|blueceiling|

Back in the US of A

2006-11-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

It's wonderful to be home. Although, in some ways it feels like the travel hasn't stopped. 3 nights in SF, then 2 nights back in West Hartford, CT, now 2 nights in the Jersey then another on Long Island and then we're back on a plane to the west coast. However, come Monday all that ends and 'real life' starts again.

There's still so much to tell about our time in SE Asia, but for now here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Lu did an amazing job editing the pics down to our very best and each place we visited has its own little gallery. The 12 hours of video will be a lot tougher to edit, but I'm sure we've got at least an hour of worthy footage in there somewhere. I'm looking forward to the task of putting it all together. I just wonder how long it'll take!

One (last) Night In Bangkok

2006-11-17T05:16:00.000-08:00

I know that most people would never believe that someone could think of Bangkok as 'serene', but that is exactly what I felt while we cruised back into this town lounging in an air-conned taxi, directly to our hotel in the Silom/Patapong area of the city. It had been a rough and remarkable few days before that, and coming back to this city I knew and loved made me very happy indeed. The weapons of sound that the Vietnamese employed incessantly were blissfully absent in this very cool city we had come back to. I still cannot believe the cacophony we endured while we were in Saigon and the surrounding countryside.

On Phou Qouc Island in Vietnam we'd met some other Westerners and together had a hard time passing up the large 4$ bottles of rum. I think between the seven of us, we cruised through at least 5 of them. Lu didn't fare so well in the morning, and I was more of a rock than a human when it came to wakeup time. All trip we managed to get everywhere we needed on time without an alarm clock. On days we needed to be up before 9am we just left the curtains open and the sun provided all the impetus we needed to pull our eyelids open and then pull out the iPods to see what time it was. And, when it comes to waking up, I have a natural ability slip from sleep and check the time as dawn slowly brightens on the horizon. None of that worked after the debauchery of that last night in Phou Quoc, but the knock on the door a half an hour after we were supposed to leave was just soon enough to get us to the airport in time. I just slept on the short hop over to Ho(ly Sh*t) Chi Min (Motosaigon) City. Lu had a bit more difficult time, as she noted earlier.

The landing was smooth and we found a cab quick, but the ride into HCMC was absolutely mind boggling. I had never seen anything like it in the world. They use motobikes quite a lot in this region of the world, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to the flood of motorized-two-wheelers that raged through the streets of this large, southern, Vietnam city. There are millions of them on the roads, and it seemed like all of them were out there at all times of the day or night. Seven deep across the road, and six hundred back would wait at the light as we sat in our cab amazed at what gathered around us. Don't even try to imagine what it looks like when some of those bikes need to turn left across an equal flood of motorized madness. And don't even begin to guess the objects, foodstuffs, number of humans and crazed contraptions these people haul with their two-stroke engines. There should be rivers of blood and shattered cycles all over the streets, but somehow the Vietnamese have managed to commute every day without destroying one another at every intersection. And everything seems to get exactly where it needs to go, all on the seats of these Honda cycles. It's like competing flocks of birds flitting by each other with nary a feather ruffled. I still can't believe they manage to pull it off. Make no mistake, though. Vietnam suffers from a great deal of road accidents. But in the many, many miles we traveled on motobikes I never saw a single person get hurt while riding. And ride we did.

But first we had to find a guesthouse. Lu was still in recovery, so I was on recon. She took a seat at a cafe and watched the bags while I strolled the 'hood searching for the perfect room. As usual I checked at least six places, but it was the first one with the private balcony on the top floor that seemed the best choice. I got back to her, we gathered our bags, staggered up the street, checked in and chilled out. We splurged for air-con 'cause the city was muggy, haze-filled and hot enough to make me sweat just thinking about taking a stroll. But I liked where we had landed. The city and people had a drive and a passion that was missing in Cambodia. There was focus and intention. There was still plenty of people selling books or postcards, but one 'no thank you' was enough to send them on their way. The desolation-of-soul that plagued Cambodia was absent here. Only hours into HCMC (Saigon) and I was already enthralled. Lu slept. I found a balcony with a view to have a few beers, eat some food and read a bit. The madness of the motobikes below me stunned me into staring over and over again. I went back to my baby after a bit and forced her to drink some water and before long she was back on her feet and ready to go. Our first order of business was finding some tailors to make us some clothes.

Back in Phnom Penh we debated on the path to take. Since our original Vietnam visa had run out while we lazed the days away on Don Det, we could either pay for another one, or say screw it and just hit the islands in Thailand that we missed on our first pass through. Since the easy way is not our style we opted for new horizons and Vietnam was our choice. Two deciding factors were that we wanted to get clothes made (suits for me, dresses/skirts for her) and we wanted to see the Mekong Delta. After checking a few places on our street and then searching around the rest of the city the next morning we found 2 places close by that had the styles and fabric we wanted. First thing the next day I got fitted for my suits and Lu went off to her place to pick out exactly what she wanted. After that it was time to figure out how we were going to get to the Mekong Delta. We didn't want a packaged tour where the guides have everything but cattle prods to move the herd from bus to candyfactory to canal ride to lunch and then back to the packed bus to drive us home. No way. Not our style at all. We wanted to go authentic and deep risk our lives one more time, and so a motobike ride to Cantho was the method we selected. It's amazing how good a choice sounds at the outset and how bad it can turn out in the end. But before we left for the Mekong, we had a few things to see in the city itself.

Vietnam has been a battleground for thousands of years. The long coastline and the rich, fertile Mekong Delta made it a coveted prize for a variety of cultures. The Siamese, the Chinese, the ancient kingdom of Angkor all wanted a piece of this thin crescent of land. But the people of Vietnam are fierce. Every sale is a battle of wills, haggling to the last moment when we finally walk away and they chase us down to offer us just a little bit more than we said we could pay. And that fierceness is no more evident than the in the horrors that occurred during the Vietnam War. And those horrors were laid bare to us when we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels just outside the city, and then later that day at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Min City. The museum clearly has a perspective, and that perspective is obviously pro-North Vietnam. All the images, all the stories, all the information within the museum shows how the Vietnamese managed to vanquish the terrible Americans and their traitors allies in South Vietnam. But, as they say, history is written by the victors, and Ho Chi Min and his Communist Comrades were clearly the winners of that long, terrible battle. What was done to the Viet Cong and their villager allies was truly terrible. It made us sick to see the effects of Agent Orange and Napalm on both immediate victims and their offspring. But not once did the museum mention any of the terrible things the North Vietnamese did to their American captives. After seeing firsthand how Cambodia still suffers, and seeing in fine detail the horrors of the Vietnam War it is clear to me that the true battles of this world is not between cultures or governments or armies, but between the people and corporations that Want War vs. those of us that only Want Peace. And because the former will kill anyone and anything to further their goals, we who Want Peace are always the first and worst to suffer. Suffice to say, that day in HCMC (formerly Saigon, before it was 'liberated') was a tough one for Lu and I. It was a bad a day in Vietnam as it was when we viewed the terrible deeds of the Khmer Rouge while in Cambodia. But the next day we were leaving for the Mekong, and both of us were thrilled to be getting on the road to see a bit more of this city than the touristry street where we had settled down.

There were charms to the street. We found a beer hoi and made some friends. Our room was nice. We were thrilled with the tailors we had picked when we went back for our first fitting. And when we woke up on the third day and got onto the backs of the motobikes with one little bag each and some really cool drivers, we were psyched to be getting out of town to see the massive Mekong River end it's long journey south--a watery journey that the two of us had followed for hundreds of miles. I had no idea what was in store for me, though. There was no way it could happen again, but it did. It did. And dealing with it was the toughest thing I've done. Ever. I thought Burning Man was the hardest thing I could do to myself. Then the Gibbon Experience put BM to shame simply out of pure danger-of-death. (At Burning Man you can get hurt but still get to a great hospital before things turn truly serious. At the Gibbon Exp., help was days away, and your only recourse was young (16 yrs old) guides and the people you were there with. And even then, the last thing you wanted to end up at was a hospital in Laos. You had to get to Bangkok for true medical help.) Coming out of the Delta, I went through hell. But before all that, it was friggin great.

2 hour ride to Mytho. There we rode a small boat though tiny canals canopied by huge banana-tree leaves and huge groves of bamboo. The haggling in Vietnam is intense and it took a while to hire the boat. But the ride was excellent, amazing, gorgeous and relaxing. The 1kg fish we had for lunch was delicious and the weather, although warm, was clear and breezy and beautiful. From there we pushed on another 2 hours to Cantho where we planned to wake up early and check out the floating market. In most towns they have a local produce market that bustles like mad every morning and throughout the day. In the delta, farmers put their wares on boats and float downstream to where the river widens and everyone gathers to sell and barter. Boats put up poles with examples of their produce attached to it and smaller boats cruise by buying what they need for their families, restaurants and shops. Boats dedicated to gourds. Others committed to mangoes. Some sell drinks, others sell vegetables, all at seven am in the morning Lu and I were on a small boat cruising up and down the river checking it all out.

The only problem was that I was sick. For the third time this trip, I had food poisoning. The night before we went to a beer hoi with our guides and had a few liters of home-brewed beer. It's weak stuff, but cheap and it's really quite tasty. Sweeter than the stuff in bottles and fun to drink something so fresh. And all of you know that beer is my nectar and never gives me a problem the next day. Lu got some fried rice and veggies for dinner that night, but I wasn't that hungry. Instead I just picked up a baguette sandwich from a street vendor. It was my go-to meal, and one I'd had many, many times this trip. Usually it's chicken, cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes some carrot/cabbage 'salad' with a little mayonnaise (yup). But this place didn't have chicken so it was just cucumber, 'salad' and cheese. It was just enough to fill me up and I went bed happy and ready to wake up early for the floating market fun. Instead I woke up at 3:30 am with a gurgling in my stomach. It was a gurgling I knew well. I felt it first in Ayuthaya, Thailand after eating some bad shrimp or something. That I dealt with fairly readily. The next was in Siem Reap when I ate some pumpkin soup with undercooked fish. That ruined me and I was sick for 24 hours until the antibiotics kicked in. This time it was worse than either time before. By floating-market-go-time at 6am, I knew I was in serious trouble. Again I hit the antibiotics, but they take a while to take effect and time was something we didn't have. I rallied, I rode the boat and checked out the amazing floating market with Lu for 2 hours on that rollicking boat, but inside I was a mess. The problem was, our time here in this part of the world was running out, and we had places to go and things to do. We could not stay in Cantho for a day to let the meds take effect and let me get well. We had booked these 2 motodrivers and we were 5 hours (at least) away from HCMC where the rest of our bags where, and where we had to leave from to get back to Bangkok. And there were only days left on our trip here in SE Asia.

I had food poisoning and the only thing I should have been doing was laying in bed, drinking salty water, retiring to the bathroom at regular intervals, sleeping and watching TV. But it was not to be. They had to get back to the city and so did we. So, nauseous, miserable, weak and angry, I mounted that bike behind the driver and the road we did hit. Hard. I couldn't even hydrate the way I needed to because a bellyfull of water while we rumbled down the road for hours at a time would have made me ill over and over again. The only thing that would have been worse than riding that motobike that day, feeling the way I did, would have been to ride a rollercoaster for five hours straight. But ride it we did. I was so weak and dehydrated there were times I wasn't sure I could hold on, and I made them stop and pull over many, many times to work out the poison that was finishing its ride through my insides. The antibotics were already taking effect, but once that e.coli or salmonella is doing its thing, there's not a whole lot you can do but let it get through. At times I thought I was going to have to bail out completely and just take a bus home the rest of the way 'cause at least then I wouldn't have to hold on, and I could just sleep, but that would have added hours, if not a whole other day, onto the trip home. And by then I was ready-more than ready-to get the hell out of Vietnam and go back to Bangkok where I knew I could get delicious Thai food, and enjoy the many delights of this awesome city. We made it back and I was quivering as I stumbled up the stairs to our balconied room. I spent almost the entire next full day in bed as Lu went around making final arrangements and providing me with the water and food and everything I needed to heal fast and true. (yes my wife is the best... sorry to all you other wives out there. I'm sure you're great, too, but seriously... Lu, Lani, love of my life... she is everything to me.) I went out to book our plane tickets and to pick up the final versions of the clothes I had made. But I could not handle HCMC any more. They city was driving me insane with the incredible amount of noise those motobikes emanated every time they moved a meter down the street and I was ready, oh so ready, to get on the plane, and get back to Bangkok.

I felt better the next morning. I felt great the next night. We flew the next morning and when we landed in Bangkok and rode that cab to our final hotel of this trip, I could not believe that this city that I had thought was absolutely nutz was actually far more civilized and serene than any other one I had been to weeks. The difference was the beeping. In HCMC, in Laos, in Cambodia, the bus drivers and cab drivers and most of all the motodrivers, they use their horn as a weapon to prevent imminent death. Beeping, beeping, beeping all the time. At everything. At cows. At kids on the side of the road. At motos coming the other way. At trash in the roads and birds overhead and, apparently, at the ghosts of motodrivers long gone that only they can see... they beep. And beep. And beep. And beep. beeepbeeepbeepbeeeepbepbepebeeeeeeeeeep! By the end of the 5 hour drive back from Cantho in the Mekong Delta I thought my mind would explode if I heard another motobike beep.

Now here in Bangkok, there is no beeping. People drive like normal people. They signal and change lanes and then drive on until there's a light and where they stop until it turns green and then they drive on down the street some more and no one behind them or in front of them or to the side beeps at them at all, and it is glorious.

Yes, Bangkok is wild, big, crazy, insane city, just like all the big cities of the world. The Patpong district just outside is ludicrous with guys holding out menus of all the things the women inside the go-go bars can do with their private parts. And they want our money and they overcharge us for everything. But here, back in Bangkok one last time, I find this city to be wonderful and fun and remarkable and cool. We will come back here some day and I look forward to that for sure. But more than anything right now, I cannot wait get back to the best city I have ever been to, and see my friends again, and pet my kitties, and drink some true beers and be able to read every sign around me and sit down with the NYTimes on a Sunday morning on my own couch after Lu and I finish making our own delicious breakfast and in between the articles and the sound of the fog rolling in, get to really think about everything we have seen and done, and wonder how, in fact, we managed to pull it all off all the way out here where everything is just that much different, and every single f*cking day is another adventure.

But we've still got one adventure left. One more night in Bangkok. We both know how lucky we are to get to do this and neither of us will ever forget this incredible adventure we have been on. The only thing I wonder now is the many ways it has enriched and changed the both of us.

The Bangkok night awaits, and the flight beyond that. One more time together. One more time, tonight.

Island Bound

2006-11-11T08:32:00.002-08:00

We needed a drastic change from the pace of life that was Phnom Penh. The orphanage was important but emotionally draining. The water festival was fun, but we'd just had enough. It was time to get back to the beach. It had been awhile and we just needed a little chill out time. Don Det had been paradise, but we were craving ocean. Floating in the clear green-blue waters of the gulf of Thailand was the perfect next step. So we said goodbye to Cambodia and made our way to Vietnam. Our visa had run out before we had even entered the country (we just spent so much extra time everywhere else!) While in PP we had to get new visas - and because we only had 2 weeks left, we debated whether it was even worth it. We could just head to Thailand and hit an island we hadn't been to but heard so much about - Ko Phag non. Or we could mix it up, go to Vietnam and head to an unknown island - Phu Quoc - and then check out a bit of the Mekong Delta.

We decided we were up for the challenge and booked our trip to Phu Quoc the next day. We had to take a bus and a few boats to get to a town called Chau Doc. Getting through the Vietnam border was a piece of cake. Of course with all the methods of travel, we didn't arrive in Chau Doc until late afternoon. The ride down the Mekong was awesome, we had missed it and were thrilled to be back. We've been travelling the Mekong since Thailand, and it really changes a bit with every country. The landscape is different, the homes, boats, people - everything. I really enjoyed this ride in a new country.

We had a great little stay in Chau Doc. We took a moto ride (each on our own with a driver) up to Sam Mountain and had amazing views of the rice paddy's, Cambodian border and the town below. We made it just barely for sunset. While up there we met a really nice Vietnamese man who spoke English really well. He invited us to go with him to a bia hoi - a beer establishment that sells cheap fresh beer. Every bia hoi has their own freshly made beer, and its very light and very cheap. While at this bia hoi, we also tasted their own banana rice wine. It was pretty good actually and we all did many shots of these through the course of the evening. Our new friend Koi also showed us the delicious meat they had in their cooler- yes, bat, rat and other Vietnamese delicacies. Yeah, we passed on those for sure. It was so gross, yet I did take some pictures of them. yuck! Koi was nice enough to have some tofu fried up for us which was awesome!

So the next morning, we got on a local bus to Rach Gia where we were to take the ferry to the island of Phu Quoc. This bus ride was classic Vietnamese (our first real one) in which a guy was yelling at everyone (no clue) with many people getting on and just squishing themselves in to every available spot. The only other westerners on the bus was a very nice couple from Germany - immediately we banded together and got ourselves some lunch and to the ferry. It was a beautiful ride, (except for the blasting TVs over our heads). I am not sure what it is about SE Asia and loud TVs and music, but its been on every trip so far!

We landed and were immediately taken by moto to the guesthouse we chose. The ride to our guesthouse was down the most gorgeous beach and was like 45 min away. It was perfect! We had a beautiful bungalow on the beach for $9! It was the nicest one yet. We got there to witness our first Phu Quoc sunset (the sun drops into the haze kinda like SF and the fog) which was nice but not spectacular. Don't get me wrong, the sun was incredible as it went down over the ocean, but somehow we just didn't get the crazy colors we've gotten everywhere else. We were on such a pretty little beach with very few other people so I really can't complain. This was it, just what we needed. We spent the next 4 days relaxing, reading, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, exploring, eating, drinking - all our favorite activities.

We spent a day hanging at our beach, then walking up the beach to the end to find the town and discovered a little fair. We spent a day on a boat fishing and snorkeling with 2 other couples (German and English). That was really fun. Spent a day on a moto exploring the island - fun, but not as relaxing as we wanted. Did find a private beach which was really nice. I was fun to ride around, but its a big island and not very touristy yet, which made getting food very difficult! There is really only one little section of the island with guesthouses and hotels, otherwise, its just a few small villages. Most of the island is blocked off by military protecting it from Cambodia. Its on the border and used to be Cambodian so there has been much conflict in the past over who owns this island.

That night we hung out with some people we met at the guesthouse and one girl we met on our boat ride to Chau Doc. The German couple we met on the snorkeling trip also joined us and we had a fabulous meal with loads of Vietnamese Rum being consumed. Needless to say, I had my first horrible hangover of the trip. It was terrible! We had to leave that next morning at 6:15 am to make a flight to Ho Chi Min City. We overslept and barely made it! And yes, I admit, I used the barf bag on our 1 hour flight. No, I am not proud of myself.

Anyway, so now here we are in the craziness that is HCMC (Saigon). It is loud, busy, bustling, friendly and totally fun. You just wouldn't believe the motoscooters riding around here - thousands of them and basically no rules. Walking across the street is like playing frogger. For real! We are getting good at it. We are enjoying it here, but of course, having only a week left, we are rushing our way through this last part. We can't make it to Hoi An (tailor capital of Vietnam) so we got some clothes made this morning here. That took about 3 hours!!! We can't wait to see how they turned out. Tomorrow we're off to the Cu Chi tunnels and then the next few days down to the Delta. Then sad to say, we're off to Bangkok and then home. But I am going to make sure to savor this next week. Every single second of it.

Now to go meet up with Chris at the bia hoi across the street. Tam Biet!

Cambodia Conflicted

2006-11-03T07:05:00.000-08:00

Cambodia has been both amazing and difficult. It's really, really dirty here. Like gross dirty all over the place. Trash everywhere. And the homeless/begging/maimed kids/adults situation is just soul-crushing. This country is just completely f*cked up in way that neither Thailand or Laos was. Thailand was fine, really, despite the insanity of Bangkok and the coup. The social fabric there is whole and complete. There's very little homelessness 'cause everyone has their whole family living all right around them (in a tiny little house or apartment or whatever). Like Cambodia, Laos got hurt by the Vietnam war, but nothing like the Khmer Rouge happened there.

Pol Pot and his comrades were evil. There's no other way to look at it. We went to the Touleng San prison yesterday, and then after that Choeung Ek (the Killing Fields) and it was just horrifying. All I could keep saying was "what the f*ck is wrong with people?" They killed 2 million people in this country. They emptied the city of Phnom Penh (the city we are in right now) for 3+ years. They abolished currency, private property, freedom to move around, families, love, everything. All in an effort to create the perfect Communist society where work and the country and the leader are the only things that matter. And in the end, the evilness of their intentions turned inward and divisive. They imprisoned, tortured and killed their one-time comrades out of suspicion and fear.

By the end of yesterday, I hated this place. I hated it. I wanted to go back to Laos or Thailand, or get the hell out and head to Vietnam. Whatever it was to get away from the heart-wrenching homeless kids, the garbage, the burned out buildings still haunting the edges of neighborhoods, I just needed out. We sat on the river's edge as the boat-teams practiced and I just couldn't even think after what we had seen yesterday. After the prison and the Killing Fields, we went to the Royal Palace and the Silver Pagoda. I couldn't handle it. The floor of the Silver Pagoda is loads of pure silver. There's a Buddha statue in there that's life-sized and pure gold. There are countless priceless objects within the the compounds of the Royal Palace and yet just outside the walls is utter poverty. I'm not sure the Buddha would have wanted his likeness recreated in pure gold. That just doesn't seem his style to me. Priceless objects, destitute children, the pure evilness of the Khmer Rouge and trash trash trash everywhere as we sat by the river as the evening gathered and all the people of Phnom Penh motobiked and pedicabbed in towards the banks for their evening stroll and chill and meal, I just felt crushed by the day and the clamor around me. "I just need to get the f*ck out of here," I said to Lu. I meant there and the city and the country and everything. I felt like we were dancing on graves. That we were paying money to a guesthouse to party down in Phnom Pehn while around us the actual world was in tatters.

The social fabric is torn asunder here. Families have been destroyed on vast scale. The government is either overwhelmed or uncaring but probably a little bit of both, and the results are just awful. I was really ready to leave the very next day (today). But we sat up there with a beer and we talked about what we had seen and how it made us feel and I was just so mad and so sad and so empty, I just had to talk it out and just cry a little bit. Then we moved over to the wide, high railing overlooking the street and river, and we watched an insane flow of families on motorbikes ride by. Lu witnessed the elusive six-on-a-motobike and I'm pissed I didn't see it. We watched the teams out in the boats paddle hard in practice for the big days coming up. We talked to the guy running the cafe and guesthouse and he said the Water Festival was going to be big. We'd heard that 2 million people come to Phnom Penh for the coming 3 days of boat races and festival, but the scope of it still hadn't sunk in. Watching the massive torrent of humanity flow beneath us, right beside the river's bank, we realized what was actually about to happen. Just moments before I was ready to skip town asap and then the next I was suggesting that we should stay for another 2.

"We can't leave without seeing the boat-races," Lu insisted even though I had already agreed (proposed, really) the idea.

"Exactly,"I agreed

"And that means we can go to the orphanage," Lu continued.

"Ummm, ahhh, well..."I replied uncertainly. After what I had seen and the way I was feeling about Cambodia, I wasn't sure an orphanage was exactly what I needed.

But it was, of course. We were staying another 2 days, we were going to see the boat races, going to visit some kids at an orphanage and we were getting a new Vietnam visa and some boat tickets for Sunday for when it was time to move on. Our old Vietnam visa we got in Bangkok ages ago before we changed everything about our trip, again. And that expires tomorrow. We also changed rooms. Went ahead and splurged an extra $4 per night for the $10 room with AC and a TV and a lot more space.

The orphanage was amazing. It felt wonderful to bring 6 bags of rice to them, but it was a little tough to withstand the repeated requests for more, more, more. 2 more bags of rice. 2 punching bags for the boxing team. $5 for a new light fixture. Money for medicine, for teachers, for extra english classes. I don't blame them! They see 2 Americans that roll up with 6 bags of rice and obviously they think we're loaded. And compared to them I guess we are. But you can only do so much, and we really felt like we did exactly what we could. The tuk-tuk driver that works at this guest house and brought us there helps out at the orphanage. He told us to buy rice and not to just hand over cash because the rice will definitely go to help the kids, and cash might not make it all the way to their bellies or benefit.

After picking up our visas and getting lunch we took a motobike to the docks and took an hour sunset cruise on the Tonle Sap and the Mekong River. Tomorrow those waters will be filled with long, skinny boats and many, many people paddling hard to win the races. Each boat has at least 40 paddlers, if not more. Over 3 hundred teams from all over the Cambodian countryside are entered and the electricity in the city is palpable. Everyone is gearing up for the fun. Today, after the boat cruise we walked along the riverbank playing carnival games and fending off the begging children and one person that we talked to said the next three days were the biggest party in Cambodia. How could we not stay!?

I'm still conflicted about this country, though. It's really, really tough to walk around these streets, and the streets of Siem Reap. The cracks are huge in this society, because of Khmer Rouge, and generations have fallen through, landing hard on these dirty, pot-holed streets. Angkor was stunning. Powerful and beautiful and eerie and fun. The people here are really nice. But the karaoke bus rides with incessant beeping are deeply annoying. The children are adorable, but you have to tell them seven times, No, thank you. It also doesn't help that I had a meal in Siem Reap that ripped my insides out. And I got a headcold the very same night. Being sick in Cambodia is no fun at all. (more on that another time:-) We brought antibiotics with us, so I jumped on them fast, but the food poisoning or whatever it was, did cause me to miss a whole day of temples while in Siem Reap. I'm healed now, though, and the headcold is going away fast, and tomorrow morning we are getting up and out to eat breakfast on a riverside balcony and stake out our spots for the madness of Bon Om Tuk (the Water Festival) that will unfold, all day, before us. It feels strange to party in this city full of ghosts and sadness. But I suppose by celebrating life and water and renewal and fun it is one way to appease those lost, tortured souls and give the beautiful little beggar-kids a day to shout and leap and run and laugh. We're sticking around for the races, but I'll never forget the utter horror of the day we spent inside S-21 and the cold, hollow pits of graves unearthed.

Tomorrow we watch the boatraces, then on Sunday we get up early to take a slow boat to Vietnam. We've followed the Mekong so far we simply have to see it to the end, where it spreads into a delta and then flows into the South China Sea.

We should have been coming home tomorrow. Instead we're forging on, and we cannot wait to see what's next. It's truly hard to believe all the things we have seen, and all the places we have been.

Rice for Orphans

2006-11-02T20:05:00.000-08:00

Lu and I are about to go over to an orphanage in Phnom Pehn, and we are stopping at the market to buy rice to donate.

One bag of rice is $30, and that will feed the hundred or so kids for one day.

If you would like to help buy some bags of rice, please send a paypal to chrisgallagher at gmail.com, or send an email with the amount you would like to spend. We will be here for the next 2 days, so if this is something you would like to do, act now!!

Thanks!

Madame, Tuk Tuk?

2006-10-31T01:39:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Siem Reap, Cambodia (home to Angkor Wat) after 3 full days of seeing temples that are more then 1000 years old. Its pretty mind-blowing and I still really can't believe these things. I will expound on them more in a few.

Just to backtrack a bit, the last part of our journey through Laos was just heaven. I loved it so much down in the islands that when leaving Don Det, I cried when the boat sailed away! I knew what we had ahead of us entering a new country. Cambodia has been through hell and back and it shows everywhere. The countryside is absolutely beautiful and the cities are charming, but its the people that break your heart.

The trip from Laos to finally arrive in Phnom Penh, Cambodia consisted of 2 boat rides and at least 4-5 minivan changes and stops which in total took 15 hours. We were warned that getting your visa at the border, they try to get more money out of you, (this country is filled with corruption everywhere), but we stuck to our guns and paid exactly what we were told - $20 (plus $1 to pay for the paper?). So when they asked us for more, we said we had no more money. They let us go. It really wasn't a lie (except for that $1000 Baht we had stashed away), we seriously used up almost every cent while we were in Laos. Laos only has ATM's in Vietianne, the capital city. We started our journey in Laos in Huay Xai with the Gibbon X and had brought lots of money with us to hopefully get us through til Vietianne. Again, we had to take out enough money in Vietianne to get us through the 4,000 islands. We ran out of Kip and had to start exchanging our Baht and travelers checks which luckily they were able to do for us down there. Otherwise, Don Det wouldn't have been the paradise we found! Waking up in our bungalow on the Mekong every morning was truly heaven. I read 2 books while there, as well as played countless games of spades with our friends Brad and Auri.

I think one of the most special aspects to traveling through Laos for me were all the people we met and traveled with for extended periods of time. We had our Gibbon crew for a bit, then just Brad, then a new crew we met on the way to the islands and then Brad again. It really changed the way Chris and I had been traveling before. Thailand was pretty much just us - we met tons of people who we continued to run into throughout our journey, but none we actually spent time with for days and days. We knew the next part of our trip we'd be going solo again, so we really savored what we had when we were down there in paradise. Just a bunch of friends playing cards, riding bikes, laying in hammocks, watching sunsets, enjoying meals together. It really doesn't get better then that. But this trip was not just about lying in a hammock. We were here to soak up the culture and really experience this part of the world. So while it was a difficult move, we knew we had to do it.

So now, here we are in Siem Reap, a town full of landmine victims, homelessness and street kids all begging for something from you. The kids I just can't resist. I'm not sure the best way to deal with them, but they all speak English and just love to show you what they know. They ask where you are from, then promptly tell you the capital. They all know every capital of every state in the US and country in the world. They can count in like 10 languages and really all have the same schtick. And this goes for 4 yr olds all the way up to about 12 yr olds. They hound you at all the temples to buy their postcards, flutes, toys and they walk around the town of Siam Reap all dirty and holding babies littler then them. Its heartbreaking and so difficult to chat them up and not give them money. But they all know this and that's what makes it a little easier to say no. Which we do about 1,000 times a day. They just don't take no for an answer and just continue to hound you and they are relentless. I did buy postcards the first night, thinking wow, this kid is brilliant! Little did I know that they all have been brainwashed somewhere to charm the pants off of the tourists. Its insane. The adults are not much better. They all scream at you to buy their water, scarves, tshirts, food at their stall, you name it. The tuk tuk drivers are by far the worst. We are waiting for the moment that a tuk tuk driver says "need a tuk tuk?" while we are in one!!! We've seriously been surrounded by like 5 people all trying to win us over. It gets tiresome and challenging and is extremely emotional. I can't say we hadn't been warned, but being in the middle of it is just plain difficult. Oh, and another thing that's crazy is the town of Siam Reap is full of 5 star extravagant resorts and hotels. Unbelievable!! This is definitely the most touristy of all places we've been. But that's understandable, I mean, look what's here. And photos do not do it justice. We just loved being able to take our time and explore the mazes that are these temples. I think Preah Khan was both of our favorites because it once housed over 1000 teachers and may have been a Buddhist university. It was the coolest one we went to. We brought our tuk tuk driver Mee into that one with us - he hadn't even seen any of the temples before!!! We also took him into Angkor Wat with us. He got lost in there for like an hour - it was so awesome to see how happy he was to have been able to see that.

So today Chris woke up not feeling too well, so I went off with Mee on my own. We took a moto instead since it was only me (and Mee!). It was a fun day, but not the same being without Chris. I bought Mee a t-shirt today - he was so happy! Most people hire a tuk tuk driver to take them around to all the temples for the time that they are here. We bought a 3-day pass so Mee (who picked us up at the bus station and brought us to our guesthouse) has been taking us around. He doesn't have parents (we assume lost them to the Khmer Rouge) and really has absolutely nothing so we have been trying to take good care of him (buying him lunch, water, icecream, etc). But it still very difficult knowing what we have and what he does not. I feel like we just can't do enough. His story is a sad one which only makes it all so much harder.

So tomorrow we are leaving for Phnom Pehn again. We only were there for a day before we took off for Siem Reap. We have loads to see there - The Killing Fields, Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda, National Museum. Hopefully we can get it all done in a day. We also are thinking of going to spend some time at an orphanage. The problem is that our Vietnam visa expires on Nov 3 so we'd like to get there before then and get an extension. We got our visa way back when thought we'd already have been in Vietnam by now!!! So there we plan to continue our path of following the Mekong and going to Phou Quoc island and then the Mekong Delta. Hopefully we'll have time to go up north a bit before we have to head back to Bangkok. But I can't think about that yet. And so the journey continues...Stay tuned!

Paradise Found

2006-10-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

A soft breeze blew me gently awake, and I peered out the window above my head. Through the soft gauze of the mosquito net I saw lush greenery and a few small bungalows. Looking out through the door beyond my toes, the chocolate milk Mekong flowed by, fast. The sun was only a bit above the horizon and I was alone in bed. Lu had already absconded to the porch of our bungalow where she hung fifteen inches above the wood planks, completely chilled out in her own personal hammock, book in hand. I smiled and rolled over and another breeze blew through, sending me back to a sleepy doze.

Now repeat that four times and you'll have a clear picture of what it's like to wake up on the island of Don Det, Laos, in the 4000 Islands. The days and nights didn't get any faster than that, except for the long bike ride we took one day, and the raging of the rapids on the island of Don Khon just to the south. We ate slow, played cards slow, strolled the dirt path main road slow and finally, finally finally nearly managed to achieve what we had been searching for since day one. We have been trying to stop time, and on Don Det we almost succeeded. In the end, though, it was good we couldn't quite manage it 'cause that would have meant no glorious sunsets and no sublime sunrises. But all afternoon and late into the nights a moment lasted a hour, an hour lasted a day, and a day lasted a week. It was glorious and we were sad to leave. Now we are back in the land of regular time, having just arrived last night in Phenom Pehn, Cambodia. It has been a long journey since the fun of Vang Vieng.

From Vang Vieng we went to Vientianne, the capital of Laos which turned out to be the sleepiest, slowest most chill capital city I have ever been to. It was more like a big town than a true city. There we relished in the vestiges of French rule: good wine, good food, and cheese, glorious cheese. We got a nice room there, fourth floor with a private balcony, and for dinner one night we got a bottle of Bordeaux some crackers and a hunk of New Zealand cheddar and just sat up there with some tunes, as the slow bustle of the street below filtered up to us. Another night we splurged and spent $30 on dinner. I had steak. Lu had raviolis with tomato sauce, and of course we finished it out with a nice chocolate mousse and some cognac. Our first day there was spent checking out the markets and monuments, and on the second we rented a motorbike to ride out to Buddha Park. That place was kinda nutty. Huge statues clustered around each other, representing a vast array of Buddist and Hindu deities and important figures. Shiva, Cali, Buddha, Ganesh and so many more were poised in rock, facing every which way. And of course we had to motorbike it out there, 'cause it's just more fun that way. But there's not a lot to do in Vientianne and we knew it was time to head south. We had been asking other travelers about 4000 Islands, and just from the look on their faces when we asked about it, we knew we had to go.

It was a long bus ride south. I dreaded the coming karaoke video they were sure to play, and my fears were well founded. Not only was the music terrible, but it was also at full blast. Luckily that dvd broke, but before long a Chinese karate flick with Thai subtitles flashed on the screen, and soon the sounds of hellacious kung-fu came screaming through the speakers. A short time after that flick ended did the true excitement begin, though. First it was smoke from the back right tire area. Then it was a huge bang that cause the woman above the sound to scream loud, and for me to shout "Holyshit!" They stopped we disembarked through clouds of smoke and then they set to repairing the blown tire. This time it only took about 45 min, instead of the 2 hours of our last bus breakdown. Morning brought more karaoke videos (5:30am), but I quickly got up from my seat and requested that they please, please, please wait a little while before turning that on. Everyone in the entire bus was asleep, still, and thankfully they complied. From bus to sanglaw we were herded and after another 2 hours we arrived at the shores of the Mekong. A motorboat ferried us across and we had arrived in Se Phon Don (4000 Islands).

Our first 2 nights were on Don Khong, which is north, and the largest of the islands. After finding a guesthouse and getting a meal, Lu and I hit the road with a motorbike and cruised the entire island. We saw incredible rice paddies and people harvesting. We checked out the other town across the island with a lively port and many small shops. We found a remote bar with a bocce court and we rode our motorbike along a thin dirt path, passing many small houses with many small children running out of the yard to wave at us and say "Sawadee!!" For the kids, clothes were clearly optional. We'd made friends with a few other travellers and that night after dinner we started in on some Lao Lao (rice whiskey) and fired up a game of Texas Hold'em. It was truly awesome to play poker at the edge of the Mekong for 60000 kip. ($6!)

The next morning the rest of the group decided to get motorbikes, too, and while they were figuring all that out we sat on some benches and waited. Suddenly there were people coming up the hill from the shore and there striding towards us was none other than our new good friend Brad who we had first met at the Gibbon Experience, and had traveled with up until Vang Vieng. He stayed when we left, but we knew we might meet up again in 4000 Islands if the timing worked out. He had stayed a few extra days up there, and then gunned it for the Islands. It was fantastic to meet up with him again and quickly he was settled in and on a motorbike ready to ride. We did the same trip as the day before, but in a different order and this time got to play a big game of bocce between the seven of us riding around. We were like some pansy version of the Hell's Angels, crusing the asphalt of Don Khong on old 100cc scooters. It was great! Don Khong was good, but it was a little boring, so we knew we had to go deeper and find someplace even smaller and more relaxed. We booked a boat for the next morning and at 8:30am, seven of us got on board and headed south for Don Det.

Immediately upon selecting our guest house and falling gracefully into our hammocks, we knew we had finally made it. The 4 spectacular sunsets and gorgeous lazy days that followed only proved us right again, and again, and again, and again.

Yesterday morning we left Don Det, (almost crying). Brad was heading north and we had Cambodia to see. It was sad to say goodbye to him and to the others we'd become friends with (Aurie from Finland, Floyd from Oz), but it was definitely time to keep moving. If we stayed any longer there was serious worries about 'going native'. Also, that we were down to our final dollars meant we *had* to get somewhere that could dole us some cash.

The long trip to Phenom Pehn was not fun at all. As glorious as was Don Det, as miserable was the 12 hours in various minivans and boats we traveled in. The roads here are insane, and the drivers move along quickly. It was a great relief to finally find a guest house at 11:30 pm last night and pass out completely. Now comes the heavy part of our travels. Thailand and Laos were mainly excitement and relaxation. Cambodia and Vietnam are going to be quite a bit more contempative, horrific and serious as we learn more about the past 30 years of strife these countries have experienced, quite a bit of it at the hands of leaders of the USA, as well as other homegrown monsters like Pol Pot. Today, though is more mundane. Emails, money, toilettries, laundry, markets, meals and strolls. We'll save the horrors for the future, after Angkor, when we have to come back through Phenom Penh on our way to Vietnam.

This morning we woke up baking in a dingy guesthouse room. It had nothing on the wonderful views and lovely breeze of Mr. B's Bungalows on Don Det, Laos. For a few days Paradise was ours, but now it lives only in our memories. However, whenever someone asks us about 4000 Islands our first reply will be purely visual as our eyes roll back, a lazy grin spreads across our face and a blissful "Se Phon Don" breezes out of our mouths. We know what paradise is like, now, and we hope a few others will get to visit it, too.

Welcome to Laos

2006-10-14T08:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've posted. We've had a crazy last week in Laos, and hopefully I can convey it through my writing. Right now we're in a little town called Vang Vieng in Central Laos. We took a bus here that left at 8:30am in the morning and arrived at about 5pm. This bus was supposed to be 6 hours, instead it took almost 9. Laos is known for its unpaved roads, bus breakdowns and just all around trouble getting from here to there. We've experienced this many times over in our short amount of time here. Luckily we've looked at all of it as part of the experience.

So last we left it we were leaving Pai for Chaing Khong to head over to Xauy Xai, Laos to begin our Gibbon experience. We had an uncomfortable, very foggy minivan drive in the middle of the night from Pai to Chaing Khong. We got across the border with minimal trouble and headed up into the town to find a place to stay. After a month in Thailand, now we had to begin our focus on being in a new country, new language, new food, etc. A festival was just starting in this town - they were having their annual boat races on the Mekong! The town was preparing for this party - and we were pretty excited to be a part of it. Our first night in Laos was full of drinking, eating, dancing and basically entertaining the people of this town. Something about us had everyone captivated! The kids here basically just look at us and start giggling and everyone else just stares. Maybe its Chris's height, not sure but its really funny. They are not that used to Westerners I guess, though this is a major border crossing point with Thailand, but I guess no one really sticks around here.

That afternoon/evening we run into an Israeli girl named Hagar who we met on the ride in from Pai. She was going with us on the Gibbon Experience. We met a British couple named Kate and Peter as well as a British guy named James who'd be joining us as well. It wasn't until the next morning where we got to meet the other 5 people who'd be sharing in this crazy experience we were about to embark on (we were 11 altogether). There was Brad, an American from NY, Jill and Keira from England, Tim also from England and Liel, a French-Canadian. We all instantly hit it off and jumped into this truck they call a Samlor (2 benches) and took off. There was 8 of us in back, and within the 3 hour journey to the first village, we were all laughing so hard we knew we had a great few days ahead of us.

The road to Bokeo, Laos is actually in the process of becoming a highway that will go from China to Thailand. They have been working on this road for years and apparently have a lot more to do. This section of it needs lots of work, at this point its still a dirt road but during rainy season becomes a muddy and very bumpy dirt road. You can imagine what this was like with all of us squished in the back - just bumping along. So when we finally get to the village, we come to find out (not so much info was given to us ahead of time) that usually in rainy season, the truck can't go over the river so we'd have to start walking at this point (a 7 hour one!) but the driver wants to try it today. Just our luck, the truck makes it across (we had to get out towards the end) and then we start up this really, really muddy road, so muddy, we had to get out and push or pull the truck a few different times. It was hilarious and just crazy and "part of the experience." ha. It gets better. So about an hour or so later we have to give up on the truck and just walk. It is so muddy, wearing our new teva-like shoes we bought in Pai were not going to help. So basically everyone had to take off their shoes and walk through the mud. We walked for about 3 hours this way. Up and down hills, in the rain, in the mud, we chatted and just did it.

So then we get to the next village finally and we are given some sandwiches to eat. We meet one of our guides Som, a really sweet 16 year old kid, and head out on another hour and a half journey, this time up and down through the jungle. We did have our shoes on, but we were so slippery (it was raining) that it was not an easy trek. At this point we wished they told us to bring hiking shoes. So finally we get to the Gibbon Experience camp where we meet the rest of the guides, the 2 monkeys and a gibbon who they are taking care of as well as a baby bear. Yes, a baby bear.

We learn to put on our zipline harness, they go over it a few times until we feel safe, and then we're off on our first zip into the first treehouse, treehouse 1. There are 4 treehouses, but we are only using TH 1 and 3 because TH 2 is leaking and TH 4 is too far to get to in rainy season. This treehouse was pretty awesome - has running water, 3 levels and an incredible view. It was also about 30 meters (100 feet) up. It is starting to get dark, so 4 of our group leave to go stay in TH 3 and the rest of us go for a few practice zips around. It is both exhilarating and scary and it somehow got scarier for me each time I had to zip!! But once flying across the cable and looking out over the vast forest into the mist in the mountains ahead of me, it was just pure adrenaline rush and I loved it. We finally make our way back to our TH. Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention is the leeches. Yeah, there are leeches and they just stick to you and start sucking and to get them off you need to burn them. Then you start bleeding and it takes a while to stop. Not the most fun part of this.

So we relax, eat a yummy mostly vegetarian Laos dinner, light some candles, take in the sounds and smells of the jungle we are directly a part of and just enjoy the evening. Hagar teaches us a card game called shithead and we play until we're tired. We slept on a big futon with a comfy blanket, under a mosquito net and fell asleep to all the crazy sounds. It poured all early morning, but that didn't stop us from a before breakfast zip. We went out on like 3-4 zips and came back just in time for breakfast. The guides were there with us, walking us through the jungle, helping us attach our safety and telling us when to go. We got instantly filthy from the first instant we zipped the day before, that we knew we'd be filthy for the next few days. We spent the rest of the day zipping around the trees on our own. The guides came with us sometimes, but sometimes we found ourselves having to make our own calls "OKAAAAAY" to the person across on the other side. In one spot there were 2 lines on top of each other so when one person went one way, another was either above or below them. That was really cool. I even saw a rainbow while I flew through the air. That was the highlight for sure. We felt like pros by the end of the day. It was amazing. The whole journey to get there was worth this feeling of flying above and amongst the jungle.

That night we played another card game that Keira taught us. Some of the young Laos guides joined us and it was just so sweet seeing how much fun they were having. Lara (the person who was in charge of all this) has been teaching them English so it was really fun teaching them new words and having them teach us as well. It rained again during the night, which we knew meant that we had a 7 hour journey ahead of us. We woke and did a bunch of before breakfast zips, knowing that this was our last opportunity. And then it was time to set out on our journey.

The walk out was both challenging and beautiful, aggravating and serene. In all it took us about 6 hours to complete this walk. Part of it was in the jungle and very slippery and steep. Part of it was on the muddy road, part of it the road was just fine and it was delightful. We were exhausted by the time we got back to the second village. A lot of our group made it back like 1 1/2 hours before us because they were wearing good hiking shoes. It made a big difference. So after some food and beer, we had to get going on another journey back to the original town we started in.

Pete & Kate and Chris & I were going to take a bus up to Luang Nam Tha originally and then work our way back down from there to Luang Prabang. The road was too muddy and it was impossible to get up there so we had to change our plans and go back to Xuay Xai. 6 of us had the good fortune to get in the back of a pickup truck (which we later found out was NOT 4 wheel drive). Again, we get stuck in the mud and had to push. Luckily the driver has chains and puts them on. We were convinced we'd be sleeping in the back of the pickup that night. But alas, the chains work and we manage to make it back to Xuay Xai with barely a scrape. Check out some pix!

The whole group met up for a very reflective dinner. We talked of what we liked and what we disliked. The program is still in the beginning stages and definitely needs some work. They need to give us more info and get a truck that can drive you all the way to the 2nd village. There are more safety issues they need to work on, but it was an experience I will never, ever forget. Also, we made such good friends along the way. This brings us to where we are now.

The next morning, 6 of us (Kate, Pete, Liel, Brad & Us) decide to take the fast boat to Luang Prabang. The thing is, there is a section in our handy Laos guide that mentions how dangerous this boat is and that you should only take it in an emergency. The only other option to Luang Prabang is a slow boat that takes 2 days and we heard it was torture. We just couldn't sit on a boat for 2 days after that adventure we had just been on. We went back and forth a few times, but in the end, we decided to take the risk and go on the 6 hour fast boat. Best decision ever. Our driver was awesome, we stopped a bunch of times and made it to LP in no time. It wasn't the most comfortable ride and was a bit noisy, but it was fast and fun and the Mekong was amazing to ride on and the scenery was beautiful.

LP turned out to be a fantastic little town, very French and beautiful surrounded by 2 rivers and quaint little buildings and fabulous restaurants. Just the place to chill out and relax. We went to a beautiful waterfall and swam all day. The night market was just amazing as well. We spent a few days there, hanging with our friends (it was so nice to have a crew to hang out with!) until it was time to move on. Brad convinced us to leave with him to Vang Vieng on the 6 hour bus ride. And so we did. So we've taken in all the sights and fun of this town - tubing down a river, climbing in and out of caves, motorscootering around and now its time to move on. Our next destination is Vientiane - hopefully we get there in the 3 hours we're told it takes, but I won't hold my breath....

oh, and check out Chris's blog post about the Gibbon X on Thrunk!

Market Meanderings, Interesting Advice and Scooting About Pai

2006-10-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Our time in Thailand is ending in a matter of hours and it has been an amazing time. We are in Pai now, where the power just went off and sucked away big chunk of text, but there are a few things to sum up before we board a bus for Chang Khong and then head to Laos across the Mekong River. We have to be out of Thailand by Oct. 7, and we are using every dang day.

Chiang Mai was incredible. You should have seen the look in Lu's eyes when we crossed out of the darkness and into the lights of the Walking Market. For blocks in either direction were stalls and tables stacked with and endless array of handcrafts, paintings, clothes, bags, jewelery and just about anything else you could think of. I groaned within, but I knew that was the plan for the night and I was ready to dive in and have some fun spending money. There was a shirt I was looking for, some new pants and a few other odds and ends I hoped to find for a much better price than at the Night Bazaar a few nights earlier.

Right away I noticed that the make-up of the crowd was 90% Thai. That was a good sign. At the Night Bazaar it was nearly 100% farang (foreingers) and the prices reflected that. A shirt at the night bazaar was 200 bhat, while at the Walking Market, it was half that. And that went for just about everything else, too. Still, I wasn't loving the whole shopping experience just yet, so I popped into a corner market and picked myself up a nice large Chang. I've found that beer greases my shopping wheels rather nicely, and what started off as a chore quickly became a bit more fun. And it was great to see Lu loving it all so much.

"I want to buy everything!" she told me, her eyes dilated with bliss.

"Well, you can't do that," I replied, "but definitely don't hold back. We won't get many chances to buy any of these things, and we'll love having them when we get back to the US. And the prices here are great."

So off she went, in search of everything she loved, and I trailed behind, the beer slowly vanishing from the bottle into my mouth. As we walked and shopped, I thought about how far along had come, and all the ways and means we'd used to get to that point. The Lonely Planet Thailand book was the bible that illuminated our path. The Nancy Chandler map of Chiang Mai revealed the streets and shops and sois and restaurants we needed to navigate. Pages of printouts from emails from friends put Thailand and beyond in terms we could understand. We got help from Roland who had led us around Bangkok, showing us the many ways to get around that city. We had help from Jeanne who opened her home to us, and explained the intricacies of the coup as it developed. I thought about Rob and Kellee and how their advice to check out the Elephant Nature Park led to some of the most powerful days on our trip so far. I thought of Noom, our new friend in Chiang Mai, who's fluent English and great sense of humor made that city even better and more interesting. She runs the Moonlight Guest House and she quickly became more than just someone that helped us out, she became a true friend. We were sad to say goodbye when it was time to leave on a four hour local bus to the moutain town of Pai. Before we left, though, we had a huge bag of goodies to deal with. There was no way we were bringing everything with us for the next month, so a stop at the Post Office was needed. There's box on a slow boat to SF right now, and another traveling slightly quicker en route to West Hartford, CT (Mom and Dad, DO NOT open that box! There are goodies in there for us to hand out when we come home for Thanksgiving!!) After the Post Office it was a few more errands, and then a tuk-tuk race to the bus station for the 4pm, 4 hour ride on the local bus to Pai. (Tuk-tuk drivers in Chiang Mai are less shady than their Bangkok counterparts.)

On the windy bus-ride north Lu and I talked about all the various tips and advice we had gathered along the way, and how funny it was, the things people tell you. Some of the advice was dead-on, others was complete bullshit and some was utterly contradictory. "Never ride a tuk-tuk in Bangkok."(true!) "Watch your ass in Vietnam, everyone will try and rip you off." battled against "Vietnam is the best country I've ever been too!" (we'll see which way it goes. We're guessing it's a bit of both.) "The slow-boat ride to Luang Prabhang is a nightmare. Fly instead."(repeated over and over, so we're bussing it, probably, or maybe going north first, we'll see. All plans are subject to change.) "Oh no, this hook doesn't hurt the elephant, thick skin, thick skin." (total crap) "Ride a motorbike around Chiang Mai." (definitely true and so much fun.) "Shop at the Walking Market, not the Night Bazaar, so much cheaper." (dead-on!) "Eat food from the street vendors, it's cheap and delicious." (oh yeah, we have had many, many street vendor meals and 90% of them were excellent.) One piece of advice that I think every traveler should follow I received from our friend Brad just before heading out of SF. "Get a compass," he told me, and I did. It has saved our asses over and over again and we use it multiple times a day to figure out where the hell we are, and where we need to go.

One thing, though, that we've learned throughout all of this, is that it is so important for us to just go our own way, too. Although we are in the stream of a vast train of travelers and backpackers we can't just do exactly the same thing as everyone else in exactly the same way. We have to find new places to eat, new guesthouses to stay in, new routes between cities in order to make this trip our own, and it has been so much fun figuring it out.

Once in Pai, life slowed down even more than the chill-vibe of Chiang Mai. We rented a motorbike and kept it for three days, cruising out into the countryside to check out the waterfalls, Pai Canyon, the temple on the hill, tiny villages that surrounded this little town, and the hot springs spa a few kilometers down the road. I learned that you can ride a motorbike in the rain, but as I suspected, it's not much fun. We ate some great meals here, stayed in some cheap, nice bungalows and really took advantage of everything Pai had to offer. There were some challenges, of course. Only 100 feet from the spa our motorbike's back tire blew out. However, since we had spent 80 bhat on insurance we only had to wait an hour for someone from the shop to drive out and change the tire. That our waiting was done in a hot mineral bath (50 bhat a person) made it anything but a chore. We had to battle big puddles and deep mud as we blasted up and down the hills in search of an elusive waterfall. The eighty foot plummet of water was worth the effort, though. However, another waterfall we tried to find turned out to be a four hour journey and we were lucky enough to be warned away from the attempt only a half hour into the trek.

The toughest moment of the trip, though, hit us nearly exactly at the halfway point. Just yesterday morning we were battling with a tough choice that would mean the difference between a chill day in Pai, or a mad scramble to make it to our next stop. We had signed up for the Gibbon Experience and we needed to be across the Mekong River by 8am this morning to catch the bus to start. It wasn't until confirmation phone calls and emails had been made that we learned that there was no bus going there from Pai until the following day. We sat at breakfast considering. Either we simply bailed on the Experience, or we had to right then catch a bus back to Chiang Mai and hope that we would be there in time to catch another bus that would take us to the right place in Laos to start the jungle canopy zipline experience. If we did that it would mean hours on multiple busses, no hot springs, no relaxation, no fun. And really, more than anything, this trip is about fun. So we said screw it. We'd try and catch the Gibbon Experience at the end of our time in Laos, or maybe not at all. But both of us agreed that keeping things simple and stress-free was of paramount importance.

Imagine our disbelief and surprise when we checked email later that day to make sure they had gotten our voicemail telling them of our change of plans. "I'm so sorry Lani, but I made a mistake," the email went. "We overbooked the trip for the 6th, and we wanted to see if you could instead begin the Gibbon Experience on Oct. 8th. Lu and I looked at each other eyes wide with shock and then we began jabbering about how lucky that was and how much it would have sucked if we had mad-scrambled our way back to Chiang Mai and then Chang Khong only to arrive in Laos and get completely shut-down.

Simple, stress-free, easy, that's what we keep aiming for, and although we don't always succeed, it seems to work more often than not. Our bus leaves in an hour. Six after that we'll be in our last city in Thailand for a while. We'll cross the Mekong as our visa expires in the boat's wake, and then we'll spend a quiet village-day in Houayxai, Laos getting ready to zipline through the jungle canopy searching for monkeys and looking forward to our nights in treehouses as the beasts primeval hoot and chirp and skitter around us. Yeah, Lu's afraid of heights, but that didn't stop her from leaping from an airplane, nor from climbing the cliffs of Railay. I am certain to hear her whooping with joy as we spin through the trees on another insane adventure.

Chang

2006-10-01T03:45:00.000-07:00

Chang means elephant in Thai. (It's also Chris's favorite brand of beer here.) In 1900 there were 100,000 Asian elephants in Thailand, now there are 2,500. The Asian elephant is in danger of becoming extinct - such a shame because the Chang is the national symbol of Thailand and is a very sacred animal to the Thais. We have had the good fortune to witness both extremes of how elephants are treated in this country. When you arrive in Chiang Mai (the amazing city we are in right now), most guest houses and travel agencies plug their treks which encompass so many different ideas. Most treks take you to one or more of the hundreds of hilltribes in northern Thailand, hikes to waterfalls, bamboo rafting, and the most popular is the elephant rides - actually getting to see the elephants "at work." Sounds exciting right?

We arrived in Chiang Mai and immediately contacted a friend of Jeanne's (who we stayed with in Bangkok). He put us in touch with a Thai woman named Noom who had also spent a year in America and spoke almost perfect English. She immediately took us in and showed us the ropes. She owns a guesthouse named Moonlight House which we at first did not stay at (We had already booked ourselves into the Alley Nine). We loved our little corner of the inner moat which had at least 2 little organic/veggie restaurants that we ate in A LOT and lots of cute pubs and bars and guest houses all around. We rented motorbikes (the most popular method of transportation in this city) from Noom and spent a day exploring. It was awesome and scary at the same time. The Thais ride these things like you've never seen- whole families (with no helmets!) get on all at once, young girls pile on together and no one seems the least bit hesitant to ride them. Except us farang of course. But we got to see the city in a really awesome way. So Noom also signed us up to do a trek through her guest house. This trek was one of the ones that offered the elephant rides. Of course Chris and I thought the whole trek sounded pretty fun- of course this was not knowing what we were to learn at the Elephant Nature Park in the following few days.

Our tour guide "Q" took us first to an elephant camp. This camp had tons of elephants at work, strapped with seats on top and each with their own mahout. The mahout is the guy who takes care of the elephant its whole life. These mahouts each have a bamboo pole with a very sharp hook at the end. They use this to get the elephants to walk and move and do what they want. We reluctantly got on and felt very uncomfortable as we prodded along, the mahout knocking our elephant in the head with his hook, and us having to buy bags and bags of bananas to feed the elephant. I kept telling myself that it must be ok, this is what they do. Maybe the hooks don't hurt, the elephant has thick skin right? Well, we get to the end of our elephant walk, Chris and I both say that we really weren't too thrilled with that, but whatever, we did it. The rest of our trek was pretty cool though, great hike to a waterfall, got to see some hilltribes and bought some crafts from them, and the bamboo rafting was awesome. It was all pretty touristy, but really the only way to do it.

So our friends Kellee and Rob in SF had mentioned to us a while back about this place they went called the Elephant Nature Park and they loved it and said we had to go and stay over if we could. They basically only have the website, and not one guest house or travel guide had any info on it. Most places advertise the Elephant Conservation Center where you get to see the elephants play music and do art and tricks and take rides and all of that. We heard a lot about that place, but nothing of the place we went to.

We trusted Kellee and Rob and thought that it sounded pretty cool. So we get picked up in the morning and head straight to a market where 4 of us had to pile mounds and mounds and bags and bags full of bananas into a truck. It was hard work, but it was only enough food for the 30 elephants to eat for 1 day!!! Then on to the park - it is located about an hour north west of Chiang Mai. Amy, a British girl who has been traveling for like 7 months was coming to the park for her 2nd time. The first time she stayed for 2 weeks as a volunteer. She was so excited to go back. We talked of past and future travel plans and bonded with her instantly.

We arrive at the park and a fully tattooed American woman named Jody starts to tell us all about the park and the Thai woman name "Lek" (her nickname which means small) who started it. While Jody is telling us all the background info, we get to immediately feed the elephants. It was awesome! If you look on their website, you can see pix of people doing that. At the park we also got to go in the river and help bathe the elephants. It was hilarious, these elephants were soooo happy to have us scrub them! Immediately once they get out of the water, they throw sand and dirt all over themselves to protect themselves from the sun and mosquitos. It was hilarious! All our hard work for nil. The food there was pretty much the best food I've had anywhere. There were lots of volunteers there (mostly British and Australian girls) so there were at least 15 different dishes to eat, and most of them vegetarian! It was so fun hanging out with all the people there, sharing stories and just being with like-minded people. These were the highlights- the rest was not so pretty.

Lek started this park in an effort to save the elephants in Thailand from being tortured, overworked and treated poorly by their mahouts and owners. She started buying elephants one by one to help rehabilitate them - elephants who had gotten in accidents, who were abused and neglected their whole lives. Each elephant at the park had a sadder story then the next. These creatures were amazing, they are so smart and just knew what was going on with them and you can see it in their eyes. At the park they also have tons of dogs who are being rehabilitated as well. Thailand has a major problem with stray dogs (there are millions of them in this country) - this is another story that I won't get into now. But its so strange for me to see a wonderful Buddhist culture like the Thais treat their animals the way they do. The people are such friendly, gentle and caring people. We love them. But this is something I don't love or understand.

We got to see a documentary done about Lek and her work (it was a bit outdated since it was shot in 2002 and in the last few years so much has changed with her park) . The most horrific part of it was having to watch the young elephants go through what is called a Pujan. This is the week of torture they go through to train them. They basically break their spirit and torture them into submission by poking and prodding them with knives and hooks, sleep deprivation amongst many other forms of torture. They always want the elephant to fear humans. And this is all the while being in a small cage and chained up by all four legs. It was so heartbreaking to watch. Almost every elephant at the park had gone through this. Pretty much every elephant in Asia has gone through this. This is what they've been doing for thousands of years. Its the only way the mahouts know and to try to change this practice is almost insane. There are 3 elephants there that were too young when Lek got them, so thankfully, they will never have to go through a Pujan. Lek is trying to get the government to change their views on how to train the elephants by training these 3 young elephants with positive reinforcement instead. And its really working. We got to see one of the mahouts train Lilly (I think that's her name) and it was awesome. Hopefully Lek can change the nature of the way this country views the training and treatment of elephants. Its been a really slow and challenging road, but with more and more people becoming aware of this program, real change can happen. She's actually had tons of press lately so that is good news. Its just so difficult because the tourism industry in this country is really based on these treks and elephant rides and elephants painting and playing music and doing tricks. Not what would really be good and healthy for this sacred animal. Its all about money and politics of course.

At the park you can stay for the day, a night or more or even volunteer for a week or 2. We stayed overnight and had such a fantastic and emotional time. It just felt so right to get to hang with the elephants as they lived their lives peacefully, eating, playing, bathing, hiking, etc. It was beautiful. We even got to take a hike with them up into the jungle - it was fascinating to see 12 elephants climb up and totally disappear in the trees! Then we got to mud surf down (they've had so much rain lately that everything was pure mud). So hilarious! The elephants of course made it down no problem. Seeing the babies try to maneuver up the mud was priceless!

So check out the site and if you plan on going to Thailand or know someone who is, go visit the Elephant Nature Park. Its hard to care about something that doesn't affect you - but it was so real to us being there and these are living breathing creatures who need our help!! Also, on Animal Planet on Oct 2 and 3 at various times there is a special that is done on the park that you should check out. It's called "Caught in the Moment - Thailand" and if you can watch it and tape it for us that would be awesome.

So now we're back in the city and enjoying everything Chiang Mai has to offer. It reminds me so much of SF - so many veggie restaurants, yoga and massage schools, its the perfect place for me! I even took a yoga class all in Thai. So cool! My favorite thing I think is that this city has really the best markets I've ever seen. We're about to leave and go walk the huge Sunday night market and buy tons of gifts for all of our friends and family. Tomorrow we're going to take a cooking course all day at an organic farm out of the city. I can't wait!! Then onto our next adventure and finally a new country - Laos.

Northward, with Jack

2006-09-26T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hotel California is on the muzak here at the Alley 9 Guest House in Chiang Mai, and I'm shocked. We've heard this song many, many times since we landed in Thailand, but usually by everyone but the Eagles. And when it's not a cover version of Hotel California, it's either Jack Johnson, Tracy Chapman or Bob Marley. Everywhere. We thought maybe Jack was just a beach thing, but no. Even way up north it's Jack Jack Jack Jack and more Jack. They *love* Jack Johnson in Thailand. I wonder if he knows that. And there is a deep love for Mr. Marley here, too. Last night we found a bar called Babylon and it was thoroughly rasta-ed, and the band played truly excellent versions of some of Bob's best. In the bar before that it was a Jack Johnson DVD, but it was cool to see some shots of the Greek Theater in Berkeley. It reminded me that one of the things I'm really missing here is live music. But there's plenty of other things to keep us occupied. Today we rented a motor-scooter and cruised around the Old City part of Chiang Mai. It was a lot of fun, but a little hairy, too. Driving is intense here, and that it's opposite of the US makes things even more tricky. There were periods of rain, too and that only increased my concerns. All went well, though, and it was a ton of fun to zip in and out of the little sois (small sidestreets) with Lu clinging to my shoulders, the Nancy Chandler Map pressed against my back.

Between Chiang Mai and Bangkok there was a stop in Aythuya. That's old capital of Thailand (and by old they mean like two thousand years ago or something.) Lots of old, ruined wats that were amazing to explore, and then at night they light them up and it makes their shapes and shadows even more spectacular. That was pretty much the only good thing about Aythuya, though. I have a feeling that the translated name of that city would be Divine City of Giant, Endless mosquito's and Home of the Six Thousand Stray, Feral and Fearless Dogs on the Banks of the Muddiest Rivers in All of Mudtown. Definitely not the Divine Gem that is Bangkok and the utter coolness of Chiang Mai. If Bangkok is comparable to NYC, then Chiang Mia is more like Boston or SF, and Aythuya is sorta Bridgeporty, CT in nature.

Our time in Thailand is quickly coming to an end, for now, though. We've still got about a week left before it's time to head to Laos. Tomorrow we are going trekking south of the city. Gonna see some waterfalls, ride the river on a bamboo raft, hang with some elephants and then wander through a hilltribe community. Some go for longer and stay overnight with the hilltribes, but we're only making a day of it. After that it's 2 days at an elephant Conservation Center, then back here for the weekend and then it's Laos-time. Just as we're finally getting comfortable it's time to shake it up again!!

Lu is off a yoga for a while, and I'm heading over to a bar and to chill out and read. Picked up a copy of Ratner's Star by Don DeLillo this afternoon and I'm eager to get going on it. I already finished the three books I brought along, and so for the last few days I've been bookless. Instead, on the overnight trainride I read Utne Magazine and we played many many hands of Rummy 500 (Lu kicks my ass repeatedly at cards, but I did win one, finally, last night. Although there's a chance she threw it just to keep me from getting grumpy. :-)

Did a doublepost this time 'cause I had some time, so the one below is new, too. Enjoy!

On the Nature of Our Things

2006-09-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

On our backs we carry our things. They are the only things we have and we depend on them every day, all day. Some of them are barely more than necessary burdens, while others are a joy to hold, use and rely on. So far our towels are the two things that are just barely hanging on. They're heavy, they don't dry out very well, most places we stay provide towels at no charge, but every now and then the towels we carry have been so essential that we hesitate to toss them aside. As we get deeper in the rustic world of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam they will be truly put to the test. Either they will save our lives again, or they will vanish.

The videocamera is definitely a burden, but it is one I love to no end. I never leave it out of sight. I carry it in the drysack, in my backpack every day, all day and every time we go out at night. I was able to leave it at our friend Jeanne's place in the evenings in Bangkok, which was nice, but leaving it behind in a guest room anywhere else seems utterly foolish to me. The iPods stay in the camera case, too, because I refuse to let them sit in the room where they could easily be stolen. The iPods save our life every single morning because the noise in every single city, town or village we've been to is absolutely unreal. 7am, every day, the hammering, sawing and banging begins. I believe that the Thais love to hammer just as much as they love to smile, sweep, eat and sell things. The iPods give us an extra few hours of sleep in the morning, and saved our sanity on the lengthy bus and train rides north.

The first aid kit has been opened many, many times. Lu has blisters. I have a toenail I slammed at Burning Man that is still flapping along, dying in stages. Pepto tablets have helped with some food issues I've been having recently, and the bandaids cover the scratches we received dumping hard as we pulled onto the shore in a kayak in Tonsai. The people watching it happen didn't even blink, but if any of you had been there you would have howled in laughter at the spin-dump-crush move we pulled. It was awesome.

I love my Leatherman Multi-tool. If not for the Leatherman, climbing would have never happened. For the last few months Lu has not been able to remove her engagement ring. But we weren't allowed to climb if we had any rings on our fingers. They were worried that a ring could get caught in a rock, and, well, I'll just let you imagine the rest. Luckily the Leatherman was in my daypack, as it always is, and we finally got that ring off with a little help from the pliers.

Headlamps were the only thing that let us get back from Raylay East to Tonsai Beach in the dark over the top through the jungle route. After our snorkel trip the tide was all the way in, so the easy way back was neck-deep in water and pitch black.

We've made a few purchases here, and all of them are great: a digital clock that's built into a clip I attach to a belt-loop, a sarong for each of us, and extremely light and comfortable fisherman pants. The sarongs are awesome and have just about replaced the towels. We use them as blankets on the bus, things to lay on at the beach and even as simple sheets when sleeping.

We brought from home silk sleeping bag inserts and they are perfect for the nights. Light enough to breathe, but a nice cover against the breeze of the fan. Obviously our rain-coats have been useful, but luckily it only seems to rain for a little while every now and then and really has not stopped us from having a ton of fun.

But talking about the rain brings up one part of the trip that has been somewhat difficult, and that is that all of our stuff is moist. It's much better now than it was 2 weeks ago, but even up here the rain and humidity makes everything we have slightly damp. Back at the beach it was more than just damp. Us and all of our things were soaked, endlessly. Woke up sweaty, walked through town in a warm drizzle, went swimming, dried briefly in the sun before evening rolled in and the humid night descended. We've used the laundry services many times, but in Tonsai even the laundry couldn't completely remove the slight mildew scent of moist, used clothes. Finally in Bangkok we dried out completely and got everything cleaned, fresh and new, before hitting the road again. Right now clothes are being laundered and we're hopeful that they will smell clean and delicious when we pick them up tomorrow.

The things we carry on our backs have allowed us to have all the fun we have had. We couldn't do this without their help. I've only scratched the surface of what we use and carry. It feels really good to be totally self-sufficient. To have what we need to do what we want. The pouch around our waists that hides our passport and money, and then the other one we also wear with the few bhat we need ready at a moment's notice. The hated bug repellent with 28% deet that without we would be a mass of itchy bites. Flipflops and Crocs. The Thailand book we consult eight-seven times a day. Our sunglasses (lost my first pair in Tonsai, now I have 2 pairs, the everyday one and the backup). Journals, safety pins, the Camelbak day packs that are endlessly fascinating to the locals.

I keep a running tally of what I use most, what I love best, what I hate most, what I only put up with and what is an utter luxury. Right now it's time to go revel in an utter luxury. I never begrudge the weight of the books I carry. I could get by without them, but their presence, what they contain, bring me almost as much joy as the amazing sights we see every day. Of the needed things, though, there is one item that stands far above the rest: wet naps. We brought 4 bags of them, we're down to two, have not seen them for sale anywhere and have begun a careful, careful rationing process. Each batch is now cut in two, and if we can make it to the end with even one wetnap for the plane ride home, then we will truly be traveler heros.

Great City of Angels, Repository of Divine Gems, Great Land Unconquerable, Grand and Prominent Realm, Royal and Delightful Capital City Full of...

2006-09-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Bangkok is crazy. I've never been anyplace like it. New York City is close, but far tamer, more organized and utterly understandable compared to the mish-mash madness of this City of Angels. (that's what Bangkok is called. It also has an official name of 15 thai words with 43 syllables, and translation of those words (the title above) makes it clear that the people who named it think this city is pretty much the absolute best, beautiful, holy and most totally awesome place on the planet, and in the history of human-kind.) I'm not sure about all that, but I will tell you that Bangkok rocks. We've had a blast here and it was a true eye-opener to see a city built out of a culture and history that is vastly different than that which we are used to in the US. NYC is a crazy, busy place. Bangkok is crazier and busier. In NYC and other US cities there are rules. Zoning rules, sanitation rules, codes and requirements for construction, licenses for ownership and accountability for businesses and individuals. Here in this city of the Highest Royal Dwelling and Grand Palace, anything goes.

There is food everywhere, at all times of the day. Thais eat for fun, and snack all day long. Food vendors carts line every street, and I've seen every kind of dried sea-food imaginable, from the tiniest fish to huge ones to squids and octopi the size of my arm. There are ultra-modern highrises right smack next to an outdoor shrine to the Buddha where traditional Thai dancers welcome hordes of worshippers offering flowers and incense, which is also right next to tiny shacks at the edge of a canal with rusty corrugated steel walls drooping into the water below. In Chinatown the tiny alleys are packed with shoppers and workers as guys drive through on motorbikes, the rack behind them stacked high above their heads with another thirty boxes of shoes to be delivered to a shoe store where there are already enough shoes to cover the soles of a whole town, right next door to fifteen other shoe-shops, all of them bursting to the seams with footwear. I've never seen this happen before, but Lu was over-shoed. I sat on a chair on the curb, Chang beer in hand, mouth agape, as the insanity flowed by and Lu checked out one of the bazillion shoe-stores. I expected her to come out with five pairs of sandals, three flip-flops and some boots. Instead she came out in a daze, empty-handed.

"It's too much! There's too many! I don't even know where to begin!" she told me, and once again, I was amazed at what this city could do to people.

We passed through a variety of 'districts' yesterday as we walked around. The 'Spare-Parts District', the 'Bags District', the 'Shoe District', the 'Buddha District', the 'Annoying Tourist District', and of course the 'Doors and Wood District'. It was insanity! And it forced us to ask a number of questions. The most important of which is how the hell does anyone decide which 'Bag' shop to buy from when there are 30 Bag Shops in a row, and all of them have the exact same large, white rice-bags for sale? Then even beyond that, how in the name of capitalism is there enough of a market to support the sale of nineteen gazillion large, white rice-bags? If you pulled out the contents of every Bag Store on the block, you could wrap every human on the planet in a brand new large, white rice-bag. Visually, though, the 'Spare Parts District' was the most stunning. We turned a corner and happened upon this street where garage after garage contains an enormous pile of one particular spare-part for a vehicular engine. Washers, axles, bolts, rims, chains, gears, pistons, garage after garage piled high with a different part and grungy-grease covered kids out front banging the crap out of some metal form to dislodge the piece they needed to add to their pile. Eventually we came to the end of the block, and there I saw the source of all of this. A few guys were unloading a crusty engine block from the back of a pickup with the help of a small forklift and some chains. I saw the engine touch the ground and then I realized how it would go. This first garage would pull off the pistons, then pass it on down the line until it had become completely disassembled into every component part, its pieces diffused throughout the district, down to the smallest nut and bolt. And then, on the other side, someone would show up needing a new engine and piece by piece it would be reformed, recreated, shined and fine-tuned, assembled into a brand new engine that would power one of the many forms of transport available here in this Royal Capital City Full of Nine Noble Gems.

We've taken almost every form of transport available. The three we have yet to ride are the subway, a tuk-tuk and a motorbike. We've ridden busses, the Airtrain (elevated train), cabs, river ferry, river taxi, and the canal taxi. There's a lot of boating around in this city, and the people are deft boarding and disembarking. Which means that the canal taxi pulls up at the dock in a spray of water and then everyone essentially leaps on board as others leap off, and in less that 15 seconds the boat is pulling away again, loud. But it's only 10 bhat, which is about three US cents, and that fare will take us clear across the city, albeit sprayed with nasty canal water and covered in the deep stench of diesel fuel exhaust. By car, boat and train we have explored a great deal of the city and around every corner is another amazing sight. The colorful 'wats' burst upward with tall pillars covered in intricate mosaics. The temple roofs gleam hot and red in the afternoon sun. Skyscrapers of glass reflect the low-slung shacks of neighborhoods as the Skytrain rushes by silently. Cars honk and busses rumble, tuk-tuk drivers cajole us with questions of our next destinations, but we ignore them because often tuk-tuk rides result in a scam of one sort or another. People here are incredibly nice and very helpful whenever we ask, but we know that whenever a stranger approaches us, they are probably looking for the bhat in our pocket. Regular Thai are too polite to bother us about anything.

However, of all the amazing sights and experiences in this city, it was returning to our friend's house where we are staying, and then turning on the Internet 3 nights ago that was truly the most astounding. I'd read about some of the corruption claims concerning the former Prime Minister Thaskin in the days leading up to our departure. But I had no idea the depth and breadth of the political crisis occurring in Thailand during the last year. PM Thaskin has been preventing elections from happening for the last year, and the events of what just transpired are the direct result of that. We were out all day and had no idea anything was brewing. But then, the next morning we were out walking and found ourselves only steps away from some of the tanks that were all over the news the night before. There were many Thai out taking pictures of the tanks, and there were soldiers everywhere, all of them with large machine guns. Around the barrel, though, was a ribbon of yellow that signified they all still supported the King. Clearly, the generals that initiated the coup to oust the Prime Minister had the blessing of the King. On Wednesday night Lu and I attended a panel discussion at the Foreign Correspondents Club where our friend who we are staying with works. It was enlightening to hear the various reasons for the coup, the factions, the problems it was supposed to address, and how things might go in the coming days, weeks, years. Thailand has had many coups over the years. I believe it's somewhere around 15 or 18. That we were here for the latest one, and got to hear and see first-hand the details of the event, is eye-opening. I was tense strolling the streets 2 days ago. It was scary to have so many guns all around. But I am definitely excited to have had the opportunity to see something so fascinating and historical. Of course, the fact that it was bloodless and no one was injured is the only reason I can enjoy this experience. If it had gone down any other way it would have been terrifying to be here. Luckily, instead Lu and I have had an amazing, exciting, adventurous time here in the city of Divine Shelter and Living Place of Reincarnated Spirits.

Now, it is time to go buy train tickets for Chiang Mai, pick up our visas for Vietnam, and then find a happy street vendor and get another crazy-spicy thai dish, with a Chang beer, of course.

when it rains...it pours

2006-09-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

Since our last posts, we've stayed in many places and had tons of new adventures. We've gotten used to the cold showers, bare bungalows, and damp clothes (rain plus humidity equals mildew). We find each new place more endearing then the next - even when we find huge spiders, no toilet paper or sink, and the constant hammering every morning at 7am (construction is a constant so far on every island and beach).

The second place we stayed at in Ko Phi Phi was an awesome (but pricey) bungalow on Relax Beach. It cost us $700 baht a night, but it was very private. We really were the only ones there for like 3 days straight. People came and went, but we really lived there those days. We spent a rainy afternoon chilling at the restaurant just playing games, eating and drinking beers. We hung with all the people who worked there. It was heaven. Who needs the sun anyway? We decided to finally pay our tab and move on. And move on we did.

Next up was a ferry ride to Krabi, a cute little town that we really did not get to see because it was pouring rain the whole time. We did find a little, old, wooden guest house right at the pier for really cheap. This cost us $150 baht a night. This room was basically just a really hard bed and the bathroom was down the rickety old stairs. We definitely did not use the shower there (scary!) The only thing we liked about this place was that there was an awesome night market (delicious, cheap, authentic thai food) right out front and it was also convenient to our long tail that would take us over to Railay beach in the morning.

So 13 of us piled into a longtail and headed to Railay beach. We loved it there. Stepping onto the beach, we were not bombarded by guys trying to get us to stay at their guesthouse (like in Ko Phi Phi). It was so chill over here - we loved it. Our mission was to get over to Hat Ton Sai which was the next beach over. The only problem was there was only 2 ways over there - climbing over the rocks at low tide, and climbing up and over the mountain through the jungle. While Chris went over through the jungle to check it out, I got a wonderful foot massage on the beach. An hour (and pouring rain) later, Chris made it back with the news that we just couldn't get over there with our big backpacks that night. The trek was too tough, especially in the rain, and the tide wouldn't be low for hours. So back up the beach we went and found a very cute bungalow for $300 baht. This one had a nice bed, decent bathroom (still a cold shower) and was surrounded by jungle. It would have to do. We went out that night and found a strip of bars up the other end of the beach that we did not know were there. We met some cool people and had a really great night. There have been tons of Israeli's on all the islands and we came to find out that there are tons of young Israeli's travelling right now because they just finished their army service of 3 years.

We hung with Pete - a nice young british guy, and Nir and Karen, 2 Israeli's on their honeymoon as well. We got into lots of politics and it was amazing to interact with others who have a completely different point of view of the world, based on where they live - but who we also have so much in common with at the same time. Also, Chris and I needed to meet others at this point, we needed to add some new conversation to the mix!

At the crack of dawn, we hightailed it out of our bungalow to make low tide and get ourselves over to Ton Sai. What a crazy path we had to take with our backpacks! Very challenging, but so rewarding to have finally made it over. We made it just as the rain came pouring down yet again. Finally we found our new home, bungalows in the jungle with a huge king size bed under an awesome mosquito canopy and the average bathroom with a cold shower. All for just $150 baht a night! We loved it.

We spent 4 glorious days at Ton Sai. It was just the paradise we needed. We went kayaking, on a 4 island snorkeling trip (saw black tipped reef sharks, a squid, tons of colorful fish and amazing coral), did lots of hiking back and forth through the jungle and over the rocks at low tide, and best of all, we did some rock climbing. Ton Sai is known far and wide for its rock climbing - how could we not try this? We headed to Wee's rock climbing school and spent the afternoon with Nui and Nuing and yeah, it was the hardest thing i've ever done but at the same time, exhilarating! My 3rd climb I was going to give up, it was so hard and so high and I was so tired. But there were so many people cheering me on and Chris was my belay and I trusted he would keep me safe, so I ventured further and further up. I didn't make it to the top, but I was so close and so proud of myself. What a day!

We had sunset drinks with our new friends, I got a massage of course to help with my aching muscles and then it was time for bed. We had our last night at Ton Sai, spent the morning saying goodbye to new friends and headed off to Ao Nang to catch our bus for the 13 hour bus ride to Bangkok.

As I write this, sitting at my aunt trix's friend Jeanne's place in Bangkok, we come to find out that Bangkok is in a state of emergency. Weird news to get after spending the day all over the city. But we are fine, and things are great and we had a fabulous day. I will let Chris give the details in his next post. Just know we are safe!!!

and of course, its pouring rain.

Savory

2006-09-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

I sat on the beach and read a book, and it was glorious.

I've been waiting for that for a long time, and it was everything I hoped it was. The beach was sandy white. The water was aqua-marine blue and brilliant. The cliffs in the distance were verdant with palms and other trees perched atop steep cliffs that blazed in the sun. White, puffy clouds drifted across the endless sky, and I sat below the slightly moldy umbrella and read. There were a lot of other people around, and every now and then a motorboat would zoom by with someone attached to a rope with a parachute above them. Now and then Lu would pipe up with facts and information about the island of Ko Phi Phi we lounged on, or tell me about the places we intended to see in the coming days. Krabi, Ko Phanang, Vientienne, Ko Samui. The shape of the words fumbled through my mouth as I tried to picture geography they were attached to. And then I went back to reading.

When the sun was still low in the east we found our seats. I opened the cover of the novel Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan. I read the praise. I read the dedication. I read the copyright date and the title page and then I began the story. The sun crept upward, our shadows shortened. We bought beers from the bar and brought them back to our spot. Noon slipped by as we sipped and the tide peaked, crashing lightly before us before beginning its slow slide out as the afternoon drifted on. And still I read. Lu went off for a massage after lunch. The tide pulled back hundreds of feet revealing coral and rocks and critters and crabs. It was our first day on the beach and I sat there through all of it, throughly engrossed in the novel, and thoroughtly entranced by the rhythms of the world around me. Just as the sun finally found respite behind the majestic cliffs before me I found the few remaing pages beneath my right hand. The story ended. The sun lit the sky crimson, pink and purple. The bays' beautiful waters were as far away from the beach as they would go, and I sighed in utter contentment as I closed the novel's covers, took a final sip of beer and went searching through the touristy warrens for my now-long-missing wife.

We found each other a little while later with the help of walkie-talkies, but the awesomeness of Ko Phi Phi was transforming as night fell. This wasn't the secluded retreat we were looking for. Bars pumped techo as all the weekend tourists appeared dressed to club, dressed for The Scene. We didn't want A Scene. We wanted scenery and silence. After an over-priced dinner we found tour shop and asked about quietness. They recommended Relax Beach Resort on the other side of the island. It sounded perfect so we booked a boat for the following morning.

Checking out in the AM was quick and easy, but we only had a little while before our long-tail boat left. With only an hour to spare we raced around the market buying the things we knew we'd need: water, beers, sarongs. Everything else we had on our backs. The long-tail ride across the bay and around the bend was exhilirating. And old Thai man steered us through the motorboat wakes and quickly we left the bustle of the pier behind us. Only twenty short minutes later we pulled into a cove of utter serenity. A big, open house with tables sat next to a chill little open-air bar. We were greeted with typical Thai warmness and shown to our bugalow a few steps away. Our porch had a bench. Within was a large bed covered by a mosquito net. A few shelves lay bare for our possessions. A toilet and shower was in the small room at the back. It was perfect. Within moments we had shed our packs and were back on the beach, this time utterly alone, perched in hammocks just above scuttling crabs.

Sitting there swinging softly in the sun, I was struck by how we were succumbing to the rhythms of nature. We woke early. We were asleep only a few hours after sunset. We told time by our shadows, by the ebb of the tide, by the rumblings of our bellies. It felt so good. I was thrilled to be away from tourists lumbering through the barely rebuilt streets of the tiny town near the pier. I was thrilled to be nearly alone on the beach with my wife, the staff, and a few other travelers. This was what we were looking for. This was gentle sway and easy breeze of hammock and heat and silence we were searching for

I laid back in the hammock, savoring. "Savor it Lu!" I called to her, where she swung on a hammock of her own. Her reply was only a smile. I closed my eyes behind my sunglasses and laid back, then remembered the incredible vista before me and opened them to take it in. Scanning the horizon filled only with clouds and distant islands, I chuckled softly to myself, and then opened up another book, ready again to delve into new worlds as I relished the majesty of the true world around me. We had made it. We were free.

from playa dust to tropical sand

2006-09-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

Sawadee!
Its been exactly a week since we were heading out of black rock city and making our way to our new destination here on Ko Phi Phi island in S.W. Thailand. I remember telling Chris that in a week we'd be laying on the beach and getting foot massages. That much is definitely true. Today, we finally got to sit on chairs at the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen, read our books, take a dip every 1/2 hour or so and then of course top it all off with a Thai massage and foot rub.

I'll start at the beginning of our journey but I'll make it quick. I'd rather be eating a delicious Thai meal then sitting at this internet cafe too long. The few days we had in between the playa and the airplane were full of errands. We had a long list and for sure checked it over and over and made sure we had everything. It was both hectic and exciting. We packed amidst friends coming over to say goodbye. Focusing was hard, but the job got done. Of course I spent my last few minutes furiously uploading music onto my new ipod. I'm such the procrastinator. Anyway, we were off to the airport on Wed evening, Sept 6. Our flights were long but the food was really good - we both agreed China airlines was better then any American flight we've ever taken. I particulary loved the purple decor and flight attendant outfits.

We reached the airport in Bangkok after about 30 hours of traveling. Tired and hungry, we chose to go with one of the travel desk excursion packages (and this was not a quick decision by any means). This package included flights to Phuket, really nice hotel for one night, then 2 nights at a nice place in Ko Phi Phi, all taxi and ferry rides and breakfast every morning. We called my aunt's friend Jeanne in Bangkok to be reassured we were getting a good deal and then jumped on it quick.

By the end of our 3rd flight, we were so happy to not have to think anymore, at this point, we knew we made the right choice. We arrived at our hotel called Sunset Beach which was in Ha Kalim, a beach near Patong on the island of Phuket. This island was hit hard by the tsunami, but it looked like most of it had been rebuilt. We quickly ate our usual favorite dishes except for really spicy soup that we just couldn't handle. We're still in the learning stages. After that, we went promptly to bed. We woke early to do a bit of exploring and then were taxied to the 2 hour ferry to the Island of Ko Phi Phi. This island had pretty much been destroyed. There are still many signs of the destruction everywhere. Amid all the piles of garbage and whatnot, it is really just a beautiful beautiful island. It just happens to be a very touristy destination and there are tons of people here.

We love our cottage up in the hills which we get to stay in for one more night. It has A/C which is a bonus. We spent the whole day just lounging at the beach. It is definitely paradise. Oh, and the coolest part- the tide goes way way out, you can walk out on all the coral and rocks and its just the most amazing thing. We got a fishes view of what really goes on down there when covered by ocean. I think it may be my favorite part. Except for the amazing Thai massage I got today.

So we discovered some packing errors, not too bad but some things we really did not need. Too much shampoo, no cord for the ipod, heavy towels. I do think I packed well anyway though my backpack is heavier then I'd like. I'm sure I'll be leaving some things along the way. We are just about to go eat some yummy Thai food (yep, not sick of it yet!) and get some drinks and meet some other tourists.

we'll try to add some pix next time....

Playa Dreams

2006-09-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Man burned and we cheered.

It was an incredible week. Truly epic in all ways. Epic weather, epic art, epic struggles and epic joy. That's the only way it goes in Black Rock City. We experienced a windstorm/whiteout the likes of which I have never envisioned. We also had some of the nicest weather possible in a desert setting. I saved some lives, I risked my own, I kissed the playa, I worked my ass off. Every day there requires effort, concentration, planning and forethought. You cannot forget for a moment that you are in a truly extreme environment. If you're having too much fun for even a few hours and forget to drink water you will soon become listless and irritable, followed soon after by nausea, dizziness and eventually, death. Salt is vital, too, and if you just drink water but do not eat salty foods, you put yourself just as much at risk as not drinking water at all. And really, there's nothing worse than telling someone over and over that they must drink more water and have some Pringles when they are nauseous and pissed off. But I'm good at being a pain in the ass and in the end, the few I had to help thanked me for it after they felt better.

Lu saved my life, too. I was feeling shitty and she just kept hammering away at me to drink more water, and in a few hours, I was back in good form. That's the key to surviving and enjoying Burning Man. You gotta help each other out, every step of the way.

There's so much more to tell, and I will get to all of it eventually. For now just let me say that the company was incredible, the art was mind-blowing and sublime, the love and hope conquered the fear and anger, and just thinking about the amazing experience we had brings me to tears every time.

I dreamt of the playa last night. I will for a long, long time. And someday far in the future when I die, I hope heaven looks exactly like Black Rock City lit up at night with all the crazy thoughts of humans made real and laid out for exploration. My only requests would be an oasis of tropical water just down the road, and an inability to be bruised.

The Miracle of Poles

2006-08-27T01:30:00.000-07:00

There was a Burning Man miracle this morning. It happened at 10:17am, on Saturday, August 26, 2006.

The night before we ran into a challenge. We took our big tent out and set it up and were dismayed to find that 2 of our poles were missing. The pole bag was there in my hand in the dusty backyard, the tent was tall but droopy, half up. The tent bag was on the bench empty, and Lu was looking at me with wide, sad eyes.

I seemed to remember the tent poles being frayed at the end of the previous year's time in Black Rock City. I seemed to remember that they were useless when we took the tent down the year before. And there all over the nylon of the sad, poleless tent, was the proof of the desert wind. The tent was finely seasoned with the grit of the playa. But the poles were no where to be seen.

We went back upstairs where I proceed to freak out because no camping or sporting goods store in the city or nearby carried replacement poles.

"But you're REI!" I said to the woman on the phone. But the only option from her was ordering them specifically. We didn't have time for that. It was Friday night, we were leaving on Monday. We called three Targets until we found one that had the sized tent we needed. I dreaded the fact that it was our second trip to Target in one day. They were holding a tent for us in the Electronics Dept. because there was no one in Sporting Goods.

Thirty minutes later we arrived in the store, but there was no tent in the Electronics Dept. That's because we ended up going to the wrong store, so somewhere in a Target nearby, there is a tent mysteriously in an Electronics Dept. But we still found a good tent. We bought it and brought it home. I opened it up and was delighted to see--against all odds--that all the poles were included in this brand new tent.

We slept, eventually, and then woke up at 7:30am to take the car in to be serviced to make sure it was ready for the desert conditions.

In the morning at 10:17am, we finished cleaning up from breakfast and went out to the back yard where our old, crappy, poleless tent was half set-up in the morning shade. It was droopy and dusty, full of the silt from the playa from the year before. It had a front door and a back door and I was sad that our new tent didn't have that.

We grabbed the tent and went to take it down, and there below the floor was a second, mysterious pole bag, and in the bag were the two poles we didn't find the night before. Lu and I nearly fell over with laughter and joy. Of course, we had to return the new tent and we were shocked we didn't find the poles the day before when we were looking for them.

It could have been one of two things. Either we simply didn't see them the night before or the poles were gone, thrown away like I remember and a miracle occurred. I held in my hand an empty pole bag. The poles where no where to be found. But yet, there in the shady morning sun amid our unbelieving laughter was the poles we thought vanished.

At night as we slept and dreamed, poles formed out of leftover playa and discarded seeds in our back yard. As we slept, poles grew beneath our tent, bagged.

Call it whatever you want. But as far as we are concerned, it is a Burning Man Miracle. And the best part is, we know it is the first of many.

Release

2006-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

I am surrounded by luxury. 2 computers. Lights and electricity wired through the walls. Music, movies, newspapers, knowledge at my fingertips. Wine. Glass in the pane of the window beside me. A phone I can dial to reach anyone I know. The fluffy pillows, the firm mattress, the soft sheets of the sturdy bed beside me is majestic. We are giving all of it up. We are giving it up for malaria and moonrises and utter uncertainty, and it feels so good.

Shifts

2006-08-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting dichotomy going on in my brain right now. On the one hand, I can feeling life speeding up. We are only days away from departure and we still have quite a bit to accomplish before we're gone. On the other hand, though, I can already sense my priorities and perspective shifting and slowing.

Four days from now I will be without a job, and that is a huge change from my everyday life. Then it's Black Rock City followed by the beaches of Thailand and both of those places could not be more different from each other, and from the world I'm living in right now. It is incredibly exciting. Things are going to build and build and build into a frenzy of packing and preparing and plans only to come to screeching halt the second we pull our packed car from the curb and hit the road on the first stage of our incredible adventure.

Instead of giving my time to a corporation to be transformed into money, time instead becomes all mine. Instead of being beholden to the clock to wake me up groggy, to tell me when to eat lunch, to mark the moment of freedom at the end of the day, to dictate the optimum time for slumber, instead of all that, we will live according to the rhythms of our bodies and of the natural world around us. We are breaking out of routine life and leaping from one glorious moment to the next. Next week those moments will be filled with unspeakably powerful art, the biting desert wind, the blazing sun. The following weeks those moments will be filled with the salty bliss of ocean, the jarring strangeness of a new culture, the sodden sweat of humidity and the deep serenity of weeks without work.

I consider myself a very lucky man to have found a woman who loves all of this stuff just as much as I do. We are going to have a lot of fun, and I cannot wait to get started.