Nam

Well hello again! Its been way way to long since I've last posted but better now than never. Last time I wrote was in southern Vietnam in the chilly town of Dalat. I guess its a good thing that I haven't wrote because that shows I'm having too good of a time to stop and write. So I will fill you in on the past 18 days and what we have been up to.

After Dalat we took a bus to Nha Trang to stop over before heading to Qui Ngon.  Nha Trang is known amongst travellers as a mecca for partying beach life.  We were trying to avoid this but there was no direct bus to get to Qui Ngon so we decided for a 2 night stop.  We got there in the mid afternoon and was immediately approached by an Easy Rider driver.  Easy Riders are locals that put together moto trips in the surrounding area and you get on the back and cruise with them.  Supposedly it can be quite fun and a great way of seeing the country side but we opted out.  They will ask you everyday and are very pushy to get you to book some kind of tour so by the end of your stay you run from them.  This easy rider showed us a great place to stay that was cheap-cheap and just across the street from the beach. We spent that day at the beach and walking up towards the port.  While at the beach we made friends with a couple ladies who sell beer and food walking up and down the beach.  My favorite of the two was a really old lady with one tooth who was not afraid to show you because all she had were smiles.  The more I bought beers the cheaper they got.  The next day we spent most our time again just relaxing beach side with occasional visits from our old ladies.  Early the next morning we got up and caught a bus to Qui Ngon where not many tourists travel to.  On the bus we met a very nice older couple from Canada and we ended up finding a cheap place to stay.  Once we checked in we walked to the beach but the day was very overcast and it rained off and on.  Before night fall Amanda and I as well as our new friends headed into the city center, where there are absolutely no westerners, and walked through markets.  After enough smell of raw meat, fish, and backstreet alleys we went in search of a nice street food vendor.  Amanda has been eating vegetarian so it took us a while to find something adequate to her liking.  We ended up in a place where we might of been the first falangs to eat there.  It was a vegetarian restaurant that specialized in imitating meat dishes.  The food was good just a bit salty for me.  On the way home we walked through the night market, had some sugar cane juice, and than went to sleep!  We weren't very impressed with the town so we decided to leave the next morning for Hoi An.

The bus left early in the morning and we got into the Hoi An area by noonish time.  They dropped us off on the highway where taxis were waiting.  We shared a taxi with a really nice couple from Israel.  They had already booked a hotel and we of course didn't so we went to theirs to check it out.  It was called the Sunflower Hotel and when we arrived,even though we weren't staying there, the staff approached us with fresh passion fruit juice and cold towels.  This sold me! Then you look down the corridor and theres a beautiful pool.  This was by far the nicest place we have stayed and we paid much over our normal rate. To add to it breakfast buffet was included and was very tasty.  We spent 3 nights in Hoi An where we met some great people and partied for one of their b-days.  There was a beach very close by so we checked it out with bicycles that we had for our stay.  The beach was surprisingly nice and had some really nice body surfing waves.  We ran into the couple we met in Qui Ngon there and talked with them quite a bit.  Btw Hoi An is very well known for their tailors so while visiting I got my first tailored piece of clothing and it came out super awesome. Hoi An was first colonized by the french, like many other towns in Vietnam, and has this old homey feel to it.  A river runs through old town and at night lanterns of all colors hang to light the streets. Its one of the most beautiful towns I have ever seen. While bicycling around town you can always find bars that sell "fresh beer."  This is like a homemade beer that comes out of a keg and it only costs 20 cents.  The taste is much different, almost like a meal in a drink, love it.  Our time in this amazing town came to an end when a typhoon came so it made for a good day to sit on a long bus.  Our next stop was Hue.

We got to Hue in the evening and it hadn't stopped raining the whole time.  This is the first time where we booked an accommodation before arriving to the town and it worked out great.  Its not fun hiking around town in the pouring rain searching for a place to stay.  The hotel even arranged to pick us up,  I definitely felt 1st class lol.  So we were to stay in Hue for two night to see the citadel but were unable to do that.  The rain never stopped and by the end of our time the streets were flooded to just past your knees.  It was great to experience because the people here will not let that stop them from riding moto-bike.  So we watched for hours locals trying to start their bikes from dry land and dive into a water filled street.  I guess they dont understand that the muffler cant be underwater.  Hue was nice but the typhoon just sat on top of us the whole time.  After two days we took a night sleeper bus up to Ninh Binh which left at 5pm and arrived 5:30am.  The seats we got were in the very back and had 3 bed like seats right next to each other. I was really hoping that the bus was'nt gonna be filled if it was than i was to sleep very close to a random person.  Of course the bus was overbooked and I got to sleep next to my first Vietnamese.  He would fall asleep and his leg would loose its strength and fall on to my lap.  This is when I instantly shoved it off.  I did not get much sleep that night but makes for a funny story.

We arrived in Ninh Binh on time and we went to a hotel to get some proper sleep.  After a couple hours we needed some food so we asked the reception where to go.  The young man said theres a great place across town which he would take us to, so why not.  Amanda and I jumped on the back of their moto-bikes to find out that the restaurant was a wanna-be KFC (KFC is the largest fast food chain in Vietnam, they love it). We laughed and said no but enjoyed some local coffee.  While drinking coffee they sat with us and asked about the bracelets we have bought throughout our travels.  One of the guys had just started a bracelet making business and wanted to see some ideas that he could maybe work on.  So after taking pics of our bracelets he than invites us to come check out his business.  We jump back on the moto and head across town see what hes got.  His bracelets are not to attractive so I try to explain how hand made would be of much interest to foreigners.  All he had was metal that was bought somewhere overseas.  After our little business meeting they dropped us off back at the hotel and we went hunting for a real place to eat as well as bicycles.  We found both at the same place.  We rode our bikes to a place outside of town called Tam Coc which is about 10 kilometers away.  At Tam Coc we hired a row boat and a rower to take us down a river that is enclosed by limestone karst mountains on both sides.  It is an amazing view and while cruising down you also go through three cave systems.  It was an amazing trip! While on the boat other boats would pass us with fellow tourists, mostly chinese. All of them would look at me like i was some kind of movie star or freak show and constantly take pictures.  With this happening so much I decide to starting taking pics right back at them, good times and good photos.  When we got back to Ninh Binh that afternoon we returned the bikes and took a walk around town.  This town like Qui Ngon has no westerners and we are starred at very differently.  While cruising the streets we hit the market where we found cooked dog sitting on many tables.  People have been asking me how did you know it was dog?  Well when the head is cut off and put in front of the meats you kinda know.  This picture will always haunt my mind.  We then ate dinner, j/k. My stomach was a little twisted post dog table.  We booked a train for the next morning for Ha Noi.  The train was quite nice and talked with very nice local man.

We got to Ha Noi around 11am and took a taxi to the bus station to book a bus-boat-bus ticket for Cat Ba Island.  We got a bus that day for a 1pm departure and while waiting I enjoyed 2 Banh Mi's, delicious.  We arrived in Cat Ba Town around 6pm found a place to eat and than crashed.  The next was spent on rented motobike around the island.  The highlight for me was going to the national park.  We hiked out to an observation tower that might fall any day now.  The views from the top were worth all risks.  That night we met at a rock climbing place for a meeting on what trips were going on the next day.  Amanda and I were interested in deep water soloing, this is where you free climb a wall thats over water and when you can't climb anymore you cliff jump into the water.  I love climbing and cliff jumping so how could I not.  To our surprise there were 8 of signed up which meant that we would be paying the cheapest amount for the trip.  So the next day we climbed till our arms were jello and than went back to the main boat for lunch.  The lunch was fantastic and the people on the boat were really cool.  The second half of the day was spent kayaking around Ha Long bay through its nooks and crannies.  The trip ended by night fall and we all decided to meet for dinner and drinks.  So 8 of us met up shared our stories with some food and drinks and than parted ways.  The next day we met up with a couple from Zimbabwe to go to the beach for a chill day.  But before that happened Amanda and I went to a local restaurant to organize a Thanksgiving Feast.  I brought pictures of dishes and requested grilled whole chickens to replace the turkey. So we ordered mash potatoes, sauteed greens, salad, chicken, yams, and some strawberry jam to replace cranberry sauce.  At 10 i talked it over with our friends and they approved and were super excited for their first thanksgiving.  We went to the beach for a couple hours and than I took it easy and relaxed watching movies.  ***Btw I'm in an internet cafe right now and the guy in charge is jamming to backstreet boys and singing out loud, hilarious.  They love love love backstreet boys here.***  Back to the story.  While relaxing watching movies Amanda is taking a nice long shower.  Right as she finishes we get a loud frantic beating on the door as if something is extremely wrong and there was.  When I open the door amanda hides and I see the owner freaking out.  I look down and there is a river leaving our room and going straight down the stairwell.  The drain was going down in the shower and over flooded.  There was so much water that it reached the 1st floor and we were staying on the 7th lol.  I went downstairs to make sure everything was alright, which it was, and was yelled at like I was back in the keys on vacation with my friend greg.  It wasn't my fault for both these situations but I took the blame very well and held my ground.  It was now 5pm and I needed a beer to calm down before meeting up with our friends.  Everyone showed up but two people so we invited a fellow traveller from montana.  As we approached the restaurant we had had a huge table saved for us with all the food already set on the table.  It really looked like thanksgiving.  In vietnam when you order food you never get it at the same time so we were so impressed.  I was so thankful that i gave father and son a huge hug and thanked them graciously.  So it was 7 of us eating including the montana man, a couple from NJ, a couple from Zimbabwe, and of course us two.  I'm not gonna lie, this was one of my favorite thanksgivings.  I love spending it with family but the uniqueness of this one was just so amazing.  We spent so much that the restaurant provided homemade rice wine for shots.  It was quite a celebration.  When we finished we went to the pier for more beers and bought a bottle of whiskey.  We were told that at 1am the beach near by would have many bio-luminescent plankton to swim with.  We drank till the time was right and than the 6 of us went to the beach for some skinny dipping.  We were kicked off the 1st beach and the second beach was just filled with green glowing plankton.  This was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had.  The whole day was spent with such great people that I will never forget and hopefully see sometime in the near future.  We departed the next day from cat ba and are now back in Ha noi.  We are leaving tomorrow morning for Kuala Lumpur than we will be off to singapore before flying towards the states.  Its sad that our trip is ending but very excited to go back the states to work SNOWBOARD. Please let it snow.  I will write soon to end the trip. Hope all is well back in the western world!

Cambodia to Vietnam...This is good

Good Morning Vietnam! As well as the rest of the world! I'm here in the heart of the central highlands in a town once run by the French, Da Lat. Vietnam has been quite the journey thus far and have enjoyed my experiences greatly. Its been a while since I last updated this blog. Its hard to stop yourself to sit down for an hour when there's a whole new place to explore! But today we told ourselves that we would just chill out, watch movies, write blog, and eat the most delicious food. So the last time I wrote I believe we were in Phenom Penh, Cambodia. So I will update from there...

So we caught a bus at 9am that picked us up from in front of our guesthouse. The bus was nice and empty so I was able to sprawl out and finish my book. This book really puts you in the life of a Cambodian during the Khmer Rouge era and can't help but feel sympathy for what theyve been through. The bus got in around noon and we instantly bargained with a tuk-tuk driver to take us to Otres Beach. This beach is outside of town and much less visited by the tourist. When we get there we search for a place to stay by walking up the beach. Otres beach consists of one dirt road with accommodations on either side, not too much to it but the beach! This is exactly what we wanted. No brits or aussies getting black out drunk. After a good 30 minutes of looking at places we found the right one, I mean the perfect one, no I mean the dream place for me to stay. No joke, this is what I would want out of a beachfront bungalow. The bungalows are made out of all wood with no metal roof and no metal what-so-ever. They are stilted off the ground and shaped as giant muchrooms. There is one window(no glass) that has a 180 degree view of the ocean and if it starts raining management will race to your bungalow and roll down a plastic window.  Sleeping here was amazing all you can hear is the wind and the waves. As I love to say "Livin the Dream". We stayed here for two nights since it was a little pricey on our budget, the room was 15usd per night.  Our days consisted of relaxing on the beach, eating, talking with local vendors, and nothing! This beach is really relaxed with under 20 people on it at a time so if your looking for night life this is not the place. Its so relaxed that you can buy joints in restaurants and smoke marijuana freely where ever and whenever you like. I was super surprised to see people rolling joints right in the middle of the public. I asked a bar owner about the laws, while hes rolling a joint behind the bar, he responds that it is legal to smoke it but illegal to sell it. This place makes me think of amsterdam but ur on a beach in the open and not in coffee shops.  While enjoying the crystal clear water we met a fellow traveler from Maryland, USA and we decided since we had the same itinerary we would travel together.  Matt had been living and working in Australia for the past 4months and will be travelling worldwide. On the third night we went into town, Serendipity Beach, to see what it was like. This place was a huge change from where we were staying at. Tourists covered the beach and vendors nagged at you to buy their goods or services. The next day we woke super early with our friend Matt and a girl from Finland to catch the 2hour boat ride to the island of Koh Rong. 

Koh Rong is a descent sized island thats not very populated and with no roads. We got to the island and raced to find accommodation before everything sold out, which supposedly happens a lot. After a treacherous search Amanda and I ended up staying at Monkey Island and Matt and finland found their own places. The beaches were crystal clear but kinda run down if u stayed in town. Luckily we stayed outside town. That day Amanda and I hiked over boulders to get to a secluded beach that was miles long.  We found ourselves on one of the most beautiful beaches ive ever been to with no more than 4 other people. The beach is so long you kind of forget theres other on it. Our afternoon was spent exploring the beach and jungle. The next day we met up with Matt in the morning to take a hike over the mountain to another secluded beach. When we found Matt in town I was surpised to find that Amanda was feeling a little sick so she decided to stay back and relax in our bungalow. I had herd the previous day from another colorado man that the trail is easy to get lost on. While on the trail I constantly focused on trying to stay on trail but of course we get lost. But someone famous said "its not an adventure until something goes wrong", and I play off that always. So while getting lost we are on a trail thats very narrow with thick brush on both sides slapping at your knees. I here something move very quickly right in front of me and I immediately step back a few. As i focus in on the foliage I find a snake about 4ft long and of a creamy white color. None of its body is touching the ground and by its slender shape I can tell it is a tree dwelling animal. Its head is very diamond like shaped which makes me think venomous and with it coiled up ready to strike I hesitate to move forward.   With a long stick I scare it back into the woods and my friend disappears into the thick vegetation. So we ended up getting on the wrong trail and had to go back and find the right one. After sometime we find ourselves on the right trail at the top of the mountain, ready to make the extreme vertical descent to the beach. The beach was just as nice as the one from the previous day. On the beach we found a warning sign for snakes of the area and the snake we came face to face with was of the viper family. I believe it was called a white lipped viper, very venomous. Scary. Far away island  + snake bite= no more adventure! Thats what went through my head for a while that day. I came so close to this snake and came out without a strike. I thank that snake for being patient and not striking so soon. After spending sometime on the beach we hiked back and I went to see how amanda was feeling. She was feeling a little better so we went to get some lunch at a place that had great views. The rest of my afternoon was spent playing some intense volleyball games, I love volleyball! The next day we caught the morning boat back to the mainland to meet up with Matt and figure out our next step in the journey. We decide on going straight to Saigon, Vietnam the next day. 

The bus picked us up at 8am and would not get into Saigon until 9pm that night. We didn't realize the date but it was October 31, Halloween. We were bombarded by a lady with a guesthouse so we followed her through the narrow ally ways of Saigon until we found it. It was in the heart of the ally in such a unique place. Im already like the looks of Saigon! So we drop our bags and head for the streets where we are still unknowing of Halloween. The streets are like Lincoln Rd times 1,000. The people watching is of peak value and we find a place on the street to get a drink and watch the people.  Amanda is in shock of how many people there are and goes into minor panic attack. I console her and try to explain life in a big city to ease her mind. While she cools down I am in absolute wonderland! Wherever the eye wonders I am struck with amazement and bewilderment. After a while of being in awe Amanda and I leave our friend to go to sleep. The next day we got breakfast and than went looking for a supermarket to find baking soda for my bed bug bites. Btw thankyou ericka, i think ur method worked. We than booked a tour for the Cu Chi (these tunnels our known to be quite hot and humid) tunnels and wondered through the streets until we hit the park. The park was filled with children playing as well as learning. We came to find that instead of children paying extra for english school they go to the park and meet tourist. So we find ourselves talking with over15 kids about our lives and theirs.  This lasts for about an hour and than Matt and I play a game with some locals that I have no idea what it is called.  Its between hacky sack and badmitton. Its shuttlecock shaped hacky sack. This last until almost night fall so before dusk we head to the market to take stroll. I buy myself a shirt and than we sit on the corner of one of the busiest streets in Saigon to enjoy some Pho and beer. The next day we got to the infamous Cu Chi tunnels by bus to find a very one sided view of the war. They are extremely biased and only use Americans as there enemy instead of including all the countries involved including their own people. We are the only americans on the tour and the only ones upset with what our guide is telling us. He can see our disgust with the tour and pulls us aside to console us about what he MUST say during the tour and what he MUST not say. Its straight up corrupt and fucked up. The whole world is coming to this attraction to get some history but they are telling in dead wrong.  This was a very tough day to deal with.  We returned to the city that afternoon. Enjoyed the best fruit smoothie ever(fresh smoothie with chunks of fruit thrown on top, we got drinks here everyday) as well as a Bahn Mi(this is the best sandwhich ever and I have no idea whats in it). That night we had some delicious street food that was comparable to a thai lettuce wrap but again I had no idea what kind of meat we were eating :). After stuffing ourselves for a couple dollars we walked the streets and found ourselves sitting at the same bar as our first night. Local vendors constantly pester you to buy whatever they have to offer. They sell books, bracelets, massages, and everything else.  Some people are bothered by them but we love messing with them. The interactions are so much fun. We put back many beers and laughed with others. While observing the streets with our beers we are bombarded by a paddywagon. Everyone starts yelling federali federali and running in all directions! Chairs are flying, tables are turning, and people are moving at great speed. Without thinking i get up and back away from the streets not knowing what these so called federali will do. We are in a communist country. This whole fiasco was about where the bars have put their tables and chairs. If they got past a cemented line and a chair is snatched by one of the federali than they owe them money. Each chair is worth 500,000 dong (thats right dong, thats the currency here...the dong can go along way...sorry i had to) and that is 25usd, which is a lot of money out here.  Its within seconds that once the federali leave the bar owners put back the chairs and tables to the illegal location. While chilling here all night we find that this doesnt happen just once but throughout the rest of the night. Its a gamble they are willing to risk. Its kinda like a game. This is how it works- Each bar has a man on the street as a look out so when one bar sees the federali they yell to the next to warn. Than that man warns the bar workers and than within seconds chairs and tables are gone. If they come away without a chair taken than all you see from the workers are smiles and laughs. They seem to love playing this risky game. I sure was scared the first time it happened and I constantly laugh about the situation. We had a late night and the next morning we were to catch a bus for the beach town called Mui Ne.

Everyone in the bus seemed to have a place to stay already and we of course didn't. We haven't booked a place in advanced since chiang mai, thailand.  So when we reach the beach town a man walks up the bus asking where to get dropped off and when he gets to me I look at him and say "cheap, cheap". Instantly he nods his head and says "I have something for you". To our liking he drops us off at an amazing hotel where Amanda, Matt, and myself will pay 5usd each for monstrous room with A/C. With cold A/C, hot shower, and a balcony you cant go wrong and its just across the street from the beach. We spent that day chilling on the beach and wondering around. There's not much to this town but beach and kite surfing. And since i dont have money for kite surfing I will enjoy da beach. The following day we rent scooters to explore around the town including distant beaches and sand dunes. But 1st we must rent the bikes. Matt has never driven a two wheel motorized vehicle before so the owner shows him the ropes. He than gets on the bike and does the most common mistake...He gives a little gas and becomes scared and instead of squeezing the brakes he gives it more gas and flys out into the middle of road frantically. He crosses the road hits the curb and throw the bike to the ground. Hes stands up looks over at us with this stare of what the fuck just happened? We ask if hes alright and to our surprise he is just fine. So I burst out in laughter. I laughed about it all day. Instead of being scared of the bike he got right back on and we pursued our adventure. We drove all around the area to find ourselves stopping at a beach where you had to walk over sand dunes to get to. No one was on the beach but locals who were fishing for some kind of clam. I helped for a bit and tried to carry the days catch but was way to heavy. This women who carried it was made of bronze and steal. Ron Burgundy would be amazed with her abilities. We stopped for a drink close by at a resort where we also went swimming again than we were off to the red dunes. We covered ourselves in sand like kids and our smiles were as big and genuine as can be. We were getting hungry so we found a beach on the way back to town to wash up and than find something to eat. That night we splurged on food and had a seafood feast with fresh crabs and tiger shrimp. I also tried some of Matts frog. The next day was spent doing whatever each person wanted. I went swimming, napped, and read Papillon which i am loving. You must read this book if you have yet to.  We had been travelling with our friend Matt for over a week now and the next day we would go different directions. He would take the long journey to Nah Trang and we would head into the central highlands to a city called Da Lat. In the morning we say farewell to our friend and than jump on our bus which turned out to be quite the experience. The bus was overbooked and people were sitting on the floor and bags were piled chest high in the aisle! Super cramped.

We arrived in Da Lat at about 5pm and was dropped off near the city center in front of a nice looking hotel. Of course they rush us, pestering us to come in and we usually decline but decided to see. It was 5usd a person with balcony and great room. Btw the temperature here is cool/cold at night and mild temps in the day time. We stayed at the hotel and have been enjoying it greatly. Like I said before Da Lat has a lot of french influence so that night we went straight to the bakery for some amazing baked goods. Da Lat is also known for their wine so after dinner and a walk through the market Amanda and I shared a bottle of wine. It was'nt too bad. The following day we went on a tour of around the city which brought us to some places far outside of walking distance. We saw amazing waterfall, coffee plantations, cricket farm(where i had a taste of some fried cricket with chili sauce), villagers, and a crazy house. Some of the coffee here is fed to weasels and than they poop it out and than we drink it. Sounds nasty but its the local way so we of course tried some hot liquid weasel shit. The tour finished in the late afternoon. We rested a bit and than went out for some streetfood at a local market. Theres not many white people in this town so I am looked at very differently. People take pictures or give me deathly looks. I just give them the biggest smile and they dont know what to think. We find ourselves some mysterious dishes and of course love them. We make it an early night and head back to the room for some R&R. 

This brings me to where I am at now. Im in the hotel lobby writing you. We will leave for a new place tomorrow but are not 100% sure where we will go. I will let you know very soon.....  

Some pics

4,000 Islands and into Cambodia

Hello everyone! Its been quite some time since I've last written a post and been meaning to but have been really busy or nowhere near internet. Since the last post my journey has been great and filled with many experiences. When I left Vientiane, Laos we took an overnight bus to Pakse in south region to connect to another bus which would drop us off in the 4,000 islands. The 4,000 islands is part of the Mekong River at the border of Cambodia, still in Laos. We spent four amazing nights in our own bungalow on the river for just $2.50 a night. That's 1.25 a person! On the first day we spent it by renting bicycle's to tour the small island of Don Det and Don Khon. These islands have just recently got electricity (2 years ago) and are very much like village life. While riding you see locals harvesting their rice, re-structuring their homes, fishing, and of course kids playing naked in the river. These kids are living the dream! They have quite the playground with many trees to jump off and makeshift rope swings to fling themselves joyously into the muddy Mekong. People don't have much money at all here but the smiles are larger than i have ever seen. Back in the western world I have always thought how life would be living off the land with no need for money or status. Doing your daily duties with long hours and in the end, tired eyes, leading to great sleep. Most people have so much want and forget what its like to need. These people don't know what its like to want and only know the feeling of need. While riding bike and pondering all these thoughts we find ourselves at the bridge to cross from Don Det to Don Khon. We decide to pay the 3 dollar fee to cross because it includes entrance into the largest water by volume in all of southeast Asia. When we get to the waterfall it is as I imagined! The rainy season has just ended so the water is close to peaking. Your peripherals are filled many falls and your ears with thunderous explosions. In the mix of it all, the locals have some how found a way to put a bamboo fishing trap right in the middle of some rocks where water vigorously rushes through. Whoever positioned this contraption must be very proud, I know I would be. After the falls we explore the rest of Don Khon which highly is uninhabited. We are dead tired now and make our way back to our bungalow which is about 1.5 miles away from town on Don Det. We chose to stay far out of town to get more of an experience and for the tranquil aspect. Each night we would walk into town for dinner and to chill at a local bar/lounge that had great vibes. The next day we spent our time just chilling with no plans, something that we've been wanting to do. We plan to leave the next day for Cambodia but while walking around town the bar owner where we have been chilling tells us that he is putting together a BBQ on an island up the river. It sounds amazing so we decide to stay another night and go on the trip. The group of people that joined us on the trip were amazing and made the trip so much better. With all like minded travelers we depart on our longtail boat for an island somewhere north. We all get acquainted and most of us all live in Colorado. You don't meet many Americans out here let alone Coloradoians, not sure if thats how you say that. We arrive at the island and its definitely not what everyone expected but we all make the most of it. I start by diving right into that mukky mek (this is what I have nicknamed the Mekong, due to its clay color) and instantly feel refreshed. Our day is spent eating, swimming, frisbeeing, lounging, and me building the first ever pyramid tube. Thats right a pyramid tube. It reminds me of when my good friend Liz, aka LDS (Liz Da Shit), invented pyramid beer pong. So pyramid tubing is when you take a bunch of inner tubes and stack them in a pyramid shape. Than each tube is filled with a persons bottom with of course only one person at the top. I did not think it would work but in fact it did. Pictures will be put up one day to show this amazing feat. After all day on the island we end it by tubing the Mekong back to Don Det at sunset. With beer in hand, friends on hand, and the most beautiful sunset in sight. I cant help but smile and chills fill my body. As I write right now I get chills of that moment. Back at Don Det we end the trip at the reggae bar where you can jump off there deck, about 25feet high. I absolutely loved the 4,000 islands and would suggest it to everyone. The next day we woke to take the boat ride to the mainland to get a bus ride into Cambodia! But first I had to get the boat started! The normal boat for transportation was being used by the owner for a fishing trip so his wife would take us to the mainland with her boat. But her boat is much smaller, narrower, and hardly used. After about 5 minutes of me pulling a lawnmower like engine I begin to think that we will not make our trip to Cambodia. But then a roar I never thought I would hear erupts from the engine and the motor is alive. I instantly scream loudly "YESSSSSSSS" and I look back at Amanda and a fellow traveler and we all smile and laugh. We all thought it we weren't gonna make it to the mainland. We spent our day from 8am until 2am the next day in transit to the infamous city of Siam Reap. This was the longest journey we have embarked on as well as the most bumpy. Getting to Siam Reap we are bombarded by dozens of tuk-tuk drivers wanting our business. The bus of course drops us off miles away from town so that tuk-tuk drivers can hassle you for money. We have no choice but to pay them for a ride because I know I would never walk miles down a street at 2am in a city I have no knowledge on. The next day we spend the first couple hours finding a cheap place to stay close to the city center. With great efforts we find a place for 6usd a night right in the middle of town with a balcony overlooking the lively streets. FYI, in Cambodia they use 2 types of currencies, USD and Real. So if something costs 2.50usd and you give them 3usd you will get back 2,000 real. 1usd=4,000 real. Shit is confusing and weird! That day we chill and recoup from the long day of travel. While wondering the streets and the endless amount of markets i find myself really enjoying the city, much more than I expected. I have got a lot of mix reviews from travelers so I knew everyone views this place much different than one another. Amanda has become very agitated with how pushy the locals are and doesnt feel the same way. For me I am looking past the market people, tuk-tuk drivers, and beggars. I am seeing how the people are outside of the tourist industry and see a very kind and happy culture. FYI again, a lot of Americans might not know the history of this great country. The history dates back 1,000's of years but has some crucial parts of it that dates back only 20-30 years ago. Its horrifying to learn what they have been through and experienced. I will not go into the Khmer Rouge regime, but if you know nothing of it, than you must learn! Please! So with that stated I put that in hand with observing the locals and am so bewildered with their extreme smiles and laughs. Such forgiving people so I appreciate that sincerely. I grew up with me being hard to forgive people but with time I have found myself understanding the importance of forgiving. So the rest of that day we spent haggling with marketers with no intentions of buying but just for the sole purpose of fun. The next day we hire a tuk-tuk driver to take us around to the temples that surround Angkor Wat. The driver picks us up from our guesthouse at 4:50am, yeah thats correct, to go to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. Angkor Wat is one of the 7 wonders of the world! The sunrise is vibrantly pink with a grey mixture. There are much clouds on the horizon making the light spread throughout. Some people like there sunrises with no clouds for the view of the sun is sheer blinding but I myself love the way the light scatters through the clouds. Minute by minute the the sky changes with a multitude of colors. As My eyes overdose on beauty I think to myself what it was like 900 years ago building this great architectural accomplishment. With the sun in the sky now we depart Angkor Wat to drive to outer Wats. We dont want to see Angkor first and decide to save it for the next day. So we spend the rest of the day seeing a plethora of sights and by 3pm my eyes and mind grow soar and body tired. The next day we rent bicycles to take in the sights of all the temples. Angkor Wat is first where we see jaw dropping architecture! The highlights of the day are Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Angkor Thom. All are amazing in their own way but i knew i would like Angkor Thom the most. This temple has enormous trees growing on top of the temple showing how old this place really is. They shot Tomb Raider here for all you video game freaks. These temples date back to the year 900 and are not of one religion. There is a mix of Hindu and Buddhist inscriptions on the walls. The reason for this is when travelers came through that region many years ago they brought religion with them. The natives I guess believed in both and have depicted them in their art work. This would be our last night in Siam Reap and I have decided to buy a painting for memories. We search vigorously through markets before i find an amazing one of village life. We then get a foot massage in reward of our extreme past 2 days. We leave the next morning and during the 6hour drive I am stuck reading a book the my friend Mike H told me I need to read. Its called "First They Killed my Father" and its a memoir of a young girl during her tragic time when the Khmer Rouge was in control. While enduring a rough bumpy road my eyes stay fixated on her words of sadness and anger. I am a grown man and I have no problem saying that this book made tear up. Its hard not to put myself in her situation and feel as she feels. Thanks Mike for the read it has made my experience in Cambodia much more fulfilling. When we arrive in Phenom Penh we again are bombarded by tuk-tuk driver but this time its mid-day and we can walk it out. We wonder through this maze of a city in search of a nice place to stay near restaurants and bars. It takes us hours before we find ourselves on the river front, the river is the Tonle Sap. We find a cheap place and than get some food. The streets here are filled, like to the max with locals. That night was the seventh day of mourning of the king. The king died at age 90 and will be in the palace for viewing for the next 3 months. The first seven are most important but the the seventh day is of utmost. We walk down to the palace and there are thousands of monks walking down the streets as if in a parade. The people say there are over a 100,000 people in this area at that moment. Its a sight thats is so hard to explain or fathom. These people loved this King and say hes the best ever. They love him so much that they say they can see him in the moon. They say the moon has never looked this way before. Extreme! It gets crazier because after all the monks walk buy and it is all over thunder strikes with a loud boom. Then again and then a torrential down pour covers the city. The last day of mourning is ended with some of the hardest we've seen on this trip. The gods were crying! Wow what an experience to be in this city at this time. I will never forget that moment. After the rain subdues we got back to the guesthouse for some much needed sleep and the next day we, which is today, is firstly spent at a school that was turned into a prison during the Khmer Rouge. Horrifying, the words of the book I'm reading come to life with visual stimulants. Super sad but had to be seen. I just dont know how they can let the people in charge of the Khmer Rouge stay alive to this day! Still no punishment. We just got back from that and will now go to the palace to go inside for today is the first day the public can see the king. We will leave tomorrow for Sihanouk ville where the beaches are white and empty! I highly enjoyed writing this post because I also highly am enjoying the experiences of Cambodia! Hope you all enjoyed as much as I did! Will write soon!

Laos OH Laos

Hello! Its been quite some time since ive last wrote a post. Amanda and I have been very busy travelling with some new friends weve met. The last time I wrote we were in Thailand and now we are in the great country of Laos (pronounced Lao). We entered the country by crossing one of the greatest rivers in the world, the Mekong. This river starts its journey in the tallest mountain range in the world and makes its way into Laos. We crossed the river at about 5:30pm and went straight to customs in Laos to get our passport stamped. They ended up charging us an extra U.S. dollar to enter because of the so called overtime tax. This was not legal and i demanded a receipt so i could show to a consulate. They wrote me one and it read 35 instead of 36 dollars. After several minutes of requesting the right receipt I got nowhere. I gave up due to soaking my shirt in sweat from the crazy heat. We dropped our bags off at a nice guesthouse and then headed for a walk/beer. We passed by the office of The Gibbon Experience and saw some people we met on the bus standing outside. They were going to do the experience in a couple of days and it made us rethink the idea of doing it ourselves. We had been going back and forth on whether or not we would do the tour. We herd great stories and horrible stories about it. The price was also deterring us from booking it but while sitting in the office we decided that it is a once in a lifetime chance, and booked it. Our trip would leave the next morning at 8am and would last till the next day. We ran into our friends on the street again and we went to a river view restaurant for beers and dinner. They were from Holland and are on a similar trip as ours. The food was decent but the company was much better. We had a great night in the tiny town of Huay Xai and before making it back to our guesthouse we ran into a couple that owned a convenience store. This couple was Amazing, they spoke great broken english and were extremely eccentric. They helped us get everything we needed for our night in the jungle and than we were off to sleep. The next day we went into the jungle by truck with just one other couple. Once out of the truck we began our hike into the jungle for about 2 hours and 30 minutes. This is where we started zip lining! We ziplined through jungle, valleys, over rivers, and to treehouses. This might of been one of the best days of my life. We got to our treehouse at around 2pm where we had snacks and drinks while relaxing. The treehouse had epic views of the valley below and a great breeze to put me in a mood for a nap. At 5pm the guides came back to take us on another ziplining trip and this one took us to the so called biggest tree in Laos. This thing is huge! The tree has been blessed by a local monk and wrapped with traditional orange cloth to protect it from Paul Bunyan. We returned to our treehouse hours later for dinner and than the guides left us to be for the rest of the night.The food was great and the sounds of the jungle were ridiculous. Theres a fly the lives here thats over 7 inches long, HUGE, and makes the craziest noises in the evening. Its not just the monstrous fly making noise, its every animal performing at different times. Its as if they have set times in the evening on when they perform their show. I got some great sleep that night and in the morning we woke to do more ziplining as well as hiking. We ended our hike at a small village where we had lunch prepared by some locals. We were than transported by truck along an extremely muddy road back to Huay Xai. We got stuck in the mud 3 times and one of the times both trucks got stuck. The two days were action packed full of adventure. The next day we woke early to grab snacks and head to the slow boat dock to catch a boat ride down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. The trip would take 2 full days with a nights sleep in the town of Pakbeng. This was one of the best experiences of the trip where amanda and i met so many good people. We met 3 other couples that we would travel/hangout with for the next 4 or 5 days. After the long journey we made it to the great town of Luang Prabang and instantly searched for accommodation due to lack of sunlight. A bunch of us slowboaters grouped together and than slowly disintegrated. We found a descent guesthouse for 5usd with another couple we met, Brien and Jamie. The place was in a great location and to find out we had 2 other slowboaters in the same one with a couple more across the street. Luang Prabang has a daily night market that is incredible to wonder thru so this is what we did first. Before getting to the market we ran into Christopher and Angelique, a couple from Sweden, so they came along with us. We sped thru the market because everyone was hungry. We stumbled upon a night food market and found heaven. This market had a large variety of food and we found ourselves eating at a buffet for 1.20usd. I decided to go all out and get a BeerLaos to go along with the tastyness. After diiner we saw our friends Lesa and Tesa (from denmark and holland) and asked them if they wanted to join us in the morning to go to the waterfalls. So in the morning we had 4 couples all pitch in to get a tuk-tuk to take us to Kuang SI and Tad Sae. Before embarking on our trip we met for breakfast and had crepes and fresh fruit shakes. The first waterfall was Kuang Si which is the bigger of the two. The falls had places to swim, jump, and rope swing. The water was a beautiful turquoise color and the temperature was so perfect. We found a trail that took us to the top of the falls with epic views and adventurous trekking. After spending a few hours we got our things, got some food, and headed for the next falls. The ride to Tad Sae was very bumpy and long but it was well worth all the effort. The falls were only approachable by boat so we had to hire a local to drive us there. The boat ride was amazing, we passed local kids playing in the river while the adults fished for dinner. These falls were just as amzing but in a different way. The first falls were huge and roaring with sound and the latter was filled with dozens of pools to swim. We found ourselves far up the river with not enough time to get back to the boats before they left us. So we ran down there to let them know we still need a ride. They almost left us to! The day was absolutely amazing with such pretty sights and the greatest company. That night brien, jamie, amanda , and i got dinner at a riverside restaurant and than went for a walk along the river. I herd some live music and my ears followed it to find that it was a traditonal Laos musical dance. I got some coconut rice patties at the night market and than we ran into Lesa and Tesa. They were going to Utopia for drinks so we decided to tag along and follow. This bar/lounge was right on the river in a residential neighborhood and had the best views/vibe. After a beer I got up to go to the bathroom to find that the bar has a night time beach volleyball court. To add to it there were people from the slow boat playing and they needed more people. So I played some volleyball for a little while and than walked back to our guersthouse. The next morning we rented bikes to cruise around town and see the temples. Saw lots of the city and got so hot doing it we decided to got to a fancy resort and use their pool. All we had to do was buy one drink and we could swim for however long we would like. That night we went to the night food market to find a lady I read about the serves Pho and Khoa Soy, both soup dishes. We found her and now I love her. The food was so amazing that I ate both dishes. We ran into all our friends on the street market and decided to meet at Utopia for some volleyball. It was a great night of competitive ball and beeeeers. The next morning we caught a bus to Vang Vieng and got into the town in the late afternoon. We took the bus with jamie and brien and while looking for a guesthouse we found tesa and lesa swimming in the river. We booked two nights at the same place they got which had great views of the karst cliffs as well as sunset. We had great indian food that night as well as some buckets of liquor. The next morning we went to the blue lagoon for swimming and jumping and than went tubing down the river. Mike Im sorry to say that the real tubing has been shutdown due to 22 deaths this year. Although all the bars were shutdown we still had a blast. That night we kept it chill and relaxed on our balcony and had an amzing melon shake. The next morning we caught a 7am bus for Vientianne where we dropped our bags off at brien and jamies guesthouse and than went straight to Xeing Khuan (aka Buddha Park). This park has infused Buddhism, Hinduism, and Mythology. Its a really trippy park and was well worth the rough ride out there. Now that brings me to the present moment where I am in a internet cafe in the Vientianne city center. We are going to grab some dinner with our friends and than Amanda and I will leave for Pakse, Laos. We are taking a sleeper bus that leaves at 8pm and gets to pakse at 6am. We will miss all of our new friends weve traveled with but home to see them one day in the future. My friend christopher I met here said goodbye to me in Luang Prabang and than added "I hope to meet you again". I really like that phrase cause you never know if you'll see these people again in ur life. And if i dont, it was well worth meeting them once. Wish us luck on our sleeper bus! It was great finally catching up with writing and I hope next time it will be an easier write. Life is great!

Pai- Avoid the news

Hello world! I'm back in Chiang Mai and will be leaving in the morning for Huay Xai, Laos. Our journey in Thailand has come to an end but we will be back at the end of November to see Ayuthaya and Lopburi! Last time I wrote it was my final night in Mae Hong Son. The next morning we road our motorbikes up the 1095 and stopped at a meditation retreat. We were told by some local falangs that there was free meditation at this wat about an hour north of Mae Hong Son. The place was beautiful and well landscaped, everything you would want a meditation retreat to look like. To our surprise nothing was going on since it was the rainy (slow) season so we walked around the premises and enjoyed the sights. We got back on the highway and headed for the hills where I highly enjoyed the turns of the road. I felt like I was in a moto race on my little 125cc scooter lol. I was surprised how well this little guy handled the road, I miss him already. Our next stop was the town of Soppong which is about 40 minutes away from Pai. In Soppong there are a large amount of caves and many that are unexplored. There's one in particular that we had our eye on, specifically for being able to raft through the cave. What I mean is that there is a river that runs through the cave and out the end of it. The river was to high so we werent able to raft through the whole cave but just a small portion of it, still amazing. When you get to the cave you see this huge opening in a cliff wall with bats and swifts flying frantically around. The cave was fun but we jetted out quickly cause we needed something tasty to eat. Pai was a short ride away but filled with many turns and potholes, i love dem potholes. We arrived in Pai by 2pm and and right away began looking for places to stay. After looking at several places we found our spot right on the river on a nice side street. It was super close to the nightlife but tucked away enough for schleepy time. We spent the rest of the day enjoying the town and having some tea at a local tea store. They dried their own tea and had homemade kombucha which i love. That night we went to a couple bars but it was extremely dead so we didnt party all that much. The next day we went on an Elephant ride that we herd good things about. I was excited and not so excited about it, didnt know what it would be like. It ended up being a lot of fun and playing in the river with our friend was awesome. At the end of our journey we fed her her favorite treat, green bananas. She also loves bamboo, like blake, and will tear up huge chunnks of it. Oh and btw we got to the elephant farm via the police. Yeah he dropped us off and picked us up. When he brought us back to town people were laughing at the situation, they didnt know what to think. We than went into the hills on a scenic road to look for a waterfall that had a natural slide. We found it but the water was too high once again so the slide wasnt safe. For lunch i finally satisfied my craving for a burger at a place near our guesthouse and it was so so amazing. It had bacon, cheddar, bbq sauce, sauteed onions and fresh sweet potato chips. All that for 3 usd and thats an expensive lunch for what I like to spend here. I usually average 2 usd for lunch. With all that american in me a nap was due. That night we walked the streets through the market that has anything from street food to handmade goods. We ran into a guy from the U.S. that had the same backpack as us and ended up chilling with him at this really nice outdoor lounge. We were surrounded by great people, good music, and delicious tasty beer. The conversations were thorough on traveling with what to do and what not. Had a great time that night. The next morning we woke early to head for chiang mai to return our motobikes before noon. We took our malaria pills on an empty stomach and in turn got sick. After 45 minutes or se we were able to hit the road with worries of having to pay for another day. We got to our guesthouse in CM with 5 minutes to spare, some serious driving. That day we just relaxed, ate, and slept. The next day we went to doi suthep to see a big temple on the top of a mountain. It was really pretty but filled with hundreds of tourists. We than went to check the results of my mole that had hints of looking like something bad and they came back benign! A feeling of relief went thru my body. Our bus ticket to Laos has been booked and now Im going to the city walls to meet a friend from Taiwan, she worked with us in West Yellowstone. I hope you all enjoyed our travels. Please remember to save your money so that u2 can experience what this world has to offer. Experience Life!

Chiang Mai and The Mae Hong Son loop

Hello world! Im writing to you from the small city of Mae Hong Son in northwest Thailand near the Myanmar (Burma) border. Before we got here we spent one more night in Chiang Mai where we had a lazy day relaxing and prepping for our journey. At night I got a trad Thai massage and than Amanda and I went to a bar that was a tuk-tuk that turned into a bar. So it was a truck where the bartender sat in the back with bottles wrapping around him. Such a sweet little place smack in the middle of the streets of the old city. We conversed with fellow travelers and a bunch of locals. One of the locals showed me a drink called a Nikkito which is a Mojito but instead of rum it is replaced with rice liquor. She couldn't tell me what kind of liquor but damn was it tasty. After a few drinks we walked a couple blocks back to our guesthouse and got some good sleep. The next morning we got some breakfast at our guesthouse and than got on the road to travel the Mae Hong Son Loop. Mae Hong Son is the Northwestern province of Thailand and also a city. I was told about this driving loop from my friend Mike H,he said it was a must, so prior to traveling I did research on it and decided it had to be done. Amanda had never ridden a motorbike so we decided to head south first which we herd was the easier portion of the trip. As we leave the old city we are in search of a gas station cause I have absolutely no gas. Asking locals for directions is not easy but were told to keep pursuing in the same direction as our trip itinerary. And guess what? I ran out of gas! So what else do i do? I start pushing it down the traffic filled streets in search of gasolina but nothing in sight. After about 10 minutes a young man in a motorbike pulls over and starts trying to tell me something. Im not getting what hes trying to motion me and than i see him point to the seat so i sit down. This man ends up putting his foot on the back of my scooter and excels his throttle to push me down the road. I looked back at Amanda with a grin that was filled with happiness and amazement. These people are absolutely ridiculous. Where in the states would ever find someone doing this. And if someone who is reading this is thinking of specific place than let me know cause i dont believe it one bit. While going about 20-30kmh we reached the gas station after a few miles. I bid farewell to my friend and a he just looked at me with sincere happiness. He made my day and I will always remember that deed and hope to one day return that to someone. After much needed gas were cruising the streets of southern Chiang Mai in search of a Doi Anthanon Nat'l Park sign. We make it to the park entrance and pay the 7usd park entrance fee which was a lot for us. We didnt want to pay it but decided it was gonna be worth it. The next couple hours of driving, waterfalls, and dramatic scenery was well worth the money. We went from a hot mug city to a crisp and cold cloud forest. We leave the park towards the town of Mae Chaem going through some crazy twists and turns in the road. These are some serious turns and some portions of the road are very slick from the occasional rain fall. In the end we make it safe to the town and fuel up. We take a break to talk about if we want to stay in town or head for the small river town of Mae Sariang. Btw, its Amandas b-day! She decides that she wants to go forward and make the long trip. A little ways down the road we find out that its about 135 kilometers away and the roads were bad at this stage so we werent get great speed. This part of the trip ended up being really long and dragged out. We were tired, backs were hurting, and hungry. About an hour down the road we pull off to look at the map and a car pulls over to help. This women jumps out of the car and I can tell right away she is so excited to use her english. She is dressed in tribal wear and helps us with our directions. She ends up telling us to just follow her and she will point out which road to turn off. Now I've been getting worried because Amanda is scared of driving in the dark and the sun is setting quick. We end up getting to the city right before sundown, phew. This day was filled with up and downs so we are in search of food and sleep. With no reservations we stopped from place to place asking for prices. We found a real cheap but run down place and we almost stayed there. Amanda didnt look all that comfortable so I ran down the street to find more. I decided that we would splurge a little for her birthday and I bought us a night stay right on the river at a really cool guesthouse. It had air-con, a balcony overlooking the river and valley, and a real shower (the first one weve seen). We checked in and then walked down the street to a really cool restaurant right on the river. We got 3 dishes 1. Pad-c-eiw 2. Satay 3. Sweet mango w/sticky rice. All so amazing especially the latter. These were all enjoyed with several Chang's and good company from our neighboring table. We woke up late the next day and got on the road by 11am in search of the city, Mae Hong Son. The trip was 160km away and said to be a 3hour drive. It was an incredible drive and took us about 3 1/2 hours. We settled in at a guesthouse in the city center for 6 usd a night and went look at tours into the hilltribes. After looking at multiple tour companies we ran into a few Falangs (whities) and they steered us to not do them and we are so happy that we learned more. After having a beer with them we escaped a drunken repeater with a new friend. Jim, from Nashville was living and volunteering in the hills as a teacher. We left to go listen to the live jazz music being played by the lake but it ended up being american shit. One of the songs was Crazy Town- Butterfly, yeah i know really really bad choice Thailand. Instead we went to a little restaurant down the street and enjoyed some food and laughs. We said goodbye to our friend and than passed out. The next morning we got up early to walk through the markets and than drove into the mountains in search of something new, nothing specific. We found ourselves wondering through a waterfall, a mud spa, villages, a fish cave (filled with giant blue carp), and endless amounts of rice fields. The scenery here as Amanda says, is "breathtaking", lol. After exploring we went back to the city and had a late lunch and napped. And that brings me to the present moment. I hope you enjoyed this blog cause i know i did. See ya!