Halong Bay

Audrey and I spent two days and one night in Halong Bay.  Although a bit touristy, the experience was incredible.  The landscape consists of 1969 rock mountains that seem to grow out of aqua-blue water.  Many of the rock formations are covered in greenery, house small caves and some are surrounded by small white sand beaches. 
Our tour consisted of a little bit of caving and kayaking, as well as an overnight on the boat – a very interesting experience. 
After the craziness of Hanoi, we found Halong to be extremely relaxing.  Our evening on the junk consisted of dinner below deck and beers on the roof with new friends, cool air and large, quiet open sky.

Hanoi

BEEP-BEEP  BEEEEEP-BEEEEEEEP  BEEP-BEEEP

After a 32-hour journey and a long and confusing border crossing, we made it to Hanoi, Vietnam last night.  The bus was very uncomfortable but we got two seats to ourselves so it could have been worse.  Upon arrival yesterday evening, we found out that central Vietnam is completely flooded.  The reports coming out of that section of the country sound really terrible; that obviously puts a bit of a kink in our plans.  I’m really sad because I’ve been wanting to come here for so long and, of course, the middle of the country sounds really interesting because it houses so much war memorabilia.  But, it’s barely passable and many of the buses and trains have stopped running.  I know there are still wonderful beaches in the south and beautiful country in the north so now it’s just a matter of altering my plans a bit, unless I hear otherwise about the conditions in the central area.
Needless to say, due to the flooding, the hotels in Hanoi are overcrowded and therefore charging more than normal.  We checked into a place yesterday and were told that there was only a 3-person room available.  Luckily, we were with an Argentina guy we met on the bus and he agreed to bunk with Audrey and I.  He’s a really nice guy. 
Aside from all of hotel nonsense, I am really enjoy this crazy city.  We’re only staying one full day but so far it’s been wonderful.  This afternoon we went to the Ho Chi Minh museum and the Temple of Literature (which was built in the 1200’s).  From there we
wandered around Hoan Kiem Lake, had lunch at a lovely little cafe and stopped into St.
Joseph’s Cathedral to listen to Catholic mass in Vietnamese.  This evening we’re going to the Dong Xuan Market.  According to what I’ve read, it houses hundreds of vendors and is a tourist attraction in itself.  Yeah for shopping!
Hanoi is a big city with almost 4 million inhabitants and, I swear, each person must own a motorbike because they are everywhere. I took a video this afternoon that I’ve posted below.  It’s worth looking at.  The traffic is amazing and overwhelming.  Everyone honks their horns – EVERYONE.  And, there are different kind of horns – some sound like regular annoying car horns, others like bells and some like a meditative wave of sound.
The streets are full of small shops selling food and toys and silk items.  Women walk around in pointy straw hats and shoulder harnesses that carry fruit on either end like an old fashioned scale.  It’s really fascinating and completely chaotic; a nice change from mellow Laos.
Unfortunately we don’t have time to stay in Hanoi for much longer than a day.  Tomorrow a mini bus is picking us up and taking us to Halong Bay for a couple of nights.  We’re going to do some caving, snorkeling and kayaking.  We’re even sleeping on the junk. 
From there, Audrey and I are splitting up for a little while.  She’s heading south to the beaches and the sun and I’m heading north to the country and the tribal villages.  We’ll meet up again in a few days.

Lovely Laos

After a few too many days in Vang Vieng, Audrey and I are saying goodbye to Laos tomorrow morning.  Our parting is bitter-sweet; we are happy to be moving on to Vietnam but sad to say goodbye to this beautiful, tranquil and virtually untouched country. 
Our time in Vang Vieng has been fun.  We have tubed down the river, explored the nearby caves and submersed ourselves in the endless nightlife. (Or maybe I should say the endless buckets?)  The people we met in Laos were wonderful but it’s time to move on.  Most of our group has broken up – some have moved further south, a few are in Hanoi and one is in Thailand.  Tomorrow morning we will join the migrating masses by hopping on a bus for the 24+ journey to northern Vietnam.
In honor of our departure, we spent our last day tubing down the river.  (I actually mustered up the nerve to swing from one of the high planks above the river.)  This evening we ate a traditional Laos dinner (chicken and fish lab) and washed down the yummy goodness with a little Beer Laos.  Tonight we will pop into Oh La La for a shot of Lao Lao and then move over to Smiley’s Bar for a bon fire and a bucket.  A small salute, yes, but a wonderful way to end our time in this magnificent country.

Meg on rope swing:

Vang Vieng

According to Lonely Planet, it’s a right of passage for every backpacker traveling through South East Asia to tube down the river in Vang Vieng, Laos.
Audrey and I arrived in town 5-days ago with a group of friends we made in Luang Prabang.  We’ve spent the last three days in a row tubing down the river.  Vang Vieng is beautiful.  Not only is the small town known for it’s tubing, it’s also famous for kayaking, caving and nightlife.  And, I must say, we plan to appreciate everything this town has to offer. 
Our first two tube rides were small.  There’s a 5k run and a 10k run.  We only attempted the 5k, which is really more of a party down the river than a relaxing tube ride.  There must be about 12 bars lined up along the shore.  Between them there are a mix of huge rope swings, volleyball nets, ziplines (into the river), dancing, Beer Lao, food, bananas and fun – lots of fun. 
After two days of river madness, we decided to try the 10k.  The run was much longer and much more relaxing.  We hit some fun rapids, as well as floated by small Laos villages that we wouldn’t have seen normally.  All the men fish on the shores and the children snorkel with spear guns.  Everyone gives a small and a wave as you drift by them on the open water.
Unfortunately our small group is starting to break up.  The Dutchies left for Vietnam yesterday and Heather and Helen left this morning.  Audrey and I have really enjoyed spending time with everyone.  We had heard that Laos travelers are the best and we really feel like we lucked out to enjoy the company of such wonderful people. 
Today is our day off from the water.  We’re going to find ourselves a peaceful hammock on the shores and watch the tubers float by.  Tomorrow we’ll hit some lagoons and caves and Tuesday we’ll probably leave town for our next destination.
Until next time …

Thanks to: Anne Marie, Doutjse, Glenn, Vincent, Heather, Helen, Jake I, Jake II, Jax and Rochelle.  This has been wonderful!

Mekong River Ride

The journey from Thailand to Laos was long.  We left Pai (Thiland) on November 1st at 12:30pm and didn’t arrive to Luang Probang (Laos) until the evening of November 3rd.  All in all, it took us around 51-hours. 
From Pai we caught a bus to Chiang Mai, arriving around 4pm.  Since we weren’t scheduled to leave Chiang Mai until 10pm that night, Audrey and I walked around the night market to kill time.  At 10pm, we headed for the border, arriving at 2am.  We had to wait until 8am to catch a boat across the Mekong River and then we had to deal with getting our visas.  Thank goodness SE Asia practices Buddhism – people generally stay calm in otherwise very stressful situations.  One thing I’ve learned about traveling, patience is key.
After the border we took a riverboat for 7-hours to a small town in Laos called Pak Beng, which is situated in the middle of the jungle.  There were a number of guest houses and restaurants along one small road.  The entire town was built up around the tourism of the riverboat ride to Luang Prabang.  We met up with a group of guys from England and some girls from Sweden and stayed with them.  We also had a birthday dinner and a few Beer Lao (mmm).  At 8 the following morning we got back on the river boat and rode for 8.5 hours to Luang Prabang.  The boat trip was long and uncomfortable but Laos has the most amazingly beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen.  It is absolutely stunning.  It’s so hard to explain in words and I tried to take photos but they just didn’t capture the depth and color.  The jungle here is the thickest and densest I’ve ever seen – everything is bright green and completely covered with vegetation.  There is very, very little development along the river.  Every few miles a few thatched roof/wooden homes peek above the plants.  There were also buffalo, bison, mountain goats, elephants and wild boar wandering around the river shores.  There were lots of families working the land – hand hoeing the ground and planting.  We assumed that the children don’t go to school and that the family plants agriculture specifically for their own eating.  Small bits of the jungle were cleared for different kinds of vegetables – some I didn’t recognize at all and others that looked like beans, rice or corn and, of course, bananas.  And then there were the long, slender fishing boats with people in pointy hats with large nets or bamboo poles.  It really was amazing.  Such a simple life in such a beautiful part of the world.  I know I’m going to love it here.  Just love it.
We arrived in Luang Prabang yesterday evening and found a nice little guest house for 30,000 kip each (roughly $3.50).  Jacks and Rachel (the Brits we met – one of which shared my birthday – are staying across the hall).  This town is charming.  There are beautiful night markets.  We haven’t explored them yet but we will tonight.  October is a monk month of some sort and each night the monks parade around the streets in honor of something. We’re going to watch that tomorrow evening. 
This morning I woke up early and wandered around town.  I had breakfast with a friend I made on the riverboat (Audrey was still sleeping) and then made my way around the historical museum and the Wat on the top of the hill. 
Tonight we’re going to watch a traditional dance and tomorrow I’m hoping to do a 35k mountain bike ride in the afternoon and a cooking class in the evening. 
I can’t believe how much I love this country, especially considering I’ve only been here for a day and a half.

Bye-Bye Pai

After 7 wonderful days, we finally said bye to Pai. 
Our initial plan was to stay in town for a couple of days but we had so much fun that every morning we changed our plans to allow more time in that awesome, little town.
Pai is beautiful – emerald mountains, sparkling rivers, small huts peaking out of green and yellow rice fields, canyons, waterfalls and hot springs.
During our time there we took yoga classes, rented mountain bikes, hiked, zoomed around on motorcycles, lounged by waterfalls and made many friends – some of which we were very sad to say goodbye to.  But, the time has come to move ahead.  We’ve considered our time in Pai our break from traveling and it was a very nice break.

This afternoon we took the bus back to Chiang Mai.  Tonight we are leaving for Laos.  It’s going to be a very long journey – 2.5 days of travel, mostly by river boat – but we’re excited to see a new country.  Unfortunately, I will be spending my birthday on a boat; however, we met some English girls who have decided to travel with us and one of them shares my birthday, so at least we’ll be floating down a river together.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Until next time …

THANK YOU: Pai, Bert, Tik, Ping Pong, Simon, Emma, Jacks, Gregie, Rachel, Moi (my motorbike) and Croissant.

Happy as Pai

I am having the most amazing time.  Asia is wonderful!  I am overwhelmed by the rich culture, the warm and welcoming people and the beautiful landscape.  This part of the world is quickly shaping up to be my favorite.

Audrey and I are having a great time in laid back Pai.  We arrived a few days ago and have enjoyed wandering around town, drinking cold Chang beer and eating lots of yummy vegetarian food. 
The town is in the north of Thailand.  It’s extremely small with a very chill atmosphere.  Pai is surrounded by emerald green mountains and rice fields.  There is a river that runs through town and many waterfalls and hotsprings.  The weather here has been nice – the mornings and evenings are cool but the afternoons are very hot. 
Yesterday we made our way to the local Eco pool for a dip in the cold water.  Audrey got word from home that it had started to snow; we laughed over dinner about the fact that she worked on her tan while her home town was being quietly blanketed by winter.
Today we have enrolled in a 4-hour yoga class.  We just finished the first half and we’re currently taking a break before starting the afternoon lesson.  Unfortunately for us, we didn’t get home until 3am this morning so yoga has been a bit more difficult than it should be.
We found a small jazz bar next to our hotel.  We’ve stopped in every night for a beer and a little live music.  The group of people who own the place and hang out there are a mix of Thais, Canadians and Europeans.  We’ve gotten to know them pretty well and have enjoyed seeing familiar faces around town.  I’m sure we’ll end up there for a drink tonight.
Tomorrow we’re renting motorcycles and driving out to a few of the local waterfalls and caves.  And for all of you that know us, keep your fingers crossed … Audrey and Meg on rented motor bikes should be very interesting.

I’ll keep you posted …

Chiang Mai

After three incredible days, we are leave Chiang Mai today.  Our time here has been wonderful. 

Chiang Mai is a small city in northern Thailand.  Originally a walled city founded in the 1200’s, new sections of the town have sprawled up around what is remaining of the old fortification wall.  The original interior square still exists and is full of old temples, hotels, bars and restaurants. 

During our time here, Audrey and I hiked to a waterfall, visited a hillside tribe, rode a mama elephant, went rafting down a river on a bamboo raft, rented bicycles and visited a number of temples, bought clothing and had dinner at the famous night market, went to a Thai dance club and got pedicures, facials and Thai massages.  All of that in just three days.

Today we are leaving town and heading to Pai in hopes of enjoying a full moon party and a little more relaxation. 

Until next time …

Bangkok

We arrived in Bangkok yesterday afternoon.  The city is very busy, to put it lightly.  There are street vendors, taxi cabs, tuk-tuks, motorcycles and people around every corner.  The weather is extremely humid – it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.  It almost feels as though you can cut the air with a knife.

Audrey and I found a cheap little room with air conditioning on the famous Th Khao San.  We spent yesterday in a daze, trying to familiarize ourselves with our new surroundings.  Our evening was spent bar hopping where we saw, firsthand, the elicit and famous lady boys.  And, I must admit, many of them were very stunning.

Today we wandered over to the Imperial Palace.  We had a good time exploring the temples but the heat was so unbearable that we left earlier than we intended. 

Tonight we’re hoping to chow down on some good old vegetarian Thai food and then nap.  We have big plans to wake up in the middle of the night to watch the 1:45am Rugby World Cup championship game.  England vs South Africa – it should be a good match.

Tomorrow we’re off to Chiang Mai in hopes of cooler weather and a little less noise.

Until then …

South East Asia

Tomorrow I embark on the last leg of this fantastic journey.

My friend Audrey is flying in from Canada tomorrow evening.  I’m picking her up at the airport and then we’re heading into San Francisco for dinner and a few drinks before catching a 1:00am flight to Thailand.  We’ll be traveling together for two months – hopefully visiting the northern temples and the southern islands of Thailand, along with areas of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  Although I must admit, we haven’t officially planned anything, nothing.  (We don’t even know where we’re staying when we get to Bangkok.)  But I have faith.  Faith along with my Lonely Planet bible, extra visa photos and all necessary shots; hopefully everything will unfold accordingly.  I foresee quite an adventurous few months ahead – jungle treks, white water rafting, elephant rides, cooking classes, yoga, full moon parties, coastal cycling and many other things.

I will post again from the land of night markets and tuk-tuks.

Until then …