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Location 55, 56, 57, 58: Hong Kong, Macao - China & Andaman Sea, Phuket - Thailand

nnystrom — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 06:09:00 GMT

Hong Kong, Macao- China & Andaman Sea charter, & Phuket - Thailand

The last two weeks of this incredible journey were a bit different than any of the traveling prior to this. I flew from Bangkok to Hong Kong for a quick four day trip to one of the coolest big cities I have ever been to. Hong Kong is structurally comparable to some of the best skylines in the world, but in addition to the beautiful city it sits right on the water with massive container ships and helicopters hovering out in the harbors. Upon arriving into Hong Kong I took the airport bus into Kowloon and checked into my hostel. The hostel itself was in a massive high rise and each room was setup with smaller rooms. I was in a tiny room with three others, but I spent very little time in the room itself, so it served its purpose. I dropped off my things and then grabbed dim sum, which ended up being one of my favorite meals during the entire stay (returned to this restaurant one more time before leaving). I finished eating and then headed out to explore the city, which ended up taking me across the entire island of Hong Kong. Around 5pm I decided to get in line to take the tram up to Victoria Peak, which is the highest viewpoint in the entire city. Fortunately and unfortunately I had to wait for close to an hour in the line before I actually was able to board the cable car, but this worked out in my favor. I made it to the top just after 6pm, which ended up being perfect because I got to see the skyline during the daylight hours and then I waited for approximately 45 minutes till the city turned dark and was able to see the entire city illuminated by the lights of HK. I took several photos and then hustled back to the tram line to beat the rush down. Once I took the subway back to my burrow (subway in HK is top of the line, extremely functional, very clean and exceptionally reliable) I grabbed dinner at a nearby Korean restaurant. At this point I was tired from wandering around in the humid weather, so I decided to return to my air conditioned room and figure out my plans for the next day.

In the morning I woke up around 6:30am and went to the HK pier to purchase ferry tickets to Macao. The ferry terminal in Hong Kong has a boat departing every hour to the island of Macao. Macao is very much like Hong Kong in that it has its own currency, and has its own immigration system when you arrive onto the island. Macao and Hong Kong are technically still part of mainland China, but they operate as independent territories, so you don't actually receive passport stamps, but instead you get an entry card. Once I passed through immigration I took a free shuttle bus to the Venetian hotel on Taipa , which is one of two islands that comprises Macao. Once I arrived at the Venetian I realized I had basically made it the Vegas strip. The hotels and casinos are amazing and look like they were all built yesterday. I took a walk through the different lobbies and then just up and down the rows of hotels, but truthfully I am not in a financial position to go gambling, so I opted to take the bus across the bridge to Macao City. Macao City is infested with tourists spending money in all the different shops. I saw hundreds of bakeries specializing in Chinese candy, many clothing stores like Nike and Addidas and even more cafes. The city itself can easily by covered in one day, so I made the most of it by walking around for close to 6 hours. I grabbed lunch at a place serving authentic Macanese food (Chinese food with Portuguese influence) and then found my way to the perimeter to see the skyline of Taipa. I grabbed another free shuttle from one of the massive casinos and headed back to the ferry terminal. Once back in Hong Kong I grabbed dinner at another highly recommended dim sum restaurant and headed in for the night.

On my final full day in the city I got up early and met a friend (I met him in Krabi back in April, he was in HK on business) at a subway station to take the train to Lantau Island. Lantau Island is near the airport and has an extensive cable car track that goes from the ground and travels 500 meters up to the top where you can see The Giant Buddha (made completely out of bronze). The structure itself was pretty incredible and it definitely was a fun sight to see. I had seen this particular Buddha on many different travel shows and guidebooks, so it was cool to experience firsthand. Once we had sufficiently wandered the island we took the cable to car back down to grab lunch near the subway. It was great to catch up with a buddy and also do something productive before the lines of tourists grew exponentially. We managed to make it to the top and back down before having to wait in any line, once we made it back to base we saw the line wrapping back and forth from the entrance. We said goodbye and then I headed back to the hostel to hang for a few hours before grabbing a final meal.

I woke up the next morning and caught the bus back to the airport. I arrived in Bangkok around 1pm and then checked-in to a far nicer hotel than my budget would allow. My friend Katelyn works for Google and won a trip, through work, to visit any of the global offices for two days and then use a work stipend ($$$$) to spend on a vacation. I was lucky enough that she opted to visit the Bangkok office and then use the money she won to take a 10 day trip through southern Thailand. We spent the first three days in Bangkok while she worked and waited for our friend Maggie to arrive. Once all of us were in Bangkok we took an early flight to Phuket for, one night, before boarding a charter boat for two nights. Once we made it to Phuket I unfortunately needed to head to a local hospital to get a bad allergic reaction looked at. I ultimately had a drug allergy rash all over my back and stomach from taking a too high dosage of an antihistamine, for another allergic reaction (ironic, I know.). Luckily the resort we stayed at generously took me to a local hospital where I was given two injections into my bottom and prescribed another medication. I finally had an answer to this rash that had been inflamed for close to four days. In the morning we grabbed our bags and took a short ride to the marina to board our boat. I joked and told K & M that getting proper medical attention was my gift to them because 3 days on a boat with me, while I bitch about my rash would have been real torture.

The first day we were taken to a small island that had a relatively steep hike up to a really great viewpoint, and from there we were given time to swim and just hangout on the boat. The boat had three cabins with queen beds, a bathroom and a great lounging area on the front of the boat. The vessel was a catamaran, so it had sails and a motor to get us from point a to point b. We were fortunate enough to get great weather the days we were on the boat, which was nice since there isn't a whole lot to do in the middle of the sea, if the weather is bad. The evening on the first day we were taken ashore to a national park where we struggled a bit to snorkel during low tide, but in the morning we managed to snorkel the same area during high tide, so it worked out. Since we spent most of the days in the sun and water, it is pretty common to head to bed early, so each night we turned in shortly after dinner, but we were up at sunrise, which ended up being lovely. The captain and his Thai counterpart were great and really made the trip fantastic. They prepared all our meals and also managed to fill the time with new places and activities.

On day two, after our snorkel, we headed to Koh Yao Yoi, a Muslim island in the Andaman Sea. We grabbed a quick bite of food at a restaurant near the port and from there we made our way to a resort island where we spent most of the afternoon. It was a very remote spot, so we had the whole beach to ourselves, a nice break from boat. The Thai captain took us on a cruise around the neighboring islands where we were able to see toucans and eagles flying overhead, plus a view of the lagoons that are surrounded by the huge limestone cliffs. In the evenings we played cards and hung out till the yawning became constant. On our final morning we had a bit of rain after breakfast, but once it subsided we sailed back to the marina where we had started the journey. We managed to get a lesson on how to sail the boat and then from there we grabbed a taxi to the other side of Phuket for our final 4 nights in Thailand.

We stayed at the JW Marriott, which is one of the most beautiful resorts I have had the opportunity to stay at it. It is not only massive, but it is extremely well-maintained and for the size of it, it really feels quite intimate when you are lounging around. Since most of the time we were there was spent just hanging out and reading there isn't a whole lot to describe. One of the days we were there it was rainy, so we grabbed a taxi into Phuket Town, which ended up being a bit of a bust. It was nice to get out of the resort for a bit, but unlike Phuket City there just is not all that much going on. In the defense of the city- it was still raining hard, so maybe it just wasn't given the opportunity to show its more lively side. We managed to find a few places that we really liked at the JW, which we ended up going to each day. A beachside bar had a great happy hour where we played cards most evenings, from there we would grab dinner at one of the many restaurants and then we always ended up in the lobby bar, where a Filipino band performed songs at request. We got lucky and met some cool people our last night, so we had some new faces to talk to. Despite the weather not being perfect, while at the resort, we managed to stay entertained and as usual it was great to catch up with old friends in new places.

Thank you for taking the time to follow along on this adventure of mine. It has truly been one of the best times of my life and I have more memories than I can count. I was given such a gift to be able to go and see this part of the world and I hope that I will be able to return to these places again some day. If any of you find yourself deciding on whether or not to visit Southeast Asia, or even if you are interested in learning more about one particular spot feel free to reach out, I'll need someone to share all I've learned with.

Till next time…

Neill

See photos here.

Location 51, 52, 53, 54: Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat, & Mui Ne, Vietnam

nnystrom — Tue, 23 Aug 2016 22:04:00 GMT

Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh, Da Lat & Mui Ne - Vietnam:

We left Dong Hoi, in the early morning,to catch a quick flight to Hoi An (arrived in Da Nang airport, then got picked up and taken to Hoi An). Once we made it to the guesthouse in Hoi An we decided to sign up for a cooking class. Hoi An is known for its culinary culture, offering tons of different classes for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores. The three of us were picked up around 4pm and were joined by another three individuals, so we got lucky with a class of only 6 people. The tour started off with a stroll through the market where we actually bought the ingredients we would be working with and then from there a river cruise to the outdoor kitchen. The instructor was a young and energetic woman who made us all laugh with her funny English sayings and constant questioning of if we understood her. The three of us chose to cook the vegetarian options as Zubin and Victoria are vegetarians, and since my travels started I have eaten a primarily plant based diet. We made four different courses, including: fresh spring rolls w/ peanut sauce, vegan pho, banh xeo (rice pancakes w/ tofu and bean sprout filling), spicy beef salad (tofu substituted). All the dishes came out really delicious and it was a fun first night in Hoi An. We had to get up around 5am for our flight to Da Nang, so once the class ended we were ready to call it a night and grab some sleep.

The next morning we rented the complimentary bicycles from our guesthouse and rode the 5 kilometers to the beach. In Hoi An there are two main beaches and between them is what is called "Hidden Beach". We asked multiple people for directions and finally found the tiny sign leading to Hidden Beach, which ended up being a great decision because there were no beach hawkers. We managed to get free lounges with umbrellas for the entire day, which was a great bonus, in addition to the beautiful weather. The one down side to the beach was that the water was somewhat infested with large blue jellyfish. Since I had just been stung by one two days prior in Dong Hoi I was hesitant to say the least. I didn't spend as much time in the water as I normally would, but it was still a nice place to cool off. We gathered up our belongings and headed back to the guest house to shower and change for dinner. We ended up eating at a restaurant off the beaten path, the food was okay, but the service was worse. Once we finished Zubin and I took the bikes down to the river to look at the lanterns that get lit each night. It wasn't as special considering they do it every night, but the river looked really awesome being illuminated by lantern lights. We headed back as we had another very early flight to Ho Chi Minh the next morning.

We arrived in Ho Chi Minh around 8:30am and then grabbed a taxi to our hotel, where we would be staying for the next 4 nights. Our other friend had flown in the night prior and was staying at the same hotel, so we scooped her (Jasmeet) up and then headed to the Continental Hotel where our other friends (from UT) were staying. Christina is Vietnamese and her parents are both from HCM, and they were in town to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, so it was awesome that my trip and their party overlapped. Our friends from college had arrived the night prior, so we had time to catch up and hangout before the actual event (three days later). Christina's family, on her mother's side, all still reside in the city limits, so we were able to spend lots of time with them before the party itself. The first day one of her cousin's took us to get banh xeo, which is typical all over Vietnam (varying in cooking style regionally). They are these giant thin pancakes stuffed with shrimp and pork, plus we had a few other dishes that were all excellent. The majority of us then left and headed to the Vietnam War Museum, which was a very interesting experience. I am not a huge museum buff, but I am interested in war museums since I have a grandfather who was a pilot in WWII. The museum has a very aggressive view point on the American's involvement in this war, so there was a definite sadness walking through the different time periods. It is clear that there is always two sides to every war and someone has to be the "bad guy", but it is difficult to look at the images and read the captions, which point to it always being the American's fault. We spent just over an hour there and then left to meet up with the rest of the group at Ben Thanh Market. We figured out our plans for the night and then separated to get cleaned up for dinner. Christina's cousins took us to this great restaurant that doubles as a karaoke bar, we didn't stay to do karaoke, but we did migrate from there to a bar that had great music and huge beer towers. We spent a couple hours there and made one last stop at a club called Apocalypse. After all the eating and beer drinking I was getting exhausted, so myself and the rest of the others at my hotel headed back for the night. #breadgate

In the morning we met in the lobby of the Continental and headed to a very unique place for lunch. I have to emphasize how great it was to have local people and a translator (thanks to Christina) to guide us in HCM, because a city of this size it is easy to get lost in all the different guidebook suggestions. The lunch venue was huge with these large outdoor seating areas, that were all surrounded by fish farm ponds. You could literally fish, while being served some amazing food. We spent close to 4 hours at lunch and then it was time for Zubin to leave Vietnam. We said our goodbyes and then headed back to our respective hotels before we met up for dinner. Dinner on our second night was really cool because we actually got to eat at the home of one of Christina's uncles. The family prepared piles of fresh spring rolls and fried spring rolls with homemade peanut sauce. Of course there was plenty of Tiger beer to be had and we just spent time getting to know her family. We stayed until late into the night, but eventually exhaustion struck.

The next day Christina's parents (who arrived the night before) took the whole group to one of the BEST dim sum restaurants I have ever been to. It was in the heart of Chinatown here in HCM, and since there is a huge Chinese population here, you know it is going to be good. The dumplings were unbelievable and I was in need of a crane to lift me from my seat. Christina's family also has a long line of dentists, who own their own pracice, so I casually asked for a teeth cleaning. The family obliged, so after lunch I got my teeth cleaned in their family dental office (thank you Trang). I then was taken by motorbike (motorbikes in HCM are rampant, and definitely the preferred way to travel) to a family friend's spa where we all got great massages for a great price. It was now late afternoon, so we headed back for our shower and changing ritual before meeting up to go on a very awesome dinner cruise. In celebration of one of our friend's graduating with an MBA (congrats Stella!) and the 40th wedding anniversary, we ate dinner on a beautiful boat that cruised down the Saigon River. The entire experience was wonderful, the service on the boat was incredible, the food very tasty and the company even better. Once we docked we headed to a rooftop bar that overlooked the entire city. The view was spectacular and music/cocktails were awesome. We ended up staying till the rooftop closed, but it just goes to show when you are having fun, it is easy to lose track of time.

The last full day in HCM was the big event, the 40th wedding anniversary party. We all spent most of the day just hanging out in the hotel and keeping it low-key in preparation for the evening. We all gathered in the hotel lobby around 6pm and then made our way into the event venue. It was a very beautiful room with every decoration taken into consideration. Christina's parents were dressed in traditional Vietnamese garb and looked great. The whole party was an awesome experience because it was unlike any event I had been to before. It is common at events like this for the family and friends to sing songs for the happy couple, so we got to see some very lively/talented performers. The food was unbelievable and the staff running the show were overly attentive (couldn't finish a glass of anything before it was being filled up again). I feel very fortunate to have been invited to such a formal/important event, so thank you Chrstina, Manh and Nga - congratulations! The event ended around 11pm and most everyone was exhausted from the night and days prior; however, Victoria and I decided to go to the after party back in the same area as our meal the second night. Although there was a bit of a language barrier, we still ended up having a great time with our new friends.

The next day we packed up our bags, grabbed lunch, said our goodbyes and headed to the airport for our flight to Da Lat. We were only going to spend 1 day in Da Lat and we were going for one reason only, it was to go canyoning. Canyoning is essentially the act of just repelling down waterfalls. In theory it sounds really fun, which it was, but in reality it was much more intense than the pictures shown on Google. We got scooped up from our hotel at 7:30am, then we were driven by jeep for 40 minutes through very rough terrain. Once we finally made it to the stopping point we were suited up with wetsuits, helmets, gloves, and harnesses for the repelling lines. We were given a 20 minute training and then it was time to go. The waterfalls grew in size, so the first couple were manageable, but hard because it is difficult to keep your footing with moving water breaking over you. We then made it to the last waterfall before lunch, which ended with the guide directing you head-first down a "waterslide" into a pool of freezing river water. It was fun, but nerve-racking not having your bearings. We ate lunch picnic style and then prepared ourselves for the biggest waterfall, 65 meters (~213 feet). The previous ones started at 10, 20, and 30 meters, so this one was more than double of the largest we had seen. The option to opt out of this waterfall was on the table, so a couple people chose to stay back. I decided to go forward and it was definitely not easy. I probably fell 20 of the 65 meters, but overall I am glad I did it. Once we got to the bottom we then walked to a 10 meter cliff jump, into a pool of river water. The hardest part was probably the trek back up to the top of the series of waterfalls, but overall it was a great experience.

The last two days in Vietnam were spent pool/beachside in Mui Ne. Mui Ne is a coastal city on the South China Sea. Victoria and I managed to grab a two floor studio room for $15 a night and access to all three resort pools. We spent the first day by the pool and the second day we grabbed lounges on the beach at a neighboring beach front resort. Overall it was a great way to end time in a very awesome country. Vietnam is one of those places that I have decided I will definitely return to someday.

I have two nights in Bangkok and then three nights in Hong Kong before the final leg of this trip. The last 10 days of my journey are going to be spent with two very good friends from back home, on a chartered catarmaran and five star resort in southern Thailand. Not a bad way to end 6 months backpacking!

Neill

See photos here.

Location 47, 48, 49, 50: Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay & Dong Hoi, Vietnam

nnystrom — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 18:20:00 GMT

Hanoi, Sapa, Halong Bay & Dong Hoi - Vietnam:

The first few cities in Vietnam were filled with a lot of moving around the northern part of the country. My friends Zubin and Victoria joined me in Hanoi, so it was a welcome change to the daily solo travels. In Hanoi- we went to the Vietnam Prisoner's museum to get an understanding of how US soldiers were treated in war prison, it was an interesting depiction of prison life during this time. Often times in museums like this it is hard to gauge the accuracy of the history, but from what I saw it seemed that soldiers had a relatively peaceful (as much as possible) experience in the Vietnamese war prisons. While in Hanoi I also dealt with my first bit of food poisoning, luckily it was short lived and after about 4 hours it had finally subsided. I still don't know what brought it on, but I was glad when it passed. We also went to Literature Temple, which is Vietnam's first national university. It had a nice garden to walk around in and brief descriptions of the structure's history. The day before Victoria arrived, Zubin and I walked most of the Old Quarter making sure we saw all the city had to offer. We then spent the morning bargaining tour prices for our next two excursions.

Once Victoria arrived we began our two mini trips, in order to cover as much territory as possible. The first 3 day trip we took was to Sapa, in Northern Vietnam. The night buses are really brutal for anyone taller than 5'10, so we opted to take the night train. We got picked up from our hostel at 7pm and headed to the train station, we boarded at 8pm and rode through the night to Lao Cai. Lao Cai is the closest train station to the town of Sapa, so once you arrive you need to take a van the 30 kilometers to the mountain village. The train coach we were in was structured to hold 6 people, essentially two triple bunk beds. We had a friendly Korean girl, who taught us a simple drinking game and then a Chinese woman with her young daughter. We stayed up for a few hours chatting and then called it a night around midnight. At approximately 4:30am we were woken up to yelling that we had made it to our stop. We grabbed our backpacks and waited at the train station for further direction. Unfortunately there had been several mudslides that had damaged the short road into Sapa, so we were forced to take the long way, which was ravaged by giant potholes, flowing water and many turns. What was supposed to be a 40 minute ride ended up being over two hours, so when we arrived we had time to quickly change clothes, eat breakfast, and repack our backpacks before heading out on the 4 hour trek. The H'Mong people are the inhabitants of the village we were trekking, so we had these woman guide us along the path through the jungle and rice terraces. I have done several long hikes before on this 4.5 month journey, but watching these woman traverse the hillsides, while helping us navigate our way was really incredible. They wore only flip flops, while us Westerns wore hiking shoes or Chacos. Luckily, our group was quite small, so we were able to take our time and rest when we needed to. We eventually made it to the homestay, where we slept for one night. The woman running the homestay spoke little English, but she did a great job providing meals and comfortable bed pads for us to sleep on. A second group of travelers met us, so in total there were 15 of us staying with her and her family. The host and her husband cooked us a great meal and than force fed us "happy water"(rice wine shots) till the entire group was nice and social. We spent the night playing cards and just hanging out. In the morning we took the road to a waterfall that we could swim in and then from there we got a ride back to Sapa, to catch our ride back to the train station. We weren't trekking with our big packs, so once we returned to Hanoi we had about 3 hours to swap out our trekking clothes for fresh ones to take with us for our 2 night Halong Bay tour.

The Halong Bay tour was definitely a highlight because of the social dynamic it included. The way the tour worked was the three of us, plus 22 other backpackers were loaded into, buses, boats and dorm rooms where we would spend the next couple days together. En route to Halong Bay, the company operating the first boat had engine issues, so all 26 of us were confined to a small cabin under the boat deck where we melted for the next 90 minutes. It got a bit tedious as people began to yell at the guides, but we eventually did make it to Monkey Island. Upon arriving we were given a nice lunch and then we loaded into a boat to go cliff diving, swimming and kayaking. It was brutally hot in Halong Bay, so the swimming portion was a great relief. Victoria and I were paired up for the kayaking portion and within 15 minutes the back end of the kayak started to fill with water. As we struggled to keep afloat it became apparent that we were not going to be able to make it back to where the boat was anchored. We managed to flag down a local fisherman to tow us back, but we ended up falling out of the kayak 300 meters shy of the boat. We climbed into his boat (slicing our toes and hands on his engine) and he delivered us back to the group. Between the cluster at the boat dock and the kayaking mishap I was ready to go back for the evening. We spent the night on the mountain top bungalows hanging with the other travelers and drinking beers.

The second day of the tour was a biking, hiking and swimming day. Most of the group headed back to Hanoi because they had signed up for only one night, so the three of us actually had a tour guide and entire boat to ourselves for the whole afternoon. We headed to Cat Ba Island to do a 40 minute bike ride into a local village and from there we did a one hour hike through the jungle. Similarly to the day before it was extremely hot, so once we finally made it back to the boat we were allowed to swim while they prepared us a great lunch. We arrived back to Monkey Island around 3pm and then started getting to know the new arrivals. We had dinner and played cards the rest of the evening and then made the 4.5 hour journey back to Hanoi the next afternoon.

Once we arrived in Hanoi we collected our big bags and repacked the laundry we had washed. We had about 5 hours before we had to board our next night train to Dong Hoi (currently here), so we grabbed some dinner and just hung out at the hostel we had stayed at previously. We scored on the transportation front and managed to get 3 sleeper beds in the 4 person cabin. The ride to Dong Hoi was close to 10 hours, but after being on the move so much the last 6 days we all slept soundly through the night.

We pulled into the train station, in Dong Hoi, around 7:30am, so we grabbed a cab to our hotel and relaxed for a few hours. Between Sapa and Halong Bay we shared a room with 45 other people, so it was great to have our own space for a couple nights. We took a shower to rinse off the residue of Halong Bay, ate breakfast and then headed to the beach. Dong Hoi is literally a ghost town, not including us, there were 4 other people on the entire beach. The weather was perfect and the sea was a nice cool temperature, it was honestly a perfect day with the exception of the jellyfish that ravaged my right leg. I broke out with red inflammation all over my ankle and knee cap, but after loads of vinegar, sand and ice massages, the stinging finally subsided. We took a cab into city center where we drank Bia Hoi (fresh beer - brewed daily, but never actually goes through the fermentation process) with locals, and ate the cheapest meal I've had in SEA. The three of us each had a bowl of noodles and I ordered "Nem Lui" = which is basically vegetables and chicken skewers wrapped in rice paper. The entire meal totaled 55,000 Dong or $2.50. The rain picked up, so we called a cab and headed in for the night.

On day 2 of Dong Hoi we each got massages at the largest resort in the city. It was a nice thing to do after several prior days of activities and stiff beds. Overall Dong Hoi was a quick retreat from the all the movement leading up to it. I officially have one month left in Asia, so need to make the most of it! We board a minibus to Hoi An tomorrow, till next time.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 45 & 46: Luang Prabang & Vientiane, Laos

nnystrom — Mon, 1 Aug 2016 23:52:00 GMT

Luang Prabang & Vientiane - Laos

Vang Vieng was a very eventful few days, so leaving it was definitely a welcomed change. I booked a ticket for a minivan to take me north to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang, where I would spend the next 5 days before I headed to Vientiane. The van dropped us off at the south bus station at around 8:30pm, and from there 5 Dutch travelers and myself bargained a tuk tuk to take us into the city center. Once we had been dropped off I wandered around till I found a guesthouse that suited the budget. I located one that had a dorm room with 16 beds, one crappy oscillating fan and a bathroom attached. It was nothing special, but it was $4 and there were only 6 people in the room the night I arrived. I left my bag and then walked to the infamous night market to meet a few friends I had met in Vang Vieng. We went to the "all you can" vegetarian buffet, which is essentially a street stall that had 20-30 different vegetable/tofu options of varying textures, colors, and flavors. It boasts the high price of $1.70, so it was quite the deal. The food was so good and so inexpensive I actually ended up eating there the next 4 nights. Once we finished eating we made plans for the following day and then called it a night. One of the things I have found while traveling is that the days you sit on a bus, train, van, or plane end up being the days you feel the most exhausted. It is almost as if the days I am the most sedentary are the days I am the most tired.

In the morning I walked over to my friends' guesthouse and from there we found bicycles to rent for the day. Luang Prabang is not a very large city and it actually lies on a peninsula that bisects the Mekong River and Mae Kok River (a tributary of the Mekong), so it has beautiful scenic views on either side of the city. We rode around for a few hours trying to cover as much of the territory as possible. The streets are filled with restaurants, small cafes and many shops. It is always fun to wander around on a bike, but it does get very hot around midday. We grabbed some lunch and then decided to go hang indoors till evening time. We opted to walk the night market for a bit trying to find bargains or identify what we would come back and buy the following night. We ate dinner (as I said, at the vegetarian buffet) and then grabbed a few beers before heading in for the night. The second night in my guesthouse was one of the worst sleeps I have had in Asia. The room reached its capacity with 16 bodies and the oscillating fan no longer oscillated. It was stuck in one direction and I was about 15 feet from it and facing the other way. I woke up around 2am dripping in sweat, and realized the entire room was in the same situation. I walked up to the reception area to alert the staff that the room was legitimately a sweat box, it smelled like body odor and was well over 85 degrees. The man followed me down and immediately commented on how hot and bad it smelled, he pulled a remote from his pocket and turned the AC on, I about punted him across the room. It is common practice in SE Asia to avoid using air conditioners to save on energy costs, but in these situations it is mind boggling that they wait until their guests are passing out from overheating before they turn them on. I was able to sleep comfortably until my early wake up call.

I woke up at 7, grabbed the free breakfast and then walked to my friends' guesthouse. We planned to visit the large Kuang Si Waterfall, which ended up being one of my favorite things I did in Laos. It was recommended to us that we get there as early as possible (opens at 9am) as the crowds start to gather. It is low season, so even though the crowds are not nearly as big as they would be during peak season, it still made sense to go early. Once you enter the national park you pass by a black bear conservation effort. It's very cool to see these types of organizations looking out for the wildlife in Laos and the baby bear cubs were fun to observe. When you finally enter the nature park you start to get a clear understanding of why this place is so popular, the waterfalls and scenery are beautiful. It had rained heavily the night before, so it was a bit disappointing to see the waterfalls and the attached pools muddled with soil from the riverbeds. We hiked up to the top of the large waterfall and then once we made it to the top we saw a sign that said it was a 3 kilometer walk to a "spring". It offered no other information, but since we had time and were feeling ambitious we decided we would make the hike to the spring. Due to the night time rains the trail was very very muddy, so I ended up ditching the footwear and making the trek barefoot (ballsy- I know). Once we had walked for about 30 minutes it started to feel like the sign was a hoax, but we opted to keep going and I am so glad we did. We finally reached the spring and it was unbelievable. It was a crystal blue spring that feeds the waterfalls and it looked completely undisturbed from the rain the night prior. No one was up there and it was just the three us, we swam around in the cold water for an hour and half before anyone else showed up. It was a real oasis from the hot morning. By the time other people made there way there it was time for us to start the walk back down, as we had to meet our ride by 1pm. Once we made it back to the city center we decided to rest before we grabbed dinner that night. Luckily my friends had an extra bed in there room, so I was able to switch accommodations.

The next morning I saw my friends off before they caught their flight to Bangkok and then I spent two more days in Luang Prabang just hanging out. I found a pool to hang by one of the days and the other day I just found a hammock to read in. I had been warned that the capital of Vientiane did not have a whole lot to offer, so I specifically delayed my arrival until 36 hours before I flew to Vietnam.

I took the overnight bus from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, and it may have been again one of the worst sleeps of my life. I specifically worked with the guesthouse to sort out a bus that had single berth beds for the journey to Vientiane. My reasoning for this was because the "double" berth beds are barely big enough for me, so the idea of sharing what would be the equivalent of a sleeping bag, with a complete stranger sounded miserable (mostly for them, rather than me). When I arrived at the bus station I immediately witnessed my worst nightmare. The single berth beds were about 1.5 feet wide and about 5 feet long, but the base of them had an enclosed top, so a person needs to actually stick there feet inside of the enclosure to sleep. It isn't that clear by the description, but I was sitting next to a girl who was about 5'9 and she couldn't straighten her legs, so me being over a foot taller than her should give you some perspective. I began strategizing on how I could make it work and there were two options. Option one would be to sleep in the aisle, but it was only about a foot wide and I would constantly be walked on, throughout the night, while passengers navigated to the toilet. Option two would be to sleep on the bottom level in the center aisle so I could straddle the seat in front of me while I put a leg in the aisle to the left and the other in the aisle to the right. I went with option two, which ended up working, but beyond uncomfortably. I couldn't straighten my legs for 10 hours and the bus company wedged locals in the aisles, so I had my right leg on a woman's chest and my left leg on a man's shoulder. They were very nice about it, but every time I adjusted I kicked one of them in the face. It was a terrible experience, but that is why sleeping meds were invented.

Once the bus pulled into Vientiane, after a night of shit sleep, all I wanted to do was nap. The hostel refused to let me check-in until noon (I arrived at 6:30am), so I slept on a mat, in their common area, until they finally showed me to my room. I then napped for another few hours before getting up and walking around the city. I grabbed an early dinner and then returned back to get a good night's sleep. I woke up the next morning and rented bikes with a new friend, we followed the Lonely Planet's suggested bike route and accomplished the entire route in about 3 hours. The rest of the afternoon we hung out at the pool attached to a nearby hotel. In the morning I grabbed a tuk tuk and flew to Hanoi, Vietnam. Overall Laos was an absolutely beautiful country and I think it may be one of the most scenic places I have seen in my entire life.

Currently waiting for two good friends, from home, to meet me in Hanoi. We will be tackling Vietnam together for the next few weeks. Stay tuned…

Neill

See photos here.

Location 41, 42, 43, & 44: Don Det/Khone, Pakse, Bolaven Loop & Vang Vieng, Laos

nnystrom — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 05:00:00 GMT

Don Det/Khone, Pakse, Bolaven Loop, & Vang Vieng - Laos

After one night in Kratie to see the dolphins it was time to cross the border and head to Laos. I had read multiple forums and online websites addressing some issues that arise when going north on the border from Cambodia to Laos. The first issue is that the border closes at random times throughout the day and if you are arrive during one of those times, the Laos border patrol will charge an "overtime" fee, which makes the visa more expensive. The second issue is the driver of the bus from Cambodia to Laos takes all the travelers' passports and brings them to the border agent as a "favor", to those on board. The second issue plagued my entire bus, and some more than others, because as he was collecting our passports and distributing the visa application; he started making up costs for each foreign passport, meaning if you were from Europe you had one fee, and if you are from the states you had a different fee. It was clear that the numbers he was making up were not the legitimate costs because if you view the government website, the costs are clearly stated. The ride from Kratie to Don Det (where I was headed) was supposed to take a total of 6 hours, but when we arrived at the border it had already been 9 hours, so people weren't really up for arguing with the guy. I on the other hand, was up for at least saving some money. I politely told the driver that I didn't have the $40 dollars he needed to get my visa, so if he couldn't do it then I would walk across the border myself. In reality it was only $5 more he was asking for, but between the 20+ people on the bus and all the "additional fees" he was creating I knew that he was going to make a real killing. He claimed he would still do it, but when we crossed over he would take me to an ATM to get him the remaining money. I had a strong inkling that he would not be able to follow through on this plan, so I nodded my head in agreement. Once he returned back (he left us at a roadside stand to twiddle our thumbs) after 45 minutes of waiting he gave back our passports and told us to cross over the border. As I suspected he was not able to cross over to Laos with us, so the part where I was supposed to pay him back didn't happen. Overall- each one of us was ripped off to some degree, so my recommendation to you if you ever make this journey yourself, just cross through the border control on your own. Once we had finally reached Laos, it was one more packed bus ride to Nakasang and from there a 15 minute boat ride to Don Det (part of the 4000 Islands). We finally reached the island around 7pm and then from there the group I was traveling with (who I met that day, but after hours of suffering together, you get quite close) wandered till we found suitable accommodation. We all took showers and then grabbed dinner and a beer before we turned in for the night.

On day 2 we all woke up around 9am, grabbed breakfast and then orchestrated out bicycles to ride around the island for the day. We had eight of us in the group, so we each rented a bike and took them across the bridge to the neighboring island of Don Khone (9 kilometers). Don Khone hosts the largest waterfall in SE Asia, so it was a really enjoyable ride (though hot) to end up there. Once we parked the bikes, we paid the entry fee to the national park and then walked the kilometer or so down to where you can swim. The "beach" was really just a riverbank on the Mekong that was safe enough to swim without being taken by the current. The Mekong is monstrous and with it being rainy season it is very full and very fast moving, the swimming area was essentially an enclosed inlet with weaker currents. We spent about an hour or so enjoying the water and then we posted up in one of the riverside bungalows to just hangout. Once we reached late afternoon we made the walk back to our bikes and then back to hostel. The ride itself is only about 40 minutes, but after a full day of sun and walking it felt longer. We all showered and walked to a restaurant/guesthouse that was highly recommended by several people. The group had expanded to about 12 people and when we finally put our order in to the woman running the guesthouse it became very clear that we weren't going to be eating anytime soon. She had about 4 tables (including ours) with 5 people or more and it was a single woman in the back cooking. I waited for 2 hours and then decided I couldn't wait any longer, so I broke away from the group and walked to the nearest place serving food. It took the new place an additional 35 minutes to bring me my food, but it was well worth it. I then walked back to the room and about 40 minutes later the rest of the group arrived, so my decision to leave early was a sound one.

On day 3 the group divided because some of us wanted to just relax and others wanted to take the kayak trip to see the freshwater dolphins, on the Cambodian border. I had just seen these same species of dolphins two days prior, so I opted to hang by a local pool. I did hear that the group never actually saw the dolphins, but the kayak adventure was apparently successful nonetheless. In the evening we all booked tickets to our next locations and then headed to sleep early.

In the morning we all took buses to Pakse, where I split off and decided to rent a motorbike to do the Bolaven Plateau Loop, which is essentially a monstrous motorbike ride through central Laos. The route can either be done on the large outer loop or the smaller inner loop, I chose to do the smaller loop since I was on my own. I think if I had been with a larger group or at least a few others I would have chose to do the larger of the two, but in the instance something bad happened I wanted to be somewhat near Pakse (I left my large backpack in the closet of the bike rental shop). The next day I woke up at 7am, packed my small bag and then set out on the 120 kilometer ride to the guesthouse I would stay that night. On the ride I had the opportunity to stop at several different waterfalls, some which were only to be viewed, but others where you could actually get in and swim. I was on my own, so I usually just jumped into cool off and then got back on the bike. I stopped at a coffee plantation to sample local coffee and get a brief tour of the farm. The last 40 kilometers were extremely miserable because it torrentially down poured the entire ride. I am still a novice motorbike rider, but did have the foresight to slow down and wrap myself/backpack in my rain coat. I pulled off the road two times when there was absolutely no visibility, but besides those short stops I rode through the rain. After what felt like years on this bike I finally arrived at Tad Lo where I found a homestay, which was essentially a shed with queen mattresses and mosquito nets, but for less than $5 a night I was sold. Exhausted from the day, I grabbed some dinner and then went to bed.

The second day I woke up, got back on the bike to take the other half of the loop back to Pakse. The second half is like the first in that it is beautiful views of the Laotian countryside and opportunities to stop at various waterfalls. The first half was great, but like the day before the rains started to come, so I opted to strap the rain coat on again and just keep my head down till I made it to Pakse. I had to catch a night bus to Vang Vieng that evening, so I didn't really want to get stuck in the boonies with no time to collect my pack, before heading to the bus station. Overall- despite the weather the ride was really spectacular and definitely pushed my mental limits, glad to have checked it off the list.

From Pakse I took the overnight + minivan ride (17 hours) to Vang Vieng. If you have heard of Vang Vieng before than you most likely have heard of the tubing down the Mekong. Since we arrived around 1pm and the weather wasn't great, I opted out of tubing the first day. I met up with a friend from Don Det and then we just grabbed dinner and chilled at a nearby bar. The next morning when I woke up the same friend and I decided to get over to the tube rental place to see what all the hype was about. She and I were able to meet a few other people before we jumped in, so our group had expanded a bit, which was good because the bigger the group, the more people you have watching each other's tubes (deposit was required). Since 2011 they have restructured the tubing situation because so many deaths and injuries occurred from drunk tubers makinf poor decisions. Presently- there are two bars open along the tubing route and you make a stop at each one to meet others and grab a drink. The group we started with ended up expanding a bit and the entire day was a lot of fun. We did have a minor incident with a friend's "dry bag" getting flooded with water, but the majority of the belongings made it out okay. It was a long day overall, so once I made it back to my hostel with all my belongings I was ready to call it a night.

The next day I opted to save some money and just hangout at a restaurant that plays "Friends" episodes all day, everyday. In the evening a few of us walked to an English owned restaurant called Earth for the sunset and a final meal in Vang Vieng, the view was beautiful and the potato wedges were even better. That evening all of the backpackers in my shared room had left, so I had a quad to myself for the night. I decided to take advantage of the low noise and fan to get a great night's sleep. The next morning I woke up and booked a ticket to Luang Prabang. It was intended to be a 4 hour ride on the new road, but ended up being close to 6, so I am glad to say we have arrived, finally.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 38, 39, 40: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap & Kratie, Cambodia

nnystrom — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 06:30:00 GMT

Phnom Penh, Siem Reap & Kratie - Cambodia

I arrived in Phnom Penh from Kampot and immediately hired a tuk tuk to take me to the Killing Fields and Genocidal Museum of Cambodia. The entire experience was extremely eye opening and very historically important, it was hard to learn and hear about. My tuk tuk driver was an older gentleman, who was able to communicate to me some personal anecdotes about what happened to him and his family during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. If you haven't heard about the genocide that took place during reign of the militant rule I would recommend taking a moment to read briefly on what really occurred in Cambodia during the 4 year rule. It has been documented that ~3 million Cambodian citizens were eradicated through the use of these "killing fields" that were located throughout the entire country. The audio material that they provide at both of these different historical sites were very elaborate and definitely helped me understand what exactly took place. The tuk tuk driver told me that when he was a young 20-something man his mother, father, sister and all living family were killed, with the exception of his one younger brother. As he described to me the displacement of families and survivors of these camps, you could tell it was something that still haunts him (to some extent) today. In parallel to what happened in Nazi Germany, the people targeted were those who were educated, or had something that threatened militant power. Once I had my share of depressing history I walked back to the hostel to drop off some of my things and then found a place to eat dinner. Due to the bus ride and the lots of walking I did that afternoon I was ready for bed.

On my second day I opted to just walk around the surroundings of my hostel and just wander. I ended up grabbing some breakfast at a nearby cafe and then found my way to a mall. I had some administrative things to take care (i.e.: switch flights, grab cash, and re-up on toiletries), so it ended up being a bit of an oasis for the day. On the walk back I found a massage storefront offering 90 minute massages for $5, so I indulged. I then came back around dinner time to grab one last meal before jumping on my overnight bus to Siem Reap. The bus left Phnom Penh at around 11:00pm and it was a true "sleeper" bus. I had the back bed of the bus to myself (normally a double, but the bus wasn't full), so I managed to get decent sleep, despite the turbulent roads. I woke up a few times throughout because I shared a side of my bunk with the bathroom, so more often than not someone was slamming into the door looking for the light.

Upon arriving in Siem Reap (6:30am), I grabbed a ride to a huge guesthouse right near pub street. The guesthouse had a hotel setup in that it had a large pool w/ a swim up bar, two eating areas (bars) and a pseudo-conceirge. It actually made me feel like I wasn't on a backpacking trip, with the exception I was still on a budget and sleeping in dorm rooms. The cost for a room with AC and shared bathroom was only $6, so it was a sale. I was still pretty tired from traveling the whole night, so I ended up just meeting friends at the hostel pool. We spent the day just hanging by the water and then ended up going to pub street that night. The whole scene is great, because it is just a lot of bars and restaurants that play music and have street access to just walk around. We had one minor run-in with "law enforcement", but all ended up fine and actually turned into a pretty good story.

On my second day in Siem Reap, I had planned to get up at 4:30am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat (huge national park of temples in Siem Reap), but I slept through my alarm. Luckily- when I actually got on my motorbike and drove the 10 kilometers to the park I was told the sunrise ended up being really poor due to the clouds that morning (I still arrived by 7:30am). I then spent the next 8 hours riding around the entire national park. Many friends I have met have recommended spending 2-3 days at the park, by way of tuk tuk, but I found I was able to do almost every temple because I was driving myself. It was a very long day, but truly one of the most impressive spots for ancient archaeology. Although I found Bagan, Myanmar to be more scenic with the temples spread out across some very beautiful landscapes, the temples at Angkor were truly huge in structure and detail. I enjoyed driving around and having the freedom to veer off some of the roads less traveled. Overall Angkor was a huge highlight.

The last day in Siem Reap also turned into a pool day, which I am not complaining about because it was a great way to save some money. I spent most of the day just playing cards and talking with new friends and then the weather permitted for a beer pong tournament in the pool (anchored tables). The rain started to pour early evening, so we decided to go grab showers and then find some dinner nearby. Siem Reap was great in that all the meals we had were really good quality Khmer food with a small price tag (ranging from $1-2.5 per meal). Once we finished eating we made our way back to Pub Street for an hour so, but I needed to get back to book my trip to Kratie. I woke up the next morning around 7:00am and hopped on my van to Kratie.

Kratie is a Mekong River town that is roughly 6 hours by minivan from Siem Reap. It was a long ride, as the van was very crowded and I have a lot of body to fit into such a small space. Once I made it to Kratie I booked my ride to the border of Laos, for the next morning, and then found a local to drive me on his motorbike to the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins. It was about 20 kilometers from where I was staying, to where the boats launch from the pier for dolphin watching. I got on a boat right before the storms rolled in, and we drove about 15 minutes up stream to where we saw about 10 dolphins circling. They are very interesting because they do not have the "beak" like mouth, but instead they are very round at the front of their bodies. Since they are a complete different species from marine dolphins they behave differently, but they definitely surfaced periodically and did venture quite close to the boat. I got progressively more frustrated, because each time I tried to take a picture they would dive back down. I did manage to get a few fin photos, but no selfies this time.

I just left Don Det, part of the 4000 Islands in southern Laos, heading off on a 2 day motorbike trip around the Bolaven Loop tomorrow. More to come on both.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 34, 35, 36, 37: Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Sanloem, Otres Beach & Kampot, Cambodia

nnystrom — Sat, 9 Jul 2016 21:38:00 GMT

Sihanoukville, Koh Rong Sanloem, Otres Beach & Kampot - Cambodia

I flew into Cambodia after a couple nights in Bangkok, where I was able to re-up on toiletries and download the finale of Game of Thrones (Myanmar had shotty internet). I flew into Phnom Penh and then walked across from arrivals to my bus pickup, which was heading to Sihanoukvillle, a coastal city on the southern edge of Cambodia. Once the bus had gotten to the "station" I grabbed my bag and walked to my hostel. Cambodia is currently in the throes of rainy season, so it basically rains intermittenly everyday. Typically it is clear in the morning and then once the clock strikes 11am it is hit or miss. I managed to arrive on a somewhat rainless day, so I hitched a ride on the back of a local woman's motorbike and headed to the city center to buy a SIM card, then I posted up at a street bar to people watch. Downtown Sihanoukville holds a local market and a fishing wharf, so there is a lot of foot traffic, which is great for mindless eye wandering. I spent a couple hours there, met a few older expats, who call Cambodia home and then made my way back to the hostel. Luckily for me the hostel has a very small, but clean pool that is enclosed by 4 walls, so even if it is raining there is no wind. I met a bunch of other backpackers that evening and we ended up joining a pub crawl run by a couple Irish guys. We stayed out pretty late and then walked back to grab some sleep. In the morning I said bye to a few of my new friends and then looked to find a place to get my haircut. I found a little place that was willing to fix me up for about $2, and all turned out well. I decided to rent a motorbike for half the day and just drove around the city and the surrounding area for a few hours. The weather took a turn and I decided it was time to head back.

The next morning I took a speed ferry from Sihanoukville to Koh Rong Sanloem, a small 24 sq km island, for a few nights. I was advised by a friend of mine to stay with an Australian guy named Andrew at his guest house. Upon arriving to the island I had to grab a long tail boat to cross to another harbor, then from there walk the couple minutes to the actual residence. Once I arrived it was clear that this was a totally different setup than any I had encountered since beginning this journey. Andrew literally has a 3 room unit, one room is the main space that has a tiny "kitchen", the other 2 rooms are bedrooms that each have two sets of bunk beds. I ended up paying for my 3 night stay with groceries he had asked me to bring from the mainland. It was 1 kg of raw peanuts, 1 jar of Nutella, and 1 kg of coffee beans (he too wanted the final episode of GoT, but I refused to be his errand boy). In total those items cost me $9, so I think overall it was a win on my end. We only had 5 of us staying there at the time, which ended up being really fun. The first day a couple of us took a trek through the jungle to a boulder sticken beach, where we found this cascading set of pools that were being filled from the top of the mountain. The flowing water ended in the sea, so it was a very scenic spot. The same night a few of the guests cooked dinner for the rest of us, and then we played cards till the power was shut off on the island (approx 12am). The next day it rained, so we ended up just hanging out at the house, playing cards and talking about everyone's past and future travel plans. Days like this are a welcomed change because everyone (myself included) had no expecations, so it is an opportunity to just enjoy where you are at. The last day we were surprised to wake up to a very beautiful day, so we grabbed towles and walked to the beach. The group of us spent most of the day there, just enjoying the good weather while we could. The last night a really awesome restaurant on the pier put on an "all you can eat" meal. It was a tremendous amount of vegetarian options and then on the BBQ they had grilled squid, chicken and shrimp. All the food we didn't eat was given to the local people, so it felt good knowing it wouldn't all go to waste. Refrigerators are not commonly found on the island, so most food that is prepared is either consumed, or thrown out. One perk of staying with Andrew is that he makes his own bread dough every day, and then bakes it in a Dutch oven over an open fire, free food is a huge bonus!

I took the ferry back to Sihanoukville from Koh Rong Sanloem, then I made my way to Otres Beach, which is only about 15 minutes from the pier itself. I spent two nights at a newly built hotel that charged only $10 a night for a double bed, AC (which I hadn't had a in while), and free towels. I jumped at the opportunity! The two days on Otres were rainy, from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed it rained nearly the entire time, which normally would have been a huge buzzkill, but it ended up being perfect. I had a great Wifi connection, so I was able to stream a bunch of shows I had missed, plus I was able to finish my book (I am Pilgrim - if you haven't read, do it…great thriller, I have found more time to read on this trip than I have had since the summer after college.). When it was not raining I did manage to take a couple different walks along the beach and village for a few Khmer meals. The hotel staff was almost overly attentive, as they wanted to make sure that I provided them a great review, but I think I am just desensitized to people interested in helping you. It got to a point where I was having to decline their offers because I am capable of carrying my own bottle of water and drying myself off with a towel. The hotel had a pool, so for the 90 minutes it didn't rain on the day I arrived, I did manage to take a brief swim. My last night the hotel arranged for a van to pick me up in the morning and take me to Kampot.

Kampot is a city that is about 90 minutes from Sihanoukville. It too was hindered by the wet season, but since I only had two nights there I wasn't expecting to do too much. The first day I ended up arriving midday, so I hung out by their natural pool that is cleaned by living plants at the bottom (we luckily didn't get more than 30 minutes of rain the first day). The hotel is owned and run by a couple British expats. It is father-daughter duo and they did a pretty great job of making the common area a fun place to hang out. It basically is a huge open air pavilion with a bar/restaurant area underneath a thatched roof. It had an air hockey and foosball table, plus a book exchange (which I definitely needed). The second day I rented a motorbike and the 45 kilometer drive from the hostel up to the top of Bokor National Park. It is a national park that encloses Bokor Mountain. It was unfortunately very cloudy at the top, but the drive up was awesome. It was a curvy road up, which made me focus on the road more than the view, but I stopped periodically to look out on the city/sea view. I was flagged down by a small Khmer boy, who needed a ride to the top, so I obliged the request. I dropped him off at some road stand and then drove on to the waterfall at the top. The falls were large and much more powerful than I was expecting. It wasn't rainy, but it appeared to be on the verge nearly the whole time. At multiple points I was literally driving through a cloud, so visibility was quite poor. I managed to not crash on the 4 hour excursion, so I called it a success. I made it back to the hostel in one piece and then ended up just hanging with some of the other guests for the rest of the night. I woke up early the next morning and packed my bag before my bus to Phnom Penh.

I do want to mention that my thoughts are with the city of Dallas. I write this journal entry feeling very discouraged with the current state of affairs back home. It seems that each day/week that passes, I see delayed news about another tragic event happening stateside. Often times travelers from other countries ask me to provide them my perspective/justification on the events that are happening, in America, and I typically have very little to say. While traveling in parts of SE Asia I have seen horrible living conditions, been exposed to some countries' harsh realities or tragic recent pasts and it makes me wish that we could figure it out. Our country is blessed beyond measure, but we continually are at odds with ourselves. I hope that in my lifetime we see change.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 31, 32, 33: Inle Lake, Hsipaw & Mandalay, Myanmar

nnystrom — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 21:50:00 GMT

Inle Lake, Hsipaw & Mandalay - Myanmar

Once I had sufficiently seen all of Bagan it was time to move on, so myself and a couple friends I met there decided to grab an 8 hour bus from Bagan to Inle Lake. Inle Lake is located in the village of Nyaungshwe, which lies within Taunggyi. The lake and town are within the Shan state of Myanmar, which hosts one of the 135 ethnic groups, the Shan people. It is one of the more beautiful places I have seen in southeast Asia and much of that is attributed to the natural state of the region. It was a beautiful drive into the township and the views all around the area are amazing.

The first day we arrived it was late afternoon, so we opted to walk into town from our hotel. The hotels in Inle are very small and really are setup similarly to hostels. The people who stay in these places are from the backpacking community, because almost all the rooms can be shared with 3+ people. We found a restaurant in our price range and sat down for a meal, then headed back to play cards. We woke up early the next morning and grabbed the complimentary breakfast, then headed to the lake to grab a boat driver to take us around Inle. We paid about $5 per person for close to 6 hours of travel on the lake, we made many stops throughout the day, but some of the most notable were: Burmese cigar rolling, lotus plant cloth weaving, silver welding and the longneck woman. Each stop had a tourist element, in that they offered goods to be sold, but unlike some of the other day trips I have done, since being abroad, there was very little pressure put on us to buy. If someone felt like buying something they were more than welcome to, but there wasn't the constant berating and pushing of goods. We did make a stop at a relatively bustling monastery and then the rain started pouring, so we waited for it to die down and then headed back into town. Once we got back we went for some dim sum and then ended up playing more cards. The final day just hungout around the hotel before our night bus to Mandalay. We were all pretty exhausted from the travel and the full day prior, so it was nice to just relax.

We boarded our night bus at around 8pm and arrived into Mandalay at 3:45am (convenient, right?). Nearly all the buses in Myanmar arrive at the worst times, so you have to know what your plan is prior to leaving the first location. The three of us knew that we would hire a taxi to take us about 1.5 hours northwest to Pyin Oo Lwin, where we would then board an open air train to Hsipaw. The premise of the trip was to cross over the Gotkeik Viaduct, which provides an unbelievable view of the river below and valley of lush forest. The whole 8 hour train ride was really unbelievable, because every single minute was an opportunity to view the wonderful Burmese countryside. It is full of mountains, rice paddies, green fields and local villages; it really was worth the long trip there. Once we arrived in Hsipaw we deboarded the train and immediately started getting accommodation business pitches. We opted to stay in a nearby hotel in a triple room, which would cost $7 per person + free breakfast. After dropping off our belongings we showered and then walked to a restaurant that sits right on the river, which flows through the town. It was a nice end to a long 19 hours of traveling. The next morning I woke up to the phone ringing, alerting me that my bus would be leaving 1 hour early and that I needed to be downstairs in 5 minutes. I quickly packed my bag and headed out.

I arrived in Mandalay after what felt like an eternity, in reality it was only a 9 hour bus ride, but it felt like it had taken forever. In Myanmar, the bus drivers and their riding partners have no problem pulling over at a moment's notice to smoke a cigarette or wait on a delayed passenger, so it was tedious to say the least. Upon arriving to Mandalay, I grabbed a taxi driver and arrived at the hostel I had pre-booked. I unloaded my pack and then crashed for a couple hours…even though you sit on a bus all day, it really does take the energy completely out of you. I woke up to grab a quick meal and then read my book till I fell asleep. The next morning I woke up and rented a motor bike to tour the city, which ended up being a great way to see Mandalay. I first road the 8 miles to Mandalay Hill, which is one of the best viewpoints in the city. I opted to park my bike at the base and then climb the stairs through a series of pagodas to the very top. It was approx. 45 minutes from bottom to top, but felt much longer in the 100 degree heat and 90% humidity. Once I got to the top I took some photos and then started the walk back down. After I reached the bottom I got back on my bike and then drove around the city for another few hours just looking at different city structures and the general area. Mandalay is a very dusty city, so each time I stopped I would be covered in a few milimters of grit/dirt/sand. I came back to the hostel around 4pm and then found a group going to the U Bein Bridge to watch the sunset. The sunset at this location is one of the prettiest I have seen in all of Myanmar, because it sets right behind this bridge and surrounding pagodas, right over a very scenic lake. I enjoyed this moment the most because this bridge also is a place where locals flock after a long day in the sun. We saw families and fisherman all enjoying the evening view, which in most cities are enjoyed only by the visiting population. The group posted up on a table near the lake front and had a few Burmese beers, while we watched the sun drop down below the tree line. It was a fantastic last night in a truly wonderful country. Up next…Cambodia!

Neill

See photos here.

Location 28, 29, 30: Yangon, Taungoo, & Bagan, Myanmar

nnystrom — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 23:16:00 GMT

Yangon, Taungoo & Bagan - Myanmar

I took a 6am flight out of Kuala Lumpur and flew directly to Yangon., Myanmar. Myanmar was the first country, on this trip, that requires some pre-arrival legwork. In order to enter Burma you must present at immigration a visa that has been pre-approved. It was a relatively smooth process, but from what I have read it wasn't always as simple. The borders of Myanmar had been closed off to almost everyone up until 2012, so international travelers are still relatively new here. The moment I exited the plane I immediately began to feel the heads turn. It is clear that they aren't used to seeing foreigners (especially westerns), but more shockingly is a foreigner of my stature. I quickly grabbed a cab and then got a nice warm welcome from Yangon traffic. Yangon is the largest city in the country, with a population of ~ 5 million. I got dropped off at my "hostel" and then spent 10 minutes actually looking for the door. Hostels are not really a common practice in Burma, as they technically weren't legal till some time in the last year or so. I found a dingy stairwell that seemed to be the right address and walked up two stories to find the door I was looking for. The place itself was very clean, but they were in the middle of a power outage and I also was about 6 hours too early for check-in. A young man was there to greet me, pointed me to a dark bathroom I could change in and told me I could leave my bags with him. I quickly put in my contacts, grabbed my wallet and headed out. The first stop was to walk to the nearby Sule Pagoda, which is a large pagoda/temple in the heart of downtown Yangon. I walked around there and the neighboring park for a couple hours and then grabbed a taxi to the largest and most famous pagoda in the country, Shwedagon. It is massive and stands at 115 meters tall., with surrounding temples and religious structures. It was similar to the Grand Palace in Thailand, but it felt less touristic, in that there were many Burmese who visit regularly. I wore shorts, but since they teetered around my kneecap, I was required to put on a paso (longyi), which is traditional garb for men. Almost all men where this specific type of dress, I was just impressed they had one that fit me. It took about 2 hours to thoroughly view it all and then I grabbed another taxi back to the city to find some food. Once in the streets of Yangon, this is where things definitely got interesting. I became the attraction that day. I was constantly being stopped by strangers to compare foot size or see where their heads came up to on my body. Every so often someone with a camera phone would ask for a picture and so forth. I managed to find a really great Indian restaurant where the food was cheap and plentiful. I got a vegetable curry for 1000 Kyat, which is under $1, but it was unlimited. I finished my bowl and a boy would come around and fill it back up. Once I had eaten I wandered back to my lodging, only to realize I had been followed home by a few locals. I know they were harmless, but it was slightly off-putting to say the least. Once I motioned for them to leave me alone, I went inside and relaxed for a few hours. After a little down time I ventured back out into the busy streets to see what I could do. I ended up just walking to a bar that had tables out on the street and sat with a couple local men, who asked me to sit down. We had some beers (~$.80 ea) and spoke in a lot of broken English and charades. I didn't understand more than 50% of what we discussed, but one of them worked as an electronic repairman and the other worked in the restaurant. It was a fun way to wrap up the day.

On day 2 I found the Bogyoke Aung San market, which is basically a large indoor market that sells sandals, longyi()s, wooden carvings and other garments. The vendors all sell a variation of the same goods, so in reality it is just the same stand over and over again. I got a little tired of the constant head ducking and head turning, so I decided to just take to the streets and find a different part of the city to wonder in. Yangon is definitely very busy, with a lot of action happening outside on the walkways. Thousands of vendors selling street foods, fresh fruits, cheap cellphones, you name it. It is worth a trip just to see how the people live their daily lives. I grabbed lunch at a Nepalese restaurant that only served vegetarian. Myanmar shares 5 borders, so it is truly a melting pot of cultures. It shares a border with China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Laos; which makes it a great place to find amazing food from all over. I went back to the same spot as the night before and found a couple of German girls to talk with, who had also been traveling southeast Asia. The city really winds down quite early, so each night I was in Yangon I was able to get to bed at a really reasonable hour.

In the morning I woke up and booked a ticket to Taungoo. Taungoo is definitely off the beaten path, but I knew I didn't want to spend another night in Yangon, and wanted to see more of the country. The trip to Taungoo is 6 hours, and you can only travel on local buses, none of the nicer VIP buses travel there. It was an experience to say the least. I was the only foreigner on the bus, not a single person spoke English, and I hadn't booked any accommodation (I assumed I could find a place in the city center, wrong.) The bus was crowded and uncomfortable, but once we hit hour 5 I knew it would be over soon, except when the driver started gesturing at me to identify where I should be dropped off. I had not one iota of a plan, as to where to stay, so I literally just pointed to the side of the road and got off next to a woman selling betel quid packets (Burmese version of dip/chewing tobacco, really gnarly habit). I sat there for a few minutes trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do, because I didn't see anywhere offering accommodation and I didn't have a name of a hotel as a point of reference. The skies parted and a very nice/broken English speaking man name Hein Thu stopped on his motorbike to lend a helping hand. He helped secure my pack to his bike and told me to hop on. He took me to a nearby hotel offering rooms w/ free breakfast for about $19. It was more expensive than what I was expecting, but that is actually almost all accommodation in Myanmar. I paid for a room, dropped off my bag and found Hein Thu still sitting on his bike. He offered to take me around to the different sites (only about 3 in Taungoo) for 4000 kyat. I had no plans and no mode of transportation, so I quickly thanked him and got back on his bike. He took me to the 2nd largest pagoda in Myanmar, which was very cool and had absolutely no one there, with the exception of a few local woman providing flowers for donations. The next stop was to a very scenic park, but as we were pulling in the rain started to fall, so we went to a small group of tables and had a beer. Once the rain stopped he took me to the local market, but it was overwhelming because I couldn't take two steps without being swarmed by vendors/buyers. They had never come across someone my size, so I spent most of my time smiling and trying to avoid hitting my head. Two hours later, Hein Thu had dropped me back off at my hotel and I just hung out on the hotel property. They had some nice sitting areas with a decent wifi connection, plus free water and tea. I booked a return ticket back to Yangon for the morning and then from there an overnight bus to Bagan. The bus on the way home was equally as crummy, but it had 2x as many people as seats, plus 4 roosters.

I ended up spending three nights in Bagan, because the city itself it unlike anything I have ever seen. It feels like the entire city has been completely preserved, with the exception of places to eat and sleep. It contains many local villages and over 2000 Buddhist temples. The first day I arrived from Yangon at 4am, so myself and a girl I met on the bus opted to grab a taxi, to a temple, to view the sunrise. I was completely worn out, but from what I was told it was the best time to do it, because you are already up! We ended up going to one of the temples known for its sunrise./sunset, so it was great to check it off the list, but ultimately the view was spectacular. Once the sun had risen over the landscape we grabbed our taxi driver and made our way to the hostel. We were hours premature for check-in, so we grabbed some breakfast, showered and then rented motor bikes. We wandered the entire city for close to 10 hours. The hostel offered a map, but it did not cover all the tiny dirt paths that you can meander along, which lead to other temples/pagodas not identified on the map. With the exception of one wrong turn leading to a literal sand field, which took 40 minutes to traverse, we had a great ride. It was a great opportunity to see some real old world culture that hasn't been so altered as to lose its history.

The second day I met a group of 6 people, who chartered a van to take them to Mount Popa. They had space in the vehicle, so I tagged along for the ride. It took about 2 hours to get there, and then it was approx. 25 minute walk up the stairs to the top of the temple. The temple sat on top of this cliff that stands in the center of the city. The views were pretty fantastic all the way around, so we spent a decent amount of time up there just enjoying the lookout. We climbed back down and then drove to the top of another mountain, so we could view the temple at a distance. The resort at the top was amazing and I honestly wished we had brought our bags, because I was up for staying (it was expensive, but clean and beautiful). Once we had all taken our pictures, we headed back to Bagan. We all took an hour nap or so, then headed to grab a late lunch/early dinner. Once we finished we went to one of the temples, we had seen the previous day, to watch the sunset. The view and the company were great. We road back to the hostel for trivia and then called it a night. The city has an 11pm curfew, so there aren't many things to do after sunset, luckily the hostel tries to provide some type of activity each evening.

On my final day I took a motor bike ride to a neighboring village where they make all things out of laquer. It was a very interesting and tedious process to make these pieces of art, but I wasn't looking to buy anything. I paid $4 to use the pool of at a nearby hotel and just then spent the day reading my book. In the evening I hung out with some people at the hostel and then grabbed the morning bus from Bagan to Inle Lake (more to come on that).

Neill

See photos here.

Location 24, 25, 26, 27: Singapore; Puerto Galera, Manila & Cebu, Philippines

nnystrom — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 20:00:00 GMT

Singapore; Puerto Galera, Manila & Cebu - Philippines

Once I left Indonesia, after close to a month of visiting, it was nice to spend a few days in Singapore. Singapore lives up to its reputation of being a very clean and manicured city in the heart of southeast Asia. I arrived in the afternoon on my first day and got on the train into downtown Singapore. Once I reached my stop I exited the station and grabbed a bus to the stop closest to my hostel. I managed to secure a bed at an inexpensive place (surprising for Singapore) that was near several bus stops and only a 10 minute walk to the closest train station. The hostel had a very fast internet connection and free bread/tea/coffee 24 hours a day (both of these things were major perks after being in Indonesia for 30 days), so I dropped off my things and figured out what I should do for the next 48 hours. I decided that I wanted to take the train to Little India, primarily because the recommendation on what to do there was eat my way through. Singapore is an expensive city, so budget food locales were what I was targeting, and conveniently almost every eatery in Little India is cheap. I walked around the area for close to two hours before deciding on a place to grab a meal. I managed to get a large portion of biryani with vegetables and spicy red curry for ~$6. It was clearly more expensive than most the places I had eaten in the last couple months, but overall it was not a huge hit to the budget. Once I ate I decided to find my way to Mount Faber to get a view of the city skyline at night. Unfortunately for me I arrived only to realize that my phone had died, so I wasn't able to capture the moment, but it was definitely a view to see. I was still pretty tired from the late night arrival into Bali and the early morning connection to Singapore, so I headed back to grab some sleep.

One side note about Singapore that I think is worth mentioning is that it may be the first place, I have visited, in the last 2.5 months that I felt completely comfortable walking around. I was not gawked or pointed at and I was not constantly compelled to check my pockets for my belongings. In most of the major cities, I have been to, there is a certain skepticism about pickpockets because most locations are littered with signs warning you about it. I honestly felt at times that I was in the middle of a western city, with the exception of the humidity and the high heat index.

The second day I woke up and purchased a ticket for (the owner had established relationships with various businesses, providing his customers price reductions on activities) the aquarium on Sentosa Island. Sentosa Island is also home to Universal Studios- Singapore, so the entire vicinity is perfectly maintained, extremely clean and very expensive. I spent a few hours walking around the different tanks and just enjoying some quiet time. Once I finished there I took the free shuttle (included with my ticket) back to the main land of Singapore and decided I was going to sneak my way into Marina Bay Sands. If you haven't heard of it, it is the massive (and outrageously expensive) hotel/skyscraper that hosts a series of cascading infinity pools at the the very top. I have talked to several people and had gotten very mixed messages on the liklihood of me being able to get in without actually having a room in the hotel. I managed to make my way there and just kind of slipped into the lobby and up the elevator. Once I was at the top I knew it was only a matter of time before I was going to be approached so I tried to find an angle for a few pictures….within about 30 seconds I had a hotel employee ask me what room I was staying in. I thought about trying to lie my way in, but with Singapore being so clean and modernized I had a feeling they would have investigated the legitimacy of my claim. I owned up to not actually staying there and they said I could either purchase a meal or leave. I opted for leaving, because though the view was quite spectacular, the price of a sandwich would have been my budget for the day. I was pretty tired at that point, so I decided to head back to my bed for an afternoon nap. Once I woke up it was about time to grab some dinner, so I walked over to the train station and headed to Chinatown. Chinatown- like Little India is also relatively inexpensive, or at least comparatively to the rest of the restaurants in Singapore. I grabbed a pretty delicious spread of dim sum and then called it a night. It was a short, but productive stay in Singapore and I managed to get by on just $70 in 2.5 days (honestly- I impressed myself).

Once I left Singapore I flew to Manila. My connection got heinously delayed in Kuala Lumpur, so instead of making it to Manila at 9pm, I arrived at 3am. I've heard from several travelers that Manila isn't a particularly friendly place to travelers, in that foreigners typically face some level of "scamming" when trying to leave the airport. I was supposed to get an airport pickup from the hotel (I opted for a hotel, since I was leaving that morning at 8am to go to Mindoro) but they were nowhere to be found, so I spent close to 20 minutes just trying to find a taxi that would run the meter. The majority of the drivers like to say they have a set fare, and it typically is an outlandish amount of pesos. I kept being quoted anywhere from 900-1400 pesos and the hotel website said it shouldn't be more than 800. I finally found a man who promised to run the meter and it ended up only costing me 500, so patience often times can be a great way to save some cash. Once I checked-in I immediately went to sleep and then woke up 3 hours later to buy my ferry ticket to Mindoro (I did eat complimentary breakfast in the hotel, where the waitstaff took turns taking photos with me). The process to get to Mindoro was a 3 hour bus ride from Manila to Batangas City and then from there it was a 1 hour, crowded boat ride, to Sabang Harbor. I had pre-booked a dive trip in Puerto Galera before I even left on my backpacking trip. I had pre-paid the room and part of the diving costs, so it wasn't a huge hit to my spending and I got an air-conditioned bungalow, a real bathroom, a double bed, terrace w/ hammock, and cable TV. (heaven). I spent 5 nights at the resort and it ended up being a wonderful time. I opted to spend a bit more money than I was planning in order to get my Advanced Open Water SCUBA certification. It is a series of five dives that all build upon the skills you learn in the initial certification. The five dives I chose were wreck, under water navigation, search and recovery, night diving, and deep water diving. Each day I did 2-4 dives (once I finished the course I just did fun dives) and it was an exhausting, but great 6 days. I saw several turtles, sea snakes, grouper, huge schools of fish, eels and an unprecedented amount of sea life. The best part was being able to safety descend to 40 meters. I had gone quite deep (30-35 meters) in Indonesia, but I was not technically certified to do so, so I spent more time worrying rather than enjoying it. Overall- the room alone was worth the trip, but the diving was spectacular.

I took the same route back to Manila and spent a few days just wandering the city, eating locally and just trying to get a feel for what the city had to offer. Manila lacks a real public transportation system, so you are reliant on walking (unbearably humid- it was wet season, so the sweating was constant), jeepneys (old school trucks with a hood that wedge 20-25 people in the bed, but only costs 7 pesos - mere cents), or taxis. I did a collection of all three and the taxis were definitely my preferred method. It obviously costs more, but they are air-conditioned, private and are a direct stop. I did a variety of things while in Manila, including a stop at the massive Mall of Asia. It is one of the largest malls I have ever been to and it includes anything and everything (western restaurants, Olympic ice rink, 6 movie theaters, etc). I met up with a buddy of mine, who I met in Indonesia, and grabbed some beers with him one evening (beer is king in the Philippines, you can find a solid local beer for just under $1.20). I also went to a place called Ringside, in the Red Light District, (which also happened to be where my hostel was, I spent a small percentage of my time each day declining invitations from prostitutes) where they do "little people" boxing. It definitely felt like a low class circus act, but it was recommended by a few people - an experience to say the least. I made it to a couple night markets, where I ate all the internal organs of a chicken and pig (better than I thought it would be), and really just spent time walking the streets. Manila overall was a huge city with probably a lot more to offer than what I actually saw, but it was overwhelmingly busy and I honestly was looking forward to the next stop.

The last few days in the Philippines I spent on Cebu, which is another Island that is southwest of Luzon (where Manila is). I purchased a roundtrip flight from Manila for $85 and opted to spend 2 nights and 3 days there. I met some really great people during that time, and they offered up a detailed itinerary for my upcoming stay in Myanmar. The day I arrived I just spent hanging out at the hostel, the unique part about this hostel is that it sits directly on the water, so it basically is a low budget resort. It had a small farm, including goats, chickens, and a big sow, I named her Pearl. The next morning we got up at 6am and grabbed a bus to Oslob. Oslob is on the southern tip of Cebu and it is home to migrating whale sharks. Now- in general I don't really love the idea of places where it is known to have certain animals, because it typically means there is some form of human infiltration, in the natural order of things, but I needed to see these friendly giants. Upon arriving we dropped our stuff off in a locker and then boarded a small row boat that took us out to where the whale sharks were circling and it was honestly unbelievable. These giant creatures were completely free to leave, but the locals feed them dried shrimp remains, so they will swim a 150 yards off the shoreline (this is the part I have a bit of an objection to), but after hearing that they are not present every day made me feel better. I actually heard from several different people (travelers and locals) that some days they are nowhere insight and other days there may only be one nearby. We must have struck gold because we saw close to 8 whale sharks and they truly are as big and docile as described. It was awesome to be that close to these magnificent creatures. The rest of the day I just hung out on the beach with friends, reading and relaxing. I woke up the next morning and grabbed a bus back to Mactan (airport is 4 hours from the hostel), then I spent a painful 9 hours waiting for my forever delayed flight to Manila.

I am currently on the flight from Manila to Kuala Lumpur, where I will stay the night and then fly to Yangon, Myanmar tomorrow morning. I am really looking forward to one of the more untouched places in Southeast Asia.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 19, 20, 21, 22, 23: Moyo Island, Satonda Island, Gili Laba, Pink Beach & Komodo, Indonesia

nnystrom — Thu, 9 Jun 2016 18:30:00 GMT

Moyo Island, Satonda Island, Gili Laba, Pink Beach & Komodo, Indonesia:

After 4 nights on Lombok, a few friends and myself ended up booking spots on a 3 night/4 day cruise from Lombok to Flores (another large island in Indonesia). If you look up a map of Indonesia you will see it is the largest archipelagic country in the world. The route from Lombok to Flores passes right through Komodo Island, so this was one of the larger selling points to me. We were picked up the next morning at 7:30am, during a thunderstorm (hoping this was not foreshadowing to what the weather would be like on the cruise), and were driven 2 hours to the harbor we would depart from. The cruise had 40 people registered and we were split into 2 different boats. The organizers of the cruise put all of us in a bit of a holding pen, while they finished assessing the amount of food, beer, and other goods needed for the 4 days. Finally after about 2.5 hours of waiting around we walked to the end of the pier to board our boats. Let's just say the accommodation was nowhere in the vicinity of opulent, the boat was very basic in all forms of the word. On the top of the boat there was a tiny deck that fit maybe 7 people and then attached to the deck was the sleeping quarters. The sleeping level was 20 sleeping mats that were about 1 inch thick and laid side by side with no room in-between. The sleeping mats were covered by a tarp to prevent the area from getting wet, which was critical as it rained 2 of the nights we were on the boat. The remainder of the boat was a covered lower level where we did all of our eating (2 benches on the sides of the boat), one uncovered deck at the bow of the boat and a single bathroom. I use the word bathroom loosely as this was a ceramic bowl, with a hole directly leading to the sea. Once we scoped out the boat it became abundantly clear that the accommodations were truly not the selling point of the cruise.

Day 1 we went from a harbor on Lombok to the other side of the island in about 3 hours, where we were allowed to jump in and swim for about 30 minutes. Once we swam we were then served dinner shortly after and then the boat took to the sea for the next 8 hours. The first night we were hit with a tremendous amount of rain, so all the air openings surrounding the sleeping area were completely sealed. It got a bit hot, but overall it wasn't a terrible sleep.

Day 2 I woke up with a few others on the boat around 6am to watch the sunrise. It definitely made the crumby sleeping conditions worthwhile because we got to watch the sunrise right on the water, you couldn't really ask for a better view. The crew served us each one pancake and then we cruised for another few hours before we reached our first real stop. We arrived on Moyo Island and we were told to put our shoes and cameras in a bin and asked to swim to shore. Once we reached shore the crew rowed our belongings over to us and we then trekked through the forest to the waterfall we would climb. Looking at it definitely did not make me feel so comfortable, it was a series of slippery wet edges with water rushing over them and it wasn't particularly flat, but actually quite steep. Once we made it to the top there were these freshwater pools that you could rope swing into, jump from high branches or just swim around. The group spent about 45 minutes up there and then made the climb down to begin the walk back. Once everyone had swam back to the boat we cruised for several more hours to Satonda Beach where we could snorkel, or go to the shore for a walk to the saltwater lake. I did both and the snorkeling was definitely the better of the two. I saw an octopus and lots of beautiful fish, overall it was a nice spot. Once we boarded the boat it was the start of the 16 hour non-stop cruise to our next stop. The second evening had very choppy waters and dinner was more a series of food flying off forks, plates, etc. Luckily only a few people got seasick, but overall we survived.

Day 3 started similar to the previous morning with an early wake up call to watch the sunrise and then a 2 hour cruise to the first stop. We pulled the boat up to Gili Laba island, which had a viewpoint we had to climb to. The climb was about 25 minutes to the first viewpoint and then you could trek up to a few others. It ended up being a really beautiful spot because it had awesome views 360 degrees all the way around. Once everyone had safely made it down the mountain and back on the boat we cruised for another 1.5 hrs before we finally made it to the absolute highlight, Manta Point. We were told that Manta Point typically has 5-10 manta rays schooling and that if we located some we were going to be able to jump in the water with them, so I was super excited. What we ended up encountering still has my jaw dropping. We reached Manta Point and within about 2 minutes we saw about 30 manta rays schooling near the surface, from the boat all you could see were these giant black wings treading through the water. The guide on the boat yelled for us to jump in, but everyone was hesitant because the sheer size and number of them was overwhelming. Once he yelled for the second time I jumped right in with my GoPro and mask, I took one look down after the bubbles dissipated and I saw another 20 just circling the bottom. It was unbelievable to watch these giant rays just effortlessly swim through the water and the size of them made me feel small (very hard to do). Finally after about a minute or so the rest of the boat started jumping in and we all got to experience it together, it was honestly magical. Once the school of mantas passed we all swam back to the boat and we continued on, only to find another group of them schooling. We repeated this same exercise 2 more times and after getting more comfortable I was able to get close enough to graze the wing of the one rays, the 50 minute run-in with the rays made the entire trip worth it. The last part of the day we stopped at Pink beach where the sand granules are actually littered with small pink rocks that at sunset reflect the beach to look pink. We snorkeled there for a bit and had a run-in with a few turtles, then cruised to a harbor outside of Komodo Island for the night. We spent the night drinking beers and hanging out, eventually convincing our boat captain to link our boat with the other group. After a few hours of hanging out both boats disconnected and we called it a night.

Day 4 was the final day and it was also the day where we would finally encounter the infamous Komodo dragons. We woke up and docked at Komodo National Park, which is truly a real-life Jurassic Park, everything from the entrance to the grounds themselves makes you feel like you are in the movie. Our boat of 20 got a briefing on what we should expect to see and what we should do in case one of the lizards gets aggressive. The island has just under 3000 dragons and they are not confined to any specific spaces, so it is possible to run into them at any point. We had 5 guides with us and they carried large wooden staffs to use in the chance one of the dragons were to get too close (not really sure how effective it would be, but I guess it brought some form of comfort to the group). We had walked for close to 30 minutes when we heard a guide scream "big dragon, big dragon!". As we reached the top of a hill there was a large male dragon resting in the shade, it didn't move and it didn't react while the group took photos, but I have to say that these things are truly massive. I was in the front right behind the first guide and the coloring of these lizards makes it very difficult to spot, we were only about 10 feet away before I saw it and the expletives flew out of my mouth. I was not anticipating them to be as large as they were and definitely didn't expect to be that close. Once we moved on we didn't end up seeing anymore till the very end of the trek. We saw an additional 3 posted up near the kitchen where they make food for the park visitors. Once we boarded the boat we made out way to Rinca Island, which is the only other place in the whole world that hosts wild Komodo dragons. We had a similar experience and a similar walk through the park, but we ended up seeing close to 10 dragons at the end. We were told that the dragons on Rinca Island were far more aggressive, but are smaller. The males on Rinca reach the size of the females on Komodo, but the males on Komodo are typically 1.5-2x larger than the ones on Rinca (they all looked massive). Once we left Rinca island we got onto the boat one last time before we finally reached the end destination- Flores. When the boat finally reached the harbor I was elated to finally get on solid ground and grab a real shower. A bunch of us found accommodation and then went for Italian. The food on the boat was good, but it was nice to sit in a real chair, and have a stationary meal. Overall the trip was awesome and I got to meet a very fun group of people.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 16, 17, 18: Wakatobi, Gili Islands & Lombok, Indonesia

nnystrom — Thu, 2 Jun 2016 18:30:00 GMT

Wakatobi, Gili Islands & Lombok, Indonesia

The last couple weeks have been a compilation of jumping from one island to the next by every means of transport possible. I initially heard about Wakatobi from the dive school where I got certified, in Texas. The instructor at the school spoke very highly of the massive reefs, thriving corals and unbelievable sea life, so I decided to book a 4 day trip prior to me leaving the states. Since I was on Bali at the time I knew it was going to be a bit of a trek to make it there, but not to the extent it ended up being. I left Denpasar, Bali on Friday night and arrived in Makassar, Sulawesi that evening. I spent the night in Makassar and then woke up and flew to Kendari, Sulawesi, once we landed in Kendari I boarded another plane and flew to Wangi Wangi, one of the islands that makes up Wakatobi. I was picked up by a local driver and was dropped off at a ferry boat 25 minutes from the airport (the airport is 1 runway strip, 1 security scanner, 1 small baggage conveyor, and 15 seats in the gate area - smallest airport I have ever seen). Once we arrived at the ferry, the driver loaded my bag on the boat and I boarded. The boat is not a typical ferry I had been on previously, all it had was a large flatbed for everyone to sit on while the boat traveled to Kaledupa. The ride was approximately 2 hours and then I was picked up in a canoe and taken across the channel to Hoga Island. The dive "resort" was not a "resort" from our standards. I had a hammock, a bed with a mosquito net, a toilet bowl with no running water and a barrel of water to use to as a shower and to flush the toilet with. I was alone on this island with the exception of an old German couple, who were snorkeling there for the last 8 days. The island gets electricity from 5pm-7pm, so just enough time to charge cameras, phones, etc. I have some data on my Indonesian phone, but I essentially put it aside for the duration of my stay. Overall the accommodation was suitable, it was just hot and humid all the time. I will say that it was all worth it though because the diving was unbelievable. I was fortunate enough to be the sole diver with the dive master all 3 days of diving. We were the only people out there the entire time, not one single dive boat joined. Each day we went to different reefs that all showed a uniqueness to this part of the world. I saw a school of barracuda about 300 strong, several sea snakes, turtles, eels, many blue-spotted rays, and beautiful coral cliffs (30-40M deep). The experience was wonderful, despite the long journey to get there (24 hrs total) and somewhat dodgy accommodations.

*One side note is that Sulawesi has very few western travelers that visit, so from the moment I landed in Makassar I was constantly being stopped for pictures. I was collecting my bag at baggage claim and was immediately inundated with people shoving their camera phones in my face. At first it was kind of funny and a bit cool, but it took me close to 30 minutes to get to my taxi because of how many times I was stopped.

I left Wakatobi and in one day traveled all the way back, arriving in Bali around 9pm (4am wake up call to get back to Kaledupa). I checked into my hostel for two nights to do laundry and just spend some time figuring out next steps. I decided to take a speed boat from Bali to Gili Air, which is one of three islands about 1 hour from Bali. Gili Air is small and quiet, with no vehicles and only horse drawn carriages. I met a few people on the boat and we walked from the pier to our hostel. The hostel was great and it was tucked into the back of the island and was only about a 3 minute walk to the beach. I didn't do much here with the exception of one day we did a snorkel trip to all three Gili islands and then ate lunch on Gili Meno. The snorkeling trip was great because we actually got to see ~5 turtles that day and a bunch of other beautiful fish. The last day on Gili Air I just spent hanging by the beach and talking to other people. The next day I headed to Gili Trawangan with a few friends I had met and we picked the hostel noted for its social scene. I met a ton of new people there and I ended up staying for 4 nights as opposed to the planned 2. On Gili T you can basically dive or hang by the water, so since I just did a full 4 day diving trip and I have another in the Philippines coming up, I opted to just relax and get to know people. It was a great 4 days, but was happy to head to my next stop.

The final destination for this journal entry is going to hit on my trip to Lombok, which is a larger island about 15 minutes by ferry from Gili T. It is nearly the size of Bali, but has a completely different vibe. The number of westerns you see here are far less than in Bali and it made the stay more interesting for sure. Once I arrived in Lombok I met up with my friend, who I had met a few weeks prior in Bali. He had found a home stay (no real hostels on Lombok, almost entirely made up of home stays) that was only 90,000 rupiah a night (~$6.75 a night) and it included breakfast. I got a private room, a private bath and a queen bed (score!). The room didn't have AC, but it did have an oscillating fan, which honestly is all you really need when you have that much space to yourself. Once I dropped my stuff off we grabbed a few beers and ended up merging with a few guys from the Netherlands. We went out that night to the bar that was throwing the "party" and met a ton of other backpackers. We were staying in Kuta, which is one village on Lombok, since it is small only one venue stays open late each night. The bar had a live band and we spent several hours there before heading in for the night. The next day I finally bit the bullet and rented my first motorbike. I have been intentionally avoiding this for the last 2 months because of all the major injuries I have seen people walk away with. The problem is that on Lombok it is really the only way to get around, so I knew I needed to just do it. We then drove the bikes about 12 kilometers to the north to find Mawun beach, which was a beautifully enclosed bay with bright blue water. We spent the day there and then headed back around sunset. The next couple days kind of depicted the same type of agenda, but overall the stay on Lombok was great and really inexpensive. We did meet a few local guys who took us to some things that westerns really don't get exposed to and they certainly were experiences. If interested, ask me offline...

The final night on Lombok we all decided to book a 4 day/3 night boat cruise from Lombok to Flores (another Island in Indonesia). We were told there would be great snorkeling, potential opportunity to see manta rays and a visit to Komodo National Park, I have just returned from the trip and it was a great experience, but with some minor bumps along the way, stay tuned…

Neill

See photos here.

Location 13,14,15: Kuta, Seminyak & Ubud-Bali, Indonesia

nnystrom — Thu, 19 May 2016 19:37:00 GMT

Bali- Indonesia

When people hear the county name Bali they immediately have an idea of what it may be like. Bali often gets depicted in a way that alludes to beautiful beaches, lush vegetation and a "zen"-like atmosphere. After spending some time in Bali I can report back that it does exhibit many of those aspects, but not necessarily to the degree one would think. I arrived in Bali very late because my flight from Kuala Lumpur was delayed due to the nightly thunderstorms I experienced while visiting. We touched down around 1am and I grabbed a taxi, checked-in to my hostel and called it a night. The hostel I stayed in was quite social, so much so that it had a pool that all the rooms faced out to, so it was pretty easy to strike up a conversation with someone at any point during the day. The hostel included unlimited pancakes 24 hours a day, the only catch is you make them yourself. I am not going to lie, it felt kind of nice to actually cook something again.

My first morning I walked to grab a SIM card and then strolled to the beach nearby, which happened to be packed with vendors selling surf lessons. Bali apparently hosts a huge number of locals, who make their living by teaching visitors how to surf. It was only 10:30am and the entire beach was chaotic, including the water because everyone within a 5 km radius was there learning to surf. I was a bit overwhelmed by the number of people and didn't want to leave my belongings unattended, so I headed back to the hostel to see if I could grab some others to join. I ended up spending the rest of the day by the pool just mingling with all the other travelers. I met a bunch of cool people and ended up spending the rest of the week with them in various locations on the island. The hostel was located in Kuta, which is pretty far south and the first major location to visit once you leave the airport. I started talking to a few girls who were planning on trekking to the top of the volcano Batur, to watch the sunrise, so I asked if I could tag along. We booked the transport and were told to be ready for pickup at 1:00am that night/morning. I wasn't super thrilled about the early pickup time, but since I was still exhausted from arriving so late I figured it was a good excuse to go to sleep early.

I woke up at 12:45am, put my contacts in and jumped in our car headed for the base of the volcano. The ride to the volcano was 2 hours and our driver decided to take a nap 45 minutes in, so for the next hour and change we traded off who got to keep the driver awake. Once we made it to the base (in one piece) we started up the trail, which ended up being close to a 2 hour hike. The first hour wasn't terrible, but it was humid, the second hour was rough because it was almost entirely straight up. The volcanic soil definitely made it difficult to traverse, but once we reached the top it was all worth it. The sun started coming up about 30 minutes after reaching the top and the views were honestly really amazing. It ended up being mildly cloudy, which normally would hinder the views, but in this instance it made the view beautiful. The volcano faces another large set of mountains, so the pictures we were able to get looked great. We spent the next hour on the peak of the crater and then took the steep trail back down, we only had one fall between the four of us and it wasn't me….overall success!

The second day I joined a few people and we went to the beach for a few hours and then ended up meeting some others at our pool. We spent the afternoon there just hanging out and then went out for a couple hours. I only had three nights in Kuta before we went to our next location, so I didn't stay out too long. In the morning I shared a cab with a new friend to Seminyak. Seminyak is kind of the higher end area of Bali, it hosts a number of organic restaurants/cafes, boutique lodging and a ton of shopping. Once we arrived in our 43 bed hostel, I dropped off my bags and took a couple of strangers up on their offer to go to the beach. I spent the afternoon there and then walked to get a $6 - 1 hour massage. In the evening I hung out at the hostel and met a ton of cool people, which ended up being great because I met up with a few of them a day or two later in Ubud. In the morning before we left I took a recommendation from a friend and grabbed breakfast at this great place called Nook. It is situated, off the beaten path, on a rice field plantation. The views are pretty spectacular all the way around and I haven't been to a place like it before. The food was great and the surroundings even better.

Ubud was my favorite place in Bali for a number of reasons, but mostly it was because of all the things you can do there. A friend and I took a cab the hour north and went to our guest house. The one we originally booked ended up overbooking us, so we walked about half a block to the next guest house that had beds available. We got a shared twin room that ended up being one of the cleanest rooms I have stayed in since my trip started. The rooms in Ubud don't often come with AC, so it was a bit hot, but besides the temperature the place was great. We got in touch with some of our friends we met in Kuta and walked 5 minutes to the Monkey Forest. The Monkey Forest is literally a jungle sanctuary in the center of town that has hundreds of monkeys running throughout it. The forest also has several temples and various structures that make for prime harassment points. The monkeys bombard you if they think you have something they can eat, I bought a bunch of bananas and was assaulted by one of the larger monkeys within two feet of where I bought the bananas. We spent about an 1.5 hr there then went and grabbed some food. We went to the hostel that our friends stayed in (the one we checked-in to the following day) and then out with some others from there. Overall it was a great first night in Ubud.

The 2nd day in Ubud I got up early, brought my backpack to my new location and then headed out for my whitewater rafting trip. The trip ended up being a lot more fun than I thought, but also a bit more strenuous than I thought too. Even though I didn't necessarily have to paddle that hard, it was difficult to fight your way around some of the large boulders. A group of Chinese tourists flipped their raft in front of us and all of them went flying down the river. One of the guides called out for them to stand up and everyone took direction with the exception of one struggling woman, so our boat ended up having to pick her ass up out of the water. She was thankful and I couldn't stop laughing at her perfect display of how to be dead weight. Once we got to the end point we had to take 300 stairs to the top of the valley to meet the driver, it was a real ass kick. They fed us lunch once we got to the loading point and then from there we went back to the hostel. I spent the rest of the afternoon hanging by the pool and meeting new people. My favorite take away from Bali was definitely the people I met, which is great because I plan on crossing paths with some of them later on in my trip.

Information on my first dive trip will be coming next…

Neill

See photos here.

Location 11,12: Kuala Lumpur & Penang, Malaysia

nnystrom — Fri, 13 May 2016 16:48:00 GMT

Kuala Lumpur & Penang - Malaysia

Humidity showed itself in a whole new way when I arrived into Kuala Lumpur. My flight from Phuket got me into KL around midnight and then it was a train and a taxi ride to my hostel. I was completely exhausted, so once I checked in I went to bed. I woke up my first morning in KL with no plans and no real idea of what the next few days would bring. I ended up meeting another lone traveler early that morning and he and I took the monorail to the Batu Caves. The Batu Caves are a set of two different caves carved into the side of a pretty huge mountain top. The inside of the caves were pretty spectacular as they were just so massive and it is one of those times where you really are amazed by nature. The largest cave sits on top of a massive staircase that is swarmed by grabby monkeys. Once I finally reached the top (after soaking through my entire t-shirt) we were able to see the temple that resides inside the cave and just the vast openness. Despite the horrible humidity it was definitely something I enjoyed being able to see. We hopped back on the monorail and headed back to the hostel to change clothes. The hostel is right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, so the options on where to eat are pretty endless. We made our way to the indoor "central market", which is basically a large building filled with vendors selling everything you could image. It had booths for jewelry, woodwork, clothes, food, etc. We ended up eating at the food court, which consisted of all things Malay. The interesting part of Malaysia is that it is a very blended culture with huge influences from China and India. The majority of the country is Muslim, so you also see hints of Middle Eastern cultures as well. I ended up going with standard Malay food and ordered a spicy vegetable Laksa. In the evening we again got on the train and headed to the Petronas Twin Towers. I was a huge fan of "Entrapment" growing up, so actually getting to stand outside of these towers was a pretty cool moment. The skyline of KL is pretty incredible and the size of these two skyscrapers does not disappoint. I am really glad I made my way over there in the evening because not only is it a nesting ground for locals and tourists alike, but it also is beyond impressive to see the two towers completely illuminated. The pictures I got to take were awesome.

Once we finished up outside of the towers we headed inside to the monstrous mall. It has every store you find in a mall back in the states, plus some brands more specific to Asia. It was unbelievable to me to see how crowded this mall was because typically shopping centers back home only look this packed on Black Friday. We grabbed some food from one of the places in the food court and then got on the free bus to Bukit Bingtang. Bukit Bingtang is the nightlife part of Kuala Lumpur, it is full of restaurants, bars and shops. We found a spot that had a decent price on beer and just sat and watched people for an hour or so, since it was still super hot and humid late at night, I called it a night and headed back.

My second day in KL was similar to the first in that I woke up pretty early and headed out straight away. It is much easier to get some activities done in the morning before the heat really kicks in. My friend and I took a short walk to the National Mosque of Malaysia, which ended up being a pretty unique experience. Upon arriving we were asked to remove our shoes and to put on a purple hooded robe. Once inside we were allowed to walk through each room, with the exception of the prayer room as that is for Muslims only. It was a really beautiful structure and you can definitely sense the importance it has to the Muslims locally and globally. Once we finished up at the Mosque I headed over to the major train station in KL to grab my high speed train ticket to Penang (for the following day). Once I got back to the hostel I changed and went walking through KL's Chinatown. It is massive and has more vendors than possible to count. I didn't end up buying anything, but it is totally worth a walk through if you ever find yourself in this city. In the evening I ended up back in the central market food court and got a great Indian spread.

The next morning I woke up and headed to the monorail station to get myself to my train to Penang. Penang is an island off the west cost of Malaysia that has a really nice, relaxed vibe. Once I exited the train I took the short walk to the ferry station, where I got onto the ferry and over to the hostel. Once I checked-in I began starting to get the lay of the land. I found a few people in the hostel that were planning on meeting up with some others that evening for a final night before they took off the next morning. I had a blast getting their perspective on some of the other countries I will be going to and also suggestions on what to do in Penang. The overall advice I got for Penang was to walk around a lot during the day, so you can eat as much as possible each day. They weren't wrong! Penang has some of the best food I have eaten since being away and each meal seemed to get better than the last.

On day 2 in Penang I woke up and took the bus over to the other side of the island to check out the Batu Ferringhi, the tourist part of Penang. I was a bit disappointed because the beaches in Penang really are nothing special. They are inhabited by some really beautiful hotels and resorts, but the water itself was a bit underwhelming. I hung out by the water for a bit and then walked across the street and got another awesome Indian meal. I got back on the bus and took the hour ride back to the area I was staying in. I grabbed my book and ended up just reading the rest of the afternoon, then that night I went and got some cheap dim sum. The third day I woke up very early and headed to the Penang National Park. It had two different treks and one of them ended with a stop at Monkey Beach. I chose that route as it was a bit shorter and allowed for me to cool off once I arrived, figured it would be nothing too challenging…wrong. The humidity was so intense that within the first 10 minutes I was dripping sweat and having to crawl over fallen trees and ducking from hanging vines. If I wasn't fortunate enough to see some seriously giant lizards and active monkeys I probably would have been pissed about the effort I put into make it to the beach. Once I got to the water I was again disappointed by the clarity and the actual beach itself. I waded into the water and hung out for about 10 minutes and then started the hour trek back to the entrance. I took the bus back to the hostel and passed out till dinner. I met up with a couple people in the hostel and grabbed dinner at another great restaurant.

The last two days in Penang were pretty relaxed as I knew my next stop in Bali was going to be a very social/outgoing environment. I ended up finding a coffee shop or restaurant to camp out in and read or use Wifi. Penang was a great place to save money because the food was cheap and most of the things I did to entertain myself were essentially free.

I just wrapped up a week in Bali and am heading to Wakatobi, Indonesia for a 4 day dive trip. I will post about Bali and the dive trip soon, stay tuned….

Neill

See photos here.

Location 9,10: Phuket & Koh Phi Phi, Thailand

nnystrom — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 19:54:00 GMT

Phuket & Koh Phi Phi-Thailand

We found the Americans! Up until we arrived in Phuket, we had met maybe 4 Americans…the only non-Thai citizens we encountered were citizens from Asia, Europe, South America, and our neighbors to the north- Canadians. Traveling to Phuket was another lengthy journey that required ferry boats, buses and minivans (unless you fly $$). The minivan ride was only supposed to take 3 hrs, but ended up taking closer to 5 hrs when it was all said and done (whole trip was ~12 hrs). Once we arrived in our hostel we got changed and went out for the night. The hostel we were staying at is only a 3 minute walk to Bangla road and this is the place to be if you ever make your way to Phuket, because it is filled with bars, restaurants, and all things "nightlife". We met a group of Americans, who are in the navy and were stationed for the night, so we ended up hanging with them for the evening. We went to a few bars including a Ping Pong show….which I will spare the details on. It was an experience to say the least and probably one that I would not need to see again. Overall- it was a long day of traveling, so I was happy to put my head on a pillow and go to sleep.

On day 2 we walked to Patong Beach (known for being destroyed by the 2004 Tsunami), which again was only a short stroll from our lodging. We spent almost the whole day there, we walked to a stand serving some really amazing kebab wraps, we brought them back to the hostel and then I called it a night (I stayed in and watched "Spotlight" - great movie). As I said before, picking and choosing the nights I go out is very important, as spending money on drinks/entertainment is really the thing that eats away at one's budget. The third day was very similar to the second, in that, I hit the beach for a few hours to read and Alexa looked around the markets for different things to take back stateside. We walked to another hostel that had really great reviews for its Thai food. The folks who reviewed them weren't kidding because it ended up being some of the best curry I've had. We hung out with some of the other backpackers in our hostel, but ultimately went to sleep as our friend Rachael was arriving at 8:30am.

On the final day in Phuket (Rachael in-tow….thanks again for being a trooper and coming out the whole day) we were advised that "Freedom Beach" had some of the best water on the island. We took a short cab to the walking point (bumpy as hell- riding on shit terrain) and then started the walk down. It was one of those moments where we realized that bartering our price down for the taxi, made us vulnerable to being screwed over. The walk down to the beach could be described as treacherous for various reasons, but mostly because the trajectory was equal to a wall. It was sandy, but also covered in rocks, crevices, loose branches, etc and it was nearly impossible to stay stable. We also were lugging a bunch of crap, so it was uncomfortable to put it lightly. Once we made it down we saw a nice set of stairs around the edge of the forest and realized the taxi driver thoughtfully dropped us off away from that entry point (asshole). Once we got down to the water it was unanimous that it was totally worth it. The water was so blue and clear that you could see straight down, plus just beyond the first 20 yards of water there was some great snorkeling spots. We spent the whole day there including a short game of sand volleyball with some Italian travelers. Once we returned back to the hostel we took our time showering and decompressing from the day, then headed out with all the other hostel goers. I had to leave around 2am to wait for my brother, Blake, and other friend, Jasmeet- who were flying into Phuket that night/morning. Once I got to the hostel I got a few messages indicating Blake was delayed and that when he had arrived the airline had lost his bag. Blake was actually supposed to arrive the same morning as Rachael, but the airline cancelled his flight and rebooked him for the next day. Long story short- flying across the world is never easy and the two of them didn't actually get to the hostel till 4:15am. Our ferry to Koh Phi Phi had an 8:30am pickup, so we immediately went to sleep and woke up to catch out shuttle.

The ferry over to Phi Phi was great and it allowed us to have a bunch of different views of the island. Once we arrived we took our stuff to our hotel, checked-in and then moved around the island for lunch/sightseeing. We ended up meeting with some of the people that Alexa and I had met on Koh Tao, so it was fun seeing some familiar faces. Everyone was pretty exhausted, so we did make it home at a somewhat reasonable hour.

The second day on Phi Phi ended up being one of the best days because we took a 45 minute walk along the edge of the island to "Long Beach" and it was beautiful. We had brought a bunch of Chang (Thai beer) and spent most of the day there just meeting new people and figuring out ideas for later in the trip. One of the things that I really appreciated about this particular beach was that it wasn't that easy to get to, so it allowed us to see a huge part of the island that is off the beaten path. We decided we didn't want to take the long trek back, so we hired a long tail boat to drop us off at the pier near our hotel. The same night we met up with our Welsh friends that we had met in Koh Samui and went out for a few hours. They had also told us about this booze cruise they were doing the following day and recommended we join. At the time I was apprehensive because the cost seemed steep, but ended up being totally worth it.

The third day was the cruise, so we got up early and bought tickets for the boat and then met at the pier around 1pm. The cruise ended up lasting close to 7 hours and they took us all over the islands. The first stop was "Monkey Beach" and it literally is a series of limestone cliffs that lead into clear blue water that is totally inhabitated by monkeys. The crew handed out bananas and different fruit and we actually were able to hand feed the little guys (in reality- a terrible idea as they get somewhat aggressive) and whether we wanted to or not; swim with them. The monkeys would dive-bomb off the cliffs at you, I actually grabbed one and it crawled up my shoulder to sit on my head. The second stop was this beautiful lagoon where we just sat in diapers (life jackets inverted to sit in) and got to just hang/socialize, which allowed us to get to know everyone on the cruse pretty well. The third stop was a really quiet snorkeling point on the reverse side of Maya beach and next to a giant limestone boulder. We were able to see some puffer fish, schools of fish and swim through a short cave (Blake, Alexa and I were the only people on the whole ship who did it!). The next stop was one more snorkeling point and then finally Maya beach. Maya beach is famous in Koh Phi Phi because of the views and scenery surrounding it. Our final day on Phi Phi was pretty low-key and it was really just an opportunity to hangout as a group before everyone took off. Jasmeet, Alexa, and Rachael flew out the next day, so we took the first ferry back that next morning and headed to airport shortly after. Blake and I had one more day to hang out, but I was flying to Malaysia that night and Blake back to the states very early the next day (3am flight - ouch), so we just hung at the hotel pool/nearby beach.

I'm now sitting in my hostel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia thinking about the last 30 days in Thailand. I have definitely had some moments where I was ready to be back home, but those definitely were outweighed by the moments I wanted to stay. I would like to thank my friends/family who traveled all the way to the other side of the world to visit and a special thanks to Alexa for sticking it out for the full 30 days!

Neill

See photos here.

Location 7,8: Koh Tao & Koh Samui, Thailand

nnystrom — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 22:04:00 GMT

Koh Tao & Koh Samui- Thailand

In January I was certified for open water scuba diving and after hearing from multiple people I knew I needed to make my way to Koh Tao. Koh Tao (located in the Gulf of Thailand) is known for its diving because it is surrounded by an extensive sequence of reefs that are inhabited by a wide variety of sea life. The first morning we were there I got up early and walked to Sairee Beach, which is the main part of the island, to find a dive shop with reasonable prices. I landed on the dive shop "Pura Vida", which is a Spanish run dive shop on the island and I have to say I loved it. The folks that work there are all Spanish transplants, who moved to Koh Tao to dive. They literally live and breath scuba, so their energy definitely got me excited. I managed to secure a day with two dives for roughly $48 total….if you are a diver, I am sure your jaw is on the ground. I also was really impressed by how cheap it was, because it included all the gear, a dive group of no more than 4, and two different reefs. I booked the dive and headed out.

Our first full day on the island was the Thai New Year, it is called Songkran. The whole country celebrates and each city has its own style/vibe on how they go about it. In short- the whole country participates in a water fight (metaphorically cleansing oneself of sins and bad luck) and they do not hold back. Alexa and I put on our bathing suits, waterproof cellphone bags and headed to Sairee Beach. It was only about 10:30am, so the day hadn't really begun, we walked passed a few people with water guns, but they let us slide by. Once we got to the main strip we were screwed, we saw a big group of people with buckets and guns full of water, the first thing I hear is "they look dry" and then it all kicked off. We were soaked from head to toe, so we looked at each other and knew we needed a new strategy for the day. We went back to the hostel, grabbed more cash, dropped off our beach gear and went to buy water guns. We bit the bullet and spent the $10-15 on the guns, which ended up being the smartest purchase of the day. We participated in a water fight on the beach for 6 straight hours. The beach was filled with 19-65 year olds just dosing people with sea water, hose water, beer, you name it. I was hesitant, but ended up having a really fun time. I am glad to say we did Songkran on the islands, because the pictures of Bangkok and Chiang Mai made we think I would have walked away with some type of illness. The water in Thailand is not filtered, so it was important to try and remember to keep your mouth closed when being bombarded by hundreds super soakers.

The second day we took a ferry to Ko Nang Yuan island, which was only about 15 minutes by boat. It is a really beautiful, small island that is created by three pieces of land, connected by a large sandbar, that splits it into three different beaches. It is something that looks like it was man made because of how unique it is, I have never seen something like it. We snorkeled off the beach for a couple hours that morning and then we headed back to Koh Tao. You can only reach it by ferry or long tail boat and we ended up spending close to an hour just trying to find a way back. It is was one of those times where speaking Thai would have been invaluable, because it started to feel like no one gave a shit about helping us; however, we ended up getting back…eventually. We then spent the rest of the day at a beach about 5 minutes from our hostel where you could walk out 100 yards and still only have water up to your knees, it was very cool.

The third day i woke up at 6:15am and headed down to the main pier to meet up with my dive group. We loaded the boat with all the gear and headed to the first reef, "Green Rock". The instructions were all given in Spanish, so with the anxiety I was feeling I may have only picked up on 75% of what was said. We attached our BCDs to the tank, put on wetsuits/fins/mask and jumped right in. The morning we were out there ended up having a really strong current, so we had to free swim out to a tow line with waves bobbing us up and down. One of the divers in my group was having a hell of a time traversing the current, so it actually took us close to 15 minutes before we could deflate and start descending. Luckily the the tow line was anchored to the sea floor, which helps guide the descent down. Since it was my first dive in a large body of water I was very nervous (which doesn't help the air conservation process!), but I was able to equalize pretty quickly and we started the swim at around 16 meters (~52 feet). Green Rock has these coral formations that make these tunnels, so we literally swam under ledges, which freaked me out a bit, but ended up being really awesome. I was too nervous to bring my camera down on the first dive, as I felt it would have been too much to juggle, I was bummed because in the first tunnel there was a grouper that was about 4.5 feet long and a circumference equally as big. It was intimidating seeing it in a confined space because there was really only one way out. We moved around viewing different schools of fish and really beautiful corals for the next 35-40 minutes and then we headed back up. The second dive was at "White Rock", which ended up being my favorite of the two. White Rock was more expansive and actually allowed us to get deeper, down to 20 meters (65 feet). In the first 3 minutes we turned around the reef and saw a 5 foot eel scaling the reef wall and then we looked to our right and saw a blue spotted sting ray just hanging on the bottom (saw 3 more). I was far more comfortable this time around and it got me really excited for my dive trips in Indonesia and the Philippines! I am really glad I took the opportunity to do this because it is a very calming experience down below and you really get the chance to see what life is like below the surface. All in all Koh Tao was wonderful, despite the shit wifi, and smelly hostel.

We bought ferry tickets and headed to Koh Samui (largest island in the Gulf of Thailand- about 2 hours from Koh Tao). Koh Samui is absolutely beautiful and to be really honest all we did there was hang by the water. The beaches are perfect, with clear blue water and soft sand. One of the days we did buy a day pass for a beach club/resort where we were able to hang by the pool and relax. We got lucky and met some really fun people while there, who we will most likely end up seeing again on Koh Phi Phi. I would go into more details, but they would get pretty monotonous as I said it was very much a "lay on your ass" enivornment. One thing that we did do was we went to our hostel owner's friend's Greek restaurant (2x) and I have to say it was one of the best meals I've had in Thailand. The owner of the restaurant moved from Greece to Koh Samui and his food reflected just how Greek he was. We had some of the freshest produce and meats that we have seen and it did not disappoint. If you ever find yourself on Koh Samui I highly recommend you go to Olive Tree near the Mercure hotel.

We just arrived in Phuket and will be heading to Koh Phi Phi on sunday (+ 2 more friends & my brother).

Neill

See pictures here.

Location 4,5,6: Krabi, Railay, & Koh Lanta, Thailand

nnystrom — Mon, 11 Apr 2016 18:14:00 GMT

Krabi, Railay, Koh Lanta Thailand-

Leaving Pai we knew that we wanted to get down to the islands of southern Thailand. We had crossed paths with many travelers, who had just come from the south, and they really sold us on the need to make our way there (especially since Chris was leaving soon). We booked flights from Chiang Mai to Krabi, which meant we needed to take the windy road back to Chiang Mai from Pai. Finally- after the 3 hr trek back to Chiang Mai we headed to the airport. We landed in Krabi around 7pm, so we checked into our hostel and started figuring the lay of the land. The hostel in Krabi was awesome, granted it was boiling hot outside, but the rooms were well air-conditioned and the company was great. The coolest thing about the hostel in Krabi was that they had a legitimate nightlife staff, who dedicated their evenings to making sure the hostel residents had the best night possible. The hostel itself was connected to a bar called "Playground" and it was a great place to meet up with others in town. We ended up playing in a beer pong tournament that night and then after we went out with a couple of the people from our room. They happened to be from Chile, so I also got to speak Spanish all night. Overall- it was a great start to this leg of the journey.

The next morning we bought tickets for a long tail boat from the pier in Krabi to Railay (Krabi itself isn't a major hub for beaches, so most people take ferries/boats to neighboring islands). Railay was beautiful, it was our first glimpse into the islands and they do not disappoint. The green waters transitioning into pale blue, with limestone cliffs touching the beach make for some amazing pictures. We spent the day lying in the sand and just enjoying the environment. We ended up leaving the first spot and moving a bit further out (West Railay), where we had to walk by a bunch of monkeys (gibbons). The monkeys were perched up on fences, seating areas and trash cans, they got grabby periodically and would snatch a person's water bottle or any object next to them. The monkeys really do have their own unique personality, I particularly liked the ones picking bugs off one another's backs. Once we made it to the other side there were some amazing views and again beautiful water to swim in. I found it particularly hilarious watching the beach-goers do photo shoots with hired island photographers, I can't really illustrate it to where it would be funny to read, but just know some of the shots were laugh out loud funny.

In the morning we booked ferry tickets to head to Koh Lanta and I am so glad we did. Chris only had 2 more days with us on the trip so, it was the perfect place to end his stay. Koh Lanta was about 3 hrs from Krabi, by ferry, and when we arrived the sun was literally beating down on us. After a long ride by boat we ended up grabbing lunch next to our hostel and then planned our evening. We walked along the beach right before sunset and found a restaurant/bar that had setup these little seating areas right on the sand. They were covered in these matted rugs with pillows and tables. We had a front row seat to the sunsetting directly over the Andaman Sea. The whole day and evening was completely cloudless, so the sun set in an open sky….breathtaking. It was one of those moments where you feel really grateful to be right where you are, at that exact moment. We then took a 20 minute tuk tuk ride to a bar on the other side of the island where we ended up meeting a couple Americans teaching English in Bangkok. We spent the night talking with them and then headed back to the hostel.

The next day we got up really early and headed down to the other end of the beach, where we posted up for much of the morning. I ended up staying on the beach for a couple more hours by myself, which included an uncomfortable solicitation for a menage a trois from a man and his wife (I assume). I politely declined and then headed back to the hostel. Since the sunset, the night prior, was so damn beautiful we decided we should eat right on the beach. The second night's sunset may have out done the first because there were clouds overhead, so we got to see this beautiful pink and orange sky. The view was definitely one of the best sites thus far! We decided on a beach front restaurant that was doing an ocean front BBQ, right on the sand. The difference between our Texas BBQ and this one was that the food was just swimming a few hours before. I got a full red snapper, Chris had a whole young tuna and Alexa had the white snapper fillet (much larger fish). The restaurant let us pick out our fish, plus our choice of side (we all got baked potatoes). They grilled the fish right next to our table, on a wood burning grate, so you know that what you picked out was what you were served. The food was amazing and you could taste just how fresh those fish were. I was licking bones clean, no joke. The next morning we said our goodbye's to Chris, then Alexa and I headed to Koh Tao (here currently- journal entry to follow).

I am so glad I got to experience part of this adventure with great friends because these memories can be shared forever. I want to give a special thanks to Chris for being a trooper and joining me on this venture on the other side of the world. Stay tuned- my first dive is coming up!

Neill

See photos here.

Location 3: Pai, Thailand

nnystrom — Sat, 9 Apr 2016 20:49:00 GMT

Pai, Thailand-

Do you remember the game where you could drop a quarter into the circular base and it would spin around and around? To put it lightly, that spinning motion would have been a vacation in comparison to the ride from Chiang Mai to Pai. Pai is a smaller town, in northern Thailand, roughly 150 kilometers from Chiang Mai. It took approximately 3 hrs by minivan (completely filled with backpackers) with the entire ride consisting of sharp curve, followed by sharp curve, followed by, once again, a sharp curve. If you suffer even slightly from motion sickness, please do not go here. We had a couple folks in our van with their hands permanently cupping their mouths, as to hold back the vomit. We spoke with a few others and their rides consisted of plastic bags being filled with upchuck as well. Not an easy place to get to, but definitely worth the trip. I would consider Pai to be Thailand's very own little "hippie haven", but it also has historical and religious components as well. The first thing that struck me were the number of tatted up/dreadlocks sporting individuals…the population there was very much reminiscent of south Austin, Texas. I appreciated everyone there that I met because they really make no apologies for the vibe of Pai and I liked that they weren't trying to make it something it wasn't.

The hostel we stayed at was awesome and the staff could not have been more friendly. Over the front bar/reception desk sits a "shot" board, which tallies the number of shots taken by travelers rolled up to a total, which corresponds to their native country. We opted to make a "Tex Mex" category and we may have made a few contributions throughout the 2 days we were there. One house rule is you are allowed to remove tallies from other countries, but you still are required to take a shot to do so. The front area had hammocks, bean bag chairs and a bunch of floor pillows, which tended nicely to striking up conversations with strangers. Since we had been on the move so much since arriving in Thailand we really just took a couple days to relax and walk around a bit. Pai had some really amazing street food vendors and the price point was always supportive of my budget. The streets were flooded with restaurants, thai massage parlors and various tour centers. I did cave and spend the $6 on a 60 minute Thai back massage, which was an experience to say the least. You enter into an air-conditioned room with pads on the floor. You are told to lie face down on the pad and then the little Thai masseuse contorts your limbs into some very questionable positions. I made wincing faces the entire time, but by the end I did feel great.

We kept being advised that the best way to navigate around Pai was by motor scooter, but I was more than apprehensive. I am finally at a point with my back recovery, where I am feeling like my old self and I was worried about taking a tumble. I am glad we opted out of the motor bikes because every 5 steps you saw someone wrapped head to toe in bandages. The streets surrounding the main city blocks were not super well-paved, so slight adjustments or quick glances away resulted in some serious battle wounds. We spent one day at a place called "Fluid", which was a huge refreshing pool in the middle of the Thai mountains. It was nice to just relax and hang by some water, because there has not been a single day where the temperature and humidity have not been extremely high. The place had a really cool vibe and by midday it was totally packed. The venue had some badass potato wedges.

Our last evening in Pai the hostel cooked up a huge barbecue and the food was really delicious. The thing that is so great about this part of the world is that there are markets everywhere, with really fresh food (not always to my sanitation standards), so you can walk through the different food stalls and get inspired. The staff made roasted potatoes, grilled chicken wings, fried rice, pork with red onions, and some fresh salads. It was all wonderful, plus only 100 baht ($3.50 - all you can eat…or till it runs out-which it did). All the staff, their friends, plus all of us staying in the hostel intermingled for the rest of the night. The whole evening was great and we only suffered a 20 minute power outage. I met some great people with some awesome advice for the coming months. Even though our time in Pai was short, I think it really set a precedent for me on what kinds of relationships/friendships can be made while traveling. Many of the individuals we met have been around the world and back just so they can be with the people they met in Pai years before. I am excited to see what comes next or if I will cross paths with these people again.

Next up, southern Thailand. Our first stop- Krabi!

Neill

See photos here.

Location 2: Chiang Mai, Thailand

nnystrom — Tue, 5 Apr 2016 19:36:00 GMT

Chiang Mai, Thailand

We left Bangkok by overnight train to Chiang Mai- a city in the northern part of Thailand, that hosts a far cleaner and tranquil atmosphere. The train ride was definitely an adventure for various reasons, but I am really glad we decided to go that route. Although flights are quite inexpensive from BKK to Chiang Mai, they definitely don't offer the same type of experience. We rode in the 2nd class sleeper cabin, where you are assigned an upper or lower berth. The train departed Hua Lamphong (Bangkok's railway station) at 6:15pm and we arrived in Chiang Mai at 8:00am. The ride itself consisted of car attendants hocking items like orange juice and food, talking with other travelers about where they were before or where they are off to next, and general quiet time. By 8:30pm all of the beds had been made up and it was the passenger's cue to close your curtain and shut up. The ride itself wasn't terrible, it just took much longer than by car because of frequent stops. The best part was at sunrise when you look out your window and see the beautiful Thai countryside. I was taken aback at how green and lush this part of Thailand was.

Once we de-boarded the train, we hopped in one of the many red trucks (Chiang Mai's version of a taxi) and arrived at our hostel. We dropped off our bags, chatted with a few other backpackers and all rode together to Sri Suphan Temple (wat). The temple is completely covered in silver and just outside of the temple were some traditional Thai dancers, who were actually giving a live performance. The temple can only be entered by men and appropriate dress is required. From there we went directly to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (15 kilometers outside Chiang Mai), which is one of the largest temples in Chiang Mai and is quite a hike from where the red truck dropped us off. Doi Suthrep is the name of the mountain that the temple is built upon and to get to the top you must walk up a monstrous set of stairs. The walk was well worth it because the views were unbelievable. It was one of the first moments where I was really grateful I decided to go on this trip because often times I wasn't sure if I made the right choice (I know now- I did!). The quietness at the top of this temple-looking out was a really wonderful moment. Since we were running on a poor night's sleep (bumpy train car wasn't conducive to ample sleeping conditions) we headed back to the hostel for some down time. We collected ourselves and met up with our new friends, then headed to the Ladyboy Cabaret. The plan was to attend one of these shows in Bangkok, but I am glad we did it here. The prices in Chiang Mai are much lower and the crowds aren't nearly as big. The show was a riot and it ended up being a blast (I had lipstick stains on my neck for 2 days). The performers had no shame groping the audience and we were front row, so we had our fair share of attention. Once the show was over we perused the Night Bazaar for a bit then headed to an area known for its nightlife. I was beat by 1am, so we decided to call it. I'm coming from a mindset that a good night's sleep and a productive day is far more gratifying than a late night party.

Day 2 was much more low key and it was a welcomed change. The three of us (Alexa, Chris and I) walked to Chinatown and did some serious eating. We tried a bunch of different street foods and then stumbled upon a stand w/ indoor seating that has accolades for the best Pad Thai in Thailand (who really knows??). The meal was excellent and for 35 baht (1 USD), it was literally right on the money. In the evening we were picked up by a van and taken to a cooking class. It was mixed with fellow travelers, so it was a fun social event to boot. We had the happiest instructor and she really did a great job. The class offered several options and allowed for some menu customization. I cooked 4 different items: pad see ew, vegetable spring rolls, tom sab soup and a homemade green curry. The night was going great until the green curry. If you aren't aware, curry is really a blend of several different spices and chile peppers, with varying levels of heat. Green curry is extremely spicy and it's because it is made primarily out of green Thai chiles. If you haven't had one before and you can take the heat, I recommend it. would advise to keep it in your mouth and not your eye…which was my biggest mistake of the trip thus far (worse than overpaying for a suit). The process to make curry is to take bunches of chile and pulverize them in a mortar and pestle, until it forms a spreadable paste. I was nearing the right consistency until 2 seeds shot from mortar directly into my right eye. Big mistake, HUGE- I couldn't see and the pain was excruciating. I ripped my contact out, but it didn't help, my eye cried for the next 2 hours. I tried to salvage my lens, but after 5 rinses it was still no good (another lesson learned). Despite the physical pain from the chile incident it actually was a really fun event and I learned a lot. I consider myself pretty proficient in the kitchen, so learning new cooking techniques is always exciting. On the walk back home I had to stop and do the fish "spa", which is basically a large tank of Garra rufa ("doctor fish") that opens from the top for you to put your feet into. The fish eat all the dead skin from your toes and feet, the constant nibbling took some serious getting used to. I am happy to report that the bottoms of my feet are far smoother than before the fish spa.

Our final day in Chiang Mai was a visit to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. It was approx. 1.5 hrs outside of Chiang Mai in a very remote spot. The truck that took us there had to navigate up some very long and curvy roads that are embedded into the rolling hills of northern Thailand. The last 5 minutes of the drive were literally over rough jungle terrain that teeters directly next to a massive drop off (imminent death and dismemberment). The drive was totally worth it because the time with the elephants was absolutely awesome. Chaing Mai has many elephant camps and they all fall on a different spectrum of humaneness. We learned a lot while we were there and the gist of it is that elephants really aren't meant to be ridden. Although they are strong animals the temperature and hours of walking travelers around can really wear on their overall health. In Chiang Mai, many of the elephant camps are notoriously known for poor treatment of their elephants. The instructors use hooks and tools to beat the animals until they succumb to any command, which often times is long difficult walks through rough vegetation (with people on their backs) or leveling land to make clearings for crops. The Jungle Sanctuary allowed us to interact with the elephants, but in a humane way that keeps the elephants happy and us too! We fed them bananas and corn stalks, then took them down to the river for them to drink. Once we did that we were allowed to get into a mud bath with them, which literally entailed getting into a massive mud pit (filled with water) and rubbing mud all over their skin. The mud helps the elephants stay cool in the blistering heat. Once we finished with the mud pit we walked them down to this waterfall where we spent about 20 minutes having a water fight with the elephants. A small side note, watching an elephant relieve his/herself is pure comedy, they get into this hilarious stance and let it rip. It was a blast and really cool to be hands on with these guys. The elephants were all rescued from other elephant parks (with the exception of the baby), so they spend their days doing what I just described. I really do believe they live happy lives here, so I was glad we picked this location.

Tomorrow we are off to Pai, Thailand.

Neill

See photos here.

Location 1: Bangkok, Thailand

nnystrom — Sun, 3 Apr 2016 16:30:00 GMT

Location 1: Bangkok, Thailand

"Finally" was the only thought when we touched down at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. It was a long haul, but felt great to actually step out of the double wide doors into destination #1, with many more to come. I am traveling with two friends, Alexa and Chris for the first leg of the journey and I have to say it might be a bigger blessing than I had anticipated. The weather (hot and humid are delicate words for the climate), language barrier, traffic and overall differences between home and here are huge. Not only do I wake up and go to sleep exactly 12 hours later than I did previously, but the way of life is 180 degrees from what I considered "reality".

Once we landed we jumped in a taxi and headed to the hotel. We booked a room for the first few nights (as I will be spending the majority of my nights in hostels) to help acclimate our bodies and minds faster. I will admit, this was a smart idea, because Bangkok is big and intimidating. We woke up after a few hours of restless sleep and got on with what we thought was an "epic" first day…wrong, so wrong.

For any of you readers that have managed to traverse Bangkok scam-free and regret-free, I envy you. The three of us fell victim to what now appears to be one of the biggest charade's the city has to offer. We started our first day with no agenda, but quickly determined that we should hop on the Skytrain and head to the Grand Palace. After arriving at our stop, to jump on the boat shuttle, on the Chaya Phraya, I was stopped by a polite gentleman gawking at my height. He wrote out an elaborate plan, on my pamphlet map, and ushered us to the nearest tuk tuk. The tuk tuk driver brought us to the first stop (Lucky Buddha), which was a pretty neat spot. We took a few pictures, donated 20 baht, and were ready to keep on…till a well spoken Thai man, with very proficient English approached us. The guy was a smooth talker and roped us in, he told us about his pregnant wife, his three sons, his life as a tax attorney, and his father. We ate up his entire story before he delivered us some information that we couldn't pass up. He told us that we should go to a particular clothier shop where we could get custom suits made, at the best quality, for what seemed like very little cost. The shop supposedly had the same tailor that works on suit designs for the Armani export factory in Thailand. The story was beyond detailed and the three of us walked into the shop and one hour later had orders placed. I would go into further detail, but honestly it isn't the point, the point is that 10 hours after purchasing I was searching the internet and came across the EXACT same story (minor details changed, but the crux of the tales were damn near identical)…turns out, this is a typical deception that happens everyday in Bangkok. Now- the suits themselves are in the process of being made and at our fitting the suits actually appeared to be of really great quality. Also- yes, we did have to go there after knowing the whole ploy to get us there was total bullshit. Since we are in a foreign country and considering we do not speak Thai, we didn't want to enter into the store and start something. Unfortunately- we are not sure what this ring of orchestrated con artists are capable of. It was a hard pill to swallow, realizing that we paid nearly 45% more than we should have (still a fraction of what it would cost back in the states). The one positive that came of this is that trust is something to cherish, lesson learned!

The second day in town we finally made it to the Grand Palace- which is absolutely beautiful. The colors and details of each structure are really things to admire. Despite it being 101 degrees and 85% humidity, all patrons are required to wear long pants and have shoulders covered. The grounds were swarming with people, some there to be blessed in the Temple of Emerald Buddha and others there to simply get a feel for Thai history. I really enjoyed seeing the formality and historical connection that many of the visitors displayed. If you ever make your way to Bangkok, you must go see it for yourself.

The third and final day was one of my favorites. We took the Skytrain to the end of the Silom line and meandered to Chatuchak street market. The market is monstrous and would truly take a full day to see maybe a fraction of all the shops/vendors. We spent most of the time hopping from street food vendor to street food vendor, but did walk away with a few items to use on the rest of the trip (including a pair of unisex parachute elephant pants- I'm sure those will pop up in some pictures from time to time). One of the cooler things that happened there was meeting a jovial Spaniard making fresh paella. We sat down and started talking to another Spaniard, who delivered us some sage advice on places to visit for the remaining time in Thailand. It is also always fun to be able to speak Spanish in a country where English often represents naivety.

Bangkok did deliver on almost all fronts, with inexpensive markets, cheap beer and chaotic street life. I will be venturing back here periodically, as it is a great hub to get from one place to another. Today- I can say, without doubt that three days in Bangkok was probably enough for now. It can be a very overwhelming place to navigate, but I think it was a good jumping off point for what will be a trip of a lifetime. I apologize in advance for the picture overload, but I too want to remember what I saw and did. Off to Chiang Mai…

Neill

See photos here.