Noodles for Breakfast

A Cambodian Connection

teamofgiants — Tue, 3 Jul 2012 09:07:00 GMT

Sharing a meal with a Cambodian family almost always involves spreading a few mats out on the floor of the living room or the outside patio, a few bowls of rice, a bowl of soup, typically fish, and being asked multiple times if you want more. This is the tricky part. If you say, “It’s very good!” then they expect you to want a second and third helping. Saying the food is delicious and then turning down another bowl is confusing. So, you pretty much have to plan on that second helping, prefacing it with the statement that its good, and then turning down the third round without repeating that it was good.

The majority of our time in Cambodia revolved around family time. Eating, chatting, eating some more, laughing, attempting to understand Khmer, trying to make babies smile, and maybe eating some more. Every time I turned around a new cousin was showing up to visit and of course eat. I specifically say ‘cousin’ because for my husband’s immediate family, cousins are all that’s really left. Many members of my mother-in-law’s immediate family did not survive the reign of the Khmer Rouge. When I looked around the room during many of those meals, I realized everyone over 50 had experienced those terrifying years and survived it.

If you are not familiar with the genocide that took place in Cambodia in the 1970’s, you should take a minute to look it up on Wikipedia or Google it. I am not going to give a history lesson here, but I think it’s important for people to understand how intense meeting this family for the first time was for me considering the history and stories I have heard over the past 5 years. Also important to note, when we visited the prison camps and torture camps in Phnom Penh, it was particularly distressing. My Mother-in-law did not join us for those tours.

Aside from family time, we did visit a few tourist sites. Apparently, Angkor Wat just isn’t what it used to be. When Ves visited many years ago, you could rent a moto and drive yourself all around the temples and ancient ruins. Other than the two most popular ruins, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, there are many other sites definitely worth seeing that are spread out, some more than 30 kilometers from Siem Reap.

Today, foreigners are not permitted to drive themselves anywhere around Siem Reap, and especially not to or around Angkor Wat. So you have to either ride a bicycle or hire a tuk tuk driver. Expect a bumpy, dusty ride for both modes of transport. Considering all there is to see, possibly requiring a minimum of three days, the cost of a one day ticket being $20, and the tuk tuk driver being $15 for a full day (not including a tip), it’s a pretty penny to see the 8^th Wonder of the World. Oh, and none of that includes a tour guide, if you want to understand what you are looking at beyond that it’s a really cool, old stone carving.

Angkor Wat is magnificent. The sheer size of the various temples is dumbfounding. Similar to visiting Machu Picchu, you walk around completely baffled by how these giant stone blocks came to be a majestic, functioning city. The moat surrounding Angkor Wat and the two reflective pools inside are perfectly picturesque. It truly is a beautiful place to spend a few days and I can totally understand why locals come here weekly for picnics and evening strolls.

The other slightly disturbing aspect concerning future visits to Angkor Wat involves the restoration currently taking place. Much of the ruins are crumbling to the ground. I don’t just mean pieces of walls flaking off; I mean entire sections of buildings falling apart. I’m sure the recent influx of tourism to places like Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu plays a big role in the demise of these ancient cities. But, I’m still not sure how I feel about countries like Cambodia and Laos producing replicated versions of the statues, temples, and sites, and attaching then them to the old. They might have to come up with a new name for them; instead of ‘ancient ruins’ they might be called ‘ancient/contemporary ruins.’

We also visited Battambang, which struck me as another sleepy, riverside town. We rode the bamboo train, which felt like an old-fashioned roller coaster ride, but I did appreciate the functionality of it. Before it became a tourist attraction, it was mainly used to transport foods and other goods between towns that fell along the old railway.

We spent a few days in Sihanoukville. This bipolar beach town is filled with new resort complexes that are completely empty, and pre-war hotels that are now missing windows and are covered in mold and vines. The beaches however are still as lovely as ever.

Probably the most moving and memorable ‘must-see’ site in Cambodia for me was the Killings Fields and the Tuol Sleng Museum in Phnom Penh. To put it simply, the Tuol Sleng Museum was formerly a high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture chamber and prison, and the Killing Fields was one of the many locations where the regime executed the prisoners and buried them.

The mood of both places was presumably solemn, I felt sick to my stomach during the entire tour. Some changes have been made here as well. The Fields recently added an audio tour included with the admission, which was very informative, and the Museum has cleaned up the torture rooms and removed some of the graphic photos I guess to make the tour a little less unsettling.

All in all, it was poignant, emotional, and very informative. I learned so much about my husband, his mother, my new family, and the often-sad history of Cambodia. Some of it wasn’t easy, some of it wasn’t fun, but I am going home today with a new connection to a part of the world that seems, and is, so far away from my little life in the States.

Photos: Cambodia

teamofgiants — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:25:00 GMT

Angkor Wat, Bamboo train, Killing Fields, Tuol Sleng Museum, and family time

Its not the destination, its the journey...

teamofgiants — Sat, 9 Jun 2012 19:08:00 GMT

We arrived in Savannakhet, Laos in the evening. The air was warm and sticky. The people were friendly and helpful. After a week in Vietnam, Laos felt like a vacation from a vacation. In many parts of Laos there is no use in haggling and the locals are honest and considerate. Especially in the central and southern sections, it seemed the days were too hot, the air too heavy, and the options too few to put too much effort into anything.

So, we did as the locals do, foreshadowing the rest of our time in this sleepy country. A whole lotta nothing. We rode bicycles around the town, which only took about an hour to cover. We meandered beside the vast, milky brown Mekong River and glanced at the crumbling colonial mansions along the way with little interest.

In attempts to track down a motorcycle to purchase, we left for Pakse. Our efforts were unsuccessful. It seemed it was too expensive to buy a new bike and too difficult to find one second-hand in the allotted time we had left. So, we decided to rent an 110cc moped for a 3-day loop around the Bolaven Plateau. Over 350km covered and countless amazing moments. Here are our “Moto Diaries”.

Our little red moped zipped along Route 20, Ves driving, me on the backseat and my big red backpack on my back, resting the edge of the seat. For the first day, we planned a 90km drive to Tad Lo, a 10m high waterfall surrounded by “rustic scenery” and home to several Mon-Khmer ethnic groups.

Along the way we stopped at a coffee shop and homestay in one of the little villages. This was a perfect example of how you just never truly know what to expect from a self-guided trip like this. We were greeted by a young Austrian man playing Blues from Around the World on his laptop, and grinding coffee beans, which were grown in the lands surrounding the shop. He made us two cups of coffee freshly ground and gave us our first lesson in Laos coffee plantations and the art of making a real cup o' joe. Needless to say this was not the experience we anticipated as we took the turn down the dirt road, but nevertheless it was perfectly peculiar.

Its hard to describe the intense contrast between the electric green rice paddy fields that stretch on and on between villages and bodies of water, and the assorted shades of brown filling in the rest of the landscape. It seems as though brown is the official color of southern Laos. The ubiquitous Mekong River is the brown bloodline that pumps life into these subdued villages. The robust, reddish-brown clay spreads and sticks like honey on every surface imaginable, and even creeps its way into your ears and eyes to travel along with you. The typical home is made of a patchwork of woods, metal sheets, thatched roofs, and stilted approximately one story off the ground. Rarely do you see a painted home and if you do spot one of these gems, they are usually painted in a variation of bright green, purple, and blue, as if to say “Look how not brown our house is.”

And of course the people, their tanned skin appears to harmonize seamlessly with their surroundings. As we drove along, children playing under their houses would spot us, somehow, even from 300m away, we were obviously falangs (Westerners). They would wave and shout “Sabaidee!!” or give their best “Hello!”

Our brief stay at Tad Lo was lovely. We played under the baking sun in the waterfalls, ate grilled steak Lao-Lao style, and swung the hammock on the deck of our bungalow overlooking the waterfalls. Locals washed themselves and their garments in the river while children bounced raucously in a blow up house provided by the nearby temple late into the night. It was sublime and we couldn’t help but feel so utterly grateful.

The second day the inevitable finally happened. We got caught in some rain, a short downpour really, and finally had to break down and buy some ponchos. Bright blue and orange sheets of plastic must have looked ridiculous fluttering in the wind as we sped down the plateau.

We somehow managed to follow another sign for a coffee shop and end up with another unexpected experience. Down a dirt road on the way to yet another waterfall (the Bolaven Plateau is full of waterfalls) we stopped to have lunch at the coffee plantation and resort located at the entrance gate for the Tad Heuang waterfall. Here, we met Mr. Dao, originally from Laos but having lived in France for the past 50 years he spoke English with a heavy French accent. One year ago he moved his family back to Laos to open a coffee plantation and resort just down the street from the town he was born in.

What’s funny is, our initial impression was we had unintentionally backed ourselves into eating a pricier lunch than we wanted. But, in the end we both agreed it was worth every penny. Mr. Dao told us of his history leading up to the temperamental investment, and how incredibly difficult it is to get coffee plants to grow…”too much rain, no grow, too much sun, no grow”…and went on to explain how he had started a school in nearby Paksong and was inviting foreigners to come help teach English. All the while, his daughter kept bringing me grilled bananas which I continued to stuff my face with and even, after Mr. Dao insisted, took a few for the road! We definitely see ourselves coming back here to help out and indulge in more stories and grilled bananas!

Our second to last destination was Champasak, about 35km south of Pakse and a ferry ride across the Mekong. Champasak is home to Wat Phu Champasak, a mountainside ancient city that is reminiscent of Angkor Wat but drastically smaller and less impressive. It was blatantly apparent the locals have recently begun to realize they have something to capitalize on and have raised prices and begun constructing new additions to their guesthouses and updating the rest with falang-friendly amenities.

We visited Wat Phu early in the morning with hopes of cooler temperatures. The grounds were beautiful and well maintained. The ancient stone carvings and unbelievably steep stairways were remarkable. We climbed the steep sets of stairs and wondered around noting the heat and heaping amounts of sweat flowing from every pore. As with many archeological ruins, there was some restoration going on while we visited. We thought it was strange though that they were not only using the original stones to recreate the palace, but they were carving new imitations of what was once there, as if piecing together a replica with the old.

The final night of our loop was spent in a homestay on Don Daeng, a practically untouched fishing island in the middle of the Mekong River. We took a ferry, which is essentially a wooden platform attached to two longtail boats with a single motorized propeller that slowly creeps across the river. Upon arriving on the shore of Don Daeng, we had to maneuver the bike up a long stretch of three or four boards nailed together to make a pathway up to the dirt road that would lead us to our homestay.

A few dirt roads wrap around the island and occasionally cross through it. Rice paddy fields, temples, schools, and the locals’ homes are all you see here. There is currently one brand new lodge that will inevitably attract more tourism to the island and eventually lead to a different way of life. But for now, it is rows of stilted, brown homes, naked babies, farmers walking there water buffalos, and fisherman teaching their boys how to cast a net.

Homestays are always a little uncomfortable for me. I am typically way out of my comfort-zone and due to the language barrier; communication is so limited and awkward. But, this is essentially why you do a homestay, to get a more authentic feel for how the locals live. I am always so surprised by the level of hospitality we receive. They wanted us to have the best and to have it before them. The meals were a perfect arrangement of home-cooked Laos love. Our family was young, younger than me anyway, with a beautiful two-year-old girl, Kik, who was the queen of the household.

Much of the time was spent attempting to break the language barrier by smoking cigarettes, sharing a few Beer Lao, and adoring Kik. She liked my fan I got on the first day in Thailand so much I had to give it to her. The heat was sweltering and unrelenting and of course there was little to be done about it. So, here again, we sat around trying not to raise our heart rate.

There is such a gentleness and carefree mentality in this part of the country that was magnified by each place we stopped. I suppose we could have had a totally different experience during dry season with more visitors crowding the dirt roads. Despite the unbearable heat, temperamental weather patterns, and occasional monsoons, we are thankful for visiting this beautiful country and it’s beautiful people while it was quiet enough to hear the peace of mind.

Photos: Laos

teamofgiants — Sat, 9 Jun 2012 15:48:00 GMT

Traveling around southern Laos on a moto

Take a Stroll and Enjoy the Scenery at Your Pace: Hoi An

teamofgiants — Fri, 1 Jun 2012 00:51:00 GMT

Turquoise blue waters of the South China Sea shimmering in the sun, endless white sands line the coast to lose yourself, with palm thatched umbrellas over sand and decks for meditation and relaxation. All that was missing was the Corona…..or Saigon beer…and we had that!

Coming from Hanoi to Hoi An, ironically having the same letters, but different spelling obviously are worlds apart. It is like leaving New York City and arriving on the beaches of San Diego, leaving tight spaces, fast paces to “no worries,” just cruise and enjoy with the exception of the cultural differences and a lot more empty beach to enjoy on the coast of Hoi An. Whether you want to stroll the riverfront on a bicycle, grab a bite of Cao Lau (local noodle dish), shop in the local shops, get a suit tailored, cross the ancient Japanese covered bridge or just head straight to the beach and enjoy the wonderful waters, it’s totally up to you. And we pretty much did just that.

We rented bicycles the first day from a lovely older woman selling sodas and waters from a small stand that are sprinkled all over town and decided to tour small lackadaisical “town center” and see what it was all about. Old, yellow, colonial style buildings with unique doors and verandas make up this area and is bordered by a river where restaurants, boatmen, hang while lanterns line the streets and bridges to allow for a delightful experience, especially while riding around in the evening. There is some sort of nostalgic peacefulness to riding a bicycle at night, especially while venturing around unknown lands. You can really lose yourself and we did.

The next day we rented a motorbike and headed to the long stretch of white sand that lines the coast of Hoi An. Undeveloped lands with unfinished resorts line the coast leaving miles of empty beach for personal enjoyment. We turned down a random side street, passing by small houses and ended to a sand path that lead to paradise. No one for miles left or right down the beach. The only sign of civilization was random fisherman in their old wooden boats motoring by. It was like we owned the beach. We took it for everything it was and had a wonderful day full of relaxation, love, and strolling. It was absolutely magnificent. We ended our night having dinner with some new friends on the riverfront and enjoyed a good nights sleep to wake up and do it again on our final day.

On our final day in Hoi An we headed to the beach on bicycles with our new friends, enjoyed the sea, and did a little shopping. Now we are on our way to Laos for a brand new type of adventure. Who knows what lies ahead for this part!

Touring Halong Bay

teamofgiants — Fri, 1 Jun 2012 00:43:00 GMT

First let me say, this story is meant to be informative for other travelers not so much a pleaser for friends and family.

We were interested in visiting Halong Bay, a World Heritage site boasting thousands of islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. It’s a beautiful place and worth seeing, but we were disturbed by the numerous inconsistencies we came across in order to “tour” the area.

First off, it is worth the time and money to compare the prices of many travel agencies. While on the boat tour, we spoke with a few other groups about the prices they were quoted and what was included in their trip. The prices ranged from $50-$110 per person for a two day tour of the bay. This included the bus to Halong City, the boat tour around Halong Bay, a kayak rental, meals, a night on the junk boat, and a night in a hotel on Cat Ba Island and also the boat and bus transport back to Hanoi. Why the prices ranged for the exact same tour is up for debate. Same goes for the one and three day tours.

Secondly, I am pretty positive the majority of the images you will see of the junk boats, rooms, and meals, are nowhere near the reality. Keep in mind, you get what you pay for, i.e., if you pay $50 for two nights lodging and tours and meals, you are not getting a 5 star luxury boat. We did not stay a night on the boat, but some of the details they won’t tell you in the travel agency that were included in some of the stories from those who did include: roaches joining you in your room, water leaking through the ceiling onto your bed to the point where you bed is “soaked”, which then leads to roaches discovering luxury lodging for themselves underneath your damp, dark pillow.

We try to avoid taking all-inclusive tours whenever possible. However, certain sites you just have to see, and unfortunately these tend to be the ones that have been capitalized upon. Although it is extremely convenient to have all the decisions and scheduling already laid our for you, this leads to the major downfall of the tour itself. You are essentially on someone else’s time, for better or for worse. For example, during our tour of the bay, our guide often said something like “You have 40 minutes to see the cave.” Well, after following in a single-file line through the “most beautifulest cave in Vietnam”, we then waited for our boat to reach the dock for another 40 minutes. This conflict of time then led to only having 15 minutes to kayak. Which was supposed to be included for us, but turns out it was not.

Almost everything during our tour continued on this way. The bus, shuttle, boat, guide, was always running a little late, eating up the actual tour time. I can’t say I would recommend taking a tour, but its just about the only way to see the bay. We only reserved the one day tour with return service whenever we wanted it. We stayed in a hotel on Cat Ba Island on our own. The hotel was nice enough, air-conditioned, clean, and overlooked the harbor for $12 a night for two people.

Constant Chaos in the Old Quarter

teamofgiants — Fri, 1 Jun 2012 00:32:00 GMT

I step off the curb and immediately my heart starts racing. Vroom! A flash of noise and exhaust speeds by my face. You read about this Cindy. Just walk slowly across the street. They don’t want to hit you as much as you don’t want them to hit you. The art of crossing the street amidst the sea of motorbikes in Hanoi, Vietnam is more like a twisted version of a Super Mario Game. Mario has to jump from one block to another at the perfect moment to avoid getting blown up by a passing cannonball, except the cannonballs have a far more predictable path and timing than the motorbikes.

All I want is to get to my hotel as quickly and safely as possible. The sidewalks are wide enough but they are just a tease. In the Old Quarter, they also serve as a parking lot for motorbikes and function as a makeshift flea market for the hundreds of locals selling their baskets of furry lychees, bruised bananas, and the enticing sugared donuts.

So, I am forced to walk in between the busy traffic and the cluttered curb. Whack! I unsuccessfully attempted to squeeze between a taxi I thought was not moving, and the baskets of goodies that had overflowed onto the street. The taxi driver decided to move forward as I stepped over a basket and the side mirror hooked my arm. Or did my arm hook the side mirror? Either way, I rebalanced myself quick enough to avoid smashing the fruit below and the imminent bashing the woman would have given me while making me pay for what I damaged.

If Hanoi had a soundtrack, it would consist of the myriad of honking horns present on every street at all hours of the day here. Each honk has its own message it is trying to communicate. To the untrained ear they all sound like a collage of painfully annoying sounds that serve no purpose except to disturb. On the contrary, this form of communication is a part of the city’s structured chaos.

Here are some of the honks and their corresponding messages:

1.) The light, quick, single high-pitched tap of the motos: “Hey I’m right next to you, or I’m passing you”

2.) The quick succession of loud, sharp honks of motos and cars: “I am coming through the intersection so don’t hit me, or I’m passing you whether you like it or not so let me pass.”

3.) The very loud, deep, frightening honk of a giant truck that takes up the entire width of the street: “I’m coming up behind you, and if you don’t move I will have no choice but to run you over!”

4.) The echoed horn of the many shuttle buses and tour buses: “ I’m passing you and have a large load of people so you need to let me back in before the oncoming car hits us.”

Photos: Vietnam

teamofgiants — Thu, 31 May 2012 00:39:00 GMT

Halong Bay, Hoi An, Hanoi

Dang Padang, It's all good in Ubud

teamofgiants — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:49:00 GMT

Bali…A wide spectrum of beautiful land and space, that will soar from horrid to absolutely heaven in moments. At least that is what I think! But before I get to that I must put ina tidbit about our one-day layover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We discovered good news that it was affordable for us to make it down to Bali from Thailand. Although this is true, it does entail some heavy travel. The cheapest flights are through Kuala Lumpur so we took a mini-van transport from a peaceful Muslim man who took corners so tight and so fast that we had to brace ourselves for most of the ride from Ao Nang, Thailand to Hat Yai and an overnight bus to Kuala Lumpur. This took a total of about 9 hrs. There we decided to stay a day to at least check it out since we were there.

Imagine New York City, large and vast that is modern and archaic, full of history, culture, and diversity. Large, well-designed corporate buildings make-up the business district while large 6 story malls, restaurants, bars and cafes make up what would be Kuala Lumpur’s time square where Asian and Indian cultures sit on the forefront of the city dominating the streets with shops and restaurants. So as anyone would do in a city, we ate, walked, ate, walked, and ate some more with some other things in between that aren’t worth mentioning. The next morning however was an adventure.

We woke up the next morning semi-rested ready to get down to business and make it to Bali. We decided to take the thrifty route by taking the sky train to the airport. Unfortunately there are apparently two airports that one can fly out of and our itinerary did not say which one was the correct airport. Under the assumption that we were flying from Kuala Lumpur International, we went straight there aware that we would be getting there close to one hour before the flight. Yes this is cutting it close but we thought we would be fine. Turns out that we went to the wrong airport and needed to get a taxi from that airport to the other airport, which would take apparently 25 minutes. This would have gotten us there 45 minutes before our flight. We made it there in 15 thanks to our NASCAR driver cabby! In the end we made it to our flight just fine. A little stressed but you can’t travel without little hiccups here and there right?

A breeze rushed through as we exited the airplane onto the tarmac in Bali only to ease the brash heat from the sun. It had rained the previous two weeks but once again big mama nature took care of us as big white clouds danced around in the beautiful blue skies and palm leaves and plants I have never seen waved around in the air. We headed through customs and exited out away from the airport and onto what seemed to be 24/7 rush hour where mopeds, taxis, and bemos (mini-van public transport) along with other cars and trucks filled the streets. There just isn’t enough road for the amount of vehicles on the road and someone always had somewhere to get to at any point in the day. We caught cheaper taxi than those waiting for you outside the airport and decided to head to Kuta Beach because it was close, convenient and all we wanted was to put our bags somewhere so we could head out.

Kuta is everything we did not want from Bali. Major surf brand stores flooded the streets with apparel more expensive than the U.S next to stalls selling knick-knacks, t-shirts and other random things. It was slow season but you wouldn’t have known it in Kuta. They still had 60% of their accommodations filled and there is a Losmen (guest house) or hotel or hostel on every corner of every major road and side-street. It was like an old episode of MTV Spring Break but without Jay-Z and All American Rejects romping around. We finally found a cheap place to rest our heads but it was not so clean so we did our best to stay out of the room as long as possible and headed down to the beach. The beach itself was not too bad. The emerald ocean offered a variety of beach break surf with umbrellas, drinking areas, and surf boards for rent every 50 yards on what seemed to be miles of beach while locals ask you if you want a beer, surf lesson, massage, paintings, or “magic mushrooms. We ate some local food had some local beer and decided we would head to Padang Padang the next day.

Arriving in Padang Padang was absolutely sublime! It was like we actually got to see Bali for what it is. Small little town areas surrounded by jungle next to the ocean with very nice people on every corner saying hello and willing to help. We arrived at Thomas Guesthouse, a nice, chill place that was basically empty over looking the ocean above what turned out to be pretty much a private beach for us. Off to the left one could see the world class breaks for Uluwatu and to the right was Padang Padang beach. There was swell so I decided to rent a board for the 3 days and every spot is a little ways away from each other so we rented a moped with a surf rack for three days as well. At basically every beach, an ancient cave with monkeys hanging and about 140 steps separated you from the emerald waters and dazzling beach so we definitely got our work out in! Cindy hung out on the beach, relaxing while I spent hours in the ocean surfing some of the hardest waves and dealing with some of the strongest currents I have ever encountered. I surfed a total of 8 hours between the reefs at Padang Padang and the beach break at Dreamland. In all I rode three waves, ate it on at least 8 more and paddled into an overhead wave (about 8-12 ft high) for the first time, which ended in a snapped surfboard but an unharmed me luckily. It was my last wave of the three days so I guess I went out with a bang. Nights usually ended with us eating at a local warung (restaurant), having a few Bintangs (local beer) from the mart down the street and enjoying the sunset on our private beach J. After three days in the beaming sun it was time to head inland to the bohemian stunning area of Ubud.

We left Padang Padang with a new friend in life and on Facebook, Biur Rusak, our 19 year old host at Thomas Guesthouse and headed to Ubud. We found a nice room at Pramesti Guest House in a two story villa type place with a patio overlooking a rice field with a verbal cow and some wonderful breezes to keep us cool and off the main road aptly nicknamed Monkey Forest Rd. since it was on the same road where a monkey sanctuary resides. Every morning you could smell the inscents burning as the mostly Hindu people of Bali set out little baskets of flowers and a cracker as an offering to the gods. At least that is what I assume. Once venturing around the town we understood why many artists enjoy living and thriving in the area because if there was one place to shop, whether it be custom furniture, jewelry, or clothing, this would be the place. We spent most of our time roaming the streets and looking through the shops keeping ourselves from spending an abundant amount of money on some great things. The vibrant delicacy of the town from its bold, bright colored, soft fabric of the clothing to the detailed jewelry and the ancient temples sprinkled all over the area distracted us away from all the traffic that was filling the area as Artsy, bohemian tourists, ex-pats, and locals hung in local cafes and nightly soccer matches went on every evening just up the street. It is definitely a memorable place and a place we could definitely see ourselves residing at some point in time.

After a night of local music we met a nice Australian woman who we hired a moped from to go see the two volcanoes just outside of town. It was a peaceful ride with leveled rice fields and kids flying kites above small prayer grounds to admire along the way. After paying off an officer for not having an international driver’s license we made our way up into the foothills of these green luscious mountains that are still active volcanoes separated by a beautiful little lake where farms were being worked by locals. We rode around passing by local small temples where many people relaxed and did their prayers and just enjoyed the surroundings. It is now our last night in Bali. We are heading out to catch some more music and relax as we prepare for our trip to Vietnam. This should be another great adventure.

Memorable moment:

Playing with a local full band (guitar, bass, drums, keys) and getting a standing ovation from the crowd. It was by far one of the best moments of our trip thus far. Beautiful people and nothing but good vibes and positivity….oh yeah! While rolling through the monkey sanctuary some monkeys climbed on top of cindy and tried to nibble on her a bit. That was pretty amazing as well!

Ves

Photos: Bali Part 2

teamofgiants — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:31:00 GMT

Ubud

Photos: Bali Part 1

teamofgiants — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:25:00 GMT

Sun, surf, beach, repeat

Free Climbing Over the Andamen

teamofgiants — Sat, 12 May 2012 16:35:00 GMT

Getting on any island without purchasing a flight is never easy. So it was no surprise that getting to Tonsai was, interesting. However, I wasn’t quite expecting the getting on and off the longtail boat with all of our gear and clothes and shoes, to lack a dock and involve walking out in the waves, throwing our stuff on board, and then swinging our bodies up onto the boat. Our experience at Tonsai Bay began with an adventure and continued with one until the moment we arrived back at Ao Nang Beach (the starting point).

Much of our first full day was spent kayaking around Tonsai Bay and Rai Leh beaches. We watched a family of monkeys play in the trees above our bungalow, and then spent a quiet night watching the tide come back in at a beach bar. I must clarify though; sitting at this beach bar is like no other.

You see, the area in and around Tonsai Bay is surrounded by towering limestone mountains. Many of the islands that dot the waters between Phuket Province and Krabi are just giant monoliths jutting out of the Andaman Sea. Emerald colored waters, tiny, white sand beaches, and jungles filled with mangrove trees and strange sounds are present on most of the bigger islands. Just about any time we sat at this beach bar, we could watch as groups of climbers made the long ascent up the craggy mountain. Talk about entertainment!

The second day was magical. We joined a guided snorkel tour which included a few hours of snorkeling around 3 different neighboring islands, dinner at sunset on a beach, and then a night snorkel to witness the glowing plankton. We saw Barracuda, Needlefish, “Nemo,” some rainbow-colored fish, giant pink jellyfish, and many, many others, which I have no names for. Mother nature was on our side for the sunset. We sat on a white sand beach with only a few other people, and a perfectly placed monolith to the right of the sunset, and strong warm winds helping to create the background noise.

She (Mother nature) spared no expense this night and gave us all the colors; red, pink, yellow, orange, blue and purple, for our first sunset together in SE Asia, magical. For the finale, we made our last longtail boat trip to the night snorkel spot. The neon green lights of the squid boats lit the western horizon, a far away lightning storm lit up the east and the Big Dipper twinkled above us. The phosphorus plankton did not disappoint. As you swim in the warm black waters, preferably under no moonlight, a cloud of white whirly lights engulf your moving limbs. It’s trippy and wonderful.

Though there are numerous climbing options to choose from around Tonsai, on our last day we went for Deep Water Soloing (DWS). I’m pretty sure there isn’t a whole lot of this in the states. DWS involves taking a longtail boat out to certain islands with craggy limestone jutting out over the water, you swim over to a rope ladder hanging from a lower stalactite, climb up wet, and free climb (no ropes) however high you feel comfortable and jump off into the sea below you, tucking all your limbs into your body to prevent injury from impact.

Snorkeling was magical and DWS is heart-pounding insanity. I’m certainly not accustomed to wet rock with wet shoes and slippery fingers, but it was a hell of a rush! The Thai guides climbed shoeless like monkeys to the highest jump spots and jumped off with little concern. I think the highest Ves & I jumped from was about 45-50 ft. and plenty high enough. Water shot up my nose and my top came off every time. Free climbing on an island overlooking the Andaman Sea was absolutely worth the fear and wedgies!

As I write this I am laying beside an infinity pool in Ao Nang, listening to the swaying palms and the late afternoon prayer over the loud speaker coming from the nearby Mosque.

Today is my 30th birthday. A day dedicated to relaxation after a few days of adventure and before a few days of travel. Tomorrow we leave for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the day after that, Bali, Indonesia. It doesn’t feel like my birthday, but either way, this life is definitely worth celebrating….

Memorable moment: During the sunset dinner on the beach before night snorkeling, a daily migration of bats, Chicken Bats, flew overhead. I can’t say I have ever been enjoying a sunset on the beach and looked up to see not seagulls, but hundreds of bats flying over to the mainland to feed on fruit!

Photos: Tonsai Bay

teamofgiants — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:26:00 GMT

Snorkeling, Kayaking, and Deep water soloing

Photos: Ko Samui

teamofgiants — Tue, 8 May 2012 23:36:00 GMT

Glowing Bodies in Moon/Black Light

teamofgiants — Tue, 8 May 2012 12:08:00 GMT

So, I did my best not to notice the name of our destination for as long as I could. I really didn't realize exactly where we were until we started talking to Susann, a German friend we made onthe ferry ride from Surat Thani. She asked if we planned to go to the Full Moon Party, and sudden;y it clicked.

We were on our way to Ko Samui, an island on the gulf side of Thailand, and we were there to experience the infamous Full Moon Party. I had completely forgotten I said I wanted to go and that it was that night. The party takes place once a month during the full moon on the island of Ko Pha-ngan.

I'm not sure what to say about this party on the beach... First, of all we got there late, as in Midnight, which for the record is only halfway through the length of the party. Boats to the island start around 4pm and go until 7am. I think we would have enjoyed the festivities earlier on, since the later it got the sloppier everyone else became.

After a very choppy speed boat ride over, we pulled up to the docks to see crowds of people waiting to depart. They resembled a Dali painting: a collage of bright colors melting off the dock, emanating a disturbing vibe. We we re not sure if we should turn back around or not...

Since we paid a lot of money to get that far, we decided to go for it. Directly next to the docks and the entrance to the party were tables covered with every type of American late-night grub you could imagine, i.e. pizzas, burgers, fried chicken, more pizza, etc.

The streets were lined with carts selling buckets of liquor drinks, body painting "artists", and shops offering the necessary artillery for the Full Moon Party: neon-colored short shorts, tank tops, and glow sticks. We were surrounded by a sea of tan bodies dipped in neon green, pink, and yellow, glowing in the black lights placed above all the streets.

After getting painted (Susann got a 7-Eleven sign, I got a sunburst, and Ves got a butterfly on his lower back) we made it to the club on the beach. Let me give everyone who may be reading this a disclaimer: the description of this part of the evening should be rated R, but I am going to keep it PG-13.

There were multiple bars on the beach, all blasting different club music, which didn't matter since the whole scene felt like a surreal dream, or nightmare. Bodies were every direction you could see, dancing on the beach, dancing on the bars, laying/passed out on the beach, playing in the Gulf water, or using it as a restroom...Lets just say, you couldn't pay me to go for a swim within a five mile radius of that water!

Amazingly, all of this didn't compare to the fiasco of trying to get off the island. Im going to leave out some details and just say, crowds of drunken people aren't always the most aware, and security officials in certain countries aren't always the most fair or considerate. But after two hours of trying to get on a boat, we finally made it back in time to catch a gorgeous sunrise.

The remainder of our time in Ko Samui was spent riding a moped around the island to see other beaches and temples (Big Buddha), and swimming in our infinity pool that overlooked Chaweng beach and the Gulf of Thailand. Did I mention Ves got us a room at a Baan Hin Sai Resort and Spa? I felt like a queen hopping from the pool to our air-conditioned room with a bathtub. Yay birthday week!

Memorable moment: Having dinner on a deck overlooking the water. The full moon above us, lights twinkling on the other ends of the island, and fishing boats floating by in the glistening water.

Photos: Chiang Mai

teamofgiants — Sat, 5 May 2012 22:53:00 GMT

Beginning of a love affair with mopeds

teamofgiants — Sat, 5 May 2012 22:32:00 GMT

After a 12 hour train ride from Bangkok we arrived at Chiang Mai at 8am. The train ride was semi-comfortable, but I am not sure why they call it “special express” since I am pretty sure it made every step possible. Although it was not the fastest, it was still nice because we didnt lose any daylight from our trip.

Chiang Mai is a busy city but much cleaner, smaller, and easier to navigate than Bangkok. Chiang Mai City roads are set up in a square surrounded by a small moat on all four sides. Markets are plentiful of course, and mopeds rule the streets.

We stayed in C.M. Bluehouse in the Moonmuang area. We think the owners are French. Almost everyone who worked reception was French and nearly all the guests were French as well.

The first day we rented bicycles and a moped from Mongkol Dee Tours. Riding the bikes was far more nerve racking than the moped. You just can’t get up and go quick enough to keep up with the insane traffic. Needless to say we got some looks while trying to make our way to a market tucked way into a part of town where mainly only Thais go.

The evening was spent drinking Changs (beers) on the balcony of our hostel, watching the “magical” thunder and lightning storm pass through. Ves called it “magical.” It was really nice.

The second and final day in Chiang Mai was spent almost entirely on a moped or “moto”… which was so much fun!!! We drove to a temple outside of town high on a hill top called “Doi Suthep.”

Doi Suthep was beautiful and ornate and gaudy just like so many other temples we’ve seen. Nearly every surface is gold, meticulously carved, and ends in a definitive point. Lotus flowers and inscents are in everyone's hands or laid upon the altar, and piles of shoes are laid outside the temple doors, the smarter of the visitors placing theirs in the shade. Monks were walking amongst the grounds and praying in the temple, which always tempts me to take a picture, but I refrain. Doi Suthep was gorgeous, but still left me hoping for more. How bad is that!? I am already accustomed to seeing temples…

Since we had the freedom of transportation, we ventured further up the hill passed the palace and visited a Hmong village named "Kun Chang Kian". It is tucked away passed a very narrow, winding road through dense forest with crazy tall banana trees as far as the eye can see.

The village was quaint, clean and peaceful. And deserted, not sure why. We literally only saw three people, one of which served us a freshly grinded and brewed cup of coffee from the locally grown coffee beans. The oddest part of the village was seeing solar power panels on rooftops of shanties and a little girl playing on a cell phone. This seems to be the theme of Southeast Asia, westernization creeping its way in to every corner of the world.

On our way back down the hill we stopped at a temple “Wat Patlan.” This unexpected stop made the whole trip to Chiang Mai worth spending the night on a train. This temple is free, simple and unpretentious (if I am allowed to imply that the “gold temples” are pretentious meaning extremely fancy in appearance). The temple itself is just solid white with a typical sized Buddha, which is also white. But, the best part of this spot is the garden down the side road.

A wide stream flows over boulders from one end of the property to the other. Stone Buddhas, dragons, and smiling elephants are posing everywhere throughout the garden. Wooden signs are posted on trees with messages first written in Thai and then in English, with quotes like “if a lion has no teeth and no claws the dog should be able to fight.”

Monks were roaming around playing with puppies, which were also roaming the property. Little stone laid paths lead to more altars carved out of the garden. It was so quiet and so serene. I wanted to live there.

We are back on the train again headed back to Bangkok. Tomorrow afternoon we head back to Bangkok to an unknown destination. Well I don’t know but Ves does. The next 8 days are a complete surprise for my birthday. I am a lucky girl!!!!

Face masks and Endless Markets

teamofgiants — Thu, 3 May 2012 22:58:00 GMT

Today we took a Tuk Tuk to Siam Square and strolled around MBK, an unecessarily large shopping mall. We went because A) its free, B) its air-conditioned, and C) malls always make for great people watching. MBK has seven floors, each with three "zones", and is packed with shops and food options from one end to the other. You quite literally need a map, and they provide you with one!

While we were in the area, we also checked out Bangkok Arts and Cultural Center, which is also free and air-conditioned. The museum is obviously modeled after the Guggenheim in New York City but with a few more signs of aging.

The art was typical of what you would see in most modern art museums. The exhibit that we found most compelling was called "You Are Not Alone." The subject has been a re-occurring topic on this trip already it seems.

The exhibit dealt with the ever present issue of HIV/AIDS. One particularly striking set of images entitled "I didn't ask for it. I don't want it. I was born with it," showcased kids ages 14 and under with their "reality" listed as.... "has HIV... parents passed away.... no relatives...still alive." Still alive, reminding the viewer that death is almost certainly eminent and nearing. In addition were their "dreams".... I want to be a policeman.... I want to be a doctor.... I have no dream." "I have no dream because I am uncertain and scared of what the future holds."

Over the past two days, and especially during our tuk tuk rides through the city, I have begun to understand why we have seen so many people wearing face masks. By the second night my sinuses were throbbing, mucus was draining, my eyes were itching and watering. The level of pollution present here is palpable.

Bangkok is a busy, sprawling metropolis with many of the same characteristics of many other cities around the world. A question I always have, and is particularly confounding here, "how did that many people, jam-packed in like sardines, make any kind of a living, essentially offering the same product/service as the person two, or even one stall down from them?"

As you ride around the city from one end to the other you see markets after markets, with stalls after stalls, selling the same things... along riversides, on bridges, in alleyways, beside the train tracks, in the train stations.... it's like looking into a mirror that's looking into a mirror and so on.

Photos: Bangkok

teamofgiants — Wed, 2 May 2012 18:49:00 GMT

Arriving in Bangkok

teamofgiants — Tue, 1 May 2012 17:17:00 GMT

So, we arrived in Bangkok at midnight after being on a plane for over 16 hours total. When we walked out of the airport the heat and humidity hit us like a brick wall. This is something I am relatively accustomed to, since Florida has very similar weather, but it is definitely a little unsettling at first.

Something I remembered very quickly during the taxi ride to our hotel is that the number one thing you notice while traveling to other countries is the difference in smell. It absolutely overwhelms the senses, and generally not in a good way. The closest comparison I can come up with is a mixture of trash, a lot of trash, think landfill... and sewage floating in a stagnant river.

Our drive into town was a great introduction to Khaosan Road where our hotel is located. Picture a narrow road lined with outdoor cafes,bars, and massage chairs, packed with pedestrians (mostly other backpackers), getting visibly intoxicated at 1 AM on a Monday night. We however, had a few Singhas in our air-conditioned room, took a cold shower(this is a good thing in SE Asia as opposed to in Peru), and crashed.

Currently, we are sitting on the patio at Sawasdee Smile Inn, having another Singha, sweating in places I cannot admit on this blog, and waiting for the heat to subside before we venture out again.

Earlier this morning we ate noodles for breakfast down the street, and then walked around the nearby area, finding as many "less traveled paths" as we could until the heat sent us running back to our lovely room. Though the areas of Khao San and Banglamphu are saturated with backpackers and stores catering to foreigners, we found a few alleyways leading to locals' markets which are filled with stray cats and piles of garbage, and strange scenes of a world I cannot imagine living in.

Bangkok has this bipolar combination of a tight-gripped traditional side with a rapidly changing Western influence. For instance, I had to take my shoes off before I entered a tattoo parlor.

Tomorrow night we plan to leave for Chiang Mai for a few days after absorbing some more this city has to offer. Until next time...

C & V