Southern Laos

Hey all,

Me again, sorry its been so long, but I'm back and ready to fill you all in again on my various adventures.

I'm in Vientiane, Laos right now, and killing time while my visa to Thailand is processed. Vientiane is a little sleepy, and there isn't really much to do, so I'm just treading water. Since we last talked though, I've had a couple great things happen so I'll fill you all in.

Don Det (the island I stayed on) is right on the Mekong and is a great place to chill and relax, which was just what I needed; I spent 4 nights there. While there I met some great people and did a little trekking/bicycling around the island.

My next stop was a city called Pakse. It turned out to not be much at all, and I then decided that it was time to end my Southern Laos swing and just get to Vientiane. However, fate interceded and sent me a messenger of deliverance; a German backpacker named Inka.

One thing I had hoped to do in Southern Laos was to check out the Tham Kong Lo cave system. Basically its a river that has cut a large swath through 5 miles worth of mountain. The resulting cave system has been called one of the Loas's must-sees. Now I was going to skip it because going alone is too expensive (i.e., I wouldn't be able to share the expenses in a group). I've heard that going alone can cost as much as 100$ (US) and there was no way I was spending all that.

I was all ready to skip it entirely but then Inka showed up. We started talking at lunch one day and I told her that I'd wanted to check out Kong Lo but couldn't go alone. She said the same thing and it both hit us, go together.

It turned out great, we were able to share costs, and all the hardships that happen on the road. Traveling with a buddy is great sometimes, but we both agreed that traveling alone is better in a lot of ways; I think we're both just lone wolves. We parted ways once we reached Vientiane; but we'll probably run into each other again, it always happens. I've run into so many people from Cambodia and Vietnam on this trip that its getting a little freaky.
The cave system itself was unbelievable. You have to hire a boat to take you through the whole thing, its so long. I took a bunch of pictures but barely any came out from inside the cave. You'll just have to trust me, the interior was amazing. Some chambers are at least 500 feet high and wide. Some are so small I was convinced we were going to have to lay down in the boat to get through. Its the rainy season, but we still bottomed out the boat a few times. I blame the extra ice cream I had for lunch that day.

However, the best part of the day was the motorcycle ride.

Kong Lo is about 25 miles away from the city we stayed in, Na Hin. We were worried about getting there, but we just asked around and found out that its easy to rent a motorbike for a day and go ourselves. I have never driven a motorbike in my life so I was a little worried. Inka hadn't either, but we went for it anyway, hey, you only live once right?

Yeah, I nearly ended that life early.

After getting the quick-and-dirty instructional course on bike riding we hopped on and started up. I think I was trying to show off a little and it didn't go well. I tried to smoothly move into traffic behind a truck and I turned the throttle way too much in first gear. It was like a jet engine. My head flew back and I immediately hit the brake. That didn't work and I went right over the embankment into a ditch. I fell off the bike and it landed right on top of my leg. I thought I'd broken something but I barely had a scratch. Well, a few scratches on my legs and a bump on my ass. I think Inka was torn between running over to see if I was alive and laughing her head off at me. After I got up though, she chose the second option.
Finally, I figured out how to drive the damn thing without killing myself, and all was well. We rode out, saw the cave, and came back around nightfall. A good day.
The last thing I'll describe though was the best part.
On the 25 miles from Na Hin to Kong Lo there is one particular section that is flat, wide, and completely straight for about 10 miles. What's more, the road is almost completely deserted. On the way back I knew I had room, and more importantly, I wasn't afraid of losing control, so I decided to go for it. As soon as I saw the road straighten out, I went. I put the bike in low gear, opened up the throttle, and let fly. At 80 miles per hour the bike started to make noises, at 90 miles it started to shake, and at 105 miles an hour I couldn't see the animals on the side of the road anymore; but it didn't matter, I kept going.

It was rapture.

What finally made me stop, at 110 miles per hour, was the fact that I could no longer see Inka in my mirror. I had gotten so far ahead, that I couldn't even make out her bike. That broke the spell and I stopped. It was a few minutes before she even caught up. She had a look on her face that would have burnt metal and I was completely cowed. For the rest of the ride I went the same speed as her.
So, that's the latest happenings on my little sojourn. Once I get back my visa I'm heading to Vang Vieng for some tubing, rafting, and kayaking. It should be a riot. More on that next time.

Angkor Wat

Sa Ba Dee Everyone.

How are you all today?  Sorry its been so long but its been pretty hectic for me lately.  Nothing bad just a little fast is all, but its cool.  

I'm in Southern Laos now, chilling alongside the Mekong River in the little place called Si Phan Don.  It means 4 thousand islands, but they're exaggerating.  Regardless though, this place is very nice and very, very chilled out.  You kind of get the idea that the entire island (I'm on Don Det right now) could just float down the river and no one would mind all that much.  Its been a nice change from my last few days in Cambodia.  That's what this update is about, specifically Angkor Wat.  Enjoy.

In case you don't know, Angkor Wat is actually 2 things.  In general terms it refers to all of the many temples and complexes from the Khmer Empire that are around Siem Reap.  There are dozens, if not hundreds, of sights to see.  From small temples that are literally being reclaimed by the jungle, to huge complexes that are really small cities that just look like they're straight out of another world.  I bought a 3 day pass, and honestly, I thought I could have stayed longer.  But after that I was drained and very tired so I decided to move on.  But for those 3 days, I was in bliss.  

My first day I was traveling with a few other backpackers that I had met in Phnom Penh.  Now, for some reason they only wanted to go for one day so we all decided to see the big sights that day, and I would just do the little ones on my own.  We left at 5 in the morning in order to catch sunrise over Angkor Wat.  Now earlier I told you that Angkor Wat has 2 meanings.  The second meaning is more specific, it refers to only one temple complex; without question the grandest and most amazing.  That was what we went to see at sunrise.  

It was indescribable.  

Take a look at the pictures and you'll get an idea of what I saw.  That's about the best thing I can do though.  Any description I give will be completely inadequate.  This is definitely a place that needs to be seen to be believed.  

In its heyday Angkor Wat had a population of nearly 1 million people.  For a comparison, at the same time London had a population of about 50,000.  Today the Khmer Empire is rarely even known but in its day it was a major player in the region.

Over the course of the day we visited Bayon.

Here there are over 50 faces carved into the stone.  The entire time I felt like I was being watched.  In the main shrine in the interior I swear there was someone in there with me, I got very freaked and had to get outside fast.

We also visited Ta Keo

Ta Prohm, which was featured in the movie "Tomb Raider"

Then back to Angkor Wat so we could actually take pictures in daylight

And finally finished at Phnom Bakheng which is the highest hill in the area and great for sunsets.  

After the first day I was spent, but very excited for day 2.

On the second day I rented a bike and went solo exploring.  I was visiting some older, and less impressive places, but I still had a great day.  By the end I was completely drained though.

However, I saved the best for last.

One thing I'd read about in Lonely Planet was that you could take a balloon ride about 200 meters up and get some great shots of the entire area.  I knew I had to do that so I searched it out on my last day and got these pictures.

Here's Angkor Wat from the sky

Impressive huh??

Oh yeah, I also spent an hour playing with some monkeys that live around the temples.

Anyway, that was what happened to me this past week, and the reason I was so drained.  Next time we talk I'll tell you about my adventures in Laos.  Its only been 2 days so far, but its been fun already.  However, that's another story, for another day.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Me again, I hope you finished the last update already, because here's a new one for you to read.  I've been in Phnom Penh, Cambodia now for 3 days and I'm ready to move on.  So its time for another update.  Enjoy.

First off, Phnom Penh is beautiful.  The city is set up right on the edge of the Mekong River and its really a sight to see.  Temples are every mile or so.  And when I say temples, I don't mean small ones in the middle of the park or something, these things are huge.  Some of them you can see from miles away.  Though it helps that the city itself is as flat as a chessboard.  They were the first thing I noticed when I first walked through the city.

The second thing I noticed, however, was not so pleasant, the tuk-tuk drivers.  Tuk-tuks are just motorbikes with a little cart attached.  They're basically just a cheap taxi.  What's unpleasant is that EVERY SINGLE DRIVER wants to take you everywhere, even if its only around the corner.  They ask constantly, even if I'm just walking around.  Saying no all the time is hard enough, saying it politely is even worse.  But who am I to complain, this is how they make money, and they're just doing their jobs, oh well.

Another unfortunate thing to happen has to do with my camera.  Now, my camera is sacred to me.  The damn thing was a graduation gift from my mom and sister and its been by my side for years.  I've taken it around the world, twice.  It was there when I climbed the Great Wall, all 3 times.  It was even there when I was nearly killed in Xi'an.  Its been with me for years, and never far from my side. 

Earlier today it stopped working...sort of.  I could turn the camera on, take pictures, and do everything I could before; however the screen doesn't work, so I have no idea what I'm really doing at all.  At first I thought I'd just pushed a wrong button, but I tried everything and it just didn't work.  Now, Phnom Penh really has only one place to get a new camera, and Angkor Wat doesn't really have any.  So I knew I needed a new camera before I left tomorrow morning.  Therefore, I put my old camera aside and went for a new one.  I swear, it felt like the last scene in "Old Yeller" and I was the kid with the gun.

My new camera is great, and I got it for cheap too.  The problem is that my old camera wasn't really dead, just asleep apparently.  Its working fine now.  So I'm out 85 bucks but I have 2 working cameras. 

So now my budget is blown to hell and I'm torn between an old, reliable model with all kinds of history; and a new, sleek, and stylish model with new features that I spent a lot of money on.  I feel like a bigamist torn between a wife and a mistress.  I'm waiting for one to come alive, slap me in the face, and storm off with half my money.

Ok, enough joking, now on to serious stuff.

My first full day in the city was spent doing the must-dos for Phnom Penh, namely Tuol Sleng Prison and the Killing Fields.  But first, my favorite part of the update, where I teach you something and you pretend to listen.

Back in 1975 as America was getting the hell out of Vietnam, the other two civil wars that we'd involved ourselves in were also winding down.  Our side also lost in Laos and Cambodia, and the ones we backed suffered for choosing the wrong side.  In Cambodia, this led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communists).  They were led by an insane radical named Pol Pot.  After they took power they set out on a reign of terror that lasted 4 years until Vietnam finally invaded and put an end to it all.  However, before then, they killed over 2 million of their own people for no reason whatsoever.  Considering the entire country only held about 8 millionpeople to begin with, this genocide is considered one of the most destructive to a single country in history.

The Killing Fields is the place where all those who were chosen for execution in Phnom Penh were sent.  Over 10,000 people are buried there in over 100 grave sites.  Most with their hands tied and their eyes blindfolded.  The executioners sometimes bludgeoned them to death simply to save bullets.  In other instances babies were swung around by their ankles and had their heads smashed on tree trunks while their mothers watched.  Needless to say, the place takes a lot out of you.  Walking around mass grave sites was bad enough, but the worst part was the silence.  Phnom Penh is a loud place but here it was completely silent.  Even the animals were quiet; it was surreal.  Today the place is a memorial to the dead and a warning to the living to not allow this to happen again.

The other place of note on the first day was Tuol Sleng Prison.  Before the Khmer Rouge took over the place was just a high school but after the fall of Phnom Penh it was turned into an interrogation facility; in other words, people were tortured there.  Today the place is a genocide museum, just like the Killing Fields.  Some of the rooms have been untouched since the way they were found back in 1979.  The beds where prisoners were shackled and tortured are still there.  Other rooms have smaller subdivisions for multiple inmates, some are so small you can't even spread your arms.  In one I was able to touch the walls with my fingertips while my arms were folded across my chest.

Either place would have taken a lot out of me, but both in the same day left me drained mentally and emotionally.

The rest of my time here hasn't been quite so taxing, just markets and taking in everything.  The tuk-tuks are still a pain, but less so now that I'm used to them.  All in all, I will miss Phnom Penh a great deal, but bigger and better things await.

Until next time then.

Southeast Asia Itinerary

Ok all, here's my trip itinerary.  Its very basic, technically I'm already off schedule, but I really don't care.  I really prefer to just make it up as I go, but I wanted something to fall back on.


Anyway, here you go.

So here’s the plan.  I fly from Seoul, South Korea to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam on September 2^nd. My next flight is from Singapore to London on November 25^th.  I have exactly 84 days to get to Singapore via bus, train, or boat.  I’m not allowing myself to fly at all. Finally I’ll fly from London to New York City on December 2^nd.  I only have a week in London with Emma.  I’m not sure if I mentioned Emma before, but she’s my awesome friend that I met in Xi’an, China when we both toured the Terracotta Warriors.  She was wonderful enough to offer me her couch to crash on for a few days while I visit her fair country.  I’m staying home for only about 2 months and I’ll be visiting as many people as I can.  Its been over 2 years since I’ve been home and some of you I haven’t seen in nearly 4 years.  So if you want a visit let me know now and I’ll try to work it all out.

Take a look and tell me what you think.  I know some of you have seen all these places already so check it out and give me your opinions. 

Before you ask though, this itinerary is far from set in stone.  I’ve even included some flex time so I can add days here and there to my heart’s content.  As for the things I’ll do in each place, I’ve only listed the definite things, I will certainly do more than I have listed.

The only dates that are definite are for my flights.  Those are all bought and paid for. 

Anyway, in the words of Conan, “Enough talk!” 

September 2^nd - Flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (Saigon)

-          Chilling, Stocking up, and Getting used to the heat/humidity

September 4^th – Phnom Penh, Cambodia

-          Visa for Laos

-          Killing Fields

-          Tuol Sleng Genocide Memorial

September 7^th – Siem Reap, Cambodia

-          Angkor Wat (3 days at least, probably longer)

September 12^th – Si Phan Don, Laos

-          Sleepy little island town on the Mekong River.  I’m going to chill and do absolutely nothing.

September 14^th – Pakse, Laos

-          More chilling on the Mekong, probably won’t stay here long though

September 16^th – Tha Khaek, Laos

-          Last of the Mekong chillaxing, god I love traveling.

September 18^th - Vientiane, Laos

-          Visa for Thailand

September 21^st – Vang Vieng, Laos

-          Tubing and some adventure sports on the river

September 24^th – Luang Prabang, Laos

-          Temples and adventure outings

September 27^th – Luang Nam Tha, Laos

-          Adventure outings into the wilderness near the Chinese/Burmese border.

September 30^th – Chaing Rai, Thailand

-          Hiking, river trips, and maybe riding and elephant (!!)

October 3^rd – Chiang Mai, Thailand

-          Temples and cultural sights (and maybe another elephant)

October 6^th – Bangkok, Thailand

-          Like I really need to list things for this city.

October 10^th – Ko Tao, Thailand

-          Snorkeling and finding a completely empty beach to chill and tan.

October 13^th – Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand

-          More beach relaxing and a full moon party (or half moon, or wherever the hell the moon is)

October 17^th – Krabi, Thailand

-          Rock climbing and more beaches

October 20^th – Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

-          Chilling on a beach and maybe rock climbing

October 23^rd – Ko Lanta, Thailand

-          Desolate beaches and doing nothing…jealous yet?

October 25^th – Ko Lipe, Thailand

-          Beaches, beaches, and more beaches

October 27^th – Butterworth-Georgetown, Malaysia

-          More beaches and colonial architecture

October 30^th – Tanah Rata, Malaysia

-          Beautiful highlands, tea plantations, and forests

November 3^rd – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

-          Petronas Towers and some great night markets

November 6^th – Melaka, Malaysia

-          Street food and colonial architecture

November 9^th – November 22^nd      ***Flex Time***

-          Just in case anything is so amazing I have to add it or if I go over at a few spots.

November 23^rd – Singapore

-          Old friends, big city, China district (genuine Chinese food!)

November 26^th – London and Bath, United Kingdom

-          Great friend, Stonehenge, and London

December 2^nd – Finally home with enough pictures, stories, souvenirs, postcards, and memories to fill a novel…that I’ll write only when I’m old and unable to travel anymore.  With any luck it will never have to be written.

-          Lots of home cooking and old friends.

Saigon and the Mekong Delta

Hello again,

Well I just got back from my Mekong Delta tour and I've got 4 hours to kill before my sleeper bus to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. So the time is ripe to update you all again. I'll stick to Saigon and the Mekong, but it will still be long. So pull the chair closer to your computer, get comfortable, and enjoy.

I got into the city Thursday night and immediately headed out for my hostel. I met up with a few other teachers from Korea on the flight down and we all headed to the same place. My first night was spent taking in the city again and chatting up the other backpackers in my hostel. It never fails, no matter how many amazing places I see or how many wonderful pictures I take, the best part is always meeting other travelers from all over the word. That night's new group consisted of 1 Japanese backpacker, 1 Aussie, 1 Israeli, and 2 Brits. We stayed up the whole night swapping stories and sharing traveling tips. None of us had known any of the others only 5 hours beforehand; god I love backpacking.

The Mekong Delta tour was very nice. Nothing out of this world great, but it was really good to see the river life as it is. So far its relatively genuine but some parts are a little touristy. Not that I'm complaining, as it allows me to see a part of the world I've never had the chance to see before. And tourists also provide the locals with some extra cash; so everyone wins.

We got to take a slow boat on several island inlets and a big boat up and down the river. We checked out a fish farm, a homestyle coconut-candy shop, a floating market and a dragon fruit farm.

The best part though, was the scenery. The Mekong Delta is one of the last places on the Earth that is still genuine Tropical Rain Forest and seeing it up close and personal was definitely the highlight for me.

The only other things I'll talk about right now was something really interesting that my American friends will like.
Now, the first time I was in Saigon I went to the War Remnants Museum with Scott, Nikki, and Laura. Scott, Nikki, and I didn't like it all that much because some of the anti-American propaganda was disgusting and really obscene. Now I am well aware of the fact that America did some pretty messed up things during the war, but so did the North Vietnamese. I always hate it when historical museums are really propaganda factories that spew out rhetoric instead of history. I saw this all the time in China and in Vietnam.

Anyway, this time around, a girl I met on the flight from Korea wanted to go to the War Remnants Museum. I didn't really want to go, but she didn't want to go alone, and honestly, I wasn't doing much so I went with her.

As expected, most of the museum remains a propaganda palace and spews out plenty of Anti-American BS. However, there was something I did not expect, 2 new floors had opened up that weren't there last time. As I checked them out, I realized something; they weren't biased at all. In fact if anything, they were conciliatory. Some even talked about some of the good things America did during the war (infrastructure projects mainly) and that we have done since we've re-established diplomatic relations (trade agreements mostly). I was finally beginning to be turned when we got to a department called "Historic Truths". Instantly my good sentiments dropped and I expected the BS to start up again in spades. But I was wrong.

The new wing mainly showed pictures and statistics. The pictures were before and after shots of famous places throughout the country. How they looked after the fall of Saigon in 1975 versus today. Another part showed statistics of various things from numbers of soldiers to bombs dropped to countries that sent troops. In the entire wing, I didn't find a single article, picture, or blurb that was incorrect or misleading. It was probably one of the most historically accurate and unbiased things I'd ever seen in Vietnam. It was amazing.
But the absolute best part was when I got to the gift shop.
Most of the items being sold were relics and a few nicknacks. Some of them were nice, some campy, some just stupid. When I walked in, the lady at the counter asked us where we were from. When I said "America" her eyes just lit up and she said "America! Obama!" When I smiled and answered yes, she took me straight to the corner of the shop and pointed out the books for sale.
When this museum was set up 30 years ago it was one of the biggest American bashing, Western hating, capitalist loathing sites in the entire country; a final slap in the face to America and every Vietnamese who fought alongside us. But today, the world has changed so much that the most popular item for sale in the gift shop is a book.
The title of the book is "The Audacity of Hope" and the author is Barack Obama.




I nearly cried with joy.

And a New Adventure Begins!!

Hey there everyone,

I know this hasn't been updated in a while, but to be honest, my life in Korea is kind of boring, and not worth updating about with very few exceptions.  Unfortunately, none of those exceptions have occurred in the last few months.  Luckily though, that's over, and I'm off again.  I'm taking a nice long vacation to Southeast Asia and won't be back on the grid for 3 months.  I'll try to update this as often as I can.  Just stay patient and you'll hear from me soon enough. 

I'm also including a copy of my (very basic) itinerary.  It isn't set in stone by any degree, but just a basic overview.  Take a look and comment if you like. 

I'm currently in Saigon, Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City, but I refuse to call it that unless the locals start doing it as well.).

Anyway, right into it!

I left from Seoul yesterday morning. Mother nature tried to step in to stop me in the form of Typhoon Kompasu. It wasn't anything major, but the wind and rain were enough to threaten a delay, or even cancellation, of my flight. Since I was connecting, that meant even a small delay would have made me miss my flight to Saigon. If mother nature wasn't bad enough, another force of nature tried to stop me too; the Korean Immigration Department. Lets review how it all went down.

First, my bus gets in an hour late because of a combination of rain, traffic, and construction projects. Then I find out that I have to wait, indefinitely, for check in to start since they don't even know if there's going to be a flight. Once I check in they tell me I can't check in yet, i have to go to immigration first. I go to immigration, they tell me to wait even though my flight begins boarding in approximately 20 minutes (don't you just love government bureaucracies!). Here's the conversation.

Them: "You have to pay for a visa to leave the country"

Me: "Why?"

Them: "Because you don't have your Alien Registration Card"

Me: "But I'm coming back in January and I'll need it then"

Them: "Then you'd have to get another one"

Me: "But then I would have to pay for that"

Them: "Yes"

Me: "So no matter what I have to pay?"

Them: "Yes"

Me: "And there's nothing I can do?"

Them: "No"

...

...

...

Me: "How much?"




I believe this is what's called - getting screwed with your pants on

Luckily the drama ended at that point and I ran to my gate. I made it on time, but just barely.

That was my first day's drama, I hope you all have had a good laugh at my expense.

The next update will be coming soon. Talk to you later.