I've decided that I'm never going to get around to writing a day-by-day account of my trekking experiences, since that's now a good week or so behind me, so I will write a list of highs and lows, which gives a pretty good idea of what was involved.
Highlights:
Beautiful scenery
Great company/fellow trekkers
Guide who is originally from one of the hill tribes (and spoke English!)
Bathing side by side with the villages in a stream, wearing a sarong for modesty
Nightly fire circles
RAFTING!!! On bamboo rafts!!! Awesome!
Learning a song in Thai complete with actions on aforementioned rafting, then looking back while singing to see our whole group participating from my own raft and the other two raft
Not seeing another trekking group during our journey
Finishing off the trip with a waterfall visit
Meeting up with the entire group for drinks that evening
Sleeping inside of the home of some of the Karen hilltribe locals, with them sleeping on the other side of the fire.
Lowlights:
Tiny inch-long skinny leeches that penetrated through footwear (!!!) Creepy...
15 minute stretches up steep inclines
Leaky roof in our sleeping quarters, which prompted us to have to move over to a local home (see last highlight)... all in all, it wasn't so bad, and it was kinda amusing.
Straw mats that were our mattresses - Night 1, I didn't have a very good night's sleep, but by Night 2, I slept like a baby despite the lack of padding
So, all in all, it was a good trip. Day 2, we trekked about 6-7 hours (2 hours of which included the damn leeches!), and Day 3, it was an hour of bamboo rafting, then 45 minutes of walking. I'm glad I signed up for this particular trip because everything seemed to be focused on low impact tourism, and the communities we passed through seemed interested in us, but the people didn't beg, persistently try to sell us their weavings and necklaces, nor offer us opium, which is fairly common on the more-touristed areas for trekking.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Trekking! Day 1
One of the popular things to do around Chiang Mai and northeastern Thailand is to go trekking in the area that's inhabited by the hilltribes. There are several different minority groups (at least 5) that live around here, and people want to go check them out.
Now, of course I can't make any easy, spur-of-the-moment decisions, so I had to talk to several different operators, look online for advice and quiz all travelers I'd come into contact with about their trekking experiences. And it came to light that many of the treks left people feeling like they'd just visited the zoo and looked at the people, and some sort of false environment had evolved from all of the outsiders visiting the villages. They were hassled to buy goods, and the children wanted candy, etc. I decided that I didn't want that, and then I talked to two folks who had gone to the Eagle House in Chiang Mai and done their non-tourist area trek. They saw no other foreigners during their trek, and they had a great time.
So I signed up the next day for that trek and then left for Pai to kill time before the trek left.
On Day 1 of the trek, we met up at 8:30 to store our bags and valuables before we left, and then we set off, each of us with just a small backpack on our backs. We had a lot of driving to do - about 4 hours total - but we first stopped off at a market so they could buy food for our trip.
We were travelling in a covered small pick-up truck with benches along the side in the back... there were 4 people plus driver in the front and 8 in the back, with the guide riding on top of the truck. Our group consisted of a family of 5 from Greece (the mom is from England, so daughters are fluent in English), 2 American girls travelling independently from each other, 1 Irish guy, 1 English guy, 1 German guy and a Canadian guy.
After the market, our next stop was an elephant camp were we were put in groups of 3 on elephants. Two people sat on an actual bench mounted on the elephant, and then a third person sat basically on the elephant's neck just behind its ears. Then our elephants were led on an hour-long loop down to a small waterfall. It was slow going, and those of us on the bench had a fairly easy ride. Those sitting right on the elephants had a bit more work to keep from falling off, but they also quickly got their balance. I thought it was interesting but not an amazing experience, but I did enjoy being able to touch an elephant - their skin is quite tough and their hairs quite prickly!
Post-elephant riding, we had fried rice and piled back into the truck. Eventually, we were given our backpacks and we set out for a fairly easy 2 hours' trek to the town we were going to sleep in. We were walking through rice paddy terracing (dry at the moment because rainy season has not yet begun), crossing a few streams via logs across them, and walking through a bit of greenery. Eventually, we hit our first home, which was a village of the Karen hilltribe, and we sat down to a beer to help recover from the hill we tackled to get up to the village.
Stay posted for more about rainstorms, bathing in rivers, leeches and more!
Now, of course I can't make any easy, spur-of-the-moment decisions, so I had to talk to several different operators, look online for advice and quiz all travelers I'd come into contact with about their trekking experiences. And it came to light that many of the treks left people feeling like they'd just visited the zoo and looked at the people, and some sort of false environment had evolved from all of the outsiders visiting the villages. They were hassled to buy goods, and the children wanted candy, etc. I decided that I didn't want that, and then I talked to two folks who had gone to the Eagle House in Chiang Mai and done their non-tourist area trek. They saw no other foreigners during their trek, and they had a great time.
So I signed up the next day for that trek and then left for Pai to kill time before the trek left.
On Day 1 of the trek, we met up at 8:30 to store our bags and valuables before we left, and then we set off, each of us with just a small backpack on our backs. We had a lot of driving to do - about 4 hours total - but we first stopped off at a market so they could buy food for our trip.
We were travelling in a covered small pick-up truck with benches along the side in the back... there were 4 people plus driver in the front and 8 in the back, with the guide riding on top of the truck. Our group consisted of a family of 5 from Greece (the mom is from England, so daughters are fluent in English), 2 American girls travelling independently from each other, 1 Irish guy, 1 English guy, 1 German guy and a Canadian guy.
After the market, our next stop was an elephant camp were we were put in groups of 3 on elephants. Two people sat on an actual bench mounted on the elephant, and then a third person sat basically on the elephant's neck just behind its ears. Then our elephants were led on an hour-long loop down to a small waterfall. It was slow going, and those of us on the bench had a fairly easy ride. Those sitting right on the elephants had a bit more work to keep from falling off, but they also quickly got their balance. I thought it was interesting but not an amazing experience, but I did enjoy being able to touch an elephant - their skin is quite tough and their hairs quite prickly!
Post-elephant riding, we had fried rice and piled back into the truck. Eventually, we were given our backpacks and we set out for a fairly easy 2 hours' trek to the town we were going to sleep in. We were walking through rice paddy terracing (dry at the moment because rainy season has not yet begun), crossing a few streams via logs across them, and walking through a bit of greenery. Eventually, we hit our first home, which was a village of the Karen hilltribe, and we sat down to a beer to help recover from the hill we tackled to get up to the village.
Stay posted for more about rainstorms, bathing in rivers, leeches and more!
Northern Thailand, take 2 - Pai
Where was I? Last I wrote, I'd booked a yoga class in Pai. On Tuesday morning, I donned some flowing and light clothes, followed the instructor's advice to keep breakfast to a minimum and bought a yogurt on my way to the 10am class.
Mama Yoga, as the instructor is called, put on some soothing eastern-style music and began our session. There were 6 non-beginners and 3 absolute beginners, including myself. We stretched and then slowly worked our way into some poses, with us beginners trying our hardest to contort our bodies into new positions, mimicking Mama Yoga. After half an hour, I was sweating and warm, despite our slow movements. By the time the two hours were up, I was ready to rest. All of us sat down together and ate the watermelon, bananas and cookies that were put down in front of us and we started to chat a bit.
We three newbies went back in the afternoon at 3 to meet with Mama Yoga again. We were given a handout with the poses, and then we slowly went through all of the poses again so that we could remember what we'd done that morning. Afterwards, the three of us sat down with Mama Yoga, ate some Phad Thai with rice noodles and talked with her. She's an amazing woman! 60 years old and incredibly fit - she looks like she's 40 or 45. She is from Thailand and is part of the Hindi minority, thus vegetarian. She went to India when she was in her twenties, and there she learned yoga, which nicely complemented her Hindi meditation and beliefs. Ever since, she's done yoga, and she's been happily living in Pai for since about 2000, and it's definitely a great retreat for her. Her husband passed away years ago, her children are grown, and she seems to love teaching and nurturing her yoga students. She's incredible.
The next morning, I squeezed in another yoga session before hopping on a bus headed back to Chiang Mai, arriving in time for my 6:30pm meeting for the trek I was to head off to the following day.
I really liked yoga! It feels great, and after a session, I walked down the street feeling wonderful! I'm going to try to search for other yoga sessions in other towns as I make my way through Asia. Hooray - a hobby that's not as expensive as scuba diving and travel!
Mama Yoga, as the instructor is called, put on some soothing eastern-style music and began our session. There were 6 non-beginners and 3 absolute beginners, including myself. We stretched and then slowly worked our way into some poses, with us beginners trying our hardest to contort our bodies into new positions, mimicking Mama Yoga. After half an hour, I was sweating and warm, despite our slow movements. By the time the two hours were up, I was ready to rest. All of us sat down together and ate the watermelon, bananas and cookies that were put down in front of us and we started to chat a bit.
We three newbies went back in the afternoon at 3 to meet with Mama Yoga again. We were given a handout with the poses, and then we slowly went through all of the poses again so that we could remember what we'd done that morning. Afterwards, the three of us sat down with Mama Yoga, ate some Phad Thai with rice noodles and talked with her. She's an amazing woman! 60 years old and incredibly fit - she looks like she's 40 or 45. She is from Thailand and is part of the Hindi minority, thus vegetarian. She went to India when she was in her twenties, and there she learned yoga, which nicely complemented her Hindi meditation and beliefs. Ever since, she's done yoga, and she's been happily living in Pai for since about 2000, and it's definitely a great retreat for her. Her husband passed away years ago, her children are grown, and she seems to love teaching and nurturing her yoga students. She's incredible.
The next morning, I squeezed in another yoga session before hopping on a bus headed back to Chiang Mai, arriving in time for my 6:30pm meeting for the trek I was to head off to the following day.
I really liked yoga! It feels great, and after a session, I walked down the street feeling wonderful! I'm going to try to search for other yoga sessions in other towns as I make my way through Asia. Hooray - a hobby that's not as expensive as scuba diving and travel!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Northern Thailand, take 1
I arrived to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand a four days ago, and it probably wins the prize for the hottest place I've been so far. It's the second largest city in Thailand, so it's quite big, but it has a walled/moated inner part of the city, which I've pretty much kept to, so it doesn't seem quite so big.
After my night on the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, I was looking forward to a good night's sleep, but first I had to pass the day... since it was absolutely steamy, I didn't do too much.
Mission #1: find specific Indian restaurant mentioned in Lonely Planet for lunch. Mission failed, but I did find a different restaurant to have Indian food.
Mission #2: explore Chiang Mai. Mission also failed due to sweltering heat. I eventually saw pedicures for less than $3, so I went in and got a pedicure and a foot/leg scrub for a grand total of just over $5. Massages and that sort of thing are so cheap here!
Mission #3: find info on treks and cooking classes in the area. Mission semi-accomplished, as I flipped through the trek book at the place I was staying at.
Mission #4: get a good night's sleep. Failed miserably due to hotel's rock-like beds, poor ventilation in room, sweltering heat, and loud nearby bars.
The next morning, I got up and looked for a new hotel. I spent an extra $1.67 a night to upgrade to a room with better ventilation, softer bed and all-around better feel to the place. Well worth the investment.
I decided to work on accomplishing missions 2, 3 and 4 from the previous day plus add in a visit to the famous night market, and I more or less succeeded! I checked out a couple of temples and then eventually collapsed into an internet cafe with a/c for a while before heading back to my room for a quick nap.
That evening, I headed out to the night bazaar that had been recommended, and I was a bit disappointed. I wasn't expecting a market that was mostly full of things that tourists would buy - I was expecting other random household goods, etc, like the markets of Central America that I'm familiar with. The thing to buy are beautiful - silks (most fake at this market, but nearby you can get the real thing), textiles, wooden carvings, beautiful Buddha paintings, etc etc etc, but I just don't have room in my backpack for anything right now.
At about 10pm, I was nearly falling asleep while walking around, so I caught a tuk tuk and headed back to my hotel for a good night's sleep before my next day's Thai cooking class.
The Thai cooking class was great! There were about 15 of us there, and first the chef took us around a produce market to introduce us to fruits, veggies, and spices we weren't familiar with... and to give us tips about buying eggs, etc. Did you know that the smaller eggs are tastier because they're laid by the younger hens, and they have a better flavor? So, stick to those medium eggs from now on.
After the market tour, we went back to our chef's house to cook - we all had little stations set up with a chopping block, sharp knife, wok, stove, etc. The chef showed us first how to make our dishes, then we'd get our ingredients put out in front of us, and he'd direct us through our dishes. It was great! I made a coconut soup, stir-fried veggies, panang curry with tofu, and pad thai. MMMM.... needless to say, I didn't have dinner than night.
However, I found out during the day that there is a special Sunday night market, and I went to it and found it to be far better than the normal night bazaar, so maybe that's the one that had been recommended to me... I still didn't buy anything, though.
And then, this morning, I got up, signed up for a three-day trek that starts on Thursday (look, I found this link from someone else's blog, detailing their trek and some other stuff.. but check out the trek stuff), and I took off for Pai, where I'm currently at.
Pai is super laidback compared to everywhere else I've been to, and upon arrival, I saw a sign for beginner yoga classes, which piqued my interest. After finding a place to stay (cheapest yet! $3.30/night for my own little hut with a bed... downfall is shared bathroom), I found the yoga place and will be doing 4 hours of yoga tomorrow. Yay! Let's hope I can still walk the next day, when I need to head back to Chiang Mai.
After Chiang Mai and trekking, it's on to Laos. My visa runs out on May 2, so I'll be out of Thailand by then at the absolute latest, probably sooner. Wow, sorry this one's so long! More post-trekking through the hilltribe villages...
After my night on the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, I was looking forward to a good night's sleep, but first I had to pass the day... since it was absolutely steamy, I didn't do too much.
Mission #1: find specific Indian restaurant mentioned in Lonely Planet for lunch. Mission failed, but I did find a different restaurant to have Indian food.
Mission #2: explore Chiang Mai. Mission also failed due to sweltering heat. I eventually saw pedicures for less than $3, so I went in and got a pedicure and a foot/leg scrub for a grand total of just over $5. Massages and that sort of thing are so cheap here!
Mission #3: find info on treks and cooking classes in the area. Mission semi-accomplished, as I flipped through the trek book at the place I was staying at.
Mission #4: get a good night's sleep. Failed miserably due to hotel's rock-like beds, poor ventilation in room, sweltering heat, and loud nearby bars.
The next morning, I got up and looked for a new hotel. I spent an extra $1.67 a night to upgrade to a room with better ventilation, softer bed and all-around better feel to the place. Well worth the investment.
I decided to work on accomplishing missions 2, 3 and 4 from the previous day plus add in a visit to the famous night market, and I more or less succeeded! I checked out a couple of temples and then eventually collapsed into an internet cafe with a/c for a while before heading back to my room for a quick nap.
That evening, I headed out to the night bazaar that had been recommended, and I was a bit disappointed. I wasn't expecting a market that was mostly full of things that tourists would buy - I was expecting other random household goods, etc, like the markets of Central America that I'm familiar with. The thing to buy are beautiful - silks (most fake at this market, but nearby you can get the real thing), textiles, wooden carvings, beautiful Buddha paintings, etc etc etc, but I just don't have room in my backpack for anything right now.
At about 10pm, I was nearly falling asleep while walking around, so I caught a tuk tuk and headed back to my hotel for a good night's sleep before my next day's Thai cooking class.
The Thai cooking class was great! There were about 15 of us there, and first the chef took us around a produce market to introduce us to fruits, veggies, and spices we weren't familiar with... and to give us tips about buying eggs, etc. Did you know that the smaller eggs are tastier because they're laid by the younger hens, and they have a better flavor? So, stick to those medium eggs from now on.
After the market tour, we went back to our chef's house to cook - we all had little stations set up with a chopping block, sharp knife, wok, stove, etc. The chef showed us first how to make our dishes, then we'd get our ingredients put out in front of us, and he'd direct us through our dishes. It was great! I made a coconut soup, stir-fried veggies, panang curry with tofu, and pad thai. MMMM.... needless to say, I didn't have dinner than night.
However, I found out during the day that there is a special Sunday night market, and I went to it and found it to be far better than the normal night bazaar, so maybe that's the one that had been recommended to me... I still didn't buy anything, though.
And then, this morning, I got up, signed up for a three-day trek that starts on Thursday (look, I found this link from someone else's blog, detailing their trek and some other stuff.. but check out the trek stuff), and I took off for Pai, where I'm currently at.
Pai is super laidback compared to everywhere else I've been to, and upon arrival, I saw a sign for beginner yoga classes, which piqued my interest. After finding a place to stay (cheapest yet! $3.30/night for my own little hut with a bed... downfall is shared bathroom), I found the yoga place and will be doing 4 hours of yoga tomorrow. Yay! Let's hope I can still walk the next day, when I need to head back to Chiang Mai.
After Chiang Mai and trekking, it's on to Laos. My visa runs out on May 2, so I'll be out of Thailand by then at the absolute latest, probably sooner. Wow, sorry this one's so long! More post-trekking through the hilltribe villages...
Friday, April 18, 2008
Backtracking: night out in Phi Phi
Back before I went on my diving trip, I was on Phi Phi Island. Phi Phi was hit pretty hard by the tsunami back in 2004, like most of that coast of Thailand, but it's come back full force and is now a mecca for hotels, restaurants, dive shops, tour agencies, and, at the moment, Scandinavian tourists.
My first night there, I'd tentatively told two guys I met on the boat ride over that I'd see them out for a drink later on. Beforehand, I headed off to a local restaurant and ended up eating dinner with Daniel, a guy from England travelling by himself. We hit it off almost immediately, and then we hung out the next two days off and on as well.
When it was time to meet up with the guys from the boat, I dragged Daniel along to Reggae Bar. Little did I know prior to showing up that there was a Thai boxing ring set up in the middle of the bar. Permanently. Part of the draw to the bar was that dumb (or drunk) tourists would get up in the right, put on gloves and headgear, and they'd fight each other. They would both get a bucket of booze for their efforts, which contained a half bottle of booze and some sort of mixer. It sure drew a good crowd! Daniel and I were half-mesmerized, half-disgusted.
And when that was over, we were told to go upstairs to wait for the ladyboy show. Thailand is known for its ladyboys, and although I don't know all that much about that part of the culture, I do know that there are ladyboy shows all over the place. Daniel and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and headed upstairs. The promised ten minutes turned into thirty, but at the end, we were rewarded by what I would call a well-choreographed drag show, complete with ladyboy divas.
Entertaining... and I hit two Thai highlights in one evening! For free!
My first night there, I'd tentatively told two guys I met on the boat ride over that I'd see them out for a drink later on. Beforehand, I headed off to a local restaurant and ended up eating dinner with Daniel, a guy from England travelling by himself. We hit it off almost immediately, and then we hung out the next two days off and on as well.
When it was time to meet up with the guys from the boat, I dragged Daniel along to Reggae Bar. Little did I know prior to showing up that there was a Thai boxing ring set up in the middle of the bar. Permanently. Part of the draw to the bar was that dumb (or drunk) tourists would get up in the right, put on gloves and headgear, and they'd fight each other. They would both get a bucket of booze for their efforts, which contained a half bottle of booze and some sort of mixer. It sure drew a good crowd! Daniel and I were half-mesmerized, half-disgusted.
And when that was over, we were told to go upstairs to wait for the ladyboy show. Thailand is known for its ladyboys, and although I don't know all that much about that part of the culture, I do know that there are ladyboy shows all over the place. Daniel and I looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and headed upstairs. The promised ten minutes turned into thirty, but at the end, we were rewarded by what I would call a well-choreographed drag show, complete with ladyboy divas.
Entertaining... and I hit two Thai highlights in one evening! For free!
Bedless for two nights
After I finished up my diving trip, I headed to the dreaded Patong in Phuket with my dive buddies and a guy from Quebec. The English guy who dived with us owns a dive shop on Ko Phi Phi, where I was prior to my four-day diving trip, and he was looking for a night out on the town. Despite not really liking town all that much, I was dropped off there with the others, and I shared a room with another one of the divers.
Despite being the horrible reminder of all things bad when it comes to sex tourism, I discovered my first time around in Patong that it's a good place to have a few drinks. After having dinner as a group, 2 people peeled off immediately due to one not feeling very good. We walked up and down the main drag, then ironically enough, when it came to have another drink, we all were completely exhausted. So we went back to the hotel at about 10pm, completely sober. Oh well, so much for a night out on the town. Diving can really wipe you out. (By the way, Uncle Jim, YES I will probably always compare my future dives to my Similan dives...)
However, not drinking probably helped me out with my travel plans. I went to bed not knowing exactly where I was going to go, nor with whom or when.
I woke up the next day with a clear head and decided to get out of Patong as fast as possible. I booked a bus to Bangkok that left at 1pm after finding out that I'd have to travel 3-4 hours to a bus station and could not buy my ticket in advance... I could have had to sleep in ugly Surat Thani, and I didn't want that.
What I did get was a bit of a goose chase. I arrived to the travel agency at 1 on the dot, just after it had started to pour down rain, and I was the first to be picked up. The driver was upset that I hadn't gotten there sooner, but the girl had told me 1pm, and walked up the steps as my watch (which is 2 minutes fast) said 12:59:50.
It took about an hour picking up everyone around the island of Phuket (I don't really understand why I was first, since I was located about the farthest north possible, and that's the direction we needed to go eventually... but I digress. We stopped once about 2 hours in so the driver could buy some pineapples, then again after another hour for a "15 minute" break, which turned into 25 minutes. We finally arrived to Surat Thani in one piece and we were deposited at another travel agency and assured that the bus left from there, but at 7pm (it was 6pm).
So I decided to check out the town for about half an hour. I wandered about two blocks to see nothing more than urban-ness, and so I settled down at an internet cafe. Thankfully another woman from my van saw me enter there because at about 6:35pm, she ran in, tapped me on the shoulder, and told me that we had to go NOW!
I ran out of there after paying and followed the girl down the two blocks to the travel agency. We were piled into a tuk tuk and then dropped eventually at yet another travel agency, this one with a restaurant. Oh, I guess the bus didn't leave until 8pm. How screwy can you get?
Well, the bus probably pulled away at about 8:15pm, and I chatted briefly with the Aussie girl next to me until the haze created by my sleeping pill enveloped me. I dozed pretty smoothly until about 5:30am, just about 30 minutes before we pulled into Bangkok.
Upon arrival, I decided to get the hell outta Dodge and went to the train station to buy a ticket for that nights train heading north. They had a spot in a sleeper train available, so I bought it and dropped off my big bag.
That day was spent picking up my camera, which was getting repaired (long story, don't ask), poking around the 8-floor mega mall named MBK, checking out the Royal Palace and the Emerald Buddha, also part of the same complex. That evening (last night), I boarded the night train and I arrived to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, at about noon today. I'm pretty exhausted and quite ready for a good night's sleep (non pill-induced). Thankfully, my train travel was much less eventful than the previous day's travel to Bangkok.
Despite being the horrible reminder of all things bad when it comes to sex tourism, I discovered my first time around in Patong that it's a good place to have a few drinks. After having dinner as a group, 2 people peeled off immediately due to one not feeling very good. We walked up and down the main drag, then ironically enough, when it came to have another drink, we all were completely exhausted. So we went back to the hotel at about 10pm, completely sober. Oh well, so much for a night out on the town. Diving can really wipe you out. (By the way, Uncle Jim, YES I will probably always compare my future dives to my Similan dives...)
However, not drinking probably helped me out with my travel plans. I went to bed not knowing exactly where I was going to go, nor with whom or when.
I woke up the next day with a clear head and decided to get out of Patong as fast as possible. I booked a bus to Bangkok that left at 1pm after finding out that I'd have to travel 3-4 hours to a bus station and could not buy my ticket in advance... I could have had to sleep in ugly Surat Thani, and I didn't want that.
What I did get was a bit of a goose chase. I arrived to the travel agency at 1 on the dot, just after it had started to pour down rain, and I was the first to be picked up. The driver was upset that I hadn't gotten there sooner, but the girl had told me 1pm, and walked up the steps as my watch (which is 2 minutes fast) said 12:59:50.
It took about an hour picking up everyone around the island of Phuket (I don't really understand why I was first, since I was located about the farthest north possible, and that's the direction we needed to go eventually... but I digress. We stopped once about 2 hours in so the driver could buy some pineapples, then again after another hour for a "15 minute" break, which turned into 25 minutes. We finally arrived to Surat Thani in one piece and we were deposited at another travel agency and assured that the bus left from there, but at 7pm (it was 6pm).
So I decided to check out the town for about half an hour. I wandered about two blocks to see nothing more than urban-ness, and so I settled down at an internet cafe. Thankfully another woman from my van saw me enter there because at about 6:35pm, she ran in, tapped me on the shoulder, and told me that we had to go NOW!
I ran out of there after paying and followed the girl down the two blocks to the travel agency. We were piled into a tuk tuk and then dropped eventually at yet another travel agency, this one with a restaurant. Oh, I guess the bus didn't leave until 8pm. How screwy can you get?
Well, the bus probably pulled away at about 8:15pm, and I chatted briefly with the Aussie girl next to me until the haze created by my sleeping pill enveloped me. I dozed pretty smoothly until about 5:30am, just about 30 minutes before we pulled into Bangkok.
Upon arrival, I decided to get the hell outta Dodge and went to the train station to buy a ticket for that nights train heading north. They had a spot in a sleeper train available, so I bought it and dropped off my big bag.
That day was spent picking up my camera, which was getting repaired (long story, don't ask), poking around the 8-floor mega mall named MBK, checking out the Royal Palace and the Emerald Buddha, also part of the same complex. That evening (last night), I boarded the night train and I arrived to Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, at about noon today. I'm pretty exhausted and quite ready for a good night's sleep (non pill-induced). Thankfully, my train travel was much less eventful than the previous day's travel to Bangkok.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Diving in the Similan Islands
I'm back on dry land after an amazing four-day trip through the Similan and Surin Islands, off the west coast of Thailand, NW of Phuket.
It took a solid half day of travel to get to the dock and to see the Manta Queen II, which was my home during my scuba adventure. There were about 15 other divers on board from France, Canada, Ireland, England, the States, Sweden and Norway - a pretty diverse group. I was put in the group with the most experience so we could maximize the amount of time we were under water (newbies tend to go through their air faster), and I dived with one Englishman, a Canadian girl and 2 girls from Ireland. Our divemaster was Thorston from Belgium. He'd been diving in the area for a long time, and he knew a lot about the sites we were diving.
My first dive was amazing... fabulous visibility and tons of fish swimming around, many of them new to me. That was probably some of the best visibility that we had, but over the four days, we saw some truly amazing things.
Every day, we were woken up at 6:30 or 7am, had a small breakfast of fruit and toast, then were in the water by 7:30 or 8am. After we came up, breakfast was ready. Dive #2 was usually after 2 hours out of the water, and that was always followed by lunch. About two hours after that came dive #3 and a snack. Then around sunset, we got geared up again and hopped in for dive #4 of the day. By about 9pm, we were all exhausted and usually in bed.
Remember those elusive whale sharks I wrote about back in Utila? Well, on dive #3, I heard some screams underwater and it was the Canadian girl, who was ueberexcited about the massive whale shark that just swam by her! I turned and saw it, and we swam with it for about a minute or two before it went off into the distance. Amazing! Definitely a diving highlight for me.
I learned a lot more about little things to be found in the the Indian Ocean, like the ghost pipefish, and I even found a normal pipefish on my own! Most of our dives were over an hour, which was fabulous. There was so much to see, I didn't want to come up any earlier. Some other highlights were catching three cuttlefish in some sort of threesome, much like the picture on this wikipedia article. And on our very last dive, as we were waiting on our five minute safety stop, there was a massive school of squid about 15 feet below us just swimming in formation. It was an appropriate farewell from them (the squid). I saw countless moray eels, triggerfish, Nemos, and other really cool stuff. We didn't see a manta ray, which I was hoping for, but there will always be other dive trips.
All in all, it was an absolutely amazing trip, and I'm glad that it was recommended to me. The boat, the staff, my fellow divers, and the sites themselves were fabulous!
It took a solid half day of travel to get to the dock and to see the Manta Queen II, which was my home during my scuba adventure. There were about 15 other divers on board from France, Canada, Ireland, England, the States, Sweden and Norway - a pretty diverse group. I was put in the group with the most experience so we could maximize the amount of time we were under water (newbies tend to go through their air faster), and I dived with one Englishman, a Canadian girl and 2 girls from Ireland. Our divemaster was Thorston from Belgium. He'd been diving in the area for a long time, and he knew a lot about the sites we were diving.
My first dive was amazing... fabulous visibility and tons of fish swimming around, many of them new to me. That was probably some of the best visibility that we had, but over the four days, we saw some truly amazing things.
Every day, we were woken up at 6:30 or 7am, had a small breakfast of fruit and toast, then were in the water by 7:30 or 8am. After we came up, breakfast was ready. Dive #2 was usually after 2 hours out of the water, and that was always followed by lunch. About two hours after that came dive #3 and a snack. Then around sunset, we got geared up again and hopped in for dive #4 of the day. By about 9pm, we were all exhausted and usually in bed.
Remember those elusive whale sharks I wrote about back in Utila? Well, on dive #3, I heard some screams underwater and it was the Canadian girl, who was ueberexcited about the massive whale shark that just swam by her! I turned and saw it, and we swam with it for about a minute or two before it went off into the distance. Amazing! Definitely a diving highlight for me.
I learned a lot more about little things to be found in the the Indian Ocean, like the ghost pipefish, and I even found a normal pipefish on my own! Most of our dives were over an hour, which was fabulous. There was so much to see, I didn't want to come up any earlier. Some other highlights were catching three cuttlefish in some sort of threesome, much like the picture on this wikipedia article. And on our very last dive, as we were waiting on our five minute safety stop, there was a massive school of squid about 15 feet below us just swimming in formation. It was an appropriate farewell from them (the squid). I saw countless moray eels, triggerfish, Nemos, and other really cool stuff. We didn't see a manta ray, which I was hoping for, but there will always be other dive trips.
All in all, it was an absolutely amazing trip, and I'm glad that it was recommended to me. The boat, the staff, my fellow divers, and the sites themselves were fabulous!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Cat in the fridge
I thought you'd appreciate a photo to check out the cat I wrote about a couple of entries ago. Here ya go:
Friday, April 11, 2008
In the beginning...
On my flight from Berlin to Bangkok, the German man sitting next to met tells me that Thailand is a beautiful and wonderful place, but everyone is out to get your money. That's all they're concerned about.
Now, that may be true, but I've found the Thai people to be incredibly friendly and helpful. I haev felt no animosity towards us farongs (foreigners), despite our massive influence on their curlture, beaches, day-to-day life, and even their employment (in the case of the sex workers). Smiles, friendliness and general good-intentions. Sure, taxi and tuk tuk drivers like to pester you to take their vehicle, and then they start off at ridiculous prices, but if you've figured out the system, you're ok.
Unlike in Latin America, I don't feel that the men see (especially foreign) women as a piece of meat. I was originally surprised to see all of the roles that females take here in Thailand. Sure, I expect them to be street vendors selling food and clothes, I expect them to work in laundry places, and even at hotel reception. But I didn't expect to see them in as many travel agencies, or working as guides, or doing as many things as they are. Perhaps the removal of the idea of machismo is what gives the women so many possibilities. Perhaps that is also why fathers and husbands allow their daughters and wives to leave for the big city to become sex workers.
I am on the beautiful island of Ko Phi Phi at the moment, and sex tourism is either not here, or it's not obvious to the general public. However, it's pretty obvious in both Bangkok, and it's pretty damn hard to avoid in Patong, on the island of Phuket. In most bars in Patong, your server is also there to please you in other ways, if you so choose. Several of the popular bar streets are lined with ladies who are available to you.
I walked into a bar in Patong with a couple of Aussie guys I'd met, and when we sat down at the bar, our server came over to us. It seems that each customer was assigned a girl... now, our girl seemed very happy to see a non-working girl in the bar. She said hi to the Aussie boys but stopped in front of me and asked where I was from, told me she liked my hair and thought I was pretty. Now, I don't think she was trying to hit on me... I just think she's got a limited vocab and wanted to converse with me. She got out a Connect 4 board and a dice game and invited one of the guys to play Connect 4. (I guess if there's a communication barrier, you've got to do something to pass the time.) She didn't seem to quite grasp the concept of Connect 4, but the guy continued to play despite winning 3 or 4 different ways. I think she noticed that we were more interested in talking to each other, rather than her, so she backed off. That particular night, I'd only had about 1 or 2 drinks by the time I walked down the main drag, and the sights were appalling. 20-something Thai girls grinding on white men anywhere from ten to forty years older than them.
I had a conversation with one of the Aussies, and both sides of the picture are quite disturbing - both the degradation that the women put themselves through and the circumstances that have brought the men looking for those women. Thai women are very attractive, but the whole situation is a big cycle that can't be positive for either side.
Anyway, enough on that.
I'm on Phi Phi right now, which is one of main places that was hit by the tsunami back in December 2004. All memories of destruction have basically been erased and tourism is bigger than most places I saw in Central america. It is beautiful here; it's where they filmed parts of the Leo DiCaprio movie The Beach.
But I'm leaving this afternoon... I've decided to splurge on a diving trip that will hopefully be amazing. For the next 4 nights, I'm going to be living on the Manta Queen II (more info here) and will be diving in the Similan Islands, which are meant to have some of the best dive sites around. We shall see! I'm very excited.
That's all for now... kudos for making it this far!
Now, that may be true, but I've found the Thai people to be incredibly friendly and helpful. I haev felt no animosity towards us farongs (foreigners), despite our massive influence on their curlture, beaches, day-to-day life, and even their employment (in the case of the sex workers). Smiles, friendliness and general good-intentions. Sure, taxi and tuk tuk drivers like to pester you to take their vehicle, and then they start off at ridiculous prices, but if you've figured out the system, you're ok.
Unlike in Latin America, I don't feel that the men see (especially foreign) women as a piece of meat. I was originally surprised to see all of the roles that females take here in Thailand. Sure, I expect them to be street vendors selling food and clothes, I expect them to work in laundry places, and even at hotel reception. But I didn't expect to see them in as many travel agencies, or working as guides, or doing as many things as they are. Perhaps the removal of the idea of machismo is what gives the women so many possibilities. Perhaps that is also why fathers and husbands allow their daughters and wives to leave for the big city to become sex workers.
I am on the beautiful island of Ko Phi Phi at the moment, and sex tourism is either not here, or it's not obvious to the general public. However, it's pretty obvious in both Bangkok, and it's pretty damn hard to avoid in Patong, on the island of Phuket. In most bars in Patong, your server is also there to please you in other ways, if you so choose. Several of the popular bar streets are lined with ladies who are available to you.
I walked into a bar in Patong with a couple of Aussie guys I'd met, and when we sat down at the bar, our server came over to us. It seems that each customer was assigned a girl... now, our girl seemed very happy to see a non-working girl in the bar. She said hi to the Aussie boys but stopped in front of me and asked where I was from, told me she liked my hair and thought I was pretty. Now, I don't think she was trying to hit on me... I just think she's got a limited vocab and wanted to converse with me. She got out a Connect 4 board and a dice game and invited one of the guys to play Connect 4. (I guess if there's a communication barrier, you've got to do something to pass the time.) She didn't seem to quite grasp the concept of Connect 4, but the guy continued to play despite winning 3 or 4 different ways. I think she noticed that we were more interested in talking to each other, rather than her, so she backed off. That particular night, I'd only had about 1 or 2 drinks by the time I walked down the main drag, and the sights were appalling. 20-something Thai girls grinding on white men anywhere from ten to forty years older than them.
I had a conversation with one of the Aussies, and both sides of the picture are quite disturbing - both the degradation that the women put themselves through and the circumstances that have brought the men looking for those women. Thai women are very attractive, but the whole situation is a big cycle that can't be positive for either side.
Anyway, enough on that.
I'm on Phi Phi right now, which is one of main places that was hit by the tsunami back in December 2004. All memories of destruction have basically been erased and tourism is bigger than most places I saw in Central america. It is beautiful here; it's where they filmed parts of the Leo DiCaprio movie The Beach.
But I'm leaving this afternoon... I've decided to splurge on a diving trip that will hopefully be amazing. For the next 4 nights, I'm going to be living on the Manta Queen II (more info here) and will be diving in the Similan Islands, which are meant to have some of the best dive sites around. We shall see! I'm very excited.
That's all for now... kudos for making it this far!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Tee hee
Last night, I looked into the beer fridge at the place I was having dinner at, and there was a cat lying down in there. After about an hour, it pushed the door open and made its way back outside. Apparently, it sometimes prefers the fridge to the stifling heat of Phi Phi Island. Not a bad idea.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Thailand!
I don't have much time to write at the moment, but I'm in Thailand! I survived my first three days in Bangkok, then I flew down to steamy Phuket, where I've been for the last two nights. Next stop: Ko Phi Phi! It sounds like the hotels are a bit pricey, so I may only be there for a couple of nights.
I'll write more about everything later, including a mega-mall in Bangkok and the in-your-face sex tourism here in Phuket (one of the reasons why I'm leaving...). In the meantime, happy Tuesday!
I'll write more about everything later, including a mega-mall in Bangkok and the in-your-face sex tourism here in Phuket (one of the reasons why I'm leaving...). In the meantime, happy Tuesday!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The rest of my time in Rome
I was going to do a day-to-day synopsis of my time in Rome, but seeing as I'm already in Thailand, I'm going to speed things along.
My time in Rome was really good! During the days, I usually slept until about 9 or 10 and left the house at about 12 after taking my time over breakfast, reading, etc. I took off on my own (Francesca loaned me her keys for the week) and explored the touristy sights with the help of the buses, metro and trams of Rome. My shoes sure got a workout while I was there!
I went to check out the Vatican one day and was shocked at the number of people there! The line to get into the basilica was stretched clear across the plaza. I decided to pass on that, seeing as I'm not even Catholic, but I did want to head to Vatican museum to see the Sistine Chapel and all of the other stuff around there. I saw a massive line when I arrived, but I wasn't aware of just how massive it was because it went around the walls of the Vatican, and you couldn't see around to the front of it. Forty-five minutes after joining up in the line, I finally entered the museum to join the other million people already inside. It was worth the wait. The frescoes and paintings on the ceilings and walls, not to mention the great mosaic work on the floors were amazing! The Sistine Chapel was pretty impressive, but I also found the map room to be amazing. (This is a shot of the awe-inspiring ceiling.)
Before I'd gone to Rome, I think it was Derek who was saying that it's a city that is a walking museum, and he was so right! If you're not into the architecture from between 1600-1900, then there's the stuff from the ancient Romans. If you're not into that, there are museums. If you don't like those, it's fun to just walk through the narrow alleyways that snake through the historic center to see what's behind the corners. Then there's the shopping, the food, the parks, and the friendly people.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed my visit. I think I especially had an amazing time because I had Francesca to introduce me to her friends and to show me around to her favorite places in Rome. The Saturday that I was there was especially nice. We were invited to lunch at her friend Valerio's place, which is kinda in the outskirts of Rome. We were supposed to be there at 3, but that's when we were leaving the house, so we arrived close to 4:15 or 4:30, but it was just in time for lunch. Enjoying the sun, we plopped down on the grass with another 5 or 6 people to enjoy some risotto, fabulous pasta and wine, then cookies for dessert.
Post our massive feast, we went indoors where I hopped in on the backgammon play and had a few hours of that before I let one of Francesca's friends cut my hair. She'd just cut Roman's (Fran's boyfriend) hair and had done a good job, so I let her at mine. She did a decent job and restored it to its shortness from a few years ago.
After the haircut, we were invited to dinner at Valerio's neighbor's house (at about 10:15pm). My slowly-expanding belly protested, but then I stuffed in some polenta and cheese.
Then the discussion started about what to do later that evening. Bar, club, what? It was decided that we were going to head to a drum and bass party (that's electronic music). I was hoping for a bar because it would mean I would get to bed sooner (I'm feeling so old!), but I wasn't the one driving. At about 12:30, we took off. After we arrived, I found out that the party was at an old club that had been abandoned and was now an underground club that is being squatted in. This is fairly common in certain parts of Rome, as far as I understand, but it made the story more interesting. At first, I didn't really know if I enjoyed being there or not, but eventually, I started dancing and we left when they turned the lights on, which was right around when the sun was starting to peek out over the horizon. The best part was that I hadn't had much to drink, so I was only just very tired and after some sleep, I didn't have to battle a hangover!
Anyway, Rome eventually came to an end, but it was great seeing Francesca, meeting her friends and getting to know one of Europe's more famous cities.
My time in Rome was really good! During the days, I usually slept until about 9 or 10 and left the house at about 12 after taking my time over breakfast, reading, etc. I took off on my own (Francesca loaned me her keys for the week) and explored the touristy sights with the help of the buses, metro and trams of Rome. My shoes sure got a workout while I was there!
I went to check out the Vatican one day and was shocked at the number of people there! The line to get into the basilica was stretched clear across the plaza. I decided to pass on that, seeing as I'm not even Catholic, but I did want to head to Vatican museum to see the Sistine Chapel and all of the other stuff around there. I saw a massive line when I arrived, but I wasn't aware of just how massive it was because it went around the walls of the Vatican, and you couldn't see around to the front of it. Forty-five minutes after joining up in the line, I finally entered the museum to join the other million people already inside. It was worth the wait. The frescoes and paintings on the ceilings and walls, not to mention the great mosaic work on the floors were amazing! The Sistine Chapel was pretty impressive, but I also found the map room to be amazing. (This is a shot of the awe-inspiring ceiling.)
Before I'd gone to Rome, I think it was Derek who was saying that it's a city that is a walking museum, and he was so right! If you're not into the architecture from between 1600-1900, then there's the stuff from the ancient Romans. If you're not into that, there are museums. If you don't like those, it's fun to just walk through the narrow alleyways that snake through the historic center to see what's behind the corners. Then there's the shopping, the food, the parks, and the friendly people.
As you can probably tell, I really enjoyed my visit. I think I especially had an amazing time because I had Francesca to introduce me to her friends and to show me around to her favorite places in Rome. The Saturday that I was there was especially nice. We were invited to lunch at her friend Valerio's place, which is kinda in the outskirts of Rome. We were supposed to be there at 3, but that's when we were leaving the house, so we arrived close to 4:15 or 4:30, but it was just in time for lunch. Enjoying the sun, we plopped down on the grass with another 5 or 6 people to enjoy some risotto, fabulous pasta and wine, then cookies for dessert.
Post our massive feast, we went indoors where I hopped in on the backgammon play and had a few hours of that before I let one of Francesca's friends cut my hair. She'd just cut Roman's (Fran's boyfriend) hair and had done a good job, so I let her at mine. She did a decent job and restored it to its shortness from a few years ago.
After the haircut, we were invited to dinner at Valerio's neighbor's house (at about 10:15pm). My slowly-expanding belly protested, but then I stuffed in some polenta and cheese.
Then the discussion started about what to do later that evening. Bar, club, what? It was decided that we were going to head to a drum and bass party (that's electronic music). I was hoping for a bar because it would mean I would get to bed sooner (I'm feeling so old!), but I wasn't the one driving. At about 12:30, we took off. After we arrived, I found out that the party was at an old club that had been abandoned and was now an underground club that is being squatted in. This is fairly common in certain parts of Rome, as far as I understand, but it made the story more interesting. At first, I didn't really know if I enjoyed being there or not, but eventually, I started dancing and we left when they turned the lights on, which was right around when the sun was starting to peek out over the horizon. The best part was that I hadn't had much to drink, so I was only just very tired and after some sleep, I didn't have to battle a hangover!
Anyway, Rome eventually came to an end, but it was great seeing Francesca, meeting her friends and getting to know one of Europe's more famous cities.
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