Hello from Phnom Penh - Cambodia's wild capital city. It's been another drastically wonderful change of pace for me these past couple of days. I arrived on Friday afternoon after a 6 hour bus ride - no problemo. The intercity roads have actually improved in the last few years (ie, they now exist), so the bus ride was relatively smooth. A couple of cows almost turned into ground beef, but hey, no big deal. :-) So, after spending a few days in the calm, tranquil city of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh is like a shot in the arm - streets packed full of bikes, cars, tuk tuks, storefront after storefront overflowing with every type of good you can imagine (I'm now convinced that I can walk into any building in SE Asia and get anything I want. Do you want to test it out? Any requests? It's pretty hysterical). Of course, there's lots of poverty everywhere - families with shacks for houses and little more than the clothes on their back and a few things to sell, but there are signs of new building and development in this city.
When the bus pulled to a stop, the tuk tuk drivers crowd around the door screaming at every passenger to board their tuk tuk. Luckily, that gives us the upper hand to bargain them all down. It's like a mini auction, but in reverse. My American friend from Siem Reap and I found the #9 Guest House - right on the Boeng Kak Lake in Phnom Penh. It's Lonely Planet's #1 recommendation, so the place is full of backpackers --- even though this is Cambodia's low season. Great location, our little room ($5/night) opens up onto the huge lake, and the guest house has an extremely relaxed environment. The common area is one big dock with a roof. All day long, people lounge around on the hammocks and couches, watching movies, chatting, eating food, playing pool, reading, etc. It's definitely the ultimate backpacker's haven. Once we dropped our bags, we joined a few Canadians and walked around town for a bit into the Central Market. I love Southeast Asian markets - everything under the sun is crammed into narrow corridors held together by dodgy poles and tarps. The scents of so many types of produce - meat, vegetables, fruit, cooked meals, uncooked meals, food I've never seen before in my life - rivalled the mere sight of it all. We stopped at one booth and ate some fried fish/vegetable cake. For 12 1/2 cents (500 Riel), it was probably the best meal of the trip so far! And it was a great boost to my cholesterol. :-)
On our first full day, American friend Brad and I went out to the Toul Sleng Museum - aka Security Prison 21 (S-21) and the Killing Fields. I've learned a bit about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge so far, but I definitely got a first-hand account of what this genocide was like. The first stop was at S-21, a former elementary school turned into a prison and torture facility. It's so creepy walking into the main courtyard, because it looks like a normal school. However, each classroom was converted into a prison cell and torture chamber, and the place is pretty much preserved as it was 30 years ago. Without going into too much detail, there are pictures of each of the victims before they were imprisoned - 20,000 people were brought to this one facility, with only 7 remaining survivors in 1979 when the Vietnamese army brought down the Khmer Rouge. The faces of the people are captivating and haunting - fear mixed with anger mixed with sadness. And, the "VIP" torture rooms - 14 rooms which held the last 14 former Khmer Rouge officers when the prison was discovered - showed pictures of the dead bodies lying on the metal bed frame mattress. Each of those rooms contained the metal frame beds and torture devices lying on the bed. Standing there was pretty harrowing. And, the fact that this all happened less than 30 years ago is shocking.
From S-21 we went to the Cheung Ek killing field, to which the Khmer Rouge would transport the prisoners from S-21 to be killed. There were hundreds of killing fields all across Cambodia; most of them have been discovered, but there are still many uncovered due to the millions of landmines that are checkered across the country. As of now, there are no official estimates of the numbers killed by Pol Pot. The lowest estimate is 750,000, and the highest estimate is 3 million. The killing field that we went to is a simple farmland with trees and grass all around, with a massive temple structure in the middle of the field. The temple is dedicated to the dead, and the four glass walls of the 8-story structure contains rows of skulls - with clearly visible blunt wounds. The area around the temple is a series of mass graves that were uncovered in 1980. Fragments of bones still lie scattered on the ground. Our guide was there in 1980 when the graves were uncovered (he recalled the horrible smells), and has worked there ever since.
The people of Cambodia do not have a sense of retribution or closure from this era. Pol Pot died in 1998, and most of the Khmer Rouge leaders are dying of natural causes. For some reason, there has been no war crimes trial for the Khmer Rouge. It has been delayed over the years, and now there may be no justice at all. How can this country move forward without closing the past?
The American Point of View on Cambodia --- Prior to the Cambodian Genocide, the US Army was assisting the Khmer Rouge's two rival factions to join together to quell the Khmer Rouge. While the rest of the story may be up for debate, when the US pulled out of Vietnam (as well as its involvement in Cambodia), that cleared the way for Pol Pot to overthrow the US' handpicked rulers. There are further intricacies and details to this plot - many of which I'm not completely sure of, but I was saddened to learn that the US had an indirect involvement in the rise of Khmer Rouge.
Since I've arrived in Cambodia there are certain things that you realize in this culture. First, there are very few senior citizens. Most of the country is about 30-40 or below (most of the Cambodians I've met are in there 20s). Pol Pot wiped out an entire population. Second, there is no real waste management system. Garbage is either thrown on the street, burned, or sent somewhere nearby. It's a way of life here. Third, stoplights are merely suggestive. I just rode on the back of a motorbike to get back to my guest house at 5:30 pm - prime rush hour. I can now say that I've ridden through the most crowded streets ever. BUT - no one is shouting, no one is flipping anyone off - people just meander through the traffic, and it somehow turns into organized chaos. People smile as we drive by them, and everyone gets to where they have to go...eventually.
I've actually enjoyed Phnom Penh a lot more than I thought I was going to. Tomorrow, I'm heading to the southern part of Cambodia for about a week or so - Kampot and Sihanoukville. Slower pace, beach towns, scenic travel, and solo time for Danny. It's been wonderful traveling solo so far...mainly because I haven't been alone yet and it would be hard for me to be alone if I tried. (ALY - the German girls Nicole and Reggie came to our guest house the day after we got here, so it's been great hanging out with them again). I've met some great people here, and learned so much. Every day is a new adventure, it's a privilege to have this opportunity. I hope that you all can get a sense of what it's like over here and then you can all quit your jobs and follow me! :-)
Thanks again for keeping up with the trip. I miss you all! I love hearing from you guys, so please shoot me an email or add a comment to the posting. I'm not sure what the internet situation will be like in southern Cambodia, but I hope to be able to update again in a couple of days.
Mom - HAPPY (one-day-early) BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! I'm sending you lots of love and happy birthday wishes from the other side of the world! Enjoy your day!!!!
Lots of love to my family and friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The Sunrise to End All Sunrises (subtitle: Angkor WHAAAAAT??!)
Hello from Siem Reap, Cambodia!!!! What an amazing little city. I had built up so much excitement before I arrived, and all for good reason! Siem Reap feels like a scene out of a movie - people are going about their daily life, selling souveniers, riding the tuk tuks, bikes, and cars, but there is a much more relaxed feel to the place than in Thailand. Even Chiang Mai, the bohemian red headed stepchild of Bangkok is a lot busier than here.
So, Aly and I landed in Siem Reap two days ago, got our visas without a problem, and met our driver to take us to our guest house, the Shadow of Angkor. Very lovely place; there's a restaurant downstairs overlooking the small river across the street. (There are no windows or walls blocking the restaurant from the sidewalk, so you feel very much a part of the street scene). We toasted our arrival in Cambodia with some delicious Angkor Beer (Happy Hour: 5-10 pm, pretty much everywhere in the city --- $1 big bottle beers. yummy). From there we set off to walk around our area of town, Psar Chaa. The main street is as quaint as they come - it almost feels like the set of a movie. There are really nice shops and restaurants and bars, so much fun to walk around. We went down "Pub Street", (that is its actual name), and found a nice bar to enjoy some good beer and people watch, and also reflect on the fact that we're in Cambodia.
On the morning of our first full day, we headed to Angkor Wat. I've heard lots about it, spoken to people who have been there, and seen pictures, but nothing can really prepare you for seeing it in person. We arrived at the main temple of Angkor yesterday morning; our driver was pretty knowledgeable on the subject and gave us lots of background info. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in Cambodia; it was built as a funeral temple and tomb for the king. There is a moat surrounding the entire grounds, and from the other side of the moat, you get your first glimpse of the temple. Even from far away, it sends shivers down your spine. When you cross the moat over the causeway, you enter through the stone gated entry, and continue along the path toward the temple. There are three tiers to Angkor Wat, with the center tier being the largest. When you walk up to the temple, you first notice its sheer size and grandeur. The first level is a hallway that stretches around the entire building, with bas reliefs depicting stories of Buddhism and Hinduism (side note: Cambodia went back-and-forth between Buddhism and Hinduism as the national religion due to differing rulers across the centuries. The temples reflect this double identity, with statues of Buddha intermingled with Vishnu/Shiva/Brahma statues). The second level is a maze of hallways, rooms, Buddha statues, all of which can be wandered through, climbed over, and jumped into. The whole place felt like an archaelogical marvel/jungle gym playhouse…pretty surreal. I kept waiting for someone to yell at us for being in the wrong place, but it never came. The top level is a treat. Since it’s perched very high up within the temple, there are VERY STEEP stairs that you have to climb – very steep and ANCIENT stairs, with a “climb at your own risk” sign in clear view. Upon reaching the top, the first thought that usually crosses one’s mind is how the heck you’re going to get down, but that thought is immediately displaced when you witness the view from the top. Stunning, breathtaking, you feel as if you’re almost at the heavens. You can see the whole grounds of Angkor Wat, the surrounding land, and even the city of Siam Reap into the distance. You can get a sense of what it would be like at the time of its peak, when Monks, servants, rulers, and soldiers were wandering around the entire Wat. It was a great way to start the day.
From Angkor Wat we went to a few other temples: Angkor Thom, Bayon (with over 200 faces on 49 towers staring down at you, very creepy), and Ta Phrom, which was phenomenal. Ta Phrom is a large temple within the jungle forest, and over time, the jungle has reclaimed the land that the stones once dominated. Basically, massive trees have taken root right through the stone ruins. Twisted series of roots go right through the temple, and you can literally see the battle between man vs. nature, and how nature eventually won.
Cambodian People: I’ve had a chance to meet a few Cambodian people in the last couple of days, and I can honestly say that they are wonderful. Our first encounters with the children were at Angkor Wat. Since the temple is pretty much the Disneyland of Cambodia (ie – it’s a central tourist attraction), there are children lined up at the entrance gate selling postcards, water, bracelets, etc. They all speak English really well, and have a keen knowledge of US geography, strangely enough. For example, when one boy came up to me and learned that I was from New York, he said, “the capital of New York is Albany.” They knew US states, presidents, governors, countries, and their English is extremely good. Of course, this knowledge usually wins over tourists’ dollars, but I guess that’s not such a bad thing. After a while, we started to have some fun with the kids. One boy came up to Aly, and after she replied that she was from Kazakhstan, the boy scratched his head and said, “whoa, that’s a hard one, I’m not sure I know that one” - with the cutest smile on his face, of course. There is an innate sense of humor that you don’t find elsewhere; even when you don’t buy anything from the kids, you still feel like they’ve opened up their hearts to you when you look at them in the eye.
On our way back from the temple, I talked to our driver about the Khmer Rouge. I wanted to know how the Cambodian people are dealing with the recent holocaust within their country during the 3-year, 8-month, 20-day Khmer Rouge reign between 1975-1979, over where 3 million people killed. Our driver, Paulee, lost his parents as well as his brother at the time. Today, Cambodians do not like to speak about the Khmer Rouge, as it might “reawaken” the past. It took about 20 years for Cambodia to get itself back on track within the modern world (tourism reopened to the West only in 1993, and the Vietnamese army left in 1998). I think the Cambodian people are trying to move forward into the future, slowly mending a huge wound from the past along the way.
After a long day of temple-hopping, we rested up and then went out for a delicious all-you-can-eat BBQ dinner. The way it works over here is, they set up a mini stove at your table, and you get all of your raw foods from the buffet, and then cook them individually at your table. Sort of like fondue, Cambodian-style. The dinner was delicious, and I can safely report that Aly and I are feeling fine 24 hours later. :-) Don’t worry mom.
This morning Aly and I woke up at 4:45 am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. It’s the thing to do in this town, which we realized on our way over to the temple at 5am and noticed that lots and lots of other people had the same idea. It was well worth the trip. Since the entrance to Angkor Wat faces west, the sun rose exactly behind the phenomenal temple. It was an unbelievably emotional experience, and I felt so lucky to witness it. As far as sunrises go, you couldn’t get much better. The whole sky was lit up in an array of colors (according to Aly, since my colorblindness prevented me from seeing most of them), and the silhouette of Angkor Wat was a striking contrast to the morning glow.
After the sun was fully awake, we walked around Angkor Wat again and then headed about 30 kilometers outside of Siem Reap to another temple, Bantaey Srei. Even though the trip took about an hour, it was so worth it. This temple is renown for its exquisitely detailed stone carvings. I’ve never seen anything like it. The carvings went so deep into the stone, they were basically raised 3-D images carved with such great detail. There were figures of women, men, animals, intricate patterns, writings, it was so amazing to see the work that must have taken years to create.
After the hour-long trip back, we were pretty exhausted and crashed after lunch. And – that brings me to right now. I’m leaving tomorrow morning for Phnom Penh, to explore Cambodia’s wildest city and learn more about the Cambodian history. Aly and I met up with an American who’s heading down there as well, so I’ll have a travel buddy for a couple of days until I officially begin my solo travel. I’m excited to see more of this country; I love riding the tuk tuks through the streets, watching people go about their daily life, and speaking to whomever I encounter. It’s the willingness to speak that is most comforting; I think the further outside of tourist havens I venture, I’ll be able to tap into the true pulse of Cambodia. Until then, next stop is Phnom Penh’s city madness, and also to explore the killing fields and war museums.Much love to all – I actually tried to write this posting yesterday (twice), but of course the computers here deleted it (twice). But, fortunately you now have the sunrise account from today, so that should make up for my delay in writing.
Tomorrow is also the day I have to say goodbye to Aly - very sad...we've had so much fun together the last 3 weeks, I can't believe she won't be with me anymore. BUT - the show must go on, and I will journey onward alone until May 15th when my friend Zack (from Brandeis/DC/NYC) joins me in Vietnam & Laos. Get excited Zack!!!
Ok - that's all for now, thanks for reading and I love hearing from you guys! Keep it coming!
Lots of love always!!!!
So, Aly and I landed in Siem Reap two days ago, got our visas without a problem, and met our driver to take us to our guest house, the Shadow of Angkor. Very lovely place; there's a restaurant downstairs overlooking the small river across the street. (There are no windows or walls blocking the restaurant from the sidewalk, so you feel very much a part of the street scene). We toasted our arrival in Cambodia with some delicious Angkor Beer (Happy Hour: 5-10 pm, pretty much everywhere in the city --- $1 big bottle beers. yummy). From there we set off to walk around our area of town, Psar Chaa. The main street is as quaint as they come - it almost feels like the set of a movie. There are really nice shops and restaurants and bars, so much fun to walk around. We went down "Pub Street", (that is its actual name), and found a nice bar to enjoy some good beer and people watch, and also reflect on the fact that we're in Cambodia.
On the morning of our first full day, we headed to Angkor Wat. I've heard lots about it, spoken to people who have been there, and seen pictures, but nothing can really prepare you for seeing it in person. We arrived at the main temple of Angkor yesterday morning; our driver was pretty knowledgeable on the subject and gave us lots of background info. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in Cambodia; it was built as a funeral temple and tomb for the king. There is a moat surrounding the entire grounds, and from the other side of the moat, you get your first glimpse of the temple. Even from far away, it sends shivers down your spine. When you cross the moat over the causeway, you enter through the stone gated entry, and continue along the path toward the temple. There are three tiers to Angkor Wat, with the center tier being the largest. When you walk up to the temple, you first notice its sheer size and grandeur. The first level is a hallway that stretches around the entire building, with bas reliefs depicting stories of Buddhism and Hinduism (side note: Cambodia went back-and-forth between Buddhism and Hinduism as the national religion due to differing rulers across the centuries. The temples reflect this double identity, with statues of Buddha intermingled with Vishnu/Shiva/Brahma statues). The second level is a maze of hallways, rooms, Buddha statues, all of which can be wandered through, climbed over, and jumped into. The whole place felt like an archaelogical marvel/jungle gym playhouse…pretty surreal. I kept waiting for someone to yell at us for being in the wrong place, but it never came. The top level is a treat. Since it’s perched very high up within the temple, there are VERY STEEP stairs that you have to climb – very steep and ANCIENT stairs, with a “climb at your own risk” sign in clear view. Upon reaching the top, the first thought that usually crosses one’s mind is how the heck you’re going to get down, but that thought is immediately displaced when you witness the view from the top. Stunning, breathtaking, you feel as if you’re almost at the heavens. You can see the whole grounds of Angkor Wat, the surrounding land, and even the city of Siam Reap into the distance. You can get a sense of what it would be like at the time of its peak, when Monks, servants, rulers, and soldiers were wandering around the entire Wat. It was a great way to start the day.
From Angkor Wat we went to a few other temples: Angkor Thom, Bayon (with over 200 faces on 49 towers staring down at you, very creepy), and Ta Phrom, which was phenomenal. Ta Phrom is a large temple within the jungle forest, and over time, the jungle has reclaimed the land that the stones once dominated. Basically, massive trees have taken root right through the stone ruins. Twisted series of roots go right through the temple, and you can literally see the battle between man vs. nature, and how nature eventually won.
Cambodian People: I’ve had a chance to meet a few Cambodian people in the last couple of days, and I can honestly say that they are wonderful. Our first encounters with the children were at Angkor Wat. Since the temple is pretty much the Disneyland of Cambodia (ie – it’s a central tourist attraction), there are children lined up at the entrance gate selling postcards, water, bracelets, etc. They all speak English really well, and have a keen knowledge of US geography, strangely enough. For example, when one boy came up to me and learned that I was from New York, he said, “the capital of New York is Albany.” They knew US states, presidents, governors, countries, and their English is extremely good. Of course, this knowledge usually wins over tourists’ dollars, but I guess that’s not such a bad thing. After a while, we started to have some fun with the kids. One boy came up to Aly, and after she replied that she was from Kazakhstan, the boy scratched his head and said, “whoa, that’s a hard one, I’m not sure I know that one” - with the cutest smile on his face, of course. There is an innate sense of humor that you don’t find elsewhere; even when you don’t buy anything from the kids, you still feel like they’ve opened up their hearts to you when you look at them in the eye.
On our way back from the temple, I talked to our driver about the Khmer Rouge. I wanted to know how the Cambodian people are dealing with the recent holocaust within their country during the 3-year, 8-month, 20-day Khmer Rouge reign between 1975-1979, over where 3 million people killed. Our driver, Paulee, lost his parents as well as his brother at the time. Today, Cambodians do not like to speak about the Khmer Rouge, as it might “reawaken” the past. It took about 20 years for Cambodia to get itself back on track within the modern world (tourism reopened to the West only in 1993, and the Vietnamese army left in 1998). I think the Cambodian people are trying to move forward into the future, slowly mending a huge wound from the past along the way.
After a long day of temple-hopping, we rested up and then went out for a delicious all-you-can-eat BBQ dinner. The way it works over here is, they set up a mini stove at your table, and you get all of your raw foods from the buffet, and then cook them individually at your table. Sort of like fondue, Cambodian-style. The dinner was delicious, and I can safely report that Aly and I are feeling fine 24 hours later. :-) Don’t worry mom.
This morning Aly and I woke up at 4:45 am to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. It’s the thing to do in this town, which we realized on our way over to the temple at 5am and noticed that lots and lots of other people had the same idea. It was well worth the trip. Since the entrance to Angkor Wat faces west, the sun rose exactly behind the phenomenal temple. It was an unbelievably emotional experience, and I felt so lucky to witness it. As far as sunrises go, you couldn’t get much better. The whole sky was lit up in an array of colors (according to Aly, since my colorblindness prevented me from seeing most of them), and the silhouette of Angkor Wat was a striking contrast to the morning glow.
After the sun was fully awake, we walked around Angkor Wat again and then headed about 30 kilometers outside of Siem Reap to another temple, Bantaey Srei. Even though the trip took about an hour, it was so worth it. This temple is renown for its exquisitely detailed stone carvings. I’ve never seen anything like it. The carvings went so deep into the stone, they were basically raised 3-D images carved with such great detail. There were figures of women, men, animals, intricate patterns, writings, it was so amazing to see the work that must have taken years to create.
After the hour-long trip back, we were pretty exhausted and crashed after lunch. And – that brings me to right now. I’m leaving tomorrow morning for Phnom Penh, to explore Cambodia’s wildest city and learn more about the Cambodian history. Aly and I met up with an American who’s heading down there as well, so I’ll have a travel buddy for a couple of days until I officially begin my solo travel. I’m excited to see more of this country; I love riding the tuk tuks through the streets, watching people go about their daily life, and speaking to whomever I encounter. It’s the willingness to speak that is most comforting; I think the further outside of tourist havens I venture, I’ll be able to tap into the true pulse of Cambodia. Until then, next stop is Phnom Penh’s city madness, and also to explore the killing fields and war museums.Much love to all – I actually tried to write this posting yesterday (twice), but of course the computers here deleted it (twice). But, fortunately you now have the sunrise account from today, so that should make up for my delay in writing.
Tomorrow is also the day I have to say goodbye to Aly - very sad...we've had so much fun together the last 3 weeks, I can't believe she won't be with me anymore. BUT - the show must go on, and I will journey onward alone until May 15th when my friend Zack (from Brandeis/DC/NYC) joins me in Vietnam & Laos. Get excited Zack!!!
Ok - that's all for now, thanks for reading and I love hearing from you guys! Keep it coming!
Lots of love always!!!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Lions and Tigers and Bears...Chiang Mai!!
...or make that spiders, mosquitos and roosters. Hello from Chiang Mai, Thailand's lovely and more relaxing city in the North. Apologies for not writing sooner, it's been quite an adventure up here. So, I think I last wrote as we were waiting for the train ride up to Bangkok on our journey northward. Well, I must say that overnight trains in Thailand are top notch...Amtrak has nothing against these trains. I probably had the best night sleep so far on that train ride...air conditioned, comfy, etc...you get the idea. We woke up in Bangkok and hopped in a taxi to the airport for our flight to Chiang Mai, all went smoothly. We were greeted at the airport by the driver from our hostel, James, who has an affinity for Americanisms like "how's it hanging dude", and "catch you on the flipside". I think some California tourists had their fun with James some time back.
Upon arriving Thursday evening in Chiang Mai, Aly and I decided to venture out to see Chiang Mai at night. The city's most famous tourist spot, the night market, was our first stop. It's basically a huge outdoor vendor/stall market, with one little stall after the next all lined up and down the streets. It's pretty fun if you like to bargain for chotchkies. Aly and I then went to a fun bar/restaurant on the river, called Riverside Bar. (Thanks for the recommendation Kim!) There was a Thai band playing classic American rock songs, like Simon & Garfunkel, Eric Clapton, and others. Pretty random, but it added to Thailand's random fun. We ate and drank right on the river and enjoyed some lovely music, only to go back to our hostel to get ready for our big departure the next morning.
Our main purpose in Chiang Mai was to go on a 3-day trek around the mountains and visit the hill tribes of northern Thailand. So, Friday morning Aly and I boarded a taxi with 7 other tourists and 2 Thai guides. Our group was great; we had a fun diverse mix of English-speaking folk: English, Welsh, Australian, New Zealand (Kiwi), and us Yanks. Our guide, Joshua, was the nicest and funniest guy, and his helper sidekick Don was great as well. SO - day 1 we drove for a while, stopping at the tourist police office to assure us that they have our information in case of any problems, and we could always dial 11-55 to reach them....as if we were going to see a phone over the 3 days, but let's not worry about that detail. So we finally reached the start of the trek and began the hike. Each of our stops was at little villages for lunch, then dinner and sleeping for the night. These villages are pretty primitive - very little (if any electricity), basic huts for sleeping and cooking, and lots of farm animals running around everywhere - chickens, roosters (that loved to wake us up at 4am), cows, pigs, dogs, cats. After a long first day of hiking, we finally made it to our first village where we enjoyed a delicious Thai dinner cooked by our tour guides and the villagers. Our tour guide Joshua joined us after dinner and we had a really entertaining discussion about his difficulties with learning the English language, and how we all speak English, but each of us is slightly different due to our home country. (Aly gave a great Brooklyn accent imitation - brought the house down). They have a great expression here in Thailand to explain this type of situation: "same same but different". Brilliant. I use it all the time now. Try to use it in your daily speech, it's amazing. Then all 9 of us slept in a big hut - it felt like being at camp again, lots o' fun.
Day 2: More hiking, with a stop at a waterfall to cool off from the oppresive heat. Our village stay on the second night had a huge lovely waterfall with a small pool of water to swim in...so nice! We then enjoyed another delicious Thai dinner (PS - I'm now in love with Thai food) and Joshua, our tour guide, entertained us with riddles and puzzles and tricks. Fun times.
Day 3: This was the day we'd been waiting for. We left our village at around 10am and hiked for about an hour or two - the views from this hike were pretty breathtaking. You could see farms and villages all throughout the hills as we meandered through winding paths. Lots of green everywhere, interspersed with black/burnt patches of land (controlled fires) to control overgrowth and potential larger forest fires. This was my favorite hiking of the trip. We finally reached a taxi which brought us to another stop for a delicious lunch, and then on to elephant riding!! I know that some of my friends are against keeping elephants in captivity for the benefit of tourists, but I don't think these elephants were poorly treated at this place. Anyway, Aly and I boarded our elephant, Tamu, and away we went. It was pretty scary at first, I kept thinking I was going to fall off. Every few steps the elephant sticks his trunk back to you and you have to feed it a banana. It's quite entertaining and slightly gross (at first) to watch the elephant clamp down on the banana with its nostril. So, you follow a path for a while, riding on the thing, and then at the midway point/water break, the guide told me to slide down off the seat and sit right on its head (aka not the normal spot for a tourist). After Aly convinced me I'd be ok, I managed to sit on the back of its neck and rest my legs behind his ears. Here's what sitting on an elephant feels like: their skin is very thick, and they have lots of prickly hairs that stick up. Plus, every once in a while, Tamu would sneeze or clear out his trunk or something, and he would get snot all over me. Gross. At the water breaks, the elephants would all gather around each other and get us all wet and snotty. All in all, a memorable experience. Aly has a professional/touristy picture of her and me that she will bring back to NYC for all to see. It's kinda like when you get off space mountain at Disney and they have your picture ready for you in case you want to buy it. Apparently that technology has made it to Thailand!!
Our next stop was bamboo rafting. Picture 6 or 7 big bamboo poles tied together to form a raft, and we floated down a small river, with a couple of mild rapids along the way. It was pretty relaxing, until we got to the patch of river where the locals like to come and play their favorite pasttime: "drench the tourists!" As the name suggests, everyone lines the river and splashes the passing rafts. Girls are bigger tourists (or garner more points in their game), so I was safer from my vantage point in the back. (I was actually standing in the back with a bamboo pole in my hand to help steer --- the main Thai driver was in the front, and doing most of the work, to be honest. Highlight of the drenching portion: one clever Thai family kept a supply of ice water, not river water, to pour over Aly. Poor girl. Freezing cold water. Highlight #2: Passing an elephant in the river as it was pooping. Large terd, to say the least. Very excellent splash, though. :-)
After the elephants and bamboo rafting, our trip was over. We drove back to our hostel and all 9 of us met up for a beer to exchange emails. Great group. My new Kiwi friends are my faves. They're newlyweds who are traveling for 3 months before they go back to NZ to figure out what to do next.
Today, Aly and I visited a few temples in Chiang Mai, and absorbed a bit of the religious culture of the city. At our last temple visit, which is also a university for Monks, Aly and I met a monk named Silwan (I think that's how one would spell it), and the three of us chatted for half an hour about Buddhism. He was extremely nice and patient and told us the main tenets of Buddhism. It was quite enlightening. Basically, Buddhism is a way of life, more than a religion, and they stress healing the mind before you can heal the body. Their 3 main beliefs are: impermanence, suffering, and selflessness. I learned a lot more from him, but I'll spare you the sermon. It was a very memorable chat, and it made me realize that I already incorporate a lot of the mindsets and attitudes in my life. I will definitely explore Buddhism further. I'm fascinated by monks, so I am a happy boy to be able to sit down and chat with one. I have a picture with Silwan, but I can't figure out how to upload my pictures yet. SO SORRY!!
So that brings us to now. Thanks for reading this long blog...internet is cheaper up here in the north, so I can afford to write longer blog entries. Aly is getting a massage at the moment, so I decided to head off and log on. We leave tomorrow for Siam Reap and Angkor Wat, and I am soooo excited. Thailand was great - beautiful scenery, great people - but I'm ready for another country and new adventures. Plus, it seems like Thailand is the backpacker's starting-off point. Everyone seems to have just started their trips (aka they're not wise backpackers yet). I'm ready to go a bit deeper into SE Asia, and become a true traveler.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREGORY! 28 years old, mazel tov. (I know it's tomorrow - the 25th, but I had to include it here).
That's all for now, I'll write you again from Cambodia - Aly's with me until the 28th of April, so not much time left! Very sad, we're having lots of fun together. It will be quite different to be on my own, but I'm ready for it...and excited.
Love to all my friends - in Newburgh, NYC, Washington DC, Newcastle England, and elsewhere!! And love to my family!!!
Lots of love always!!! Miss you!!!!!!!!!!
Upon arriving Thursday evening in Chiang Mai, Aly and I decided to venture out to see Chiang Mai at night. The city's most famous tourist spot, the night market, was our first stop. It's basically a huge outdoor vendor/stall market, with one little stall after the next all lined up and down the streets. It's pretty fun if you like to bargain for chotchkies. Aly and I then went to a fun bar/restaurant on the river, called Riverside Bar. (Thanks for the recommendation Kim!) There was a Thai band playing classic American rock songs, like Simon & Garfunkel, Eric Clapton, and others. Pretty random, but it added to Thailand's random fun. We ate and drank right on the river and enjoyed some lovely music, only to go back to our hostel to get ready for our big departure the next morning.
Our main purpose in Chiang Mai was to go on a 3-day trek around the mountains and visit the hill tribes of northern Thailand. So, Friday morning Aly and I boarded a taxi with 7 other tourists and 2 Thai guides. Our group was great; we had a fun diverse mix of English-speaking folk: English, Welsh, Australian, New Zealand (Kiwi), and us Yanks. Our guide, Joshua, was the nicest and funniest guy, and his helper sidekick Don was great as well. SO - day 1 we drove for a while, stopping at the tourist police office to assure us that they have our information in case of any problems, and we could always dial 11-55 to reach them....as if we were going to see a phone over the 3 days, but let's not worry about that detail. So we finally reached the start of the trek and began the hike. Each of our stops was at little villages for lunch, then dinner and sleeping for the night. These villages are pretty primitive - very little (if any electricity), basic huts for sleeping and cooking, and lots of farm animals running around everywhere - chickens, roosters (that loved to wake us up at 4am), cows, pigs, dogs, cats. After a long first day of hiking, we finally made it to our first village where we enjoyed a delicious Thai dinner cooked by our tour guides and the villagers. Our tour guide Joshua joined us after dinner and we had a really entertaining discussion about his difficulties with learning the English language, and how we all speak English, but each of us is slightly different due to our home country. (Aly gave a great Brooklyn accent imitation - brought the house down). They have a great expression here in Thailand to explain this type of situation: "same same but different". Brilliant. I use it all the time now. Try to use it in your daily speech, it's amazing. Then all 9 of us slept in a big hut - it felt like being at camp again, lots o' fun.
Day 2: More hiking, with a stop at a waterfall to cool off from the oppresive heat. Our village stay on the second night had a huge lovely waterfall with a small pool of water to swim in...so nice! We then enjoyed another delicious Thai dinner (PS - I'm now in love with Thai food) and Joshua, our tour guide, entertained us with riddles and puzzles and tricks. Fun times.
Day 3: This was the day we'd been waiting for. We left our village at around 10am and hiked for about an hour or two - the views from this hike were pretty breathtaking. You could see farms and villages all throughout the hills as we meandered through winding paths. Lots of green everywhere, interspersed with black/burnt patches of land (controlled fires) to control overgrowth and potential larger forest fires. This was my favorite hiking of the trip. We finally reached a taxi which brought us to another stop for a delicious lunch, and then on to elephant riding!! I know that some of my friends are against keeping elephants in captivity for the benefit of tourists, but I don't think these elephants were poorly treated at this place. Anyway, Aly and I boarded our elephant, Tamu, and away we went. It was pretty scary at first, I kept thinking I was going to fall off. Every few steps the elephant sticks his trunk back to you and you have to feed it a banana. It's quite entertaining and slightly gross (at first) to watch the elephant clamp down on the banana with its nostril. So, you follow a path for a while, riding on the thing, and then at the midway point/water break, the guide told me to slide down off the seat and sit right on its head (aka not the normal spot for a tourist). After Aly convinced me I'd be ok, I managed to sit on the back of its neck and rest my legs behind his ears. Here's what sitting on an elephant feels like: their skin is very thick, and they have lots of prickly hairs that stick up. Plus, every once in a while, Tamu would sneeze or clear out his trunk or something, and he would get snot all over me. Gross. At the water breaks, the elephants would all gather around each other and get us all wet and snotty. All in all, a memorable experience. Aly has a professional/touristy picture of her and me that she will bring back to NYC for all to see. It's kinda like when you get off space mountain at Disney and they have your picture ready for you in case you want to buy it. Apparently that technology has made it to Thailand!!
Our next stop was bamboo rafting. Picture 6 or 7 big bamboo poles tied together to form a raft, and we floated down a small river, with a couple of mild rapids along the way. It was pretty relaxing, until we got to the patch of river where the locals like to come and play their favorite pasttime: "drench the tourists!" As the name suggests, everyone lines the river and splashes the passing rafts. Girls are bigger tourists (or garner more points in their game), so I was safer from my vantage point in the back. (I was actually standing in the back with a bamboo pole in my hand to help steer --- the main Thai driver was in the front, and doing most of the work, to be honest. Highlight of the drenching portion: one clever Thai family kept a supply of ice water, not river water, to pour over Aly. Poor girl. Freezing cold water. Highlight #2: Passing an elephant in the river as it was pooping. Large terd, to say the least. Very excellent splash, though. :-)
After the elephants and bamboo rafting, our trip was over. We drove back to our hostel and all 9 of us met up for a beer to exchange emails. Great group. My new Kiwi friends are my faves. They're newlyweds who are traveling for 3 months before they go back to NZ to figure out what to do next.
Today, Aly and I visited a few temples in Chiang Mai, and absorbed a bit of the religious culture of the city. At our last temple visit, which is also a university for Monks, Aly and I met a monk named Silwan (I think that's how one would spell it), and the three of us chatted for half an hour about Buddhism. He was extremely nice and patient and told us the main tenets of Buddhism. It was quite enlightening. Basically, Buddhism is a way of life, more than a religion, and they stress healing the mind before you can heal the body. Their 3 main beliefs are: impermanence, suffering, and selflessness. I learned a lot more from him, but I'll spare you the sermon. It was a very memorable chat, and it made me realize that I already incorporate a lot of the mindsets and attitudes in my life. I will definitely explore Buddhism further. I'm fascinated by monks, so I am a happy boy to be able to sit down and chat with one. I have a picture with Silwan, but I can't figure out how to upload my pictures yet. SO SORRY!!
So that brings us to now. Thanks for reading this long blog...internet is cheaper up here in the north, so I can afford to write longer blog entries. Aly is getting a massage at the moment, so I decided to head off and log on. We leave tomorrow for Siam Reap and Angkor Wat, and I am soooo excited. Thailand was great - beautiful scenery, great people - but I'm ready for another country and new adventures. Plus, it seems like Thailand is the backpacker's starting-off point. Everyone seems to have just started their trips (aka they're not wise backpackers yet). I'm ready to go a bit deeper into SE Asia, and become a true traveler.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREGORY! 28 years old, mazel tov. (I know it's tomorrow - the 25th, but I had to include it here).
That's all for now, I'll write you again from Cambodia - Aly's with me until the 28th of April, so not much time left! Very sad, we're having lots of fun together. It will be quite different to be on my own, but I'm ready for it...and excited.
Love to all my friends - in Newburgh, NYC, Washington DC, Newcastle England, and elsewhere!! And love to my family!!!
Lots of love always!!! Miss you!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Livin' On The Edge...At 30 Kilometers Per Hour
Hello everyone! I'm now en route from Koh Pha Ngan to Chang Mai, about 1/3 of the way there at the moment. Aly and I left midday from our resort, and I think I'm all beached out and ready to move on. We've got some pretty dark tans at the moment, and if we get any more sun we might fry. (still not as dark as you mom, not yet at least).
Yesterday was my first venture in motorbike riding. To start, it's not as easy as it looks. My first turn down the street was pretty hairy (I made Aly stand on the side of the road so I can figure it out and spare one of us in case of emergency). After my first left-hand turn, I ended up in the wrong lane on the other side of the street, facing oncoming traffic. Luckily it was a quiet moment so I didn't have to dodge any big trucks. :-) The guy who rented us the bike was watching me and later confessed to witnessing my lack of motorbike skills. He consoled me by telling me about 2 Japanese girls who were so bad on the bike, plus their feet wouldn't reach the pedals. Great, I'm marginally better than 2 short Japanese girls. Very comforting. Anyway, Aly and I took off on the road up to the northern end of the island and meandered our way from beach to beach, stopping for snorkeling, swimming, and chilling on hammocks. A very relaxing day. Each beach was more lovely than the next, and I got pretty comfortable driving the bike by the end of the day - even though I stayed at 30 km/hour the whole day - I think every bike/car on the island passed me. Oh well, my pride was still intact nonetheless. (Uncle Eric, you would've been very proud of me! I might have to take a turn on your 4x4 when I get back!).
We met up with our new American friends from the Black Moon party the other night for dinner last night on their beach - Haad Yao. We enjoyed the most delicious seafood meal ever - Dad and Greg you would have loved it: shark, barracuda, crab, prawn, red snapper, baked potato, and corn. yummy. We crashed at the Americans' bungalow (their AC was too hard to give up compared to our steamy room), and they drove us back on their bikes this morning (note: they weren't given the memo about my 30 km/hour preferences). Fast trip back, yikes. Don't worry mom, I got home safely.
So that brings us to now, after taking a taxi to the harbor, where we boarded a boat back to the mainland, then onto a bus, followed by another taxi to the train station. Once we get on the train, we'll head up to Bangkok, transfer in a taxi to the airport and fly up to Chang Mai. Just an average day in the lives of wandering backpackers. If only our upcoming elephant trek were part of this itinerary, I'd say that we would've covered all bases, but alas.
Speak to you from the north of Thailand!!!!
Lots of love always!!!!!!!!
Yesterday was my first venture in motorbike riding. To start, it's not as easy as it looks. My first turn down the street was pretty hairy (I made Aly stand on the side of the road so I can figure it out and spare one of us in case of emergency). After my first left-hand turn, I ended up in the wrong lane on the other side of the street, facing oncoming traffic. Luckily it was a quiet moment so I didn't have to dodge any big trucks. :-) The guy who rented us the bike was watching me and later confessed to witnessing my lack of motorbike skills. He consoled me by telling me about 2 Japanese girls who were so bad on the bike, plus their feet wouldn't reach the pedals. Great, I'm marginally better than 2 short Japanese girls. Very comforting. Anyway, Aly and I took off on the road up to the northern end of the island and meandered our way from beach to beach, stopping for snorkeling, swimming, and chilling on hammocks. A very relaxing day. Each beach was more lovely than the next, and I got pretty comfortable driving the bike by the end of the day - even though I stayed at 30 km/hour the whole day - I think every bike/car on the island passed me. Oh well, my pride was still intact nonetheless. (Uncle Eric, you would've been very proud of me! I might have to take a turn on your 4x4 when I get back!).
We met up with our new American friends from the Black Moon party the other night for dinner last night on their beach - Haad Yao. We enjoyed the most delicious seafood meal ever - Dad and Greg you would have loved it: shark, barracuda, crab, prawn, red snapper, baked potato, and corn. yummy. We crashed at the Americans' bungalow (their AC was too hard to give up compared to our steamy room), and they drove us back on their bikes this morning (note: they weren't given the memo about my 30 km/hour preferences). Fast trip back, yikes. Don't worry mom, I got home safely.
So that brings us to now, after taking a taxi to the harbor, where we boarded a boat back to the mainland, then onto a bus, followed by another taxi to the train station. Once we get on the train, we'll head up to Bangkok, transfer in a taxi to the airport and fly up to Chang Mai. Just an average day in the lives of wandering backpackers. If only our upcoming elephant trek were part of this itinerary, I'd say that we would've covered all bases, but alas.
Speak to you from the north of Thailand!!!!
Lots of love always!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
1-week recap
Ok, so I think I've been traveling for about a week or so, so I think it's time to recap what it's been like, what I've learned, what's been good, what's been bad, etc. It's definitely been an amazing start to the trip. Bangkok was furiously insane (and hot), and a good learning lesson for starting out as a backpacker in SE Asia. It's been a very smart decision to hit the beaches right away, as it's super duper hot in the part of the world right now. I hear the weather in the NE USA has been crap, so I'll try to send some of this warmth your way. I've met tons of people from all over the world, and the most interesting thing that I notice (and may have previously taken for granted) is that everyone speaks English. For a German tourist to talk to a Thai hotel worker, they speak English, etc, etc. It makes me wish that Americans got around the world more to take advantage of this useful tool. Wouldn't the world view America differently if we were actually in other countries talking to people about the issues, rather than watching a biased opinion over the world news media. Anyway, it's nice to know that the English language is such an amazing cultural link wherever you go.
Traveling with Aly P: It's funny what you learn about someone when you travel with them. For example, Aly will get REALLY hungry, and then our mission will be to find her some food. Or, she'll get REALLY thirsty, and water will be the pot of gold at the end of a really hot and humid rainbow. Or, she's SUPER tired, and will be in desperate need of a slumber to re-energize for the rest of the day. Urgent bathroom breaks need no further explanation. Basically, Aly loves to live around extremes, so it makes the days very entertaining. :-)
My current state of relaxation: I don't think I've ever gone on a vacation and done absolutely nothing in an entire day....until today. From the minute I woke up until right now, I just lounged at the pool all day. I became friends with the bartender outside and when we got to talking about music, he let me plug my iPod into the speaker system at the pool. So, a full day of Danny's iPod blasting overlooking the beach. I don't think I could've imagined a better way to spend a sunny day. And I finished The Beach today - if you haven't read it, go get the book! The ending is awesome and different from Leo's version.
Last night we had the black moon party, which was really cool. Imagine an area of a beach blocked off, black lights everywhere, cool glowy trees and designs painted on black cardboard everywhere, firethrowers, lots of drinks food and people galore. The best thing about the party was that it was a lot smaller than I thought...there weren't millions of people crammed onto a beach. It was very chill, met interesting people danced to some trance music, and the next thing I knew it was 5 am and our beds were calling us. All in all, a great night...even without the drugs to make all of those colorful paintings and firethrowers look extra-trippy. :-)
Travelers versus tourists: I think right now I'm still a tourist, especially at the resort I'm staying at now...but soon enough I will make the switch to identifying myself as a traveler. (It's pretty hard not to be a tourist on these islands). There's a big difference, and I plan on pursuing the traveler route once I find the right pace to this trip and I learn all of the proper backpacker etiquette. I met some guys last night who gave me some off-the-beaten-path traveler advice, so Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos should be amazing! (Zack, get ready for a wicked time when you come over! Very excited to see you in Ho Chi Minh City!!)
Later today I think we're going to watch the sunset at a bar on the other side of this island, and depending on how we feel, go out to the bars tonight. I want to rent a motorbike tomorrow and ride around the island. The Thais love their mopeds down here, you can't go anywhere without one!
Also - I wanted to mention that I went the environmentally-friendly route when planning this trip. After seeing "An Inconvenient Truth" I went to the website (which is linked on this blog page at the bottom, along with other cool sites) and purchased renewable energy credits to offset the carbon emissions that all of my around-the-world flights will emit. Basically, I gave money to fund the production of a wind energy farm so that the amount of energy that my funds will go towards will equal the carbon dioxide that my planes will emit. Go to the website to learn more, and start living green!
I just read about the Va. Tech tragedy - I can't believe that happened. So sad. I'll say an extra prayer tonight for the victims.
Okay, I think that's all for now. Miss everyone, thank you all so much for reading my blog! I miss you tons, but I'm doing well (as you can probably gather), and each day is more wonderful than the next.
Lots of love always.
Traveling with Aly P: It's funny what you learn about someone when you travel with them. For example, Aly will get REALLY hungry, and then our mission will be to find her some food. Or, she'll get REALLY thirsty, and water will be the pot of gold at the end of a really hot and humid rainbow. Or, she's SUPER tired, and will be in desperate need of a slumber to re-energize for the rest of the day. Urgent bathroom breaks need no further explanation. Basically, Aly loves to live around extremes, so it makes the days very entertaining. :-)
My current state of relaxation: I don't think I've ever gone on a vacation and done absolutely nothing in an entire day....until today. From the minute I woke up until right now, I just lounged at the pool all day. I became friends with the bartender outside and when we got to talking about music, he let me plug my iPod into the speaker system at the pool. So, a full day of Danny's iPod blasting overlooking the beach. I don't think I could've imagined a better way to spend a sunny day. And I finished The Beach today - if you haven't read it, go get the book! The ending is awesome and different from Leo's version.
Last night we had the black moon party, which was really cool. Imagine an area of a beach blocked off, black lights everywhere, cool glowy trees and designs painted on black cardboard everywhere, firethrowers, lots of drinks food and people galore. The best thing about the party was that it was a lot smaller than I thought...there weren't millions of people crammed onto a beach. It was very chill, met interesting people danced to some trance music, and the next thing I knew it was 5 am and our beds were calling us. All in all, a great night...even without the drugs to make all of those colorful paintings and firethrowers look extra-trippy. :-)
Travelers versus tourists: I think right now I'm still a tourist, especially at the resort I'm staying at now...but soon enough I will make the switch to identifying myself as a traveler. (It's pretty hard not to be a tourist on these islands). There's a big difference, and I plan on pursuing the traveler route once I find the right pace to this trip and I learn all of the proper backpacker etiquette. I met some guys last night who gave me some off-the-beaten-path traveler advice, so Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos should be amazing! (Zack, get ready for a wicked time when you come over! Very excited to see you in Ho Chi Minh City!!)
Later today I think we're going to watch the sunset at a bar on the other side of this island, and depending on how we feel, go out to the bars tonight. I want to rent a motorbike tomorrow and ride around the island. The Thais love their mopeds down here, you can't go anywhere without one!
Also - I wanted to mention that I went the environmentally-friendly route when planning this trip. After seeing "An Inconvenient Truth" I went to the website (which is linked on this blog page at the bottom, along with other cool sites) and purchased renewable energy credits to offset the carbon emissions that all of my around-the-world flights will emit. Basically, I gave money to fund the production of a wind energy farm so that the amount of energy that my funds will go towards will equal the carbon dioxide that my planes will emit. Go to the website to learn more, and start living green!
I just read about the Va. Tech tragedy - I can't believe that happened. So sad. I'll say an extra prayer tonight for the victims.
Okay, I think that's all for now. Miss everyone, thank you all so much for reading my blog! I miss you tons, but I'm doing well (as you can probably gather), and each day is more wonderful than the next.
Lots of love always.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Beach Life, Part Deux
Hello from Koh Pha Ngan!!! We arrived this afternoon after 4 lovely days in Koh Samui. It was sad to say goodbye to our lovely little resort, but the sadness was quelled instantly when we arrived at our new temporary home for the next three days, the Weangtai Hotel. This place rocks. It's more of a backpacker, communal, friendly atmosphere...and there's a bar right at the side of the pool with a bench in the pool. How convenient. This afternoon was spent swimming and reading in a hammock on the beach. Very relaxing...tonight's activity is the black moon party (new moon party), so that should be pretty wild. Still loving every minute of the trip. Pha Ngan island is a bit less busy than Samui, so that's a relief. I think Aly and I are going on a boat tour of the island on Wednesday, since most places are inaccessible due to poor roads. Yesterday Aly and I walked the entire Lamai Beach on Samui - 2 hours down, 2 hours back, and we found some beatiful, well-hidden bays out of the tourists' reach. Except now I've got a lovely sunburn - I never knew the tops of your feet could get that red!!! Anyway, I'm loving the beach life at the moment (not that I see that changing in the next few days or anything). Does anyone out there have any other recommendations for Pha Ngan??? Also - we're heading to Chang Mai next, so please send me your recs for that regions as well (for my fellow well traveled mates). I'm sure I'll have some crazy drunken stories for tomorrow's entry, so I'll leave you all now eager for more. Lots of love to you all!!!!
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Paradise (not) Lost -- (because we found it yesterday)
Hello again from Samui!!!! Apologies for the two-day absence from blogland, two days ago there wasn't much to report, except if you find lounging around all day and the occasional bathroom break interesting. Yesterday, however was pretty spectacular. Aly and I rented a car with our German friends Philipp and Yanna to drive around the island. (stick shift cars meant we had to rely on the Germans for driving, but we love them and they were tons of fun). We had a tiny little sporty trucky car thing, so it was tight quarters for the 4 of us, even with the girls sitting outside in the car's pickup truck. First stop was the Hat Lin waterfall (located near the middle of the island - we went on about an hour hike through the middle of the island to a very lovely waterfall...although by the time we got there we were so sweaty and hot all we could think about was the beach. So - we turned around and trekked back to our car and continued the drive around the island. So, we went searching for a beach we'd heard about - Mae Nam. We had to turn down a random dirt road (I was navigating while Philipp was driving, and we kept missing the left turns down to the beach, causing a few u-turns now and again)...anyway, we finally parked the car, walked through some bungalows, and then we found it - Paradise. Probably the last undeveloped beach on Samui island. As perfect a beach as you can get - private, crystal clear, blue skies, warm beautiful water, views of the other islands out in front of us, small local boats crossing the water. We were all so happy we'd found this beach, it was hard to believe. So we did some swimming, relaxing, and then walked over to a small little restaurant on the water for a delicious Thai lunch ($1 per meal, that is!). From Paradise Beach we decided that we wanted to continue our tour of the island, and headed to another beach that was supposedly also very nice...Chaeng Mon. Turns out our undiscovered beach is about the only one on the island...beach #2 was crowded with lazy beachgoers...oh well. I found one other beach on the map that I thought was untouched, and so we got back in the car in search of that one. (I felt like Leo in "The Beach" trying to find his paradise...we drove around for a while, but it was too rocky and hard to get to...Anyway, after our wanderings around in search of Paradise, we headed to Fisherman's Village for a nice beer on Bo Phut beach (very lovely, quiet) - walked around shops there as the sun was setting and relaxed at a bar overlooking the water. From there we headed home to our hotel for a nice dinner on our beach. A lovely day in all, highlighted by our amazing swim on Mae Nam beach...very different from the craziness of Chewang, especially during the Songkran festival the other day and its crazy waterfights.
Today is our last full day on Samui and then tomorrow we head to Koh Pan Ngan for 3 nights. More beach time, hopefully there will be some more undiscovered beaches waiting for us...Oh, and the Germas are heading there also, so they can drive us around if need be. That's all to report from here, today will consist of beaching, walking on the beach, swimming on the beach, reading on the beach, sleeping on the beach, eating on the beach, etc (you get the idea).
Miss you all - great to hear from everyone!!!!
Lots of love!
Today is our last full day on Samui and then tomorrow we head to Koh Pan Ngan for 3 nights. More beach time, hopefully there will be some more undiscovered beaches waiting for us...Oh, and the Germas are heading there also, so they can drive us around if need be. That's all to report from here, today will consist of beaching, walking on the beach, swimming on the beach, reading on the beach, sleeping on the beach, eating on the beach, etc (you get the idea).
Miss you all - great to hear from everyone!!!!
Lots of love!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Chewangin' it in Chewang
Hello from Koh Samui!!!!!!!!! What a loooooong strange it's been to get here. Aly and I took the overnight bus from Bangkok last night (sitting in the wayyyy back of the bus - as if it couldn't have been any worse! - and then a boat this morning, stopping at Ko Tao, then Ko Pha Ngnang, and finally Ko Samui, where we boarded a van to take us to our resort. Finally, we arrived after what seemed like one million hours. But, it was worth the trip. Ko Samui is beautiful - we have a great room at a resort with a pool overlooking the beach. The afternoon consisted of yummy Thai lunch, then a full body massage, then a long walk on the beach, and now we're in Chewang, the crazy party area of Ko Samui. Tonight also happens to be the start of Songkran, which is the big water festival here. Everyone is out on the streets getting everyone else soaking wet. Fun times. There's a lot to do on the island, so we might hit up the waterfalls tomorrow, or the fisherman's market at some point. And there will be lots of hardcore chillin on the beach.
Speaking of the beach, I will be reading The Beach on the beach, so that's pretty apropos. The weather is great, partly cloudy and not too hot. We're going to brave the waterfights now and get some grub.
Please keep the comments and emails coming! So great to hear from everyone!!!! I'm doing my best to update the ol' blogger every day...Ross why do you doubt my ability to keep it up???
Mom, Dad, Greg, love you lots and miss you. Love to all the friends and fam who are my loyal blog supporters!!!
Lots of love from Samui!!!!
Speaking of the beach, I will be reading The Beach on the beach, so that's pretty apropos. The weather is great, partly cloudy and not too hot. We're going to brave the waterfights now and get some grub.
Please keep the comments and emails coming! So great to hear from everyone!!!! I'm doing my best to update the ol' blogger every day...Ross why do you doubt my ability to keep it up???
Mom, Dad, Greg, love you lots and miss you. Love to all the friends and fam who are my loyal blog supporters!!!
Lots of love from Samui!!!!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Bangkok: dizzle with the kizzle
Bangkok, day 2: much more relaxed and chill. Woke up, had a nice breakfast in the hotel, then we checked out and headed to Jim Thompson's house, who was an American military guy who stayed in Thailand after WWII and single-handedly started the Thai silk trade (or so we were told by our lovely tour guide who smiled a lot). The house was really pretty, made out of teak wood (for you wood lovers out there), and then we had a relaxing drink next to some New Yorkers -- one of whom was a next door neighbor to Alyson in the city. In case you're wondering, they were also scammed by the tuk tuks, as were about every other westerner we met today. YAY we're not so idiotic after all. After Jim Thompson's house, we went to the big mall nearby for a kick-ass food court, recommended by Lonely Planet themselves. Had a delicious meal, then went on the Sky Train to experience a little mass transit, Bangkok-style (you know you're in Thailand when---in New York we see the "please save the front seat for elderly people"---instead you see "please save this seat for Buddhist monks". Love it. Came back to the Khao San for some relaxing beers (met some more Americans who were also duped by the tuk tuks...nice...) now we head back to the hotel to get our stuff and head to the beaches. All of the westerners are so friendly - unlike the bar scene of far-away NYC. Lots of friendly folk here, very cool. Miss you all terribly (not really). Love you all to bits. Heading out now, speak to you from Samui!!!!!
Lots of love always.
PS - In case you're wondering about the title: I find it very humorous that if you speak ill of the royal family, you will be persecuted. SO - my way of safely slandering the king Newburgh-style, or "down with the k!n$", is dizzle with the kizzle...you get the idea.
xoxo
Lots of love always.
PS - In case you're wondering about the title: I find it very humorous that if you speak ill of the royal family, you will be persecuted. SO - my way of safely slandering the king Newburgh-style, or "down with the k!n$", is dizzle with the kizzle...you get the idea.
xoxo
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Welcome to Bangkok!!! (subtitle: Evil Tuk Tuks)
Hello from lovely crazy Bangkok!!! So today was our first day of the trip, and Alyson and I have learned lots of lessons. To begin, let me say that since this was the first day of my travels, I will use that as my excuse for being duped by the scams of Bangkok, aka the Tuk Tuks. (Rob, Natasha, and Kim, I know you are all shaking your heads right now in disappointment, and I apologise profusely). Anyway, Aly and I began the day bright eyed and bushy tailed after a lovely breakfast in our lovely hotel one block from the Khao San Road to head out to the Grand Palace. As we were walking toward the palace, we kept getting stopped by random Thai people asking us where we were going, where we were from, etc. Finally, one seemingly nice guy convinced us that the palace was closed until 1.30pm and he could set us up with a tour of a few other sights around Bangkok in the meantime. Figuring that there wasn't much else to do in this entire city until 1.30, Aly and I hopped in the Tuk Tuk and headed toward the Standing Buddha, which is a really big golden buddha (32 meters high). On the way to the standing buddha Aly and I had an inkling we were being scammed. On the way to the second site, the "Lucky Buddha", aka another random buddha statue in some random little temple, we opened up the Lonely Planet to find the paragraph entitled "Dangers and Annoyances". To paraphrase from the book: "Beware of Tuk Tuk drivers who say that the Palace is closed for the morning and offer a tour of sites around Bangkok, only to lead you to a shady market at the end of the tour from which they receive commission for providing patrons." SO - you get the idea. The funny thing is, the entire population of Bangkok's tuk tuk drivers are in on this scam, and for a while, we actually thought today was the one day that the Palace was closed to non-Thais due to the Buddhist monk morning prayers on this particular day, the holiest of holy days in Thailand. Later on, we managed to leave our tuk tuk driver and headed for a nice long boat ride around Bangkok's river. The tour was pretty much a long narrow stretch that passed through a ton of shanty towns and very poor people, all of whom were enjoying the most of a hot sunny day. After the boat tour, Aly and I finally made it to the Palace, (which was open since 8:30am, of course), and it was worth the wait. Absolutely stunning. Golden temples, beautiful architecture, exactly what you would think of when I say the words Thai Grand Palace. The focal point of the whole thing is the emerald buddha, which is super holy and looked pretty chill up in his little golden crib. After the palace, we walked back to our hotel and booked with a travel agent the next 3 weeks of our trip. We figured we might as well book it all now and not worry about it, especially because the rest of April is super hectic in Thailand. The 12th is the start of a huge festival here, Songkran Festival, where everyone throws water at everyone else for some Thai/holy/festive reason. Anyway, it's also the high tourist season, even for local Thais, since we're in peak summer mode right now (yes...very very hot in this city). The point is, lots of people are traveling, everything is getting booked up, so we figured we might as well bite the bullet and go to a travel agency and spend a little dough. Our plan is thus: tomorrow we head south to Koh Samui and Ko Pha Ngang for a week - lovely Thai beaches, plus we'll be there for the "black moon" party (aka the new moon party). Then Aly and I head all the way up to Chiang Mai for a 3-day, 2-night jungle trek, plus a couple of days to hang out in the bohemian city, and then we fly over to Siam Riep, Cambodia to do 3 days at Angkor Wat. Aly was pretty keen to do a lot while she was here, and I'm right there with her. We'll part ways at the end of April where she'll head back to Bangkok and then NYC, whereas I'll stay in Cambodia and slow things down for myself as I travel solo. If you want to mentally trace our planned adventures below, we're in Bangkok now, heading south (and slightly east into the Gulf of Thailand), then all the way to the north of Thailand to Chang Mai, and finally fly over to Cambodia. It should be lots of fun. A week on the beach starting tomorrow sounds pretty damn good to me.
OK - sorry for blabbing on for so long. Day 1 was definitely a learning experience, and it ended up great. After we booked the trip, Aly and I went swimming in our hotel pool, and now we just finished a nice dinner at a restaurant called Cabbages and condo m s, where the proceeds go to help AIDS patients in Thailand (or something to that effect). The restaurant has free internet, so we're making a quick pitstop before we head out to Bangkok's nightlife for a bit. It still seems a bit surreal that I'm in Bangkok, this city is pretty insane: very crowded, busy, grimey - everything you'd expect from a major SE Asian city. Very much looking forward to the trip down to the beach tomorrow evening. I don't have my camera with me, but hopefully when we get to Ko Samui I'll be able to upload some photos. Aly and I look pretty ed off in most of the photos we took today, but for good reason (damn tuk tuks!) Talk to you soon. Oh, when Aly and I were swimming this evening we met some British kids who were also duped by the tuk tuks, so we didn't feel as dumb.
Lots of love, speak to you from the beach!!!
OK - sorry for blabbing on for so long. Day 1 was definitely a learning experience, and it ended up great. After we booked the trip, Aly and I went swimming in our hotel pool, and now we just finished a nice dinner at a restaurant called Cabbages and condo m s, where the proceeds go to help AIDS patients in Thailand (or something to that effect). The restaurant has free internet, so we're making a quick pitstop before we head out to Bangkok's nightlife for a bit. It still seems a bit surreal that I'm in Bangkok, this city is pretty insane: very crowded, busy, grimey - everything you'd expect from a major SE Asian city. Very much looking forward to the trip down to the beach tomorrow evening. I don't have my camera with me, but hopefully when we get to Ko Samui I'll be able to upload some photos. Aly and I look pretty ed off in most of the photos we took today, but for good reason (damn tuk tuks!) Talk to you soon. Oh, when Aly and I were swimming this evening we met some British kids who were also duped by the tuk tuks, so we didn't feel as dumb.
Lots of love, speak to you from the beach!!!
Sunday, April 8, 2007
This is it...
It's finally here. No more waiting. No more planning. No more packing. No more explaining where I'm going, for how long, with whom...over and over. And I'm ready. I'm as ready as I can ever be. I've gotten all of my shots, bought everything EMS has to offer, waited in lines for visas, talked to everyone who's been there before me, and most importantly, I've stocked up on ample Immodium AD and moisturized toilet wipes.
Five months sit in front of me, totally unwritten, waiting to be uncovered. It's pretty crazy to think that 20 weeks from now this blog will be chock full o' good stuff (wow - that's like 3 Brant Lake summers back-to-back!) I know this trip will be unlike any other in my life; I'm going in with an open mind and an open heart and without any expectations or high standards. I know that the people I'll meet, the places and things I'll see, and the experiences along the way - the good and the bad - will make me a better person. It's all about the journey from here on out, not the destination.
I will miss you all so much - my parents, brother, grandmother, family, friends - and I love you all so much, you have no idea. Everyone in Newburgh - please make sure my mom and dad are ok (especially my mom) :-) I'll always be fine wherever I am - growing up in the streets of Newburgh has prepared me to always expect the unexpected.
I hope you can all check this blog often, and I hope to be able to update it frequently. I've never blogged before, so I hope to make it as interesting and funny as possible, filled with lots of great stories (not to mention as unpretentious as possible!) My first stop is Bangkok, and then I head down south with Aly P. to the beaches of Thailand. So - expect an update from Bangkok in a few days! If you want a preview of my trip, the plan is: Thailand, then Cambodia, then into Vietnam, through Laos, and back into Thailand. I'll return to Bangkok mid June to fly out to Chennai, India where the second half of the trip begins: 5 1/2 weeks in southern India, then up to Kathmadu for 4 weeks in Nepal and northern India. Wow - 5 months condensed into 5 lines of a blog. How convenient.
My goals for the trip: Do not rush from place to place, but do not overstay in one place. Meet and talk to the locals, absorb the culture, learn the history, customs, language, and most of all - HAVE FUN!
It's been a long time in the making, but this is it. My big trip is finally here. And I'm ready.
I'll write again soon from the other side of the world!
Lots of love always.
Five months sit in front of me, totally unwritten, waiting to be uncovered. It's pretty crazy to think that 20 weeks from now this blog will be chock full o' good stuff (wow - that's like 3 Brant Lake summers back-to-back!) I know this trip will be unlike any other in my life; I'm going in with an open mind and an open heart and without any expectations or high standards. I know that the people I'll meet, the places and things I'll see, and the experiences along the way - the good and the bad - will make me a better person. It's all about the journey from here on out, not the destination.
I will miss you all so much - my parents, brother, grandmother, family, friends - and I love you all so much, you have no idea. Everyone in Newburgh - please make sure my mom and dad are ok (especially my mom) :-) I'll always be fine wherever I am - growing up in the streets of Newburgh has prepared me to always expect the unexpected.
I hope you can all check this blog often, and I hope to be able to update it frequently. I've never blogged before, so I hope to make it as interesting and funny as possible, filled with lots of great stories (not to mention as unpretentious as possible!) My first stop is Bangkok, and then I head down south with Aly P. to the beaches of Thailand. So - expect an update from Bangkok in a few days! If you want a preview of my trip, the plan is: Thailand, then Cambodia, then into Vietnam, through Laos, and back into Thailand. I'll return to Bangkok mid June to fly out to Chennai, India where the second half of the trip begins: 5 1/2 weeks in southern India, then up to Kathmadu for 4 weeks in Nepal and northern India. Wow - 5 months condensed into 5 lines of a blog. How convenient.
My goals for the trip: Do not rush from place to place, but do not overstay in one place. Meet and talk to the locals, absorb the culture, learn the history, customs, language, and most of all - HAVE FUN!
It's been a long time in the making, but this is it. My big trip is finally here. And I'm ready.
I'll write again soon from the other side of the world!
Lots of love always.
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