Right after a small bus disaster (nothing big, just a 45 minute walk with our big bags on our back to lunch because the bus was on "vietnam time")on the Ha Long Bay trip, it was time to go to Sapa. We were collected at our hostel, luckily a bit late ("Vietnam time" again) so we could get an egg baguette from the lady selling them on the sidewalk nearby, and brought to the bus station. Although this guy was very late, he was in quite a hurry himself so he kept telling me "quick, quick, quick" with everything that I did. Being that I had just been on a big trip that just got back that day, I was a bit irritated, but did my best not to get worked up, as here I have been taught to calm down and that things are never the end of the world, as bad as they may seem at the time.
So Mr "quick quick" shoved us in a taxi and sent us off to the bus station. Luckily, once there it was nice and smooth and no one was requesting money from us. We did find out that a group in a similar situation got stuck with the taxi bill so we were very lucky that our guide did not cheat us!
The overnight bus was a fun experience. Thank goodness I was with Ema, my friend that I met on the night bus to Hanoi and have been traveling with ever since. The night bus was nothing like the night busses that I have encountered so far in Vietnam. This night bus was full of double beds where if you are traveling alone, you would have to sleep next to (and uncomfortably close to) a complete stranger. Luckily Ema and I were able to do this with out a bit of uncomfortableness and a lot of laughs! However, on the return trip I was not so luck, but all in all it was not as bad as I thought it would be.
Once we made it to Sapa we were immediately greeted by a swarm of natives in their beautiful, colorful garb. I heard once that while you are here, you almost adopt your own native, as they attach themselves to you and follow you around. This proved to be more than true. By the time we even reached breakfast I was wearing two complementary cloth bracelets, branding me too return and buy from "my woman" all topped off with a pinky swear!
After breakfast, we were on our way. All the sudden I was hit with the amazing views of endless rice terraces and magical tree topped mountains. We marched (new women from different tribes assigning themselves to each of us to help us along the way) through the small roads, balancing on the rice fields, and slipping on the muddy tracks through the forests. A woman with a baby on her back was not only doing better at not slipping than me, but was actually HELPING me along! Eight and ten year old girls were catching us as we fell...these women are truly amazing!
After two treks with a little lunch in between, we arrived at our homestay. It was incredible! I was with a small group of only four others and we were blessed with a traditional homestay (so many of them have become so touristy that they are more like small hotels that resemble traditional housing). The family did not speak any english, but were very nice and made us feel very comfortable. The food was excellent and the company was great. Ema and I and an older couple from the Netherlands and an older gentleman from Sweden. It was lovely. We played cards and talked and admired the view. And, oh, the view! Our porch looked out upon rice fields that stretched for miles and miles. I felt as if I could stay there forever!
That night we had the most amazing thunder and lightening storm. The thunder was louder than I have ever heard before. I laid on my small mattress, under my mosquito net just listening to nature and all of its might. Before I drifted asleep, I listened as the thunder moved from right above us, to further and further away until it was just a rolling in the distance.
The next morning I woke up early and sat on the porch taking in the amazing view once again. As the rest of the group woke, we filled our bellies with crapes filled with pineapple and set out on an even more difficult walk in the pouring rain, once again balancing on rice patties and trekking through bamboo forests. In the next days I continued my trekking, ending each night with a homestay filled with lovely Vietnamese families and wonderful fellow travelers. When the fourth day came to an end I was almost not ready to leave. I could not have asked for a better way to end my trip!
Now, as I spend my final day walking around the busy, crowded streets of Hanoi, I am filled with a complete sense of contentment with how my travels have turned out. I am so happy with everything I have done. I have become a bit more mellow, become a happy and confident solo traveler, and learned so much about who I am. Tomorrow, I hope to take all of the great qualities I have discovered about myself and everything that I have worked on to make myself better with me as I embark on my new journey of self discovery in San Diego. Life is beautiful and I can't wait to continue changing and growing with every adventure I have! See you soon sunny San Diego!!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Ah, Ha Long Bay
What a beautiful, relaxing wonder of nature! Ha Long Bay is an area of north Vietnam full of hundreds of limestone cliffs jutting out of the water. Right now it is 6 am and I have woken early to sit on the rooftop of the sleeper boat and take time to fully take in and experience where I am. In my travels, I have discovered how much I love the morning time. The quietness, the beauty of watching everyone wake up and begin their morning routines...I just love it!
My boat is sitting smack dab in a clearing of water with the limestone cliffs surrounding me entirely. There was a light rain last night so the mist is covering the tops and all the cliffs in the distance to give a mystical, magical feeling. Other than the sounds of the boat motors (we haven't been moving for about 12 hours now, I don't know why they don't turn them off) it is complete serenity. There is a small fishing village on the water to my right. Hearing their soft hum of of music, a man cleans his nets in the water after throwing them in already this morning. Another, in a small row boat, is fishing to my left. Everyone beginning to wake up and feel the morning air outside before beginning the days chores.
Yesterday the sun was peaking through the clouds, so we were able to see Ha Long in all of its beauty, but today it is a bit rainy so the cliffs are covered in a thick layer of mist. I feel really lucky for this weather because it is really amazing to see it in both of these ways. So amazing to experience something that is so beautiful in the sun, yet is still so beautiful in the rain.
The day continued with a hike on Cat Ba island. This hike was led by a very cute, very old local woman. It is so incredible when women and men, so elderly, can hike great lengths and work so hard. It really shows what the body is made of if you just let it. The hike was amazing and invigorating and verrrry muddy and slippery. At the top of the mountain was the most beautiful view of the tops of mist covered trees. Sometimes I have to really stop and think about how blessed I am for being able to see so many beautiful things as I am getting to see on this trip.
My boat is sitting smack dab in a clearing of water with the limestone cliffs surrounding me entirely. There was a light rain last night so the mist is covering the tops and all the cliffs in the distance to give a mystical, magical feeling. Other than the sounds of the boat motors (we haven't been moving for about 12 hours now, I don't know why they don't turn them off) it is complete serenity. There is a small fishing village on the water to my right. Hearing their soft hum of of music, a man cleans his nets in the water after throwing them in already this morning. Another, in a small row boat, is fishing to my left. Everyone beginning to wake up and feel the morning air outside before beginning the days chores.
Yesterday the sun was peaking through the clouds, so we were able to see Ha Long in all of its beauty, but today it is a bit rainy so the cliffs are covered in a thick layer of mist. I feel really lucky for this weather because it is really amazing to see it in both of these ways. So amazing to experience something that is so beautiful in the sun, yet is still so beautiful in the rain.
The day continued with a hike on Cat Ba island. This hike was led by a very cute, very old local woman. It is so incredible when women and men, so elderly, can hike great lengths and work so hard. It really shows what the body is made of if you just let it. The hike was amazing and invigorating and verrrry muddy and slippery. At the top of the mountain was the most beautiful view of the tops of mist covered trees. Sometimes I have to really stop and think about how blessed I am for being able to see so many beautiful things as I am getting to see on this trip.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Leaving sunny quiet Mui Ne for the rainy college party scene of Nha Trang?
My last few days in Mui Ne were good ones! Spent the morning lazing around at the beach while waiting for the wind to pick up to do some kite surfing. Kite surfing mid afternoon, a little yoga in the early evening and then some dinner and relaxing by the beach. Honestly, life couldn't get much better. After the constant dormitory style hostels during my stay in Australia, my small private bungalow, my book (I started reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, and I am already on the third...sooo good), and the beach made Mui Ne the perfect stop at the perfect time in my journey in Vietnam.
However, my being sick has kept me on a bit of a tight schedule and I must continue north. My next stop would be Nha Trang, another beach town a bit more bustley but said to still be very nice. What I did not think to consider is the weather in Nha Trang. Apparently when Nha Trang gets the rain, Mui Ne only gets wind and waves. Low and behold I arrived to a very rainy Nha Trang and stayed at a very loud hostel. I decided that this wasn't quite the Vietnam that I wanted to see (although I met some nice people and played a very silly drinking game at the local bar) so I booked a boat trip for the next day and a night bus out to my next destination Hoi An for the next night.
After the boat trip, which ended up being a great time, I had to find my bus booking office. This is always interesting because I got my open ended bus ticket while lost in Saigon so I ended up with the local bus service rather than the tourist one. This means that it is always an adventure to find the booking office, but I really enjoy the journey and feel that it actually gives me a great way to see the more real side of whatever city or town I am in. This unexpected journey ended up being my favorite part of my stay in Nha Trang!
In this case I set out with all of my bags in the rain in search of the office. I had a great time! Along the way I met a very friendly 14 year old school girl who, although she did not speak much English, smiled and shared her umbrella with me as we walked and she led me in the right direction. I smiled and returned waves from children, was the photographer for a family shot of 30 by the beach, and even joined in for countless photos with more peace signs than I can count with various family members. I also, finally, found a place where they do not give you a menu or ask what you want, but instead just fill your plate for 10,000 dong...a true vietnamese dining experience!
And the authentic experience did not end there! Unlike the tourist busses that are not only nicer, but only fit the amount of people intended for the sleeper seats, these busses cram people on the floor isles where ever they could find space. Where there are only 3 usable seats, we slept 5 across like sardines in a can. With the exception that they did not stop for a bathroom break for 10 hours of the journey, it was a truly cultural experience I was very happy to be part of!
It is now nearing the end of my first day of two in Hoi An and I really love the city! Not only am I rooming with an great, down to earth girl from England, but the town itself is so cute and quaint. It has a nice french influence while still keeping true to its Vietnamese roots. The market is situated right by the river and there is nothing better than grabbing a fresh brewed beer for 4000 dong (20 cents) and watching the market in full swing. Vendors selling fruits, vegetables, fish, and lots of small trinkets. Push carts and bamboo balances filled with all different types of food, men and woman coming on and off the river faery on their way home. My favorite thing to do when I travel is to observe the people of the country going about their every day lives. Hoi An is such a wonderful place for such observation. Tomorrow, motorbike to the marble mountains then a bike ride through the village...very excited!
However, my being sick has kept me on a bit of a tight schedule and I must continue north. My next stop would be Nha Trang, another beach town a bit more bustley but said to still be very nice. What I did not think to consider is the weather in Nha Trang. Apparently when Nha Trang gets the rain, Mui Ne only gets wind and waves. Low and behold I arrived to a very rainy Nha Trang and stayed at a very loud hostel. I decided that this wasn't quite the Vietnam that I wanted to see (although I met some nice people and played a very silly drinking game at the local bar) so I booked a boat trip for the next day and a night bus out to my next destination Hoi An for the next night.
After the boat trip, which ended up being a great time, I had to find my bus booking office. This is always interesting because I got my open ended bus ticket while lost in Saigon so I ended up with the local bus service rather than the tourist one. This means that it is always an adventure to find the booking office, but I really enjoy the journey and feel that it actually gives me a great way to see the more real side of whatever city or town I am in. This unexpected journey ended up being my favorite part of my stay in Nha Trang!
In this case I set out with all of my bags in the rain in search of the office. I had a great time! Along the way I met a very friendly 14 year old school girl who, although she did not speak much English, smiled and shared her umbrella with me as we walked and she led me in the right direction. I smiled and returned waves from children, was the photographer for a family shot of 30 by the beach, and even joined in for countless photos with more peace signs than I can count with various family members. I also, finally, found a place where they do not give you a menu or ask what you want, but instead just fill your plate for 10,000 dong...a true vietnamese dining experience!
And the authentic experience did not end there! Unlike the tourist busses that are not only nicer, but only fit the amount of people intended for the sleeper seats, these busses cram people on the floor isles where ever they could find space. Where there are only 3 usable seats, we slept 5 across like sardines in a can. With the exception that they did not stop for a bathroom break for 10 hours of the journey, it was a truly cultural experience I was very happy to be part of!
It is now nearing the end of my first day of two in Hoi An and I really love the city! Not only am I rooming with an great, down to earth girl from England, but the town itself is so cute and quaint. It has a nice french influence while still keeping true to its Vietnamese roots. The market is situated right by the river and there is nothing better than grabbing a fresh brewed beer for 4000 dong (20 cents) and watching the market in full swing. Vendors selling fruits, vegetables, fish, and lots of small trinkets. Push carts and bamboo balances filled with all different types of food, men and woman coming on and off the river faery on their way home. My favorite thing to do when I travel is to observe the people of the country going about their every day lives. Hoi An is such a wonderful place for such observation. Tomorrow, motorbike to the marble mountains then a bike ride through the village...very excited!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A small turn for the worse
shortly after my last dive is where the trouble began. The only downside to the live aboard is that I had to pay an extra 15$ for every dive that I wanted a guide. I had met many wonderful friends on this boat and they were not going with guides so for the first 5 dives I went out with them. This was a big mistake, not only did I spend more time worrying about everyone and where the boat was, on the 5th dive I had accented too quickly. I didn't think anything more about it, but did hire a guide for the rest of the dives. My next series of dives were like I had never experienced before. My nerves were calm, my senses were completely open and I had some of the best dives I have ever had. Then when I got off the boat on the 3rd day I started feeling very sick and very dizzy. I didn't know what was wrong with me, but when it didn't go away by the time I was due to fly, I got very nervous it was decompression sickness. This, unfortunately, was no matter to take lightly especially since the pressure of me flying would make it twice as bad. So I made the very difficult decision to not get on my plane to Vietnam and instead go to the hospital.
The problem with decompression sickness is that the symptoms are very mild and the biggest symptom they say is denial. This is because the symptoms are so mild that many people think it to be over exhaustion until it gets so bad and evident they end up getting treated too late. I would probably have been in that category if I didn't have to fly, which stuck my concern.
Being at the hospital, alone, in a foreign country was probably one of the most scary and lonely experiences I have had. They ran many tests, took x rays, and in the end decided that I would have to stay over night on a mask feeding me a constant 100% oxygen. There were times when I just wanted to break down and cry, but I instead kept reminding myself that the only thing this will all do is help me to feel better and that I am O.K. and it is not the end of the world. In the end I had to stay an extra week in Australia, of which I mostly slept and read. I discovered that when I don't feel well it's ok not to be social, that I can get through anything by going with the flow, that sometimes it is a really good decision to follow my instincts, and that a small jar of peanut butter, several bananas, and a loaf of bread can feed me for 5 whole days..and now I am happy, healthy, safe, and enjoying myself in Vietnam! ANNND I am still going to keep diving (in 6 months when it is safe to do so again, of course) :)
The problem with decompression sickness is that the symptoms are very mild and the biggest symptom they say is denial. This is because the symptoms are so mild that many people think it to be over exhaustion until it gets so bad and evident they end up getting treated too late. I would probably have been in that category if I didn't have to fly, which stuck my concern.
Being at the hospital, alone, in a foreign country was probably one of the most scary and lonely experiences I have had. They ran many tests, took x rays, and in the end decided that I would have to stay over night on a mask feeding me a constant 100% oxygen. There were times when I just wanted to break down and cry, but I instead kept reminding myself that the only thing this will all do is help me to feel better and that I am O.K. and it is not the end of the world. In the end I had to stay an extra week in Australia, of which I mostly slept and read. I discovered that when I don't feel well it's ok not to be social, that I can get through anything by going with the flow, that sometimes it is a really good decision to follow my instincts, and that a small jar of peanut butter, several bananas, and a loaf of bread can feed me for 5 whole days..and now I am happy, healthy, safe, and enjoying myself in Vietnam! ANNND I am still going to keep diving (in 6 months when it is safe to do so again, of course) :)
A little leap back in time- my last couple weeks in Australia
I am now going to back track to fill in the gaps of where I left you off in Australia. I had been so busy that I didn't have time to write and then when I got to the airport (the perfect place, I had decided, to write my blog) I didn't actually end up flying and for the next week I was, unfortunately, too sick to even consider writing...or really doing much of anything for that matter. But, I will explain all of that a little later. For now, just the good stuff!
My first stop after leaving the boys was into the outback to see the world wonder of Uluru or in english, Ayers Rock. I didn't know too much about Ayers Rock, but after much convincing from the boys and a desire to experience the true Australian outback, I was on my way! All I knew was that it was a big rock sticking out in the middle of nowhere and that I was going to sleep in a swag, head exposed, under the stars. Honestly, the later part was the major draw for me. I arrived by plane to Ayers Rock airport in a tiny little plane. Although something recently has sparked a huge new found anxiety of flying, I was calmed a bit by the beautiful birds eye view I was able to see of Ayers Rock from the plane window. Shortly after landing safely, I gathered my bags and headed outside where large buses were waiting to take us to the resort. The resort, a large almost city-like operation in the middle of nowhere, had everything you could possibly need or imagine as well as many different offerings for accommodations ranging from the budget backpackers dorms (where I stayed) to luxury suites. Although it was very nice, I felt as though I were trapped in the Truman show....needless to say, I was very happy to leave for my 3 day tour the next day.
On the tour we went to three different, beautiful sights. Our first day, we hiked around Ayers rock (Uluru) and learned about its sacred sights. Ayers rock is a large sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory and is the worlds largest monolith and is very sacred to the Aboriginal people. That night we watched the sunset over Uluru. This was a much different kind of sunset than I had ever seen before. Uluru, east from us, changed from brown to red to dark red, to purple, to purple\brown before fading into the black of the night...gorgeous. The next morning we woke early and watched the sunrise, this time over Uluru itself. This is only my second time seeing a sunrise (both times on my trip to Australia) and I am hooked! It is so amazing to see the sun make its first appearance to the day. To sit and watch nature in action in this way, gives me a new deeper feeling of life...life, nature, is truly amazing.
The next day we hiked around an even larger rock formation called the ogres. This hike was one of the most beautiful I have ever taken. And finally on the last day, we hiked by the natural light of the full moon to watch the sunrise over King's Canyon. Thinking that I had already excited my senses as much as they would allow, the first morning light hitting the canyon walls was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Honestly, experiencing nature like I did those three days allowed me to feel completely my breath giving life to my body and heightened all of my senses like they have never been before. The best part about the whole experience, I fell asleep, in open air, star gazing. I woke up in the middle of the night and drifted back to sleep once again under the beautiful night sky, wishing on a shooting star...it was truly amazing.
Then it was off to the Great Barrier Reef for my final stop in Australia. My dream of going to the great barrier reef was my reason for learning how to dive in the first place, so as you can probably guess, I was very very excited! I chose to do a 3 day 2 night live aboard package with 12 dives including 2 night dives. To my luck I found that everything I hoped for while diving at this very special spot came true...although I didn't even see one turtle! :( The reef was full of so much life it was amazing. There was beautiful soft coral, with little nemos and other cute fish hiding within them. I swam with many reef sharks and crazy looking alien cuddlefish, schools of unicorn fish, hung a little too close to a triggerfish (although they do enjoy attacking at times I was really into my underwater photography and didn't quite consider their sometimes aggressive nature, but got lucky with a non attack), and lots of other beautiful sea life. I feel so lucky that I have the ability to witness how life under the ocean exists and to see how each fish coexists with the others. I can't wait to dive again!
My first stop after leaving the boys was into the outback to see the world wonder of Uluru or in english, Ayers Rock. I didn't know too much about Ayers Rock, but after much convincing from the boys and a desire to experience the true Australian outback, I was on my way! All I knew was that it was a big rock sticking out in the middle of nowhere and that I was going to sleep in a swag, head exposed, under the stars. Honestly, the later part was the major draw for me. I arrived by plane to Ayers Rock airport in a tiny little plane. Although something recently has sparked a huge new found anxiety of flying, I was calmed a bit by the beautiful birds eye view I was able to see of Ayers Rock from the plane window. Shortly after landing safely, I gathered my bags and headed outside where large buses were waiting to take us to the resort. The resort, a large almost city-like operation in the middle of nowhere, had everything you could possibly need or imagine as well as many different offerings for accommodations ranging from the budget backpackers dorms (where I stayed) to luxury suites. Although it was very nice, I felt as though I were trapped in the Truman show....needless to say, I was very happy to leave for my 3 day tour the next day.
On the tour we went to three different, beautiful sights. Our first day, we hiked around Ayers rock (Uluru) and learned about its sacred sights. Ayers rock is a large sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory and is the worlds largest monolith and is very sacred to the Aboriginal people. That night we watched the sunset over Uluru. This was a much different kind of sunset than I had ever seen before. Uluru, east from us, changed from brown to red to dark red, to purple, to purple\brown before fading into the black of the night...gorgeous. The next morning we woke early and watched the sunrise, this time over Uluru itself. This is only my second time seeing a sunrise (both times on my trip to Australia) and I am hooked! It is so amazing to see the sun make its first appearance to the day. To sit and watch nature in action in this way, gives me a new deeper feeling of life...life, nature, is truly amazing.
The next day we hiked around an even larger rock formation called the ogres. This hike was one of the most beautiful I have ever taken. And finally on the last day, we hiked by the natural light of the full moon to watch the sunrise over King's Canyon. Thinking that I had already excited my senses as much as they would allow, the first morning light hitting the canyon walls was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Honestly, experiencing nature like I did those three days allowed me to feel completely my breath giving life to my body and heightened all of my senses like they have never been before. The best part about the whole experience, I fell asleep, in open air, star gazing. I woke up in the middle of the night and drifted back to sleep once again under the beautiful night sky, wishing on a shooting star...it was truly amazing.
Then it was off to the Great Barrier Reef for my final stop in Australia. My dream of going to the great barrier reef was my reason for learning how to dive in the first place, so as you can probably guess, I was very very excited! I chose to do a 3 day 2 night live aboard package with 12 dives including 2 night dives. To my luck I found that everything I hoped for while diving at this very special spot came true...although I didn't even see one turtle! :( The reef was full of so much life it was amazing. There was beautiful soft coral, with little nemos and other cute fish hiding within them. I swam with many reef sharks and crazy looking alien cuddlefish, schools of unicorn fish, hung a little too close to a triggerfish (although they do enjoy attacking at times I was really into my underwater photography and didn't quite consider their sometimes aggressive nature, but got lucky with a non attack), and lots of other beautiful sea life. I feel so lucky that I have the ability to witness how life under the ocean exists and to see how each fish coexists with the others. I can't wait to dive again!
Monday, March 26, 2012
A lesson in relaxing- Mekong river and Mui Ne beach, Vietnam
From everything that I have experienced so far in Vietnam, the thing I love the most is that even with all the chaos (the two million or more motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh, the language barrier, the beeping, and man is there beeping!), everything still feels so calm. The best part about this calming feeling is that it is contagious. I have been able to relax, take in nature, and be fine doing absolutely nothing since I have been here. Right now, I am sitting on the beach of Mui Ne, Vietnam, enjoying a coffee and listening to the waves crash. My usual instinct is that I need to be doing something, and that something is wrong if I am not always going. But looking around at the people of Vietnam, I see that they are always working hard yet ALWAYS relaxing. Then I tried it, and by golly that is the secret! Always relax and have fun in everything you do. Don't think about the future or the past too much or you will not experience here and now. The thing is, I have known this was a tough thing for me to do and something I have been trying to work on my whole trip, but something about Vietnam has made it almost impossible to revert back to my go, go, go ways and I love it! Hopefully now I can just bring this home with me.
Before coming to Mui Ne beach, I ended my stay in Ho Chi Minh city with a two day trip to the Mekong Delta. The Mekong River is a long river that begins in China and passes through Thailand, Cambodia, and Loas, before fanning out to its delta in Vietnam and draining into the south Chhina sea. It is a very historical river that has great significance in many wars and leads to the livelihood of millions of people who live on its banks. All in all, it has been a place that I have wanted to see for a long time. What I really like about the Mekong tours in Vietnam, is that they are a lot less touristy than those in Thailand, for instance. In Vietnam, the floating markets that we get to see are the wholesale markets. They do not cater to tourists, but are meant only for the Vietnamese who make their living buying and selling fruits and vegetables. Those families who sell fruits and vegetables on the river are like a middle man. They buy the product from the farmers and then turn and sell it to those men and women who have fruit stands in the city markets. So those who have those market stands come to the floating market as early as 5 or 6 in the morning so that they can have the fruits and vegetables ready for their day. It was so amazing and educational to see this playing out in front of me.
I was also lucky enough to have my home stay bungalow right on the Mekong with a small porch to sit out on. Although we had to leave the next day at 6 am to head to a larger floating market on the river, I thought it would be a shame to not experience the Mekong from my porch so I woke up at 5 and sat outside, blanket around me, watching the boats full of fruits and vegetables head to the floating market. I watched as my neighbors across the river got up and started their morning routine, brushing their teeth as they crouched down over their porch spitting into the river, the woman beginning the days laundry by hand, and the man cutting up some wood to fix the side of the house. I felt so lucky that I was able to experience the pure, real daily life of the Mekong people.
Over the two days in the Mekong and now, as I sit by the beach, waves breaking in the background, I am so grateful to Vietnam for allowing me to relax, experience, breathe...live.
Before coming to Mui Ne beach, I ended my stay in Ho Chi Minh city with a two day trip to the Mekong Delta. The Mekong River is a long river that begins in China and passes through Thailand, Cambodia, and Loas, before fanning out to its delta in Vietnam and draining into the south Chhina sea. It is a very historical river that has great significance in many wars and leads to the livelihood of millions of people who live on its banks. All in all, it has been a place that I have wanted to see for a long time. What I really like about the Mekong tours in Vietnam, is that they are a lot less touristy than those in Thailand, for instance. In Vietnam, the floating markets that we get to see are the wholesale markets. They do not cater to tourists, but are meant only for the Vietnamese who make their living buying and selling fruits and vegetables. Those families who sell fruits and vegetables on the river are like a middle man. They buy the product from the farmers and then turn and sell it to those men and women who have fruit stands in the city markets. So those who have those market stands come to the floating market as early as 5 or 6 in the morning so that they can have the fruits and vegetables ready for their day. It was so amazing and educational to see this playing out in front of me.
I was also lucky enough to have my home stay bungalow right on the Mekong with a small porch to sit out on. Although we had to leave the next day at 6 am to head to a larger floating market on the river, I thought it would be a shame to not experience the Mekong from my porch so I woke up at 5 and sat outside, blanket around me, watching the boats full of fruits and vegetables head to the floating market. I watched as my neighbors across the river got up and started their morning routine, brushing their teeth as they crouched down over their porch spitting into the river, the woman beginning the days laundry by hand, and the man cutting up some wood to fix the side of the house. I felt so lucky that I was able to experience the pure, real daily life of the Mekong people.
Over the two days in the Mekong and now, as I sit by the beach, waves breaking in the background, I am so grateful to Vietnam for allowing me to relax, experience, breathe...live.
Friday, March 23, 2012
What the PHO?! I love you already Vietnam :)
Man have I had quite the crazy time since I have arrived in Vietnam. Last night my plane got in at about 9:30 but I got my visa on arrival and came in from Australia so I had to wait for 2 hours with all the others while I got the visa. I felt bad because I had booked an airport transfer and he had been waiting the whole time for me...oops but I didn't feel all that bad because I was at least safe in this crazy city. And man is it crazy! There are 4 million people living in Ho Chi Minh and there are 2 million motorbikes!! It is crazy to see all of the motorbikes take over the street. While I was eating today I counted 22 motorbikes between 2 cars, the next time I counted there was 30! Walking across the street is fun though. You just have to take a deep breathe and walk slowly forward and all of the bikes just go around you. However, when it comes to cars, they still control the road and you cant just walk in front of them. I learned that the hard way when I was trying to walk across the street and a Vietnamese woman stuck her hand out in front of me and saved my life lol.
When I finally got to my hostel at midnight, my room ended up being at the very top, 7 flights of stairs up! By the time I got to the top with my big rucksack, my legs were shaking. Everyone was already sleeping so I fiddled around in the dark and had to go on an adventure even to find the bathroom. Even though I was super tired, I had met a couple people in the plane and hadn't had dinner yet, so I decided to join a guy from Australia for a bite to eat. Even at midnight (as I was eating my first delicious Vietnamese PHO) I could already tell that I was going to love Vietnam! The sights, the sounds, the smells, I love it all!
Since I was sick for the last week, it has put me on a pretty tight schedule so I had to do a bit of unexpected planning and start my exploration of the city right away. The next day I woke up bright and early and headed to the chu chi tunnels that are left over from first the French then the Vietnam war. This was a really interesting experience. It was really crazy to see how the Vietnamese people had to live during that time and their view of the war. At times I even felt guilty for being American. All in all it was a really rewarding experience.
After the tunnels, I headed to the War Rememberants Museum. Here I viewed as many heart wrenching photos and stories as I could physically take. The part of the museum that stuck me the hardest was were they showed the continuing effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese population...devastating.
I decided after the museum that, even though I had no map, I would find my way back to my hostel in VERY busy Ho Chi Minh city. I guess in the months of travel and self-discovery, my stubbornness and determination has still held strong...so I am now taking it as a sticking point in my personality and not such a bad one, I have decided. So, needless to say, I had an interesting and fun experience getting lost and then found over and over on the way where I arrived safely back to my hostel just before dark. What a great day in a wonderful city!
When I finally got to my hostel at midnight, my room ended up being at the very top, 7 flights of stairs up! By the time I got to the top with my big rucksack, my legs were shaking. Everyone was already sleeping so I fiddled around in the dark and had to go on an adventure even to find the bathroom. Even though I was super tired, I had met a couple people in the plane and hadn't had dinner yet, so I decided to join a guy from Australia for a bite to eat. Even at midnight (as I was eating my first delicious Vietnamese PHO) I could already tell that I was going to love Vietnam! The sights, the sounds, the smells, I love it all!
Since I was sick for the last week, it has put me on a pretty tight schedule so I had to do a bit of unexpected planning and start my exploration of the city right away. The next day I woke up bright and early and headed to the chu chi tunnels that are left over from first the French then the Vietnam war. This was a really interesting experience. It was really crazy to see how the Vietnamese people had to live during that time and their view of the war. At times I even felt guilty for being American. All in all it was a really rewarding experience.
After the tunnels, I headed to the War Rememberants Museum. Here I viewed as many heart wrenching photos and stories as I could physically take. The part of the museum that stuck me the hardest was were they showed the continuing effects of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese population...devastating.
I decided after the museum that, even though I had no map, I would find my way back to my hostel in VERY busy Ho Chi Minh city. I guess in the months of travel and self-discovery, my stubbornness and determination has still held strong...so I am now taking it as a sticking point in my personality and not such a bad one, I have decided. So, needless to say, I had an interesting and fun experience getting lost and then found over and over on the way where I arrived safely back to my hostel just before dark. What a great day in a wonderful city!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Another chapter comes to a close and into the Outback I go!
I have spent the last three weeks with Dave and Warren in Australia. It was such a wonderful experience and they took such good care of me! We have camped, hug out with their families, partied, BBQed, did all the necessary sightseeing...you name it, we did it!
And now, as I am sitting in the Sydney airport about to fly to Ayers Rock and they are continuing their drive to Brisbane, I am left with a happy yet sad feeling. I didn't know what to expect when I stepped off the plane in Melbourne 3 weeks ago, but any expectations I did have for this leg of my trip have not only been met, but greatly surpassed! I am so happy for all the great times we had and the time that we were able to spend together. It is not everyday that you meet such amazing people. I met them in Seattle while they were traveling the United States and Canada and we had talked about meeting up in Australia. Often I talk to people about meeting up here or there, but rarely do we go through with it and even more rarely with such ease traveling together...it was really an amazing experience. Thus, bringing me to the sad part. Saying goodbye made me a little teary-eyed! It's OK though, it just means I will have to go visit them on their next adventure in the UK!
The last days with the boys were in Sydney for Marti Gras....WHAT A PARTY! When they had first told me about the event, I didn't really know what I was getting into, but thought...marti gras in Sydney, why not...little did I know it was going to be the happiest, sweatiest, dance until my feet fall off, gay celebration I will ever go to! All I have to say is WOW.
Sydney: The most beautiful and quaint city I have run into so far. We were lucky with a couple beautiful days to explore the city. The Sydney harbor is everything that the pictures and postcards say it is. The crystal clear waters, beautiful artistic Oprah house, cute historical buildings, and as many surf beaches as you can dream of having in a city, definitely make it one to put in the books. I even ate a kangaroo burger! I have seen snakes, spiders, and about 30 koalas, but no kangaroo! I thought if I haven't seen one I might as well eat one...and it's not so bad. (Hopefully I will see a real kangaroo in my days in the outback).
Now I am off on my own again and going through the old routine of nerves and fears and excitement. I call this a new chapter because I feel that my trip is split into 3 parts, with traveling with the boys being one part on its own. It is hard to put in words, but living these experiences back to back I am really able to uncover how my body reacts to the different situations of traveling alone and traveling with friends. I also feel that through this I am able to know myself more and control my feelings and actions...I don't know if that makes sense.
I arrived yesterday to a place called Ayers Rock (which is what I came all this way to see) and before I embark on my 3 day swag trip I am staying the night at the Ayers Rock Resort. I almost feel as though I am in the Truman Show in this resort. Ayers Rock is a gigantic natural rock formation in the middle of the outback. Since there is nothing, I mean nothing, else around, they built a huge, almost city like, resort near the natural wonder to accommodate all the tourists . I feel as though I am stuck in a fake reality smack dab in the middle of nowhere! It's bizarrely fun yet unnerving.
Now it is the morning I leave for my outback adventure and I am writing this blog over a coffee in this weird little resort oasis in the middle of a huge barren desert and for the first time since I arrived yesterday, I am relaxed. My advice to myself, which I hope I can master by the time I get home...enjoy the moment! Don't think, don't worry, just enjoy. On my trip so far I have found that I worry about so many things even though I have nothing that I need to worry about. I think...ok, I know, that it is in my nature to always have to be moving, worrying, planning, but doing that takes away so much from life. I am about to sleep under a complete horizon to horizon stretch of the most amazing southern sky stars that I will probably ever see in my life. My challenge that I am giving myself, clear my mind of worries, fears, and thoughts of what is going to come next. Just enjoy the experience....
See you in three days!
And now, as I am sitting in the Sydney airport about to fly to Ayers Rock and they are continuing their drive to Brisbane, I am left with a happy yet sad feeling. I didn't know what to expect when I stepped off the plane in Melbourne 3 weeks ago, but any expectations I did have for this leg of my trip have not only been met, but greatly surpassed! I am so happy for all the great times we had and the time that we were able to spend together. It is not everyday that you meet such amazing people. I met them in Seattle while they were traveling the United States and Canada and we had talked about meeting up in Australia. Often I talk to people about meeting up here or there, but rarely do we go through with it and even more rarely with such ease traveling together...it was really an amazing experience. Thus, bringing me to the sad part. Saying goodbye made me a little teary-eyed! It's OK though, it just means I will have to go visit them on their next adventure in the UK!
The last days with the boys were in Sydney for Marti Gras....WHAT A PARTY! When they had first told me about the event, I didn't really know what I was getting into, but thought...marti gras in Sydney, why not...little did I know it was going to be the happiest, sweatiest, dance until my feet fall off, gay celebration I will ever go to! All I have to say is WOW.
Sydney: The most beautiful and quaint city I have run into so far. We were lucky with a couple beautiful days to explore the city. The Sydney harbor is everything that the pictures and postcards say it is. The crystal clear waters, beautiful artistic Oprah house, cute historical buildings, and as many surf beaches as you can dream of having in a city, definitely make it one to put in the books. I even ate a kangaroo burger! I have seen snakes, spiders, and about 30 koalas, but no kangaroo! I thought if I haven't seen one I might as well eat one...and it's not so bad. (Hopefully I will see a real kangaroo in my days in the outback).
Now I am off on my own again and going through the old routine of nerves and fears and excitement. I call this a new chapter because I feel that my trip is split into 3 parts, with traveling with the boys being one part on its own. It is hard to put in words, but living these experiences back to back I am really able to uncover how my body reacts to the different situations of traveling alone and traveling with friends. I also feel that through this I am able to know myself more and control my feelings and actions...I don't know if that makes sense.
I arrived yesterday to a place called Ayers Rock (which is what I came all this way to see) and before I embark on my 3 day swag trip I am staying the night at the Ayers Rock Resort. I almost feel as though I am in the Truman Show in this resort. Ayers Rock is a gigantic natural rock formation in the middle of the outback. Since there is nothing, I mean nothing, else around, they built a huge, almost city like, resort near the natural wonder to accommodate all the tourists . I feel as though I am stuck in a fake reality smack dab in the middle of nowhere! It's bizarrely fun yet unnerving.
Now it is the morning I leave for my outback adventure and I am writing this blog over a coffee in this weird little resort oasis in the middle of a huge barren desert and for the first time since I arrived yesterday, I am relaxed. My advice to myself, which I hope I can master by the time I get home...enjoy the moment! Don't think, don't worry, just enjoy. On my trip so far I have found that I worry about so many things even though I have nothing that I need to worry about. I think...ok, I know, that it is in my nature to always have to be moving, worrying, planning, but doing that takes away so much from life. I am about to sleep under a complete horizon to horizon stretch of the most amazing southern sky stars that I will probably ever see in my life. My challenge that I am giving myself, clear my mind of worries, fears, and thoughts of what is going to come next. Just enjoy the experience....
See you in three days!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Getting down and dirty, down under!
First couple thoughts about Australia: WOW what a beautiful country and it feels so much like home!
After being on the road in Thailand and Cambodia by myself for a month, coming to Australia to two great friends feels almost like coming home! At first I was having trouble finding any differences or even hearing the accents, since I was so much back into the familiar.
Then....SICK AGAIN :(... possibly from extreme exhaustion from all of the traveling or the fumes that I had to consume when my buses tire blew out at 3am on the ride to Bangkok. Either way, for the first 3 days in Australia, my body recognized the familiar and had no trouble letting go. At least this time I was amongst friends and had a really nice bed (leant to me by a lovely 9 year old who teaches me great Ozzie slang like "pass me the dead horse" which means "pass me the ketchup (or tomato sauce in their case)")
Although sick, that didn't mean lazy! Thanks to Warren and Dave's excellent itinerary, I have already tried many new exciting Australian foods including 2 BBQ's, spent lots of time with the family, and camped all down the Great Ocean Road (a gorgeous road that winds down the coast of Victoria).
The food: boy do they love their meat!!! Coming right off the back of being in southeast Asia where I was mostly vegetarian, I am sure making up for the lack of meat here! From meat pies to snags to lamb roast...and of course the occasional vegemite and toast to get in the greens :) The food experience has definitely been a good one, but I better be careful or I might come back quite large!
The beauty: There is no doubt about it, Australia is a beautiful country. The city of Melbourne has a feel much like Seattle, in that it is a beautiful city by the water that is known for its wonderful restaurants. Melbourne is surrounded on one side by a river and the other the harbor with heaps of beautiful, green parks sprawled all over the city. (Don't worry mom, I am going to come home, I promise).
Then there is the coast, which I saw via the Great Ocean Road. The limestone cliffs, crystal blue water, and sandy beaches are really breathtaking! And the water (once you get over the freezing part) is really beautiful and great for a morning swim and some body boarding!ANNNNd I saw koalas in the wild!!!! They are soooo cute and sooooo lazy lol.
AND THE SOUTHERN STARS!! One of my favorite parts about being in Australia! I have never seen so many stars before in my life...it is just absolutely incredible...the milky way, the southern cross..I could just get lost in them...
The country life: One of the real treats that I have done so far is visit Australia's country...not quite the outback, but definitely not Seattle!! After our camping venture down the Great Ocean Road, we went to visit Warren's family at his sister's dairy farm. With 5 kids and lots of animals running around, this was quite the opposite of the quiet nights under the stars we had been having and I LOVED IT! I was put to work (full cow poop guard suit and all) milking the cows. Cow poop splattered on my face, milk ready for the milk man and the cows in the pasture...I was definitely ready for some Aussie BBQ! What fun!!!
After being on the road in Thailand and Cambodia by myself for a month, coming to Australia to two great friends feels almost like coming home! At first I was having trouble finding any differences or even hearing the accents, since I was so much back into the familiar.
Then....SICK AGAIN :(... possibly from extreme exhaustion from all of the traveling or the fumes that I had to consume when my buses tire blew out at 3am on the ride to Bangkok. Either way, for the first 3 days in Australia, my body recognized the familiar and had no trouble letting go. At least this time I was amongst friends and had a really nice bed (leant to me by a lovely 9 year old who teaches me great Ozzie slang like "pass me the dead horse" which means "pass me the ketchup (or tomato sauce in their case)")
Although sick, that didn't mean lazy! Thanks to Warren and Dave's excellent itinerary, I have already tried many new exciting Australian foods including 2 BBQ's, spent lots of time with the family, and camped all down the Great Ocean Road (a gorgeous road that winds down the coast of Victoria).
The food: boy do they love their meat!!! Coming right off the back of being in southeast Asia where I was mostly vegetarian, I am sure making up for the lack of meat here! From meat pies to snags to lamb roast...and of course the occasional vegemite and toast to get in the greens :) The food experience has definitely been a good one, but I better be careful or I might come back quite large!
The beauty: There is no doubt about it, Australia is a beautiful country. The city of Melbourne has a feel much like Seattle, in that it is a beautiful city by the water that is known for its wonderful restaurants. Melbourne is surrounded on one side by a river and the other the harbor with heaps of beautiful, green parks sprawled all over the city. (Don't worry mom, I am going to come home, I promise).
Then there is the coast, which I saw via the Great Ocean Road. The limestone cliffs, crystal blue water, and sandy beaches are really breathtaking! And the water (once you get over the freezing part) is really beautiful and great for a morning swim and some body boarding!ANNNNd I saw koalas in the wild!!!! They are soooo cute and sooooo lazy lol.
AND THE SOUTHERN STARS!! One of my favorite parts about being in Australia! I have never seen so many stars before in my life...it is just absolutely incredible...the milky way, the southern cross..I could just get lost in them...
The country life: One of the real treats that I have done so far is visit Australia's country...not quite the outback, but definitely not Seattle!! After our camping venture down the Great Ocean Road, we went to visit Warren's family at his sister's dairy farm. With 5 kids and lots of animals running around, this was quite the opposite of the quiet nights under the stars we had been having and I LOVED IT! I was put to work (full cow poop guard suit and all) milking the cows. Cow poop splattered on my face, milk ready for the milk man and the cows in the pasture...I was definitely ready for some Aussie BBQ! What fun!!!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Rolling with the punches!
Thinking that my trip to Thailand had come to a close and that it was all downhill from here, I hung out in Ao Nang a nice beach town yesterday afternoon, waiting until 3:00 when I was to meet my bus to Bangkok. I arrived early just to make sure that I could get a boat over in time and happily checked out the town, big bag and all. I got some nice lunch, caught up on emails, had a beer...things couldn't possibly go any better...or so I thought.
Three o'clock rolls around...waiting...3:30...still waiting....4:00...ok it is "Thai time", I thought to myself, but I don't think they are coming. I went to the tourist travel help and they said they didn't know. Unfortunately, I bought my ticket in Krabi town before I left for Tonsai and there was no one I could talk to. Frustrated, sweaty, and feeling a bit helpless I had to suck it all up and decide what to do. No matter what I did, I was definitely out the 500 Bhat that I paid for the ticket in the first place and I also definitely had no easy way to get to Bangkok. I had to realize that I am the only one who can do anything about the situation and that crying or being angry (although I did do a bit of both) won't get me anywhere. I also had to realize that there will be no one around to feel sorry for me so there is no use in feeling sorry for myself. Man were these all VERY hard things to do, but I thought about my situation and weighed my options. It was Tuesday and I fly out on Thursday. It takes a day to get to Bangkok.
Option one: I could take a taxi for 400 Bhat and go to the bus station, which still might not be in time to get a bus that night and then I might not know where to stay...
Option two: I find a hotel for the night in Ao Nang for the night and buy another ticket from a agency in Ao Nang for the next night and as long as all goes well I arrive in Bangkok the morning of my flight with enough time to get to the airport.
I decide on option two and take all of my bags down the street looking for an affordable hostel. By this time it is already around 5pm and most everything is full. Not giving up (because I can't) I find a nice room for 500 Bhat. A bit pricy, but ended up being very nice with really wonderful, friendly staff who didn't speak much English, but somehow made me feel much better. The town itself was also very nice and probably the best place for this crappy situation.
I will now try again and hopefully, especially for the sake of my flight arrive in Bangkok by tomorrow morning. Just when you forget that it can be very hard to travel....you are thrown another curve ball...but, hey, that's the fun of it :)
Three o'clock rolls around...waiting...3:30...still waiting....4:00...ok it is "Thai time", I thought to myself, but I don't think they are coming. I went to the tourist travel help and they said they didn't know. Unfortunately, I bought my ticket in Krabi town before I left for Tonsai and there was no one I could talk to. Frustrated, sweaty, and feeling a bit helpless I had to suck it all up and decide what to do. No matter what I did, I was definitely out the 500 Bhat that I paid for the ticket in the first place and I also definitely had no easy way to get to Bangkok. I had to realize that I am the only one who can do anything about the situation and that crying or being angry (although I did do a bit of both) won't get me anywhere. I also had to realize that there will be no one around to feel sorry for me so there is no use in feeling sorry for myself. Man were these all VERY hard things to do, but I thought about my situation and weighed my options. It was Tuesday and I fly out on Thursday. It takes a day to get to Bangkok.
Option one: I could take a taxi for 400 Bhat and go to the bus station, which still might not be in time to get a bus that night and then I might not know where to stay...
Option two: I find a hotel for the night in Ao Nang for the night and buy another ticket from a agency in Ao Nang for the next night and as long as all goes well I arrive in Bangkok the morning of my flight with enough time to get to the airport.
I decide on option two and take all of my bags down the street looking for an affordable hostel. By this time it is already around 5pm and most everything is full. Not giving up (because I can't) I find a nice room for 500 Bhat. A bit pricy, but ended up being very nice with really wonderful, friendly staff who didn't speak much English, but somehow made me feel much better. The town itself was also very nice and probably the best place for this crappy situation.
I will now try again and hopefully, especially for the sake of my flight arrive in Bangkok by tomorrow morning. Just when you forget that it can be very hard to travel....you are thrown another curve ball...but, hey, that's the fun of it :)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tonsai- OH MY BUddHA!!
Wow, what a beautiful, laid back, amazing place. I definitely want to return to this beach when I come back to Thailand in the future. As I left Tonsai beach this morning, I got an overwhelmingly accomplished and content feeling with my entire experience there. I felt truly sad to leave and very connected to the place, which is the first time that this has happened to me on this trip so far. It helped a lot that I was not sick anymore (traveling sick is definitely a whole different beast that I hope I don't have to come across again)!
On the first day that I arrived to Tonsai from Krabi, I met a couple of guys on the boat who were traveling together. They wanted to check out Railey and offered to share a triple with me. As luck had it, even though this was very tempting for my pocket, I was still sick and didn't want to keep them up coughing all night. Here we parted ways and I continued my journey to Tonsai, taking the long tail boat over. On the long tail I met another guy who had been there just the month before, which was perfect since he suggested a great place to stay. They were a collection of simple but very functional bungalows a short hike from the beach. I had only been there 20 minutes and I already knew the time I was going to have here was not going to be enough.
I decided to explore a bit and stopped by a sign that read "Deep water solo climbing" with a picture of a guy falling into the ocean from a large stalactite and I thought, WHY NOT and signed up to go the next day..having not really climbed much in my life, I didn't really know if I was prepared for such a thing, but it was worth a try...after all, it did say all experience levels.
The next day I set out on my latest crazy adventure, a little nervous, but how bad could it be. Although I was definitely the least experienced of the group, it was still fun! I climbed, I jumped, and I watched others do crazy things that I hope to do when I return someday with a little more experience. The best part about the whole experience was the group of friends that I made. Seven of us from the deep water solo-ing group decided to go climbing the next day. There were four very experienced climbers, one semi experienced, and two with no experience (me included).
This worked out so perfectly because I was going to sign up for a climbing class the next day that not only would have been more expensive, but also would have not been as much fun as with this group of amazing and interesting people from many different places around the world..it is so nice how people from everywhere with different experiences and different climbing levels can hang out and learn from each other and I feel so blessed to have been part of that.
We rented equipment and climbed from 7:30am - 6pm. Tired, sore, proud, and VERY impressed with the skillful climbers I not only climbed with, but saw climbing around us, we all went for our well deserved dinner and beer! What fun, full, and amazing two days we had!
The next day I had a "rest day" if you can call it that. I started my morning with Vinyessa yoga..not really a beginner friendly class so it was very hard for me, but VERY worth it in the end. I will definitely be spending some time after Australia doing intensive yoga and I hope to continue it at home. Then a friend from the group, Veronica, and I hiked through the jungle (no simple task) to get to Reiley west, which is the very nice beach out of the three. There I relaxed, snorkeled, and swam.
My trip to Tonsai ended with a Thai massage and relaxing island music at the sunset bar by the beach. Thank you Tonsai for such a memorable, amazing time! Now....Australia!!!!!!
On the first day that I arrived to Tonsai from Krabi, I met a couple of guys on the boat who were traveling together. They wanted to check out Railey and offered to share a triple with me. As luck had it, even though this was very tempting for my pocket, I was still sick and didn't want to keep them up coughing all night. Here we parted ways and I continued my journey to Tonsai, taking the long tail boat over. On the long tail I met another guy who had been there just the month before, which was perfect since he suggested a great place to stay. They were a collection of simple but very functional bungalows a short hike from the beach. I had only been there 20 minutes and I already knew the time I was going to have here was not going to be enough.
I decided to explore a bit and stopped by a sign that read "Deep water solo climbing" with a picture of a guy falling into the ocean from a large stalactite and I thought, WHY NOT and signed up to go the next day..having not really climbed much in my life, I didn't really know if I was prepared for such a thing, but it was worth a try...after all, it did say all experience levels.
The next day I set out on my latest crazy adventure, a little nervous, but how bad could it be. Although I was definitely the least experienced of the group, it was still fun! I climbed, I jumped, and I watched others do crazy things that I hope to do when I return someday with a little more experience. The best part about the whole experience was the group of friends that I made. Seven of us from the deep water solo-ing group decided to go climbing the next day. There were four very experienced climbers, one semi experienced, and two with no experience (me included).
This worked out so perfectly because I was going to sign up for a climbing class the next day that not only would have been more expensive, but also would have not been as much fun as with this group of amazing and interesting people from many different places around the world..it is so nice how people from everywhere with different experiences and different climbing levels can hang out and learn from each other and I feel so blessed to have been part of that.
We rented equipment and climbed from 7:30am - 6pm. Tired, sore, proud, and VERY impressed with the skillful climbers I not only climbed with, but saw climbing around us, we all went for our well deserved dinner and beer! What fun, full, and amazing two days we had!
The next day I had a "rest day" if you can call it that. I started my morning with Vinyessa yoga..not really a beginner friendly class so it was very hard for me, but VERY worth it in the end. I will definitely be spending some time after Australia doing intensive yoga and I hope to continue it at home. Then a friend from the group, Veronica, and I hiked through the jungle (no simple task) to get to Reiley west, which is the very nice beach out of the three. There I relaxed, snorkeled, and swam.
My trip to Tonsai ended with a Thai massage and relaxing island music at the sunset bar by the beach. Thank you Tonsai for such a memorable, amazing time! Now....Australia!!!!!!
Cambodia...strength in the time of tragedy
Cambodia; what a beautiful, strong, amazing country. First to be able to appreciate the Cambodian people to the extent that they should be appreciated, you have to know a little about the recent history. In April of 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge communist army, began the mass genocide of any Cambodian who lived in the cities, held jobs of intelligence (doctor, teacher, politician...), and those who questioned the Khmer rule. By mass murder, disease, exhaustion, and starvation, the Khmer Rouge claimed the lives of one forth of the Cambodian population and destroyed all of its cities. With this in mind, seeing how far Cambodia has come in and how much has been rebuilt in the last 40 years is quite amazing.
My first stop across the border was a small city called Siem Reap, the city closest to Angkor Wat, a gigantic and fascinating set of ruins. Originally Hindu, then Buddhist, these old temples (300 of them), are so intricate and beautiful in their structure and wall reliefs. A few people that I met on the bus and I traveled around for the whole day looking at each of these massive ruins. About 8 hours later, we were only able to get to 3 out of the 300 temples!
My next stop in Cambodia was Phnom Phen. On the bus ride from Siem Reap, I met a very nice Philipeano woman. When we arrived in Phnom Phen, it was very late and she was waiting for her ride (her business partner was already in the city and coming to pick her up). There were a lot of men in the area and it was quite dark and remote so I stayed and waited with her so that she was not alone. When her friend arrived, they were nice enough to bring me to my hotel.
Since I knew that I was coming into the city very late and it wwas quite big, I decided it would be smart to book a hotel ahead. However, since I decided too late, there were only fancy hotels avaliable. So, that night I splerged and spent a night in luxery for 25 US dollars. I even got to watch Glee and have a real shower!
The next day I found myself a hostel and since I was in a dorm room of 8, I also very quickly found a nice group of friends. We hung out, ate, partied, and all went to the killing fields and S-21 together (the two things that brought me to Phnom Phen in the first place).
The killing fields were very, very sad. This was just one of many killing fields that existed during the time of the Khmer Rouge. It was an area the the Khmer soldiers would bring people from the cities and kill them. Honestly some of the ways they would do this are so upsetting that I cannot even bring myself to write them in this blog. At this site you see hundreds of holes in the ground where thousands were burried....a really difficult and devistating place to experience, but very worth going to, to understand the complete devistation and tragety so many Cabodians had to go through and the weight that those who survived still have to carry with them. After that we went to S-21, a highschool in Phnom Phen that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge rule. This was also very difficult to see. The small cells, the lack of light, the torture devices....how can people be so horrible and inhumane....
A very sombering and difficult day ended my trip to Cambodia, but it really allowed me to appreciate the people of Cambodia, their spirit, their courage, and their strength. Although it has only been 40 years since the atrocities that destroyed the country, they are not only pushing on and rebuilding, but they are genuine and doing it all with smiles on their faces.
Overall, a very wonderful, fulfilling Cambodian experience!
My first stop across the border was a small city called Siem Reap, the city closest to Angkor Wat, a gigantic and fascinating set of ruins. Originally Hindu, then Buddhist, these old temples (300 of them), are so intricate and beautiful in their structure and wall reliefs. A few people that I met on the bus and I traveled around for the whole day looking at each of these massive ruins. About 8 hours later, we were only able to get to 3 out of the 300 temples!
My next stop in Cambodia was Phnom Phen. On the bus ride from Siem Reap, I met a very nice Philipeano woman. When we arrived in Phnom Phen, it was very late and she was waiting for her ride (her business partner was already in the city and coming to pick her up). There were a lot of men in the area and it was quite dark and remote so I stayed and waited with her so that she was not alone. When her friend arrived, they were nice enough to bring me to my hotel.
Since I knew that I was coming into the city very late and it wwas quite big, I decided it would be smart to book a hotel ahead. However, since I decided too late, there were only fancy hotels avaliable. So, that night I splerged and spent a night in luxery for 25 US dollars. I even got to watch Glee and have a real shower!
The next day I found myself a hostel and since I was in a dorm room of 8, I also very quickly found a nice group of friends. We hung out, ate, partied, and all went to the killing fields and S-21 together (the two things that brought me to Phnom Phen in the first place).
The killing fields were very, very sad. This was just one of many killing fields that existed during the time of the Khmer Rouge. It was an area the the Khmer soldiers would bring people from the cities and kill them. Honestly some of the ways they would do this are so upsetting that I cannot even bring myself to write them in this blog. At this site you see hundreds of holes in the ground where thousands were burried....a really difficult and devistating place to experience, but very worth going to, to understand the complete devistation and tragety so many Cabodians had to go through and the weight that those who survived still have to carry with them. After that we went to S-21, a highschool in Phnom Phen that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge rule. This was also very difficult to see. The small cells, the lack of light, the torture devices....how can people be so horrible and inhumane....
A very sombering and difficult day ended my trip to Cambodia, but it really allowed me to appreciate the people of Cambodia, their spirit, their courage, and their strength. Although it has only been 40 years since the atrocities that destroyed the country, they are not only pushing on and rebuilding, but they are genuine and doing it all with smiles on their faces.
Overall, a very wonderful, fulfilling Cambodian experience!
Friday, February 10, 2012
definitely living up to the name...clumsy nomad...
It's kind of a which came first question...am I slowly (actually, quite quickly) falling apart because of how I titled my blog, or did I just title my blog spot on? I already know the answer...I was definitely clumsy BEFORE the blog title, but I sure am doing really well living up to it!!
It is (haha I actually don't know what day of the week it is) morning and I am just about to leave a small town called Krabi on my way to Tonsai beach, which Dani and Morgan suggested to me and that is known for its awesome rock climbing. Although I am quite sick and banged up...I will explain..I am super excited to try my hand at rock climbing!
So I know that there are a lot of holes in my travels and I plan on (hopefully) filling those gaps in about a week. In Cambodia I was busy day after day seeing the beautiful ruins of Angkor Wat and learning about the horrible history of the Khmer Rouge. Then in my small stop over in Battenbang, Cambodia I began to get sick. I was so bummed because I was on my way to scuba dive, an activity where it is really important that you are healthy, especially in the ear and sinus area. Low and behold, I was developing an ear infection!!!
However, I was in Koh Tao and by golly I was going to scuba dive if it killed me! So the first day I got there I went to the doctor and got antibiotics and took it easy. I had an amazing package at Big Blue Scuba Resort (I definitely suggest it!) where I got 12 dives and 5 nights accommodation for about 240 US dollars!! So the next day it was time to suck it up and dive. In the next 3 days I did 11 dives, 9 of them I felt great, the last two I should not have done...from there I felt worse than when I started. But, IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!
Time to leave Koh Tao and super sick, I took the night boat out. Just before I was about to get on the boat I realized I didn't buy more toilet paper. I took all my bags and headed to 7 11. Thats when it happened...I slid on a dirt patch, my bags flew everywhere...sick, tired, and hurt...I just sat there and BALLED!!!! Man, I have never wanted to be home and around familiar people more than I did at that moment!
But, in all this I have seen how incredibly nice people genuinely are. As I sat there crying and bleeding, a nice woman gave me all of her Ibuprofen and two Thai men and two Thai women rushed over and sat me down, carried my bags over, cleaned my wounds, and bandaged me up. Even though I was alone, I was really not alone after all. I was able to make the best of the situation, get onto the night boat, and fall asleep knowing tomorrow would be another day.
And it is! Clumsy and silly, bandaged and sick, I am rock climbing if it kills me!!! :)
(Don't worry mom, it won't actually kill me. I promise!!)
It is (haha I actually don't know what day of the week it is) morning and I am just about to leave a small town called Krabi on my way to Tonsai beach, which Dani and Morgan suggested to me and that is known for its awesome rock climbing. Although I am quite sick and banged up...I will explain..I am super excited to try my hand at rock climbing!
So I know that there are a lot of holes in my travels and I plan on (hopefully) filling those gaps in about a week. In Cambodia I was busy day after day seeing the beautiful ruins of Angkor Wat and learning about the horrible history of the Khmer Rouge. Then in my small stop over in Battenbang, Cambodia I began to get sick. I was so bummed because I was on my way to scuba dive, an activity where it is really important that you are healthy, especially in the ear and sinus area. Low and behold, I was developing an ear infection!!!
However, I was in Koh Tao and by golly I was going to scuba dive if it killed me! So the first day I got there I went to the doctor and got antibiotics and took it easy. I had an amazing package at Big Blue Scuba Resort (I definitely suggest it!) where I got 12 dives and 5 nights accommodation for about 240 US dollars!! So the next day it was time to suck it up and dive. In the next 3 days I did 11 dives, 9 of them I felt great, the last two I should not have done...from there I felt worse than when I started. But, IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!
Time to leave Koh Tao and super sick, I took the night boat out. Just before I was about to get on the boat I realized I didn't buy more toilet paper. I took all my bags and headed to 7 11. Thats when it happened...I slid on a dirt patch, my bags flew everywhere...sick, tired, and hurt...I just sat there and BALLED!!!! Man, I have never wanted to be home and around familiar people more than I did at that moment!
But, in all this I have seen how incredibly nice people genuinely are. As I sat there crying and bleeding, a nice woman gave me all of her Ibuprofen and two Thai men and two Thai women rushed over and sat me down, carried my bags over, cleaned my wounds, and bandaged me up. Even though I was alone, I was really not alone after all. I was able to make the best of the situation, get onto the night boat, and fall asleep knowing tomorrow would be another day.
And it is! Clumsy and silly, bandaged and sick, I am rock climbing if it kills me!!! :)
(Don't worry mom, it won't actually kill me. I promise!!)
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Getting lost from Bangkok to Cambodia...the excitement of my lone travels has begun!
Oh man where do I begin...this has been quite the day. I guess I will start off by saying that as soon as I packed my bags and left my hotel this morning or I actually as soon as I woke up and thought about packing my bags I felt a sudden light and airy feeling about my trip. I felt how I have wanted to feel traveling, but have been hindered since staying on koh san road...I have to say (and I can since I stayed there for way too many days) is just a tourist trap full of drunk men and skanky women.
That being said, my crazy day begins. My original plan was to wake up at 4 am and take the 5:55 am train that would take me directly to the Cambodian border. I ended up waking up at 5:15 am, so I quickly had to throw that plan out the window. I knew that I could also take a bus, but didn't want to use the prepared bus service right from kho san road because I knew that it was a scam and they charge way too much. With that in mind and my stubbornness in full swing, I had my complementary toast and coffee and set out for the river boat, which from looking at the map, could take me close to the bus station for next to nothing.
I thought this would be a pretty easy task so I took my two maps, my big backpack on my back, and set out in the 35' C weather. For about 2 1\2 hours I searched for the river boat! Getting out of the touristy part of town, no one spoke English and the signs were only in Thai. I knew I was pretty much screwed, but I had a map and I'm stubborn, so I was determined. I used what little Thai I had learned so far and a bunch of crazy gestures to finally get help and make my way to the dock. All this only to find that the last boat at that dock just passed!! Now even more determined (not to mention dripping with sweat) I continued on. About 30 minutes and 5 wrong turns later, I arrived at the next dock. This one had the boats I wanted. I asked a nice monk next to me if the boat went to my stop, he said yes and I got on only to find it didn't! How could I be mad though...he is a monk, after all. I got off at the last possible stop, which at least brought me closer to where I wanted to be. From here I really wanted to walk (most of you know how much I hate taking taxis) but I was so hot and almost not going to make it to Cambodia that night that, begrudgingly, I got into a cab to the bus station. All the sudden my day got easier. I went straight to the counter, bought an 11:30 ticket to Aranyapathet and got right on the bus.
The bus was air conditioned and pretty spacious and all for only 212 bhat or about 7 american dollars. There I met a nice guy from Sweden, who I ended up traveling with through the border where we met two others who teach English in Taiwan and we all traveled to Angkor Wat and Agkor Thom together. I even ended up rooming with two of them, which worked out well for all of us and made it so we only paid 5$ each a night for a room! I am just so happy that I was able to meet people on this leg of the trip. It all worked out so well and it was really nice to have the company.
There was one other mini scam that Nick, the guy from Sweden, and I ran into. It is pretty hard to know where to get off the bus when the signs aren't always in English and the bus driver doesn't speak English. So, when I asked the bus driver if the bus station at the border town was the right place, he motioned us off the bus right to the tuk tuks that were waiting to take us to the border for 80 bhat. When we got to the border the tuk tuk took us not to the border itself, but to a small office on the side. I had a slightly bad feeling but we went in. They wanted to give us a Cambodian visa before we crossed the border, but I didn't trust them at all. If it was a real visa, I was sure we were getting ripped off and if it wasn't then we would have to pay the whole thing all over again! I kept asking questions and was becoming very distrusting and very upset. We paid to take the pictures and began the paperwork. Nick was ready to do the whole thing, but my instincts told me no. We took our paperwork and our pictures and walked to the border where we had it done officially. Finally, my instincts are improving!!!!! And I guess I do have very funny (very angry...im not even smiling and that is very hard for me!) visa photos to show for the experience!
Crazy day, but in the end I made it. And, hey, what would life be if not for the adventures :)
That being said, my crazy day begins. My original plan was to wake up at 4 am and take the 5:55 am train that would take me directly to the Cambodian border. I ended up waking up at 5:15 am, so I quickly had to throw that plan out the window. I knew that I could also take a bus, but didn't want to use the prepared bus service right from kho san road because I knew that it was a scam and they charge way too much. With that in mind and my stubbornness in full swing, I had my complementary toast and coffee and set out for the river boat, which from looking at the map, could take me close to the bus station for next to nothing.
I thought this would be a pretty easy task so I took my two maps, my big backpack on my back, and set out in the 35' C weather. For about 2 1\2 hours I searched for the river boat! Getting out of the touristy part of town, no one spoke English and the signs were only in Thai. I knew I was pretty much screwed, but I had a map and I'm stubborn, so I was determined. I used what little Thai I had learned so far and a bunch of crazy gestures to finally get help and make my way to the dock. All this only to find that the last boat at that dock just passed!! Now even more determined (not to mention dripping with sweat) I continued on. About 30 minutes and 5 wrong turns later, I arrived at the next dock. This one had the boats I wanted. I asked a nice monk next to me if the boat went to my stop, he said yes and I got on only to find it didn't! How could I be mad though...he is a monk, after all. I got off at the last possible stop, which at least brought me closer to where I wanted to be. From here I really wanted to walk (most of you know how much I hate taking taxis) but I was so hot and almost not going to make it to Cambodia that night that, begrudgingly, I got into a cab to the bus station. All the sudden my day got easier. I went straight to the counter, bought an 11:30 ticket to Aranyapathet and got right on the bus.
The bus was air conditioned and pretty spacious and all for only 212 bhat or about 7 american dollars. There I met a nice guy from Sweden, who I ended up traveling with through the border where we met two others who teach English in Taiwan and we all traveled to Angkor Wat and Agkor Thom together. I even ended up rooming with two of them, which worked out well for all of us and made it so we only paid 5$ each a night for a room! I am just so happy that I was able to meet people on this leg of the trip. It all worked out so well and it was really nice to have the company.
There was one other mini scam that Nick, the guy from Sweden, and I ran into. It is pretty hard to know where to get off the bus when the signs aren't always in English and the bus driver doesn't speak English. So, when I asked the bus driver if the bus station at the border town was the right place, he motioned us off the bus right to the tuk tuks that were waiting to take us to the border for 80 bhat. When we got to the border the tuk tuk took us not to the border itself, but to a small office on the side. I had a slightly bad feeling but we went in. They wanted to give us a Cambodian visa before we crossed the border, but I didn't trust them at all. If it was a real visa, I was sure we were getting ripped off and if it wasn't then we would have to pay the whole thing all over again! I kept asking questions and was becoming very distrusting and very upset. We paid to take the pictures and began the paperwork. Nick was ready to do the whole thing, but my instincts told me no. We took our paperwork and our pictures and walked to the border where we had it done officially. Finally, my instincts are improving!!!!! And I guess I do have very funny (very angry...im not even smiling and that is very hard for me!) visa photos to show for the experience!
Crazy day, but in the end I made it. And, hey, what would life be if not for the adventures :)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Bangkok..the good and the bad...ok mostly bad
Oh man, so many mixed feelings, so many different emotions. Yesterday, I was a complete wreck for the first time since I have arrived in Thailand. Dani, Morgan and I were all in Bangkok and they were leaving the next day. First of all...I now understand why Bangkok is just a place where people pass through. We (well just me now) are staying right near Khaosan Road which is really just a shit show. It is a place where foreigners come to and get completely wasted, do stupid things, and pay off the Thai police to not go to jail...not to mention it is soooo hot here, I am a puddle of sweat everywhere I go. I hate it and can not wait to get out of here and return to another cute smaller city or a nice beach town. However, there are a lot of must see's here so I will stay another day here before leaving for Siem Reap and Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
After having a slight anxiety provoked breakdown last night (I almost cried, but instead talked to a very special person back home...i love Skype...and watched some Two and a Half Men) and felt much better. I got up this morning, switched my hostel to a more enjoyable one, and told myself that today was going to be a better day.
And with that, it has been. It is only 7 pm and my day has been chalked full of interesting experiences. I started out my day by trying to head to see the reclining buddha, a must see when visiting Bangkok. I met a friend of Dani's last night and she had given us directions on how to get there by river boat, so I thought that I would give that a try. I was trying to make my way to the river boat and stopped to take a picture of the King Rama 111 monument and a Thai teacher came up to me and told me that today is a buddhist holiday and everything that I wanted to see would be closed, except for a few places. Instead, he informed me, the government tuk tuks, the ones with the yellow license plates would be only 10 baht, which is about 30 cents, for where ever I want to go. This is because there is a promotion going on and the government is giving them coupons for their gas money.
He flagged down and talked to a tuk tuk driver where we all agreed on 10 baht and we went off on our way. The first place that I went was the temple of the blue buddha. This was actually really cool because they were refinishing it with gold. The temple was under construction and they allowed me to see how they put gold flakes on top of the siding to preserve it for a longer time. There was supposed to be a Thai kick boxing and dancing show at the time I was there, but it was so hot that it got postponed to the evening.
Then we went to wat Benchamabophit, which is known as the marble temple. This was amazing. The amount of work and detail that is put into these temples is amazing. It was also a special day at this temple. The bank of Thailand just so happened to be having a celebration full of free food and informative and friendly Thai people.
After this I went to wat Intrawihan, the VERY LARGE golden Buddha. 32 meters high and 10 meters wide, this was definitely a site to see. It is all 10 carrot gold and a very important and iconic statue to the Thai people. It was very interesting and beautiful to see people come and give prayer and offering at his feet.
So here comes the twist in the story...it is Thailand after all! I found out after being carted around all day, that part of the promotion is though seamstress shops. So, in order for my tuk tuk driver to get the gas coupon that he needed, I had to go into the shop and pretend for ten minutes that I wanted to get a dress or suit made for me. I failed the first two times!! The first shop that I went in, I did't realize my mission. From my point of view, at first, I was going to visit a large factory that Bangkok was widely known for. When we pulled up to a small tailor shop, I was a bit confused, but went in with the best intentions of learning the culture. With this false pretense in the back of my mind, I asked lots of questions about the industry and nothing about a possible dress purchase...needless to say...we did not get a gas card. The next time we tried, the man was very pushy and told me that I don't know what color or style I want, I am not going to buy a dress, get out of his store. I began to talk back (I am a stubborn scorpio, after all) but decided to stop while I was ahead. At the last shop I was determined. Not only for my tuk tuk friend, but because I wanted to go home! (Promised I would be home to Skype and gosh darn-it, no gas coupon was going to stand in my way!) In this shop, I pulled out all the stops..looked through all the catalogues, mixed and matched the dress I wanted them to make, and when they only had solid fabric, told them I wanted a pattern. A very nice "you have put in your time and wasted mine" later we had our gas card and I was on my way home!!!
Overall, a pretty good day. I am still having difficulty adjusting at this point, but I think it is where I am and it can only get better from here.
I got told yesterday that traveling is whatever you want to make of it. The first time my friend traveled, she did not try at all to make friends, and therefore she didn't. However, in some places that is how you want it to be. To explore for yourself. Then on her next vacation, she was open and went with the intention of making friends and came out with a family. For me, I think that Khaosan Road is really quite the opposite of what I am looking for and because of this I think I am ok with exploring by myself for the next couple of days. I just really don't understand how people want to come from all over and experience Thailand, yet stay in an area where I look up and all I see are foreigners...lets just say, if I was not traveling alone I would not be staying here!
The plan:
1. One more day in Bangkok to see the reclining buddha, wat prakaeo (the temple of the emerald buddha), and wat arun ratchawararam (temple of dawn)
2. head on the train or bus to the border of cambodia,then take a share bus into siem reap
3. Cambodia: siem reep, ankor wat, floating markets, and phnom penh (a sturring reminder of the genocide of 17,000 Cambodian civilians)
4.back to Thailand to Koa Toa for scuba diving
5. Crabbi to Tonsai beach to do some climbing
6. AUsTRALIA!!! so excited to see you dave and warren!!!!
After having a slight anxiety provoked breakdown last night (I almost cried, but instead talked to a very special person back home...i love Skype...and watched some Two and a Half Men) and felt much better. I got up this morning, switched my hostel to a more enjoyable one, and told myself that today was going to be a better day.
And with that, it has been. It is only 7 pm and my day has been chalked full of interesting experiences. I started out my day by trying to head to see the reclining buddha, a must see when visiting Bangkok. I met a friend of Dani's last night and she had given us directions on how to get there by river boat, so I thought that I would give that a try. I was trying to make my way to the river boat and stopped to take a picture of the King Rama 111 monument and a Thai teacher came up to me and told me that today is a buddhist holiday and everything that I wanted to see would be closed, except for a few places. Instead, he informed me, the government tuk tuks, the ones with the yellow license plates would be only 10 baht, which is about 30 cents, for where ever I want to go. This is because there is a promotion going on and the government is giving them coupons for their gas money.
He flagged down and talked to a tuk tuk driver where we all agreed on 10 baht and we went off on our way. The first place that I went was the temple of the blue buddha. This was actually really cool because they were refinishing it with gold. The temple was under construction and they allowed me to see how they put gold flakes on top of the siding to preserve it for a longer time. There was supposed to be a Thai kick boxing and dancing show at the time I was there, but it was so hot that it got postponed to the evening.
Then we went to wat Benchamabophit, which is known as the marble temple. This was amazing. The amount of work and detail that is put into these temples is amazing. It was also a special day at this temple. The bank of Thailand just so happened to be having a celebration full of free food and informative and friendly Thai people.
After this I went to wat Intrawihan, the VERY LARGE golden Buddha. 32 meters high and 10 meters wide, this was definitely a site to see. It is all 10 carrot gold and a very important and iconic statue to the Thai people. It was very interesting and beautiful to see people come and give prayer and offering at his feet.
So here comes the twist in the story...it is Thailand after all! I found out after being carted around all day, that part of the promotion is though seamstress shops. So, in order for my tuk tuk driver to get the gas coupon that he needed, I had to go into the shop and pretend for ten minutes that I wanted to get a dress or suit made for me. I failed the first two times!! The first shop that I went in, I did't realize my mission. From my point of view, at first, I was going to visit a large factory that Bangkok was widely known for. When we pulled up to a small tailor shop, I was a bit confused, but went in with the best intentions of learning the culture. With this false pretense in the back of my mind, I asked lots of questions about the industry and nothing about a possible dress purchase...needless to say...we did not get a gas card. The next time we tried, the man was very pushy and told me that I don't know what color or style I want, I am not going to buy a dress, get out of his store. I began to talk back (I am a stubborn scorpio, after all) but decided to stop while I was ahead. At the last shop I was determined. Not only for my tuk tuk friend, but because I wanted to go home! (Promised I would be home to Skype and gosh darn-it, no gas coupon was going to stand in my way!) In this shop, I pulled out all the stops..looked through all the catalogues, mixed and matched the dress I wanted them to make, and when they only had solid fabric, told them I wanted a pattern. A very nice "you have put in your time and wasted mine" later we had our gas card and I was on my way home!!!
Overall, a pretty good day. I am still having difficulty adjusting at this point, but I think it is where I am and it can only get better from here.
I got told yesterday that traveling is whatever you want to make of it. The first time my friend traveled, she did not try at all to make friends, and therefore she didn't. However, in some places that is how you want it to be. To explore for yourself. Then on her next vacation, she was open and went with the intention of making friends and came out with a family. For me, I think that Khaosan Road is really quite the opposite of what I am looking for and because of this I think I am ok with exploring by myself for the next couple of days. I just really don't understand how people want to come from all over and experience Thailand, yet stay in an area where I look up and all I see are foreigners...lets just say, if I was not traveling alone I would not be staying here!
The plan:
1. One more day in Bangkok to see the reclining buddha, wat prakaeo (the temple of the emerald buddha), and wat arun ratchawararam (temple of dawn)
2. head on the train or bus to the border of cambodia,then take a share bus into siem reap
3. Cambodia: siem reep, ankor wat, floating markets, and phnom penh (a sturring reminder of the genocide of 17,000 Cambodian civilians)
4.back to Thailand to Koa Toa for scuba diving
5. Crabbi to Tonsai beach to do some climbing
6. AUsTRALIA!!! so excited to see you dave and warren!!!!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Tigers, elephants, and bungee jumping...OH MY!
I am now on the sleeper train leaving Chaing Mai for Bangkok. The train takes 14 hours and cost 650 Bhat, which is roughly 20 dollars. Although it is a very long trip, I am actually pretty excited about it. So far (unless we make any other stops to pick other people up) I have two seats to myself! Taking the train instead of the bus has many perks. There is much more room and each person gets a bed. It is also really nice to get lost in the beautiful scenery as it passes. It's mesmerizing, not to mention a great way to see some more of Thailand I wouldn't be able to see otherwise. Thailand is truly a beautiful country full of lush green jungles and mountainous landscapes.
It am pretty sad to leave Chaing Mai. It was such a cute city and it was filled with really wonderful people. So far I have nothing but great things to say about the Thai people and culture. They are friendly, happy, beautiful, and loving. Everyone I have met (besides the tuk tuk drivers who want to rip off the foreang...what Thai call foreigners) has been extreamely helpful and from what I can tell, very genuine.
Because it is Dani and Morgan's final days of their three month vacation, they are going out with a "bang". I have, in turn, started my trip with one! It is actually a great thing, although I have already spent more than I had planned, to be able to have people that I know to do some of these awesome activities with.
My second day in Chaing Mai, we went to a place called the tiger kingdom. Although I know that the tigers have been sedated and that there are probably a ton of reasons why it is not a good place; being next to, hugging, and petting a tiger was CRAZY! My favorite part by far was playing with the baby tigers. They were not sedated at all and they were like little playful kitties. They sat on my lap, bit my belt and pants and just had a great time. They were sooooo cute, I just wanted to take one home!
The next day, we went ziplining and bungee jumping. The thrill and endorphins that were running through my body were unexplainable. Ziplining high above the ground was incredible, but bungee jumping was breathtaking...literally. I was really going to chicken out and just watch Dani and Morgan do it. I am so so glad I went through with it. I am now going to take it with me the rest of my trip and never miss out on any opportunities as a result of fear. In Thailand they have a saying "why not?" I only live once, why not! As a result of that saying, I faced my fear and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Our last day in Chaing Mai we had elephant day. This was definitely my FAVORITE thing that I have done so far. We went to an elephant sanctuary, which is actually a very good place for the elephaants. In Thailand, the elephants were used for logging, but when the king outlawed that, they had no work and no where to go. There are over 5000 elephants in Thailand and if they were all allowed to be wild, there would be no forrests left. so to prevent this problem, the Thai people set up elephant camps. They allow people to come in and see, bathe, train, and ride the elephants and in turn they have the money to feed the elephants so the forrests are able to stay in tact. It was an amazing experience although at one point the elephant I was riding wanted bananas so bad that I was almost falling off of it and hanging from a thatched roof!
Elephant training words in Thai:
go- bye
stop- how
left or right- chucke, chucke
back- pai
It am pretty sad to leave Chaing Mai. It was such a cute city and it was filled with really wonderful people. So far I have nothing but great things to say about the Thai people and culture. They are friendly, happy, beautiful, and loving. Everyone I have met (besides the tuk tuk drivers who want to rip off the foreang...what Thai call foreigners) has been extreamely helpful and from what I can tell, very genuine.
Because it is Dani and Morgan's final days of their three month vacation, they are going out with a "bang". I have, in turn, started my trip with one! It is actually a great thing, although I have already spent more than I had planned, to be able to have people that I know to do some of these awesome activities with.
My second day in Chaing Mai, we went to a place called the tiger kingdom. Although I know that the tigers have been sedated and that there are probably a ton of reasons why it is not a good place; being next to, hugging, and petting a tiger was CRAZY! My favorite part by far was playing with the baby tigers. They were not sedated at all and they were like little playful kitties. They sat on my lap, bit my belt and pants and just had a great time. They were sooooo cute, I just wanted to take one home!
The next day, we went ziplining and bungee jumping. The thrill and endorphins that were running through my body were unexplainable. Ziplining high above the ground was incredible, but bungee jumping was breathtaking...literally. I was really going to chicken out and just watch Dani and Morgan do it. I am so so glad I went through with it. I am now going to take it with me the rest of my trip and never miss out on any opportunities as a result of fear. In Thailand they have a saying "why not?" I only live once, why not! As a result of that saying, I faced my fear and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Our last day in Chaing Mai we had elephant day. This was definitely my FAVORITE thing that I have done so far. We went to an elephant sanctuary, which is actually a very good place for the elephaants. In Thailand, the elephants were used for logging, but when the king outlawed that, they had no work and no where to go. There are over 5000 elephants in Thailand and if they were all allowed to be wild, there would be no forrests left. so to prevent this problem, the Thai people set up elephant camps. They allow people to come in and see, bathe, train, and ride the elephants and in turn they have the money to feed the elephants so the forrests are able to stay in tact. It was an amazing experience although at one point the elephant I was riding wanted bananas so bad that I was almost falling off of it and hanging from a thatched roof!
Elephant training words in Thai:
go- bye
stop- how
left or right- chucke, chucke
back- pai
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thailand...I can already tell you are going to be good to me!
Oh man, what a crazy first couple of days! Yesterday was a FULL day of flying. In total I flew for 19 hours and had layovers for about 8 hours all together with a long trip through immigration and customs. However, for how long the trip was and how dirty and smelly I was at the end of it all, I have to say that it was my best experience I have had traveling outside of the states. All of the airport staff in all of my stops in Asia were phenomenal. When I looked lost, they asked me how they can help. The immigration workers were nice (quite the opposite of my experience in any other country I have been in so far), and the woman who checked my ticket and ID in Bangkok even said, "beautiful traveler, enjoy your flight"...I almost didn't hear what she said because I couldn't believe it! However my favorite thing that I have experienced on my flights to and through Asia this far has to be the calming music that they play for the landing. Why hasn't anyone else thought of that?? The landing is my LEAST favorite part of the ride and for some reason when the soft, calm music came on...well how can everything not be ok :)
Oh so I do have to interject here and say (in light of changing my blog name to the "clumsy nomad") that I did have a little "Danielle hiccup" when I was at JFK airport in NYC. Not only did I go to the wrong terminal at first, when I tried to fix it, I took the air tram the wrong way and ended up outside of the airport! An easy fix and I had quite a bit of time to spare....but still, what a start!
Anyway, back to Thailand. My first impressions of Chaing Mai are wonderful. It is a cute city with streets full of street venders and parks full of life. Everything, even from the back seat of a cab..which is really the only way I have been able to see so far...seems peaceful. The roads are filled with cars and mopeds, yet everyone shares the road and no one honks!!! This is a VERY new thing to me....usually the scariest thing for me is always getting in a car where ever I am. Another huge difference from here and the places that I have visited in Central America, Mexico, and Africa, is that the cab drivers don't all try to grab your arm and your bags tearing you different directions to make you go with them. My cab experience was so peaceful and easy, I couldn't believe it. I wonder if the rest of Asia will be like this too.
With ease, we found the hostel and I met up with my friends and heard about all about their travels and their crazy experiences so far and it really made me get pumped for all that is in store for my future. We were able to get a room with three beds at this cute hostel for only 4 american dollars a night each! It is actually one of the nicest hostels I have stayed at anywhere and a really great way to begin my travels! There is even a cute hostel dog named Blue :)
(so I have pitures to put here of the hostel, but I can't figure out how to post them. Once I figure it out, I will repost)
I am really excited for today! We are going to go hang out with some baby tigers and tomorrow the plan is to go bathe and ride elephants!!! Lots of pictures to follow!
I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to be here. And so happy that I didn't back out. From where I'm sitting I have to say, life is pretty perfect...there is only one thing that could make it even better..
Thai words of the day:
(spelled phonetically and not actually)
Good morning- swa di don chow
Thank you- Kap Kun Ka
Oh so I do have to interject here and say (in light of changing my blog name to the "clumsy nomad") that I did have a little "Danielle hiccup" when I was at JFK airport in NYC. Not only did I go to the wrong terminal at first, when I tried to fix it, I took the air tram the wrong way and ended up outside of the airport! An easy fix and I had quite a bit of time to spare....but still, what a start!
Anyway, back to Thailand. My first impressions of Chaing Mai are wonderful. It is a cute city with streets full of street venders and parks full of life. Everything, even from the back seat of a cab..which is really the only way I have been able to see so far...seems peaceful. The roads are filled with cars and mopeds, yet everyone shares the road and no one honks!!! This is a VERY new thing to me....usually the scariest thing for me is always getting in a car where ever I am. Another huge difference from here and the places that I have visited in Central America, Mexico, and Africa, is that the cab drivers don't all try to grab your arm and your bags tearing you different directions to make you go with them. My cab experience was so peaceful and easy, I couldn't believe it. I wonder if the rest of Asia will be like this too.
With ease, we found the hostel and I met up with my friends and heard about all about their travels and their crazy experiences so far and it really made me get pumped for all that is in store for my future. We were able to get a room with three beds at this cute hostel for only 4 american dollars a night each! It is actually one of the nicest hostels I have stayed at anywhere and a really great way to begin my travels! There is even a cute hostel dog named Blue :)
(so I have pitures to put here of the hostel, but I can't figure out how to post them. Once I figure it out, I will repost)
I am really excited for today! We are going to go hang out with some baby tigers and tomorrow the plan is to go bathe and ride elephants!!! Lots of pictures to follow!
I feel so blessed and lucky to be able to be here. And so happy that I didn't back out. From where I'm sitting I have to say, life is pretty perfect...there is only one thing that could make it even better..
Thai words of the day:
(spelled phonetically and not actually)
Good morning- swa di don chow
Thank you- Kap Kun Ka
Saturday, January 14, 2012
This is really happening...Thailand here I come!
It is now Sunday morning at 1:08 am, a little less than 24 hours before I board the plane for Bangkok, Thailand. I would normally be out on a Saturday night, but I have procrastinated (a skill I am most amazing at) and have instead been downloading movies, booking my ticket from Bangkok to Chang Mai, and doing laundry all night (oh yea, with a healthy portion of FREAKING THE EFF OUT on the side). I think I am the only one who can go home for ten days and manage not to see ANY of my dads side of the family annnd not get any of the things accomplished that I need for my trip. I have decided that I need the pressure to function.
The plan is that I will leave for Bangkok, Thailand around 12::30 am on Monday morning and arrive in Bangkok around 11:00am (Thai time) on Tuesday morning...yes a WHOLE day of flying! From there I will have time to go through customs and then get on a 3:30 pm flight to Chang Mai, Thailand where I will meet my friend dani at a local hostel. I am very very excited to see dani and her friend and hear all about their trip so far. They will spend about ten days with me then they are going to be heading back home and I will be continuing on by myself for about 20 days before heading to Australia.
There are so many emotions going through my head right now. Much of me is questioning whether or not this whole thing is even a good idea after all. I mean, I could have dealt with my need for adventure by just moving to San Diego right away; a much safer choice. Mostly I think it is my nerves talking. I know deep down that I am going to have an amazing time, but I never realized how VERY scared I was going to be when it came down to me getting on that plane and coming to terms with (or maybe not coming to terms with) the fact that for the next however many months, I will be mostly alone. I will have to figure out routes of travel for myself, eat meals alone, be concerned for my own safety at all times in foreign countries... However, part of me does know, since I have traveled before, the hostel hospitality and that it will be very easy to meet people (maybe even temporary travel partners).
I feel that I have talked so much about being scared, I should talk about how excited I am too. Honestly, behind all this fear my excitement for this trip is phenomenal! I am so excited for how this trip is going to allow me to grow as a person, for the many new experiences that I am going to have, and for the new part of myself that I will bring home with me to the people I love.
My goals for this trip:
1. To learn to love and know myself inside and out so that I can be able to be completely ready and open to love someone else.
2. To learn as much as I can about every person and culture I meet.
3. To be outgoing and break out of my shell.
4. To have fun!!
And of course to be safe :)
SEE YOU IN THAILAND!!!!
The plan is that I will leave for Bangkok, Thailand around 12::30 am on Monday morning and arrive in Bangkok around 11:00am (Thai time) on Tuesday morning...yes a WHOLE day of flying! From there I will have time to go through customs and then get on a 3:30 pm flight to Chang Mai, Thailand where I will meet my friend dani at a local hostel. I am very very excited to see dani and her friend and hear all about their trip so far. They will spend about ten days with me then they are going to be heading back home and I will be continuing on by myself for about 20 days before heading to Australia.
There are so many emotions going through my head right now. Much of me is questioning whether or not this whole thing is even a good idea after all. I mean, I could have dealt with my need for adventure by just moving to San Diego right away; a much safer choice. Mostly I think it is my nerves talking. I know deep down that I am going to have an amazing time, but I never realized how VERY scared I was going to be when it came down to me getting on that plane and coming to terms with (or maybe not coming to terms with) the fact that for the next however many months, I will be mostly alone. I will have to figure out routes of travel for myself, eat meals alone, be concerned for my own safety at all times in foreign countries... However, part of me does know, since I have traveled before, the hostel hospitality and that it will be very easy to meet people (maybe even temporary travel partners).
I feel that I have talked so much about being scared, I should talk about how excited I am too. Honestly, behind all this fear my excitement for this trip is phenomenal! I am so excited for how this trip is going to allow me to grow as a person, for the many new experiences that I am going to have, and for the new part of myself that I will bring home with me to the people I love.
My goals for this trip:
1. To learn to love and know myself inside and out so that I can be able to be completely ready and open to love someone else.
2. To learn as much as I can about every person and culture I meet.
3. To be outgoing and break out of my shell.
4. To have fun!!
And of course to be safe :)
SEE YOU IN THAILAND!!!!
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