Around the World in Two Years

Fear Factor/ Korean Camping

cindyhowes — Sun, 5 Aug 2007 23:58:00 GMT

...and the good times kept rolling. Ian and I were still on a high from the Mud Festival the previous weekend, when Mr. Park, Ian's Korean businessman friend invited us to go camping in Mangsang on the east coast with him and his girlfriend. Our first real Korean camping experience. How different could it be? Worried that we didn't have our own camping gear, but assured that everything would be provided, we showed up expecting a little tent set out for us, and that's all. Mr. Park didn't think that was good enough for us, so instead, rented us our very own camper van. Needless to say, we were thrilled. That night we cooked our dinner over a fire, listened to good music, and drank Soju from shot glasses. Since Mr. Park is a big fan of "Cheers!", it is a wonder how we ever got to consume anything, since we were clinking our glasses far more than drinking. One of the first things Ian and I had learned in Korea was a Korean "Cheers", so this was my chance to impress Mr. Park with the little Korean I knew. I raised my glass, cleared my throat, and sang out the cheer, just as our friends and us had chanted so many times in so many Korean bars. Expecting a "here, here", or the Korean equivalent of, I was shocked to see Mr. Park's stunned expression. Then a slow shake of his head. "You are a bad girl", he said. What? What had I said?! Once his girlfriend caught her breath after nearly falling of the bench, laughing, she explained, more through a demonstration than words, exactly what I had just enthusiastically told everyone to do. I don't think I'll be participating in any more group cheers, Korean style. The next day, we spent a good part of the day at the beach swimming and getting towed, or more like beaten up behind a speed boat on a giant float shaped like a banana. Not exactly the most dignified sport, but it was fun. After we got back to shore and spent a few minutes recovering, we jumped into the car and went in search of dinner. Since we were by the ocean, it would have been tragic if we hadn't visited a local fish market to sample the goods. The fish market was another world. Row after row of leather skinned ajumas (old Korean women), sitting on crates so low, their knees almost touched their ears, ankle deep in salt water and fish guts. It was amazing to watch how quickly their hands worked. Mechanically grabbing a live squid, slicing through it, popping its eye's out, and flicking their insides out in one motion, all within seconds, then onto the next. While Ian and I stood transfixed, Mr. Park strolled around and collected our dinner. We had no idea what we were in for. Sea Urchins: Round, black and slimy, covered in spiky, moving tentacles. I sat there staring at them wondering how we were going to cook them. I realized I was wasting my time wondering, as Mr. Park took each one out of the bag, sliced it open and handed it to us....still alive...with tentacles flailing. Try to imagine eating the insides of a creature while it's crawling across the table. A scene straight out of a horror movie. Trust me, I still have nightmares..... After dinner we all went for a walk on the beach and ended up sitting outside at some beach side tables, while Mr. Park ran to buy some snacks. He came back with a can in his hand, and while I couldn't quite see the picture on it, it looked something like almonds. It wasn't almonds. He cracked open the can and instantly, a putrid scent filled the air. Oh no, here we go. Being the gentleman he is, Mr. Park thought it only polite to offer whatever it was to me first. The can was packed with about a hundred gray, shriveled, foul-smelling, pickled silkworms, resembling giant maggots. All I could do was stare at them. Mr. Park leaned forward and popped a few in his mouth, as if to show me what to do. "Delicious", he said grinning. I continued to stare. The next day, with a bit of relief I might add, we headed home. It was a wonderful trip, but I was just a bit worried about having to face another Fear Factor moment. On our way back, Mr. Park mentioned he knew of a good area to fish. Ian LOVES fishing, so I was more than happy to stop by a river for an hour while the men cast a few lines. Even Mr. Park suggesting they catch our dinner didn't bother me. Surely we wouldn't be eating the fish while it was alive and flapping. As the car slowed down, I craned my neck to look for the lake, or at least a river. All could see was a small stream. "How were they going to fish in that?", I wondered. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't seen anything that even resembled a fishing rod in Mr. Park's car. This thought must have hit Ian at the same time, since when I glanced over at him, he had this look of deep confusion on his face, which I'm sure matched mine. Well, to make a long and agonizing story short-er, we soon learned that "fishing" in Korea, actually means throwing a mino trap into shallow water, and pulling out tons of sardine sized fish. Now that sort of seems like cheating to me. While Ian was struggling to remain enthusiastic, and not show any disappointment over this new and very unconventional way of "fishing", my anxiety was growing by the second. I could feel fear welling up in me as I watched Mr. Park snap each little fish in half with his fingers and throw them all into a pot of boiling soup, which minutes earlier, I had actually thought smelled good. "Alright, if I don't look, it won't be so bad." Bad news when my bowl was handed to me. What faced me were about ten little fish heads bobbing up and down between my noodles, with a look of shock on their faces, and mouths wide open as if they were trying to breath. Grooooan!!! I instantly felt that fear rising up in my throat from either the need to vomit, or cry, or both. Sigh.... I used to love camping.

Korean Clayos

cindyhowes — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:33:00 GMT

Korean Clayos

Once Ian and I settled into our jobs, it was only a matter of time until life began to take on a familiar, monotonous rhythm. So we decided it was time to shake things up a bit and get muddy. Every summer in South Korea, a famous Mud Festival is held. People flock from all over to attend because it is such an experience. It's a week long festival, featuring mud pits, mud slides, mud obstacle courses, and essentially anything else they can think of where mud can be incorporated.

On arrival, we expected to walk into complete pandemonium. We were surprised to discover not only the lack of bedlam we were so hoping for, but nary a speck of mud was to be seen anywhere! What gives? Apparently, Koreans are even organized when it comes to liquid dirt, which is actually gray clay. The clay it turns out was confined to one particular area of the beach. As we made our way down the beach we witnessed the half hearted attempts to get the party started, by people trying to roll around in kids blown up swimming pools full of gray muck. Surely this was not what we had come all this way for. But as we kept walking, the evidence of a real party became more convincing, as each passing Korean looked more and more like a granite statue come to life. What we eventually walked into was all out clayos. There were huge blow-up mud slides, mud obstacle courses, mud gladiator pits, a mud jail, and so much other mud inspired entertainment, we didn't know where to look! Now this was more like it. We had an absolute ball. By the end of the day, large vats of lavender, and bright blue clay were appearing everywhere. Our friend Michael and I went totally mental and practically threw ourselves into them.

Everywhere we turned were at least 50 Korean photographers trying to catch that perfect photo of foreigners gone wild. They were going as crazy as we were though, following us everywhere and screaming at us to pose this way or that. It was actually a lot of fun, but after half an hour we finally had to walk away.... with them still following us, of course. It was like being chased by paparazzi. We are absolutely convinced that we're going to be on next years brochures.

All in all it was the most fun we have had so far in Korea. Even though the blond streaks in my hair are STILL died blue, and my yellow and white bikini is now green and blue, and probably always will be. It was all worth it though. I already can't wait till next year's!

=

Seoul Employment

cindyhowes — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:56:00 GMT

I woke up one morning last week thinking, "Gosh, the weeks have just flown by".....well, for me anyway. While I've been completely immersed in my brand new, very fancy career, ahem, Ian has been playing housewife. While he has tried to remain his usual freakishly optimistic self, the strain of not working for so long has been slowly grinding his positive attitude down to a very negative pulp. Then, one miraculous day, Ian receives a phone call from a fellow teacher we had met on our "beach" day. She offered him a position which just open at her school, and he was to start immediately. Cut to later that evening when I walk in the door from work and all I hear is an indistinguishable accent sputtering, "Pee-wee Pen-GU-in, P-P-P". Ian suddenly looked up startled as if caught doing something naughty, although, he was not nearly as embarrassed as he should have been. "They want me to speak moRe AmeRican." What they actually asked was that Ian say that he is Canadian. Ian, from Australia. Ian, with the thick Australian accent......from Canada. While pondering this, out of the background emerged manic American voices, blaring out of our computer, leading phantom children through a series of alphabetical limericks in rapid succession, urging them to REPEAT! Oh no....Is this how it's going to be for the rest of the year?

The first day when Ian walked into the classroom, he was serenaded instantly by one frightened little girl's cry, which soon erupted into a whole chorus of wailing children afraid of this strange new man that talked funny. They should have trusted their instincts. As part of Ian's teaching schedule, he has been asked to teach an American cooking class. Did I mention Ian is Australian? He was given one hot plate and told the rest was up to him. Bad move. Ian's specialty is Vegemite on toast. He was a bit nervous for his first cooking class as he had no idea what to make. I could have thought of a million things, although I guess I did grow up a little closer to The U.S. Later that night, I asked him what he ended up making, expecting him to have eventually come up with something simple and fun for the kids. "I made, peanut butter, jam, and egg sandwiches."
Hmm, not as bad as I thought.
"Which kind of sandwich did they like best?", I asked.
"What do you mean?", Ian replied.
What Ian had made for them was literally a peanut butter, jam, and fried egg sandwich. He had taken tradition "American food" and decided to just throw it all together. They should have been warned. Ian admitted the children did not seem too impressed, in fact, they were pretty grossed out. I asked him if he had tried one of his sandwiches. He looked at me horrified, then confessed that he was too busy killing himself laughing at the expressions on the kids' faces. The next week Ian made bread soaked in butter with a hotdog wiener and raw zucchini slices. Needless to say these children will never want to visit America.

Although no where near a dream job, at least Ian now had something to do, other than dishes. Yet, for some reason, he had not given up on an obviously delusional idea that some random Korean business man would see him standing at a bus stop, and think, "Look at that handsome foreign man. I have been needing one of my own. I shall throw unreasonable amounts of money at him and buy him many gifts if he will only grace me with his presence." For months, I had been bent over in hysterics over Ian's account of this chance meeting that will change his life......

So imagine my surprise when I answer my phone and hear "Told you so!" It wasn't a bus stop. It was Family Mart, the place Ian frequents as his bi-nightly drinking hole. It's a typical Mini Mart, but they sell cheep beer and provide rickety old plastic chairs and tables out on the sidewalk. Not exactly the Budda Bar, but did I mention it's cheep? It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Ian hadn't been there for weeks (he was too busy washing dishes and scrubbing our toilet), but he decided one day to surprise me after work and wait at Family Mart for me to pass by on my route home. Well, until then, I hadn't thought there was any reason to tell him I had changed my route. So he sat there for hours, thinking I was late. Then fate, by the name of Mr. Family Mart Owner, stepped in and henceforth declared that Ian was indeed a handsome foreign man and that he knew of a wealthy business man needing such a thing. Ian, meet Mr. Park. (Which is actually the name of most business men, and for that matter, most men in Korea) No matter...

That's it, I'm getting my own business woman....

Seoul Searching

cindyhowes — Thu, 5 Jul 2007 03:32:00 GMT

Seoul Searching

Eventually we felt ready to venture outside of our immediate area, and decided to go to E Mart, which we had heard so much about. E MART is a giant supermarket/ taste testing haven. Most of the food was unfamiliar, so we adopted for the policy of "point and try". It's not always the best policy, by the way. I'm afraid to say we still have not mastered the check out line either. We have both learned how to ask "How much?", but it is all in vain since neither of us ever know what their response is, so it's always a wad of cash handed over and fingers crossed that we're not going to be completely ripped off. Once we'd finished our shopping we realized there was no way we could get all of our things on the bus, so we hailed a taxi. An easy task right? As soon as we got in the taxi, Ian and I looked at the driver, looked at each other, and that's when it hit us. How were we going to get home? We still weren't exactly sure how to get back to our house, and we certainly weren't sure how to get that across to the driver in Korean. This was when a new tradition began - phoning Mia, my head teacher, telling her the problem, and having her speak to whomever we needed her to. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are.

Korean subways are interesting places. They are very nice actually. New ones are built practically everyday, and they are clean and innovative. They are also well prepared for emergencies. Every few meters there are glass cases full of gas masks in all sorts of varieties. There is only one oxygen tank though, so I wonder who gets that. I guess its supposed to make us feel more secure, but really it's just a reminder that it's there for a reason. A very unsettling reason. One other interesting thing in not only the subways, but located absolutely EVERYWHERE are mirrors. Oh the vanity!!! It is shocking. You know how you see those people pretending to look in store windows, but you know they're really looking at their reflection? (Okay, I admit I do that sometimes) Well, you never see that here because it is SO socially acceptable to openly admire yourself anywhere that everyone does it, everywhere, all the time. The thing is, no one uses just any old glossy surface because, getting back to my point, there are mirrors located EVERYWHERE! I mean every 5 meters of this city, a full length mirror is set up. They are in the most random spots, and there is always someone in front of one. The scummiest alley way will have a mirror, the back of bathroom stall doors have mirrors on them, so you can do your make-up while doing your business. What finally made me think, "This is getting out of hand", was when Ian and I were hiking through the forest, I mean, in the middle of no where, and suddenly came face to face with ourselves.

Ian and I spent our next few weekends playing tourist. We visited the National museum, and ancient palace. Finally we organized with some other teachers to actually make our way out of Seoul and head to the beach. Sorry, I should say the "beach". We enthusiastically boarded the bus to the beach, ready for a day of fun in the sun. As we sat chatting excitedly about our day ahead, a man in front of us turned around and told us to be quiet. We were already talking at a reasonable level for public transport, but brought it down to a whisper just to appease him. Within two minutes, he turned around again angrily, and that is when we realized he didn't want us to just be quiet, he didn't want us talking....at all. Our friend Michael who's lived here for awhile now, casually said, "Oh yeah, you're not really supposed to talk on public transport here." Uhh, right. We stopped talking, but next two hours were anything but silent, as we were serenaded the rest of the way by the loud guttural gurgles of Korean men clearing their sinuses. You see, that IS acceptable on public transport.

We've discovered that mucous sucking men on buses aren't the only ones who can be unfriendly. Surprisingly, our fellow foreigners can also be downright rude. Since Ian and I have both traveled quite a bit, we're used to meeting and talking with other travelers. After-all, we're all away from home, all basically going through the same things. So naturally when Ian and I see other foreigners our initial instinct is to say, "Hello". Maybe it's weird because in the end we are still strangers, but we're strangers obviously not in our own country. So imagine our surprise when repeatedly being snubbed by other foreigners. What's the deal? I think it may be a complete cycle because as time goes by, I find myself more and more hesitant to acknowledge other foreigners based on growing experiences, but Ian views this as a challenge. He will go out of his way to make any rude foreigner feel like a jerk, by practically cornering them and pointedly saying "Hello!" Oh Ian, always out to make the world a better place.

Well, that's the update for now!

Seoul Discoveries

cindyhowes — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:29:00 GMT

Seoul Discoveries

Throughout the next few weeks we found out that we are living in the second richest area in Seoul. Pretty much every person owns two Mercedes, oh, except for us. We don't have one. We don't even have bicycles. Actually, we don't even have proper walking shoes! We also discovered many things Korea provided for us. Things like padded sidewalks - all the sidewalks are covered in recycled tire. Great to jog on, and non-slip when it rains. Why don't they have these everywhere?! Unfortunately, at intersections the rubber is rimmed with marble so when you're going at a good pace on the sidewalk, as soon as you hit an intersection you find your feet flying out from under you. Okay, so not all their ideas are so great. But these Korean's sure do keep us on our toes...or on our behinds.

Besides rubber sidewalk, some other VERY cool inventions that exist in Korea that Ian and I feel should be mandatory in other countries include: Traffic directing robots. Arrows on crosswalks going one way, and beside it going the other way so that people don't run into each other when crossing the road. No one really follows them, but its a good idea anyway. Doorbells on each table in a restaurant for service. They come when you need them, and they're not bothering you when you don't. Numbered seating in movie theaters. Choose your seats, and come when the movie starts. No line-up. Brilliant. Special stands placed at entrances that you stick your wet umbrellas into and it instantly wraps your umbrella in a plastic bag. Genius. One invention that we still think is great, but can pose a major problem for the new-comer is floor heating. When Ian and I first arrived we learned that we had to turn the hot water heater on in order to get, well...hot water. Unfortunately, the button for it was on a contraption on the wall, which happened to have about 10 other buttons on it, all explaining themselves...in Korean. We figured out how to turn on the hot water, but with hot water also came a VERY hot floor. In the dead of summer, the last thing you need is floor heating. This dilemma plagued us for weeks, until finally one day I couldn't stand it anymore and stubbornly tried every combination of buttons on and off in order to save not only our energy bill, but what was left of our minds.

The culture shock was setting in nicely, and continued right into our first day in a shopping mall. One Saturday morning, Ian and I went to a plaza nearby and walked up to the door of a department store. The doors were closed and standing on the other side of them were four women slowly bowing up and down, up and down, up and down. Who were they bowing to? There was no one around. As we watched, it started to look really creepy. We asked each other, "Are they robots?" I walked forward to take a closer look. I reached out to open the department store door, and I met eyes with one of the robots. Her expression changed to what I can only described as panic. Instantly a security guard was at my side, sternly informing us that the department store wasn't open yet. Ian and I looked around and saw that a large group of people were standing outside waiting. We had just march right by them and right up to the door to open it. We had just ruined their perfectly timed flawless, morning ritual. A few minutes later, with one final bow, the robot women stepped forward with large plastic smiles and opened the doors. A mad rush ensued, and the women resumed their creepy, perfectly timed bowing ritual. What is this scary world we have found ourselves in? **Shudder**

Seoul Food

cindyhowes — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 03:27:00 GMT

Seoul Food

Being that Ian's birthday was the week we arrived, I had to jump into action quickly. As it turned out, the teachers at my school were all really nice, so I coaxed as many as I could to come out for our first Friday night. A group of us went out to a Korean restaurant. Ian and I had our first real introduction to Korea's national dish, kimchi, which is fermented chili cabbage. It wasn't love at first taste, although usually it isn't for the first time taster. But eventually it is said that against all odds, and wills, the flavor of fermented cabbage starts to haunt you until one day it becomes a full on craving. Then you're hooked. Its almost like an initiation. Once you can stand the taste of kimchi, you can truly make it in this country. Sort of like how kissing a fish in Newfoundland makes you an official Newfy. Well, sort of. With the kimchi came soju, the national drink. Its a very cheap rice alcohol that will knock the wind out of you if you're not careful.

Eating in a Korean restaurant is an experience all on its own. There are what seems like hundreds of side dishes served with every meal, and there is no point trying to finish any one of them, as they get refilled instantly. At the end of each meal, there is alway an table full on uneaten food that is left behind. Since doggy bags do not exist in this country, it is painful knowing how good it would be for lunch tomorrow, and having to leave it all behind. No wonder South Korea is considered one of the most wasteful countries. It is SO true.

In Korea, meals are eaten communally, so if there is something you want to eat, you have to be aware that everyone else has free reign over it as well. This irritates Ian so much that for awhile, he was boycotting dinners out at Korean restaurants. This evolved from that fact that Ian was incapable of using chopsticks, and Koreans have, well lets say a very 'healthy' appetite. In fact, it's down right incredible to watch them eat. Such little people can ingest SO MUCH food! Not only are they very hungry people, but they can be very aggressive, and you don't want to get in the way of flying chopsticks. So while all the food is devoured at breakneck speed, Ian is left struggling to pick up his first piece of chicken. Poor guy, he almost starved his first week here.

After dinner, we hit a few bars and a norebang, which is a private karaoke room complete with a huge screen, two microphones, a stage, free ice cream and beer, and a box of instruments to suit ones needs. No wonder norebangs are so popular over here. They are the greatest things since.....well, I can't really think of anything to compare them to. But they are great!

Korea's Heart and Seoul

cindyhowes — Wed, 30 May 2007 03:24:00 GMT

Korea's Heart and Seoul

Our fight to Seoul was a complete blur. We have been on so many planes this year, that they're all starting to blend into one memory. We arrived on a beautiful day. As apprehensive as we were, we kept our smiles on, and tried to think good thoughts, as our bus from the airport drove into a grey Lego city, where each cookie cutter building had a giant number stamped on it. I imagine it is the only way anyone would be able to find their home.

Miriam, my director met us when we arrived by bus from the airport. As we approached our area, the scenery greatly improved. The buildings melted away, to reveal big, beautiful mountains surrounding us. I tried to look for street names, but like parking spaces, they don't really exist. "Parking" here means stopping your car anywhere, and just leaving it there, whether it be completely on the road, halfway around a turn at an intersection, or directly across our front door, which has been the case.

Finally, we arrived at our new apartment/closet, whichever way you look at it. It was everything they had said it would be. A fully furnished apartment. What they forgot to mention was that we could stand in the middle of the room and ALMOST touch all four walls. After south east Asia, the fact that we had our own bathroom (which is nearly half of our apartment), running hot water, and an actual washing machine was enough to make us barely notice the things that were lacking. ie. space. In fact, we were pleased to discover that we didn't even have to get out of bed to reach anything we needed from inside the fridge. However, I might say I was a bit surprised when in the bathroom I turned on the tap to brush my teeth, and had the shower head above the sink erupt to life and attack me with freezing water. You're probably wondering who in their right mind would install a shower head above a bathroom sink. We are still asking that question. Another surprise was our computer table which is really just a tray that slides out from under the television on the T.V. stand. So while I work on the computer, Ian can watch the top two inches of the T.V. screen. It's perfect. We spent the weekend unpacking and trying to rearrange furniture to create a bit more space. We ended up rotating it around the room until everything ended up exactly where it started. We'll get used to it right?

We also explored our area and I soon decided Bundang is one of the most beautiful places I have lived. It has a very European feel, with tree lined streets and tall thin apartments. Also, We're in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and forest. We can't really ask for much more.

Monday morning we were woken by what sounded like an announcement echoing through the streets. We understood nothing except for a man's urgent voice booming from a loud speaker. Omigosh, we were being attacked by North Korea! What else could it be? Bleary-eyed, we stumbled to the window to find out what the emergency was. A man in a truck full of tomatoes was cruising down the street, obviously DESPERATE to sell them. Yeesh! So if North Korea actually does attack, what will THAT announcement be like? It didn't take us long to realize Koreans LOVE megaphones. Our first shopping experience was...an experience. As we walked through the isles of dried squid and pickled pigs feet we were serenaded by a man with a megaphone, who seemed to be following us. Maybe it's that phenomenon where he knew we didn't understand, and thought it would help to speak louder. Not sure. Either way he took it too far. Anyway, the longer we stayed, the louder it seemed to get, until, with bags in hand, we were running for the door. Yes, shopping, as it turns out is an excruciating experience, especially for the eardrums. I've decided the next time I go to the grocery store I'm bringing my own megaphone so I can march right up to that man, and at full volume, ask for his help.

My first day of school went...well..for me anyway. I don't know about my kids. I was nervous as anything since I've never stood in front of a classroom before. I have eight different classes teaching listening, speaking and writing to children ages 5-16. In general the kids are good. My school is called a Hagwon which is actually an after-school English school. Education is taken very seriously here, so by the time the kids come to our school in the afternoon, they've already been in school all day. When some of them finish up at 9pm at night, the majority go on to yet, ANOTHER school for something else. It actually seems cruel, but I guess that's one of the many cultural things we'll have to get used to.

During our first week, we discovered the forest across the street has about 50 different hiking trails, so we've been going on hikes every other day. What we discovered on the second day blew our minds. About a half hour down one of the trails we came across a clearing, and in it was a bunch of outdoor gym equipment! Free outdoor gym equipment under a canopy of trees, and it is very secluded. Imagine doing sit-ups, while birds fly around you. Its even better when I can get a squirrel to spot me.

I think we're gonna like it here. : )

Back to Australia

cindyhowes — Thu, 24 May 2007 03:21:00 GMT

Back to Australia

After weeks debating what to do once our Thailand visas had run out, we decided our best option was to go somewhere where we could use a computer without a per minute rate, sleep in a bed that hadn't been slept in by a thousand others, and as ridiculous as it sounds, relax for a few weeks, while getting our bearings and figuring out what our next move was. We felt the winds from the north stirring, so we allowed them to carry us back to the little island we had once inhabited. The island of Oz.

Ian's parents picked us up from the airport, and in a way it felt like we had never left. It always does feel that way though, doesn't it? We got right back into the groove of Australian life. I had almost forgot about the three Bs. Beer, Barbecue, and Bread. What? Something OTHER than stir-fried rice and cheap Thai whiskey? My system almost shut down. Before we had even put our bags down, the questions started rolling in. How long are you staying? Where are you going next? We weren't altogether sure ourselves, but we were aiming toward Korea in approximately three weeks. Although everyone was really supportive about the idea, undoubtedly, some were very surprised that Ian of all people would consider teaching in Korea for an entire year, and questioned how realistic we were being. "What if you don't like it out there?... A year is a long time." "How will you be able to teach English if you don't speak any Korean?" We definitely had the same doubts.

Within days the suits we had had made in Vietnam finally arrived. It became painfully clear what a bad idea it was to have gotten fitted for suits while trying to recover from hook-worm. Nothing came even close to buckling, buttoning or zipping up. Sigh...I blame it on the three Bs. Meanwhile, Ian's suits fit like a glove, of course, so it was only necessary for him to model them (just to be sure), while gloating about his freakish metabolism. No, no bitterness here.

The weeks flew by. We used computers, slept in proper beds, and ate as much bread as we could handle. Ian was able to work for a few weeks, which eased our minds a bit. From the moment we landed, our savings were under constant attack. How had we forgotten how incredibly expensive Australia is? While Ian worked, I spent days going through our thousands of pictures. Pretty much the most tedious thing I've ever done. It was a nice surprise to find out we were missing a bunch of photos that should have been on a CD we had had burned for us. Tip: Never let someone else burn your cards to CDs while in Asia. Apparently, they don't care whether they have burned your pictures or someone else's onto your disc. Lesson learned.

The highlight of our stay was a short trip up to Mt. Hothom to visit Ian's sister Maree, and her boyfriend Orm. Maree and Orm live in a little mud brick cottage that Orm's father had built decades ago. Although it lacked electricity and an indoor toilet, it made up for it in charm. We had a great time hiking,(Ian saw a bunch of platypus in the river next to their place) barbequing, and bonfiring. For two days Orm and Maree built up a bonfire the size of a house. They invited over their neighbors, who weren't exactly close by since Orm's driveway alone is 14 km long and is surrounded by remote kangaroo country. We found out pretty quickly that kangaroos were not the only creatures to inhabit the area. One of the first things Maree and Orm told us after we arrived, was about their resident bat. They told us so casually that I don't think it completely registered until we woke up that night to the sound of flapping wings only inches a above our heads. Around and around and around our room it flew, for what seemed like hours. It even let out the occasional squeak to let us know how appreciative it was for the audience. Odd, yet somehow it fit the atmosphere so well that we didn't really mind.

In the meantime my visa for Korea was supposed to be processing, but there were problems with transcripts, problems with photos, problems with passports, not to even mention all the red tape with Ian's visa. Weeks of frustration and uncertainty followed until all of a sudden everything was processed and we were instructed to board the next plane out of Melbourne. We were delayed almost a month, but were still almost panic-stricken when it was confirmed we were actually GOING! Some quick packing and even quicker good-byes, and we were back on a plane, off to start our next chapter.

Back to Bangkok

cindyhowes — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 03:17:00 GMT

Back to Bangkok

We arrived back in Bangkok at daybreak and all seemed quiet on the southern front. We had no idea what was in store for us later that day. We had stumbled into yet, another New Year, but this one was MUCH different than the last. In Thailand, years ago, monks used to walk around for three days on the New Year, sprinkling water on people as a sort of cleansing. I guess eventually it caught on to the locals, and then once tourists got involved, it evolved into a full-blown three day water fight. Nothing could have prepared us for this. It all started with just a few people on the street stepping out from behind poles, cars, dogs, and randomly blasting us with squirt guns, laughing their heads off while we stood there dumbfounded. Why would a stranger just shoot us with their water gun? We don't even KNOW them! As the day progressed, we quickly realized it was everyone for themselves.

By mid-morning, those few people on the street multiplied to a few hundred thousand. The streets were so packed; there was barely any room to move. On top of that, the squirt guns were soon replaced by giant super soakers half the size of a human being. For some reason, and I don't know how this ever got thrown into the mix, bowls of wet chalk also became a weapon of choice and those who couldn't afford a water gun would scoop up a hand full of chalk and smear it across our faces, backs, hair, wherever... By noon, it was full out war. Old men and women, shop keepers, vender's, kids, parents, everyone was involved. Water and chalk everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE! Ian, Brent and I were even turning on each other. We were soaked to the bone, caked with mud, and had wild looks in our eyes. We were straight out of Lord of the Flies, except instead of chanting boys, dancing around a bonfire, we were surrounded by dancing Thai transvestites in mini skirts and tube tops out in the streets. That was the scariest part of the day. The most shocking part of the whole experience was when Brent brought up the question of where all the monks were. We assumed, inside the temple taking refuge. Within seconds of coming to that conclusion, we look up and over top of the monastery wall a row of monks were plowing down a group of dancing transvestites, with their own super soakers. When monks become corrupt, no one is safe.

By day two, we were over the water fights, and tired of being constantly wet, we resorted to shooting people from our guesthouse window. It was hilarious! By day three we had to face the fights again, as it was our last day in Bangkok and we had to go souvenir shopping. Trying to get back to the guesthouse with all our gifts mid-day on the last day of water fights and the craziest day of all was like mission impossible. The tuk-tuk driver had to drop us off about 10 blocks from our guesthouse because we just happened to be staying in the heart of all the chaos. By ducking around corners and hiding in bushes, we somehow managed to avoid most of the water and chalk, and arrived back at the guesthouse virtually unscathed! It was a miracle!

The next day, the paranoia was still dwindling and it took a while to convince ourselves the water fights were actually over, and that someone wouldn't jump out of a bush to attack us. We did some last minute shopping, then hopped in the cab to the airport. After almost getting arrested from dramas over expired visas, we eventually had to pay A LOT of money just to leave the country. Why did we have to leave on a bad note? The anger soon wore off, however, and soon the excitement of heading home kicked in! We were heading home!

Koh Tao

cindyhowes — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:10:00 GMT

Koh Tao

Unsuspectingly, we boarded the boat heading from Koh Phangan to Koh Tao, meanwhile thinking, "Gosh its busy today. Aren't there a lot of people on this boat?" The entire deck, front to back, side to side was packed, not to even mention inside, where the people were actually supposed to go, was full as well. There was a VIP lounge on the upper deck, which was air conditioned inside and only cost $1.00 more to sit in. We had scored, since there were actually a few seats left. But the people kept piling on, and squishing in. The maximum capacity of the boat was probably tripled by the time the boat took off for Koh Tao, but these people do this every day, right? So they must know what they're doing...... For the first half hour everything seemed fine, but once we hit the wide open choppy water, things took a drastic turn. The boat started rocking from side to side, and with every rock, it would sway further and further onto its side. This is when people started to scream. People started panicking (including me) and getting out of their seats to go out onto the crowded deck. Crew members started yelling at people to sit down, then a few of them started looking panicked as well. Forget buses, dirt bikes, and planes, this time I was actually convinced we were going to die. I have never been so scared in my entire life, and that's the truth. For two hours the boat swayed back and forth, almost ending up on its side. Ian was trying to calm me down, telling me we'd be fine, and that there was no way we would flip. When eventually he started giving me instructions on what to do if the boat flipped, I started really freaking out. That's when I made my way out onto the overcrowded deck, followed by Brent, to wait out the rest of our sentance on the Death Boat, white knuckled and pondering our own existence, or soon to be lack there of. Okay, so you can already guess we made it, miraculously. I know, I'm shocked as well. For about two hours after we landed I was still shaking. NEVER AGAIN! Now how was I going to get OFF this island?

Ian and Brent went off to find our accommodations, while I stayed with the bags. Eventually a man on a motorbike came to pick me up, with the rest of the bags. Far too many to be holding on a motorbike, but then again, these are the people who load a family of six, a dog, a fridge and a stove all onto one little bike, so who am I to complain? We eventually made it and Ian and I signed up for a four day Scuba Diving course. The next eight days on the island were amazing. Ian and I excelled at the scuba diving, # 1 and #2 in our class, ahem, thank you very much! We were up early every morning and didn't come back until late afternoon every day. The training was like a full time job. We loved every second of it though, and cannot wait to do it again. Seriously, we were born to dive.

Meanwhile, Brent was partying and making friends galore. We celebrated his birthday with a dinner on the beach and a pancake with candles in it. Classic. After extending our stay far beyond when we were originally supposed to leave, with claws dug into the sand, we dragged ourselves away to the pier once again. This time we opted for a catamaran, although it cost much more than the Death Boat. Like I said, NEVER AGAIN. We made it back to shore and started our loooooong journey back up to Bangkok. Our trip was slowly coming to an end. *Sniff, Sniff*

Kanchanaburi

cindyhowes — Wed, 4 Apr 2007 03:07:00 GMT

Kanchanaburi

Brent arrived right on cue. We met him, and a couple new friends he'd made, at the end of chaotic Khao San Rd. We spent a couple days flying around Bangkok in tuk-tuks, mainly on shopping sprees, then booked a trip up to Kanchanaburi, where Ian and I had been wanting to go for a while. The bus picked us up for Kanchanaburi in the early morning and after circling the city and passing our guest house another two times, we finally made it out of Bangkok about an hour later.

Our first stop was the war memorial and grave site, honoring all the men who died while working on the Bridge over the River Kwai, during their time as prisoners of war in Thailand. It was shocking that so many of the men were only in their early twenties.

Next, we visited the actually Bridge over the River Kwai. Construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway began on September 16, 1942 at two existing railroad terminals, one in Thanbyuzayat in Burma and the other in Nong Pladuk, Thailand, about 25 miles west of Bangkok, in the Ratchburi province. As early as 1939, the Japanese had drawn up plans to build the railway, which was to provide a supply line capable of transporting 3,000 tons of supplies per day to support their frontline troops in Burma. At that time, Japanese engineers estimated that the 257-mile line would take five years to build because of the harsh conditions and treacherous terrain. Much of the railway, particularly the roughly 175 miles of track that ran through Thailand, required high bridges (more than 600 along the entire line) and deep mountain cuttings. The railway was completed in just 16 months when the two separate lines joined 23 miles south of the Three Pagoda's Pass. But the cost was incredibly high.

Though records are sketchy, approximately 61,000 Allied prisoners of war are believed to have labored on the railway, including 30,000 British, 18,000 Dutch, 13,000 Australian, and 700 American soldiers. An estimated 16,000 of those troops died, many of them from diseases like cholera, beri beri, malaria, and typhoid, most during an intensified period of construction known as "speedo" that commenced in January 1943. Another 200,000 Asian laborers, mostly Thai, were forced to work on the railway. More than 80,000 lost their lives.

The railway operated for just 21 months before it was crippled by Allied weapons, including the revolutionary radio-controlled AZON bomb. Most of the railway was dismantled soon after the war's end with the rest lost to the Thai and Burmese jungles.

We spent the day visiting the memorial, museums, the bridge, and riding the Death Railway. We boarded the old train and spent the two hour journey picturing what it would have been like to build this railway over the steep passes we were chugging over. Unimaginable really. As I looked out the window I see a guy running beside the train, who looked like Ian. Wait a minute! It WAS Ian! I look the other way and see Brent hanging out one of the train doors. He's dropped his flip-flop off the train, and without hesitation, Ian jumped off, grabbed it, and jumped back on again! Everyone was just staring at him like he was crazy. Ian, as usual was loving it.

The next day we walked the trail through Hell Fire Pass, where so many of the prisoners died. After such an intense morning, our day picked up as we spent the afternoon elephant riding. With our guides, we plodded along until all of a sudden, Brent's guide jumped off the elephant and left it all up to Brent. Ian and I turned around to watch Brent's runaway elephant take off in the opposite direction, with Brent on top with a huge grin on his face, and not a care in the world. Just call him Mowgli. Next, we went to the tiger park, run by monks, where we were actually allowed to pet the tigers! You don't realize how HUGE they are until your right up close. Nothing has ever happened to a tourist at the park before, but that didn't stop me from picturing my face in the next days paper, as the first casualty.

Kanchanaburi was amazing. So much history and so beautiful. I highly recommend seeing the movie: Bridge over the River Kwai

Climbing Krabi

cindyhowes — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 03:01:00 GMT

Back to Thailand....

It felt so strange stepping back onto Thai soil, never mind that everything just got so much more expensive! (Relatively) We arrived on Koh Chang, once again at night and had to practically feel our way along the beach to find accommodations, it was so dark and secluded. Another tiny beach shack, with no beach and twice the price of anywhere else we'd stayed like that. Oh, how we missed Cambodia! If border crossings weren't such a hassle, we would have turned right around and gone back. Koh Chang ended up being beautiful though. How can you hate ANOTHER tropical island. We chilled out on the nearby beach during the day and at night reunited with nearly everyone we had met over the last three weeks, just by chance in this one particular bar on the beach. It was great! Three days on Koh Chang and it was time to move on. We bought our boat/bus ticket and caught a tuk-tuk to the landing.....the wrong landing. The driver had dropped us off at a landing for a boat that took us to the same place, but with a different company. With our 200 pound packs, we races up toward a group of drivers standing around and begged one of them to take us to the other landing. He looked at his watch, shook his head, then motioned us to jump in. As we sped along, he got on his phone and urged the boat that was leaving that very minute, to hold on. The boat was just pulling away when we arrived, so we ran as fast as we could and at the last second, jumped on and actually made it! We could not believe it. Once we got to shore, we sat and watched what was supposed to be our bus, being pushed down the road by 10 Thai men, the bus being a double decked VIP bus, taking the phone lines along with it. Why do we ALWAYS get these buses?!....

We arrived back in Bangkok and oddly enough it was strangely like being home...a really dirty, smelly home, but familiar none the less. We made our way back to our old guest house and settled right back in like we had never left. The next few days were spent corresponding back and forth with Korean school directors about potential job openings for English teaching positions. It was overwhelming to say the least, so Ian and I thought, lets get outta here. We caught the next bus south and headed straight to Krabi. After a very long bus ride, and yet another incident involving our bus leaving us stranded outside of the town, then demanding we pay more to actually take us into town, we made it to the pier, then jumped into a tiny boat, which putt-putted us all the way to a little beach called Tonsai, on Railay Island. Railay beach is actually rated one of the top ten beaches in the world. We were very happy to be there. This island is a rock climber's mecca and climbers flock from all over the world just to spend months and months scaling the huge rock walls around the island. Ian and I threw our stuff into a crappy little cabin in the forest, the giant hole in the floor free of charge, of course, then headed down to the beach. We were actually lucky enough to meet a guy, then another girl separately, both from Toronto! Mike, Ian, Pam and I, grabbed our gear headed out on a little hike, then spent the next few hours climbing. Its been ages for me, so I needed the practice, but as usual, Ian scaled those babies like it was nothing. He does have the upper hand though, having muscles and all....hmph! The next four days were spent hiking, climbing, swimming in the crystal blue water, watching movies on the outdoor screen on the beach, drinking, making friends, and watching the most interesting Thai boxing match I have ever seen. Out in the water they set up a log lying horizontal across two platforms at each end. When night fell, almost everyone on the entire island congregated onto the beach to watch what was to unfold. Two of the smallest Thai men I have ever seen, wearing boxing gloves as big as their heads, mounted the log and sat down with it between their legs, facing each other. Then they were drenched with buckets of water and all of a sudden that great big log became a great big hazard. The men, while still sitting, just started kicking and punching each other, while trying to stay on the wet log. Before we knew it, both of them had slid upside down, and still holding on with their legs, were STILL kicking and punching each other until one or both fell off into the water. Ian and I were falling off of our chairs laughing! It was SO funny. It was like watching real live Punch and Judy dolls just going at it, while soaking wet and upside down. After that, things got out of hand when random drunken travellers started getting up and attempting their own boxing matches amongst themselves. Needless to say, it got messy.

The night got even more interesting when we arrived back at our room only to find it infested (and I mean SWARMS), with giant flying ants. What do you expect with a giant hole in your floor? The receptionist came with his giant spray gun (this must happen a lot) and started spraying them from the outside, so of course, they all swarmed INside. I ran out of the cabin and almost got sideswiped by a passing bat, when out of no where, a stray cat ran by me and into our room to play with the flying ants. AhhhhHH! Eventually, they gave us another room....also with a giant hole in the floor.

Krabi was amazing. Besides being the island of adventure, it was also stunningly beautiful, and became our favorite place in Thailand so far. Ian has now become obsessed with climbing and although he only started in December, he can easily keep up with the "experienced climbers", without killing himself. I am proud.

Well back up to Bangkok to meet up with Brent, who is flying in from Hong Kong. Yay! Can't wait to have family here!

Cambodia - Siem Reap to Sihanoukville

cindyhowes — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 02:56:00 GMT

Cambodia - Siem Reap to Sihanoukville

Up north we rode in another brain rattling, little bus. On the way, we met a Cambodian guide who offered to take us around Angkor Wat and the rest, on a three day circuit. We enthusiastically agreed! When our bus pulled in to Siem Reap station, we were surprised to see the large mob waiting outside the station, that the bus had to ease its way through. As soon as the bus doors opened, the gates opened and the mob came running at us in full force. Tuk-tuk drivers. I had never seen anything like it! My instinct was to scream, but it was diffused when the guide we'd hired shuffled us away from the crowd and stood in front of us as our protector. He called some friends and they came to pick us up and drive us around town until we were satisfied with a guest house.

A couple hours later we were picked up by our guide and driven to Angkor Wat. Seeing it for the first time was surreal. This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and here it is right in front of us! It was absolutely massive. It just kept going and going! There are over 50 temples over a 20km area, dating from the 8th century to the 12th. We were driven to Bayon temple, where we climbed the huge hill, and then a set of the steepest steps you could imagine! The steps did not have a railing and were so steep people would have to press their bodies against them in order to get up, then sit down on each step when trying to get down. Its insane that monks would just walk up and down these regularly! We made it just on time for the sun to set. What else can I say, except it was breathtaking. It was one of the few places where I found it hard to believe we were actually there. Again, like being transported back to the 8th century.

The next morning, we rose at 4am to drive back to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. Amazing. We spent the day, until the sun started to set again, going from Temple to Temple. Angkor Thom was one of our favourites. You'd probably recognize pictures of it, as it is where the hundreds of enormous faces are carved into huge stone blocks around the temple. Also, Ta Phrom where the ruins were left as they were found (most of the temples have been rebuilt after being destroyed during the war). Here, there are actual trees growing on the temples and their huge roots flow over the walls and doorways. It is so incredible. This is where Tomb Raider was filmed as well, so if you've seen it, you can imagine what it looks like. The detail and the history that goes with all the carvings in the stone on each one of these temples is absolutely mind boggling. You would need a couple weeks to really see it properly. We spent the next five days in Siem Reap. The one day Trish, Brad and I decided to take off, Ian just would not have it, and decided to ride the 80km to and back from a distant temple on his own. Everyone thought he was crazy to do it, but he did it alright, and could barely walk the next day as a result. Still, an impressive feat, indeed!

On day four, Ian and I decided to volunteer at one of the new orphanages that had just opened up. This 26 year old Cambodian man has done everything in his power to start up this orphanage, clothing, feeding and educating around 40 children (and babies). A couple British ladies were there for a month as volunteer teachers and the difference that they have made in these kids lives is astounding. Almost all the children could speak, read and write basic english. When Ian and I arrived, unlike the kids in Vietnam who would yell out, "Money, Money!" and try to grab our pockets, these kids would touch our hair and faces, and hold our hands, trying to drag us off to play with them, or to show us how they could read a book. They have less than anyone, and not one asked for money. These kids were so beautiful and so happy. How inspiring, when you can only imagine what they have been through in their lives.

The next day we took the very looooong bus down to Sihanoukville on the south coast of Cambodia. We arrived at night and were driven by two men on motorbikes, to some random shack on the beach. And I mean ON the beach.....practically on the water, since the tide came up only a few feet from the bar. The next day we discovered the whole beach was full of beach shacks and that they were free to stay in provided you buy two meals at their restaurant. For the next six days, Trish, Brad, Ian and I lazed around on the beach while women with grilled seafood, platers of spring rolls and fruit, hair threading kits (like waxing, but with string), massage kits, nail kits, men with boxes of books and jewelry, were at our disposal. I wouldn't move for the whole day and by the end would have smooth legs, be eating fruit, and reading my new book, without ever moving. On top of that, random bars would have free drinks one night, free dinners another night...... It was great. It was paradise! The weather was perfect, the water was warm and blue, and we fell in love with this place. The best part about it is that its not touristy yet. I'm afraid it will be soon though. There is no way a place like this can exist and not be complete bombarded with tourist in the near future. Those who have discovered it however, stay for much longer than they had originally intended, or stay on permanently. Ian and I found out one of the beach bars was up for sale, for pretty much next to nothing. We instantly got the brilliant idea that we should buy it. For three days, Ian was in negotiations with the owner, but soon we had to conclude that we can't do it right now. So, if anyone is up for buying a beach bar in Cambodia, I know of a good one!

I have never felt so upset leaving a place. This was by far the best we had been to and Ian and I have vowed that we would be back. All in all, Cambodia was our absolute favourite. The people, the history, the sites, all surpassed anything we had seen so far. If you ever have a chance to go to Asia, make Cambodia the top of your list! (I know, I sound like a travel agency - Trust me, I'm not getting commission.)

Phnom Phen

cindyhowes — Mon, 5 Mar 2007 02:47:00 GMT

Phnom Phen

Once entering onto the soil of Cambodia, a wave of relief swept over us. Instantly, we noticed the people were different. Very different. They were all so nice! REALLY nice, to the point where we were very suspicious at first. Then we would get embarrassed when they'd apologize and thank us over and over for the smallest things.

We started out in Phnom Phen with a brand new couple, Brad and Trish whom we'd met along the way. We settled into our very expensive en suite room, over looking the lake, for a ghastly $4.00 a night! Ha! We loved Cambodia already. The area by the lake was amazing. There was a strip of bar restaurants along the water that were so chilled out, but to us were expensive. A whole $3.00 for a meal! Ludicrous! : )

The next day we hired a tuk tuk driver for the day to take us around to a number of sites. Our first stop was S-21, an elementary school taken over by the Khmer Rouge when they gained power, which was turned into a prison and torture building for four years. Since that was only about 30 years ago, our guide lived through it and told us his own horrific experiences. The prison has been left exactly how it was and we were shocked to see dried blood still on the cell floors. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians were taken here and killed just for being educated. We didn't think that things could get more gruesome after the War Remnant Museum in Vietnam, but it got much, much worse. On our way out of S-21 there were dozens of severely burned and disfigured people walking around like zombies, begging outside the gates. It was very sad and very disturbing.

From there we went straight to the killing fields. Yes, it’s a movie. Definitely see it. The killing fields used to be an orchard, then the Khmer Rouge started killing off hundreds of civilians a day and burying them, some still alive, in mass burial sites. Almost the entire ground in a quarter of the orchard has been excavated with small paths to walk between the large ditches that remain. Over half is still not excavated and hundreds of thousands off bodies still remain under the earth. Shocking, was the large monument in the middle of the fields with layer upon layer of human skulls, categorized into sex and age. It was overwhelming to say the least. What was even more horrific were the human bones with rags still attached to them, sticking out of the ground, which we noticed as we walked around. Actual human skeletons sticking out of the ground! Things you would never see in the western world. Two million Cambodians were killed in that four year period and Cambodia's population went down by a full quarter. It is said that there is nearly an entire generation missing. How incredibly sad. A really good book that is the personal account of a little girl recruited by the Khmer Rouge, and one of few to survive, is called, First They Killed My Father. It is an amazing true story and I highly recommend it.

Well, our day continued to be disturbing. We went to a shooting range where you can shoot anything from a handgun to an AK-47. I wasn't into it, but of course boys like to shoot things. In the end no one ended up shooting anything, but we did find out some very troubling information. The military has realized how much money they can make from western sickos coming over, wanting to destroy things. So, on a menu that isn't outright advertised, anyone can order a chicken, a pig, or a cow, to blow up as their target. How disgusting is that?

Phnom Phen has such an incredible history and you'd think with everything they have been through that they would be very angry people. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, many of the people who were banished into the country had their residency permanently changed. After the Khmer Rouge were driven out, they tried to return to the city only to find out that they were still not allowed to work, so doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, etc. are living in the city illegally and are forced to scrape by driving tuk-tuks and doing other comparably low paying jobs. The whole situation is so sad.

The few days in the city had brought our moods down a bit and we decided to head up north to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. This is something some people wait their whole live to see!

Vietnam, the last installment.......

cindyhowes — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 02:42:00 GMT

Vietnam, the last installment.......

On to Saigon.

Scott, Reinira, Ian and I skedaddled out of Da Lat and cruised our way into Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. What a city! Our impression of Vietnam had not been good thus far (could you tell?) but right away we had a good feeling about this city. Bigger and busier than Hanoi, it actually gave off a far calmer vibe, as there was much more space to accommodate the gazillions of motorbike we were once again destined to battle. It is just incredible what people carry on their motorbikes - fridges, mattresses, a family of six! This city was full of life, from the huge beautiful parks, to the neon buzz of the tourist district at night. Also, we could feel the history just oozing out of the cracks, which made us eager to get out and see the sites!

After finding a little room with a balcony over the "main drag", we hired a driver to take us straight to the Cu Chi tunnels. At its height, the tunnel system stretched from Saigon to the Cambodian border and was three levels deep. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a feel of what underground life in the war must have been like. The tunnels of Cu Chi are a vast network of connecting underground tunnels located in the Cu Chi district of Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The CuChi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War. They were used by NLF guerrillas as hiding spots during combat and as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The tunnel systems were essential for the resistance of American operations and prolonging the war, eventually persuading the exhausted Americans into withdrawal.

If you're interested in finding out more information, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_tunnels

Exploring the tunnels was absolutely unreal. We walked through the jungle, where the guide brushed off a tiny patch of leaves from the ground to expose a lid the size of a woman's small handbag that covered an entrance hole. We could not believe that an actual human being could fit into it. But we tried it and we did. Once in, it’s on hands and knees from there and if you weren't claustrophobic before, you'd probably discover you were then.

The next day, Ian and I went to the War Remnants Museum, which was the biggest eye opener I think I've ever had. Obviously everyone has heard how devastating the Vietnam War was, but until you read the stories, see the photographs and worst of all, the aftermath, it is impossible to really get a good idea of what it must have been like. As a result of the war, approximately 67,000 Americans, including war correspondents and over 5.1 million Vietnamese died. Ever since, the country has been dealing with the effects of Agent Orange, an herbicide used to clear jungle brush in order to capture enemy, but has since made its way through soil and waterways, which has resulted in a generation plagued by serious birth defects. Also, napalm which has left thousands scarred and disfigured. We also saw some of the torture devices and chambers that were used during the war and the effect were so grotesque, I'll refrain from going into detail.

Obviously the devastation wasn't only for the Vietnamese. Ian and I remembered meeting a man back in Thailand two months earlier. He just sat down while we were eating and started talking to us. He was from California and had fought in the Vietnam War and decided to come back with his son. As he told us stories, he cried, even though it had been forty years since. He wished us luck on our trip and got up to walk away. It wasn't until then that we realized he was missing a leg. We watched him walk away with his son and it hit us how strong these people must be to deal with the scars for the rest of their lives. Phew! Very heavy.

Although Vietnam was tough for us to go through, we are aware of what the people have gone through and it makes it a bit easier to understand why they are the way they are. Years of trying to protect themselves have made them very cynical people, and for good reason. Our trip to Saigon and the things we learned there made everything else we experienced in Vietnam worth it. It really is a beautiful country. But they still have a long way to go......

Nha Trang to Da Lat

cindyhowes — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 02:40:00 GMT

Nha Trang to Da Lat

We couldn't wait to get to Nha Trang since we had heard it was a beautiful little beach town. What we found was very different. The beach was covered in garbage and the town had been completely westernized to suit the tourists, with extortionate prices to match. We were actually questioning whether we were still in Vietnam! We thought we'd give it a chance anyway and decided to stay for two days.

Day 1: We went to the Oceanographic Museum, after reading about its fascinating ocean life and the loads of information displayed about their environment. What we found was a row of small dirty aquarium tanks with some fish, an actual small swimming pool lined with scum, where two sharks swam around and round in small, tight circles in the brown water, a stuffed shark and stingray, complete with bullet holes and collapsing heads, and a huge dead manatee with its tongue sticking out, floating in formaldehyde in a large fish tank. We were speechless. There was also the empty pool with the display sign overhead stating, "Algae". Fascinating. However, all of the tanks had that feature included anyway. The grand finale was a room right out of a mad scientist movie, with wall to wall, floor to ceiling shelves full of "specimens". Really just different types of fish disintegrating in jars of formaldehyde. We walked out without saying a word.

We decided to try to save the day, so spent the afternoon tracking down the residence, which doubles as the studio of a famous Vietnamese photographer named Long Thanh. He was home, so showed us around his darkroom and gave us some advice. His photos are incredible, especially since he only shoots with blk & wht medium format film. He also develops and prints everything in his own little darkroom, but only when he has the resources. Developer isn't available in Vietnam, so he has to wait every few months for his friend to bring it to him from Germany. Amazing. Check out his website: www.longthhanhart.com

Day 2: We decided to do something silly and fun, so we booked tickets for a well known party boat called Momma Lins. We were supposed to spend the day snorkeling and floating in life rings in the water while a floating bar comes around and serves you. We sort of knew it was too good to be true. We were not wrong. This so called "party boat" was full of Vietnamese families with children, the "Crazy, Hilarious" guide we were promised, only spoke Vietnamese, so they were the only ones who got any jokes. There were only five other Westerners on the whole boat, and when it was time to eat and it was discovered there wasn't enough seating around the table, we were gathered up and put up on the roof of the boat to eat on the cement floor. Our "afternoon" of snorkeling ended up being 20 minutes and the "all you can drink" ended up being two dixie cups of Whiskey mixed with wine (Ugh!) over a half hour period floating in the water. It got worse from there, but it would take another two pages to list the ways in which we got ripped off......again.

Vietnam is well known by travellers for promising you one thing to get your money, then giving you something so different you cannot believe how they can lie so blatantly. Everyone laughs about it afterwards, but at the time you just cannot believe it has happened again!

....And just like that, we were in Da Lat. We arrived the next morning, and with Scott and Reinira hired an "Easy Rider", which is a guide who takes you through the highlands of Vietnam from anywhere between a few hours and a few weeks. We spent the day on motorbikes cruising around visiting tea and coffee plantations, silk worm farms, a village with a giant chicken statue (why not?), and a bee farm. Good times. That is Da Lat in a nutshell.

Next, Saigon and the finale of our Vietnam experience! I bet you can hardly wait to hear how it ends. : )

All set for Tet

cindyhowes — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 02:37:00 GMT

All set for Tet

We arrived in Hue, Vietnam's capital, and only had one day to wander around this little city. We visited a famous pagoda, beautifully situated on top of a hill, surrounded by water. The grounds contained gorgeous temples, an ancient tower and an old Austin mini. Yes, an Austin mini. It sits on display, because a now famous monk drove it to Saigon 40 years ago, parked outside of a government building and set himself on fire to protest religious oppression. I guess that's one way to do it. As the sun was setting, all the child monks gathered in one of the temples and started clanging a gong while chanting. The sound was so beautiful and haunting, we stood for ages listening.

From Hue to Hoi An. I know, they all sound the same. We still get mixed up too. Now, what is Hoi An famous for? Well... its hundreds, no, thousands of tailor shops situated pretty much everywhere you go. These tailors will make anything you could possibly imagine, made to fit like a glove and for dirt cheap prices. Unfortunately, we arrived just in time for Tet (New Year). Oh Tet! How it plagued us so. We were warned that everything would be shutting down for ten days, so thought Hoi An would be a nice place to hang out because of its beaches. We also wanted to get clothing made, but soon realized that 95% of the shops were closed for the holiday. On top of that, prices flew up everywhere because hardly anywhere was open and supplies were limited. Whatever didn't work out for us there, the excuse was Tet, whether or not that was actually the reason. I must admit, it was a confusing few days. We'd walk into a shop that was clearly open, and the whole family would be sitting on the floor eating, which is not unusual, but would announce they were closed. In Asia, we'll walk into a store at any time of day, and we will almost certainly walk right into a family meal being eaten right on the shop floor, leaving us feeling like we're constantly interrupting their family time, just because we need to buy toilet paper. So it was hit and miss until Ian and I found a couple tailors who would make our things. In the end we each got a couple Italian cashmere and wool suits done for under $100 each! We're not exactly sure where we're going to wear them, but gosh, they are beautiful.

Our second day there we got up while it was still dark out, with our friends Scott and Reinira , we hopped on motorbikes and drove the hour to My Son to see the sunrise. Well, we missed sunrise but spent the morning wandering around the ancient temple ruins dating back to the 8th century! Hard to believe that something that old can still exist!

That afternoon we went to China Beach, made famous from the T.V. series in the 80's. No, I don't remember it either. But it is a beautiful beach, and one of the few that haven't been turned into a garbage dump. It is shocking how environmentally careless people are here, although we figure that if animals and humans don't even have rights in this country, the environment doesn't stand a chance. Everyone just throws everything everywhere! We'd be on the most beautiful, secluded hike and be stepping over garbage the whole way, or on a beach and actually have to clear a spot on the sand from empty bottles and wrappers. It made us so angry how they're destroying such a gorgeous country and they just don't care! So, we were enjoying our day on China Beach and because of Tet everything on the beach was closed, of course. Out of no where a security guard from a resort down the beach spotted us and walked over to demand money for parking our bikes by the closed restaurant we were in front of. We stared at him in disbelief since the restaurant we were parked by had nothing to do with the resort he was from. When he became more demanding about giving him money, that would obviously go straight into his pocket, disgusted, we packed up our things and left. Another beautiful day ended off with harassment from a local. What else is new?

Things got worse when I got sick, and in Asia when you get sick, you get really sick. We came to the conclusion that I'd contracted hook worm (Nice.), which is extremely common in Vietnam and can be picked up from anything, so my chances were pretty good. Just another casualty of Vietnam. Can this country get any better?! Fortunately, I got better just in time for New Years eve. We went out with Scott and Reinira and watched some hilarious live dance shows that weren't actually supposed to be funny. We then watched the longest fireworks display any of us had ever seen, not because there were a lot of fireworks, they were very small, in fact. After each display, it was almost like they'd have to reload, so six different times, what seemed to be the last firework would go off, then silence, everyone would cheer, the crowd would start to disperse, then suddenly they would start going off again. Six times. By the end we were killing ourselves laughing.

After six days in Hoi An, the longest we had stayed anywhere, it was time to leave. We went to the bus station and sat across the road having something to eat while we waited. Our bus pulled up and everyone started putting their bags on. We still had five minutes so we went back to get our food packed up, when all of a sudden our bus took off! Ian ran over and what we found out later had happened, was they decided to switch buses, so unloaded everyone and their bags back off the bus. Since we had stepped away, our bags remained on that bus! Ian took off like lightening! He actually jumped onto the back of some random man's motorbike and yelled, "Follow that bus!" So he did. He and Ian flew through four sets of lights before Ian jumped off and ran in front of the bus to stop it. And yes, this is a true story. It could have ended horribly, but Ian saved the day! He's grinning right now, reading this. Oh the excitement!

Ninh Binh

cindyhowes — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:32:00 GMT

Ninh Binh

Right,
So our next destination was Ninh Binh, not to be confused with Australian Hippy Drug town "Nim Bin". We've had to clear this up a few times already. We arrived at 11:00pm and were pleasantly surprised to find 3 men with motorbikes standing by the side of the road, one holding a sign that said "Cindy Mowes". What a welcome! Maybe this country wasn't so bad.
We hopped on the back of the bikes and were ushered off to our hotel, and what a hotel it was! For $8 a night, this was one of the nicest places I had ever stayed. Things seemed like they were looking up.....or were they?

The next day we headed to Tam Coc, famous for its picturesque rivers winding between rice paddies, tall limestone rock formations and, you got it, more caves. Turns out there's a lot in this country. The first thing we noticed after we'd set out on our bikes was the abundance of rice paddies everywhere we looked! Riding down the dirt road, watching the rice pickers working, it felt like we were in a different era. As I was riding along dreaming, I looked up to face a Vietnamese man standing on the side of the road. He had a rock in his hand and pretended to whip it at me, then started laughing. Way to ruin the mood. Not that funny when I nearly swerved into traffic.

Once we arrived at Tam Coc, we hired a local woman to paddle us down the river in her boat. We were surprised to find out how gorgeous it really was. As we we paddled through the caves I had this overwhelming feeling of being on the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disney World. It was very cool. The woman paddling our boat was getting tired so she made Ian pick up a paddle and help her. Sucker. We could not have been enjoying ourselves more, when suddenly she stopped the boat in the middle of no where and pulled out a box of her embroidery, which she then tried to pressure us into buying. All the serenity of our surroundings instantly disappeared. After refusing her over and over.....and over again she begrudgingly paddled us back, but not before demanding a tip from us first. Ha! Feeling slightly irked, we jumped back on our bikes and headed to the next location. As we rode, this time I had one man ride by on his motorbike and pretend to kick me over as he passed, then within minutes another man on a motorbike headed straight toward me in his own game of chicken and barely missed me as he swerved at the last second. What is WRONG with these people?!?! It sounds ridiculous, but its like being in a country full of bullies who get so much pleasure out of picking on tourists. One after another..... We had never felt so unwelcome in our lives.

At the next site we had children following us everywhere demanding, not asking, for money. "YOU GIVE ME MONEY!" Finally we started demanding money from them, which really confused them. As we rode back, all we heard was "Boom Boom!" (Money) and the only place we stopped to buy something, instead of being happy we gave them our business, they became rude when we refused to buy more. What a shame that such an incredibly beautiful country has so many nasty people. Even when we went to the market, bartering, which had been normal in every other place we'd been was taken almost as an insult. If we weren't willing to pay whatever they wanted we were shooed away and ignored. Then we'd watch a local buy the same thing for a quarter of the price. Are you also getting the feeling like it was one incident after another? Besides rude people, the market also provided the most disgusting thing we've seen since being here. I nearly screamed out loud when I passed a table piled with boiled dog heads, the rest of the decapitated body next to them being dismembered and sold off piece by piece. It was something out of a horror movie.

The next day was a bit of a relief as we rented motorbikes and headed out of town to a national park. The landscape on the way may have been the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. The sun coming up behind the silhouettes of the rice pickers bent over in the paddies. Cows wandering through ancient looking graveyards in the mist, while the sun rays streamed through the heavy clouds. So beautiful, it was hard to breathe. I would have taken a million pictures if I hadn't been on a motorbike. That's the problem with being a photographer and a tourist. Its impossible to be good at both! We went to a monkey conservation park where we saw rare species of monkeys - black, brown, grey, red, blond, they were all amazing. The rest of the day we spent on another hike through the jungle, then back to the hotel to board yet another bus.

What can I say about Ninh Binh? Mixed reviews. Definitely worth going for the scenery, but other than that, at times it was just plain lousy Charlie Brown!

Hanoi and Ha long Bay

cindyhowes — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 02:26:00 GMT

Hanoi and Ha long Bay

Monday, March 26, 2007

Han-noyed

We arrived in Hanoi at 5am, exhausted and nervous. Since nearly everyone we had met who had been to Hanoi had a story of how their bags had been stolen or they had been robbed, we were not feeling all too comfortable about being dropped off on some random street while still dark out. As soon as we stepped off the bus we were targeted, and about ten leering Vietnamese men surrounded us, while trying to bully us into going with them somewhere. We knew where we wanted to go, but it is impossible to trust any driver because they are known for dropping you off at a fake hotel that appears to be shutdown, so they can then take you to another one and make more money off of you. We quickly walked away and luckily found a taxi that would take us to a central landmark, where we could navigate ourselves to our guesthouse.

We (Ros, the English girl was still with us) spent the day roaming around the streets of this CRAZY city. None of us had ever experienced anything like it. Thousands upon thousands of motorcycles crammed the streets and sidewalks, going in every direction, regardless of what side they were supposed to be on. We quickly learned that the only way to cross the road was to take a deep breath, step down and hope they swerve to avoid you. I was freaking out. Ian of course was loving it.

One day in the city was enough and we promptly booked a trip to Ha long Bay, famous for its thousands of limestone outcrops jetting out of its waters. After a bus ride to the port, a group of us boarded a gorgeous antique looking sleeper ship. The scenery was incredible. We spent the day sailing through the infinite collage of tall thin rock formations that stretched right out to the horizon. We stopped to explore some mighty big caves and admire the ancient stalagmites and stalactites (I can never remember which is which). While the sun set, we set out in kayaks to explore the intricate maze of islands.

That evening our boat landed at Cat Ba Island and a group of us went out for some drinks and Vietnamese cuisine. Lets just say we were in for a real shock. Up until then, we kept seeing hard boiled eggs being sold with either the number 1, 2, or 3 written on it. What we discovered when one of the guys opened up his egg with a 3 on it was that the numbers represent the stage of the chicken foetus' development. The sight was extremely disturbing, to say the least. Typically, Ian couldn't help himself and felt the need to gross me out even more by actually eating it. I will never look at him the same way again.

The next morning we went for a hike/ rock climb (which we are very good at by now), then back on the boat in the afternoon for an evening of entertainment. A bunch of very cool American guys on our boat decided to string up some bed sheets across the top deck, recruit our Vietnamese tour guide, and put on a brilliant Shakespear style play for us all that left us falling off the deck chairs with hysterical laughter! Our surroundings at night were so beautiful. Our boat anchored in a small cove, and was surrounded on all sides by the enormous rock walls looming over us, the mist and the moon creating the most haunting atmosphere. As the whiskey set in the boys decided to abandon ship and one after the other dove off the roof into the phosphorescent waters. Oh, crazy boys. We slept on the boat that night and early the next morning set sail for the long ride back.

Once back in Hanoi, the serenity of the last three days instantly wore off. Blaring horns, swerving motorbikes, and screaming Vietnamese people shook us back into reality.....and shaken we were. That night after a nice dinner with the group from our boat, Ian dropped me off at our hotel, then headed off to meet the guys for a drink. As I sat in our room I had a very uneasy feeling, although I attributed it to the presence of the giant rat that ran out from under our bed, which I had to battle out the door. Really, that's just another way of saying, I jumped onto the bed screaming, while this rat ran circles around me until it eventually found the door.

In the meantime, out on the street, Ian was being surrounded by three men on motorbikes, who subsequently held him at knife point and demanded all his money. Now, I would love to say that Ian responded as Crocodile Dundee had, when faced with the same situation - look at them and say, "You call that a knife? Now THIS is a knife." Then pull his own butcher knife out of his pants, of course. Okay, so it didn't work out that way. Ian was forced to give them what he had, no questions asked. It was lucky he only had about $12 on him, which he calmly handed over. What absolutely shocked him next, however, was when he noticed a group of about ten police men only about ten meters away, watching it all happen and not doing a thing! Once the men left, Ian ran over to the police, but they pretended not to understand and responded with complete indifference. The whole situation was really scary, as we were left realizing how alone we really were. There was absolutely no protection for us in this country.

We decided to leave Hanoi as soon as we could, but the next bus available wasn't for another two days. Our plan the next day was to go to the famous Chi Minh Mausoleum and museum. Since his death, Ho Chi Minh, the beloved ex-president of Vietnam is viewed more like a God. When he died his final request was to be cremated, so in good ole Vietnamese fashion, they discarded his wishes and instead, embalmed his corpse and put it on display in a glass sarcophagus for the public. Hey, why not? After hours looking for the Mausoleum, we finally found it, but were denied access as it was closed because it was Friday. Who knows? We then went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum, only to pay, then after 20 minutes be told to get out because they were closing. Turns out the museums are only open from 8am- 11am on the days they actually ARE open. Sure....makes perfect sense. Sigh....

By now, we were beyond annoyed with this city. The next day we counted the hours until our bus left. The bus finally pulled up and being overloaded as usual, they had run out of room for the luggage. With complete disregard, the man threw Ian's huge pack onto my lap and began pounding it into me with the door when it wouldn't close! We were in disbelief at the blatant rudeness of nearly every Vietnamese person we'd encountered so far. Never had either of us been treated this way before, and this is a country trying to build their economy from tourism! It is no wonder that 95% of tourists who visit Vietnam never go back. So far this was the most difficult country that either of us had travelled.

We boarded a larger bus for the rest of the journey south. For the next few hours the bus driver, blaring his horn, swerved in and out of traffic on the narrow, bumpy roads, at break-neck speed. I don't know how we didn't hit something since all the other buses were doing the same thing. As the unwilling participants in game after game of road chicken, pretty much all the Westerners (all eight of us) thought we were going to die. It was so terrifying, it was impossible to sleep, although it was impossible anyway since Ian and I were confined to 1 1/2 seats, while the Vietnamese man beside me laid across three seats, hooked his arm over my arm rest and leaned up against me! I felt like screaming, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?"

*Deeeeep Breath!* It HAS to get better than this....right?

The Road is Long,The Long Long Road, With Many Winding Turns...

cindyhowes — Tue, 6 Feb 2007 02:31:00 GMT

The Road is Long,The Long Long Road, With Many Winding Turns...

Once back in Pakse we boarded another bus heading up to Sivanakhet for another 5 hours. Eventually, we arrived intending on catching a bus straight to Hanoi, when we realized our money situation was dire. In fact, we were in trouble. Since there are no ATMs in Laos we had to get all our cash before we got there, and by the end were left with $18..... $2 short of the price for bus tickets. It was after 6pm so the banks were closed. Then we found out that because the next day was was Sunday, the bus didn't run at all. We were desperate to get to Vietnam that night as our visas were already activated 3 days earlier and we were left with only a mere 3 1/2 weeks. We put our pennies together and just managed to afford an overnight bus that landed us in Dong Ha, a little town just across the boarder. We were naive to the popularity of this particular bus, so after Ian, by chance, started chatting to some random man who just happened to own the whole bus station, we could not have been more grateful when he sought us out and personally ushered us in front of the large, angry crowd of locals waiting at the bus doors, and onto the bus. We had heard horror stories about the overnight bus across the Laos/ Vietnam boarder and our experience only confirmed the rumours. The seats were so close together that it seemed like a cruel joke, as it was not humanly possible to sit facing forward. On top of that, we had great big bags of rice at our feet, stacked halfway up the seat in front of us. The isles were packed to the brim as well, with people sitting on top of everything. Claustrophobic is not the word. As soon as the bus started, over half the passengers lit up a cigarette and since the windows only opened a couple inches, within minutes we were struggling to breath. Hour after torturous hour, we endured the ride. I would have given anything to be back on the chicken bus. At 2am we arrived at some random restaurant. Since the only instructions given were in Laos, everyone but us got off, while we stayed thinking it was a 10 min toilet break.

5 hours later, after being bombarded with people demanding money for different things and having to hand over our passports, the bus finally started and we finished the last 10 min ride to the boarder, only to endure more gruelling hours of forms to fill out, questions to answer, line-ups, and waiting, waiting, waiting. Midday and 30 hours without sleep, our bus arrived.....and then left Dong Ha. The bus driver had apparently forgotten that this is where we were to be dropped off and suddenly remembered when we were already 4km out of town. We were dropped off on the side of the highway and left to make the 4km trek back into town. Another Canadian guy and English girl got off with us (we were the only 4 Westerners on the bus to decided to stick together) and we were glad for the company since we immediately felt like we were surrounded by vultures. Instantly, men on motorbikes rode up, trying to get us to pay them to take us to town. For 4 km they followed along side us calling out, while locals laughed nastily, yelling out comments in Vietnamese. We were certainly not in Laos anymore. Desperate for money, Ian and I went on a hunt for an ATM that would accept our cards. None did. Defeated, tired, and miserable, we had no idea what we were going to do. Then a miracle happened. Ros, the English girl offered to lend us money to buy our tickets to Hanoi. Hallelujah! That evening we boarded our last bus for the overnight journey north to Hanoi. This had officially been the longest 48 hours of our lives!