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!