Friday, March 28, 2008

Village Children




PS - I hate internet connections! ... sorry about the no photos! I am trying again.

I had the most amazing trip to a town untouched by money, consumer goods, vehicles, stress, traffic, pollution, greed, and all the other negative things we encounter in everyday life. (Granted, they also didn't have all the nice "creature comforts" we have come to depend on ... like a comfy bed and pillows, chocolate, milk and cookies, TV, internet, phones ... )

Later I will write more about my life-changing experience stepping back 100 years to a small subsistance farming community ... but for now share some photos of the kids. So happy, playing and laughing, going to school in their little village, eating with extended families, playing without fear, sharing with all the other kids, in one big happy "family."

(They still werent used to photos, so didnt smile much, but you can see how beautiful they were!)

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The simple life

I just might move to Laos. It is so beautiful here, with miles and miles of green jungle, rolling hills, winding cool rivers and hot sunshine. And life is simple - the biggest city is barely 1 million, and there are less people per square mile than any other Asian country. Most people live in small villages in wooden huts with thatched roofs. They eat sticky rice, veggies they grow, a spicy, gingery minced meat dish, and lots of fresh fruit. They smile a lot, talk softly, never wear shoes indoors, have parties to celebrate everything - even the anniversary of a death - and relax. It is a nice life. Simple. ... okay, perhaps a bit too simple and rural for me, I should admit!

I just got back to "civilization" after about 4 days traveling by boat up a small river - the Nam Ou - in NE Laos, staying in small villages. To give you an idea of what I mean by "small village" - it's important to mention that these towns ONLY had electricity from 6-9pm at night! I am not sure if you understand what not having electricity throughout the day and night means.... In the entire town (not camping, but town where people live all the time!), there are no lights - in a dark bathroom at 5pm, midnight, or noon, there is no radio or music, no TV (which I personally dont mind), no hot water from the hot water heater - only shower from 6-9!, no blender for making shakes (fruit shakes are a popular tourist drink here!), no electricity for cooking ... only old-fashioned fire! None for restaurants or stores ... it is crazy. So, that is life in a small town here. Some small towns do have non-stop electricity, but it is a luxury that we take for granted in the West, that is really not so common around the world.

So, my trip started with a 4 hour bus ride with my new friend Helena, a nice girl from Italy via England, then we arrived at Nong Kieu, a little village on the banks of the Nam Ou river, surrounded by hilly, green jungle. We had a nice nap in the shade of our little bungalows overlooking the river. Then we went for a hike and swim in our own private beach on the riverbank! beautiful! And ended the night with a delicious dinner with some fun British people we met at the bungalows.
The next day we took a boat 1 hour up to the next town - Mong Kiuow. This little village is accessible only by boat, set above the river, amid stunning high hills and cliffs covered with green jungle. We explored the town - with one main street, a pretty temple, and a few little outdoor restaurants for the tourists. It takes 10 minutes to walk from end of town to the other! And we found another, nicer private beach on the river to sunbathe and swim. I did a couple widths of the river to get some exercise. That evening we had a candle-lit dinner and saw the celebration of a new house - all the villagers were getting drunk on Lao Lao - a local rice wine that tastes rather like vodka.
The next day we did a little more adventurous hike. After about an hour walk inland, we passed by beautiful green rice paddies with water buffalo grazing and came to another tiny village with wood and thatched roof buildings. We found the only "restaurant" in town, an open-air cafe with simple tables. We had to laugh when we ordered from the menu - they only had about 20% of the items listed, and still my "vegetable soup" was noodle soup with not one veggie - just some lemongrass! And Helena's "veggies with noodles" were noodles with some cabbage! That evening we encountered the same food shortages back in the main village - only cabbage for veggies, no meat, plenty of rice, and only bananas for fruit! that's the other side of the simple life - you eat only what is currently growing and in-season.

That evening we had dinner and Lao Beer with a big group of "single" travelers - 9 of us in total, all traveling alone! - we met in the town. It was fun to talk to people from South Africa, Scotland, Australia, England, Switzerland and Spain! Pretty big mix, all in a tiny village in Northeastern Laos. crazy.

And then we grouped together 7 to share a boat 4 hours upriver, an exciting ride through small rapids on a long, low, wooden boat, stopping at other villages to pick up locals along the way. And had another flashlight night in a bigger town that also had limited electricity.

And today we took 2 buses for a total of 7 hours to Luang Namtha, in the NW corner of the country. Tomorrow Helena and I will do a 2-day trekking trip in the jungle here!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

My New Lao Friends

Today I actually got away from all the tourists just by hopping on a boat to cross the Mekong. Just 5 minutes later I was walking alone through a pretty little town, visiting temples and smiling and waving at all the little kids and women doing laundry, cooking, and sitting around chatting. It is amazing to me how people from all over the world spend Sundays doing very similar activities - housework, family time, watching TV, working on the house ... though the houses here are a bit smaller and not filled with nearly as much stuff as those in the Western World.
I continued on down a pretty little trail, just going "a little farther" and "a little farther" to see what was next. Until just when I thought the trail had ended, about half hour later, I came upon a pretty wat (temple) and a group of Lao youth sitting on a rattan mat, having a picnic. They smiled at me, and I smiled back. (All the stereotypes of Lao people being very sweet, quiet, friendly, open, smiley and just plain nice are 100% true.) This little group invited me to come and sit with them. So I did. And for the next few hours we ended up half-talking/signing, laughing, munching on nuts and chips together. The four girls were 18 and 19 and attend university at a school just outside Luang Prabang, and the one boy - a "pretty-boy" with his hair and nails done, pretty jewelry and make-up - which I found interesting - was a 17-yr old student. Only one girl actually spoke any English, limited to about 5 phrases. But the ironic thing was that they were all studying English and soon pulled out their books to try to communicate with me more. I ended up helping them with their homework, too!

We sat and communicated and shared, then visited a Buddhist temple nearby and prayed - a rather quick duck-in-pray-and-leave affair. Then went for a hike up to another temple with a cool Buddha statue sitting in a 7-headed snake. I actually thought we were heading back a different way and was quite confused about where they were leading me on a trail with all manner of bushes jumping out at me. So I was pleasantly surprised when we reached the top of a big hill, sweating under the hot sun, and could see the mekong all around and this pretty little abandoned temple in the middle of a green algae pond. We sat again for a bit, as my stomach started growling after 5 hours hiking and sitting in the heat with only a mango shake and a few chips. So, we decided to leave and get some food. Well, I wasnt sure where they were leading me or if they understood that I was starving (they had actually just finished the picnic when I arrived earlier.) but I followed the group as we trekked back down to the other temple, then down to the river-side and along the sandy side past farms and fishermen, until finally arriving at a little hut with tables, a huge speaker system, blasting Lao pop music, and FOOD! I was so happy. They served me watered-down tea, which I hoped was made with good water or at least boiled, then this strange cucumber-chili-fishy stuff, then spicy ramen noodles with asian spinach. And my meal was completed with a couple young guys from the table next to us (this apparently is a big hang-out for Sunday picnicking students) brought 3 skewers with veggies and grilled water-buffalo meat which they gave me in exchange for a photo of me with a young dude with a huge smile on his face. (If you want a sweaty, tired and hungry-looking girl smiling in the photo - I don't mind posing!)
We finished our meal and I payed for everyone ... 25000 kip - about $3 dollars. incredible.
Then we got on a little dug-out wooden boat and headed back across the mekong to their town, next to Luang Prabang. I followed them on a little trail leading to their "apartment," which they invited me to see. I have to preface this with saying that they were all dressed cute, wearing jeans, shirts and jackets - yes, long-sleeved jackets in the sweltering heat! - and had nice cell phones which they played American music from. They are all from other provinces in other areas of Laos, and have come here just to go to university. I assumed they shared an apt or dorm of some sort, imagining something similar to the US.

This is where the culture shock hits.

I walk into a tiny room with a raised platform running across half with rattan mats laid-out. clothes are hanging on a string across one side, there is a wok and some dishes in another corner, and a couple suitcases and books in the remaining side. The room is about 10 square feet. And 6 girls share it. SIX. Living, sleeping, eating, studying, hanging out talking ... together for 5 years. I couldn't believe it. My things alone, all packed up, would fill the place. And these girls have come with one suitcase to live and study for 5 years. Amazing. And they shared their snacks and day with me without even thinking about it! I was really touched by that.

After relaxing in their apartment, sitting on the bed area - really like a raised floor - we talked and laughed some more, then bid farewell and I caught a tuk-tuk back to Luang Prabang. I wish I could have given them more or helped them out, but I didn't have anything with me to give, and they don't have email or contact info. Hopefully I made their day even half as memorable as they made mine.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Traveling "alone"

Just a quick blog about the misnomer of "traveling alone" ... when traveling in this part of the world, it just doesnt exist. For starters, there are hundreds of other travelers around at all times, unless one gets really far out into the wilderness ... and then you have all the locals that always prefer to talk to lone travelers, especially female travelers, than groups of people. And then there is the fact that people here (locals and tourists alike) are all so dang friendly, making it impossible not to meet people and easy to make friends. On my little trip "alone," I have met people from all over the world, from Europe to South America, Australia to Asia. It is fascinating.
In Cambodia I met a great, fun couple from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who I toured with for nearly 3 days, then I met a nice German guy traveling with his father - we shared beer (of course!) and dinner one evening, then I met a group of cool people on another boat, including a German woman also traveling alone (an ex-P&G-er to boot!), two Chileans, a Chilean and German couple. We all found rooms in the same hotel and had a fun evening of dinner and drinks. Then I spent another nice dinner with the Chileans the next night, purely by chance! And after the American group tour, I have had the same experience.

When traveling here it is common to book small trips of 2-3 days to see different sights. These group trips are great for meeting other travelers, as you are thrown into a group of people - could be fun or not - but you are stuck with them for the duration of the trip. I did a 3 day Halong Bay boat trip and was with a group of Irish, Australian (Melbourne), Canadian, Danish, German people. I really hit it off with the older Canadian couple - reminded me of my parents in a cool, used-to-be-hippie and traveled all over Latin America in a VW van sort-of way. We had some great conversations about traveling, Vietnam, history, culture and life in general.
Then on my trip to Sapa, in the north of Vietnam, where the landscape is covered with big green hills cut into rice terraces, dotted with small hilltribe villages and huts. The area is teeming with tourists and tribes-people trying to sell you things, which I found a little frustrating when trying to enjoy the beautiful scenery and quiet. (Vietnam is not a place to "get away from it all" in general, I have decided.) There I was put into a trekking group with a sweet Colombian girl and 2 Aussies - from the "Gold Coast" - natural medicine/yoga hippie-types who liked to have a good time. (So far, I am convinced ALL Australians are big drinkers.) And we happened to share our home stay with another small group consisting of 2 young guys from Boston/east coast who reminded me very much of my step-brother Chris at their age (25). They were fun, really into climbing and outdoors activities, as well as partying and showing off. And the last couple was an older American couple from Seattle - nice, retired, into roughing it traveling.
I ended up spending the next couple days with the four guys, as the Colombian returned to Hanoi and the older couple did their thing. We had a good time ... with lots of beer - hanoi beer!

And, on the plane to Laos I met Amanda, a fellow single woman traveler from Australia, then met a nice couple on my waterfall trip from Australia also, and another from Sweden, and finally people from Hungary on the kayak trip. And at dinner last night a couple fun guys from Australia (Adelaide - quite a different side of Australia), and finally a Scotch-Irish-Mr. Bean-look-alike. probably the funniest character of all, so far!

I hope everyone can experience traveling "alone" at some point in their lives. It has been a highlight of my trip. I don't think I would have met or had interesting conversations with half the people had I been with others. (though of course, friends you are welcome to join the adventure!)

Friday, March 14, 2008

Lovely Laos



Okay, so I am sure I have lost all my readership ... not even sure if I should keep writing, but I guess I will post just to share some stories.

I am now in Laos. and I LOVE it. the NY Times rated Laos the number one tour destination in the world, and so far, out of Asia, it is my favorite. it is so beautiful, full of amazing nature, with no crouds, pleasant, quiet people ... perhaps coming from Vietnam it is extra special and calm. I have only been here 2 full days and already want to stay 3-4 weeks!

I decided to take a 1.5 hr flight from Hanoi instead of a 30 hour bus ride. The flight had the added benefit of a visa-on-arrival option at the airport. It is crazy having to think about visas to travel places. I have had to get visas for Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, and will need one for China as well. For Cambodia and Laos, you can get them on-the-spot at the border, which is nice. And this time I forgot my passport-sized photo, but luckily they accepted US$1 instead. You can pay people for just about anything in this world!
On the plane I met a nice girl named Amanda, from Australia, also traveling alone. We hit it off, as we were sat next to each other, and she let me hitch a ride with her taxi to the hotel she had pre-booked. or rather "guest house" - as virtually all hotels in Luang Prabang are really people's homes! We were both over-joyed at the quiet peacefullness of the town, a pleasant shock coming from loud, crazy, busy hanoi. Here no one bothers you to sell you rides or postcards or trinkets. No one honks. No one shouts or talks overly-loudly. Buddhist monks roam everwhere and there are more temples than big hotels. The town is on the banks of the mekong, with pretty, candle-lit restuarants overlooking the river from the level of the town about 20 meters above the water.

My first day I slept in, found another guest house to move to closer to everything in the old town, though really nothing is more than a 5 minute walk in this tiny town! Then I had a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit with yogurt and meusli at a restuarant overlooking the mekong. then I happened to pass by a little mini-bus stop offering trips to the waterfall nearby. I booked an 11:30am trip. The waterfall turned out to be amazing, peaceful, with just a handfull of tourists, compared to the crouds everywhere in Vietnam. They also had a black bear sanctuary, so I spent a bit watching the bears play and splash-around in their real live jungle-gym. then hiked up to the top of a beautiful, jungle waterfall, about 50 meters up (? have to admit, I am REALLY bad with guessing distances!). the climb was tricky, on steep, dried-mud going vertically up. the view from the top was nice, and I was able to wade across the top of the fall to come down the other side! then I went swimming in the most beatiful natural blue pools after the bottom of the falls. (I have attempted to upload fotos for you to see!)

And then the next day, today, I went kayaking and swimming on a beatiful river flowing into the mekong. We floated and paddled along - just me and the guide and two other couples, from Australia and Hungary. We didn't see any other tourists! the scenery is beatiful, with big hills covered in green, fields planted, the occasional water buffalo or fisherman, big limestone cliffs.
Then we visited a cave with 1000 buddhas ... mostly small ones! Then we kayaked some more, had some home-made rice "whiskey" - very strong! - and headed back to town. This evening I enjoyed a nap, a massage for $4, delicious dinner for $2 and some emailing!!!

Signing off from Laos!

Friday, March 7, 2008

N Vietnam

I am off on my own again. The US tour group left me and I am back to solo and budget travel! Well, sort-of. I have to say this "traveling alone" is really just a joke. Perhaps it is because I am social and like meeting people, or maybe it is because everyone is very friendly when traveling, but I have to say that I rarely find myself alone. I found a nice little hotel in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, for US$14 a night! Here I booked two trips - a 3 day boat trip to Halong Bay and a 3 day trekking trip up to Sapa, the hills and terraced rice fields in Northern Vietnam.

I just returned from the trip to Halong Bay - it was really nice. The first day we left early in the morning - 8am, had a 3 hour bus ride to the bay, then boarded a boat where we had another feast of a meal - with fish, squid salad, bok choy, spring rolls, french fries, pork with veggies in sauce, rice and soup. I have been having similar HUGE meals this whole time with the tour group. Luckily the food is more-or-less healthy because I am eating a lot of it! Then we sailed to a cave - called the "amazing cave" - a really big limestone cave that reminded me of a star-wars movie. They have developed it for tourism, with a nice pathway and lights all around. The highlight of the cave is a large phallic-shaped rock sticking out, pointing to a hole in the ceiling! so funny.

This culture seems so discreet and serious and not sexual or emotional at all on the surface ... but I am learning that there is a lot underneath the smooth veneer. Men do check women out all the time, they just dont say anything (like in Latin America) and dont let you see them looking - it is all very discreet. I have been startled a time or two with little comments I hear or looks I accidentally see. For example, in one nice hotel I stayed in I was asking the councierge - a shy, young 20-something guy for help with directions on a map. Suddenly I hear him murmur "very beautiful" under his breath. I just looked at him in disbelief as he shyly smiled and looked down.

I have to say, after living in over-bearing Mexico, this culture is so pleasantly appealing. Whereas in Mexico things are intense, emotional, spicy and loud, here things are petite, tea is drunk slowly in tiny little cups, flirting is done quietly and discreetly, and you rarely see people getting really angry. The traditional music is melodic and soft. Though the people do sound loud when talking to one another. It is crazy being surrounded by sounds that I dont understand all the time. I miss understanding what is going on around me. Though I am glad I had time in Mexico to learn how to live with uncertainty. I am never quite sure what is happening here!

anyway, back to my Halong Bay trip ... so, after the cave, which I had actually already seen on an earlier trip to the bay with the tour group. (I liked it so much I deceded to come back on a longer trip.) We then had time to kayak around the bay a bit. I went with a nice Spanish woman I met - also traveling alone. We had a nice discussion (in Spanish, of course!) about life and working and relationships and traveling and such. I got to know the group on my boat over the next couple days - a few australians, a couple from Belgium, 2 british boys, an irish couple, a Canadian couple, a german guy and a danish girl! Quite the mix! It has been like living at the United Nations traveling here. It is just amazing. People are all so friendly and open, which is nice.

That evening we spent the night on the boat, under the stars with big Limestone rock islands and other wooden "junks" all around us. (The type of boat is called a Junk.)
The next morning we had breakfast on board, then sailed to a different part of the bay. Those of us staying another day transfered boats - yes, in the middle of the ocean bay. You have to have good balance to travel around here, as the boat trip involved trapsing over many small planks, up and down rickety stairs and climbing from boat to boat. The water wasnt very deep in the bay, though, so I imagine nothing much would happen if you fell overboard. but luckily, I did not.

Day 2 involved a bike ride on the island, then big lunch on a floating fishing hut, then kayaking around the bay - this time I went with the german guy. it was so lovely and peaceful, rowing around the islands, seeing caves, rocks and beaches. then we parked and had time to swim, but the water was a bit cold and shallow, so I just waded around the little island. Then we headed to the island town on Kat Ba island. it was so pretty there. we had a nice hotel and I had my own room with a nice view of the bay. and I went for a long walk around this beautiful walkway they had made from one beach to another around the island cliffs. And there I met 3 young hippie-chic girls from Spain, so we chatted a bit (in spanish - it is just amazing I am getting in so much practice!) and walked back to town together. Then had dinner with my boat group and went for a drink in a little bar with the Irish, Australian and German people. The next morning we boarded the boat and sailed home - of course with meals on the way!

Now I am waiting for my overnight train to Sapa ... write more soon!

Friday, February 22, 2008

Me and the Jubilados

The spanish word for "retired" is "jubilado" ... and that is just the word to describe my new travel companions. I met up with my dad and his wife about a week ago in Saigon. It was pretty funny walking into a hotel room (in the nicest hotel I had seen since the wedding) and giving my dad a big hug with a "welcome to Vietnam!" It is even more odd to think that 30 years ago there's no way in hell any American would have willingly come and payed to visit Vietnam! It is strange how the world changes ... perhaps we will all be touring Iraq in 20 years.

The trip to Vietnam has been very interesting in so many ways ... starting with my touring circumstances. This is my first trip on a tour group, with a schedule, planned meals and hotels, guides and transportation all pre-arranged and provided. It is nice in that I dont have to think about anything, not even when to go to the "happy house" (aka toilet) or what to order for dinner, but it is also not so nice in that I dont get a choice about what to order for dinner, when to eat or what to see. I am trying to totally relax and enjoy the complete mental break from the normal travel concerns. And I am also looking at this as another cultural experience, getting to know my fellow travelers. We are a group of 18, the oldest two are in their 80's -- my step-grandparents, and the youngest is myself. The rest fall between 55 and 65, I believe. these aren't your typical retirees, though. Most have traveled way more than I have. They have been to China, various places in Sub-saharan Africa, the Middle East, South America, Russia, Australia. It is remarkable. Most seem to prefer group travel, but have done solo traveling and also a fair amount of volunteer traveling. It is a great example of what to do with your time when you retire! They are all highly educated, open-minded and generally a positive bunch. It is interesting seeing Vietnam from the eyes of a Vietnamese tour operator, with people who participated in or have strong memories of the Vietnam civil war.

The country itself is fascinating. Where Cambodia is poverty-stricken and very undeveloped, Vietnam is a glowing example of the unique political policy of "Commu-Capitalism" -- Capitalist in the sense that everyone is trying to make a buck and the entrepreneurial spirit is strong, with nice hotels, a zillion restaurants, massage parlours and stores everywhere, but Communist in the sense that there are still very few global brands, the hotels and resorts must be Vietnamese to get the nice plots of land, the poor aren't visible because they have been "moved" to "nice, new housing" outside the sight of tourists, and the propaganda is everywhere. The anti-American sentiment is incredibly strong, but not by the people, by the government. It is clear that they want our tourist money, but all the museums and sights of the war clearly show the horrors and atroicities committed by US soldiers. (For example, I am sitting in a nice hotel in Hoi An, Vietnam, in the middle, on the coast, and there is a tourism desk with photos of different sights to see in the area, including, "Cham Museum, My Son Holyland, Marble Mountains, My Lai Massacre, DMZ ... " Ah, I'm sorry, was that a massacre on the tour schedule?!? crazy. I feel like it's their clever way at getting back at the US for getting involved in their war. They show us the horrors we committed, and charge us an entry fee, too! Well, I suppose for what we did in this country, it is the least we can do. While there were atrocities committed by ALL parties, it does not excuse the actions and involvement by the US. Our efforts would have saved many more people in Cambodia during the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge regime.
It is fascinating to me to see the "other side" and read history in a different light. I picked up the book "The Girl in the Picture" about the life of the girl in one of Vietnam's most famous war photos - the naked little girl running while being burned by Napalm. The book outlines her life during and after the war and helps to understand this country.

I guess I am older now, as I find myself drawn more to understand the history of these places, look at the political and economic factors influencing life here, and see how the culture has evolved and changed as a result. That and I cannot stop noticing all the Pepsi signage. Apparently Coke did not have the right connections with the communists to get their signs put up here. It is a Pepsi country all the way! (For those that don't know, my primary client for the past 3 years was PepsiCo and one of the last projects I worked on was the signage for Pepsi, Mirinda and 7Up - here they have a different flavor of Mirinda - Sarsi - tastes just like Root Beer - Delicious!)

Signing off from Vietnam.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

I love motorcycles

I am happy to annouce I have found a new passion in life ... motorcycles. Lucky for me, Asia is full of them! They transport everyone, from market sellers and really old people, to babies, school children, and families. They even take paying tourists, complete with luggage! (I will be inserting a photo here as an example in a few days... )

I have taken three rides so far - my first was a fun off-road adventure with my trusty guide Yee, a skinny 21 year old Cambodian boy with a huge smile that I didn't see much of due to his camo-colored face mask. On my third day of visiting the ruins in Angkor, I decided to go to a further out ruin Bantay Srei, that I had read was beautiful and well-preserved. Being on my own this time, I decided to go via motorbike. About 2 blocks from my hotel a shy guy with this grand smile offered to be my tour guide with this motorcycle. (please note that this is VERY common practice in SE Asia, in any given block of Cambodia there are 5-20 motorcycle dudes shouting at you "moto miss, moto, you want moto?" It is common practice and very professional ... perhaps safer than a Mexico City taxi ... which I took for 1 year!) So Yee and I negotiated a rate of $7 for an all day trip to see this ruin about an hour away, then too another one another ways further, and back. I hopped on the back, and away we go!!! (insert other foto here :)

I think this day, finally on my own, sitting on a bike with the wind in my hair (helmet, what's that?) smiling at the people along the road smiling back, passing farms and huts and green fields and locals on bicycles, I felt the warm exuberance of pure joy, complete contentment and confidence that THIS is it. This moment is worth all the long days of working, planning and saving that had to happen for me to be here on this trip. If I die now, I will be smiling ... big, really big.

But thankfully, I didn't die, and the day went on with more adventures. The first temple was completely breathtaking. Worth the long journey and effort to get there. The intricate stone carvings told far off tales of Hindu gods and Angkorian dancers, of another lifetime over a thousand years ago. It was beautiful. Then we pushed on, leaving the pavement for the dustiest dirt road I have ever traveled, where I finally understood the downside of motorcycles. I was completely covered in dirt from head to toe, ears, eyes, hair. dirty. really dirty. The best part was when big trucks would speed by spitting up complete dust storms, and I would duck behind my trusty driver Yee, squeezing my eyes closed and trying not to breathe ... and he says to me "dirt get in my eye, make it no see" ... ah, great. really fun. add one more element of excitement to the motorcycle and I am addicted.

My second motorcycle ride was after a long fun boat ride from Siam Reap to Phnom Phen, Cambodia, 6 hours on a big motorized "speed boat" jam packed with 40 tourists and their back packs. The first day I toured on foot, seeing the National Museum and some statues and parks. Then the next day I ventured out with a skirt and learned about the down-side to motorcycles. they don't work particularly well with skirts. especially knee-length straight skirts which really cannot be tucked around the legs. After protesting to the insistent moto-chofers, I learned the OTHER way to ride on the back of a bike: side-saddle. This added yet another more exciting element to my whole motorcycle experience. Imagine me, sitting sideways, trying my hardest to keep my legs together, balancing one foot on the foot-bar with the other on-top, trying to tuck my long legs as close to the bike as possible so as not to get hit by the hundreds of other motos zooming by ... super fun.

Which brings me to moto experience number 3 - in Vietnam. I arrived in Vietnam after another boat ride (which I have also grown fond of - will have to write another blog about my love of boats!), spent the night in a border town Chau Doc, dining out with my 5 new best friends from Chile and Germany, and the next day took a 6 hour bus ride with a lot of Vietnamese people, and NO gringos!, to Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh). After arriving at the city outskirts, the bus dumped me and my new Vietnamese language tutors off in a dusty parking lot and I am suddenly bombarded by 10 eager moto-chofers asking me to hire them for a ride to my hotel. So, I pick the guy with the most messed-up blackened and missing teeth, of course. (If he is a good eater, he must be trust-worthy.) And after getting him down in cost, we start off. Only this ride is made more exciting by another new factor ... luggage. Okay, so NOW picture a much fatter and older Yee, or Hong, perhaps, holding my large bag in his lap, me behind with my small and medium-sized over-the-sholder bags, both in helmets this time (Vietnam requires them - happy, mom?), cruising through Saigon Friday afternoon traffic, over sidewalks and through red lights, asking for directions with my guidebook in hand, pulling up to this fancy hotel looking like I had litteraly just come from the front lines of the war zone Vietnam. hillarious.

In short, I love motorcycles and I hope to continue my writing my own Motorcycle Diaries over the next few months. (But not for a couple weeks as I am now traveling in luxury with the 60+ crowd with my parents and friends in a tour through Indochine.)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Bad Blogger ... Great Traveler!

Okay, so just for the record, I dont know how good of a blogger I will be during my trip. I have found that now that I am out of the office and LIVING, traveling by motorcycle, bicycle, Tuc-Tuc, train and elephant ... I find it hard to sit in an internet cafe for hours to write. That and the fact that this dang website doesn't always load up well.

So, I will have to continue with the wedding stories later and write about my most recent experiences. I am in Siam Reap, Cambodia. I have just spent 3 days visiting Angkor ... some of the most amazing ruins I have ever seen in my life. In an area at least triple Central Park, there are hundreds of temples, sanctuaries, statues and buildings left in ruins, but showing a culture so advanced and devout it gives the Mayan and Inca a good run for their money. The structures are over 1000 years old, with intricate carvings depicting Hindu and Buddhist images. The most famous of the ruins is Angkor Wat, followed by Angkor Thom. Some of you might have seen images of the ruins in Angelina Jolie's movie "Tomb Raider" ... I myself never saw the movie. but I can assure you that in real life the ruins are simply incredible. It is a magical place filled with 5-story high trees, songs from at least 30 different birds, a hot sun and silent cool breeze. The morning is mystical and the evening serene. I can honestly say that despite the thousands of tourists ... many Chinese with a nack for standing right in the way of your perfect photo ... this place is completely worth a visit.

Which is saying a lot after the trip I made to get here! Lets go back three days to Saturday ... After a 14-hour overnight train ride from Chiang Mai, in North Thailand, I departed ways with my fabulous travel buddies Diksha and Raju, sad that I would no longer hear the Nepali chatter I had grown so accustomed to ... and sad about losing the best travel agent ever, not to mention great company for an evening beer! So, we departed ways at 6:30am, and I got off the train at my stop in central Bangkok at 7am and made like a mad woman on Amazing Race. I double-checked the bus station I needed to go to (bangkok has 4 of them), avoided a scam info dude, grabbed a taxi, headed to the bus station, bought my ticket and was on the bus at 7:30am. Wow! At first I was in a literal bouncy rocking chair, reminding me of those fun ones babies use, but not so fun sitting in the last row on a 4 hour bus journey. I slyly switched seats to a more comfortable one, next to a dude with BO, of course, just in time before they filled the bus aisle with people for the long journey. 4.5 hours later I arrive at the border town. Find another white dude who looks like he knows what to do, and we share a Rickshaw to the border itself. There I step out and get conned into getting my Cambodian Visa with a young Cambodian dude with a HUGE smile and perfect English. I am sure I am being over-charged, but am assured by other tourists that I must get the visa here. (upon later checking I payed about $5 over the going rate. oh well ... ) This turns out to be a very lucky stop because sitting at the road-side table waiting for my passport to be returned with the visa, I meet Nacho and Julieta, a lovely young Argentinian couple who I befriend and end up spending the next few days with ... speaking entirely in SPANISH!!!

For those that don't know, learning Spanish has been one of my greatest accomplishments in my life. And after having spent 1.5 years getting really good at it in Mexico, I am scared to death about forgetting the language. I have been praying for a way to practice my Spanish on this trip. And I suppose god (or Vishnu or Buddha ... I have been seeing a lot of manifestations of gods lately!) actually heard my prayers and sent this sweet couple to me to be my travel buddies and practice Espanol. It is also rare to find Spanish speakers here. I have only overheard one other person speaking the language and have heard thousands of people speaking in many tongues lately.

After crossing the border on foot, my new buddies and I contracted a car to take us to Siam Reap. The journey took 3 hours over the worst road i have ever seen. We bounced and swerved and caught air that would make the Dukes of Hazard jealous. Incredible. But at last we arrived, refusing a "free" Tuc-Tuc that would have taken us to a Guest house for a commission, and instead opted to walk. It felt great walking after the 14 hour train ride, 30 minute taxi, 4.5 hour bus, and 3 hour car/roller-coaster ride. We ended up walking a ways - over an hour - with all our bags, in the setting sun, until finally coming upon an open guest house in the city for $15 a night. We checked in at about 6:30pm, exhausted!

The next day we were up at 5:30am for an all-day tour (until 6pm) of the ruins by BICYCLE!! In total we went over 40 km, and climbed hundreds of stairs up and around the ruins. I have to give some major props to the Argentinians ... they are the most hard-core tourists I have ever encountered. And thanks to them I saw every ruin in Angkor and had a wonderful time with a million photos and lots of laughs. The following day we again started at 6am for an all-day tour by tuc-tuc, ending it all with a great sunset over the jungle. We departed ways last night as they were off back to Thailand for the rest of their month-long trip.

And today I had another fabulous, memorable day with Yee, a nice 21-yr-old smiley Cambodian motorcycle driver. He took me for an hour to see the most intricate ruin of all, with breathtakingly intricate carvings. Then we went another 45 minutes down a super dusty dirt road, to another river ruin, getting a bit lost and going 20 minutes out of the way. But Yee was a sport about it all, and he even hiked with me to the site, setting the pace up the steep rocky path at twice the normal speed, as we did the 45 minute hike (according to guidebook), in just 20 minutes! We took advantage of the small pretty waterfall to wash some of the dirt off - I was literally orange! Then had a quick meal of fried rice with veggies and chicken and drove 2 hours back to Siam Reap, stopping for a couple last photos of the ruins in the setting sun.

Tomorrow I am off to Phnom Phen via speedboat for 5 hours! Will write again when I can!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

THE Wedding - part 1

Before embarking on my journey to Asia, I told many friends and family about a wedding I would be attending at the start of my 4 month trip. I always mentioned that it was an Indian/Nepali wedding at a resort in Thailand, with many events planned, for which I had to pack many nice formal dresses ... but despite my anticipation and excitement for this unknown event to come, all my wildest dreams of the most beautiful, elaborate wedding imaginable were far surpassed with this incredible 3-day experience.

Welcome to the Sharaton Hua Hin, a newly opened luxury resort with a mile-long swimming lagoon, beachfront lawns and infinity pool, fountains, flowers and marble elephants gracefully placed along winding pathways. The bus pulled up and a young harmonica-playing elephant greeted us, placing a hat upon my head with his trunk, and I knew a once-in-a-lifetime event was about to take place.
We settled into our rooms and I started getting to know my roommate, a beautiful, super-educated Bangladeshi girl who lives in D.C. and works for the World Bank. (I am starting to feel already a little lame that I work, I mean worked, for a simple branding and package design company, doing little good for the world besides making the trash more attractive.)
We change (outfit #1) and go to the "meet and greet brunch" with serving trays after trays of the most delicious Indian and Thai food ... a literal taster of the food to come throughout the weekend. (And forget any weight-loss this weekend. I couldnt stuff my mouth fast enough to try all the delectable flavors available at each meal!)
I meet Indians from Australia, Nepalis from Boston and NY, British, Thai and Canadians. People came from Hong Kong and from Camaroon. (Though I was the only one who had flown in from Mexico! Just trying to represent the US and Mexico as best I could.) The guests spoke many languages and studied so many different things ... all highly educated, successful and from the higher classes of the world. I felt just a tad intimidated by the collective amount of knowledge and money in the resort, but soon would forget all that with the magical world I was wisked away to.
We return to our rooms, I get in a quick dip in the infinity pool with a huge smile on my face, and I meet a sweet girl from Boston whose family is from El Salvador. We speak a little Spanish and laugh at the Indian boys trying to "perform" for us with their poor volleyball skills in the pool. Then it is back to the room to change into tonights coctail dress for the beach-side soiree. I slip on dress #2, a cute red silk dress that I must suck in my stomach to wear. (after a week of eating tacos and drinking nightly prior to leaving Mexico, I didn't acheive my perfect wedding body I had hoped for.) I walk with my roomie down to the beach-front lawn, decorated with boquets dripping with a plethora of flowers, including roses, gerber daisies and orchids. Large torches burn bright with flames lighting the evening, and we are handed sweet, fun pink drinks and begin mingling. At first people did stick to their groups a bit, though with some more drinks and dancing, the groups soon opened up to reveal many fun, energetic, interesting wedding guests. We walk around and drink our drinks, then eventually make our way to the tables and food. There is so much food I don't even know what to do with myself. A 100 feet of serving trays, with 5 chef stations ready-cooking everything from asian noodles to thai papaya salads to indian tandoori dishes to sauteed shrimp and fresh veggies. I almost get stressed about which types of food to eat because I am so full but I want to try everything. I find a table with my new group of girlfriends and we soon start filling up the dance floor. There is a DJ set up with the coolest table right in front of the ocean, with lights and a dance floor and all. No detail is forgotton. And the drinks are nothing to sniff at ... I am no whiskey fan, but I have heard Johnny Walker Blue Label is nothing to sneeze at. With Absolut vodka and a great brand of champaigne, this wedding is nothing but the best.
After eating and drinking and dancing our hearts out, the 200 guests make their way away from the beach to the resort's night club. This place could compete with the best of them in Mexico City or SF. With a cool design, an indian DJ and singers flown in from Bombay, a bar stocked with the same top-shelf options (free to us), and a crowd full of international guests, draped in their finest duds, the party was just getting started. For the next 5 hours, we all danced and laughed and drank and partied, with hindi music blasting, feet jumping and hundreds of hands pulsing in the night; it was an Indian experience like no other! At about 2:30am I called it a night, slipping out and back to my room to fall asleep with sweet dreams of day 1 of the dreamy South Asian wedding weekend ...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

On the way

I am off on my journey, a four month long viaje. I will be traveling in SE Asia, and perhaps a few other places .... wherever the wind takes me!
After a week of bittersweet despedidas in Mexico City, packing up all my belongings and shoving the last few tacos and micheladas down, I am off on my adventure. Flew through Chicago, a cold reminder of how annoying and work-a-holic gringos are and how excited I am to have months of nothing to do but enjoy myself. And also a nice chance to see a very good friend and her completely selfless profession of doctoring the poor and loud. Cheers to you, Erin, you are a saint with a sock-full of good karma!
Then on a 13 hour flight to Tokyo. Well, I think I am actually in the burbs as I never saw any buildings from the airport ... looks a lot like a neatly organized midwest from the window. And I cant stop smiling at the completely orderly, clean, proper, polite, friendly world the Japanese have created. I think Asia will be a nice breath of fresh air from crazy, poluted, loud, frenetic, non-linear Mexico City. (though I am aware that Japan is not exactly like the rest of SE Asia ... we'll see what I say after a trip to Saigon!)
It is so funny to me that I know exactly NO words in any of these foreign languages. And that with a smile and a little bow people can be so nice. I am delighting in everything. Thanks god!