok leaves at 7am tomorrow morning. I almost headed back into the city, but it costs about 15 USD and takes about an hour. So that would mean spending 45 USD and 3 plus hours on transit to and from the airport. I decided to suck it up and stay at the airport. Got a food and drink voucher and other travelers to hangout and chat with. Most likely the airplan was not full enough to make it a profitable flight. Thats what I get for going with a budget airline. Oh well, let's just hope my flights tomorrow don't get canceled!
Monday, December 15, 2008
From Land of Smiles to Land of Scams
So after only having one night in Saigon, we headed up to Hanoi. The one night in Saigon was pretty amazing and was a nice breath of fresh air after spending close to a week in Cambodia. Met a british guy in our hotel in Saigon that now lives in Saigon and actually runs the first insurance company for cell phones in Vietnam. It was actually just launching and he was on the news as we were talking to him. It was great to chat with him to get the lowdown on the city and he suggested a few places for drinks and nightlige. Went out for the night and ended up being a good night out in Saigon and ended up only getting a few hours sleep before catching the flight in Hanoi.
The flight to Hanoi was interesting. We took JetStar, which is a Vietnamese budget airline and somehow the three of us got lucky to get the first three seats. About 15 minutes before landing some guy heads into the bathroom and right before landing as the stewardess checks the bathroom she notices the smell of smoke. Seems to be that the guy could not wait another 20 or so minutes and had to have a few puffs of nicotine. That was a first for me, unbelievable to have the balls to smoke in the bathroom on a plane. Not sure the consequences in Vietnam, but I know back home the penalty is pretty severe. Also during landing some lady decided to just standup and walk down the aisle as we were landing with her baby. I guess, only in Vietnam.
So we had two nights in Hanoi and booked a 2 night 3 day trip to Halong Bay. The two nights were sub-par and actually a bit disappointing. Everything seems to shut down by 11:30 or so in Hanoi and finding any sort of night life in the city seemed impossible. We got suggestions from Andy (mobile insurance guy from Saigon) about restaurants and nightlife, the restaurant he suggested us to eat at was called Ibox, which also had a nightclub upstairs. Found the restaurant and after looking over the menu decided to give it a try. A bit upscale french-fusion. The hostess surprisingly forgot to tell us that we would be charged 50k doung (about 3 bucks) each for a jazz performer that would start during our dinner. Since we didn't have reservations and probably for being foreigners, they sit us right next to a speaker. The show starts with a jazz band playing a nice Duke Elington track and then the next song a flaming viet singer jumps up and sings Silent Night. Quickly the show turned for the worst as well as our experience at Ibox. The food then came and it seemed we didn't get what we ordered. I think Josh got my dish and vice versa, Louie's didn't seem right. We went along with it and the food was actually good but the singing was horrific, plus it was blaring right in our ears. As soon as we grubbed down our food, we quickly made our way to the exit after a bit of confusion with the doung as the conversion is 16k to one USD and the blaring music in our ears made the conversion difficult for some reason. After that we found the associated nightclub a few doors down and went upstairs. Once we entered we were quickly escorted to a table and told to sit down. It's been a vietnamese thing to get you into a club and sit you down, which has been alittle annoying and pretty much just a way to get you to buy a drink, something we are not really used to at a nightclub....bar girls surround you and and try to get you to order american priced drinks. The music here was just as bad as the music during dinner. They had a bunch of vietnamese girls lip syncing and dancing to some wannabe jpop and then had some corny dj come up and dance around. As all of us were not into this, we quickly left after one drink and called it a night.
For our first full day in Hanoi, we joined a tour to a some temples and for a raft ride down and through rice fields. The temples seemed like a waste of time and more like a way to just kill time. Maybe I have just been spoiled with Angkor Wat and Sukhothai in Thailand. After that we took a bus to this waterway where little old vietnames ladies row you down the waterways through the rice fields. It was nice, but due to the time of the year, the rice fields did not really exist. Fun nontheless and always an experience when Louie accompanies me. This day I felt like a real tourist following the heard, as we were packed in a bus with about 15 others from all over the world and metup with many other tourist groups at the temples and the waterways. Oh well, just a little sample of what was to come at Halong Bay.
So the last two nights, three days were spent in Halong Bay. One night sleeping on a boat in the bay and one night at Ca Bat Island. The bay is beautiful. There is supposedly over 1500 rock islands in the bay, which make it unique and a major tourist attraction. This is pretty much the only reason we came up to Hanoi and Northern Vietnam. The tour was horrible ran and not organized well at all. The food was the same over and and over for at leat 4 or 5 meals. I but disappointed but checking Halong Bay off the list has now been completed. It was pretty sad to see how polluted the bay itself was and how the vietnamese try and scam and rip off tourist for every dollar they can. As the people and Thailand and Cambodia are much more nice and may still try to get a few extra dollars from tourists, Vietnam seems a but more shrewd and not to care if they rip off a tourist cause they know more are coming. Pretty sad, as it seems that a lot of tourists have had the same experiences here...something Lonely Planet fails to mention about the country. As always, we made the best of the Halong Bay trip with beers with other travelers from the UK and Germany and also watching Rusell Peters on a laptop with a guy from Canada.
Josh unfortunately has been sick for the last 6 days with the common p** a** and belly problems. Most likely from the fish amok in Cambodia that Louie and I have been able to shake. I feel bad for him, as it was his first asia experience but he is trying to make the best of the trip. He has not eaten a whole lot over the last few days and has been sleeping a ton. Hoepfully its nothing major and can make it these last few days before heading back home on Thurs.
I am coming to the end of yet another adventurous travel experience. Actually after all of this, I am looking to coming home. I have one nigh in Bangkok and will be staying with Charles and then about 15 hours of plane rides with about 25+ hours of travel. Not looking forward to that part of the trip but definetly looking to beingback on US soil!
The flight to Hanoi was interesting. We took JetStar, which is a Vietnamese budget airline and somehow the three of us got lucky to get the first three seats. About 15 minutes before landing some guy heads into the bathroom and right before landing as the stewardess checks the bathroom she notices the smell of smoke. Seems to be that the guy could not wait another 20 or so minutes and had to have a few puffs of nicotine. That was a first for me, unbelievable to have the balls to smoke in the bathroom on a plane. Not sure the consequences in Vietnam, but I know back home the penalty is pretty severe. Also during landing some lady decided to just standup and walk down the aisle as we were landing with her baby. I guess, only in Vietnam.
So we had two nights in Hanoi and booked a 2 night 3 day trip to Halong Bay. The two nights were sub-par and actually a bit disappointing. Everything seems to shut down by 11:30 or so in Hanoi and finding any sort of night life in the city seemed impossible. We got suggestions from Andy (mobile insurance guy from Saigon) about restaurants and nightlife, the restaurant he suggested us to eat at was called Ibox, which also had a nightclub upstairs. Found the restaurant and after looking over the menu decided to give it a try. A bit upscale french-fusion. The hostess surprisingly forgot to tell us that we would be charged 50k doung (about 3 bucks) each for a jazz performer that would start during our dinner. Since we didn't have reservations and probably for being foreigners, they sit us right next to a speaker. The show starts with a jazz band playing a nice Duke Elington track and then the next song a flaming viet singer jumps up and sings Silent Night. Quickly the show turned for the worst as well as our experience at Ibox. The food then came and it seemed we didn't get what we ordered. I think Josh got my dish and vice versa, Louie's didn't seem right. We went along with it and the food was actually good but the singing was horrific, plus it was blaring right in our ears. As soon as we grubbed down our food, we quickly made our way to the exit after a bit of confusion with the doung as the conversion is 16k to one USD and the blaring music in our ears made the conversion difficult for some reason. After that we found the associated nightclub a few doors down and went upstairs. Once we entered we were quickly escorted to a table and told to sit down. It's been a vietnamese thing to get you into a club and sit you down, which has been alittle annoying and pretty much just a way to get you to buy a drink, something we are not really used to at a nightclub....bar girls surround you and and try to get you to order american priced drinks. The music here was just as bad as the music during dinner. They had a bunch of vietnamese girls lip syncing and dancing to some wannabe jpop and then had some corny dj come up and dance around. As all of us were not into this, we quickly left after one drink and called it a night.
For our first full day in Hanoi, we joined a tour to a some temples and for a raft ride down and through rice fields. The temples seemed like a waste of time and more like a way to just kill time. Maybe I have just been spoiled with Angkor Wat and Sukhothai in Thailand. After that we took a bus to this waterway where little old vietnames ladies row you down the waterways through the rice fields. It was nice, but due to the time of the year, the rice fields did not really exist. Fun nontheless and always an experience when Louie accompanies me. This day I felt like a real tourist following the heard, as we were packed in a bus with about 15 others from all over the world and metup with many other tourist groups at the temples and the waterways. Oh well, just a little sample of what was to come at Halong Bay.
So the last two nights, three days were spent in Halong Bay. One night sleeping on a boat in the bay and one night at Ca Bat Island. The bay is beautiful. There is supposedly over 1500 rock islands in the bay, which make it unique and a major tourist attraction. This is pretty much the only reason we came up to Hanoi and Northern Vietnam. The tour was horrible ran and not organized well at all. The food was the same over and and over for at leat 4 or 5 meals. I but disappointed but checking Halong Bay off the list has now been completed. It was pretty sad to see how polluted the bay itself was and how the vietnamese try and scam and rip off tourist for every dollar they can. As the people and Thailand and Cambodia are much more nice and may still try to get a few extra dollars from tourists, Vietnam seems a but more shrewd and not to care if they rip off a tourist cause they know more are coming. Pretty sad, as it seems that a lot of tourists have had the same experiences here...something Lonely Planet fails to mention about the country. As always, we made the best of the Halong Bay trip with beers with other travelers from the UK and Germany and also watching Rusell Peters on a laptop with a guy from Canada.
Josh unfortunately has been sick for the last 6 days with the common p** a** and belly problems. Most likely from the fish amok in Cambodia that Louie and I have been able to shake. I feel bad for him, as it was his first asia experience but he is trying to make the best of the trip. He has not eaten a whole lot over the last few days and has been sleeping a ton. Hoepfully its nothing major and can make it these last few days before heading back home on Thurs.
I am coming to the end of yet another adventurous travel experience. Actually after all of this, I am looking to coming home. I have one nigh in Bangkok and will be staying with Charles and then about 15 hours of plane rides with about 25+ hours of travel. Not looking forward to that part of the trip but definetly looking to beingback on US soil!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Saigon
After a 6 hour or so bus journey from Phnom Pehn to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Mihn City) we made it. The bus ride was not too bad, except for the fact that they stick all the tourists in the back of the bus where the bus lacks legroom. The evening in Phnom Pehn was uneventful and glad we only had less than 24 hours there. It was grimmier then Siem Reap! Walked around a bit and saw lots of pickup soccer games being played and outdoor aerobics in the park near the river. Came up on a market that with lots of stals selling tarantulas, frogs, crickets, ants, and other insects ready to eat. Lou being lou grubbed down on a few tarantulas and after getting talking to a few locals that looked like they were having dinner at the insect cart shared with us a few of their pickings. The little river shrimps were not too bad but I was a bit scared of the taratantula especially since my belly was not feeling to well. Most likely from the amok the previous day. So we have one night in Saigon and then up to Hanoi to practically finish off the trip. Was thinking of extending a few days to come back down to Saigon since I messed up on the visa and flights which only left me one day in Saigon but it would only give me about 3 extra days, probably cost a few hundred bucks, and I have a lovely girlfriend, family, and Netapp to return to. Oh well, Saigon will always be here and what I have seen of Vietnam so far (about 6 hours), I really like and know I will be back. Off for a night out and the infamous flying rice that my Uncle Vic suggested we not miss.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Amok
Had a very memorable time in Siem Reap and now am in Phohn Pehn. Took a 6 hour bus ride down from Siem Reap, pretty interesting as the bus started smelling like something was burning and we had to pull over a few times for the bus crew to take a look. I guess they fixed things, since we did not have to change buses and made it on that bus. Had a very memorable time in Cambodia and tomorrow we will head to Saigon/Ho Chi Mihn City in Vietnam via bus. Here is a summary of some of the things that really stick out of my head during our 6 day stay in Siem Reap:
- While taking pictures of monkeys at Angkor Wat, one of the monkies jumping on Josh's back. He then starts spinning around to get the monkey off and the mother monkey starts coming at Josh very angrily and making noises. The monkey falls off his back and Josh remains unharmed.
- Lim (out tuk tuk driver for the week), a real great guy that showed us the real local spots of Siem Reap and having us over for dinner with his family and friends. His parents were actually killed by the Pol Pot and Khemer Rogue. He was an orphan and showed a lot of resentment to the Cmabodia government.
- One of our tour guides of Angkor Wat recognizing Louie when him and I were walking back to the guesthouse in the middle of a road and then she and her friends cooking amok for us at her families house.
- Amok, an excellent cambodian fish curry dish!
- Going to shoot huge 60 gauge machine guns and uzi's. Josh and Louie actually shot the guns and now I resent not shooting it now.
- Hanging out with guys in training for the cambodian army while they were on break.
- Visiting a real cambodian market with NO other tourists in the whole market. Seeing live chickens put to death and then boiled to be de-feathered. That's real fresh chicken for you. The fish for the amok that was cooked for us was actually bought at the same market and I am praying I do not pay for this with another bout of pi** a**.
- Of course Angkor Wat. Simply amazing and I just wonder how it was built back in those days. Some of the steps to go up or not for the faint at heart. The architecture behind the temples is crazy.
- Getting my ears cleaned for a buck while Lou got his haircut and shaved. Some of the tools they used looked pretty crazy and actually kind of hurt at times.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Siem Reap
The last few days in Siem Reap have been great. Cambodia has certainly beat my expectations, as I was a little concerned about Cambodia and how dangerous the place would be. In think when Bourdain had his show in Cambodia, he discussed not going out at night and things like that. The people of Cambodia are very friendly and I have not felt threatend at all. Maybe it is because we are in Siem Reap, a major tourist spot and they know if tourists feel threatended in any way, it will easily effect the number of visitors it gets each year. Maybe Phohnm Pehn maybe a little more rugged than Siem Reap, or maybe it's because we have had the luxury of having Lim as our tuk tuk driver daily. He seems to know everyone, have cousins and family everywhere we go, and has been taking care of us and taking us wherever/whenever we want. He even had us over for dinner this evening, which was another priceless event. He had cooked at least 5 huge fish from the lake, noodles that Tra's mother made (from scratch I imagine), rice, salad and beer. In typcial Cambodian fashion they lay a mat out on the floor and everyone gathers around the food to eat, no tables and chairs to sit on. His 4 kids joined us and a few of them well under 10 years old were sharing a beer with no problems from Lim and his wife. Such a different culture and lifestyle that I was happy to witness.
During the day today, we headed to an area where the army trains, as Josh and Lou wanted to shoot automatic weapons. They both fired off a 60 gauge machine gun and josh also fired off an uzi. I think it was something like 140 bucks for 150 rounds for the machin gun and 40 bucks for 100 rounds with the uzi. As it was a once in a lifetime experience, I am a little disaapointed I did not partake in the firing of the automatic weapons, oh well...next time! I did get some good shots of them firing them off, that I will post later. After that, Louie saw a bunch of guys training for the miltary, s we stopped and had a chat and took pictures with and of them. A pretty good group of guys that we caught on break playing cards for money and just having a good time. Later in the day, we headed to the floating villages in Siem Reap. An interesting way of life and pretty much a tourist trap. We got charged 20 each for the boat ride through the village and back. They hit you up with the typical stops to get food and drinks, also stopped at a small store to pickup school items incase you wanted to stop at the school. Pencils were 50 cents, so we thought it was a rip and headed back. Yes, it was nice to see the floating village, but not worth the 20, and I would probably never go back to that part of Siem Reap.
Yesterday, we started bright and early at 5am to catcht the sunrise over Ankor Wat. Pretty amazing with lots of tourists lined up, but I did get some nice shots that I will try to post later. Checked out a few more temples and then headed back for $5 massages. The massages are great, just like in thailand! Pretty much all templed out and can't wait to head into Vietnam in a few days.
During the day today, we headed to an area where the army trains, as Josh and Lou wanted to shoot automatic weapons. They both fired off a 60 gauge machine gun and josh also fired off an uzi. I think it was something like 140 bucks for 150 rounds for the machin gun and 40 bucks for 100 rounds with the uzi. As it was a once in a lifetime experience, I am a little disaapointed I did not partake in the firing of the automatic weapons, oh well...next time! I did get some good shots of them firing them off, that I will post later. After that, Louie saw a bunch of guys training for the miltary, s we stopped and had a chat and took pictures with and of them. A pretty good group of guys that we caught on break playing cards for money and just having a good time. Later in the day, we headed to the floating villages in Siem Reap. An interesting way of life and pretty much a tourist trap. We got charged 20 each for the boat ride through the village and back. They hit you up with the typical stops to get food and drinks, also stopped at a small store to pickup school items incase you wanted to stop at the school. Pencils were 50 cents, so we thought it was a rip and headed back. Yes, it was nice to see the floating village, but not worth the 20, and I would probably never go back to that part of Siem Reap.
Yesterday, we started bright and early at 5am to catcht the sunrise over Ankor Wat. Pretty amazing with lots of tourists lined up, but I did get some nice shots that I will try to post later. Checked out a few more temples and then headed back for $5 massages. The massages are great, just like in thailand! Pretty much all templed out and can't wait to head into Vietnam in a few days.
More Visuals
Giving food to the monks in Thailand
Some pretty rare clown fish that Changchi had in Bangkok
An amazing ~300 gallon reef tank owned by Changchi in Bangkok
Chiang Mai Night Safari Water and Light Show
Chiang Mai Night Safari Water and Light Show
Elephant drawing at the elephant conservation camp in Lampang, Thailand
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Priceless....
Wow! Is all I have to say about my last few days in Cambodia. Honestly, I was a little worried about Cambodia, from what I have seen about people getting mugged and to stay in after dark had me a little scared, especially after traveling Thailand. Siem Reap has been great thus far. The people, food, and experiences have been very memorable thus far.
After arriving to the guest house and meeting up with Josh and Louie, Louie went to work on his bus trip from Phonm Pehn to Siem Reap and met a local tuk tuk driver named Lam. Lam picked us up from the guest house and took us around the town and has been our driver and translator for the last few days. Everyone seems to know him around the town and having a local driver that knows the in’s and outs of a city that you can trust makes experiencing the city priceless.
Yesterday we visited the Angkor wat, one of many. It was amazing and one of those things that pictures will not do justice. The temples were HUGE and the ability to climb and crawl throughout makes it fun. Some of the steps are very steep and small, making it difficult to climb up and down. After the temples, we headed to Lam’s home town in the countryside and on the way, we saw a truck ¾ in a water ditch and hundreds of people gathering around to watch them try to pull it out. It was pretty insane and after an hour or so, they still did not get it out of the water. From there, we headed to his brother in-laws house who is a coach for boxers (which they consider muay thai boxers). We got to watch some of the fighters train and let me just say it was not your normal boxing gym. They had a few large punching bags setup, a huge tire for them to warm up on by jumping on it, cement blocks with a wooden bar that was used for weights, and no ring, just about of dirt. It was pretty insane to watch them train with that type of equipment and all and I am pretty sure they can whoop all of our asses. After that he took is to his parents place where is twins were, we got to meet his parents and kids, which was nice of him.
Today was spent at another set of temples and tomorrow we will head to the ones known as the Tomb Raider temple, since Tomb Raider was shot there which is the famous one with the trees overgrowing the temples. At the last temple we went to catch sunset, we got to chat with Buddhist monks as they like to practice their English with foreigners. We got to understand some of the monks traditions firsthand. The evening was spent with a bunch of locals at a small party that Lam’s nephew was throwing. It was basically just a bunch of guys (mostly tuk-tuk drivers) getting together to share food and drinks at a house in the countryside. The road to get there was a very bumpy dirt road but after missing a few turns we finally made it. On the way back to the guesthouse, we actually all had to get out and push for a little bit as the sand was too soft for the tuk-tuk. We all had a great time and actually enjoyed the rice, little fish that are caught from the water next to the rice paddies, and duck soup that was served at the party. The night was very memorable and good times was shared with many local Cambodians, these kind of events sometimes make more of an impression on you the visiting one of the wonders of the worlds! Being able to able to indulge yourself with locals, makes the traveling experience all that much memorable.
After arriving to the guest house and meeting up with Josh and Louie, Louie went to work on his bus trip from Phonm Pehn to Siem Reap and met a local tuk tuk driver named Lam. Lam picked us up from the guest house and took us around the town and has been our driver and translator for the last few days. Everyone seems to know him around the town and having a local driver that knows the in’s and outs of a city that you can trust makes experiencing the city priceless.
Yesterday we visited the Angkor wat, one of many. It was amazing and one of those things that pictures will not do justice. The temples were HUGE and the ability to climb and crawl throughout makes it fun. Some of the steps are very steep and small, making it difficult to climb up and down. After the temples, we headed to Lam’s home town in the countryside and on the way, we saw a truck ¾ in a water ditch and hundreds of people gathering around to watch them try to pull it out. It was pretty insane and after an hour or so, they still did not get it out of the water. From there, we headed to his brother in-laws house who is a coach for boxers (which they consider muay thai boxers). We got to watch some of the fighters train and let me just say it was not your normal boxing gym. They had a few large punching bags setup, a huge tire for them to warm up on by jumping on it, cement blocks with a wooden bar that was used for weights, and no ring, just about of dirt. It was pretty insane to watch them train with that type of equipment and all and I am pretty sure they can whoop all of our asses. After that he took is to his parents place where is twins were, we got to meet his parents and kids, which was nice of him.
Today was spent at another set of temples and tomorrow we will head to the ones known as the Tomb Raider temple, since Tomb Raider was shot there which is the famous one with the trees overgrowing the temples. At the last temple we went to catch sunset, we got to chat with Buddhist monks as they like to practice their English with foreigners. We got to understand some of the monks traditions firsthand. The evening was spent with a bunch of locals at a small party that Lam’s nephew was throwing. It was basically just a bunch of guys (mostly tuk-tuk drivers) getting together to share food and drinks at a house in the countryside. The road to get there was a very bumpy dirt road but after missing a few turns we finally made it. On the way back to the guesthouse, we actually all had to get out and push for a little bit as the sand was too soft for the tuk-tuk. We all had a great time and actually enjoyed the rice, little fish that are caught from the water next to the rice paddies, and duck soup that was served at the party. The night was very memorable and good times was shared with many local Cambodians, these kind of events sometimes make more of an impression on you the visiting one of the wonders of the worlds! Being able to able to indulge yourself with locals, makes the traveling experience all that much memorable.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Crossing the Border
After about 8 hours or so of travel, I finally made it to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Pulled an all nighter for my last night in Bangkok. The evening started by going with Charles to listen to him play a sample set for a few guys that run a hip hop night at a club called Twisted which happened to be a few blocks away from my hotel. I found out a few of the guys were from america and moved out to Bangkok and after chatting with me they said Kimball Collins was spinning some house there later on and they would get me on list. So I made it out later in the night, which had good music, expensive drinks, and was dead. I noticed Shamori (one of the guys I met earlier there) there and he invited me out to another club with the owner of Twisted, P-dog (a highly respected general in the military), and himself in RCA. I also got to chat with Kimball Collins a bit, I guess he lives out there in Bangkok now and plays at Twisted all the time. The next club was pretty packed, playing cheesy house/electronic music but the guys I was with knew everyone there. We escorted right in and to a VIP table, got bowed to many times along the way (as that’s a common practice in Thailand), and was served a bottle of vodka with mixers. I think being with the general had a lot to do with that, plus Shamori seemed to know everyone at the club. Got home a little after 5 and was worried about sleeping and missing the bus to Cambodia, so I just packed and headed down for an early breakfast, which I am sooo tired of, because I have been having the same thai breakfast for the last 3 weeks which consists of eggs, bacon, fried rice or fried noodles, toast, French toast, and sometimes rice porridge.
The bus ride to the Cambodia border was ok. I got on a mini bus for about 27 bucks and it stopped twice for gas and then the last time a few km from the border for a restaurant and a scam that I read and was told about. Basically they have guys there that help get your Cambodia visa at the border. They of course are not doing this for free but got everyone on the bus to do this except me. I didn’t even get out of the bus as I was warned about this and told NOT to do this. I even told and ozzie couple it was a scam but they went thru with it. So after they fill the visa paperwork out, one of the guys heads to the border to get the visas, that’s when the bus driver told me to just go with him to the border and that’s were I saw all of the tourists passports. Even when I got out of the car, guys approached me about visa’s and I just gave them a stern “I already have one and kept walking”. I figured if the touts in India can’t break me down, either could the thai’s. After making it through thai customs, surprisingly going through and getting a visa in Cambodia was easier than imagined, due to the help from Gordon at Two Dragons guest house in Siem Reap and Sambath, the tour agent that accompanied me to get my visa and all the way to the taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap. Definitely made things easier for transitioning to Cambodia from Thailand.
So Camodia is defintely a little more grimmy then Thailand. The road from Poipet to Siem Reap reminded me of India in many ways. At times just a pure dirt road, huge rocks, pot holes, and no lanes at all. Just a free for all of trucks, motor bikes, mopeds, and cars making their way down the road to their destination is whatever route they desire. The trip took about 3 hours or so from the border to the guest house and probably with a paved road would only take about 1.5 hours. Once arriving, both Josh (old college friend) and Louie were there at the guesthouse. Part two of the adventures now start, conquering Cambodia and Siem Reap.
Here is some exerts of my readings from talesfromasia.com before making the trip overland to Cambodia from Bangok.
“Fourteen-plus-hour drives, craters bigger than a pick-up truck, bombed-out bridges, drives through rice fields, roadblocks and demands for money, no other choices but to sit in the back of a pick-up truck with twenty-two Cambodians, etc. all created the kind of adventure that traveler legends are made of. Not surprisingly the road quickly became popular and traveling out of Poipet turned into scam/tout/hassle/rip-off central”
“As of August 24, 2008, the road is about the fastest it's been in years - except after a heavy rain. The section between Poipet and Sisophon is about halfway completed with about 25 to 30 km of real pavement and more ready to go down any day. Asphalt is appearing in spots east of Sisophon as well, while the dirt sections east to Kralanh are in various states of repair with nothing really bad and some quite good. Closer to Siem Reap is asphalt that's either deteriorating or recently repaired. The problem most likely to slow you down here is not road conditions but heavy traffic on a narrow road.”
And here is the email from Gordon from Two Dragons with the detailed instructions on crossing the border:
1.) After exiting Thai immigration, head over to the Cambodia Visa Services Building - even if you have visas already or you don't need visas (Singapore, Malaysia, Phils, Laos) you MUST go to this location, it's the first building on the right after crossing the foot bridge into Cambodia. Somewhere around the Visa application window will be a sign with your name(s) on it.
2.) If you need to obtain a visa here, we are connected with the folks inside and you will not be hassled to pay excessive fees above the $20 US the visas cost, however our customers are sometimes asked to pay a 100 baht tip, particularly during low season when tourists are few and money is scarce. Ultimately it's up to you whether you pay this or not, but the small tip (it's all of $3 US) does make friends and influence uncles and will make life easier for the next customer who comes along. We wish it weren't so, but that's the reality.
3.) The person you want to meet there is named Sambath (pronounced Sombot) and he'll take care of everything - visa apps, immigration forms, etc. He is not the actual driver but rather is our Poipet contact who handles our arrangements. His English is quite good. The need for a middle man will make better sense when you see the border. He will escort you all the way to the taxi stand and see you on your way.
5.) If by any chance someone should approach you before the Visa Services Building, most likely in Rongklua Market or even the bus or train station(!), and has your names on either a piece of paper, their hand, or just happens to know your name, whatever, ignore them - do not acknowledge them in anyway! No one except Sambath is authorized by us to approach you anywhere and he is only to meet you at the Cambodia Visa Services Building. Anyone who approaches you at any other location whether they claim to be Sambath or not, they are not our contact. We have had some problems with touts and other unauthorized individuals who see the sign at the Cambodia Visa Services Building and then walk into Thailand to try to intercept our customers for any of a couple of reasons - redirect you to another taxi or bus at an excessive amount of money, rip you off on a visa, or simply "help" you and then demand a tip later. Often they will misrepresent themselves and tell you they are Sambath. There is not much we can do about this except warn you as they will probably approach you on Thai soil, not Cambodia. So if you are met by anyone who deviates from the above information, meeting you in advance of the Visa Services building, for asking you to pay for the car up front, asking for more than $50, asking for 1000 baht or more for the visa, etc than this person is not our contact even of they claim they are Sambath. Remove yourself from this person and call us immediately,
The bus ride to the Cambodia border was ok. I got on a mini bus for about 27 bucks and it stopped twice for gas and then the last time a few km from the border for a restaurant and a scam that I read and was told about. Basically they have guys there that help get your Cambodia visa at the border. They of course are not doing this for free but got everyone on the bus to do this except me. I didn’t even get out of the bus as I was warned about this and told NOT to do this. I even told and ozzie couple it was a scam but they went thru with it. So after they fill the visa paperwork out, one of the guys heads to the border to get the visas, that’s when the bus driver told me to just go with him to the border and that’s were I saw all of the tourists passports. Even when I got out of the car, guys approached me about visa’s and I just gave them a stern “I already have one and kept walking”. I figured if the touts in India can’t break me down, either could the thai’s. After making it through thai customs, surprisingly going through and getting a visa in Cambodia was easier than imagined, due to the help from Gordon at Two Dragons guest house in Siem Reap and Sambath, the tour agent that accompanied me to get my visa and all the way to the taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap. Definitely made things easier for transitioning to Cambodia from Thailand.
So Camodia is defintely a little more grimmy then Thailand. The road from Poipet to Siem Reap reminded me of India in many ways. At times just a pure dirt road, huge rocks, pot holes, and no lanes at all. Just a free for all of trucks, motor bikes, mopeds, and cars making their way down the road to their destination is whatever route they desire. The trip took about 3 hours or so from the border to the guest house and probably with a paved road would only take about 1.5 hours. Once arriving, both Josh (old college friend) and Louie were there at the guesthouse. Part two of the adventures now start, conquering Cambodia and Siem Reap.
Here is some exerts of my readings from talesfromasia.com before making the trip overland to Cambodia from Bangok.
“Fourteen-plus-hour drives, craters bigger than a pick-up truck, bombed-out bridges, drives through rice fields, roadblocks and demands for money, no other choices but to sit in the back of a pick-up truck with twenty-two Cambodians, etc. all created the kind of adventure that traveler legends are made of. Not surprisingly the road quickly became popular and traveling out of Poipet turned into scam/tout/hassle/rip-off central”
“As of August 24, 2008, the road is about the fastest it's been in years - except after a heavy rain. The section between Poipet and Sisophon is about halfway completed with about 25 to 30 km of real pavement and more ready to go down any day. Asphalt is appearing in spots east of Sisophon as well, while the dirt sections east to Kralanh are in various states of repair with nothing really bad and some quite good. Closer to Siem Reap is asphalt that's either deteriorating or recently repaired. The problem most likely to slow you down here is not road conditions but heavy traffic on a narrow road.”
And here is the email from Gordon from Two Dragons with the detailed instructions on crossing the border:
1.) After exiting Thai immigration, head over to the Cambodia Visa Services Building - even if you have visas already or you don't need visas (Singapore, Malaysia, Phils, Laos) you MUST go to this location, it's the first building on the right after crossing the foot bridge into Cambodia. Somewhere around the Visa application window will be a sign with your name(s) on it.
2.) If you need to obtain a visa here, we are connected with the folks inside and you will not be hassled to pay excessive fees above the $20 US the visas cost, however our customers are sometimes asked to pay a 100 baht tip, particularly during low season when tourists are few and money is scarce. Ultimately it's up to you whether you pay this or not, but the small tip (it's all of $3 US) does make friends and influence uncles and will make life easier for the next customer who comes along. We wish it weren't so, but that's the reality.
3.) The person you want to meet there is named Sambath (pronounced Sombot) and he'll take care of everything - visa apps, immigration forms, etc. He is not the actual driver but rather is our Poipet contact who handles our arrangements. His English is quite good. The need for a middle man will make better sense when you see the border. He will escort you all the way to the taxi stand and see you on your way.
5.) If by any chance someone should approach you before the Visa Services Building, most likely in Rongklua Market or even the bus or train station(!), and has your names on either a piece of paper, their hand, or just happens to know your name, whatever, ignore them - do not acknowledge them in anyway! No one except Sambath is authorized by us to approach you anywhere and he is only to meet you at the Cambodia Visa Services Building. Anyone who approaches you at any other location whether they claim to be Sambath or not, they are not our contact. We have had some problems with touts and other unauthorized individuals who see the sign at the Cambodia Visa Services Building and then walk into Thailand to try to intercept our customers for any of a couple of reasons - redirect you to another taxi or bus at an excessive amount of money, rip you off on a visa, or simply "help" you and then demand a tip later. Often they will misrepresent themselves and tell you they are Sambath. There is not much we can do about this except warn you as they will probably approach you on Thai soil, not Cambodia. So if you are met by anyone who deviates from the above information, meeting you in advance of the Visa Services building, for asking you to pay for the car up front, asking for more than $50, asking for 1000 baht or more for the visa, etc than this person is not our contact even of they claim they are Sambath. Remove yourself from this person and call us immediately,
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Back to School
Today is my last full day of Bangkok and the last two days here have been nothing short of fulfilling. Just as I was thinking that Bangkok was like Vegas, after a few days you are good and ready to move on, I greeted with great hospitality from both Charles and Chiangchi.
So earlier in the week, I met Charles from Cameroon through the Coushsurfing community. Earlier in the week, he invited me to sit in on his English teaching classes at a public school here in Thailand. He decided attending class on Weds would be best and it would only work if I surfed his couch on Tues night, since he lives right up the street from school and traffic getting from my hotel to his place would be horrific. So Tuesday night we metup in the city, checked out a possible club/party venue and then had dinner with another local couch surfer. After that we headed back to Charley’s place which is about 20 minutes or so outside of town from the city center. His housing in Bangkok is literally a flat with a balcony and bathroom. It comes fully furnished with bed, tv, furniture, and fridge for $100 USD a month + electricity and water. Not to bad!
So we headed to the school and got there a little before 8. Thai schools is like nothing I have seen or witnessed. I also got lucky because this Friday is the kings birthday, so they had a special ceremony with monks and everyone brought food to offer to the monks. If you don’t know the king and monks are highly respected. The king is respected so much, that if you disgrace the king or queen in any such way it can mean the death penalty just like that. So if you ever decide to come to Thailand, always and I mean always pay respect to the king. So after 30 to 40 minutes of the monk chat and the national anthem everyone lined up to offer food to the monks. They literally took home a van full of food. One of the English teachers was nice enough to give me food to offer the monks and I think I got some pictures of it. It was a once in a life time thing, thanks to Charles!
So after that Charles had his first class which was cut short by about 30 minutes due to the special events in the morning. I had a blast and Charles is well respected by the faculty and the kids. It was fun to see how the interact with him and they all wanted to know who his friend was that was following him around. And thai culture is a very shy culture so when I was not with Charles on my own taking pictures they would keep asking him who I was. So towards the end of the each class, he would introduce me and allow the kids to ask me questions. It was fun and the kids were so cute, as they were about 7th to 9th grade and just barely starting to pickup English again as they were first introduced to the language when they were younger. They would questions like, what’s you name, where are you from, do you speak thai, what’s your favorite food, why are you here, what’s your phone number, are you married, how old are you. And when answering Charley reminded me to speak very slow (yes slower then I normally do) and to try and pronounce loud and clear so they can understand. Most of the faculty thought I was from Japan and the kids could not get over the fact that I was Chinese that was born in America and did not speak Chinese. Charley explained it to them like a Cambodian kid born here in Thailand and they don’t speak Cambodian. And no, I did give out my phone number. Inbetween his 3rd and 4th classes we had school lunch. School lunch here in Thailand is pretty much just as good as I get at NetApp and probably about 8x cheaper. I had a rice plate with glass noodles and chicken but Charley picked up the bill so I was not sure what is costs. I don’t think it was too expensive but it was delicious. After classes were over Charles played a little bit of ‘Toko’ (sp?), which is basically volleyball with a smaller, heavier ball, lower net and you do not use your hands, only your feet, head, and chest. A few of the kids were really good at this game which is closely related to their fascination for what we call soccer they call football. A fun filled day memorable day and after going thru it all, I don’t think I would be cut out to teach English n Thailand. I just would not have the patience for it.
Yesterday (Tues), I spent a good portion of the day with a local reef keeper. As most would know, salt water reef tanks is a passion in my life. One of the popular reef forums that I visit, has a thread of a very popular reef tank here in Bangkok. Keeping certain types of corals here in Thailand is illegal and this guy Chiangchi has a ton of them that are grown out to unbelievable sizes. The morning started with getting dropped off by a taxi driver in an area of Bangkok near Chinatown. Chiangchi told me to just have the taxi driver call him and he will give directions. As we get near, he calls again and then the taxi driver tells me to just turn right at the corner and then left and Chiangchi will meet me outside. So I follow his directions and then look around and just randomly wonder around. I don’t see anything and then this guy on a scooter drives up and I say “Chiangchi?” and he was like “I don’t understand” and I continue my search. Then after walking around a little more, I see a small reef tank setup in an office. So I walk in and ask if they know Chiangchi, as having reef tanks are not too popular, yet alone in Bangkok. So they say yes and then Chiangchi walks up behind me. I guess that little tank was were his office is. Him and his family run and import fruit business here in Bangkok and from the looks of it, does very well for himself. So then he takes me to see his show tanks, one is about 300 gallons or so and is all custom. The size of some of the corals are ever hardly seen this big in captivity, as it takes a few years to grow certain species out to these sizes and most people back home frag or break t coral up to sell it. The fish in his tank were amazing has well, some of the more rarer species in the hobby are being kept by him. Some of the fish would easily go for over $1000 USD per fish back home as well in Bangkok. Chiangchi is lucky enough to have a full time fish maintenance guy on staff. He is from Burma and keeps the tanks in immaculate conditions. Another couple from Chicago, happened to be stuck in Bangkok during this time and was going to stop by to take a look at the tank as well. As we waited for them to arriver, we went up the street for some local street noodle soup. After they arrived and drooled over the tank, Chiangchi took us to the local area where a lot of pet stores are and the local reef club (Siam Reef Club) actually has a little shop here to help promote the hobby. It also had a real nice tank with real nice fish. He was nice enough to send us home with a little souvenir, a towel with the Siam Reef Club logo on it.
On my way for a 4 hour bus ride to the Cambodia border and then another 3 hours from there to Siem Reap. It should be an interesting ride, as I will blog about the details later. As you are probably aware, the airport is open BUT outbound flights won't start til later today or Friday so I should get credit. Hopefully things will be back to normal by the 17th, when I am supposed to come back thru Thailand. I also had a fun filled last night here in Bangkok, details to follow.
So earlier in the week, I met Charles from Cameroon through the Coushsurfing community. Earlier in the week, he invited me to sit in on his English teaching classes at a public school here in Thailand. He decided attending class on Weds would be best and it would only work if I surfed his couch on Tues night, since he lives right up the street from school and traffic getting from my hotel to his place would be horrific. So Tuesday night we metup in the city, checked out a possible club/party venue and then had dinner with another local couch surfer. After that we headed back to Charley’s place which is about 20 minutes or so outside of town from the city center. His housing in Bangkok is literally a flat with a balcony and bathroom. It comes fully furnished with bed, tv, furniture, and fridge for $100 USD a month + electricity and water. Not to bad!
So we headed to the school and got there a little before 8. Thai schools is like nothing I have seen or witnessed. I also got lucky because this Friday is the kings birthday, so they had a special ceremony with monks and everyone brought food to offer to the monks. If you don’t know the king and monks are highly respected. The king is respected so much, that if you disgrace the king or queen in any such way it can mean the death penalty just like that. So if you ever decide to come to Thailand, always and I mean always pay respect to the king. So after 30 to 40 minutes of the monk chat and the national anthem everyone lined up to offer food to the monks. They literally took home a van full of food. One of the English teachers was nice enough to give me food to offer the monks and I think I got some pictures of it. It was a once in a life time thing, thanks to Charles!
So after that Charles had his first class which was cut short by about 30 minutes due to the special events in the morning. I had a blast and Charles is well respected by the faculty and the kids. It was fun to see how the interact with him and they all wanted to know who his friend was that was following him around. And thai culture is a very shy culture so when I was not with Charles on my own taking pictures they would keep asking him who I was. So towards the end of the each class, he would introduce me and allow the kids to ask me questions. It was fun and the kids were so cute, as they were about 7th to 9th grade and just barely starting to pickup English again as they were first introduced to the language when they were younger. They would questions like, what’s you name, where are you from, do you speak thai, what’s your favorite food, why are you here, what’s your phone number, are you married, how old are you. And when answering Charley reminded me to speak very slow (yes slower then I normally do) and to try and pronounce loud and clear so they can understand. Most of the faculty thought I was from Japan and the kids could not get over the fact that I was Chinese that was born in America and did not speak Chinese. Charley explained it to them like a Cambodian kid born here in Thailand and they don’t speak Cambodian. And no, I did give out my phone number. Inbetween his 3rd and 4th classes we had school lunch. School lunch here in Thailand is pretty much just as good as I get at NetApp and probably about 8x cheaper. I had a rice plate with glass noodles and chicken but Charley picked up the bill so I was not sure what is costs. I don’t think it was too expensive but it was delicious. After classes were over Charles played a little bit of ‘Toko’ (sp?), which is basically volleyball with a smaller, heavier ball, lower net and you do not use your hands, only your feet, head, and chest. A few of the kids were really good at this game which is closely related to their fascination for what we call soccer they call football. A fun filled day memorable day and after going thru it all, I don’t think I would be cut out to teach English n Thailand. I just would not have the patience for it.
Yesterday (Tues), I spent a good portion of the day with a local reef keeper. As most would know, salt water reef tanks is a passion in my life. One of the popular reef forums that I visit, has a thread of a very popular reef tank here in Bangkok. Keeping certain types of corals here in Thailand is illegal and this guy Chiangchi has a ton of them that are grown out to unbelievable sizes. The morning started with getting dropped off by a taxi driver in an area of Bangkok near Chinatown. Chiangchi told me to just have the taxi driver call him and he will give directions. As we get near, he calls again and then the taxi driver tells me to just turn right at the corner and then left and Chiangchi will meet me outside. So I follow his directions and then look around and just randomly wonder around. I don’t see anything and then this guy on a scooter drives up and I say “Chiangchi?” and he was like “I don’t understand” and I continue my search. Then after walking around a little more, I see a small reef tank setup in an office. So I walk in and ask if they know Chiangchi, as having reef tanks are not too popular, yet alone in Bangkok. So they say yes and then Chiangchi walks up behind me. I guess that little tank was were his office is. Him and his family run and import fruit business here in Bangkok and from the looks of it, does very well for himself. So then he takes me to see his show tanks, one is about 300 gallons or so and is all custom. The size of some of the corals are ever hardly seen this big in captivity, as it takes a few years to grow certain species out to these sizes and most people back home frag or break t coral up to sell it. The fish in his tank were amazing has well, some of the more rarer species in the hobby are being kept by him. Some of the fish would easily go for over $1000 USD per fish back home as well in Bangkok. Chiangchi is lucky enough to have a full time fish maintenance guy on staff. He is from Burma and keeps the tanks in immaculate conditions. Another couple from Chicago, happened to be stuck in Bangkok during this time and was going to stop by to take a look at the tank as well. As we waited for them to arriver, we went up the street for some local street noodle soup. After they arrived and drooled over the tank, Chiangchi took us to the local area where a lot of pet stores are and the local reef club (Siam Reef Club) actually has a little shop here to help promote the hobby. It also had a real nice tank with real nice fish. He was nice enough to send us home with a little souvenir, a towel with the Siam Reef Club logo on it.
On my way for a 4 hour bus ride to the Cambodia border and then another 3 hours from there to Siem Reap. It should be an interesting ride, as I will blog about the details later. As you are probably aware, the airport is open BUT outbound flights won't start til later today or Friday so I should get credit. Hopefully things will be back to normal by the 17th, when I am supposed to come back thru Thailand. I also had a fun filled last night here in Bangkok, details to follow.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Cause pictures are better then words
The hundreds of thousands of birds making their way into the cave and the bats leaving for dinner.
Our place in Pai for 3 nights (the bottom right quarter)
Our place in Pai for 3 nights (the bottom right quarter)
The road to Pai
A 100% no smoking hospital (cause some are 50% smoking)
Jenn enjoying a smoothie next to the river.
I just liked the concept of this bar/restaurant in Pai.
I rigidity bridge in Pai.
The full shot view of the bridge.
The daily farmers market in Pai. Fresh fish!
Fresh meat as well.
The fish is cleaned right on the sidewalk after you pick it from a bucket.
Our 'Quarter' at night.
Jenn's favorite market, where she really helped the Thai economy!
No extra charge for air-con!
The pool of IMM Ecco, which I did not get to use due to the Chiang Mai sh*ts.
Outdoor gym next to the pool.
The garden of IMM Ecco in Chiang Mai.
One of Jenn's favorite noodle stops in Sukhothai (look how good they are).
One of the ruins in Old Sukhothai.
Jenn suprisingly smiling, as she shortly got sick after this photo.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Red vs. Yellow
So I have now been in Bangkok for about a day and half now. I am not sure what the so-called News back home in the states is feeding people about Bangkok but things are fine here, with the small issue that the airport is shutdown causing about 30k tourists a day to not be able to come in and a reported 100k stranded here. It's really gonna kill tourism here in Thailand, as people will never want to come back. I still can't believe it's shutdown after 5 days now. They did let about 80 (i think) empty planes leave for other airports to let stranded passengers leave from other airports in thailand, which is positive news. I think the country is on edge right now, as no one knows which way things will head...for better or worse. Earlier in the week, the police tried to go into the airport but had to recede as the PAD (yellow-against the Prime Minister) out numbered the police and actually took control of a few of the police vehicles. So who has control????
So yesterday I metup with Charles from Cameroon. We met via a web community called couchsurfing. It's a great site that helps connect like minded travelers and allows you to host or request to surf peoples couch. It helps in saving hotel costs and getting to know locals in the area. So I did not actually surf Charles couch since he was supposed to already be hosting people but we metup for dinner and to hangout. Charles is a very genuine guy and has been in Thailand now for about 17 months and speaks about 10 languages, yes 10. Crazy!! I really admire people who speak more then one language. Originally coming over to complete his masters, he switched to teaching english and dj'ing professionally. So after meeting up, we had authentic Cameroon food from a small restaurant on the 3rd floor of some building. A very hole in the wall type of spot with no signs what so ever. The food was delicious and cheap at that. Charles says every sunday he heads into the city and eats there. After that we went to a barber shop, as part of Charles sunday routine is to get shave and his nails down. As it's been 3 weeks for me, I told him I also go for a haircut. So we went to this place down a little alley that is ran by a thai girl who married an african and learned how to cut and weave africans hair. It was a gold mine, as it was packed with people coming in and out. I was the only non-african to be getting my hair cut and the all of workers were thai. Of course they thought I was thai too and we went through the whole 'english?' and 'you look thai' conversation. After getting my fade and lined up in the front we went back to the hotel to see if I can cancel as Charles said he can now host me since his coushsurfers never made it, most likely cause of the flights. But to no avail, since I pre-paid and already canceled once and they re-booked since my flight was canceled and then I was able to get a bus in. I still may crash at his place tomorrow night, as he has invited me to sit in on a few of his engligh classes to high school thai kids, which I think would be very interesting. To end the night, we went to Kho San Road, the popular backpacker street in Bangkok. On the way to Kho San Road I see the first group of red (pro government) group gathered together, not exactly sure which building/area it was, but that was my first sighting of reds. The previous night he DJ'd at three clubs on that street, so as we walk down the street he knows and says hi to everyone and we run into another coushsurfer that he knows that teaches english in Indonesia who is from Wisconsin and was stuck in Thailand. So the three of us, grab a beer and watch the first half of the manchester united vs. manchester city football (soccer) match (as watching football on sundays is also part of his sunday ritual, kinda like mind but a different kind of football). After the first half is over, we head to one of the clubs he DJ'd at to grab something he left behind and then went to another lounge to finish the match. After that, a kebab to fill our hunger craving, a walk down the night market to see everything from rabbits to VHS tapes being sold and then a 10 bhat bus ride make to the hotel to call it a night.
So yesterday I metup with Charles from Cameroon. We met via a web community called couchsurfing. It's a great site that helps connect like minded travelers and allows you to host or request to surf peoples couch. It helps in saving hotel costs and getting to know locals in the area. So I did not actually surf Charles couch since he was supposed to already be hosting people but we metup for dinner and to hangout. Charles is a very genuine guy and has been in Thailand now for about 17 months and speaks about 10 languages, yes 10. Crazy!! I really admire people who speak more then one language. Originally coming over to complete his masters, he switched to teaching english and dj'ing professionally. So after meeting up, we had authentic Cameroon food from a small restaurant on the 3rd floor of some building. A very hole in the wall type of spot with no signs what so ever. The food was delicious and cheap at that. Charles says every sunday he heads into the city and eats there. After that we went to a barber shop, as part of Charles sunday routine is to get shave and his nails down. As it's been 3 weeks for me, I told him I also go for a haircut. So we went to this place down a little alley that is ran by a thai girl who married an african and learned how to cut and weave africans hair. It was a gold mine, as it was packed with people coming in and out. I was the only non-african to be getting my hair cut and the all of workers were thai. Of course they thought I was thai too and we went through the whole 'english?' and 'you look thai' conversation. After getting my fade and lined up in the front we went back to the hotel to see if I can cancel as Charles said he can now host me since his coushsurfers never made it, most likely cause of the flights. But to no avail, since I pre-paid and already canceled once and they re-booked since my flight was canceled and then I was able to get a bus in. I still may crash at his place tomorrow night, as he has invited me to sit in on a few of his engligh classes to high school thai kids, which I think would be very interesting. To end the night, we went to Kho San Road, the popular backpacker street in Bangkok. On the way to Kho San Road I see the first group of red (pro government) group gathered together, not exactly sure which building/area it was, but that was my first sighting of reds. The previous night he DJ'd at three clubs on that street, so as we walk down the street he knows and says hi to everyone and we run into another coushsurfer that he knows that teaches english in Indonesia who is from Wisconsin and was stuck in Thailand. So the three of us, grab a beer and watch the first half of the manchester united vs. manchester city football (soccer) match (as watching football on sundays is also part of his sunday ritual, kinda like mind but a different kind of football). After the first half is over, we head to one of the clubs he DJ'd at to grab something he left behind and then went to another lounge to finish the match. After that, a kebab to fill our hunger craving, a walk down the night market to see everything from rabbits to VHS tapes being sold and then a 10 bhat bus ride make to the hotel to call it a night.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Amazing Race.....Thailand
This entry was written yesterday (Saturday 7.29)
The first leg of the trip has been completed. Jenn should be over the pacific now traveling back to the bay area. It was my first 'real' trip with her and we shared many good times, exciting new cities (some that I think we both can agree that we may not be back for awhile and others that we really enjoyed), and of course lots of memories. She was a soldier thru it all and actually surprised me as I have only really traveled with very few like this and it's no vacation at times and can be very tough at times. Especially for the fact that most people think we are thai people, then we give the dumb 'I don't understand look look' and politely say 'english?' I guess she can even pass as burmese and me more thai, as she was the only one of 11 car full of farangs (westerners) to get ID'd by the border police that are stationed throughout the thailand hills to be sure illegals from other countries are not entering thailand.
So now I wait for the second leg of my trip to start. It's pretty crazy times here in thailand and pretty much history in the making. The PAD (Peoples Alliance of Democracy) wants the Prime Minister to step down and have actually shutdown the two main airports in Bangkok for 5 days now and right now there does not look to be like any light at the end of the tunnel but you never now, things can change just like that here in Thailand. It's pretty crazy if you think about it, to shut downn an airport like Bangkok. The country is suffering and will continue to suffer since the country depends on tourism so badly and not who would want to come to Thailand knowing you may not be able to leave.
It was like real life amazing race this morning, trying to find ways to get out of Chiang Mai or even Thailand for that matter. The flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia was full and the flight on tues maybe cancelled if the bangkok airport is still not open since the place is coming from Bangkok. We contacted a private taxi and he wanted about 9,000 bhat (about $270) to drive me to the Cambodia border (about a 10 hour drive). All trains into Bangkok was full for the next few days that were leaving Chiang Mai as well. But finally we found a bus that had room to get me into Bangkok that leaves at 5.30pm and gets in at 3am the next morning. Extra special thanks to Roxanne and Matthew for all the help in getting me a bus ticket and to the bus station and for letting us stay there the last few nights!
So if the airport is still shutdown by Thurs, I will take a bus to the border of Cambodia and then have a driver from the guesthouse pick me up at the Cambodia border. I have read and heard horror stories about going overland into Cambodia but the guy from the guesthouse assures me that things would be find, as it used to be alot worse.
The last two days have been great, kinda chill honestly, since Matthew and Rox have been taking care of us with buffets for lunhc, no dinner really since we stuff ourselves at lunch and breakfast cooked and served by her and her mother.
Last night was Jenn's last night of the trip and we went to the Chiang Mai night bazaar to finish off the souvenir shopping. We helped the thai economy since no new tourists are coming in for awhile and we actually had to pickup a new bigger carry-on bag to bring home all of the stuff we got. On the way home, we got a little lost and thought we were being dropped off on the right street by the songtel driver but we were actually on the road that runs parallel to the street that Rox and Matthew live off of. So we had to call them and tell them we were on a street that basically had two 7-11's on each side of the road. It's kind of crazy how many 7-11's there are in thailand. So they went to each 7-11 near there house and finally found us. Ahh the joys of traveling and getting lost in a country that you don't speak the language.
The day before that (Thanksgiving Day) we hired a car to take us directly from Lampang to Roxannes and Matthews house for 800 bhat (about 25 bucks), not bad for an 1.5 hour drive but I think we could of got it for a little cheaper but I was not prepared to bargain and I figured it was not too bad. We then had a feast at the Holiday Inn. It was really good and a very memorable thanksgiving day. I guess Rox and Matt go every week for the sunday seafood brunch buffet after church soo they know practically everyone that works there.
Later that night Jenn and I went to the Night Safari. I guess there are only 3 in the world, so both Jenn adn I have been to 2 now, Singapore and Chiang Mai. It was actually pretty good and I thought better then the Singapore one but Jenn thought different.
The first leg of the trip has been completed. Jenn should be over the pacific now traveling back to the bay area. It was my first 'real' trip with her and we shared many good times, exciting new cities (some that I think we both can agree that we may not be back for awhile and others that we really enjoyed), and of course lots of memories. She was a soldier thru it all and actually surprised me as I have only really traveled with very few like this and it's no vacation at times and can be very tough at times. Especially for the fact that most people think we are thai people, then we give the dumb 'I don't understand look look' and politely say 'english?' I guess she can even pass as burmese and me more thai, as she was the only one of 11 car full of farangs (westerners) to get ID'd by the border police that are stationed throughout the thailand hills to be sure illegals from other countries are not entering thailand.
So now I wait for the second leg of my trip to start. It's pretty crazy times here in thailand and pretty much history in the making. The PAD (Peoples Alliance of Democracy) wants the Prime Minister to step down and have actually shutdown the two main airports in Bangkok for 5 days now and right now there does not look to be like any light at the end of the tunnel but you never now, things can change just like that here in Thailand. It's pretty crazy if you think about it, to shut downn an airport like Bangkok. The country is suffering and will continue to suffer since the country depends on tourism so badly and not who would want to come to Thailand knowing you may not be able to leave.
It was like real life amazing race this morning, trying to find ways to get out of Chiang Mai or even Thailand for that matter. The flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia was full and the flight on tues maybe cancelled if the bangkok airport is still not open since the place is coming from Bangkok. We contacted a private taxi and he wanted about 9,000 bhat (about $270) to drive me to the Cambodia border (about a 10 hour drive). All trains into Bangkok was full for the next few days that were leaving Chiang Mai as well. But finally we found a bus that had room to get me into Bangkok that leaves at 5.30pm and gets in at 3am the next morning. Extra special thanks to Roxanne and Matthew for all the help in getting me a bus ticket and to the bus station and for letting us stay there the last few nights!
So if the airport is still shutdown by Thurs, I will take a bus to the border of Cambodia and then have a driver from the guesthouse pick me up at the Cambodia border. I have read and heard horror stories about going overland into Cambodia but the guy from the guesthouse assures me that things would be find, as it used to be alot worse.
The last two days have been great, kinda chill honestly, since Matthew and Rox have been taking care of us with buffets for lunhc, no dinner really since we stuff ourselves at lunch and breakfast cooked and served by her and her mother.
Last night was Jenn's last night of the trip and we went to the Chiang Mai night bazaar to finish off the souvenir shopping. We helped the thai economy since no new tourists are coming in for awhile and we actually had to pickup a new bigger carry-on bag to bring home all of the stuff we got. On the way home, we got a little lost and thought we were being dropped off on the right street by the songtel driver but we were actually on the road that runs parallel to the street that Rox and Matthew live off of. So we had to call them and tell them we were on a street that basically had two 7-11's on each side of the road. It's kind of crazy how many 7-11's there are in thailand. So they went to each 7-11 near there house and finally found us. Ahh the joys of traveling and getting lost in a country that you don't speak the language.
The day before that (Thanksgiving Day) we hired a car to take us directly from Lampang to Roxannes and Matthews house for 800 bhat (about 25 bucks), not bad for an 1.5 hour drive but I think we could of got it for a little cheaper but I was not prepared to bargain and I figured it was not too bad. We then had a feast at the Holiday Inn. It was really good and a very memorable thanksgiving day. I guess Rox and Matt go every week for the sunday seafood brunch buffet after church soo they know practically everyone that works there.
Later that night Jenn and I went to the Night Safari. I guess there are only 3 in the world, so both Jenn adn I have been to 2 now, Singapore and Chiang Mai. It was actually pretty good and I thought better then the Singapore one but Jenn thought different.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Before I start with an update on the trip, I just wanted to wish everyone back home a happy thanksgiving!
Its Thursday evening here, so I know most everyone in the states had a short week of work and has traveled short or far to be with family and friends for this thanksgiving holiday.
Since it is thanksgiving and all, let me quickly give thanks (in no particular order) to all of my parents for helping raise me to be who I am and always support although may not agree with my lifes decisions, jenn for sticking up with me for over 4 years now, my grandparents for helping raise me, my gma for also being a world traveler and taking my sister and I to Europe when I was 12 - officially kicking off my travel bug when I didn't even know it, my great-grand parents for having dinner for the whole family every thurs night - helping me understand the true meaning of 'family', my uncle and aunt for always taking me to the best restaurants in the city, my reef friends for always trading and sharing the most rare and exotic corals with me and looking after my tank for me when I leave on these long holidays - hoping I don't have yet another crash while on holiday, my aunt and uncle for always keeping me well fed on Harv's Harv's - hopefully one day I will see the return of Eddie's as I know that's your passion in life and I love to see people do what they love in life, my sister and brothers for always being there -no matter what -even though one day I hope to get closer with you Zack (go Ducks!), also speaking of passions in life check 43kix.com, gofobo.com and filmmetro.com - its great to see what a small town boy from the Lake of the Oazarks can do in Hollywood :) (on that note I have to thank you and your brothers for the Party Cove, Silver Party, and Salt River experience, the memories never to be forgotten), Cisco and all of the great lifelong friends that I have met and worked with over the years-it's such a great company but life needs its changes, my aunt for helping raise me with all of the rides to/from school and all of my extra curricular activities, Annette and NetApp for giving me the chance and allowing me to come on for a few months and then leave for 6 weeks - don't worry, I will be back and we will make a difference in the way channel business is done their, my uncle for making sure I stayed ontop of my grades, all of my cousins - as we have been thru a lot growing up together, and my big brother Lou - for all of the good times and memories...can't wait to see you in Cambodia!!
Looks like I had to get a little sentimental with all of the downtown on trains, buses, songtewls, in hotels battling food sickness and being away from family when I know everyone is starting to get together for this special holiday has made me really realize all that I am thankful for. I know there is many more things that I did not list so don't be mad if you were not listed. I am just thankful someone cares to follow me along on my travels.
I am really going to miss being with my family the most but will also miss dads smoked turkey in the webber-always nice and moist, watching and of course throwing a little on the nfl games, beating Zack with dads and I's best ball, all of the different varieties of sticky rice, all of the different pies, the pumpkin roll (Do the Pumpkin roll!!), ahh the list can go on and on and I need to head to bed.
So Jenn and I are both SAFE in Chiang Mai! I am not sure what the good ol US News is feeding you, but Thailand is not in shambles, maybe parts of Bangkok and yes its true that both airports in Bangkok are shutdown until at least Saturday (crazyiness!!) but we are safely at her cousins house in Chiang Mai which is hundreds of miles away and it is currently safe here. We had a delicious thanksgiving brunch buffet at the Holiday Inn in Chiang Mai, and this was not your typical Holiday Inn that you are thinking of. We had turkey, cranberry sauce, duck, sushi, thai dishes, and more. So Jenn flies out directly to Taipei and then SF on Sat. I, on the other hand was supposed to fly to Bangkok on Saturday and the Cambodia on Thurs and will either get another flight into Cambodia on Thurs from another city such as Singapore or go overland (via bus). I hope I can fly, since I hear the overland trip is not very short or nicely paved road once reaching Cambodia. We will see though, as I will try to stay away from Bangkok even though the photo ops would of been AMAZING in bangkok but my life means a but more to me then some photo ops.
My best goes out to all of my friends and their friends and families in Mumbai!
Again, Happy Thanksgiving and it looks like I will have to find another time to update you on the trip!!!!
(sorry for any mis-spellings or grammatical errors, as I know there are probably a ton, it's just too late for me to re-read and correct)
Its Thursday evening here, so I know most everyone in the states had a short week of work and has traveled short or far to be with family and friends for this thanksgiving holiday.
Since it is thanksgiving and all, let me quickly give thanks (in no particular order) to all of my parents for helping raise me to be who I am and always support although may not agree with my lifes decisions, jenn for sticking up with me for over 4 years now, my grandparents for helping raise me, my gma for also being a world traveler and taking my sister and I to Europe when I was 12 - officially kicking off my travel bug when I didn't even know it, my great-grand parents for having dinner for the whole family every thurs night - helping me understand the true meaning of 'family', my uncle and aunt for always taking me to the best restaurants in the city, my reef friends for always trading and sharing the most rare and exotic corals with me and looking after my tank for me when I leave on these long holidays - hoping I don't have yet another crash while on holiday, my aunt and uncle for always keeping me well fed on Harv's Harv's - hopefully one day I will see the return of Eddie's as I know that's your passion in life and I love to see people do what they love in life, my sister and brothers for always being there -no matter what -even though one day I hope to get closer with you Zack (go Ducks!), also speaking of passions in life check 43kix.com, gofobo.com and filmmetro.com - its great to see what a small town boy from the Lake of the Oazarks can do in Hollywood :) (on that note I have to thank you and your brothers for the Party Cove, Silver Party, and Salt River experience, the memories never to be forgotten), Cisco and all of the great lifelong friends that I have met and worked with over the years-it's such a great company but life needs its changes, my aunt for helping raise me with all of the rides to/from school and all of my extra curricular activities, Annette and NetApp for giving me the chance and allowing me to come on for a few months and then leave for 6 weeks - don't worry, I will be back and we will make a difference in the way channel business is done their, my uncle for making sure I stayed ontop of my grades, all of my cousins - as we have been thru a lot growing up together, and my big brother Lou - for all of the good times and memories...can't wait to see you in Cambodia!!
Looks like I had to get a little sentimental with all of the downtown on trains, buses, songtewls, in hotels battling food sickness and being away from family when I know everyone is starting to get together for this special holiday has made me really realize all that I am thankful for. I know there is many more things that I did not list so don't be mad if you were not listed. I am just thankful someone cares to follow me along on my travels.
I am really going to miss being with my family the most but will also miss dads smoked turkey in the webber-always nice and moist, watching and of course throwing a little on the nfl games, beating Zack with dads and I's best ball, all of the different varieties of sticky rice, all of the different pies, the pumpkin roll (Do the Pumpkin roll!!), ahh the list can go on and on and I need to head to bed.
So Jenn and I are both SAFE in Chiang Mai! I am not sure what the good ol US News is feeding you, but Thailand is not in shambles, maybe parts of Bangkok and yes its true that both airports in Bangkok are shutdown until at least Saturday (crazyiness!!) but we are safely at her cousins house in Chiang Mai which is hundreds of miles away and it is currently safe here. We had a delicious thanksgiving brunch buffet at the Holiday Inn in Chiang Mai, and this was not your typical Holiday Inn that you are thinking of. We had turkey, cranberry sauce, duck, sushi, thai dishes, and more. So Jenn flies out directly to Taipei and then SF on Sat. I, on the other hand was supposed to fly to Bangkok on Saturday and the Cambodia on Thurs and will either get another flight into Cambodia on Thurs from another city such as Singapore or go overland (via bus). I hope I can fly, since I hear the overland trip is not very short or nicely paved road once reaching Cambodia. We will see though, as I will try to stay away from Bangkok even though the photo ops would of been AMAZING in bangkok but my life means a but more to me then some photo ops.
My best goes out to all of my friends and their friends and families in Mumbai!
Again, Happy Thanksgiving and it looks like I will have to find another time to update you on the trip!!!!
(sorry for any mis-spellings or grammatical errors, as I know there are probably a ton, it's just too late for me to re-read and correct)
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Safe in Thailand
Just letting everyone know that I am safely hundreds of miles away from Bangkok. I am supposed to fly into Bangkok this Saturday and then to Cambodia on Thursday. With the airport currently being shutdown, I will wait to see what the status is on my flights and the protests before heading in.
Hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving!
I will miss all of the delicious food, family gatherings, and thanksgiving football.
We are headed from a town called Lampang back to Chiang Mai to spend the last two days of Jenn's legg with her cousin. Will post more about the last few days and some photos, as there is always a few stories to tell.
Hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving!
I will miss all of the delicious food, family gatherings, and thanksgiving football.
We are headed from a town called Lampang back to Chiang Mai to spend the last two days of Jenn's legg with her cousin. Will post more about the last few days and some photos, as there is always a few stories to tell.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Frogger (revised)
I revised the frogger blog, as the original one was written in a internet cafe and I was pressed for time. I re-wrote the blog with more details....enjoy!!
Crossing the main street in Sukhothai is like playing frogger. You have to cross in halves or even thirds since you will even have mopeds coming at you in the opposite direction on the sidewalks. Plus since they drive on the right hand side everything is reversed.
We had a 9.5 hour door to door journey from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai. We took a sawngthael (basically a converted pickup into a taxi cab with benches in the back) from the hotel in Chiang Mai to the train station. Took over a 6 hour train ride to Phitsanulok (train ride was nice and served us a lunch better then airplane food if that is saying anything), then a one hour bus ride to Sukhothai, and then another sawngtheal to our ghetto ass guest house. The guest house was a recommended pick in Lonely Planet which both Jenn and I did not agree with.
It was very shady from the get go. First when we got dropped off at the guest house by the sawngthael, he sped away and did not collect his 50 bhat. But then after we got into the guest house some little girl and another guy ask for the 50 bhat. So we paid them. Then we get into the guest house and it’s another little bungalow with one little 30 watt light and the bathroom with shower is about the size of my closet in my bedroom back home (which is not exactly big). We both did not really feel that place and decided to look for other places for the rest of the time in Sukhotai. We found a nice place up the road for a about 3 bucks more a night and checked in next morning, which was not in the Lonely Planet.
So why did we travel 9.5 hours to this little city? For the old city ruins that are scattered about a 45km square within the old city. Sukhothai was the first capital of Thailand and actually means ‘Rising of Happiness’ and the architecture is to be the most classic of thai styles. The ruins were very impressive and is basically the only thing that brings in backpackers and tourists from all over. So after taking a a sawngthael to the old city, we decided to have lunch at one of the many restaurants that pack the main road leading to the old city. Another bad decision (more to come)! So we rent bikes to tour the old city and as we get to the first ruin, Jenn is not feeling well. We spend sometime wondering around taking photos and then head off to the next one. She decides to sit it out in on the grass and in the shade as I wonder around the old city by myself.
Since the ruins bring in lots of tourists from all walks of life, the city has a different kind of vibe then all of the other cities we have visited thus far. It just seems a tad bit shadier here then others. Like the people are out to try and get over on the tourists. Being a tourist/traveler in other parts of the world, you start to get a little jaded as people try to get over on you for a maybe 10, 20, 30 bhat. Yes, that’s only 25 cents to a buck which probably means a lot more to these people in these parts of the world but hey, if everyone were to do this to me, it adds up quickly. Or, if I let them get away with it, then they know its ok to go ahead and try to get over on the next tourist. I think it just starts to wear on me, as locals try to rip you off.
So after the ruins we came back and then our bellies started to explode yet again (for me at least)! Dam, in all of my travels I have never gotten sick like that. Yes, Lou and I got a case of the Delhi bellie, but that’s pretty much a guarantee when traveling in India, they way we traveled it. But to get food sickness and pi** a**, two times in a row sucked. Luckily we had a nice bathroom facility at this guest house and plenty of toilet paper, which can be seen as luxury here as they are used to using the bidet. I think we can point this case of food sickness to Jenn’s noodles that she ordered since I only had a few bites and did not get as sick as her. So today she rested as I wondered around in the heat for a bit.
So tomorrow we are set to take a bus to a city called Lampang, which will be about a 4 hour bus ride and will leave us 1 hour out from Chiang Mai!
Crossing the main street in Sukhothai is like playing frogger. You have to cross in halves or even thirds since you will even have mopeds coming at you in the opposite direction on the sidewalks. Plus since they drive on the right hand side everything is reversed.
We had a 9.5 hour door to door journey from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai. We took a sawngthael (basically a converted pickup into a taxi cab with benches in the back) from the hotel in Chiang Mai to the train station. Took over a 6 hour train ride to Phitsanulok (train ride was nice and served us a lunch better then airplane food if that is saying anything), then a one hour bus ride to Sukhothai, and then another sawngtheal to our ghetto ass guest house. The guest house was a recommended pick in Lonely Planet which both Jenn and I did not agree with.
It was very shady from the get go. First when we got dropped off at the guest house by the sawngthael, he sped away and did not collect his 50 bhat. But then after we got into the guest house some little girl and another guy ask for the 50 bhat. So we paid them. Then we get into the guest house and it’s another little bungalow with one little 30 watt light and the bathroom with shower is about the size of my closet in my bedroom back home (which is not exactly big). We both did not really feel that place and decided to look for other places for the rest of the time in Sukhotai. We found a nice place up the road for a about 3 bucks more a night and checked in next morning, which was not in the Lonely Planet.
So why did we travel 9.5 hours to this little city? For the old city ruins that are scattered about a 45km square within the old city. Sukhothai was the first capital of Thailand and actually means ‘Rising of Happiness’ and the architecture is to be the most classic of thai styles. The ruins were very impressive and is basically the only thing that brings in backpackers and tourists from all over. So after taking a a sawngthael to the old city, we decided to have lunch at one of the many restaurants that pack the main road leading to the old city. Another bad decision (more to come)! So we rent bikes to tour the old city and as we get to the first ruin, Jenn is not feeling well. We spend sometime wondering around taking photos and then head off to the next one. She decides to sit it out in on the grass and in the shade as I wonder around the old city by myself.
Since the ruins bring in lots of tourists from all walks of life, the city has a different kind of vibe then all of the other cities we have visited thus far. It just seems a tad bit shadier here then others. Like the people are out to try and get over on the tourists. Being a tourist/traveler in other parts of the world, you start to get a little jaded as people try to get over on you for a maybe 10, 20, 30 bhat. Yes, that’s only 25 cents to a buck which probably means a lot more to these people in these parts of the world but hey, if everyone were to do this to me, it adds up quickly. Or, if I let them get away with it, then they know its ok to go ahead and try to get over on the next tourist. I think it just starts to wear on me, as locals try to rip you off.
So after the ruins we came back and then our bellies started to explode yet again (for me at least)! Dam, in all of my travels I have never gotten sick like that. Yes, Lou and I got a case of the Delhi bellie, but that’s pretty much a guarantee when traveling in India, they way we traveled it. But to get food sickness and pi** a**, two times in a row sucked. Luckily we had a nice bathroom facility at this guest house and plenty of toilet paper, which can be seen as luxury here as they are used to using the bidet. I think we can point this case of food sickness to Jenn’s noodles that she ordered since I only had a few bites and did not get as sick as her. So today she rested as I wondered around in the heat for a bit.
So tomorrow we are set to take a bus to a city called Lampang, which will be about a 4 hour bus ride and will leave us 1 hour out from Chiang Mai!
Friday, November 21, 2008
bangkok belly
Took a 3 hour bus ride from Pai back to Chaing Mai yesterday, through the hills and curves we finally made it. I thought Jenn would get sick, since the bus driver was driving like maniac but surprisingly she didn't.
We checked into the PornPing (our hotel) which was right in the middle of the nightly market. Ate pizza of all things and then walked around the market a bit. That's when I stomach started feeling a little uneasy and told Jenn we better head back to the room. It could be a number of things here in thailand such as the random dogs walking through the kitchens of restaurants, the milk I used for my cereal that just sits out without ice, the random street food that I pickup when I feel the urge to eat, or what I think caused the bangkok belly (even though I have yet to spend time in bangkok) is the rabbit cream that I ate. No not that rabbit cream that you are thinking of but something that jenn saw at 7/11 and showed me, I told her it was just the custard buns we get at dim sum and at 8 baht each she agreed to treat me to one. Not a good decision, as I have been paying the price for eating rabbit cream all night and day by constantly running to the toilet with a bad case of pi** a**!
So today was an easy day of just heading to the train station to get our tickets to Sukhothai and resting. I have just eaten a few pieces of toast and 2 cans of sprite. Hopefully whatever it is, will be out of me before the 6 hour train journey tomorrow!!
We checked into the PornPing (our hotel) which was right in the middle of the nightly market. Ate pizza of all things and then walked around the market a bit. That's when I stomach started feeling a little uneasy and told Jenn we better head back to the room. It could be a number of things here in thailand such as the random dogs walking through the kitchens of restaurants, the milk I used for my cereal that just sits out without ice, the random street food that I pickup when I feel the urge to eat, or what I think caused the bangkok belly (even though I have yet to spend time in bangkok) is the rabbit cream that I ate. No not that rabbit cream that you are thinking of but something that jenn saw at 7/11 and showed me, I told her it was just the custard buns we get at dim sum and at 8 baht each she agreed to treat me to one. Not a good decision, as I have been paying the price for eating rabbit cream all night and day by constantly running to the toilet with a bad case of pi** a**!
So today was an easy day of just heading to the train station to get our tickets to Sukhothai and resting. I have just eaten a few pieces of toast and 2 cans of sprite. Hopefully whatever it is, will be out of me before the 6 hour train journey tomorrow!!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Bye Pai
After three nights, 4 days in Pai, it's time to journey on. Today we will take a bus back to Chiang Mai. How easy it is to relaxe in Pai. After the elephant rides, I have not done much but eat, walk the markets, and swim in the pool. Everyday has felt like a lazy Sunday here in Pai but I now know why people either love it or hate it. Lots of tourists...mostly westerners that come out after the sun starts to attend the nightly market. It does have an artsy feel to it, which is nice but after 4 days here, I think both of us are ready to head on. It was also nice to do Mae Hon Song and Ta Lak befoe getting lazy here.
One thing that sucks about traveling, is getting settled in a place and unpacking everything, buying a few things here and there and then having to repack. As much as I thought I under packed, low and behold I felt my bag was going to rip when trying to zipper it up today. I bought WAY too many books and will probably end up sending some home when I reach Bangkok.
The other thing that I did not mention yet was the mossies or mosquitoes. I think I have got at least one every single days since getting here. And yes Mom, I have been putting on repellent but either they bite through my clothes, areas I did not put repellent on, have gotten used to the deet, or just love this american boys blood. I think Jenn and I are competing for the most bites, with her currently in the lead!
One thing that sucks about traveling, is getting settled in a place and unpacking everything, buying a few things here and there and then having to repack. As much as I thought I under packed, low and behold I felt my bag was going to rip when trying to zipper it up today. I bought WAY too many books and will probably end up sending some home when I reach Bangkok.
The other thing that I did not mention yet was the mossies or mosquitoes. I think I have got at least one every single days since getting here. And yes Mom, I have been putting on repellent but either they bite through my clothes, areas I did not put repellent on, have gotten used to the deet, or just love this american boys blood. I think Jenn and I are competing for the most bites, with her currently in the lead!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
bye
Pai, actually pronounced bye is a nice chill town. After spending the first night of the trip in luxury, we have decided to extend it to three nights instead of 2. We visited both the local nightly farmers market which was serving up frog, crickets, and other not so common foods. We also spent a good amount of time up and down the more touristy, artsy night market. Saw some interesting art galleries and got to listen to some live music this evening.
One of the items on Jenn's 'must do' list was to ride an elephant. It was not something that I specifically wanted/needed to to but I told her I would accompany her. So she found a two hour ride for a little over 12 bucks, which included an hour in the forest (allegedly) and an hour in the water (allegedly). We knew it would be bareback since we were going though the water but she forgot to ask if we would have our own elephant. We did not, and the ride started with Jenn, the elephant trainer (an old thai guy, more to come on him), and I on the elephants back.
After 15 or so minutes, the guy jumps off and I get on the elephants neck. Once these 15 minutes was over, Jenn had her fix and was ready to jump off. After 40 or so minutes through some grasslands, we approach the river, hand the guide our cameras and my shirt and he instructs the elephant to get into the water. He then proceeds to instruct the elephant to spray us with river water. Not sure how I feel being sprayed with river water coming from the elephants trunk.
Next, the elephant is told to lay down and Jenn and I crash down into the river. We get back onto the elephant and he is told to lay down/throw us off into the river about 5 or so times. The old thai guy is busting up laughing and really enoying himself. It got old after about the second or third time, but it was nice to cool off in the river.
We got back to the elephant camp and then I noticed the sign below. Which caught my attention since the elephant trainer snorted a substance about 2 or 3 times throughout the trek. No questions asked from us, since we were basically in the middle of northern thailand with just him,us, and his elephant.
After the elephant ride, we got to lay in this round cement natural spring tubs. The sulfur smell always turns me off with these natural baths but it was relaxing.
After that we got back to The Quarter, we went and laid out at the pool for a bit. Ahh...the life of Pai, which I will miss!!
One of the items on Jenn's 'must do' list was to ride an elephant. It was not something that I specifically wanted/needed to to but I told her I would accompany her. So she found a two hour ride for a little over 12 bucks, which included an hour in the forest (allegedly) and an hour in the water (allegedly). We knew it would be bareback since we were going though the water but she forgot to ask if we would have our own elephant. We did not, and the ride started with Jenn, the elephant trainer (an old thai guy, more to come on him), and I on the elephants back.
After 15 or so minutes, the guy jumps off and I get on the elephants neck. Once these 15 minutes was over, Jenn had her fix and was ready to jump off. After 40 or so minutes through some grasslands, we approach the river, hand the guide our cameras and my shirt and he instructs the elephant to get into the water. He then proceeds to instruct the elephant to spray us with river water. Not sure how I feel being sprayed with river water coming from the elephants trunk.
Next, the elephant is told to lay down and Jenn and I crash down into the river. We get back onto the elephant and he is told to lay down/throw us off into the river about 5 or so times. The old thai guy is busting up laughing and really enoying himself. It got old after about the second or third time, but it was nice to cool off in the river.
We got back to the elephant camp and then I noticed the sign below. Which caught my attention since the elephant trainer snorted a substance about 2 or 3 times throughout the trek. No questions asked from us, since we were basically in the middle of northern thailand with just him,us, and his elephant.
After the elephant ride, we got to lay in this round cement natural spring tubs. The sulfur smell always turns me off with these natural baths but it was relaxing.
After that we got back to The Quarter, we went and laid out at the pool for a bit. Ahh...the life of Pai, which I will miss!!
Monday, November 17, 2008
trust
We have spent the last 5 days in northern thailand, in small river towns near the Burma border. A little east of the golden triangle. It has been a nice simple, quiet lifestyle with no access to the internet, so no checking email, blogging, checking football scores or UFC results. Here is a pic of the simple huts that we have been living out of. Costs have ranged from about 350 baht a night (9 bucks) with a bathroom for these simple huts next to the river.
The last two nights have been spent in a town called Tam Lak which was about 7km north of Soppong. We took a bus from Mae Hon Song (150 baht/ 1.5 hours) to Soppong and then took a moped taxi from Soppong to Tam Lak (60 baht/15 mins). The ride moped ride was interesting, with my 40+ pound bag in front and me on the back, but you have to trust these guys as having up to 4 or 5 on a moped is nothing new to them.
The Cave Lodge in Tam Lak was simple and very nice. It was ran by an aussie and his wife who was a local to the village in Tam Lak. The lodge was very close to the Tam Lod Cave, which we hired a guide to take us thru. The caves were amazing and we took bambook rafts down the river to enter each of the 3 caves. Lots of thai tourists, very few westerners and of that very few americans. Mostly Europeans and Aussies that we ran into. The bamboo and cave tour reminded me of a Disneyland ride since you had to take a bamboo raft to one section, get out and tour the cave and then take it to the next. Although this is thru a natural cave and river. After the cave tour we food a line of street food and gorged out on chicken curren noodles, egg omlet over rice, basil chicken and papaya salad. Man we felt like true americans after that meal, that was the first time we truley gorged out on the cheap food. I think the whole meal with two sodas cost 140 baht (about 4 bucks).
In the evening we took a hike to the cave exit with a Muriel a french lady that we met at the lodge to witness the nightly spectacle of hundreds of thousands of swift birds entering the cave to take rest on within the cave and the bats leaving to go feed on prey. It was pretty amazing and believe it or not that part of the cave really stunk like bird crap. Luckily we did not get crapped on. Then the thress of us plus two others that we met at the exit hiked back in th dark with two small flashlights.
So after the last 5 days of living in huts with mossie nets, we decided to slurge and live it up for a new nights. We took a 1.5 hour local bus ride from Soppong to a city called Pai. I was alittle reluctant to stop in Pai, since many of the reviews on Thorn Tree (Lonely Planet forum) were not positive. It's a hippie town with lots of tourists. Kind of reminds me of towns in Goa, India or maybe even Koh Phagnan. The bus ride was not your typical greyhound, local buses here are pretty small and I had the pleasure of sharing a seat with a local that was falling asleep taking up about 2/3 of the seat. The ride from Soppong to Pai is a hilly, curvy ride as well. Much worse then the drive over the sierras, maybe it compares to the ride to Hana in Maui. Luckily the bus does not go fast at all or people would be getting sick. So when we arrived into Pai, we founf signs to a boutique hotel and walked to it. Ended up being very nice and just what we were looking for. So the plan is to crash here for at least two more nights and then see about heading back to Chiang Mai.
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