China and Southeast Asia 2008

Finally made it to Beijing

2001-02-21T01:18:00.000-08:00

September 4, 2008

I landed in Beijing around 2 pm on September 3rd. The trip involved avoiding evacuation traffic from south Louisiana while on my way to Houston, a 6:30 am flight from Houston to Newark which was 3.5 hrs long, a 1 hr change of planes in Newark, a 13 hr flight from Newark direct to Beijing and which included flying directly over the North Pole. But considering that it was a free trip using my air miles, it was a great trip.

I was very exhausted since I am unable to sleep on the plane. About 9 pm I finally gave up and went to bed. I heard several people in the dorm getting up and leaving the room and looked at my clock and it was 11:00. How could I have slept so long??? I jumped up, took a shower, changed clothes and headed down stairs. It seemed dark to be 11:30 am and it was. It seems I had only slept 2 hrs and the people in the dorm were going out drinking. This is not the last stupid thing I will do on this trip but may be the last I share. We'll see.

I got up at 7 am. Seriously this time. I went to Behai Park, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. I have lots of pictures which I will upload later tonight.

These are a few pictures of my hostel, Sitting on City Walls Courtyard House, which is in a hutong. A hutong is a small alleyway which houses many of Beijing's older residents.

Hope everyone is doing fine after Hurricane Gustav. Also, email every now and then so I will know what is going on.

Jingshan Park and Beshai Park

2001-02-20T02:43:00.000-08:00

September 4, 2008

10 minutes from the hostel are 2 beautiful parks, Jinghan Park and Behai Park. A couple of men in Beshai Park had very small kites which resembled in looks and size, a butterfly and a dragonfly.

Tianenman Square

2001-02-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

September 4, 2008

After lunch I took the city bus (14 cents to most places in the area) to Tianenman Square. The square is approximately 800 acres. There were many signs touting the paraolympics which start Saturday for physically challenged athletes. There are supposed to be 4000 athletes worldwide attending. Mao's tomb closed at 12:30 but I did not plan on going anyway. Several backpackers at the hostel said it was not a big deal. I personally don't like the idea of staring at an embalmed body.

I quickly moved through the square to the entrance of the Forbidden City. Before entering I was approached by two young girls who were art students and wanted me to look at their work in the adjoining building and which was FREE. I looked at all the art which was very beautiful and they told me that they would make me a calligraphy drawing of my name and something about long life and prosperity and that it was FREE. Then they told me that the FREE calligraphy would look beautiful in a silk frame. Then I told them what I always say, " There is no room in my backpack" and quickly left without my FREE calligraphy.

The Forbidden City

2001-02-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

September 4, 2008

The Forbidden City is enormous. It probably took me 2.5 hours to walk through it. Every time you walked through another gate there was another enormous courtyard.

Summer Palace

2001-02-17T00:11:00.000-08:00

September 5, 2006

Today I took a couple of buses to the Summer Palace about 20 km outside of Beijing. The Summer Palace consists of an enormous lake surrounded by bridges, pagodas, temples and living quarters for the summer months when Beijing would get too hot. There is a great path around the lake and it took almost 3 hours to walk around it.

I have great pictues to post but I am currently in Xian and the computers at the hostel are antiquated and it would take weeks to upload. So hopefully in a few days when I can find an internet cafe. The computers at the hostel are free is why I am using them in the first place.

The Great Wall of China

2001-02-16T00:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday September 6, 2008

I got up early this morning (6 am) and went with a small tour group to Jinshanling to walk the Great Wall for 10 km (6.2 miles). It doesn't sound like very far until you see the pictures of the walls going up and down the mountains. When we first got there our guide said that the best thing to do would be take the cable car up to the first tower at the top of the mountain to save 40 minutes of walking. Of course, I then preceded to ask him if it was extra and he said only 40 yuan (about $6) and of course I quickly started up the path walking to the top of the mountain.
About 15 took the cable car and 4 of us walked. Much to my surprise I beat everyone is our group who took the cable car up to the top of the mountain.

The walk was very difficult at time but this was an area 3 hrs out of Beijing which shows the wall in its deteriorating state and others which have been repaired as a conservation effort. There are also very few people hiking this far out. Most go close to Beijing at Badaling and there are actually thousands on the wall at the same time. The entire hike of the wall took about 3.5 hrs. At the end you had an option to use a zip line to go across the river and save another 30 minutes walking. 40 Yuan. You KNOW what I did. lol I probably would have done it had I not done the zip line canopy tour a few months ago in Costa Rica.

The crowds from the paralympics, athletes and spectators, have made finding rooms impossible. I intentionally waited for the olympics to end to travel to China but did not know about the paralympics. Since I had no hostel room for Saturday night, after the walk I went to the train station to catch the overnight train to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors. Unfortunately since I had not planned the train ride earlier there were no sleeper cars for the 9pm til 8:40 am train ride. So I sat in a seat for 11 or so hours. But I had a few limited English conversations through the night and like always, traveling is just great fun and you make the best of every situation.

Will publish photos as soon as possible.

Terracotta Warriors

2001-02-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

September 8, 2008

This morning I went to visit the site of the Terracotta Warriors. It was quite impressive with approximately 1200 of the estimated 8000 warriors having been unearthed so far. There are also many terracotta horses. It is said that every warrior has a different face and were modeled after the emperors soldiers. They were built and placed in his tomb to guard him in the afterlife.

A girl from Finland convinced me and several other backpackers from England and France to play a drinking game that only she knew. Bad idea, one of the backpackers missed his flight the next day. Luckily I went to bed at 1 am and did not stay up with the others who were up till 5 am.

There are fewer English speaking Chinese than I expected. Almost no one speaks any English except at the hostels, tourist attractions and McDonalds. Even at KFC they shove the English menu in front of you and wait for you to point. Luckily pointing has been my best translater. It is the same in all languages.

Xi'an Hostel, City Walls and Muslim Quarter

2001-02-14T22:45:00.000-08:00

The hostel is really great. Dorms rooms are $3.00 a night and you get a free beer each night and free internet. It seems as though the room is free with the freebies. Mostly English travelers here right now. The hostel has a bar in the basement, a restaurant, travel agency and two outdoor courtyards.

The City Walls are in a rectangle around the old city centre and total 14 km in length. I walked from the north gate to the south gate or about 1/2 way. The walls are 12 meters wide at the top.

The Muslim Quarter is really exciting at night with everyone cooking "meat on a stick" and other things which I have no idea what they are.

Overnight train from Xi'an to Chengdu

2001-02-13T02:50:00.000-08:00

September 12th to 13th

This was to be my first experience overnight on the train in a hard sleeper car. The three alternatives that you have when traveling on the train are soft sleeper, hard sleeper and hard seat. My trip from Beijing to Xi'an for 11 hrs (9pm til 8am) was a hard seat. Fell asleep once and fell into the aisle much to the amusement of the Chinese on the train. Don't do this for more than 6 hrs.

I had an idea what the hard sleeper would be like. 10 compartments in the car with six beds in each compartment. The compartments have no doors so that everyone walking down the hall can see each person. I was fortunate enough to have gotten a bottom bunk as nobody wants a top bunk, climbing in and out with the ceiling staring at you all the time.

When I got to my bunk, across from me were two elderly Chinese (of course) gentlemen talking and eating fruit. I quickly realized that one of these men was going to have to climb up to the 2nd or 3rd bunk. So I offered my bottom bunk for their 2nd level bunk, mostly by pointing and gestures. He was very appreciative. Though it would have been interesting to see how well he did climbing up into that bunk. Probably would have done better than I did for the next 16 hrs. Hoping Karma will remember this.

The couple in the picture at the train station were university students going home on the National Holiday. They both spoke pretty good English and were eager to practice. Being that the train was 1 hr 40 minutes late we had plenty of time for practice.

The hard sleeper is exactly as it sounds. Kinda reminds me of a metal ironing board with that thin pad covering it. But I saved an extra $12 by not getting the soft sleeper. As all backpackers know, the more money saved, the more you can travel.

The Giant Panda Breeding Research Base

2001-02-12T03:10:00.000-08:00

Sunday, September 14, 2008

This morning I went to see the Giant Pandas. We left early and got to the Center at 8:30 am because pandas just eat and sleep, kinda like babies, and after 10:30 am you won't see much action. The pandas were great fun to watch even though they mostly just eat. I planned on having a picture with a baby panda but when I found out they had raised the price to $175 and that the "baby" pandas were 1 1/2 years old. I elected to go with the 2 1/2 yr old panda which is probably 50 pounds heavier and not as cute but only $60. No brainer. Only one person out of 50 had their picture taken with the "baby" panda.

Picture later including me with the panda. Note: very seldom will their every be a picture of me on the blog unless there is a special occasion and this was one.

Monday I take the overnight train by hard sleeper for 25 hrs to Guillen. I am skipping the 3 Gorges Yangtze river trip because of info I received that it is no longer what it used to be due to the river rising by such a large amount. Will use that money to try and get to Tibet if I can find the right deal.

Overnight Train to Guilin

2001-02-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Monday September 15, 2008

I leave on the overnight train from Chengdu to Guilin at 17:58 this afternoon and will arrive around 21:00 for a total of about 25 hrs in a hard sleeper car. Preparation must be made first which involves going to McDonals for their cheap lunch meal and then buying 3 cheeseburgers ($1.25 each) for supper and meals for the next day. I also take several moon pie cakes which are only 14 cents each. The train offers hot meals which are on a rolling server which comes down the aisles. I have not recognized any of the food yet so I will stick with cold hamburgers until I get a little more courage.

Each compartment does have a tv which shows old kung fu movies that usually have Jackie Chan or Jet Li when they were in their early 20's. I think I have already blogged this but here it is again.

When I booked my train ticket I somehow ended my destination in Liuzhou instead of Guilin so I have to find a way to continue on the train for another 3 hrs without getting off the train. I got the people in the hostel to write down in Chinese that I would like to continue to Guilin and purchase an additonal ticket. We will see what happens.

I know that sometimes it always seems to be about how cheaply one can travel and how little one can spend, and it is. But that is the vehicle that allows backpackers to travel more frequently to more places and for longer.

I laughed at an English couple last night. He mentioned that he was thinking of getting a beer to which she quickly said that then she could get an ice cream. When I laughed he said that she was in charge of the finances and that there was always compromise on how they spent the money. They were traveling for 1 year.

Seven Star Park and Caves in Guilin

2001-02-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

I spent 5 hrs walking around the Seven Star Park in Guilin by the Li River. I really enjoyed the underground caves which were lit up by colorful lights to better illuminate the stalagtites and stalagmites.

Ambushed by Monkeys

2001-02-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

While still in Steven Star Park I walked up to the top of the karst peak to get a good view of the city. On the way down I found a path that looked as though it has seldom been traveled and of course that is my favorite path. As I walked I started hearing sounds coming from the trees. Mostly a rustling of the branches. The more I walked the louder the sounds got and the more frequent. Then I saw a monkey up in the top of one the trees and I thought "how cute". Then there were a couple of monkeys that I noticed in another tree and I thought how fortunate I was to have run into some monkeys. Then the monkeys started to converge on me. The next thing I knew there were monkeys everywhere and they meant business. They were invading my personal space all of a sudden and I was getting a little uncomfortable. One large monkey was only a few feet from me staring me down.

Then I remembered that I had read somewhere that they were expecting food and that you were supposed to thrust your palms into the air showing that you had no food and start walking. It seemed to work fine and they no longer pursued me.

There is a Chinese saying, " One monkey can halt the path of a thousand soldiers." Now I understand what they meant. lol

Longji Terraces

2001-02-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

Thursday September 18th

I went on a tour to see the Longji Terraces which is 100 km (62 miles) from Guilin. The photographs that I have seen on postcards and posters are unbelievably beautiful. My pictures in no way do them justice and I recommend anyone to google Longji Terraces to see some truly spectacular pictures. I also saw some postcards of the rice terraces with snow on them in the winter which was beautiful. Did not buy the postcards though, no money for postcards and no room in backpack. lol

While most of us waked up to the top of the terraces, some elected to be carrier at a cost of about 14 cents a pound. 200 pounds, 28 dollars. Obviously some people are in really bad shape or have too much money or a combination of the two. lol

Time to catch the bus to Yangshou and crusie the Li River with its beautiful karst peaks.

Luv the Hostel in Yangshuo

2001-02-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

Friday September 19th

Usually a hostel room is not enought to blog about but in this case it is. When I arrived at the Flowers Hostel in Yangshau I got a great surprise. Not only were the beds in the six bed dorms only $2 a night but the rooms are airconditioned and we had our own bathroom.

We have an actual toilet seat. You can't just make up stuff like this. I had almost lost all recollection of what a toilet seat looked like. Squat toilets have become almost natural after only 2 weeks in China. I know I am going to wake up any minute and this was all a dream but I will enjoy the feeling for now. If I am not dreaming I may be in Yangshou for a while. Plus it only has 300,000 people here so it is kinda like their Monterey, LA.

Evading River Police on Li River Boat Tour

2001-02-06T06:08:00.000-08:00

This tale began shortly after arriving in Yangshou. I walked down to the tourist area by the Li River just to see what kind of river tour specials there were. It was about 3 pm.

I initially planned on during the Li River Cruise from Guilin to Yangshou to see the karst peaks along the river. The prices ranged from 325 yuan ($47) for the Chinese boat to 500 yuan ($71) for a six hour crusie. I had googled cheap Li River Cruise and got a blog that suggested going to Yangshou and then hiring a fisherman in a bamboo boat to take you up river 3 hrs and get the same experience for 100 to 150 yuan. That is what I did.

Ok, it is now 3 pm and a lady tell me that they have a bamboo boat for only 150 yuan if we leave now since I am by myself. I get her to drop the price to 120 and we go down to the river where I see this bamboo boat with 3 benches and an umbrella covering. It has a small motor to help it get back upstream. The lady tour guide and I had agreed on the destination but there were a few points which I did not understand completely such as why we were to make an initial 10 minute stop and how I was getting back.

After about 30 minutes of cruising down the river she pointed that we would now be making that 10 minute stop. After she got out of the boat she motioned for me to follow. When I asked why she pointed down river and said police. That is when I remembered reading somewhere that it is illegal for fisherman to take passengers up and down the Li River. That is why everyone is on the crowded tour boats.

I smiled and off we went down some dirt path. Our 10 minute path turned into 20 minutes and then finally we ended back up at the river bank. She looked for our boat and the fisherman but he was nowhere in sight. All of a sudden she came back up the bank and said the police boat was coming towards us. She got on her cell phone and called the fisherman (not the first time they have done this obviously) and off we went down another path to another location. We came upon a boy on a motorcycle and she talked him into taking us to the other river bank further down the river. The sight of the boy, me and the woman tour guide on that little motorcycle going down an old run down concrete path had to be something to behold.

Finally after an hour we were reunited with the boat once again. We cruised for another 2 hrs down the Li River and the scenerey was stunning. We passed several large cruise boats that were loaded to the brim and they all stared at me in amazement. We reached the local village, I took a few pictures and we headed back upstream.

Now is when the getting back part started to make sense. After 45 minutes upstream we pulled over to another village and she said something about bus and pointed for me to get off with her. When I looked puzzled, she said "Police". Enjoying the first police evasion consisting of walking through rice paddies and riding threesome on a motorcycle was fun but a bus was sounding pretty nice right now.

To the bus we went and 45 minutes later I was at my hostel. What a Great Day. Also, got that Toilet Thing Going On Too. LOL see previous blog if you dont know what I am talking about.

The comorants (duck-like) in the first 2 pictures are trained by the fishermen. They tie a rope to them including a thin rope around their neck so they can not swallow the fish they catch when the dive underwater. I have seen underwater footage on the Travel Channel showing them swimming underwater and catching fish.

Trekking up the Li River

2001-02-05T01:11:00.000-08:00

Saturday September 20, 2008

I finally got back into my element today, trekking. I got up early and caught the 6:30 am bus to begin my trek up the Li River about 45 minutes from Yangshou. The trek to Yangdi is 24 km (15 miles) and ended up taking me about 4 hrs. I only got lost twice. All the signs along the river paths are in Chinese and whenever the paths forked, you didn't know whether the sign said Li River Trek or All Tresspassers will be Shot. Mostly just stayed close as possible to the river. With temperatures hitting about 95, this was probably one of my smartest moves but had fun anyway. I took plenty of water and oreos, my own personal emergency kit.

I was able to witness the large cruise ships which I decided not to take from Guilin to Yangshou. At one point there were 10 ships lined up behind each other cruising down the Li River loaded with passengers. Not my idea of traveling. Maybe others though. I caught the bus back from Yangdi.

Dali (Old Towne)

2001-02-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

Took the 1 1/2 hr bus to Guilen, then took 18 hr overnight train to Kunming, walked across the street and took 6 hr bus to Dali. I specifically went to Dali because word on the street was that there was cheap trips to Tibet. No Tibet trips in Dali I quickly found out. Old Towne was beautiful but very touristy. Go to Lijang tomorrow.

Pictures later.

Lijang (Old Towne)

2001-02-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Lijang's Old Towne was even more beautiful than Dali and even more touristy. No Tibet travel permits here either. I leave tomorrow to hike Tiger Leaping Gorge which I am sure will be one of the highlights of my trip so far. The first 2 pictures were taken very early in the morning. The streets are packed with tourists most of the day and night.

Tiger Leaping Gorge

2001-02-02T18:44:00.000-08:00

I caught the first bus to Quiatou (chow toe) which is the beginning of the trek. I arrived at noon and headed out for the 5-6 hr uphill trek which ascends over 900 meters. It was very hot and I soon began to realize that I had not been in the mountains since last November in New Zealand. Many tourist were riding horses with guides up the mountain. A local with a horse kept following me up the mountain asking every five minutes if I wanted to ride the horse. He just knew I would not make it but I disappointed him. Most of the trip lies along a narrow ridge which follows the river giving great views of the gorge. The path is narrow enough that you do not dare lose your concentration. There are no guardrails along the path. I spent the night at the Tea Hoyse (yes that is how they spelled tea house). I woke up early the next morning and left before it began getting too hot. The second days trek was mostly downhill and involved walking under one waterfall. The scenery was truly spectacular.

Pictures soon.

Shangri La

2001-02-01T18:52:00.000-08:00

After Tiger Leaping Gorge I caught the minivan for the 3 hr trip to Shangri La (3200 meters high). Most tourists do not come this far up and this is as close as you can get to Tibet without actually being there. Most people here are Tibetian. One of my favorite things in Shangri La was that the old and young dance in the city square for 2-3 hrs every night. It is not a performance but done for pure enjoyment. The pictures also include the countryside on the way to Shangri La , Old Towne, a monastery with the Golden Prayer Wheel and an art cafe.

Sleeper Train from Shangri La to Kunming

2001-01-31T19:53:00.000-08:00

Sunday September 28, 2007

I just finished watching the LSU victory over Miss. State virtue of the internet even though it was 10 am Sunday here. I arrived in Kunming at 7 am after a 14 hr sleeper bus from Shangri La. This was my first sleeper bus experience and not the most fun that I have had in China. The bus is lined with upper and lower beds. What I did not know was that in the back is one giant bed which is for 5 people. Guess who got the middle space in the giant bed. If I had known better I would have requested a single bed. The entire night is made up of jockeying for position and waiting for the next bathroom break, since there is no bathroom on the bus.

I seem to be the only foreigner on most buses and most trains in China. I know visas have been hard to get for some. I was walking around the bus on our first break when a little boy about eight asked me what I was doing on the bus. I quickly realized that most travelers have their own buses and transportation and that the Chinese almost never have contact with foreigners on the local buses. Most of the Chinese that know any English will try and practice it with me when they can. Even walking down the street people will start up a conversation just to hear English.

After arriving, I quickly went and rented a dorm room at a hostel. My next sleeper bus to Luang Prabang, Laos leaves at 6:30 pm today and will last for 32 hrs. Yes, I requested a single bed. The hostel gives me a chance to shower and rest even though it will be shortlived.

Tomorrow a new country and new experiences.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the things you did. "
Mark Twain

Earning my Passport

2001-01-30T19:50:00.000-08:00

"The traveler must be born again in the road and earn his passport from the elements."
Henry David Thoreau

The Sleeper Bus from Kunming to Luang Prabang, Laos was once again one of the tests that backpackers endure to travel cheaply. Airfare from Kunming was $550 and 1.5 hrs and the sleeper bus was $42 and 32 hrs.

I checked out of my room and went to the bus station to catch the sleeper bus at 6:30 pm. I was told that the bus had been canceled. With very little explanation I was told to come back tomorrow. When I insisted on a new ticket she marked out the 28th and put 29th in pen.

I went back and rechecked into my room which I had already paid for but had just stayed in for 8 hrs. Luckily I was not charged again. The next day I checked out at noon and went to the internet cafe and spent 4 hrs on the computer to waste time. 4 hrs was only $1.00

I arrived at the bus station 2 hrs early to make sure there were no cancellatons. I was shown to the bus and went in to check out my SINGLE bed. Bed Number 21 was on the back row with 4 other people just like before. I was not happy and let the bus driver know it. I went back to the ticket office and complained with the help of somone who spoke a little English. He went with me back to the bus driver and finally, he assigned me a single bed in the front of the bus. I think it was the backup drivers bed. He was not happy but when I started asking for a refund he knew that he had to find a solution.

The positives are that the bed is the most comfortable bed that I have slept in since I left, there was great airconditioning and Chinese kung fu movies. Arriving at the Laos border was another one of those moments that you wish you were back home. Organized chaos is the only way to describe it. One of those oxymoron that is true. Police trying to maintain crowd control but having very little luck with the 300 people trying to get to 3 windows. After over 1 hr in line and seemingly losing ground, a Chinese woman yelled at the policeman and pointed at me and he allowed me to come through.

When I arrived in Luang Prabang I needed to take a tuk (motorcycle taxi) to the Old Towne. I agreed to split the cost with a couple from Shanghai and Beijing who spoke excellent English. When I told them that I was from Louisiana they looked shocked because he said they thought only black people lived in LA. When I asked why he thought that and I am not making this up. He said that when Katrina hit NO that the only people they saw on CNN were black people. Amazing the perspective that other people have with only limited exposure to the outside world.

I found a great place to stay which is a private room with a balcony overlooking the Nam River and only 2 blocks from the Mekong River for $6. There are really no hostels here.

Luang Prabang, Laos

2001-01-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

This is by far my favorite place that I have visited so far. There are great similarities also to Natchez. The town has about 20,000 people, is on the Mekong River and is a very old town with incredible French architecture. Laos used to be a French colony and many people speak French in town. There are many tourists in Old Town but it doesn't seem too crowded. I got up at 5:30 am to watch the monk procession. The monks and there were hundreds of them, walk down the street at 6 am with their large bowls and the locals line up on the sidewalk and put rice mostly but also money and other things as gifts to the monks. Whatever the monks do not use they give to the poor. This happens every morning.

Kuang Si Waterfall

2001-01-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Wednesday October 1, 2008

Today, a group of English, one from Norway and myself went in a tuk tuk about 24 km to the Kuang Si Waterfall. It was a blast. Very high and beautiful waterfall. We climbed to the top of the waterfall and waded out to the edge and took pictures. The 2nd picture is the top of the waterfall and the 3rd was taken leaning over the edge. Then we went downstream and went swimming which included jumping out of a tree into the falls. Afterwards I was sitting next to a couple and they looked American so I asked where they were from and he said Alabama. I was in shock. To run into an American is almost unheard of and for them to be from one of LSU's biggest rivals is another.We both briefly mentioned our upcoming game and then decided to drop it. There were also a lot of small Asian bears that were in several enclosures near the waterfall.

Small waterfall, Big elephants

2001-01-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

I went to the second of two waterfalls outside of Luang Prabang. The waterfalls were much smaller than the previous one but more picturesque. An added benefit was that they bathe the elephants which they hire out for rides in the waterfalls in the evenings.

Slow boat for 2 days to Thailand

2001-01-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

Saturday October 4, 2008

Took the slow boat up the Mekong River to Thailand. The current was really strong and the boat kept switching sides of the river to find the least amount of current. There were only 5 tourist on the boat going upstream while boats going downstream were loaded with tourists. Seems we were doing the route counterclockwise. Better for us. After 9 hrs on the boat the first day we stopped in a small village and spent the night. The river is full of rocks in the middle and you do not want to be traveling on it at night. The next day was 8 hrs but it is a slow peaceful journey and you can watch the many people fishing on the banks of the river with nets. Arrive in Huay Xai which is till on the Lao side at 6 pm just 30 minutes after the ferry to Thailand closes. Seems to be timed that away. So another night in Lao.

Mai Sai

2001-01-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

Monday October 8, 2008

Arrived in Mai Sai after a long day of bus rides. It is on the border with Myanamar and my hope is to go to Myanmar and travel to Bagan and see the deserted 4400 temples in the valley.

Myanamar (Burma) Police State

2001-01-24T22:28:00.000-08:00

Tuesday October 9, 2008

I went to the border. What a hassle. I had to provide them with 3 pictures of myself and let them keep my passport. They issued a temporary passport and tried to get me to just see the border town of Tachilek and then return to Thailand. When I told them I wanted to go to Bagan they said no. They issued a 14 day visa but there were only 2 towns I could visit with 150 miles. So I went to Chaing Tong. The immigration office marked my temporary visa with the location and then sold me a bus ticket to that location. I had to give the bus driver my papers which he kept until we arrived. I was given seat No. 2 behind the bus driver. The next bus my seat was also No. 2. Starting to see a pattern. That must be the tourist seat.

Upon arrival at Chaing Kong, I tried to get a room at what seemed reasonably priced hotels. At each place I was told they were full when I am pretty sure they weren't. Then I found a hotel after a few recommendations that seemed empty but nice. It is now my belief these are government (military dictatorship) owned hotels just for tourists. The room was $20 a night which is outrageous but there were no other options. Plus the hotels refused to take Myanamar money and only wanted US currency. How bizarre. I was able to go out at night, eat in the local market and have a beer with some local men who were watching what looked like karoake on television and drinking whiskey. The women singing were wearing skirts about knee length but the camera kept zooming in on the legs and ankles and the men would laugh and holler. I guess it was kinda like Myanamar porn. lol

The next morning I decided to go back to Thailand based on my limited ability to travel. When I went to check out they did not have my temporary visa. With almost no English spoken here they finally went to Immigration to get my papers which had been sent there. Don't know why. They asked me where I wanted to go next and marked it again on my papers and drove me to the bus station. They waited while I bought a ticket. 4 roadblocks and 5 hrs later I was at the Thai border at 5:15 pm which closes at 5:30. I cleared Myanamar, got my passport and head to Thailand immigration. As I got to the window I realized I did not complete my departure card. I did that and looked up and the window was closed. Not sure what happens when you are on the bridge between countries and both are closed especially when both sides have men with automatic weapons watching the crossings.

A man saw me and radioed someone who opened up and let me through. Finally back in Thailand.

Mae Hong Son

2001-01-23T04:32:00.000-08:00

Friday October 10, 2008

A beautiful 4 hr bus ride up and down the mountains made the bus ride to Mae Hong Son one of my favorite bus rides so far. I found a hotel, since southeast asia has very few hostels, from a flyer handed out by someone at the bus station. A private room with shared bath for a little over $4. There is also free internet so I will try and upload pictures tomorrow. I have been doing the private room for about 10 days now because of the limited options. But most are between 4-6 dollars with a private bath usually.

The hotel has incredible views of the lake and temple. It is also convenient to everything. May stay here a few days and recharge. Busing and changing locations frequently is tiresome and also is a major expense.

Mae Hongson Day Market (pictures for Kade and Madison)

2001-01-22T03:02:00.000-08:00

I took these pictures in the day market. The first is for Madison because I knew she would love the cute bunnies. The next one is fried insects which they had to eat if you wanted. There were crickets, roaches, grub worms and a few I did not recognize. Thought Kade would get a kick out of it.

Bus ride from Mae Hongson to Mae Sot

2001-01-21T03:10:00.000-08:00

4 hours on a big bus and then transferred to a small pickup truck with semi-padded benches in the rear with a top for 6 more hours. At one point there were 21 women, children and men either in the back of the truck or standing on the rear bumper and holding on. The scenery in the mountains was truly incredible though and Lonely Planet has it listed as best overland trip in Thailand.

Sukhothai (old city)

2001-01-20T03:14:00.000-08:00

Monday October 13, 2008

I came here to see the old city because it was Thailand's first capital. I visited the old city today and the ruins were spectacular. It is said that much is lost due to the fact that we do not perceive the religious significance of this area and I am sure that is true. I leave tomorrow for Bangkok but may just stay the night and head to Cambodia. I will be coming back through Bangkok 2 more times on my trip. Once passing through to south Thailand and once to fly to Hong Kong for my return.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

2001-01-19T01:16:00.000-08:00

Wednesday October 15, 2008

After 5 hrs on the worst road that I have ever been on I finally arrived in Siem Reap. It is the hub for everything that is Angkor Wat which is called the 8th Wonder of the World by some. I hope to stay here for a few days and recharge, finally, and make plans to visit Angkor Wat. There are 1 day, 3 day and week long admission tickets. The area is immense with so many different temples to see but I think that after a few of the biggest ones including Angkor Wat I will have seen enough. Seeing Angkor Wat is up there almost as much as seeing the Great Wall.

The first picture is of a "spirit house" which is usually located in front of many businesses and houses and come in many shapes, sizes and colors. They are supposed to be a home for friendly spirits who will bestow blessings on them and remain outside the house in comfort. Many times food, water and flowers are left on the houses for the spirits.

Life on the Road in Southeast Asia

2001-01-18T21:53:00.000-08:00

I was reading my Southeast Asia Lonely Planet Guidebook and it has a section that perfectly describes life on the road in southeast Asia. So I thought I would share since it is exactly how it feels.

"Southeast Asia is loud, no doubt about it. The roosters have been crowing all night, the screaming motorcycles have been doing circles around your bed and the guttural call to prayers seems to emanate from next door. It isn't even noon yet and the temperature has already reahed the boiling. You climb out of your rock-hard mattress and head down to the shared toilet at the end of the hall. The mirror is too short, the sink is too low and the whole room needs to be sprayed down with bleach. Now its time for a shower (cold water for this penny-pincher), a powdering and a desperate search for clean clothes.
Today is the day you pack up and move to the next town. Arriving at the destination station, the bus is flanked by touts all thirsty for your business. You haggle the price, which is always inflated due to an informal 'I'm new in town' tax. The first guesthouse you visit has a shady yard with chickens scratching around in the dirt but the room is damp and noisy, so you thank the testy clerk and set off down the road. You use your budget senses to sniff out the best score in town and in a few hours you're camped out in the shade with a steamy bowl of noodles and a sweaty bottle of beer. Beats the wage-slave life. "
2008 Lonely Planet Southeast Asia

Angkor Wat

2001-01-17T23:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday October 18, 2008

The temples of Angkor are numerous and many people spend an entire week exploring them. I decided to concentrate on the Big 3 which are Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Bayon.

I took a tuk-tuk which I hired the previous day and set out at 5 am. It was only a 15 minute ride and it was still dark when we arrive at Angkor Wat with about 75 other tourists waiting for the sun to come up. Only it was overcast and a light mist was falling. I have been anticipating this moment my entire trip as it is billed by some as the 8th Wonder of the World. I guess that is because it did not make the New 7 Wonders of the World list last year.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious building in the world and it is truly a sight to see but somehow it did not have that "WOW" factor. Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was because it is 5 am. or maybe I had just imagined how it would be for so long. I have seen postcards of Angkor Wat as the sun is coming up behind it and that is what I wanted. Unfortunately this is the moonsoon (2 hrs of hard rain every day and some rain the rest) season. I really hope that it is not because I have seen so much in the last 3 years I expect too much. On the other hand, everything can't be Machu Picchu at sunrise or your first time to see Mount Everest up close and personal. But it was really nice. lol

Bayon

2001-01-16T23:59:00.000-08:00

Supposed to be famous for the Bayon faces in the stone pillars. Not crazy about it but took some pictures anyway.

Ta Prohm

2001-01-15T22:24:00.000-08:00

My favorite temple. It is slowly being engulfed by the jungle and was used as a location in Tomb Raider.

Phuket, Thailand

2001-01-14T04:20:00.000-08:00

Wednesday October 22, 2008

After a brief couple of days in Bangkok to get new visa pages in my passport, I finally arrived in Phuket which is the No. 1 tourism area in Thailand. On my way to the 5 am bus this morning I encountered what I think was a big rottweiler which somehow got out of the fence which enclosed it. Dogs have been a problem more than once on this trip and within a second my backpack was off my back and being used as a medieval hammer from Conan the Barbarian. I slowly crossed the sidewalk and the transformer above the dog exploded and sparks went everywhere. Somehow I felt a little relieved that the dog had made me change my direction, but not too much. The dog went his way and I went mine. 7 hrs later I am in Phuket hoping for a little peace and quiet.

The picture is of the "flophouse" hotel where Leonardo Di Caprio stays in the movie "The Beach". I looked at the rooms there and decided to stay at a more update hostel.

Phi Phi Islands

2001-01-13T03:22:00.000-08:00

Thursday October 23, 2008

Today was my second splurge when I spent $60 on a day trip to the Phi Phi Islands which are known as incredibly beautiful and location to Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Beach". The trip is normally $90 for the speed boat to the islands and food and drink but I was able to secure a large discount with a little persuasion. lol I quickly boarded the large speed boat which holds 40 passengers and secured a seat in the front so I could see the islands as we approached. Great idea, as long as it doesn't rain. It rained for about 1.5 hrs on the way to the islands and on the first beach. But the eight of us in front just laughed after a while because you can only get so wet.

The first island was Phi Phi Lae Island which was the location for "The Beach". I am not sure how well the pictures will turn out because it was raining pretty hard when we were there. The island is a National Park and has no tourist accomodations or businesses, just beach. We were there only 35 minutes and I would have liked to have stayed longer and visited the hidden cove which was also in the movie. The next beach we visited was Monkey Island and there were monkeys everywhere on the beach. Probably 40-50 monkeys being feed fruit by the tourists. One monkey, with gnashing teeth, chased a tourist into the ocean. The guide said monkeys will occassionally bite when provoked. We witnessed several serious monkey brawls. lol We next went to a beach for some fantastic snorkeling with great visibility and a large variety of fish.

We next went to Phi Phi Don which has about 700 inhabitants and very little inexpensive accomodations. We had a large buffet lunch which was part of the tour and then spent an hour on the beach. One more island stop to lay on the beach again for an hour and back home.

Will make some financial sacrifices over the next week to justify the expense but it was a very good day.

Karon Beach

2001-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

I just moved from Phuket town to Karon Beach for 7-10 days just to finally rest up from traveling and hopefully not spend much money. I got lost looking for the one hostel on the beach and luckily a bar owner told me of a hostel that was opening up today and that I would be her first client. The room only has 3 beds compared to the 10 bed dorm I was looking for and is only $4.50 a night. I have the room to myself and hopefully it will stay that away. lol The room is only 1 minute from the beach so I hope to get a little sun. Moonsoon season ends at the end of October. It has been raining most of the day today but hopefully things will clear. May not hear much on blog since there will not be anything to blog about until I move next.

Karon Beach to Phuket Town

2001-01-10T00:47:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2008

After 15 days I finally made the decision to move on to Koh Phangan, an island on the other coast, to go to the "full moon party" on the 12th. It was hard to leave because Karon Beach was incredible mainly due to Jerry and Annie who entertained me. I watched the women play in an International Volleyball tournament on the beach. Jerry introduced me to the Boost Bar when I arrived by convincing me to drink a "red devil" which is a shot composed of half tobasco and half vodka. The next night he convinced me to snort tequila through my nose with a straw. I hope it doesn't end up on youtube because there was a video. Then there was the "drinking game" with 6 shot glasses and dice which has downed more than one backpacker. I heard from a former NY attorney who now teaches in Thailand that I could teach law at a university by just showing my law degree. No knowlege of the thai language is required, just a short prep class. I have great interest in me and I will check into in later. I met many people that are from other countries who now spend most of time in Thailand. The people here are great.

Stupidity Rears It's Ugly Head (Koh Phangan)

2001-01-09T03:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday and Monday

I decided to leave Phuket to go to the other coast and island of Koh Phangan for the "full moon party" on the 12Th. Just about the time I think I am getting a good handle on traveling I do something stupid. I caught the 7 hr bus from Phuket to the ferry which is another 4-5 hrs to the island. When I arrived it started to rain and the rain has not stopped for 2 days. With the full moon party only 2 days away I decided to check the weather on Koh Phangan via the Internet (which is something I should have done before traveling 12 hrs to the other coast). The forecast was 100 % rain for the next 5 days. With room prices double for the party and rain assured for 5 more days I quickly decided that Malaysia was the place for me. After talking to a few local I found out that the west coast of Thailand has monsoon season until the 1st of November and then beautiful weather while the east coast monsoon season starts around the 1st of November.

But I did meet a beautiful, Brazilian girl on the sleeper ferry and we had some great conversations about travel and I expressed my great desire to visit Chile, Argentina, Antarctica and Brazil next year. Her name was Tatiana.

Then almost like a gift from heaven, I am sitting next to another beautiful girl, Maria, from Chile who also happened to be on the sleeper ferry but I did not see when she came in. We talked while riding in the minibus for hours about everything and it was one of the highlights of my trip. It was almost like fate because at the Malaysian border I was transferred to a different minibus and said bye to Maria. But then there was a problem with that bus and I was sent by motorbike to catch another minibus. As I climbed into the back seat, the first person I saw was Maria who moved over and asked what I was doing back again.

Not often do you meet two beautiful girls from South America who were living in New Zealand and Australia respectively while you are visiting Thailand.

Georgetown, Malaysia

2001-01-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday November 11, 2008

I just arrive in Georgetown after19 hrs of traveling. I found a wonderful guesthouse (S & D Guesthouse) which is the newest in town. A private room for only $6 a night makes this a very good day.

Palau Langkawi (Malaysia)

2001-01-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Thursday November 13, 2008

I took the fast boat to the island of Palau Langkawi which is about 2.5 hrs from Georgetown. The island is beautiful but the beaches are nowhere near the quality of Thailand's beaches. Also, there are essentially almost no waves. It seems like a lake but the sand is pure white and the Andaman Sea is a beautiful turquoise. I will try and post pictures soon. Saturday I will be able to return to Thailand where I will go to the island of Koh Lanta. At this point I will not have to leave Thailand again until I fly from Bangkok to Hong Kong for 3 days before returning to the US.

Koh Lanta

2001-01-06T00:03:00.000-08:00

November 15, 2008

I arrived in Koh Lanta today after a ferry ride, taxi ride, bus ride and minivan ride. Luckily I ran into several girls from Sweden who were studying in Koh Lanta and told me there was an opening at their guesthouse. The normal price for the room with air con, cable tv, refrigerator, hot water bathroom and balcony is $30 per night but if I paid for a month it was only $10 a night. With one month left I decided to make my stand here for the remainder of my time in Thailand. I prepaid for the month and headed to the beach. The beach is one of the best beaches that I have ever visited. The water is clear and beautiful and is chest deep only 4 ft from the beach. There are several beach bars and restaurants to watch the incredible sunsets and the restaurants have nightly BBQ's which include red snapper, sea bass , prawns and squid with a baked potato and salad for only about $15. That will probably be my Thanksgiving dinner.

Probably won't blog too much unless something exciting happens. I usually go to the beach early in the morning and go back to the room and watch movies until the hottest time of the day passes. Then back to the beach in the late afternoon. It will be interesting to see how one month of quiet beach time will be but who knows maybe something exciting will happen.

I leave Bangkok on December 14Th and fly to Hong Kong for 3 days and then back home.

Thanksgiving in Koh Lanta, Thailand

2001-01-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

Thursday November 27, 2008

Another Thanksgiving without family and turkey. It seems like the best travel times to visit the places I want to see involve November. For my Thanksgiving meal I splurged and went to the beach for BBQ. BBQ on the beach is grilled red snapper, sea bass and giant prawns. The baked potato that accompanied it made it feel a little more like home. A few great emails from family and friends made it not as bad as usual.

Only a few more weeks and I will be headed home. I fly out of Bangkok to Hong Kong on Dec. 14Th for 4 days (hopefully) . I leave Hong Kong on Dec. 17Th and hopefully will be in Monterey on the 18Th.

With the Bangkok airports haven been taken over I am glad that I still have 2 weeks to plan my way to Hong Kong. Unfortunately I bought my ticket from Bangkok to Hong Kong 3 months ago but everyone seems to think the protest will end soon one way or the other.

Happy Thanksgiving to All

Diving on Koh Haa

2001-01-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

Wednesday December 10, 2008

Finally got a chance to go diving. I did two dives on Koh Haa which means the five islands. But as the dive instructor told us they are actually six islands. Only one island has a small beach and most of the island are large, tall rocks which protrude out of the Adaman Sea. The diving was really good. We only went to about 17 meters deep and the visibility was excellent. We saw almost every type of fish possible, beautiful coral walls and an octopus running along the coral to escape the approaching divers. On my second dive I stayed down for 61 minutes which is a personal best for me since I used to breathe too quickly but finally have slowed my breathing way down.

Krabi

2001-01-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Friday December 12, 2008

Today I go to Krabi after 27 days on Koh Lanta. 3 days in Krabi and then the overnight bus to Bangkok to catch my flight to Hong Kong. Krabi is know for its excellent rock climbing though I will not be participating at least for this trip.

Ao Nang Beach and surrounding beaches

2001-01-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 14, 2008

I took the bus from Krabi to Ao Nang Beach and the surrounding beaches for the day.

Hong Kong, China

2001-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

December 16th and 17th

I flew from Krabi airport to Bangkok to Hong Kong in a whirlwind day of airports. Then I had one night and one day to spend in downtown Hong Kong. I took the ferry across the harbour and went to Victoria Peak which overlooks Hong Kong and the harbour and is the highest point. My hostel was in a great location downtown and near the famous night market where I bought Kade and Madison's Christmas presents. The hostel was $34 for a bed which is very expensive but luckily I had a room by myself even though there were 2 other bunks in the room.