THE CZECH HEADS TO ASIA......

"Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride...

2008-11-20T03:21:00.012-06:00

...nodoby's gonna slow me down, oh no, I got to keep on moving...." Come on, you know the lyrics, sing along!

Well, I committed those words to serve as my motto for the last days of my trip. Come hell or high water....errr, flu in this particular situation....I was bound to pack in a little more Bali before my trip across the big pond on Saturday.

And I did.

About 36 hours after coming down with the bug and 9 or 10 liters of water later, I was feeling like a champion once again. For anyone that believes in modern medicine to cure your everyday cold/flu, keep on believing. I'm sure perscription drugs have a purpose. But I have and will forever stick with the Cole Kopacek home remedy of "flushing out the system": start drinking water, more than you feel is physically possible by one human being, and don't stop drinking. Magically, in 48 hours or less, your body is working like a greased machine once again.

In my case, Tuesday noon-ish is when I felt purified once again and fully capable to trek on and complete this journey. Time, unfortunately, wasn't going to allow me to climb the volcano I had hoped to see, but hey, there's plenty of Bali to keep me busy otherwise. So, I set off on my $3/day moto-bike and headed to the countryside.

My first stop was the Besikah temple, the island's largest and most significant temple.

It sits high in the hills. More specifically, it rests midway up the island's highest point (a once powerful volcano). The weather was dreary, so visibility didn't allow to actually see the booming figure above, but seeing the temple was still quite impressive. Local Balinese roamed around in traditional dress, taking part in a daily ritual/ceremony that is common to the Hindhu religion.

As I continued to cut through the country, I managed to stumble on an ongoing soccer match between some, from what I learned, local amateur teams.

No, the quality of the playing fields aren't what most would call "up to par", but the fan support and enthusiasm in the air was evidence that everyone involved was quite satisfied with what they were provided. Like most places I have gone in Bali, where not many Westerners are present, I was approached by a young man (my age or so) who was happy to introduce himself, start a conversation with the common opener "Where you come from?", and practice his English a bit. These Balinese folk are a friendly one...you have to give them that!

As darkness began to fall, I had to make a quick call. Dive or no dive? Feeling back at 100% again and wanting to squeeze in one more session underwater (can you tell I'm addicted?), I made a quick reservation in Tulamben (on the island's NE side) online and started my journey around 7:30pm.

I was told the drive could take 2 or 2 1/2 hrs from my current location. Well, that would be under "good" conditions. Factor in complete darkness, no knowledge of the road system other than a worn, barely legible, basic map, and pissing down rain....and, well, it made for quite the journey. Cruising up and down winding roads through the jungling mountains stretched for about 3 1/2 hours. Let's just say the road signs aren't as "clear" as they would be in the Western world. When in doubt, go straight. That's the methodology I've learned to adapt. In most cases, it works. But, as I found out on Tuesday night, it is not foolproof.

I arrived at the dive resort at 11:15pm, still unaware of how I actually found the place. But what a nice little reward I had upon arriving.

Originally, the price is $30/night (very expensive by Balinese and definitely backpacker standards), but being it is slow season, I was able to pre-book the place at a negotiated $15/night.

TV....DVD player....air conditioning...? The high-pressure, hot shower was my personal favorite. I haven't seen these kind of luxuries since big sis treated me to them in early October.

The dive the next morning was incredible.

Just off shore, about 20-25 meters in depth, sits the USS LIberty, a cargo ship that was sunk by a Japanese submarine during WWII. Today, it is completed coralized and taken over by large and small underwater creatures. Well worth the challenging trip the evening before!

After diving, I headed back through the country, first finding myself surrounded with a new type of terrain, one that is still evidence of the volcanic eruption here years ago.

The fishing village where the dive site was located, Tulamben, sits on the side of the volcano most devasted by the eruption. Not sure on this without doing my research, but I think it was 50-60 years ago. To see the desert-like fields that are still evidence of the disaster was very interesting.

And soon, I was back in lush fields and valleys, surrounded by rice terraces/paddies dotting the countryside. The photos don't do the place justice. Incredible.

After a good day's drive, I arrived in Ubud, a stop I made previously last week. I needed to pick up a few souvenirs, and this is the shopping mecca of Bali.

Ubud, also, is a place where I really got to feel at home in Bali. I meant to stay for a few hours, do some shopping, and jet. But after being at the market, hearing some of the stories behind the vendors pushing their products, and truly feeling the welcome, I ended up staying the night last night (Wed). And I'm glad I did.

After inquiring to a local man about the location of a much needed toilet, I soon found myself going to a restaurant he happily recommended next door, where I had some amazing Gasi Noreng (spelling?). The Balinese dish consists of rice and vegetables, topped with chicken satay, egg, and fresh shrimp/prawn. Mmm.

Shortly after, I ended up buying an event ticket off the same guy who recommended the restaurant....the event? An event very special to Bali, the 'kacheek' dance.

A photo cannot begin to describe this event. Half naked men dancing around chanting "Ka-Ka-CHEEK, Ka-Ka-CHEEK!", traditionally-dressed women prancing around candles, dragon characters swooping in for attacks, and a man on a horse dancing on red-hot coconut shells that had been set afire. Again, nothing I planned to see in Ubud, but something I walked right into and was pleased to have done so....

I cruised back into Kuta this morning, my home base close the airport on the island's south coast.

Today (Thursday) being my last day in Bali before my red-eye flights to Singapore then Bangkok, I decided to end things properly. On the beach. But it was a productive day....I learned to surf. I booked a beginner's course through a local surf school and took a 3-hour course on how to ride the waves. And for those of you wondering, yes, I got up! Bali is known for the surf, so I am glad to say that I spent my last day here in Bali doing as the Balinese do....

I noticed today that, even on the beach, as with everywhere in the Hindhu island of Bali, small arrangements in homemade palm-leaf baskets can be seen wherever you look. These "offerings" can consist of small food articles, greenery, incense, and flowers....I've even seen cigarettes in them. Its the Hindhu way of offering pleasure to the gods and demons alike. And they are put out at doorsteps, on the street, the beach, and/or wherever every morning....

And that's a wrap. The trip, basically is concluded! I'll spend the wee hours of the evening on a plane and arrive in Bangkok around Noon tomorrow. After an afternoon and evening in the hustle and bustle of the big city, I'll head to the airport around 3am on Saturday to catch the big flight home!

Stay tuned for one final post on Sunday or Monday. I'll try to get all deep and put my final thoughts into this little trip I've taken on. It's been a good ride....and I look forward to milking my final hours over here.

Off I go to pack for my 12:30am flight that is now just 5 1/2 hours away....talk to you on Sun/Mon!

Almost made it......

2008-11-16T22:55:00.008-06:00

Backpackers are always leery about drinking foreign water, eating food off of questionable street vendors, and other factors for the sole reason that they want to avoid becoming ill while they're traveling.

Well, I made a good run at it.

After more than 3 1/2 months, I'm finally sick, just shy of the finish line that is the 22nd of November. I've been actively taking my anti-malaria medicine, so I would say it's hardly possibly to have malaria. Rather, I think it was just my turn to catch your run-of-the-mill flu.....something I've just come down with in the last 24 hours. And, maybe it's even the big man's way of saying it is finally time to come home.

But enough of the Debbie Downer talk. This all comes after a pretty productive 5 or 6 days since I've last updated the blog. so let me share away....

On Wednesday, an English buddy and I set off the see some of the famous temples that dot the Bali landscape. Well, due to an afternoon thunderstorm with rains that refused to let up, we only made it to one temple. It rests on a small island that sits just a few meters off the Bali mainland, but it is accessible by foot during low tide. Pictures won't really do the thing justice as it was a dark, gloomy day, but the temple itself was quite amazing, clinging to the natural rock formations as it sits high above the waters below.

What was brilliant about this day may not have been the actual destination but the scenery along the way. Terraced fields and abundant rice paddies comprised the landscape--local farmers could be seen wading through the muddy fields tending to their crop. It made for a beautiful trip.

On Thursday, we set off to the Gili Islands, a set of 3 small islands that lie between Bali and Lombok here in southern Indonesia. The big draw to these islands? Diving and a quiet place to find tranquility from the madness that can sometimes overtake the more touristy Bali. There are no motorized vehicles on the islands, even on the largest of the three (Gili Trawangan, its name) where we stayed. The only form of transport are pedal bicycles and horse-drawn taxis on the small network of dirt roads that make up the island.

As I have made clear before, I've become a bit addicted to SCUBA diving over here, and these islands were just the place to expand my experiences a little further. We managed to do three different dives in all, two of which will count toward the five courses needed to become an Advanced Open Water diver: a night dive and a deep dive.

Imagine going 60 ft down under water with just a single-beamed flashlight to guide you around. A little freaky? Definitely. But the art of night diving definitely opens the doors to seeing new types of marine life that you wouldn't normal see during the day.

On Friday, we went down to 90+ feet (30 m) to satisfy our "deep dive" requirement....at this depth, we managed to see some large sea turtles, a spotted shark, an extremely venomous sea snake, and several other large fish species. Yes, I think this whole diving thing is getting a bit addictive. I don't know how much practice I will get in the landlocked Midwest, however....

After a weekend of diving, logging some beach time, and playing sand volleyball with some local islanders, we headed back to Bali yesterday. It was sometime mid-afternoon when I began to feel like garbage, and I spent my night in bed...from 7pm until Noon today (Monday). How can someone sleep that long?

I'm flooding my body with water in hopes of shaking this bug in the next 24-48 hours so that I can squeeze in a couple last activities before the jaunt home on Saturday. If all goes as planned, I'll have the chance to see Mount Bromo in the next couple of days--it is an active, ever-smoking volcano that sits in a very strange, I-feel-like-I'm-on-the-moon type terrain. If I can make it there, I think I can say I've done about all I have set out to do on this trip. If not, well, I won't complain. It's been an incredible trip.

So for now, enjoy the few photos I'm putting up, and we'll look forward to one or two more posts before winding this journey down in the next week.

1:-2 The rice paddies of Bali
3: One of the hundred of wood sculpture shops in Bali. I particularly liked this one.
4: Local school bus, Bali.
5: Farming in Bali
6: Hindhu temple on the sea
7: Blessed by the Hindhu gods?? At the temple.
8: Local transport, Gili Islands
9: The women are strong on the Gilis Islands!
10: Scuba heaven.
11: View from the beach on Gili Trawangan
12: Kids of the Gilis
13: The backroads of Gili Trawangan
14: Captain Kopacek, leaving the Gili Islands on Sunday

Extending my trip from Bali?

2008-11-11T19:54:00.004-06:00

Actually, no. I just wanted to see if I could make my mother's heart skip one last time before I made my way back to the continental US.....

....quite the opposite, actually. It's official. I've booked my flight home from my American arrival point of LA back to the home grounds of Des Moines.

[Mom, I can actually hear your sigh of relief from here as you read this. My congratulations!]

[Sister #2, I can actually see your disgust/disappointment for not extending my trip another month as you read this. My regrets.]

So here is how my final itinerary pans out:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Northwest Airlines NW022
Depart Bangkok --- 11/22/2008 6:00am
Arrive Tokyo --- 11/22/2008 2:25pm

Northwest Airlines NW002
Depart Tokyo --- 11/22/2008 3:45pm
Arrive Los Angeles --- 11/22/2008 9:25am

US Airways 332
Depart Los Angeles --- 11/24/08 6:30am
Arrive Phoenix --- 11/24/08 8:54am

US Airways 2816
Depart Phoenix --- 11/24/08 10:04am
Arrive Des Moines --- 11/24/08 1:58pm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's how and when it all will all end. Coe, if you're free at 2pm on the 24th, I'll openly welcome a cruise in the minivan with you back to the 'burbs of the big city.

Now, it's back to Bali. Gotta cram in as much as I can in the next 8 days here. I'll get some pictures up in due time, but for now, an overview in a few words: I think you could stay here forever. The place seems to have it all: beach, jungle, mountain/volcano trekking, diving, shopping, wining/dining, you name it.

Tuesday (yesterday), I set off on my own after renting a motorbike for the day. The cost? 30,000 Rupiah. The translation? 3 US Dollars. Gas, of course, was additional.....a whopping 15,000 Rupiah (a.k.a. a buck fifty) to fill the tank for the day. I went on a cruise to the north part of the sizable island, passing through village after village, each lined with woodshops and craftshops. For anyone out there building a home and searching for items to decorate your interior, look no further than this place.... Large, hand-carved and hand-stained statues (say, 3 or 4 feet in height) can be yours for anywhere from $US 20 to 40. Incredible. And the quality of these pieces is insane. If only I had bags big enough to cart some of this stuff home.

I also made my way through several rice patties/terraces that comprise the country's interior, sandwiched in between layers and layers of thick jungle. Along the road, you constantly see women walking from market to market, carting anything they can as cargo atop their heads---baskets of fresh produce, woodcrafts, and one woman even had several bundles of fresh, green herbs so peacefully resting on her noggin as she walked down the road. Now that's talent.

And the people here, incredible. Once you find your way outside of the main tourist area, where souvenir vendors are hawking everything from fake designer sunglasses, purses, non politically-correct t-shirts, and jewelry, the people are truly genuine. Everywhere I stopped along my cruise yesterday, I was offered a kind hello and the infamous "Where are you from?" opening inquiry. And as it has been for most of my trip, once I responded "America, 9 out of 10 locals reply with an excited "Oh! Obama, yes!!". I think the world has been delighted by our recent election. Receiving this reaction is a warm change from the reaction I may have received earlier in my travels when stating, almost hesitantly, that I was American.

So, I had an excellent day yesterday, traveling through the countryside. The only downer was getting caught in a heavy downpour last night, 1 1/2 hours from the part of the island I've called home the past two nights. It sure made for a more interesting time trying to navigate my way home in a foreign land once it was cold, dark, pissing down rain, and roads partially flooded. However, the nice spray of warm water in the face when cars passed actually became something I looked forward to....

Off today to view some temples. Photos to come later!

Adios. Ck.

Rocky Mountain high?

2008-11-09T21:42:00.009-06:00

Well, it's official. I've climbed a mountain. Her name is Mount Kinabalu, and I have amazing photographs, as well as slightly sore legs and feet, to prove that I did, indeed, make it to the top.

As a whole, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with my endurance, being I haven't exactly been one to practice "daily exercise" since my trip commenced. The closest I've come to "daily exercise" in the past 3 1/2 months is flexing all bodily muscles as I cringe immediately prior to jumping into my daily, cold Asian shower. But otherwise, this body hasn't seen many physical tests as of late. That was until the 13,450 ft mountain called my name this past weekend....

I set off on the climb on Friday with two others, Arjen (representing the Netherlands) and Marjut (representing Finland). The trek starts with a 4-5 hour climb that stretches 6 kilometers in an upward direction. All upward. The destination of day one is Laban Rata, a lodge-style accomdation where climbers rest for a few hours before making the early-morning ascent the following day to the summit. Luckily, to prevent erosion, the National Park has done a great job of creating a rock- or natural-stepped path that leads to Laban Rata. So while it is a difficult, uphill hike....at least the path is well developed and easily recognized.

Day 1 (Friday) started off nice, fairly cool, and overcast....great hiking weather in just a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Soon, however, the weather turned a bit nasty, and the rain gods let loose. Luckily the full-body rain coat I had just purchased was a quality one, and for the most part, I managed to stay dry and continue the surge up the mountain.

After just 3 1/2 hours at a rapid click, we made it to our cozy accommodation. The hike took many others 4 or 5 hours, but we managed to keep pushing forward even when our legs disagreed. I can't lie, though, I was beat. I nearly could keep my eyes open for 6pm dinner....

After an early bedtime of about 8:30pm, we caught a quick night's sleep and arose just after 2am to get the day rolling. A cup of coffee and a bowl of cornflakes was the morning fuel, but it certainly wouldn't end up going too far! We started the ascent around 3am, equipped with headlamps, trail snacks, and clothes sufficient to guard against below-freezing temperatures. Day two's (Saturday's) climb involved a little more caution and our guide's supervision--much of the 2.7 kilometers to the summit consisted of slippery rock and the usage of ropes to pull ourselves up. Again, we must have kept the end goal in mind with each step because it wasn't long and we were finding our way up the final climb to the top. We arrived at the summit at 5:15am. It was cold, dark, and windy.....a far cry from the balmy, tropical conditions we experienced at sea level just 24 hours prior. Talk about going from one extreme to another!

The sun started showing its face just before 6am, and we were ready for it. Numb hands and sweaty (now cold and sweaty) backs quickly warmed up when the sun came around. The view was amazing--fairly cloudless skies allowed us to see for ages. We managed 1 1/2 hours at the top before slowly making our way back down to Laban Rata, our overnight stop. After a well-deserved, hearty breakfast there, we continued our descent down to the park headquarters and reached the base of our climb just after 12 Noon. Let's just say coming down certainly moved quicker than going up--it was certainly a nice change of pace!

After arriving at the base, we were again fed (just some 3 hours after having a huge breakfast) and offered up a huge, buffet-style lunch. Oh, it felt so American it was heavenly. I think I probably went back for third or fourth helpings.....it's pretty hard feeling guilty about what you're stuffing your face with after you just tackled a mountain.

Sunday, well, Sunday was a day of rest. We managed to take a 30-minute ferry from Kota Kinabalu to one of the small islands that helps to comprise the marine park surrounding the city. A lazy, sunny day on the beach was openly welcomed after the activities of the previous two days......

....and that takes us to today, Monday. I arrived on an early morning flight today to the island of Bali, Indonesia. I've exited Malaysia and will spend the last 10 or so days of my trip in and around Bali. I'm looking forward to some more diving, more hiking, and inevitably some more beach time in the next week and a half....

Enjoy the pics, all! I am a bit frustrated...I just spent a couple hours uploading even more for y'all to see, but I just lost half of them. So before I throw this monitor out the pretty little window in front of me, I'm going to sign off and let you enjoy the ones that did make it to the blog anyhow! Can't wait to see everyone in less than two weeks.

1) Day one, are we there yet?
2) A misty afternoon in the hills....
3) Glad to finally find our overnight stop!
4) Day two begins...bring on the ropes.
5) 0.7 km to go until the summit, feeling good about things!
6) Done and done. 5:15 am.
7) First glimpse of what is about to unfold in front of us...
8) The crowd awaits the sun
9-11) The view unfolds....
12) A shot from the top once again!
13) Beginning to make our way down...checking out the scenery we couldn't see on the way up!
14) Local porters who carried food/goods/lumber/anything up the trail to Laban Rata....these guys are animals!

Sharks and Turtles and Devil Rays, Oh My!

2008-11-05T22:47:00.007-06:00

Formula for a great two-day trip:

Fun = Quiet island + Lively Waters + Unique Accomodation + Free TIGER Beer

You really can't put together a better combination, can you? I had an extremely abbreviated stay on the eastern coast of Sabah (the Malaysian province where I am currently) over the last two days, but although short and sweet, these two days will go down as two very memorable days of my trip.

After catching a short flight from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau on Monday evening, I taxied about two hours and arrived late in the evening in Simporna, the Malaysian port city that would serve as my departure point for Mabul Island, my home for Tuesday and Wednesday. More specifically, home for me was a little backpacker resort on Mabul Island called Uncle Chang's. And boy, did Uncle Chang put together a nice little package....

60 Ringits (a.k.a. $US 16) per day provided me with my own room/shower (well, there was room for 4 in all, but it's slow season, meaning I had the place to myself!) and all the food/coffee/drink I could stuff in my body each day. But it was the intangibles that made this place amazing..... You see, although quite a wealthy man I imagine (because he has multiple resorts/hotels around Asia), Uncle Chang is a bit of a martyr as well. Every youngster he has employed at this backpacker resort, whether a cleaning person, a dive guide, or a member of the band (which you'll learn about shortly) was a young person from a rough household, partial household, or no household at all. He's taken all of these young adults under his wing, given them job, and as a result, created heck of a "family atmosphere" at this place he calls "Uncle Chang's."

After Day 1 (Tuesday) of doing some "muck diving" (focusing on small fish and coral, as opposed to hunting for the big guys) around Mabul Island, Uncle Chang and crew not only put together a heck of a BBQ (complete with fresh tuna), they threw a party. A piece of plywood was removed from what initially appeared to be a wall, and WALLA, a miniature stage appeared in the dining area, complete with two guitars, a drum set, and a tambourine. From 7pm until the wee hours of the morning, Uncle Chang and crew played many American classics with their own Malaysian twist on each one, ranging from "Country Roads" to "Summer of 69." Talk about hilarious. Or, maybe it just seemed more hilarious with each compounding Tiger beer Uncle Chang brought out for his guests. Apparently the $US 16 per day included a buffet of the regional beer as well....can't complain there!

The funny thing to mention? While the 15-20 staff members, band members, dive guides, and others put on this spectacle, the grinning audience begged for more....all 15 of us....a whopping 15 people in this entire place. That's right, it's slow season here in this part of the world, and that means receiving a much more "personal" treatment when it comes to evenings such as these. To have the chance to be a part of the "family feel" of Uncle Chang's and not have to throw elbows to compete for a front row seat made the time all that much better.

Day 2 was the big day. Day 2 (Wed) is when we ventured away from Mabul Island and made the 30-minute boat journey to Sipadan Island, one of the top dive sights in the world. (Thanks for the recommendation, sis.) Although a cool, rainy, and overcast day, what we saw deep beneath the ocean's surface was nothing but clear, vibrant, and eye-opening. This little island, you see, sits quite a ways from mainland Malaysia, far enough that once away from the shallow waters near shore one finds himself in some pretty deep waters. In more detail, when you are underwater, much of the coral and marinelife you are seeing sits on or along a fairly steep wall that makes its way up to the island's base. Venturing a bit further AWAY from this sea wall, it's evident that there is another wall, this one about as sheer and steep as it gets. In more detail yet, this bad boy drops about 600 m (or let's just say about 2,000 ft) straight down to the ocean floor. Talk about daunting when you are gazing down below and seeing nothing but a vast, deep blue abyss.....yowza!!!

The pure scale of the place was just the beginning. When it came to marine life, we saw it all. Black tip sharks, leopard sharks, massive sea turtles (which I had a blast playing with and waking them up from their slumbers), packs of hundreds of barracudas (you called it, sis!), and even a huge stingray swimming by us. It certainly made me glad that I had gathered up the "cojones" to get my certification in Thailand. I'm hooked.

I wish I had an underwater camera (undoubtedly a future purchase) and could show you a taste of what I saw, but unfortunately the out-of-water images will have to be satisfactory!

Today, I'm back in Kota Kinabalu after another memorable overnight bus last evening. Oh yes, it was 8 hours of pure enjoyment. Winding roads and a driver with a heavy foot make for an ever-enjoyable ride....

A day of relaxing today serves as a precursor to what will come tomorrow and Saturday, the 13,000 foot ascent to the summit of Mount Kinabalu. I look forward to showing you all pictures from the top of SE Asia. Let's pray to the mountain gods that altitude sickness does not send its rath down on me anytime this weekend!!

Talk soon,
Coletrain

1) Last weekend, Singapore by night.
2) Famous black pepper crab of Singapore. Great recommendation, Carleen!
3) Uncle Chang's!!
4) View from dock of Uncle Chang's
5) Another glimpse of Uncle Chang's
6) Sunset from Uncle Chang's on Mabul Island
7) My favorite picture to take, you've seen a few of them already....
8) The rock show, 7pm to 1:30am, live at Uncle Chang's
9) Braving the rain, on the way to Sipadan Island for Day 2 of diving
10) Glimpse of Sipadan from shore
11) Happy with the day of diving...
12) ...But sad to leave the little place...
13) ...And even more gutted to leave Uncle Chang's. They even sang us a goodbye song as our boat was taking off!

Bouncing around Borneo

2008-11-03T00:34:00.010-06:00

Finally! A chance to get online, get some pics uploaded, and show all you Americans (rather than just tell you) just what I have been up to as of late....

Here are some images to catch you up on the Paranhtian Islands and the Taman Negara National Park:

Sign on the Paranhtians....literally, the next day after poking fun at this sign, a coconut fell from a tree and landed about 3 ft from where I was standing. Karma?

Our basic bungalows on the island: cold showers and musty smells.

Day of snorkeling off the Paranhtians (10/24). This little guy and a few of his cousins were hanging out on the beach, catching some rays...

View from the beach, also on the Paranhtians (10/25)

Nice sunset (10/25). Even nicer shiner.

Remember my free night's accomodation I spoke of? I would say the cliche "You get what you pay for..." captures this moment very well.

I'm going to assume this means "STOP" in Malaysian...

It's easy to tell I'm in a different world here (taken in Jerantut, small sendoff city for the boat ride into the Taman Negara National Park)...

Sign greeting me as I came into Kuala Tahan, the small village sitting adjacent to the jungle/national park. I thought it was catchy.

Warm up climb, day 1 in the jungle....5-6 km

"Floating restaurant", sitting on the river separating the village of Kuala Tahan and the Taman Negara National Park. Want dinner? Walk the plank.

Little friend watching me from his spot on the ceiling in restaurant

Biggest roach/bug/beetle beast I have ever seen. Conveniently, he was comfortably situated next to the sink where I was brushing my teeth at my "budget accomodation"

Breakfast before embarking on my 2-day, 25 km trek. The menu, needless to say, was a bit limited. Above: Indian Pancake and curry dipping sauce (those aren't spices in the sauce, they're dead flies...mmm) Not pictured but also eaten for breakfast: Coconut Rice

Packing my breakfast/lunch/dinners for the big trek!

Ready to rock. Admit it, I look like I'm headed out to not only explore the world, but conquer it....

Destination of Day 1 hike: our jungle hideaway

This ain't no Holiday Inn...

Select Comfort?

The pictures don't do it justice, but my body was in some serious pain after the first day's hike. The up and down, relentless terrain through which we hiked was extremely taxing on the body. The 12 km took roughly 6 or 6 1/2 hours, and was I sweaty, stinky mess when we reached our jungle home.

Through the window seen in the photo above, we (there was 6 travelers who made the hike and stayed in the hide) were able to peer out all afternoon and evening, in attempt to spot any wildlife feeding in the habitant below our home. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any large animals. However, the animal noices that came to the surface once the lights dimmed in the jungle created a symphony of sound that provided a not-so-ordinary backdrop for sleeping. Staying in the jungle, without the aid of electricity or even screened windows, was quite the trip.

On the morning of Day 2, we peeled our sore, stiff bodies off the wooden bunks and made our way back on the muddy paths. No one was all that anxious to repeat the exhausting hike, but when you're 7-8 miles out in the jungle, how else are you going to get back??

Not too far into the hike, we spotted a mean old scorpion of substantial size (see comparison to woman's hand....yep, it was a fatty) on the path....

On the hike back, we also managed to sneak in a glimpse at some wild boars/pigs running through the trees. But other than these fellas, along with our scorpio friend, the hike was a fairly quiet one (with the exception of our deep breathing from the hilly terrain)...

The hike back seemed to go a bit quicker. I think the anticipation of a cold shower, a backpack-free back, dry clothes, and some Gold Bond powder all contributed to our increased "hustle" on the way back.

(Me, post hike. I had changed into glasses after washing my face in a babbling brook backfired and caused me to fling dirt in my eye. I'll just say this: glasses and rain forest don't mix well. You can't keep the damn things from fogging up!)

The jungle, though an exhausting 3 days, was a great experience. The chalk-full-of-oxygen air, various aromas, and ever-changing sounds made for some incredible time in the deep.

Consequently, it also made for some serious chafing, rotten-smelling clothing, and bloody feet via hungry leeches. But hey, it's all in the adventure, right?

Next, it was back to the city for me. After taking an overnight train to Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital, I had time for a quick 6-hr pit stop (Friday 10/31) in the city before continuing on to Singapore.

A stop at the infamous Petronas Towers was a must. As was the photograph below.

Two other fellas and myself then took to the top of Menara Kuala Lumpur tower, the world's 4th largest telecommunications tower.

The view from the top provided a nice overview of the capital city.....

After getting a glimpse of the city, it was off to Singapore, my final destination on the "mainland" before shipping east to Borneo Malaysia, the portion of the country due east of Peninsular Malaysia.

Singapore, as I was told in advance, was a very Western city. In fact, with the modern amenities offered, the modern shopping centers, and the state-of-the-art architecture, it seemed like I was indeed in an American city. The big difference? The place's cleanliness. Never had I been on an underground train/subway and seen such spotless floors and walls. Considering one of Singapore's laws enforces a fine for chewing gum, it shouldn't be surprising that the place is nearly spotless. Having said that, leave it up to me to chose the day I crossed into the country's border to purchase a pack of chewing gum.....needless to say, the woman at customs was not too happy to have found the stuff in my pocket when crossing the border. Luckily I only received a "slap on the hand" treatment and was permitted to bring in my newly purchased treat....

After a weekend in Singapore, I made my way out early this morning (Monday, 11/3) on a flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. It's only a brief stop before catching another flight tonight (in 3 hrs) to Tawau, on the east coast of the country. It's from there where I will take a short commute (land, then water) to the waters around Sipadan Island, a diver's paradise. I've been told this place has some of the best diving in the world, year in and year out, so I am about to find out!

(Cue music from JAWS now.)

I will dive tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday, going down 6 times over the course of my stay. It's been a 2 weeks since my course, so I am looking forward to going deep again and exploring the waters once again!!

I'll leave you all with one last image: my poor, poor attempt to grow a beard. I tried for 2 1/2 wks and this is all I could put together. Back to baby face for me.....

Welcome to the jungle...

2008-10-28T07:12:00.002-05:00

Well, here we are....in the tiny village of Kuala Tahan, sitting at the foot of the world's oldest rain forest, the Taman Negara. I'll be honest. I never really knew too much about the place, and I nearly passed it up as a stop in my journey through Malaysia. Fortunately, I think I'll soon find out, I chose to make a pit stop here. Based on the little hiking I did today, I should be in for a treat.

But first, just a bit of a recap on the happenings of the last several days....

On Thursday morning, I set off on a 30-min taxi boat to the Paranhtian Islands. I shot over on the rickety little wood boat with a few others, two being an American girl and an English girl I had met on my travels to the Malaysian border. We arrived to find the much-hyped small island (there are two islands that comprise the Paranhtians, a "big" island and a "small" island, simply named) very quiet. Actually, the place seemed dead! It was almost as if we were going to have the place to ourselves, a big change from the very populated Thai islands I had seen over the past several weeks. It would soon become evident there were more people on this island than we initially observed, but nonetheless, it was still very quiet given the place's natural beauty. Monsoon season, we learned, is just a couple weeks away and the island closes its doors at that time.....so that would explain the aura of a "ghost town" we received upon arrival.

Day 1 on the island was a pretty simple one: we walked around the island, literally. A few hours on foot and we had nearly covered the island's perimeter. What the place has to offer is much what I've seen in the past few weeks--beautiful beach and blue/green waters--but this time, without the traffic. After barely beating the sunset, we came out of the jungle that makes up the island and arrived at "home". Home, for two or three nights anyways, was a simple little bungalow set just far enough off the beach to allow trees to surround us.... A fan room, (versus air-conditioning), cold shower, a stale smell, and a cheap price tag (15 ringit/person, or just over $4 US)--just what we are used to and what we were looking for!

Day 2 on the island is where nature took over. After hearing good things about the snorkeling off the Paranhtians, we signed up for an all-day trip that would include 4 different stops over the course of the day. We were in for a treat. The day went on, and as it did, the stops continued to get progressively better and better....

*First, we saw some amazing coral, some colorful fish, and some pesky jellyfish. Sure, cool stuff.
*Next, we investigated some more coral. This time more elaborate and more decorated, and the fish over abundant. Schools of large fish (unfortunatly I can't identify them yet) passed by, clownfish lurked (Nemo was a clownfish, FYI), and eels tucked themselves into small crevices in the coral. We're starting to get warmed up here.
*Thirdly, our driver took us to a shallow water spot named Shark Point. They weren't kidding when they called it this. We were able to see and swim near 3 good-sized (5 or 6 ft long) shallow water sharks. I'm fairly certain they were "Black Tip Sharks", but can't be 100% positive. In either case, although they are not in any way harmful, it was pretty amazing being in the water with these beasts.
*Finally, we were taken to see the turtles. And I'm not talking small, wimpy things we're used to seeing back home. These were massive sea turtles, 3 and 4 ft in diameter, that swam through the salty water. As they would come to the surface periodically, we were able to swim right up behind them. I was even trailing one close enough that allowed me to give the guy a bear hug as he made his way to the top. What a treat!

Easily, the best snorkeling I have been a part of since I've been in the water.

Day 3 was a lazy day on the beach. After two days of overcast, rain-threatening days, a day of sun was more than welcomed. I type this just moments after I read an email from my old man, explaining that Iowa just saw its first dusting of snow. I'll enjoy the warm sun and sandy beaches while I have the chance!

I made my way back to the mainland on Sunday after a quiet, but very nice, stay on the Paranhtians. Unfortunately, most of my day back on land was spent in a Malaysian police station. No, not because I was the recipient of another fist, but because three Westerners I had met and got to know quite well during my stay were victims of theft in their bungalow. A long story short, they had some encounters with the dodgy management, and it became clear they were not all that welcome at the resort. Upon coming back to their rooms on their last night, with their provided padlocks still intact and windows locked, they found their bags had been filtered through and were lacking iPods, cameras, phones, and cash. Needless to say, all fingers pointed to a staff-driven robbery. So I spent the day with them in the police station as they sorted through the police report....

Speaking of friends, I had made friends with the Malaysian man that worked at the travel shop where we had booked our boat tickets for the islands. Upon arriving back to the mainland and not having accomodation yet booked for Sunday evening, he offered to put me up for the night. Free accomodation? Why not! Turns out his friend (one of the boatmen) lived just 100 meters from the tourist shop and offered me a place to crash for the evening. I arrived to his place around 8pm and joined him and two others for some hot tea....they went on to toss me the keys to the travel shop and told me that I was free to use the Internet if I needed. Talk about hospitality! I was a bit hesitant about their level of kindness after the rough times I had experienced in the previous two weeks (a.k.a. getting robbed, getting punched), but I went along with it. I'm glad I did. They were great people and, although the place was no Holiday Inn, were happy to offer up what they had. Still, I can't wait to post pictures of the room I stayed in....a simple, airy little loft above a local shop....it was a classy joint I tell you....

Monday, I set off solo on the Jungle Railway, a trainline that runs through the jungle and makes its way to Jerantut, the jumping off point to enter the National Park.

Today, I took a 3 hr boat ride into the jungle and arrived in Kuala Tehan (across the river from the park boundaries) around Noon. I managed about a 6 -7 kilometer hike today in effort to warm up for what is to come tomorrow and Thursday.... I set off around 9am tomorrow, with two others I met on my boat this morning, for a trek a little deeper into the jungle's thickness. We will trek about 11 or 12 kilometers and hopefully arrive to our destination around 4 or 5pm. Our destination? A basic, electricity-free hide (as it is called) , a basic shack that sits above a man-made salt lick. The salt lick is meant to attract all sort of different wildlife at night, and hopefully we'll be able to see what nature throws at us tomorrow night. Rats and tamirs are apparently the most abundant creatures we will see, but there should be wild deer, monkeys, and the occasional elephant (although not likely). I've been told that the sounds you hear as you go to sleep make for quite an interesting evening.... I will hike back the 11 or 12 km on Thursday and eventually make my way out of the park.

That's what's new on my end, everyone! Sorry, I am not able to upload any pictures at this time....the Internet is painfully slow here but ironically quite expensive. Once I make it to Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital, in a few days, I should be able to get some images up on the blog.

Until then, I hope you all are enjoying the snow and the Iowa State losses. Sounds like nothing changes!

Made it to Malaysia!

2008-10-22T09:45:00.002-05:00

Real quick note here, folks. The internet here is crawling, and I have sleep to catch...

I am in Malaysia right now, in the small town of Kuala Besut. This place is more or less a port for the Perenthian Islands, where I am headed in the morning. Currently, it is 10:30pm, and here in Malaysia we are now 13 hrs ahead of Iowa time, instead of 12.

It's been a long 24+ hrs.....
*I left on a night ferry off the island of Koh Tao last night around 9pm
*Arrived on the mainland around 5am this morning
*Hopped a bus around 6:30am
*Switched to another bus around 2pm
*Arrived at the Malaysia border around 4pm
*Crossed the border (literally walked across the border after our bus left us a good quarter mile from Malaysia...strange) with two girls who were en route to Malaysia as well
*Made it through customs and split a taxi with the girls (2hrs) from the border to where we sleep tonight

It's been about 24 hours of commuting, and I am spent. Tomorrow, we head to the Perhentian Islands, about 20 km off the coast of Malaysia. White sands and postcard sunsets await, so I better go rest up! Internet may not be available on the island, so stayed tuned for a few days, and I'll work to get some pictures up when I'm back on land....

Certified to swim with the fishies....

2008-10-20T03:59:00.012-05:00

It's official. I'm an open-water diver!

Finished my course yesterday with two dives at 18 meters. What a rush it is being down there....it really blows you away. I never thought it could be as relaxing as was under water. We were swimming through schools of small fish, seeing incredible colors in both the fish and the coral as we passed. Unbelievable! There was a chance that we could see some whale sharks at one of the dive sites as they had been spotted just earlier in the week, but no luck.

It's inevitable that, if I do make it to Bali in the next month (which I'm planning), I will certainly take the time to get in the water there. Oh, just another hobby that has put its paws around my neck...

Either today or tomorrow, I'll be heading south and making my way to the neighboring country of Malaysia. It should be about a 24-hour trip (boat+bus+bus) to Kuala Lumpur, the capital. Can't wait for that nice, little trip!!

Morning of the final dive

Getting all geared up before the big dive

Dives complete!

My diving resort on Koh Tao

And last but not least, I would be holding out if I didn't share this next little bit with you all. Let's just say this: I've gotten a couple hints that it's my time to leave the Thai islands...first getting robbed in Koh Phangan, now getting punched in Koh Tao? Oh the memories I'll have from this trip. I guess we'll learn that local Thai men don't carry the appreciation for "sarcasm" quite like we do in the States. Sooo, as a result, I earned my second black eye ever (my nephew Matthew gave me my first when he was 8). Well, that'll teach me! It's okay, Mom, I'm fine. Your little boy can take a good smackin'. Even the boys from Wales I was with were impressed with my compusure.

As always, however, I'll maintain my stance as a lover and never a fighter...

So, from Thailand, possibly the last post from within the borders of this country, I'm signing off. Happy trails from Rocky Balboa!

Underworld World, Day 3

2008-10-18T07:32:00.003-05:00

If this trip would have one common theme, it would revolve around the idea of stepping up my confidence and conquering some of the fears and/or reservations I have had in my life....

I've never been good with heights, so I tried rock climbing. I am now digging it completely and don't seem to have any beef in dealing with the heights as I scale a rock tower. Similarly, although I can swim and have even worked as a lifeguard, I'd never dreamed I would have the guts to go down deep into the ocean and breathe by way of steel cylinder and narrow tube.

Well, today was a big day. My dive group went down for two dives of 12 meters today, spending much of the time under water performing skill assessments and drills. We did manage some swim time, but the current we were dealing with around the deep-water coral was, apparently, some of the worst Kho Tao has had in some time. Why not start with the toughest conditions, right? The day was great, and, although the visibility wasn't the best, we did manage to have enough to keep our eyes wandering around the sea floor.

Tomorrow will be the fun day, however. We'll finish our techniques/drills in the morning, and we will finish in the afternoon with some exploratory diving 18 meters deep in the Bay of Thailand. Can't wait!

On a completely, unrelated note....I can't seem to ever get away from the state of Iowa! In 2004, when I studied in Ireland, I can recall watching the CNN World network as they covered the Iowa Caucuses. Well, four and a half years later, as I track yet another election, Iowa comes into the picture again. I was in my room during my lunch break today from our class and decided to catch up on some news. I flipped on the CNN World network, yet again, and amid all the serious election coverage, they paused to touch on a more humerous subject. Apparently there are these two children, a 4-yr old and a 2-yr old, who have been discussing politics and the elections over their morning cereal/yogurt for the past few weeks. One supported Obama and the other McCain, and the camera footage captured them debating and conversing about their candidates. And, of course, where were the two kids from? Iowa, of course. The exact city in the Hawkeye State wasn't mentioned, however. But, I must admit, it was quite strange to be sitting in my hotel room on a small island off the coast of Thailand and seeing news footage from a Des Moines television station.

It's a small world....

Underwater World, Day 2

2008-10-17T08:12:00.002-05:00

If this whole SCUBA diving bit catches on like rock climbing did, I'm in for an expensive, hobby-filled life ahead.....

After a brief afternoon in the classroom yesterday and some more preparation from the textbook this morning, we took to the pool for some basic skills this afternoon. I never thought that I could be quite so comfortable underwater, but after spending all afternoon in the water, 3 hours of which were spent in the 12 ft water without coming back to the surface, I think I've become more adapted than I could have ever imagined.

Tomorrow, we spend one last morning in the classroom before taking to the waters of the Gulf of Thailand tomorrow afternoon. We'll do two dives down around 12 meters (in/around 36 feet) and that's when the fun should begin. Sunday (Day 4) will be capped off with the deepest dive (18 meters) prior to receive my open-water certification. And then, I'm officially a diver!

The laid-back atmosphere of Kho Tao has been great, and I can already tell it will be one of those places that will be difficult to part with when the time comes.....

Until then, I'm busy being a student again. I even have homework tonight, so I better wrap this up and get back to my textbook!

Oh, the ups and downs of the travel life....

2008-10-16T08:53:00.006-05:00

Today is Thursday, October 16, 2008, and I am happy to say that I am officially off of the island of Koh Phangan and have moved up to the smaller, more "chilled out" Koh Tao. It will be a nice, relaxing change from the craziness that was Koh Phangan...but here's a quick summary of the recent week....

Arriving on the island on Friday (10/10/08) was nearly like coming back to college after a long summer break away from your friends...dozens, it seemed, of travelers I had met in the previous 2 1/2 months all seemed to congregate on one island for one reason: the Full Moon. And with each passing day leading up to the big day (10/14/08), it was surreal to see the mounting familiar faces keep adding up...

The island was larger than any I've been on--apparently it is nearly 200 square kilometers in area. However, the majority of the "action" happens in and around Haad Rin, a small peninsula on the island's southeastern corner. That's where the backpackers gather, that's where the reunions happen, and that's where the Full Moon party is held each month.

Other than meeting up with old friends, I managed a day of exploration with an Englishman I had met in Halong Bay, Vietnam, some 30+ days ago. The two of us set off on motorbikes and crusied the hilly roads that lined the coast. I was on the edge of my seat as I gripped the brakes down every hill....this definitely was no flat island.....

We made our way to our destination in the middle of the island, a path that would ascend to the island's highest point some 650 meters above the rest of the island. After about 15 minutes of gentle path climbing, we came to a sign which "seemed" to point us up a running creek lined with massive boulders. So, like a bunch of little boys in a dirt pile, we rolled up our sleeves and were ready to get our hands dirty exploring. Soon enough, we were an hour and a half into a one-way adventure, navigating our way up a creek, climbing rocks, sliding on mossy surfaces, and even seeing numerous scorpions. Now realizing we were nowhere near the "path" anymore that was to be our guiding light, we swallowed our pride and began to make our way back down the path we had just come, rather than find ourselves lost in the thickness of the jungle. It was mid-afternoon when the two of us returned to our starting point, the origin of our 3-hour journey that left us nowhere close to the top as planned.

But there was hope. We soon discovered the sign we had missed the first time through, managed to get back on path, and eventually made the steep one-hour ascent to the top of the mountain. The view from the top made it all the worthwhile, but we didn't stay too long to enjoy it as sunset was soon approaching, thanks to our earlier detour that consumed most of our day. Oh, to be a watching creature and to see us blow right past that sign the first time around... It had to be like an old Looney Tunes cartoon when the road runner turns the arrow around and sends the coyote down to a rough descent. Nonetheless, we made an adventure out of the day and got to know the jungle quite well!

And then there was this little gathering on the beach that evening, when some 10,000+ foreigners come to have a few drinks and celebrate life...errr...or something like that. Or maybe its when mobs of local Thai theives perfect their skills on young, careless travelers? Well, this trip is about exploring new places and meeting new people, but it's also about working your way through the tough times when everything doesn't go as planned.

I wasn't the only one who fell victim to theft this particular evening. Actually, I don't know too many people I spoke with that weren't in someway victim to some sort of theft. The bummer of it all was that just 12 hours before the big gathering, I had bought a new, small digital camera to serve as my memory-keeper for the rest of the trip in those times when I didn't want to risk taking out my bigger, more expensive camera. Nonetheless, my new purchase was still a very nice little camera! Well, a few hours into the evening, I was camera-less and cash-less...all in all, the evening probably cost me around $300 between the two. Not the preferred way to end my stay on the island, but that's the way it ended. But if there is one quality that I have and that I will forever hold on to, it's to make the most of a crappy situation. It's never fun to use the cliche "It could've been worse...", but in a time like this, it's the one and only way to shake it off and move on. And I have.

So here I am in Koh Tao, moving onto my next adventure quickly and forgetting about my last. I've signed up for a 4-day SCUBA diving course and, come this time Sunday, I will be officially certified to go diving in depths up to about 60 feet. Koh Tao is one of the most popular places in the world to get certification, second only to a spot off the coast of Australia. I'm looking forward to seeing what the world has to offer deep in the ocean....

Yes, there's definitely some ups and downs of travel. But I've realized that once you shake off the short term effects of those down-in-the-dumps moments, you can get back to enjoying those things that this place really has to offer.

Only a few pics down below.... The few pictures I did have from the island and the big party went away when my camera was snagged. So until next time, enjoy what I have below and I'll work to put together some memories in the days to come. Wish me luck in the water tomorrow!

Maya Bay in Ko Phi Phi, last days in Ko Phi Phi

My little bungalow on Railey Beach, last stay before heading to the east coast and Ko Phangan

Approaching storm in Koh Phangan. This was from the beach, about 40 ft from my bungalow....

View from the top of our hike on Koh Phangan!

Weekend Update from Koh Phangan

2008-10-11T04:22:00.008-05:00

It's official: I've arrived on Thailand's east coast as of Friday, 7pm local time. I nearly resorted to aggressive force to kick myself out of the paradise island of Phi Phi, but fortunately I was able to sneak out before I was sucked in any longer.

In recent days, I have found myself flying through my small bottle of Neosporin thanks to numerous cuts and scratches from the higher-than-normal amounts of rock climbing that I have been doing....

First, on Tuesday, I spent the day climbing some 150 or 175 feet up a limestone rock face with a local Thai guide. The rope courses here are some of the best in the world, I've been told, and the view from the top of the climbs make all one's work worth the while. You literally peer down and see the island in its entirety. Incredible.

Then, after leaving Phi Phi on Wednesday, I spent two evenings on Railey Beach, a isolated spot on the mainland of Thailand's west coast reachable only by boat. Big sis and I did a day trip there during her visit, but I was destined to get back for a little more adventure as the climbing is said to be even better than Phi Phi's. Again I spent a day with a local guide and managed several different courses. I'm still at the amateur level, but I'm really starting to enjoy these climbs!! John Cutler, if you're reading this, can't wait to hit the ropes with you!

I said goodbye to the west coast yesterday (Friday) morning and made the 10-hour commute to the island of Koh Phangan, home of the infamous Full Moon Party. Some 10,000 travelers are said to gather for the little "get together" each month, so I'm looking forward to running into old friends that I have met earlier in my travels. I've been here less than 24 hours, and it's already happened. Carleen, I found our Canadian friends on the beach today and have their email address for you!

And finally, the biggest news thus far on my trip and maybe the news least anticipated by my mother...... I have extended my trip an extra month! It's an idea I've been tossing around for several weeks now, but today, I pulled the trigger, paid the $200 change fee, and booked my flight home on November 22nd. I'm extremely fortunate to have seen all the places I have already seen, but I realized that it may be some time before I make it back this way. So, knowing that, I want to pack in some more! Once I leave Thailand around the 20th or so of October, I plan to head south to Malaysia for a couple weeks, and then I hope to make it into Indonesia to see Bali, among others.

Above all, though, I should say that I'm so much looking forward to getting home to see all my family and friends. And I will be home for Thanksgiving....so Mom, have a place setting saved for me!

I don't have too many new photos, but hopefully in the days to come I'll manage to sneak in some shots and get them on the blog. In the meantime, take care everyone and we'll talk soon.

P.S. Anyone have any suggestions on how to do a write-in vote for this little election we're having soon?

'Tis funny how small our world is...

2008-10-06T08:10:00.005-05:00

I often doubted myself when I fathomed the idea of running into too many Midwesterners on my little tour of SE Asia, let alone someone from Des Moines. Well....

It was late in the evening, say around 11:30p (don't worry, Ma, I was in bed by 12) on Saturday. I was at a local establishment on the beach here in Ko Phi Phi, watching a fireshow (local Thais spinning fiery sticks around) when I heard some American accents at the table behind me. Of course I opened up my mouth, and they immediately recognized my American tone as well. One of the women asked where I was from.....and I replied with "Iowa", almost certain to get some questions in return like: "Ohio?" or maybe something to the effect of "Oh Iowa, is that where the potatoes are?" The girl, Meg, nearly turned white with doubt when she heard my response. Take that a step further when I said "Des Moines." Sure enough, she was born in Des Moines, went to high school at Dowling, but then moved to California for college and life. We carried on for a brief conversation, discussed some "Iowa-only" topics like ISU/IA football, the state fair, and the like. I've never felt so "at home" during my trip!

Was it really possible that there may be someone else in Thailand from my home city some 9,000 miles from my current position in Andaman Bay? And did I actually believe that, once big sis left on Friday, I was really the only Iowan on this little island somewhere off the coast of Thailand?

Indeed, 'tis funny how small our world is....

Pinch me.

2008-10-05T06:00:00.007-05:00

It's tough to know where to begin. I find myself dropped into a land that is far too beautiful for my words to do it justice, so I will sum up my last week with one word:

Wow.

I write today from Ko Phi Phi, arguably one of the most beautiful stops on my trip. And the days leading up to today weren't all that bad either.

Big sis Carleen, her boyfriend RJ, and I met in Bangkok on Monday, preparing ourselves for what was hyped up to be a great 5 days together in the islands. I think we nailed it.

Tuesday we spent some time on Railey, a reach-by-boat-only destination just a 30-minute longtail boat ride from Ao Nang, where we stayed all week. We managed to log some quality beach time, coupled with some exploration on surrounding rock formations. I found a new love in rock climbing here--the jagged limestone formations that jut out from the water make for some adrenaline-pumping fun as you scale upwards. No ropes, no harnesses. Just you, the rock, and the safety net of the water below. All 3 of us managed to find ourselves with some nice cuts on our feet and hands as a result of our climbing adventures....

Wednesday we joined a tour with 12 or so others, visiting 4 islands in the surrounding waters. The scenery was breathtaking. I think there were times when I had to pick up my bottom jaw off the floor. White sands, blue/green waters, incredible snorkeling, and more limestone cliffs for me to climb--can I ask for much more?

Thursday we chartered our very own longtail boat, so exploring the waters and the surrounding islands was left all for the 3 of us and our accomodating driver. We managed to find one small island (Buddha Island) with a beach, surrounding cliffs, and not a single other soul. Talk about another of those infamous "pinch me" moments. They seem to be happening quite frequently down here in the islands....

Friday we again chartered a boat and set off on the 2-hour sea journey to Ko Phi Phi. For a guy who hasn't done a lot of snorkeling in his day, I think I have been spoiled on this trip. We spent a considerable portion of the day in the water, peering down through the clear waters some 40 or 50 feet down to the floor of the sea. Incredible! Plenty of colorful marine life, starfish, coral, and even a barracuda that big sis and I came across....

But all good things must come to an end, and Car and RJ set off back to the mainland on Friday afternoon. I, however, a castaway with a backpack, stayed on Ko Phi Phi island, and it is here where I've spent the last 48 hours.

And just like it has happened throughout the trip, I have bumped into familiar faces here in Phi Phi, those of friends that I had met earlier in my trip. It's a small world, this place.

So in a nutshell, that's the last week of my life. Time has definitely slowed down, I've noticed now. I am officially on "island time," never really knowing the time, the day, or the date. The sun has been out in full force, allowing my tan to continue to develop quite nicely. I think I'll manage a couple more days here, and then I will set off to the east coast and wind my trip down on the islands there.

Enjoy the photos, everyone. Sis/RJ, I had a great time with you guys!!

1) Fom rags to riches! Big sis's idea of accomodation is different than mine as a backpacker!
2) On Railey beach.
3) Monkey chowing down on Railey (the beach vendors give them the leftovers at day's end)
4,5) Island tour on Tuesday.
6) Buddha Island, our peaceful little place we discovered on Thursday. Not a soul around!
7) Sea urchin
8) Chicken Island....at low tide, this beach appears every day, connecting three islands.
9-10) My new love, climbing stuff!
11-12) Enjoying the view from our boat
13-15) The islands by night time...
16) These little guys are everywhere!
17) One of those "pinch me" moments
18) Another one of those moments...
19) View of Ko Phi Phi island from above

A passing glimpse of Cambodia..

2008-09-28T22:31:00.008-05:00

Talk about covering some ground since my last post! I write to you today (Monday AM) from Khao San Road in Bangkok. Ironically enough, I sit in disbelief as I type on the very same computer where I made my first post from Asia exactly two months ago today. Apparently they say time flies when you're having fun? Unfortunately, I'm learning the hard way, it does.

I wrote last from the Vietnamese side of the Vietnam/Cambodia border. Knowing I had to be all the way in Bangkok on 9/29 to meet big sis, I had a lot of work to do if I wanted to see the things I needed to see in Cambodia. Thus, I've been busy....

On Wednesday, via a slow-moving collection of wood planks (a.k.a. a real shitpot of a boat), I cruised several hours along the mighty Mekong in order to enter Cambodia. Far from any urban area, the good local folks of the country clearly come alive. Despite heavy flooding that inundates the bases of their homes and poverty that has set in, the Vietnamese and Cambodians (young and old) along the river didn't hesitate for a moment to give a friendly wave. It was clear to me that travelers truly need to get outside of the big cities in this part of the world to truly appreciate the goodness of the people--it's also easy to see how those same cities, amid agressive taxi drivers and pushy street vendors, can leave visitors with a false image of the entire population. At the end of the day, the people are great and live simple, no-frill lives...its up to the individual to take some initiative and get out to the country to realize this.

After arriving Wed night in Phnom Penh, the city's capital of 8 million (the country itself only has 14 million), a jam-packed Thursday was one of the more sobering days of the trip. Much like a visit to a Nazi concentration camp, a visit to the killing fields of Choeung Ek was a must-see sight but one that definitely leaves you with an empty feeling inside. After the mass killings that took place here, strangely just 30 years ago, it's hard to believe a country has the resilence to bounce back from such a crime. It certainly wasn't a cheery day, but a visit to the killing fields, as well as the school-turned-torture center where prisoners were held, was certainly an eduational one.

A brief stay in the capital, and we were off to Siem Reap, home to the largest religious center and World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat. For the sake of time considerations, I won't elaborate, so if you want to do some research on the place, use our friend Google. What I will say is this: WOW! This place is massive, and the place is massively old. Standing in the grounds of what was, at one point, the center of the universe some 800-900 years ago, certainly made for an incredible day. Seeing the main temple at sunrise is a tourist must-do, so we fought the crowds and were witness to an incredible sight come sun-up.

After an exhausting day/day and a half of "templing", it was off to another border crossing yesterday in effort to reach the home point of Bangkok. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to veer too far off the beaten path of Cambodia and dabble in the country and witness the "real people". However, from what I've seen, just like the other poor nation to its north (Laos), Cambodia offers up the same genuine, friendly people. It's strange...often those people with the least have the most to offer. I learned it in Laos, and I imagine it's more or less the same case in Cambodia...

From rags to riches, I now travel from a place like Cambodia to the beaches of Thailand. I meet up with sister Carleen around 4pm today at the Bangkok International Airport, and together we will fly south to Krabi and spend some quality time together....and after the 4th of October, once she heads back to the western world, I'll spend my remaining 2 1/2 weeks on the beach in hopes of bringing back a tan to Iowa in late October.

Take care, everyone!

1. Homes along the Mekong
2. Cambodians bathing in the river
3. School-turned-torture building in late 1970s (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
4-5. Monument at Killing Fields remembering those killed (Phnom Penh, Cambodia)
6. Bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, "Spider Girl" as she called herself. Yes it's real. And yes, they were selling fried spider. And yes, I tried a leg. Why not?
7. Bus ride (continued)... I always wondered why locals insisted on wearing these things, even inside a bus. After 6 hours of sitting by a hacking/vomiting family on the bus (yes, really), it came to me.
8-10. Sunrise at Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
11. Tourists capturing the sunrise
12. Cambodia cronies, walking around Angkor Wat
13-17. A day at Angkor Wat
18. Sunset at Angkor Wat
19. A young boy climbing out of the river, around Angkor Wat
20. "Amok", a traditional Khmer dish in Cambodia

New country, new haircut!

2008-09-23T07:47:00.008-05:00

Well, the heading says it best. Tomorrow, I'm heading into Cambodia early in the morning. And, being its been over a month since my "new look", I thought I needed a fresh shave to rid myself of the "shaggy" look I was developing.... It's been hot the last few days, and that was motivation enough to get shaved one more time before this trip winds down. Maybe I should be thinking ahead of the weather that I'll be returning home to instead???

Recapping the past few days.....

Sunday was my last day in Saigon. Since I had done the basic touristy activities, I didn't really feel like I had a true grip on the city and its people. Being a city of 8 million that was made up of over 4 million motorbikes....what better way to be a local than to take part in the traffic chaos? I'll say this: the only thing scarier than crossing through the traffic was DRIVING in it. I wandered off on my two-wheeler in hopes of getting a glimpse of some of the real people that made the city what it is today.

After about 45 mins of cruising in one direction, without the aid of a map, I crossed the Saigon river and stopped for some shots on the riverside. I noticed some kids playing on the sidewalk, so I grabbed a soft drink from a street vendor and had a seat to watch. It became apparent I was far outside the "backpacker area" of the city because the kids all ran over and greeted with a friendly hello. They knew little more English than the greeting, but we managed to spend an hour playing around, taking pictures, and interacting. The mother, communicating with her hands (knowing no English), apparently was even trying to line me up with her daughter. Yeah, imagine how she tried to communicate that to me with her hands....talk about an interesting conversation! The kids were great, but eventually I had to head back toward my hotel for fear of what may happen to my sense of direction once darkness set in....

Tonight (Tuesday), I just arrived in the Vietnam/Cambodia border town of Chau Doc, Vietnam. This completed the two-day tour of the Mekong Delta area that comprised yesterday and today. I never imagined the Delta area to be as massive as it was.... The network of canals and river channels that made up the region offered a spitting image of Venice, only this place would make Venice look like a tiny speck on the map.

The images of this area seen during wartime, however, are far different than what is seen today. It's certainly becoming a very commercial and bustling region--large billboards along portions of the river, new and colorful multi-story hotels within the island cities, and many new bridges mid-construction that will tie together lands otherwise separated by the waters.

Over the course of the tour, we visited a cocunut and coconut candy farm, a riverside shop where rice noodles are made, a floating market where locals exchange produce and other goods, and I even managed to get my hands on a snake (see image below). The highlight was definitely the overnight homestay, however, where 8 of us opted to pay a bit extra to have the chance to eat a Vietnamese dinner with a local family and stay in the riverside bungalows they built for such company. It was nearly a 45-minute boat trip from the hotel where the other tour-goers stayed, so we certainly had the chance to slow down and get away from the newer, more commerical parts of the region. Being just a few feet off one of the Mekong inlets, the sounds of geccos, mosquitos, and other Mekong creatures were quite soothing to fall asleep to....and the local people we had the opportunity to interact with at the market at 6:00am this morning certainly provided a more local feel for the area.

I'll leave you with a few photos: the kids of Saigon, and the images of the Mekong. Enjoy, this is my last post from Vietnam...to Cambodia!

Cole Train

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#1-4......Faces of Saigon
#5..........Little old man on the Mekong who was making bamboo baskets
#6..........Woman rowing her way to the morning markets on the Mekong
#7..........A shot of our bungalow balconies looking over the canal
#8..........Sunset from our ferry on the Mekong
#9..........Cooking up some spring rolls at our homestay
#10..........Sunrise the next morning from the bungalow
#11.........Drinking fresh coconut water on the tour
#12.........The process of making rice noodles
#13.........One of my many little gecco friends
#14.........Me and my python

Chaotic Ho Chi Minh City!

2008-09-20T06:28:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note here as we'll let the photos do most the talking, everyone...

Motorbikes, motorbikes, motorbikes. Commercial transport....minivan substitutes....they're used for everything. I sat on a street corner yesterday afternoon for an hour and simply entertained myself with the colorful display of uses that people find for their 2-wheeled companions. The first 5 photos below should some things up! Traffic has no order, and crossing the streets means putting your life at risk with each step. It kind of reminds me of crossing Main Street in Britt...taking that treacherous stroll from the Coop Gas Station to Farmers Trust Bank. Or something like that.....

Also yesterday, I paid a visit to the War Remnants Museum. It was a very colorful display (I only took photos of the not-so-colorful items on display) of the war: photos of Vietnamese effected by the agent orange and dioxide, images of destroyed soldier bodies, remains of weapons torn to shreds by bomb attacks, etc. It was not the most uplifting place to visit, but nonetheless, it was a historical exhibit worth seeing, despite it being a very one-sided view of the war from the Vietnamese angle.

Today, I took a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels outside the city. Unbelievable stuff here! To see how the Vietnamese soldiers battled during the war, navigating their way through this underground network and hiding in tiny, tiny sniper holes, it's no wonder they had a clear competitive advantage. The pictures, again, should explain things in themselves. The underground tunnel we crawled through was 120 meters long. Talk about a case of claustrophobia?! The nervousness wore off halfway through...however, without the help of a headlamp (which I conveniently left at my hotel, thinking the things would be lit for tourists), it made it impossible to complete the journey all the way through. The tunnels have small juts and jags to foil any Americans who tried to navigate through...and I wasn't about to be a victim, pulling out at the 60-meter exit. I'm pretty sure this type of tourist attraction would attract plenty of law suits in the US, but what an interesting trip it was....

Interesting was how the introductory video we watched portrayed the war, again with a very sharp Vietnamese angle on things. The narrator used such phrases as "The Americans flew in like a band of devils...", "...they ruthlessly dropped bombs on innocent children and pregnant women", and the like. Let's just say I made sure not to pull out my stars and stripes anytime during the tour!

But finally, the real treat of the day, getting to fire an AK-47 at the shooting range. I'm attempting to upload the video that I had shot during the process--however it seems the video is a bit too large to get on this site. Let me just say, I cannot imagine what fighting in a war must have been like with dozens and dozens of these things going off around you. Even with the ear protection, the sound of this thing resonated through my ear drums. Oh, and they have a little bit of kick as well. I'm sure I'll see the bruise on my shoulder develop in the next few days.

And that's that...days one and two in the Vietnamese capital. I'll spend a few more days in the country, followed by a quick jaunt through Cambodia before meeting up with big sis in the Thai islands around 9/30/08.

Enjoy the images....

#1-5: Motorbike extravaganza!

#6: US Tank on display at the War Remnants Museum

#7: Foreign propanganda on display at the museum

#8: I didn't dare force my shoulders into the sniper hole for fear I'd never get out...

#9: AK-47 bullets, ready for launch

#10: Crawling through the tunnels. Don't let the flash photography fool you, it was dark....

Crusing down the coast....

2008-09-18T22:47:00.008-05:00

Where has the time gone?? Little more than two weeks into Vietnam, I have already made my way down to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City). After spending some relaxing time on the beach in Nha Trang on Tues/Wed/Thurs, I headed south to Saigon last evening (Thurs) on a sleeper bus, arriving here about 8am....

Nha Trang was a very developed coastal city, made up of 300,000+ people. The city beach was a great place to wind down after a few draining days at the tailor shops. I managed to squeeze in a day boat trip on Wednesday that visits four of the islands that are scattered throughout the bordering waters of Nha Trang Bay. For the first time ever, I did some snorkeling and got to see some great coral. Unfortunately, Nha Trang had seen a lot of rain recently, so the sealife wasn't quite as populous as it would have been otherwise. Other than a few fish, the only sealife I had interaction with were dozens of tiny, golfball-sized jellyfish. I'd say I was stung 8 or 10 times, but fortunately they were just little fellas and didn't leave any noticeable damage on my body. Seeing the coral below was well worth the sacrifice, however.

I'm beginning to wonder what life will be like when I return to the US. I'm so used to being mobbed on the streets by sunglass vendors, watch vendors, food vendors, artwork vendors, and taxi/motorbike drivers that walking the city streets of Des Moines will feel like I'm sneaking through the quiet sanctuary of a public library. The color of my skin screams tourist, I guess. However, with all of the sun I've been catching, maybe it won't spell tourist for long. I'm beginning to blend in!

I had one minor casualty yesterday (Thurs). Sometime and somewhere midday I managed to lose/misplace two of my camera memory cards. Luckily, for the most part, I had backed up the photos on CDs/DVDs....however, I'm sure there were a few pictures that will go missing. Not the best feeling in the world, but it could've been worse!

I nearly escaped a more major problem last evening on the bus ride. Our night bus for Saigon left around 7pm and made several toilet stops along the route. I woke up around midnight to the bus stopping at one such stop. Seeing others outside, I figured I may as well use the facilities while they were available. After the short walk to the toilets, I was just getting into things (sorry for the details) when I heard the bus engine sound begin to slowly fade as it started to pull away. I cut things off mid-stride (again, sorry, details) and dashed for the bus as if my life depended on it. In a way, it kind of did. Either my contacts were extremely dry from sleeping or I was just running extremely fast....because just prior to making it to the bus, my left lens flew out from my eye. No worries as I have more in my bag, but the fact that the bus nearly left with out me was enough to create one of those panic moments. My bags, phone, money, everything was on that bus. Eventually, I saw its brake lights and approached the halting vehicle. I didn't know whether to slap the driver or kiss him. In either case, I made the bus and continued on to Saigon. Just like a good Disney film, my trip had a happy ending.

So here I am in Saigon.... I will be here for a couple days then head onto the Mekong Delta for a visit as well. Many things to cram into a short stay, so I best be off. Enjoy the photos, and we'll talk soon.

1) Caving in the Marble Mountains, Danang (9/10)
2) A pagoda on the Marble Mountains, Danang (9/10)
3) Surfing on China Beach in Danang (9/11)
4) Halted traffic in Hoi An due to street dancers and drummers (9/12)
5) Kids posed as dancing dragons in Hoi An (9/13)
6) Masked dancer in Hoi An (9/13)
7) Hoi An by day (9/14)
8-9) Hoi An by night (beaches 5 or 6km from the city) (9/14)
10) Our crazy island tour guide in Nha Trang (9/17)
11) Snorkeling in Nha Trang Bay (9/17)
12) The luck of the Irish: two Irish friends from my Halong Bay tour that I bumped into in Nha Trang
13) Lazy taxi driver. They deserve a rest after all the haggling they do!
14) Proper English??
15) No water to flush? No problem, throw a giant ice cube in the john!

Sucked into Hoi An

2008-09-15T22:03:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately the Internet speeds here today are at a snail's pace, so I won't be able to get any pictures up, but in a nutshell, I'll do my best to summarize my last few days....

It seems I got lost in a little place called Hoi An over the past few days. Lucky for me, and my wallet, I have managed to get out of the place and move onto Nha Trang.....let me explain.

I went into Hoi An with expectations that it was the tailor capital of Asia. Even that statement seemed to be an UNDERstatement. I walked out with three tailored suits, four shirts, and a wool coat to take on the days of winter when I return from 90+ degree temperatures. More than 500 tailor shops exist in the city of 70,000 or 80,000. Needless to say, I never intended on leaving the portion of bankroll in that city that I did in fact leave....however, when I return home, I'll be ready to take on the business world once again. This time in some fine, Vietnamese-labored gear.

It's truly amazing how they have this process nailed down. I went to one of the larger tailors in town. The first day, I walked in around 4:00 or 5:00, decided on the color/style, was extensively measured, and walked out no more than an hour or two later. I was told to come back at noon the next day for my first fitting. Sure enough, I came back at noon, and the suit had been made up and merely was waiting to be finalized based on my final suggestions. After a couple final touch-ups and modifications, I had a complete 3-piece suit, litereally 24 hours after ordering it.

It's evident the people in the smaller cities (i.e. Hoi An) manage to hang on to a very welcoming, hospitable charm, very different from the hustle and bustle of a big city like Hanoi. The people are great, and the kids love to practice their "hello" to you as you pass. But, at the end of the day, it IS a tourist-driven economy, so you'll continue to hear the common sales pitch from every angle. In example:

"Excuse me, meesta. You want motobike?" (Offered from a taxiing motorbike driver)
"You very handsome man." (Offered from the sales clerk at the tailor shop to every male customer in attempt to sell. It obviously worked on me)

Someone is always selling, that's for sure.

Hoi An is also 5 km or so from a beautiful beach, and I captured another beautiful sunset there one evening as well. Unfortunately I can't show you the picture, but take my word for it!

One of the other main highlights of Hoi An was the "Kids Festival" that was taking place. Each month, the locals celebrate the full moon, but the full moon in September (9/14) happens to be a special celebration where kids become kings of the town. So for the week leading up to the full moon, the evening streets are filled with kids riding around in backs of trucks, playing bongo drums, singing, etc. They also entertain audiences by dancing in dragon customes (you know the ones...where the costume covers the upper body but you can still see their legs???) and climb poles monkey-style, all to earn a buck from the donors in the audience. Every night I spent in Hoi An, the streets were swamped with these screaming kids and bongo drums....quite the sight (and sound) to take in....

And now I'm in Nha Trang. I arrived via a night bus this morning. We left Hoi An at 7pm and arrived here at 7am. Nha Trang is a bigger city (300,000+) but also is a beach town. There is much snorkeling, diving, and island hopping to occupy your time here, so I think I will manage at least a couple days here before working down to Saigon.

Sorry no photos today, but hopefully will get them sorted for the next post.

And seriously, what happened to ISU!? Signing out from SE Vietnam.

No Kopacek T-bones in Asia, sooo.....

2008-09-10T05:44:00.004-05:00

.....why not eat some snake, right?

One final day in Hanoi yesterday, and I went out with a bang. Rather than see the typical tourist stop that may include a museum, temple, or something of that nature, I opted (along with a few others) to visit a snake farm. Apparently, the highlight of said trip is to eat the snake's beating heart just as the creature is sliced open. Well, when in Rome....

Task 1, the heart -- the beating organ (about the size of piece of chewed chewing gum balled up) is placed in a shot glass, and it's believed that you become stronger if you consume this throbbing red hunk of meat. So, with the heart in one hand and a chaser (water) in the other, away I went. It's a bizarre feeling to swallow a beating heart, let me just say.

Task 2, the blood and the bile -- why is this even a consideration to this? I asked myself this question just before I slammed the shot of blood, followed by the shooter of the glowing, green bile. It must be said that the fluids are slightly watered down by some infamous Asian rice wine, so at least I'm not taking the stuff at full strength. The blood went down fine; the bile went down but not without a quick gag reflex that attempted to force it back up, but fortunately failed...

Task 3, eat the rest of the snake. This was quite enjoyable, to be honest. The staff cooked up what seemed like a Thanksgiving feast....new plates kept pouring out, each comprised of a different body part. First, the snake ribs (ground into a crushed corn flake type substance), which were nice on a crispy tortila shell..... Second, the snake stomach/liver..... Followed by the actual meat (had to chew it off the bone) and the skin (extremely chewy). It was easily the most expensive meal I've had in SE Asia, but given it was the "experience" that was being marketed more than the meal itself, it was certainly worth the time and money.

After a quick visit to Ho Chi Minh's grave, which was an extremely quick visit since the memorial itself is closed (his body is in Russia for 3 months getting some plastic surgery work done), I was on a night bus out of Hanoi.

I write to you now from Danang, location of China Beach, where many US troops relaxed during the war. I'll spend a quick evening here, then reach my destination of Hoi An sometime tomorrow morning. It's just a quick hour or so bus ride from here. It's there where tailors blanket the city, offering up custom-made suits for 60 or 70 $US. At some point (date unknown), I'll have to return to work and go through the interview process, so I may add be purchasing a couple of these said suits......

Talk soon, everyone!

1) Ho Chi Minh's memorial
2) Getting that heart out
3) After drinking/shooting/slamming the beating heart
4) Breakfast of champions: snake meat, snake blood, snake bile
5) Snake skin with accompanying veggies

A sidenote....

2008-09-09T01:12:00.003-05:00

After 26 years, I can swallow pills now. I guess the daily requirement of the horse pills was enough practice for me to conquer the skill. Applause please?!

Halong Bay, I Love You

2008-09-08T23:16:00.009-05:00

I'll keep the text in this post to as much of a minimum as possible. Why? Well, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and I think the photos of Halong Bay epitomize the cliche. Going into the trip, I had seen pictures of the place and knew it was a work of art. Yet, I was still blown away by some of the scenery.

The 3-day cruise was priceless.

Day 1 included the most beautiful sunset I have seen in 26.4 years, topped off by some saltwater swimming at dusk. Most escaped unscathed from the late night swim....but we did have a couple casualties, thanks to a few of our jellyfish friends. All in all, however, our group of 30+ managed to have a good day/evening....

Day 2 delivered undoubtedly the most challenging task of the trip to date: large, sheer cliffs that begged several of us to climb them. So, with my extensive experience in rock climbing (none) and a slight headache from the evening prior, we scaled the cliffs of Halong Bay in what would become one of the sweatiest days of the trip. The morning was comprised of what climbers would call "novice" climbs, but the afternoon was no joke. I managed to snag a decent view of the bay below once I had scaled about 70 feet or so of the monster rock. Mr.John Cutler, wherever you are, get the gear ready because I'm ready to take on the hobby of climbing. My skills need some honing, but wow, what an experience....

After spending the evening on Cat Ba Island, one of only two inhabitated islands of the 1900+ rock islands in the bay, we set back for Hanoi on Day 3. One last glimpse of the amazing panoramas, and we were land-ho, back to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Tonight, I will set off on a 14-hour night trip to Hoi An, about halfway down the country. The food here has been phenomenal, including plenty of seafood (you'll see a photo of me below snacking on some snails....I've also had squid, octupus, etc), so I look forward to more of the same as we travel south.

Enjoy the photos!

1) Traffic in Hanoi
2,3) Snail feast
4-6) First glimpses of Halong Bay
7) New friends on the boat (Mom, this is the Australian guy who demanded to talk to you on the phone)
8-12) The most beautiful sunset on the planet
13) Looking out from our rock climbing sight
14-16) Last glimpses of Halong Bay
17) One final jump off the boat!

Holy Hanoi...

2008-09-05T08:26:00.003-05:00

It's been several weeks since leaving Bangkok, a "big city" of SE Asia, so I had gotten used to some of the smaller communities of Northern Thailand and Laos. Then comes a slap in the face in the form of Hanoi---honking horns and manic motorbikes line the streets, making for some interesting street crossings as a pedestrian...throw in a dash of aggressive street vendors and a shake of scamming taxi operators....and WHALLA, you've got Hanoi!

After spending a couple hours in the market, seeking out a pair of new flip-flops and some reading material for upcoming bus rides, my negotiating skills are second to none. I wonder if I can put that skill on my resume when I come home?? I can see it now:

------

EXPERIENCE:
*Bartering with vendors in large metropolitan areas of Southeast Asia.
*Successfully executed the "walk away" technique until vendor agreed on offered price.
*Mastered the art of placing large bills in one pocket and small bills in the other, thus perfecting the infamous "this is all the money I have" technique. Also known as the "empty pocket" technique.

------

Tomorrow, I will head to Halong Bay (please Google the place and search for images, it's stunning) with a group of about 30 on a 3-day excursion.

Day 1 should include the 3-hour trip to the bay, followed by kayaking/swimming in the bay and further by viewing the scenery at hand at sunset.

Day 2, after spending the night on the boat, will include rock climbing on some of the rock fixtures extending from the bay. No better place to try my first climb than a place known worldwide for its rock climbing, right???

Day 3, after a night on Cat Ba Island, near Halong Bay, will be more or less travel back to Hanoi.

I hope to get some photos up when I get back......until then, take care everyone!

Good Night, Laos.....Good Morning, Vietnam

2008-09-03T06:22:00.014-05:00

After another week's hiatus, it's about time for me to get you all updated (it's well overdue) on the occurrences of the past 7 days in Laos, which coincidentally enough, will be my last 7 days in the country. My flight has been booked, and I'm officially heading to Hanoi, Vietnam, tomorrow. That officially makes my arrival in Vietnam, oh, 3 weeks or so late (my visa started on 8/12). But as the traveling life goes, if you enjoy a place, you stay. And I've enjoyed my 3 weeks+ here in Laos.

A week ago, after spending a couple days in Phongsavon and visiting the Plain of Jars (see previous post), our group of 4 headed south to Vang Viene, the "Apple River" of Southeast Asia. For those of you who DON'T know Apple River, it's simply a lazy river float where you can enjoy a couple beers with a few of your closest buds. For those of you who DO know Apple River in ol' Somerset, Wisconsin, just imagine the place on steroids...complete with on-the-river establishments, 20 and 30 feet-high zip lines and cable swings, and after-dark arrivals to your home base. The pictures can explain more below....

Before arriving in Vang Viene on Thursday evening, we had a short 7-hr bus trip (strange how 7 hours is now a "short" trip). We've seen some challenging roads on our journey in Northern Laos, but the swamp that we would soon approach on this leg would soon keep us sitting for over 2 hours in the hills. Luckily, I learned there are probably two words that describe the Lao people when things don't exactly go as planned in getting from Point A to Point B:

1) Rubber-neckers
2) Resiliency

When things get rocky, nobody loves to get out of their vehicles more than these people and simply stare as others try to cross the impassable mud pit. The section of the road that had collapsed was about half the length of a football field. It had disinegrated into a giant mud bath, consumed 3 or 4 vehicles, and halted dozens of vehicles, tourist buses, and large transporters. But luckily these curious, rubber-necking folk are a resilient bunch, determined to reach their destination. So, rather than getting a rig up there to level out the road, these drivers just keep plowing the mud pit until they make it through, often with a large pack of people pushing or a chain to tow. First the smaller vehicles, than the vans and shorter buses, and then the big rigs and buses come steamrolling through the crowds of people watching in effort to reach the other side. Thankfully during our stay, we witnessed nobody getting steamrolled, just the muddy road...

We reached Vang Viene on Thursday evening, and this is where our traveling group of 4 went our different ways. Let's just say I got a little caught up in Vang Viene and stayed through Tuesday morning--the scenery along the Nam Song river, combined by the scene created by the crowds of young, upbeat foreigners, was my little slice of heaven after a couple weeks of traveling on our own, and I had a tough time leaving.

One comment before checking out. I've had a lot of inquiries on the food here. It seems I'm doing a good job of eating all the time but not necessarily a good job of sharing the details! In Northern Laos, as you inched closer to the Chinese border, it wasn't too uncommon to see some dog, rat, beatles, and other bugs on display at local markets. So, let's just say I didn't ever order anything completely off the map--I was content with my fried rice and vegetables, sticky rice, laap (Lao salad), and papaya salad (sliced papaya mixed with an array of peppers and other vegetables). Ordering meat, especially when it's in a link form, is generally going to have some sort of a "mixture," so I usually played it safe up in that part of the country. All in all, the food is great, filling, and always fresh. Best of all, you'll never spend a lot. A big dinner last night cost 40,000 kip, or between 4 and 5 US$, and it included: laap (the Lao salad), a wicker container packed with sticky rice, and some spring rolls. I'm not starving. I'll leave it at that.

Thanks for your patience in waiting for my post and in reading this---we'll see you in Vietnam!

The crew at the Plain of Jars

Plain of jars

Dejected in the hills after another obstacle in the road (or just a dramatic pose to cease the moment)

The mud pit

View in Vang Viene from our guesthouse balcony

In the hammock at sunset

Getting flipped off the zipline into the clear water below in Vang Viene

Standard construction seen frequently in Laos: bamboo scaffolding!

The country's pride and joy

Who needs a license anyways?

2008-08-26T09:39:00.003-05:00

Just a quick, photo-less note this evening (9:42pm local time) to let y'all know my whereabouts and the happenings of the last couple days here in Laos....

As promised, our crew rounded up some "motorbikes" as they call them in SE Asia yesterday (Monday) morning, and we set off on the 30 km journey from Sam Neua to Vieng Xai. Keep in mind, in SE Asia, not only is renting a bike cheap....it's easy. After handing over 60,000 Kip (between $7 and $8 US) and a passport number, you are handed the keys to the motorized two-wheeler. No license, no previous experience necessary. Dare I mention I have never driven a motorcycle/scooter before? No worries, Mother....I had a helmet and I didn't crash. In fact, I felt pretty comfortable on the thing (I think I hit 80km/hr on the way home?). It was a windy, hilly road to Vieng Xai, much like the terrain seen along the river in previous days' trips. All along the way, we passed through local villages, where again it felt like foreigners were not a common sight in these parts....older men and women staring at our white skin, kids running to the road with waves and hellos. A common obstacle on the road was a combination of water buffalo and cattle, lazily strolling down the middle of the road, barely bothered by a honk of our horn.

The city of Vieng Xai is home to more than 200 caves used for housing nearly 20,000 people during the "American War", as they call it here, rather than the Vietnam War. We were able to see 6 of the caves....the rest are not yet available to the public. I didn't realize how much Laos was impacted by the war. Apparently more bombs were dropped in this country by Americans over the course of 9 years than were dropped over all of Europe in WWII. I guess there's no better place than ground zero to get brushed up on your history.....quite an interesting place to visit to say the least!

Today....well....today was back to the bus. However, only 12 hours for this trip from Sam Nuea to Phongsavon. Our bus trip today was quite uneventful in comparison to that of Saturday/Sunday's. We did manage one little adventure--a blocked road. The rain has continued to fall in Laos, and several landslides/rockslides were seen along the winding course. We screeched to halt around 3pm today with full view of a crane on the road ahead. Dirt/rocks covered the road, and we waited for about 30 minutes while the road was cleared for our bus and several others that had gotten to the dead end prior to us. Other than that, just another day on the bus (today with seats, at least).

Tomorrow, we will rent motorbikes again and tour around the Plain of Jars, essentially fields full of large, mysterious rock "jars" presumably used as ancient burial sites centuries ago. However, no one really knows where the hell they came from. It also was the most bombed portion of Laos during the war, and there is apparently still UXO (unexploded ordinances) scattered across the countryside. Needless to say, we WON'T be wandering aimlessly off the beaten path in this part of the country. I like excitement, but not land mine-level excitement.....

Anywho, I'll be back to full-fledge tourist areas soon. We will be in Vang Viene (a backpacker's mecca) by Thursday night, so hopefully I can get some more pics up then or shortly thereafter.

Good evening!

P.S. So the Olympics are over already? I gotta get my hands around some news, for the love of him...

Scenic river rides, cosy riverside bungalows, and a 16-hour bus ride from hell.....

2008-08-24T02:50:00.016-05:00

Well, the fearsome foursome (more specifically Michael [Italy], Stefan [Germany], Sara [England], and I) have come to learn that wandering off the beaten path presents you with challenging, trying moments just as it presents you with amazing, seldom-seen-by-tourists terrain. We are on Day 6 of our Northern Laos detour, and after our travels last night/this morning, we are taking some much needed time for R & R. But before I fill you in, I'll try to catch you up on where we've been in the last week......

Monday and Tuesday, as I mentioned before, were spent on the road north, leading to Phongsali. I mentioned that our bus ride was quite the adventure, complete with "mudding it" 4x4 style, pushing another bus out of the mud, etc. See photos below:

Local people keeping out of the sun as our tire is fixed.
The little engine that "couldn't" --- keep your focus on the "low maintenance" road beneath.

Lunch Special! Rats on display during our lunch break en route to Phongsali. We opted for bagged chips and Sprite.

Well, that bus ride was a taste of what was to come in a few days. Stay tuned.

Wednesday was spent with the monk, getting the showing of his temple, his blessing, and a guided tour to the top of Phu Fa, the village mountain that oversees the surrounding land.

The four of us and Somphet, our 23 yr-old monk friend, at the top of Phu Fa
Not a bad panorama.... Just gotta keep telling myself to keep some SPF on my head.

Thursday, we set off on an hour-long bus ride to Hat Sa, a village comprised of 50 or so bamboo homes/huts, a feeble old man (60 or 70 yrs in age) smoking opium by himself in a village shop, and, most importantly, a port to start our journey down the Nam Ou river. Here we learned that, being we're not VIP guests in a tourist-overrun city, foreigners are generally going to be given the last spot on the boat, if any. We negotiated a ride and crammed into our slow boat. This time, the slow boat sat 2 wide and about 7 deep. Not exactly our idea of a safe, secure ride. We really questioned our decision once the boat engine died an hour into the trip. We men had the task of putting the nerves of our female colleague to rest...so like any good travelers, we whipped out the cards and played 30 minutes worth of "Shithead" (mature, I know) while we waited for our engine to bounce back.

Around 2pm, we arrived in Muang Khua, another small village you won't find on many maps. Just like many others we passed along the route, it was a sleepy, humble village comprised mainly of small bamboo huts, smiling local kids, and a market (a staple item of any SE Asian community it seems). We passed the day with some BeerLao, more cards, and a view of the river below.

View of Muang Khua from the boat

On Friday, we set off on another 5-hour slow boat ride to Nong Khiaw. This time, rather than taking the local boat, we chartered our own slow boat (along with another American and three Spaniards) for 1,100,000 kip, breaking down to about $16 US per person. Not bad for a private boat ride!

The view along the route opened up, and the hills to our left and right slowly became more massive in size and elaborate in shape. We managed to find ourselves a couple homey little bungalows along the river upon arrival and spent the majority of the afternoon savoring the view of the river below and mountains across the way. One other item worth noting: the sun seems a bit more intense here, so we have spent many-a-hours chugging down what must be a speciality of SE Asia....fruit shakes. I'd say we take two or three of the things down each day. Delicious.

View along the river

Hanging out on our bungalow balcony

Nong Khiaw at sunset

On Saturday, we managed to find a bus leaving around 2pm that would take us to our eastern destination of Sam Neua, where we will rent scooters and check out the caves on the Laos side of Laos/Vietnam border that were used during the war. We knew this bus was to take 10-12 hours--we just didn't expect it to take 16!

Packed on the bus.....

A sign of what was to come should've been apparent from the get-go: the four of us arrive at the bus, but it is already chalk full of locals who have been on the bus from Vientiane, the country's capital. Sara managed to get the last available seat--the rest of us sat in fetal position on top of rice bags and other cargo in the aisle. (This is another thing that has become apparent--public buses seem to become commercial transporters. It's standard to find bus floors jam-packed with 50+ pound bags of rice, cartons of canned tuna, and other consumable goods.)

About 2 1/2 hours in, after a few locals had jumped off at their destination, I managed to score a seat. By this time, I can only feel the parts of my body above my waist. Other items worth noting from the trip:

*Little or no baggage was stored on top the bus as is usual procedure. Rather, on this bus (capacity 20, mind you), all cargo seemed to go inside.....in the aisle, on our laps, etc. So when some schmuck brought on a couple cages, one with a live rabbit and the other with hundreds of live crab, guess where they went. Combine the stench provided by these creatures with the exhaust fumes coming aboard through open windows, it made for a tasty aroma.

*Excess weight and cargo made for some pretty shotty suspension. I happen to have the seat above the back wheel well. I think we bottomed out more often than we didn't.

*As darkness drew near, the driver must have had trouble staying awake, so we passengers had the pleasure of listening to horrible, horrible Lao music at a maximized volume. My iPod, at its highest level, couldn't cover the noise.

*We awoke around 12:30am to the bus stopped, lights off, in the country...the driver nowhere in sight. Apparently we went for a nap in the ditch or something. We continued the journey around 2:45am.

*After 16hrs in the bus, we arrived in Sam Neua at 6am. Restless, tired, and moneyless (no ATMs or banks along the way), we wandered to a guest house where we'll take it easy today. The city is big enough to support a bank, so we'll do everything but rob the place tomorrow, take as much cash out as possible, and head to the caves. On Tuesday, we'll start the journey back south and slowly venture back onto the tourist trail....

So, for now, that's it. Thanks for reading, and we'll see you next time!

From a remote corner of the world...

2008-08-20T06:27:00.002-05:00

Hey all,

I will keep this relatively brief, being I'm on a very slow connection (this message may take half an hour to post) but very thankful to have a connection at all. I'm with three others (Italian and German guys, English girl) in Phongsali, Laos. It's about as northern Laos as you can get, miles and miles off the path often traveled by tourists. It's definitely not a path I would have chosen if I was traveling solo, but it's an incredible journey to take in the company of others. In a nutshell, here's the happenings since my last post:

*Traveled two days worth of bus trips to Phongsali, where we arrived last night
*The 12-hr bus trip yesterday was over 230 kilometers, 2/3 of which were on low-maintenance, muddy roads through the mountains of Northern Laos
*The trip was a bumpy, slippy-slidy ride through unbelievably scenic territory. We met only one other bus on the route, which my German colleague and myself helped to push out of the muddy slop when it became stuck.
*We blew a tire, which the bus driver and other Lao people replaced with bamboo-leveraged wrenches.
*A local 23-yr old monk from Phongsali (one of three monks in this village) accompanied us to the top of the town's mountain, where we had an incredible view of the village and valley below. He later gave us a tour of his monastery and blessed us on our travels, speaking fairly decent English all the while.

And that take us to the present... Tomorrow we will depart on a 8-hr boat ride to the south and stay an evening in yet another Northern Lao village. I still will hold true to my conclusion earlier: Lao children are the most beautiful children on the planet. And they all still greet us with either a wave, a blowing kiss, or a warm "Sabaai-dee". I don't think Phongsali gets many Westerners here, so it's fun to receive the hospitality provided!

Pictures to come later...but for the next 5 or 6 days, I'll be lucky to find an Internet connection. Phongsali, for example, only has power/electricity between 6pm and 8pm in the evening!!

All is well on our end--I hope everyone is well back home. From the path less traveled in Northern Laos, I'm checking out!

Sabaai-dee from Laos

2008-08-16T06:12:00.015-05:00

I have some serious catching up to do here, and I'll do my best to maintain my patience as long as feasibly possible. The "A" key is sticking on my keyboard, and you don't realize how annoying it is to type until you experience the "A" key sticking for yourself. Take it from me. Okay, here we go...bare with me, I may get long-winded...

Tuesday night/Wednesday morning-- We took the night mini-bus to the Thai/Lao border. I've never had a problem with motion sickness in a vehicle, but I came pretty near to losing it on this trip. The term "winding" doesn't do these roads justice. Then, try riding them at dark, in a packed mini-bus, with a driver on a mission. Yowza. Nonetheless, we approached the border around 4am when suddenly the bus came to an abrupt stop. With the masses of rain Northern Thailand and Laos has had, many roads had flooded. This one was no exception. Our driver spoke no English, but it was apparent he was ready to give it a run. Luckily he didn't and chose to take the 1 1/2 hour detour instead.

Flooded road near Thai/Lao border

Mekong River outside its banks on Thai side of border

We arrived at the border just shy of 6am on Wed morning. There were two options of getting to our destination of Luang Probang--slow boat (refugee style, taking two days) or speed boat (6hrs crunched essentially into fetal position on an motorized aluminum slab charging down the river at 100 km/hr+). We chose option 1. Some of our passengers chose option 2. As I noted before, there is so much debris in the water with all of the flooding, causing serious concern for these speed boats and the uncertainty of what happens when this speeding ship hits a large tree. A few of our Irish friends found this out the hard way. Upon arriving to Luang Probang around 6pm on Wednesday, we ran into them on the streets and asked them how their trip was. We soon learned they had crashed after hitting a tree, their boat was flipped, and they were trapped underneath not only the boat but also several layers of trees and debris. Each admits they were lucky to make it out alive, despite losing everything. We also learned a Korean couple was killed the day before, and 3 Lao natives two days prior. Note to future travelers in SE Asia during rainy season: take the slow boat!

Packed on the boat! (Early on the route. Dozens more jumped on as we moved along the river.)

Scenery along the Mekong River, en route to Luang Probang, Laos.

Lao girl on boat, helping her mother sell food/beverages.

Thursday morning, Michael (Italian fella) and myself were up and on the main street in Luang Probang by 5:30am to watch a ceremonial event that occurs daily. The monks come out at sunrise to collect food for the day. Locals offer up rice, fruit, and other foods to them as they pass by briefly before heading back to the monastery for their daily classes and/or worship. Pretty interesting sight to see to start off the day....

Monks collecting food for the day
View looking down on Mekong River and Luang Probang from a hill temple.

Yesterday (Fri) a group of us rented bikes and set off for the hills. Before doing so, however, I should mention that I did something yesterday morning that I've been promising many of you for a long time. See before and after pictures below!

At 11:15 am....

At 11:45am...

Surprised? It feels good, I have to say. (Jason Harle, you're my idol.) Needless to say, I have a new place on my body to load up the sunblock!

Anyways, we rode about 17km through up and down terrain to reach the Tad Sae waterfall yesterday. It was one of the hottest days of the trip thus far, so a swim in the waterfall pools was much needed after becoming soaked on the trip out. The waterfalls were beautiful, but they came in a distance second place to some of the kids we met in some of the villages on the ride out. It's as if we were a parade coming through---kids came running to us, waving, yelling "Sabaai-dee" (Hello)---some of the most beautiful kids we had ever seen. At a roadside market, we had a quick English and Lao language session. We would point to items in the market (water, milk, etc)....they would identify the item in the Laos languagea, and we would repeat in English. It made for the best day of the trip thus far. It's clear the people here, especially outside the tourist arena, are the friendliest I've met on my trip.

Local boy who paddled us across the river to the waterfall...
Swimming in the pool beneath the falls.
Village kids swimming. Seeing outsiders seemed to be the highlight of their day.
They love their peace sign...
Skinny dipping at a young age...

Exhausted after the final uphill on the way back home...

Hope you enjoyed the show, thanks for reading, and we'll see you next time!

Made it to Laos!

2008-08-14T21:23:00.002-05:00

Quick note here, details to follow....but I made it to Luang Probang, Laos, last night around 6pm. I'll get a post up later tonight or tomorrow morning with more details on the adventure getting here. I'm safe and unscathed, but unfortunately I can't say the same for a few fellow backpackers that were injured. They opted to take the one-day speedboat down the Mekong River, which crashed after striking some floating tree/debris as a result of 50-60 year record river levels here. Luckily my group of 5 decided on the more conservative two-day slow boat and got in last night....slow and steady wins the race after all.

More to come, including pictures of course. Stay tuned!

Still Jungling!

2008-08-12T01:40:00.011-05:00

Sorry for the brief hiatus, all! Unfortunately the hill tribes that housed us over the past two days didn't have wireless internet or Direct TV....

Just an update since the weekend:

Made it to Pai (pronounced "bye") on Saturday evening after 3 1/2 hours of back and forth hill driving on a small mini-bus. I was in the back with the bags and belongings of the 11 other passengers, along with my fellow Italian and an American traveling mates....

The three of us, along with a combo of English and Germans, set out on a two-day jungle trek with a Thai guide....staying the night with one of the local hill tribes. The rain didn't stop over the two days, so it made for some interesting mud hiking.

Day one was mostly uphill climbing....day two was mainly river crossing and mud sliding. I managed to spend the majority of day two on my tail end. We managed to come back on day two with 3 less travelers, losing two Germans and an Englishman to some sickness. I have a feeling the food we were provided wasn't cooked to Mom's standards.....

The six of us managed a pretty good adventure on day two's hike. Several battle wounds via pesky leeches.....bleeding legs.....chopping vines to blaze our trail.....venomous snake spotting (I'll pat myself on the back for spotting it)......bird homocide.....etc. I'll explain the latter. We spotted this beautiful, colorful bird across the river. After seeing it try to fly away and fail, falling into the river, our sherpa retrieved it from the water and brought it to us, showing a gunshot wound on its back. Knowing the thing was suffering, our guide thought we should take the thing out of its misery.....she didn't have the guts to perform the procedure, however. So with my farm upbringing, I took the knife and performed the Kavorkian-style procedure myself. I think I scared a few of the other hikers with my swift action, but nonetheless, I punched the bird's ticket to birdy heaven for him....

Quite the two-day hike and adventure. I'm happy we made the decision to go forward with it. Italian guy and I are leaving tonight on a night bus for the Laos border. Should get there at 6am and then we'll head on a slow boat down to Luang Probang, Laos. We did some celebrating last night as it was his birthday at midnight, so he's a bit in the dumps today. We'll see how the long trip treats the poor guy...

Enjoy the photos.
Ck

Mam, our tour guide; Jim, Los Angeles; Michael, Italy; Me, God's Country

Winding roads

Our Thai sherpa, carrying all of the food that will soon sicken a good portion of our crew!

Village in the hills we called home on Sun night. 11 of us in a single bamboo bungaloo. Rice whiskey = better sleep

One of the many river crossings

Say hello to my little friend.

View from the top, worth the hike!

Spelunking!

My personal bamboo hut in Pai. 80 baht for one night, incredible. Less than 3 US.

My squatting skills are getting quite impressive.

Zipping through the jungle...

2008-08-08T05:29:00.002-05:00

Hey all...just back from a pretty cool little adventure about an hour outside of Chiang Mai called Flight of the Gibbon. It involves getting all geared up and navigating your way through the jungle from tree to tree via cables and zip lines. See link (http://www.treetopasia.com/). It was a cool/wet day, kind of a nice change of pace from the heat I've been getting used to....

I had Thai massage #2 of the trip last evening....so relaxed that I started to doze off during the hour-long session. 150 baht/hour. Where in the states can we get an hour message for $5?

Heading off to a little place called Pai, Thailand, tomorrow I reckon (I'm starting to use this term after hearing it daily from English travelers along the way). Hard to believe I've been over here nearly two weeks already!

Happy Hobo Days to anyone who may be in Britt this weekend.... Thanks for the comments!

Experiencing Chiang Mai

2008-08-06T04:50:00.004-05:00

So after a brutal train ride on Monday morning, I made it to Chiang Mai around 1pm. In short:

1) Nearly missed the train because I woke up at 4:25am for my 4:20am train. Sprinted to the train station to see the train lights coming...thank God nothing runs on time here.
2) No air-conditioning and windows open, so the mosquitoes were quite satisfied to call my car home.
3) Made an emergency stop to let a guy off who was bleeding profusely from his face and neck. Fight maybe? Bathroom accident??
4) Stopped for nearly an hour at another station to wait for another train engine.

Needless to say, I was pumped to see Chiang Mai.

Went on a whitewater rafting trip yesterday with a couple German guys I met in Bangkok, and two others. Belgians. Needless to say I made sure these bastards weren't going to stick me with the bill!!

Took a Thai cooking course today with 6 others. Made some great food and ate all day. Mom, I hope I made you proud.

Chiang Mai has been good, and I imagine I'll stay here a couple more nights. I'm paying 70 baht for my housing (just over $2 for a shared dorm room and shower facilities).....so I am fine with the place! Plus, I kind of like how everyone here is calling me "Meeeeesta" (Asian for "Mister")and uses a simple "Hey Meeeesta" to call you. So for now, Chiang Mai is home. Plus, probably a good thing I'm here rather than Bangkok....I hear our President is there tonight, so it's best I'm hours away....

Enjoy a couple more photos...

Outdoor aerobics. Thailand has a thing for outdoor aerobics. It's quite hilarious.

Outdoor aerobics #2.

My quads are getting stronger with the adapted "squat style" that I've acquired from the Thai culture.

Thai stir fry. I nearly died.

Our cooking instructor's name. She was quite the character. Notable quote of the day:

"Oh, this ginseng. We use in curry. Men sometimes use to help with Boom Boom. Yeah, but too much and no more Boom Boom!" (Apparently she was referencing sex.)

That's all the time we have for today. Hope everyone's well back home.

Monkey Mania

2008-08-03T08:48:00.003-05:00

Finally got to a computer where I can rip some of the photos off my card and get them backed up...thought I'd throw a few on here of my monkey mates from Fri/Sat.

Today (Sun) I took a day trip from Phitsanulok to Sukhothai to see the ancient ruins of the old Siam capital. I usually am kind of numb to ruins as they tend to become redundant to me, but I was very impressed by some of the 600-700 year old Buddhist temples that remained. I was not impressed, however, by the bus that took me there. Needless to say (see photo), the buses aren't really made to accomodate the taller Western folk. I'd hate to see big bro step into one of these things....

Taking a 4am train to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand....should arrive there by Noon tomorrow....pending, of course, I don't get eaten by any of the stray dogs roaming the streets of Phitsanulok. It's funny how their mannerisms mirror homeless people in the US.

Ciao!

Hanging out in Lubpori.

The little shit that stole my water bottle....

Their world, I'm just living in it....

Can't be home for sweet corn season, so I had to find some!

Greyhounds will look like Cadillacs when I get home...

The little thieves....

2008-08-01T23:26:00.002-05:00

Got a few minutes before my train takes me north to Sukhothai, Thailand....

Here's what I know about this little place called Lubpori: the monkeys are quite aggressive. They were not joking when they claimed the monkey gangs have taken over the city. One of the little shits took my water bottle out of my back pocket yesterday afternoon. The joke was on him, though, when he couldn't get the thing open!

Also, I will soon change the phrase "going Dutch" to the newly coined "going Belgian". Drinking at our guest house with four Dutch guys/gals last night and two Belgians....but the Belgians had to leave around 11pm to catch a night train. When it came time to grab the bill for my beers at night's end, I learned I was going to be responsible for the Belgians as well. The Dutch said I could no longer use the old phrase after that! Fortunately the total tab for mine (+2 others) was only 600 baht (or 18 US Dollars) for a nights worth of drinks. Thank God it's cheap here!

Leaving Town

2008-07-31T22:25:00.002-05:00

No photos today, kids. Running low on time as I need to get the freck outta Bangkok....been here 5 days now and ready to see more countryside and less Tuk-Tuk drivers, lady-men, and redundant markets...

Managed to sit ringside Wed night at a Muy Tai boxing match, where we foreigners were treated like royalty while local Thais piss-pounded one another. Quite the spectacle....

Yesterday, a few of us wandered outside of Bangkok on an organized tour to see some floating markets (see example here: http://images.google.co.th/images?hl=th&q=floating%20markets%20thailand&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi) and a Tiger Temple (monks/Tigers living together). Rather touristy tour, you may say, but worth checking out.

Today, I head out to Lobpuri to see a small city taken over by pesky monkeys. For all you Delts reading this, I will do what I can to have one hold up a sign that says Paitz Sucks.

Cheers.
Cole

I think I have the black lung...

2008-07-30T01:28:00.008-05:00

I really don't know why so much emphasis is being placed on "being green" today because, no matter how "green" we are in the States, this place puts out enough fumes to counter. Monday, I decided to get off the beaten path and wander toward the city centre, several kilometers from Khao San Rd where I am staying. I hoofed it for a good hour or two and eventually linked up with the water taxi (there are several water canals that shoot through the city)....needless to say I definitely got off the beaten path and saw some of the poorer parts of the city. Amid my trek, I think I inhaled enough exhaust from the buses/cars/motorbikes/taxis to last me a lifetime. And I hear it gets worse in Vietnam, so we've got that to look forward to! After a 3-hour journey, I made it to my destination, the Vietnam consulate to get my Visa....

Tuesday (yesterday) I met up with a girl from New Zealand, a couple Canadians, and a couple German guys....we did some sights, sweated a lot (yep, it's hot in herrrr), and managed to find a few cocktails last evening.

Tonight, we'll see some Thai Boxing, the real UFC.....

One other thing that blows me away? The US music I hear everywhere. I'm sitting in the guest house right now, and what's on the stereo? That damn American Idol song. Give me some Thai music baby!!

Homes along the canal......

A friendly little man that sold me a Coke along my hike to the city centre.

Some delicious fixin's that I had off the street for 25 baht (less than $1)

At the Grand Palace yesterday.

New friends....on top of the Golden Mount, a temple overlooking our part of the city.

Sun dog?

Getting acclamated on Sunday...

2008-07-28T05:21:00.010-05:00

Getting the morning off to a good start with a little Red Bull.

ATM Receipt. See balance, bottom right. Oh, if only the Baht was equal to the dollar.

One of the many images of Buddha seen....

A good sign you are entering a temple.

Ronald even managed to find his way to the popular tourist area of Khao San Rd. Crazy how Westernized this area of the city is....food, music, etc.

Bangkok, Night One

2008-07-26T21:54:00.007-05:00

After 20+ hours on a plane, about 9 different nap segments, and 3 airline meals, I made it to the "Land of Smiles" last night around midnight. By the time I made it through customs, located my ride (thanks for hooking it up, sister!), and got to my guest house...it was about 1:30am.

It's morning now. I'm showered, but yet I have a feeling I won't stop sweating all day. They're not kidding when they say it's hot and humid! I'm on to explore for the first time during the daylight. Enjoy the photo of my luxury accomodation from last night at the Green House Guest House (290 baht per night, or roughly 9 US dollars).....

Cheers!

Why Monday night? Because we can...

2008-07-18T12:59:00.004-05:00

So, it's been a while since I've seen some of you Des Moinesians. You know who you are. So, before I head to the land of tsunamis and stir fry, I (with the help of Landlord Doyle) will be hosting a little rendezvous at 9013 Aurora Ave in Urbandale on Monday evening, July 21.

Come around 6:30, 7:00 or whenever you can get there. Stay as long as you please. If you want to eat, bring something to grill...we'll have it fired up. If you want something to drink, please bring your own beverages. Kegs always seem to result in overconsumption and debauchery, and I've always been a man of moderation....... So, I hope to see many of you there! Shoot me an email (colekopacek@gmail.com) or a text (515.231.9636) if you are going to be able to make it so that I may mentally prepare for your arrival.

My Baby / Time Zones

2008-07-17T23:41:00.006-05:00

Here is the newest addition to my travel supplies. Picked her up tonight and can't wait to get her broken in!

I also thought it'd be useful tonight to learn just how many hours apart Iowa and SE Asia would be. Pretty simple math, I've learned. 10am in Iowa??....that makes for 10pm in SE Asia. A 12-hour difference makes the math pretty darn easy. Don't ask me, however, what will happen when Iowa ends daylight savings time. Hmm....

Flight to LA -- One Week Away

2008-07-17T09:08:00.004-05:00

Hey all, I just confirmed my flight to LA on Wednesday, 7/23. Below is the itinerary for the flight on US AIRWAYS:

Depart Des Moines, 2:50pm (Flight 2944)
Arrive Phoenix, 3:49pm

Depart Phoenix, 5:04pm (Flight 32)
Arrive Los Angeles, 6:29pm

8 days until I'm leaving the US....better get busy stuffing my pack. It's going to be a reliable friend for a few months!

Drugs

2008-07-03T16:49:00.007-05:00

Here it is. The monstrous container of pills that should (keyword here is "should") prevent me from getting Malaria. Can they make these pills any bigger? I feel like I was accidentally given medication generally reserved for a Clydesdale.

I got all of my shots yesterday, so hopefully my body is in the process of building a forcefield for all of those exotic Asian diseases right now. Well, 22 days until departure...

My Itinerary

2008-07-01T17:12:00.002-05:00

For everyone's record, here is my flight itinerary on the way out
(Times are listed in each of the local airport's respective time zone):

Northwest Airlines NW001
Depart Los Angeles --- 7/25/2008 1:20 pm
Arrive Tokyo --- 7/26/2008 4:30pm (flight duration, 11hrs 10min)

Northwest Airlines NW021
Depart Tokyo --- 7/26/2008 7:00pm
Arrive Bangkok --- 7/26/2008 11:40pm (flight duration, 6hrs 40min)

And here is my itinerary on the way home (subject to change, of course, right Carleen?)

Northwest Airlines NW022
Depart Bangkok --- 10/21/2008 6:00am
Arrive Tokyo --- 10/21/2008 2:25pm (flight duration, 6hrs 25min)

Northwest Airlines NW002
Depart Tokyo --- 10/21/2008 3:45pm
Arrive Los Angeles --- 10/21/2008 9:25am (flight duration, 9hrs 40min)

The Point of No Return

2008-07-01T12:09:00.000-05:00

Mark this time and date down in history:

10:49am
Tuesday, July 1, 2008

This is the exact moment when my 3-month journey to Southeastern Asia was booked/finalized/set in stone. Let the planning officially begin!