Phnom Pehn

    Before we arrived in Cambodia, Annie recommended that I should read the book First They Killed My Father. It is a story of a young girl whose life was changed forever due to the Pol Pot Regime. After reading that story I couldn't help but feel pity for this poor nation. For those not familiar with Pol Pot or the Khmer Rouge, I could give you a little insight on the next paragraph.

    April 17th, 1975 marked a day of infamy for Cambodia. Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh and forced its residents to move to the countryside where they were forced into slave labor working in the rice fields and similar jobs. Cambodians were tortured, starved and murdered during his reign and women, children even babies were no exception. It was a genocide that claimed the lives of an estimated 1.7 million people, that's 1 out of 4 Cambodians died due to this mad man. His scheme made no sense either. He wanted to bring Cambodia back to its roots and eliminate all western influence or any other outside influence for that matter and lead a nation of forced slaved labor. I wonder how a person with this much power could be so incredibly stupid. How could a person influence an army that was destined for failure.  If you had an education you were viewed as a traitor and a threat to Pol Pot and needed to be eliminated. But not until you were interrogated, beaten and tortured.

     I had a tough time believing that this all happened. How could something so evil exist and strike down on some many innocent lives. But the most breathtaking disturbing evidence would soon present itself and show me that all of this is true and that it was worse than I thought. 

    There are not many old people in Cambodia. It was something I had heard from other backpackers and it was devastating to find that it true. The poverty level also indicates that Cambodia is still healing from that experience and despite all that they haven't and won't give up on their country. They continue to work hard to catch up with their neighboring countries. 

                                                             One of cells at S.21 prison

                                                           Outside the chambers of S.21  

We arrived in Phnom Penh in the afternoon and visited the Tuol Sleng (also called S.21) Genocide Museum. The site was originally a school but when the Khmer Rouge took control of Phnom Penh they converted it to a prison designed for detention, interrogation and torture. Walking through the prison left you feeling empty inside. The rooms where prisoners were kept open and you could roam throughout freely. As you entered the rooms you stepped on the yellow and white checkered tile stained of whatever your imagination came up with and spotted with mold. We found the metal bed frames, shackles and a few torture tools left in the same place as they were they were found.  The walls, made of concrete, displayed a single picture showing what the room looked like while it was occupied. Every picture showed a victim starving, beaten and near death if not already dead. In other sections of the prison they displayed pictures and written confessions (most of which lies in hopes the torture would soon end if they told them what they wanted to hear) of all the residents trapped in this hell hole and, in the last part, skulls of a few victims were displayed showing small blows to the head that decided their fate. It sent chills through your body and left us speechless. I don't think Annie and I had said more than just a few words to each other during our visit and it took a while to start talking again after.  

     The Khmer Rouge wouldn't kill their victims at the prison. They would gather about 50 to 75 of "confessed traitors" and tell them they were moving them to another location when in fact they were taking them to the "Killing Fields", a mass grave where they would violently meet their fate and be thrown into communal pits to be buried. We would visit this horrific place in the morning. 

     The next day came and I had an empty feeling in my stomach. I wasn't sure what we would be in store for. We hopped in a tuk-tuk and took the 30 minute drive to our destination. I couldn't help but feel for all those who lives ended at the end of the of this road we were on. We finally arrived and it was quiet. No one spoke to each other. There were signs stating "Please No Talking" but they were unnecessary. No one wanted to converse in a place like this. I don't think anyone could find the words. 

    We received a headset for an audio tour and listened to a survivor of the genocide tell us of what happened where. He told us of his story and the stories of other survivors. Sadness completely took over me until rage consumed it all when a soldiers story came through the headphones. He spoke of transporting the prisoners from S.21 to the killing fields. The sound of his voice gave made me shiver on the hot afternoon. It was like listening to the devil himself speak aloud. I wondered why this man speaking was alive. How come he wasn't executed for his crimes against so many innocent lives. The truth is, a lot of the soldiers and the top officials of Pol Pot's Regime walked free after the genocide for many years including Pol Pot himself. It wasn't until the past 10 years or so that they have been arrested. Comrade Duch, the top official at S.21 was arrested in 2002 and was found  guilty to numerous war crimes and admitted to being responsible for the deaths of 20,000 Cambodians. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison and soon after reduced to 19 years after officials say he was detained illegally. The Khmer Rouge held a seat in the UN until 1992, that's not a typo...until 19 fucking 92 (sorry for the language). Pol Pot was sentenced to house arrest in 1998 and died of heart failure serving only one year. I can't understand the level of injustice for the victims families and for the people who some how survived this horrific ordeal. 

     After discovering the mass grave they dug up over 20,000 corpses and built a memorial in the center to house the remains. Empty pits covered with green grass now mark the spots of the where all the victims had been murdered by various objects such as axes, hoes, picks, machetes and hammers. They never shot their victims because bullets were too expensive so a quick and easy death was out of the question. Babies and small children met their demise by being smashed against a  large tree trunk and thrown into a grave while their mothers watched. After being raped they would soon join their children in the communal grave now covered in flowers and small handmade bracelets.
    Due to the rains and weather, clothes and more remains of the victims will appear from the soil. They are soon collected by the keepers of the site and then added to the collection they compiled at the memorial. So as our tour drew to a close the audio played some of the revolutionary music the Khmer Rouge played while executing their victims. The music played through the loud speakers that were powered by loud generators and that sound effect was not absent in the recording we heard. While listening to the recording it was then that we discovered some bones and a few teeth protruding from the ground on the edge of the path. We decided to leave after the discovery but for as long I as I live I will always keep this experience in the back of my mind and for this experience alone I have changed the way I look at the world for better and for worse.

                                                Mass graves that were excavated in 1980

                                    Clothes and teeth of the victims are unearthed along the trail

                                                         Skulls of a few female victims

                                     The memorial where the house skulls and other various bones

                                                                    The sign says it all...

                                                More mass graves that had been excavated

    

Otres Beach Part II

On the third night at Otres Beach we were partying late and decided we wanted to continue on. Janna, a girl we met from Germany had mentioned she wanted to go to another beach called Serendipity. She had been living in Otres for a month but never made the full effort to get out there and because she was leaving in two days her time was running. So our crew of six people piled into a tuk-tuk and off we went. It was bizarro-land from the start. As we got close to our destination we drove by a street fight where a local chased another local down with stick and before we turned the corner the Cambodian with the stick had caught up with his victim took a big swing and down he went. We don't know what became of him... Anyway we finally got to the beach and lets just say I'm very very very happy we ended up in Otres because if we stayed in Serendipity I would have left the next day. It's not because of the violence we saw but because of the bar scene. It looked like a ridiculous spring break party. If you could avoid everyone dancing on the bar and get a chance to be seen you couldn't get a beer cause the bartenders were too busy grinding with each other. The prostitutes gave you plenty of attention though. I think we all made a silent pact that night that we would stay in Otres until we were ready to move to our next location.

We were supposed to stay in Otres for three of four days but we ended up staying for eight and after that eventful night in town the rest of our time there was pretty laid back and very fun until we awoke the morning before we would leave. It was around 11:30am when I heard one of the Cambodian women yelling frantically in Khmer. I couldn't understand what she was saying but it sounded to me like she or
someone else got into a scuffle. I opened the door of our bungalow and saw an object with a cloud of smoke following it, being thrown out the second story window of the building next to us. Then I noticed a fire extinguisher hosing down a back pack that was on fire. We quickly got out of our bungalow to find out what was happening and if we could help but it seemed the crew acted quick and got it under control.

We later found out that one of the guests staying in the dorm building had an electric kettle with him and decided it would be nice to make a cup of tea before bed but forgot to turn it off. It overheated and
finally caught fire to his mattress. I heard some of the flames were as tall or perhaps taller than the 4' 10" height of the woman I heard shouting. I don't know how much damage the fire caused but I'm sure glad those guys acted quickly and took care of the situation before the whole place went up in flames and it would have happened really fast. It kinda set an uncomfortable mood for a while as we took it in so a lesson wouldn't go unlearned. Our moods did brighten up though and we spent the rest of the day at the beach and then our nightly routine of ribs, whiskey and cold draft beers under a bright moonlight closed our time at Otres Beach.

Cambodia: Otres Beach

Sorry it has been so long. Annie and I have been traveling in Vietnam for the past month and there is no internet cafes anywhere. Facebook is also banned there but we found a few spots towards the end of that trip that allowed use through our phones. Anyway I wasn't going to type a whole blog through the screen on my phone.

There is a lot of info for Vietnam so I'm going to skip over that for now and tell you about our time in Cambodia first, while it's still fresh in my head. I will tell you the stories of Vietnam when we get back to Thailand next week.

We left Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) early in the morning and took a bus through the afternoon and transferred in Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, which is near the Vietnam border along the Gulf of Thailand. Out of all the places we visited on this trip Cambodia seems to be the one struggling the most. As we drove through the countryside we noticed not many structurally sound houses built of brick, stones or concrete but tiny bamboo shanties built on stilts that looked as if they could collapse at any moment. When we got closer to the city the shanties turned from bamboo to scraps of sheet metal and other recycled materials and when we finally entered the city things seemed to appear normal again along with an excess of trash in the streets. The entire city did not appear this way but some sections made you cringe and wonder how people could live this way.

When we finally arrived in Sihanoukville it was 9:00pm and we were greeted by 20 tuk-tuk drivers screaming and yelling to get your attention so they could get your business. Vietnamese and Cambodians will annoy you to the point of mental collapse in order to make a sale. Not a very good way about doing business and it certainly did not work with us. The tuk-tuk drivers all lost that night as Annie and I opted for motorbikes to get to our Guesthouse in Otres Beach. Otres is pretty far off the beaten track and I was glad we were prepared for that because if not, I would have thought for sure we were going to be victims of one of those wonderful trips gone terribly wrong. We finally arrived to our Guesthouse called Wish You Were Here, but we didn't know what to make of it cause it was so dark, the village had no street lights and the light from other buildings didn't help much either. What we did know was that there was a cool little bar with ice cold Cambodian drafts on tap and a ton of comfy places to sit and relax including these neat little wicker chairs that hung from the rafters.

The next morning we woke up and finally got to take a look around and get our bearings. My first thought was how long are we staying here for and how could we rearrange our schedule to stay longer. There was a single dirt road with tiny beach bars, restaurants and bungalows. The ocean water was a nice turquoise color and the waves were perfect for body surfing and surfing if you had long board. The first day was fantastic and the icing on the cake was the beautiful sunset every evening.

That second evening we met Juan. "Get the ribs for dinner" he said and it was one of the most valuable piece of advice I got while on this trip. He was from Chile but had been living in Miami for many years. He was busy traveling like us until he found this place and was hired as a bartender. He doesn't get paid cash but they supply him with room and board (alcohol included). We talked and drank all night and he filled us in on everything we need to know about the beach. Where to get the best food, the late night spots etc. We also became good friends with the owners of Wish You Were Here, Johnny and Aaron. I can't even begin to tell you all the great people we met during our time there. It is a just a little slice of heaven in this crazy world.

To be continued....

Sunset at Otres

Beach and Umbrellas

Our awesome guesthouse. "Wish You Were Here"

Super comfy wicker chairs suspended from rafters.

Sunset at Otres

Our bungalow home for a week.

Juan, our favorite bartender

Jim, Mike, Juan, Andy.. Moonrise last night in Otres

Vang Viang

Sorry I haven't been posting much in my blog as of late. We arrived
in Vietnam on Friday and it has been a struggle to find internet
cafes. It was also a struggle to get email access. The government is
quite strict on the social websites so I think that is why we
struggled to get the access. I'm glad I created this blog and decided
to limit facebook because there is a temporary ban on facebook in
Vietnam. No one in the country could access it unless you use another
site to disguise your actions (I'm not going to bother). Anyway I
think I left off where we arrived in Vang Vieng.

  I was excited about our trip there because of what I had been
hearing about the town through other backpackers. On our bus, there
were excited passengers that had spent a decent amount of time there on
previous occasions so now, I was excited too.

   When we finally arrived, by the looks of it, I was disappointed.
Most of the roads weren't paved and the ones that were, were half
assed. You would drive 100 yards on pavement then 50 yards of
dirt and rocks, basically it was off-roading. The buildings were tin
roofed shanties and even the newer buildings including the ones being
built were not impressive. So I guess the town was filled with charm,
maybe some good food, I don't know, something to understand why
everyone loved this place so much.

   Through tripadvisor.com we researched a guesthouse and made that
our home for the next few days. They were very helpful and although
the room wasn't too impressive the staff is why we assume everyone
gave it a good rating. We got settled in and tried to do some more
research about the town. The buzz going around town and we had heard
about this long before we decided to come here, was the rafting down
the river. What happens is you rent an innertube and they drive you three
miles away along this river. You then float down the river that runs
along side the beautiful limestone cliffs and along the river banks
there are bars that offer free shots of rice whiskey upon arrival. You
could try out their different concoctions that launch you into the
river including ziplines, rope swings and water slides. It sounded
pretty cool. So it was definitely on our to-do list there. The other
interesting activity was exploring the caves. We didn't know too much
about them but we were more than willing to give it a try.

  The funny thing about Vang Vieng was their obsession with the
sitcom "Friends". While Annie and I were trying to find a place for
dinner, it was difficult to find a place where "Friends" were not on
TV. Most of the restaurants had a pretty cool arrangement going on.
You kind of get your own personal lounge made of bamboo and covered
with cushions. They did a great job at trying to make you feel at home
by offering a casual dinner with some TV. The only problem was the
food. The food there was horrific and all the restaurants must get
their food from the same distributor because it was all the same.
Nothing was authentic or fresh. If anything, it felt like 7-11 was in
charge of our diets for the time. We were there for 3 days and not
once did we have something decent to eat. The closest thing seemed to
be pizza and "Ellio's" blew their pizza out of the water. Getting back
to the crew on the bus that was so excited to get here. I don't know
how they could have stayed there for any amount of time (one of them
stayed for a month).

  Day number two, we got off to a late start but still decided to
go for the tubing trip. We got our tubes, jumped into the Tuk-Tuk
and headed upstream to the start the journey. I finally figured out
why everyone loved this place so much. They were a few years younger
than I and this was a "spring break" kind of place. We crossed over a
wooden walking bridge to the first bar and there was a crew of kids in
their early 20's, a drunken mess of college kids. Pop dance music
blared from across the river as they played all different kinds of
drinking games. It was pretty comical. Annie and I did our best to
have a good time and not get involved with all the shinadagans going
on. After a couple of beers there, we jumped in our rafts and traveled
to the next bar. They
had a diving board that rose about 20 feet above the water so we had a
beer and tried it out. Then continued to our next spot that sported a
trapeze. It was a ton of fun and the farther you get down the river
the crowds got thinner, older and more tolerable. I guess the young-ins
can't handle their booze like us veterans and boy, did they miss out
The final bar we stopped at had a massive slide. A cement structure
covered in tile. You could probably fit four people across and I know
what your probably thinking. Tiles? Wouldn't that hurt? Surprisingly
enough, it didn't hurt at all. The cool part about this slide was at
the end it had a lip that shoot you up in the air while launching you
into the
water. I saw a couple of people go and I was ready. Annie wasn't
so sure. I got to the top, equipped with my waterproof recorder and
away I went. You build up an incredible amount of speed and then you
hit the lip about 10 feet before the end. It launches you through the
air and then dropped right into the water. It was awesome. Annie was
still not convinced so I had to get others try to convince her and
finally... she went down and loved it. We then had to hightail it out
of there cause it was getting late and we had to return our tubes in
order to get our deposits back. We then had some shitty pizza and went
to bed to get ready for the caves the next morning.

  The cave (not "caves" as we learned) was very, very cool. We
rented a motorbike and traveled out of town toward the limestones. It
was nice to get out of town and drive past the small villages and
farms. The scenery was beautiful and when we finally arrived to cave I
was surprised to see some of the most beautiful blue waters I have
ever seen. A large tree hung over the small river and a cute little
bridge. From there you could see schools of fish swimming around. We
then headed up a steep mountain side which took about 10 minutes to
reach the mouth of this enormous cave. It was gorgeous. I don’t have
much experience with caves in my life but this was wide open and you
were able to explore at free will. We took our time exploring the
different paths that wrapped around large rocks. There weren’t any
tunnels to speak of unless we missed them. There are no guides for
this tour so its on your own accord, which was nice but its possible
we missed some good “nooks and crannies” of the cave.
    It was getting pretty hot in there so we took of and had a dip in
the crystal blue water at the base of the mountain. The water felt
amazing. The perfect temperature to cool you off and allowed you to
take your time and explore some of the wildlife it had to offer.

    The next day we traveled in another bus trip to Vientiane, the
nations capital. It was a cool city but if you remember (in my
previous blogs) I visited a psychic. Well she was right. She called
it. I didn’t really doubt it and tried to be careful but it didn’t
work. It wasn’t so bad though. We toured the city a bit but couldn’t
stray too far from our guesthouse. So I don’t have much of anything to
write about our visit there.

Continued from last post....

   We got back to our guesthouse that we splurged on a little bit cause the place seemed friendly, cozy and was recommended by my buddy Lee (that we met while in Chiang Mai). So we decided to stay there. And it was a very nice place. One of the cleanest we've stayed at during our trip but the noise factor was a bit of a problem. At an early 6:30 start the  locals were building a new guesthouse next door and for some reason they loved using grinders. The sound just cut through our room so all I had was was mere 4 or 5 hour sleep. Annie slept through it all (I don't know how).
      That morning we packed up and looked around for another place. One, for peace and quite, the other for cheaper accommodations. We found a decent little place down the road for cheap and were settling in until we got a knock on the door. The young man from the front desk said a friend is here to visit us. We were both very confused. Who could that be? Annie and i didn't even know we were staying at this guesthouse until about a minute ago. So I walked down stairs and to my surprise it was the host from the last guesthouse that we just checked out of. In a very cool and collected voice she said, "you no pay for room when you check out". We did. We paid for the room yesterday in order to get the key. I asked Annie to come down and I think once she saw Annie she remembered that we paid. I think she was more upset than anything that we left that morning. She noticed my displeasure when I awoke early to investigate the construction going on next door. I did feel bad about wanting to go elsewhere but it was in cards before I found out about the construction. The place was just too expensive. Anyway that seemed to be the only Laos local so far on this trip that actually cared about something. The rest of them are so laid back they couldn't give a shit about anything. For example, we ordered lunch at this little cafe and we got curious that 45 minutes went past and we didn't receive anything, except our drinks. I asked the waitress and she just shrugged her shoulders. We paid for our drinks then left (found another place and had another sub-par meal).
     In Thailand, the people are very friendly. Many smile when you pass by and they appreciate that you are there. In Laos, so far, its a bit different. The only time any local acknowledges you is when they want to sell you something. So, the only people we really spoke to there was the Tuk-Tuk drivers and the Street Vendors. Don't get the impression that they are mean, they just seem too laid back to care about anything.
    The search for something delicious to eat continued. With not much success we had lunch and then went out for dinner at this outdoor restaurant on the main strip. Finally. I had this delicious fish steamed in a banana leaf loaded with herbs spices and some chili peppers for a kick. We were finally done with our slump, not just with the food there but with everything that wasn't up to par in this little city. We discovered more around town. Cozy little bars with delicious food, cafes for an amazing breakfast and when you work your way deeper into the peninsula you will find the prettiest resorts I have seen while on this entire trip along with top notch restaurants. The prices were out of our range for the budget we were on but if you were to be traveling for a few weeks and maybe a have an income I would recommend to visit this place in a heartbeat.
     Just as we were really getting into a good groove here it was time to leave. We chartered a mini bus to Vang Vieng and was that a trip. I don't know if you remember me speaking of the bus from Pai and how people were getting sick. Lets just say I'm glad we had a few tough passengers in this van. Bumpy, unpaved roads that twisted and turned up and down the mountain range through small little villages on the roadside. If our driver wasn't careful we would have had quite a verity of roadkill victims splattered all over. We dodged  chickens, pigs, dogs, goats and cows. It was crazy. A horn is essential driving on this road. You need it as a warning signal. Every time the driver would start laying on his horn you knew a small village awaited us around the bend. Livestock and children would cram on the side of the road and waited for us to pass. After driving through the mountains and got to flat land we were amazed at the view we saw. Magnificent Limestone peaks that just shot up to the sky and were covered in greens and all sorts of trees. One of the most romantic sights I have ever seen in my life. The sun actually peaked through the clouds while we were driving through and the rays cut through the sharp peaks creating something that you would usually only see in a painting. Absolutely gorgeous.
     We arrived in Vang Vieng and for that another blog will have to do so stay tuned:)
   

Next country please :)

  Well we left Thailand on Tuesday afternoon and hopped on a small 30 passenger plane to Luang Phrubang, Laos. It was a short flight, about an hour long and we across the runway into the airport to get our visas. The airport was a little rinky dink place that looks like Knights of Columbus with a runway behind it. We used the ATM and took out 1 million kip (only about $150 USD but it felt cool to be a millionaire at that moment). We then got a cab into the city to find a guesthouse for the night. Luang Phrubang is is a beautiful little city. It's a small peninsula nestled between the Mekong River and the Khan. It is certainly has more eye appeal than all the places we had been on this trip except Bangkok but that's like comparing apples to oranges. It is a thriving community. One of the most expenses places to visit in Laos and you could understand why with all the steps they are taking to improve the community. They are building new beautiful buildings and they are improving the existing.
   We walked around for a little while to get our bearings and work up a bit of an appetite so we sat at an outside restaurant that over looked the Mekong. There was a  beautiful view of the sunset above the big mountains that sat behind the Mekong. The only problem was the smoke in the air got thicker as we traveled to Laos and the sunset was about all you could see of the sun. During the day the haze was so thick that you couldn't make out where the sun is in the sky. It was almost like a foggy day through amber sun-glass lenses. But, while it was close to setting, it glowed a bright orange. It appeared about the same size of the moon when it's full and then before it met the mountains it disappeared behind more smokey haze and the night sky quickly followed. Our dinner came out with the evening and I don't think I could have had a worse meal than I had that night. It only cost about $3 but I have never felt so ripped off before. I ordered a cold beer and stir fried chicken with basil. What I got a was a warm beer and one of those rubber chickens thrown in a deep fryer for about a half hour. Service took forever too. We went to a night market on the main strip and examined the merchandise they had for sale and not too my surprise, it was similar to all of the popular touristy places we visited and all similar to one another.
    I decided to try dinner again that night so we went to a little cafe and I ordered a club sandwich, safe right? No. I got a hard boiled egg a slice of turkey and one piece of bacon on three pieces of "wonder" white bread. How could this be? An awesome little city with with all this tourism. Could the food really be this bad? I looked around and I wasn't too impressed with anything I saw people eating at any of the restaurants around us. A Seven Eleven could have produced a better sandwich than I had but it was at least edible so I didn't go to bed on an empty stomach.

    We are getting kicked out of the internet cafe so I will have to continue this in the morning.

We are back in Chiang Mai

   I'm not sure if I have mentioned much about the weather out here in any of my past blogs. It's hot. The temperatures range in the 90's (F) during the day and the evenings in the 80's. During our first trip to Chiang Mai, the hostel that we are staying at had no AC, or air-con as they call it here. It was definitely not easy to sleep through the night with one rotating fan hitting you for a second and then again after another long 6 seconds. So when we arrived in Pai, a much needed break from the evening heat awaited us there. I'm not sure what the actual temp was but we were able to sleep under blankets and wore long sleeve shirts after the sun went down. 

   The heat during the day was still hot but it didn't stop us from visiting the hot springs only a few kilometers from where we were staying. I never experienced hot springs before and I was definitely surprised at what I saw. As we approached the spring we found a small pool of crystal blue and green water. Steam was pouring off from the top and in some areas the water was even bubbling. In another smaller pool next to us two people were boiling eggs. When we took a closer look the heat overcame us and we had to take a few steps back. It felt like standing over a pot of boiling water. After enough of that we then strolled down the walk where the hot water was cascading down the hill through a series of bends and curves and then collected in a few small pools below. There was only a few people at the park that day so it was nice to have your pick at which pool you would like to hang out in. We chose one pool that had three little waterfalls and I sat under one of them to have the warm water pour onto my neck. It's been over 2 weeks since my "Thai massage" and I still do not have full range in my neck so the water felt nice. 

   I did notice many injuries among the foreigners in Pai. I assume it was a lot of first timers renting motorbikes and not quite knowing how to use them. As we were waiting for the bus to go back to Chiang Mai, I saw 2 girls on a motorbike waiting for instructions on where to return it. One was bandaged up around her ankle and also around her calf. She could barely move her leg as she limped off the back of the bike and the driver could barely maneuver the thing as she attempted to get back into the return garage. The locals must get a kick out of that kind of stuff. I know I would. 

    We got on the small bus back to Chiang Mai and it was an interesting trip to say the least. As I may have mentioned before the trip in was similar to kiddie roller coaster ride and I learned that there are over 760 bends and curves in the road leading to Pai. Well you take the same road back that you took in and this time our driver seemed like he was in a hurry to get back. We sped along the road gunning past slower vehicles with oncoming traffic approaching and even ripped through the smoke filled air where the brush fires reached the road. It was upsetting to see the the fires just roaming around at their own free will and no one would attempt to stop it. But as heard from Pai local that the fires are good because if the forest didn't thin out every once in a while the crops that the town depends on wouldn't get enough light and die off. Anyway a couple of the passengers lost their cookies from the intense journey. One into a plastic bag and the other begged the driver to stop and bolted out of the bus for tree to lean against. With others on the verge of the same fate we finally reached Chiang Mai and many got off the bus in a hurry, happy to have feet planted firmly on the ground. 

    We are going to take it easy and relax for a few days so I'm going to do the same with this blog. We fly to Laos on Tuesday so I will probably pick it up from there. 

"Greetings from Pai"

   Well we arrived in Pai (pronounced "bye"), a hippie town, on Tuesday afternoon and not to my surprise, I love it here. It is a little town located in this valley surrounded by beautiful mountains dense with bamboo and rosewood trees. To get there, we hired a minivan to take us through the mountains to this little gem. There were many bends and curves in the road leading us there so it felt almost like riding a little kiddie roller coaster to our destination. When we arrived it felt like a small version of Chiang Mai, which was a smaller version of Bangkok and that being said, the smaller the better. The people here are very laid back and easy going. The restaurants and bars are more personal, especially one place called the "Witching Well" where, besides the Thai food I have eaten it is the best food out here so far. We ate there for breakfast yesterday, lunch today and I'm sure we are to make another visit before we leave on Saturday afternoon. The art culture is the basis of this community. Everything has a very unique flavor to it and the inspiration here is endless.
    The first place Annie and I stayed at didn't seem too bad when we checked it out but as we got settled in Annie laid down the bed and then she followed with nervous question, did you feel the bed? Besides the first hostel we stayed at in Bangkok we didn't really have a comfortable bed and this one took the cake. I don't think Thai people know the difference between a box spring and a mattress. That bed was probably as comfy as two pieces of cardboard laid out on a marble floor. To say the least we only stayed the one night there and then Annie found this awesome little place around the block. We made the reservation and before we booked they showed us the place. We walked through the back crossing a small bridge over a koi pond and down the gravel path alongside a man made creek that would occasionally zigzag underneath us. Bamboo huts on stilts  were scattered around all with their own front deck. When we walked inside there was nice queen sized bed, a bathroom with a separate shower stall (most bathrooms in Thailand double as a shower and toilet in the same area) and a small couch made of bamboo and covered with cushions. The place was awesome. The bed wasn't too bad either so we took it.
    Annie and I decided to rent a motorbike to explore the outskirts of Pai. It was nice to have the control to do what we wanted to on our own schedule. We cruised up a small mountain to a look-out point and from there we were able to see what we have been looking at only on our maps. A beautiful view of the valley surrounded by mountains with sharp peaks. The only unfortunate thing was the intense dry hot season were causing brush fires to take away small portions of the greenery on the mountains. None of which was too threatening though.
    We then took off and headed to one of the waterfalls not too far from where we were. After a few minutes we arrived to the waterfall which was pretty but I noticed that because of the dry weather the waterfall wasn't at its full capacity. Areas that you could tell the water carved the rock over many years were dry and hot. Some of the plant life that should be a lush green color were brown and dry. Its nothing I'm sure this area hasn't seen it just needs some rain soon.
     We are off to explore some hot springs and rest of the evening here so I will catch up to you guys later.

   Yesterday, Annie and I took a Thai cooking course. They had use choose from a menu that consisted of a 5 course meal and we then began the process. We went to the market and they discussed in detail what ingredients we would be using and why you were using them. It was very informative. Of all the dishes Annie and I chose (all different ones so we could come back knowing how to cook more dishes) I noticed none of them too difficult to cook. I think the most important part of Thai cooking is the ingredients you use. Many of which may be hard to get in the the States. I recorded almost of the class so if we find the ingredients back at home we will have to have a big Thai feast. We are also trying to do a cooking class in every country we visit so it should be a pretty damn big feast.
  We met a couple from Vancouver Esprit and Amy, during the class and we really hit off with them so we decided to go out to dinner with them later that night. We were kinda tired of eating Thai food so we went to an Italian joint and had some pasta that was surprisingly delicious.
   We were talking to a Thai couple earlier that day and they recommended that we should check out this jazz club by the North Gate of Chiang Mai. Not too far from where we were staying. We showed up for the last few notes before their first set break but I could tell that we came to the right place. It was crowded with no where to sit but Esprit found a little balcony with a couch over looking the stage. We met another person from Canada (Montreal), Patrick, and he informed me that it was an open mic night. He asked me if I played and I told him I occasionally sit in with my friends if they want a back beat with my djembe. When I returned the question he said that he plays the bass and drums but doesn't play any jazz and that these guys were too good for him to keep up with. He was full of shit. He disappeared before they started playing and then I see him on piano jamming with the guys. He was right about one thing though. These guys were really good. After they finished the second song he pointed up to me and then to bongos set up by the bass player. So I had no choice.  It felt great to be a part of and surrounded by that many talented musicians just jamming out, having fun. I must have played for about 20 minutes and we all took a breather while the drummer did is solo. I then noticed the place was so crowded that it over flowed into the street blocking traffic. It was the biggest crowd I ever played in front of and it was an amazing feeling. After the set was over we all celebrated with some beers and whiskey hung out for a little while and then it all started back up again. I decided to sit out the second set and just listen and enjoy with our new friends.
    We are off to Pai now so I will post again when I get a good story from there:)

Here are some pics to fill in the blanks for my last blog.

PS: My computer shut down before so I didn't have a chance to proof read so....

  Ok....elephant training camp. Awesome just plain Awesome. It turned out our roommates, John, from Miami and Marlena, from Connecticut signed up for the same thing so it was nice to have some familiar company with us. The rest of the crew were from China and spoke no English. They pick us up in their van at our hostel at what should have been 8:30. They showed up at 9:30 (Thais are notoriously late to everything). Not too much communication was done to prepare for the day either. We had an idea of what we were doing but it had no order.
   We first stopped by a butterfly and orchid farm which was pretty weak. If I wasn't in a butterfly farm I would have thought they were moths. There was no bright beautiful colors just brown and grey butterflies flying around. Some I even wondered how they are flying cause parts of their wings were destroyed. The orchids were pretty but this stop was just to kill some time before we got to the elephant camp. We then took another long drive to the banks of a river and on the other side of the river the elephants were hanging around. But we had to fill some more time and took a bamboo raft ride down the river. Another touristy, uneventful little journey. We jumped off the raft and got back in the van and our driver took up back up the river to where the elephants were. We then got some good news. The crew from China only signed up for elephant rides and we signed up for the training. So it was just the four of us, our two trainers and the three elephants, 2 adults and a little 2 years old that followed his mother around. He was so cute.
    The trainers taught us a few commands and threw us right into the deep end. These elephants sat down, on command and they told us to hop on. It was very intimidating. We had to use their leg as step to get on their back. We were riding these things bareback. Nothing to hold on to but the top of his head. In my head I thought an elephants skin would similar to a soft leather or something along those lines. Nope. Rough skin and scattered hairs that felt like little plastic wires on a grooming brush.
     The elephant stood up and we just got up and started walking around. The elephant didn't listen to a thing I had to say and he just walked around on his own free will. I was on the back of the mother so the little one followed us around.
     We just kind of walked around a small area to get used to the feeling and see if the elephants  would warm up to our commands (they didn't but the real trainers were there so it wasn't a big deal).
     So our little expedition was about to begin. Annie was the driver first which meant she sat on the neck (the more stable area when your riding bareback) and gave the commands. I sat behind Annie unsure of how to sit on the shoulders of the beast. The terrain made it difficult to keep your balance on the elephant. Some of the paths were very narrow and if you lost your balance you could end up falling down a small cliff into the river. But Annie guided us well through it all and mother and her 2 year old son stopped for a drink by a small creek. I knew what was coming next. It was very hot and the I'm sure the animal wanted to cool off and she did. She filled her trunk and sprayed water over body to help cool down while we were sitting on top. The little one had some fun with too spraying us every once in a while. Annie and I switched spots and I did my best to guide us to the river. after many commands and close calls we finally made it to the river and while we were on her back she dove in. I never would have thought I would experience something so free with a creature of this size. We played in the water with the 3 elephants for about a half hour and the baby elephant was soo much fun. He would hose us down, push us over and occasionally grab you with his trunk. Our trainer was nuts. He was this little Thai guy that had no fear and acted like a little kid. As the larger elephant was in the water, he would stand on his back and then run to the front and jump off the elephants head and into the water. It didn't seem to bother the elephant. He seemed unfazed and it probably helped that the trainer was probably 115 lbs soaking wet.
   It was then time to say goodbye and we fed them some bananas and headed to a beautiful waterfall up the road. It was nice to sit at the bottom of the waterfall and let the water rush over your back and shoulders. I finally got a good Thai massage:)
   To close out the day we visited a Hill Tribe Village and I'm not too sure why. There was no one around and it was like a poverty ridden community. They choose to live this way so its not quite true but it sure looks like it.
  That's all for now and I hope to post another blog soon. See you guys later.

On our last day in Bangkok we checked our bags and went out to do some shopping and run some errands. We stopped by a Thai massage place and tried our luck. It would be my first massage I would ever get and after the experience it will certainly be my last. I have felt better playing a tackle football, without stretching and also had not done any physical activity for the months leading up to that. It was three days ago and I still don't have full range in my neck.
   Besides all that the trip has been going very well. We took a bus up to Chiang Mai, which is in Northern Thailand and this place is cool. Small cafes, bars, and the shops we visited so far are unique and beautiful. While we were in Bangkok, you find the same merchandise all over the city. Here, from what I gather so far is more handcrafted and more "artsy".
    Most of the hostels are cheap but they would like you to participate in the activities they offer. On Monday we are planning to go to an elephant training park where Annie and I will get an elephant to take care of for the day. We ride around on his back, Bathe him and try out a few tricks. I'm really looking forward to that.
    On Tuesday we signed up for a cooking class. They take us shopping in the local market and then we choose a few dishes to make. It seems like a lot of fun.
     I have limited time on the computer so I have to run. I will give you the details of our future plans later on.
    
   PS: Hope all who went to the Bay Shore Parade had a good time and a drink for Annie and I:)

Bangkok

   We've been in Bangkok the past few days now and it's an awesome city. Similar to New York City but very different at the same time. Souvenir and food vendors flood the sidewalks and try to get you to buy whatever they have. It gets a little annoying sometimes but at least they are trying to work. It's better than the crackheads back at home that ask for my money for nothing in return.
    I thought that the consumers in America were crazy. Bangkok blows them out of the water. Three malls that rival the largest malls I'm accustom too are within walking distance from each other. They each have there own different style. Two are more of the upscale malls (not a good place to be when you are traveling on a tight budget) and another that seems to be crowded with glorified kiosks. At the largest mall, Annie and I bought tickets to a movie and decided to splurge and get the VIP treatment ($20 USD). We didn't even know what we were in store for when we bought them. So we were asked to go there an hour before the movie starts and you are greeted with a cocktail (or soft drink) and invited to sit in the lounge overlooking the theater foyer and enjoy there buffet. The food was pretty good and your waiter comes over and asks what you would like to drink and if you would like popcorn for the movie. Then they ask you to find you seat in the theater and your popcorn and sodas are waiting for you next to your own reclining couch accompanied with pillows and blankets. A call button was there too in case you needed another soda or more popcorn. I don't think I could see another movie back in the States after this experience.
   Gift (Annie's friend) took us on a tour of Bangkok on Wednesday and it was a nice experience. It was like we kind of had our own personal tour guide for the day. We some Buddhist temples, old markets, the girls got a Thai massage, rode the ferry, had our fortunes read by a Thai fortune teller and then visited the backpackers haven in Bangkok, Khao San Rd. It was a long day.
    Getting back to the fortune teller though. I never had that done before and it was really creepy how much she knew of my past and present. Its not that I didn't believe in them I just didn't think it would be that extreme.  Nothing that she said false, well I don't know about the future obviously and I hope shes wrong cause she said I'm going to get sick. Nothing serious, just a bad case of the shits. I guess I have to pay attention to what I eat out here.
    Sorry I haven't had the chance to post pics but the computers don't work great and I'm lucky to pull off this blog. I will keep trying though.

Sorry about the lack of pics. I'm going to upload some tomorrow.

     We had a successful run in Suphanburi. On Saturday one of the teachers Annie worked with took us out to check out some different spots that you can't quite access without a car. We stopped by this market place which was unreal. There was a few small roads tied together, the buildings, linked by makeshift roofs to block the hot sun from getting through to the shops, little motorbikes cutting through the foot traffic,  and it was there that hundreds of Thais displayed their merchandise. All different foods, souvenir t-shirts, handcrafted goods, all sorts of things. You name it, they had it These people live out of these little shops. It was very cool. We then continued our travels to the aquarium which was like any other aquarium you have seen so it wasn't as climactic as other parts of this trip but there was one thing that intrigued me. The crocodile show. This lunatic got into a big shallow pool with 5 crocodiles in it and he was just messing with them all. It looked like he was really pissing them off dragging them around by their tails and hitting them. They were striking at him, hissing and chomping their jaws when he would get close. Then he sat in front of one croc waiting with his mouth open. The announcer of the show was speaking Thai so I didn't know what he was about to do. He reached his whole arm into the crocs mouth and I'm sure he touched the things throat. He quickly pulled his arm back and the croc slammed his jaws (you could hear the power of that animals jaws from a far distance). He then keeled over clinching his hand. I couldn't believe what I just saw. Then the guy got up and showed he was just kidding. He still continued taunting the crocs and at the end of the show one of the crocs attacked another, chomping down on its tail. That was the croc the guy decided would be a good one to put his head in his mouth.
    Off to the zoo now where I was excited all week about playing with the baby tigers. The only problem was that it was exam week and Thais take exam week very seriously so no one was there supervise you with them and I missed my opportunity. They were so damn cute too. Little white tigers that stood maybe just above my knee. I was so bummed.
     The zoo was a little nuts. You could get dangerously close to the animals and there is not much supervision. I shook hands with an orangutang and then he quickly latched on the bracelet I had on my wrist. It was a festival bracelet. Designed not to come off unless you cut it. He wasn't so aggressive about it but he gave me a look that said I want this and I'm not letting go. It was funny and a little scary at the same time. I was trying to pry it off and there was no use so we sat there for a minute or two until he finally got bored and let go.
      We then traveled to visit the largest sitting Buddha in the world reaching over 90 meters high. It was nuts. It was surrounded by other temples and statues. It was a long day though and the heat was at its peak there so we headed back. Annie's friend Gift was visiting her parents in Suphanburi so it was a good opportunity for those two to meet up. So we went to her and went out for some Korean BBQ. The food all week had just continued to get better. We sat at a table and a guy came over with this bucket of hot coals and dome like metal tray with  on top with large lip containing hot water. The idea is so that whatever meats you choose to cook, the juices will drip down into the water to create a soup. You could different herbs and spices in there and at the end have an awesome tasting soup that summed up your meal. Delish.
      Sunday, we layed low by having an early lunch, hit a few golf balls with Wat at the driving range, did some swimming and had a home cooked Pad Ka Pow (pork) dinner that Dao (Wats wife) made. It was a nice treat because I was wondering if we going to try her cooking all week. People kept mentioning it all week long that PAd Ka Pow was awesome.
     Now we are off to Bangkok.....

   I love this place... through and through. It has so much character and beauty to it. The people here are genuine, caring and very generous. It's a culinary heaven. The food here is spectacular and I can't get enough of it. I completely understand what Annie has been talking about this entire time and already I feel this trip is a success. I've been trying to learn a few words in Thai and the people get excited when I use the small vocabulary I have. I have also noticed that quite a few people speak a bit of English too (some thanks to Annie). They are self conscious with their grammar and pronunciation but I appreciate there efforts just as much as they appreciate mine (they do just fine).
   I guess it's time for some details now. The other night this woman, Kai took us out for dinner to this beautiful little restaurant not far from where we are staying and it was awesome. It was kind of an outdoor place with plant life oozing from all over. The decor was ancient and beautiful and there was a piano playing soft Thai songs near the bar. The food was amazing. Pork, chicken, shrimp with cashews, a seafood coconut soup, fried filet of fish that melted when you put it in your mouth. You have to pace yourself here cause the dishes just keep coming. Just when you think things are wrapping up another three appear. We then met up with Wat and went to an outdoor bar for a going away party for one of the American teachers. The whiskey was flowing good there and it was a damn good time. The waitress just comes over with a rolling tray with a bucket of ice and bottles of whiskey and pepsi. We then went to the bar we visited on the first night to see the house band and they were rockin. They were much better than the first night we saw them, well it could have been the whiskey but I'll tell you this, the bass player in that band is money. He was slapping and popping that thing like no ones business. I had no choice but to dance my ass off. The bar was packed but most people were sitting at their tables just watching. When us Americans and Aussies started dancing I saw some excitement rise within the crowd. I felt like it was my duty to get them on their feet. So I did. They were a little hesitant at first but they got up, had a good time and showed they were very grateful for us doing that.
    That's all for now I will talk to you guys soon.

We arrived in Bangkok yesterday and we are staying in Suphanburi (where Annie used to teach) until monday. We are staying with Annie's friend, Wat. He and his family are some of the nicest people I have ever met. We went to a bar across the street to have dinner and drinks. I tried suppa (chicken feet in soup) looks pretty gross but tasted really good. Our table, which started out with just Annie, Wat and I turned into a table of 10 where I met some of the teachers at Annie's old school. It was an awesome night, a great way to start our time here in Thailand. The only thing that seems dangerous here is that waitresses fill your beer before you could even come close to finishing it:) A good problem to have through my eyes. Talk to you soon.

   Hello everyone. We have been in finland for a few days now and its awesome up here. we are staying with annies friends, matti and katti. We visited helsinki and have been introduced to a lot of their culture. On saturday we visited their parents who live in a small town named  sysmä. They live on a farm next to a lake with many small cabins that they rent in the summer months. We spent an evening in one of the cabins and cooked dinner, a few drinks then got in our "swimmers",  ran a lap in the snow and jumped in the suana. Pretty cold...
   The next day we slept-in a bit and then matti's mother cooked us some moose, potatoes, veggies and juice that was made from hand picked berries for lunch. I could definetly get used to that:)  Then we did some cross country skiing (aka backyard skiing). I never thought it was easy but didn't think it was that hard. matti's father showed us how to prepare the skis and it helps in learning to cross country ski but you definetly need to practice to get your rythm.
     Tomorrow, Annie and I are going to explore Helsinki some more then we are leaving for Thailand on Tuesday afternoon.
    Talk to you soon:)

Ding... Round 1

Hello Everyone, 

   Our flight leaves tomorrow from JFK at 5:30 pm and we are flying to Helsinki, Finland to stay for about a week. We are staying with Annies friends that she met while she was teaching in Thailand. They took a similar trip that we are about to embark on so we should get some good advice from them. We have a layover in Berlin for 7 1/2 hours which is kinda frustrating. I would have liked to get out of the Airport and do some sightseeing but its not enough time. The weather there is pretty cold so I guess I'm going to finally experience some winter this year and see some snow. I will try to post as much as possible with pictures and videos throughout our entire trip. So... Stay tuned:)