SE Asia

Majestic Malaysia

lalo11 — Tue, 7 Jan 2014 13:22:00 GMT

Caught the ferry from KO Lanta down through the Thai islands to Langkawi, Malaysia. Stunning. While all of the countries had spots of incredible beauty, Malaysia is an endless loop of National Geographic photos. Majestic mountains, endless rolling hills of palm plantations, pristine beaches and fascinating culture. A mix of Malay, Chinese, and Indian, Penang offers its renowned street food, ethnic enclaves and beautiful architecture. Malacca boasts spectacular river walk and cruise, as well as landmarks from its Dutch, Portuguese and British colonial past. The people are warm and friendly, everyone greets you and many stop to talk.

Ta Ta Thailand

lalo11 — Fri, 3 Jan 2014 02:56:00 GMT

Back to Bangkok. Crowded, polluted, not sure what the appeal is but the mobs are threatening again tomorrow so it's to Ko Lanta for Christmas on the beach. Time for one last Thai massage. In Lanta 80% of the tourists are Swedish. Go figure. Nothing to do but beach and read. Bliss. Eating daily @ Pinky's, the happiest group of people I've ever seen. They've invited all customers to join them on the beach. It has been transformed in the three hours since I left. Every inch of the 4 km beach is decorated with candles, Christmas trees, lights, fireworks, fire dancers, sky lanterns. Incredible. We walked the stretch and took it all in. Boarded the ferry early the next morning, island hopping and working my way to Langkawi, Malaysia.

Vexed in Vietnam

lalo11 — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:10:00 GMT

It's hard to believe you are actually in Vietnam. The memories of the 60s flood back. Our trip to Halong Bay, one of the new seven wonders of the world was freezing cold wind and rain. Magical nonetheless, our Chinese junk was beautiful and we cruised happily with a delightful mix of cohorts from Bosnia, Greece, Argentina, Egypt, UK, India and Russia. Such great conversations and laughter. Yes, we really all can get along. Cut short, by weather we added a day in Hanoi. Sheer madness. Never seen so much traffic, people, chaos. Yet, arguably the best food we've ever eaten. The night train (so nice) landed us in Sapa @ sunrise to snow capped mountains. Trekking for 25km with our Black Hmong guide, we warmed quickly learning much about the tribes that have farmed the rice terraces for hundreds of years. Arduous climbs and descents, death defying waterfall crossings and more. Spent the night in a village home with our guide. SPECTACULAR, one of the best experiences of my life. At both Buddhist temples and the cathedral, prayers for all that served and all that were lost.

Lovely in Laos

lalo11 — Sat, 21 Dec 2013 01:33:00 GMT

The Mekong River divides Thailand and Laos which makes for an interesting border crossing. A bus to immigration to exit one, another bus across the bridge to enter the other. Arrived in the capital Vietiane. Very European with grand buildings and evidence of its French colonial past. Streets are still called Rue and French bakeries abound. Ate the best Philly cheese steak ever. No lie, Ray, an American has lines waiting for burgers/& cheesesteaks. An 11 hour bus ride (they stop incessantly) through the most beautiful mountain range landed us in Luang Prabang, which enchanted immediately. Surrounds by MTS and nestled between two rivers, we lazed for days. Woke to a festival & parade on our last day--awesome! the Lao are gentle and kind & the women dress beautifully & have such grace. A bit odd seeing communist flags everywhere and the museum loves the phrase "American imperialists and their puppets", but that aside, we LOVED Laos.

Tales from Thailand

lalo11 — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 11:59:00 GMT

Arrived to violent protests in Bangkok so we made a quick exit to Cambodia. The King's birthday put an end to the mobs so we returned to Thailand. Ayutthaya was a crowded and noisy celebration for the King and we sat and watched the madness. Every inch of the island's shoreline is covered by temples, slums, the palace, hotels all cramped happily together. We circumnavigated by snake boat with random stops and death defying exits. Oh Dorothy, ur not in Kansas anymore. Pushed onto Chiang Mai and loved the gardens at the King's winter palace, so many orchids. Took a Thai cooking class, great fun. Off to Laos.

Captivated by Cambodia

lalo11 — Fri, 6 Dec 2013 15:04:00 GMT

Cambodia captured our hearts instantly. Sunrise at Angkor Wat and a day of trekking awed by the temples of Angkor Wat.

By contrast a visit to a remote village on Tonle Lake, the largest in SE Asia. 19k live in the lake nestled in floating forests in nearly 200 villages. Defied belief.

But, it was the spirit and kindness of the Cambodian people that we will most remember. Sad to leave, have already planned return to see the rest of this amazing land.

Where in the World is Lisa?

lalo11 — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 00:46:00 GMT

Yes, just like Matt Lauer, sans the film crew and personal stylist. This is my itinerary:

Bangkok, Thailand

Siam Reap, Cambodia

Ayutthaya, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Vietvianne, Laos

Luang Prabang, Laos

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Sapa, Vietnam

Bangkok, Thailand

Koh Lanta, Thailand

Langkawi Malaysia

Georgetown, Malaysia

Malacca, Malaysia

Yogakarta, Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia