Toun was nice enough to shack up with me for the night since I was staying on my own in Tree House 2. He woke me at 5am so he could get the French family and we could try to get an earlier start on spotting the Gibbons.
It was still dark and when I zip lined out of the tree house and I had to carry a flashlight so I can see my landing instead of slamming into a tree. Upon spotting my landing I went to grab the break too quickly and slammed the flashlight into my head. This cause the back to fall off and batteries to fall out leaving me with a semi-blind landing. Fortunately I was ok and stopped to early, needing to pull myself the rest of the way.
When Toun arrived with the French family, we immediately trekked in the direction of the singing. The sound is very distinct and with all them singing together, it makes it very easy to figure out where they are. We ended up not seeing any Gibbons again but we were so close. They were just below the path and down a very steep face so it was very inaccessible. I would like to blame in on Marc the giant for his big clopping foot steps that sounded as if a horse was following us. Though no Gibbons, we were all still very happy because today we at least got to hear them sing.
We returned to Tree House 1 for breakfast and we all relaxed for the few hours remaining in our tour. I would have left happily until the cat jumped onto my chest while I was sitting on a hammock. Not only did he get his hair all over me, but dug its claws into my chest and stomach as I jumped out of the hammock. So now I leave with mosquito bites everywhere, cuts on my feet, leech bites, and claw marks from my chest to my stomach.
The walk back to the main village was nice and quiet minus my sneezing and I shot amazing photos of the village folk. Then our ride backt o town was delayed an hour because a tree fell in the middle of the road. Finally, we left and it was a bumpy/almost reckless ride back to Huay Xai.
The Gibbon Experience was definitely an integral part to my trip and I'm so happy I got to do it. But now its time for a big meal, hot shower, and soft bed.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Gibbon Chronicles: Day 2
{Its important to this story that I also explain there are two tours at the Gibbon Experience, the Classic and the Waterfall. The Classic (the tour I was on) only covers a small section of the jungle where you do a few zip lines, hike for only 2 or 3 hours, and spend the rest of the day chilling in the tree house. The Waterfall experience takes you deep into the jungle to a waterfall and back and is broken up into 2 days.}
Toun woke us up at 5:30am to get us up into the mountains so we can try and spot some Gibbons. Gibbons are a type of monkey that was thought to be extinct until a large colony was found in the Bokeo Provence, here in this part of the Laos jungle. The best time to spot them is in the early morning because when the sun comes up, they "sing" for about 20-30 minutes and then climb down from the trees where they are virtually impossible to find. So by 6am, the five of us zip lined across the valley and began hiking in an attempt to track down the gibbons. Unfortunately we were too late and after hiking for an hour and already sweating through our clothes, we sadly had to turn back.
Jeff, the founder, had invited us to meet him out at Tree House 7, which is very deep in the jungle, to have breakfast with him. During our breakfast he told us we are the smallest group to ever come to the Gibbon Experience and at that very moment we were the only guests in the jungle. This was where I saw a window to get away from the French family. I asked Jeff if Toun could take me alone through the jungle to do every zip line, see every tree house, and even venture out to the waterfall. With a slight hesitation, he said ok since we were the only ones there and he could see that I was very eager to see the rest of the reserve.
Like I said the Waterfall experience is broken up into 2 days....we did it in 1! We hiked for just over 11 hours! I haven't worked that hard since high school football (WIN EVERYDAY!)
Now extremely happy and excited, Toun and I zip lined out of Tree House 7 and ventured into the jungle. Toun kept telling me how no one gets to do this and that I am the "very special guest." Along the way, we climbed over small mountains, zip lined through and across valley's, crossed rivers that were waist deep, trudged through mud over our ankles, and occasionally strolling through rice paddies or plantation. Everything was going great minus one thing.... the leeches. They were everywhere and somehow always managed to get on our feet. After you pull them off they still stick to you and you have to fling them like a freshly picked booger. One leech had been hiding under one of my straps around my ankle and ended up being on me for maybe 30 minutes. Over that length of time they grow from 1/8" thick and 1" long, to nearly double the size. Now my feet are covered in mosquito bites, cuts, and leech bites. Toun being totally adjusted unphased by the leeches was funny about it and said, "it ok leech, I will donate my blood to you."
When we finally made it to the waterfall, a new group had just entered the jungle and we all had a good time talking and had a cliff jumping contest. Well, more like me and Toun because no one else could climb up the rocks more than 3ft. I won with my infamous gainer and we moved on for the last 3 hours of trekking. During those 3 hours Toun gave me new nick-name, Deelie. Pronounced "Dee-Lie" and meaning "very nice" in Lao.
By the end of the day, I got to see all seven tree houses. Each one raised 120ft or more feet off the ground and looking over the valley that create spectacular views. I also got to do every zip line, the biggest being over 600ft off the ground and nearly 1,300ft long.
When I returned to the guesthouse, I decided I would sleep in a different house with no French family and especially, NO CAT! I ate dinner, showered up and then hiked/zip lined another 30 minutes in the dark to my own tree house.
Toun woke us up at 5:30am to get us up into the mountains so we can try and spot some Gibbons. Gibbons are a type of monkey that was thought to be extinct until a large colony was found in the Bokeo Provence, here in this part of the Laos jungle. The best time to spot them is in the early morning because when the sun comes up, they "sing" for about 20-30 minutes and then climb down from the trees where they are virtually impossible to find. So by 6am, the five of us zip lined across the valley and began hiking in an attempt to track down the gibbons. Unfortunately we were too late and after hiking for an hour and already sweating through our clothes, we sadly had to turn back.
Jeff, the founder, had invited us to meet him out at Tree House 7, which is very deep in the jungle, to have breakfast with him. During our breakfast he told us we are the smallest group to ever come to the Gibbon Experience and at that very moment we were the only guests in the jungle. This was where I saw a window to get away from the French family. I asked Jeff if Toun could take me alone through the jungle to do every zip line, see every tree house, and even venture out to the waterfall. With a slight hesitation, he said ok since we were the only ones there and he could see that I was very eager to see the rest of the reserve.
Like I said the Waterfall experience is broken up into 2 days....we did it in 1! We hiked for just over 11 hours! I haven't worked that hard since high school football (WIN EVERYDAY!)
Now extremely happy and excited, Toun and I zip lined out of Tree House 7 and ventured into the jungle. Toun kept telling me how no one gets to do this and that I am the "very special guest." Along the way, we climbed over small mountains, zip lined through and across valley's, crossed rivers that were waist deep, trudged through mud over our ankles, and occasionally strolling through rice paddies or plantation. Everything was going great minus one thing.... the leeches. They were everywhere and somehow always managed to get on our feet. After you pull them off they still stick to you and you have to fling them like a freshly picked booger. One leech had been hiding under one of my straps around my ankle and ended up being on me for maybe 30 minutes. Over that length of time they grow from 1/8" thick and 1" long, to nearly double the size. Now my feet are covered in mosquito bites, cuts, and leech bites. Toun being totally adjusted unphased by the leeches was funny about it and said, "it ok leech, I will donate my blood to you."
When we finally made it to the waterfall, a new group had just entered the jungle and we all had a good time talking and had a cliff jumping contest. Well, more like me and Toun because no one else could climb up the rocks more than 3ft. I won with my infamous gainer and we moved on for the last 3 hours of trekking. During those 3 hours Toun gave me new nick-name, Deelie. Pronounced "Dee-Lie" and meaning "very nice" in Lao.
By the end of the day, I got to see all seven tree houses. Each one raised 120ft or more feet off the ground and looking over the valley that create spectacular views. I also got to do every zip line, the biggest being over 600ft off the ground and nearly 1,300ft long.
When I returned to the guesthouse, I decided I would sleep in a different house with no French family and especially, NO CAT! I ate dinner, showered up and then hiked/zip lined another 30 minutes in the dark to my own tree house.
The Gibbon Chronicles: Day 1
I woke eagerly at 7am in order to pack up, eat a hearty breakfast, and schlep my stuff over to the Gibbon Experience office. Upon arrival they had me watch a very serious (sarcasm) safety video on zip lining and proper jungle etiquette. After the video I had to wait for an hour because there were supposed to be three other people coming in with me that morning, with three more following in the afternoon. The staff could sense my restlessness and decided to ship me out early to the reserve.
The drive took about an 1 hour and 45 minutes where we cruised through villages, mountains, rivers, muddy trenches, and some of the worse roads I have ever seen. We got to the main village and picked up a few guides that were to bring me to base camp which was a 30 minute hike away. We entered the jungle 10 minutes into the hike and the trail was almost tunnel-like because of all the fallen bamboo that held itself over the paths. When we reached base camp, I had already sweat through my clothes from the humidity, heat, and jungle's StairMaster-like path. Here I met Toun, a very important person to this trip that I will get into later.
The guides and I waited two hours for the other six guests to show up and finally, only three showed. I was stuck with a homely French family of three whose parents were visiting their daughter for the first time in over a year since she has been working in Laos (awkwarddd...). Now I was to spend the next 3 days living with them in a tree house in the jungle. The father Marc, was a giant of a man, about 6'2" and at least 230 lbs. He always wore short shorts and tight neon shirts, which was so stereotypically European. The mother Danielle was a smaller woman, slightly overweight, at 5'2" whose fashion sense seemed to be stuck in that transition where the 80's met the 90's. Bright pants accompanied by T shirts that had a mixture of basic geometric shapes, neon slash marks and polka-dots. They mostly resembled 90's car decals. And the daughter Fanny, also slightly overweight but slightly more modern than the parents. After a quick introduction, we again entered the jungle en route for our new home, Tree House 1.
To get to Tree House 1, we had to hike for about 15 minutes up into the mountains where we then zip lined through the front door. This was so cool! We put our stuff down, got acquainted with the massive tree house and set off on a short tour of the jungle. This took us about two hours switching between hiking up the mountains and zip lining down to various sites. On this trek, the zip lines were between 620ft-980ft long, 140ft-300ft high, and lasted around 10-20 seconds. To end the trek, we zip lined our way back to the guest house while watching the sun set which was absolutely amazing.
Back at the guesthouse we all got cleaned up and sat down for dinner which was incredibly awkward for me because aside from being the odd man out and completely imposing on this family getaway, only the daughter spoke fluent English. I thought I was saved when the founder showed up (which he never does) and brought a bottle of wine with him. But he too was french! So I sat there speaking only every now and then because everyone was talking in french the entire time while Fanny intermittently translated for me.
Oh and it gets better! I forgot to mention that there is a cat named Milo living in the tree house. For those of you who don't know, I am very allergic to cats, so I spent the entire night not knowing what anyone was saying while I sneezing every 5 minutes and scratching everywhere the cat hair touched on my body.
By 9pm I was exhausted and we all made our way to bed.
The drive took about an 1 hour and 45 minutes where we cruised through villages, mountains, rivers, muddy trenches, and some of the worse roads I have ever seen. We got to the main village and picked up a few guides that were to bring me to base camp which was a 30 minute hike away. We entered the jungle 10 minutes into the hike and the trail was almost tunnel-like because of all the fallen bamboo that held itself over the paths. When we reached base camp, I had already sweat through my clothes from the humidity, heat, and jungle's StairMaster-like path. Here I met Toun, a very important person to this trip that I will get into later.
The guides and I waited two hours for the other six guests to show up and finally, only three showed. I was stuck with a homely French family of three whose parents were visiting their daughter for the first time in over a year since she has been working in Laos (awkwarddd...). Now I was to spend the next 3 days living with them in a tree house in the jungle. The father Marc, was a giant of a man, about 6'2" and at least 230 lbs. He always wore short shorts and tight neon shirts, which was so stereotypically European. The mother Danielle was a smaller woman, slightly overweight, at 5'2" whose fashion sense seemed to be stuck in that transition where the 80's met the 90's. Bright pants accompanied by T shirts that had a mixture of basic geometric shapes, neon slash marks and polka-dots. They mostly resembled 90's car decals. And the daughter Fanny, also slightly overweight but slightly more modern than the parents. After a quick introduction, we again entered the jungle en route for our new home, Tree House 1.
To get to Tree House 1, we had to hike for about 15 minutes up into the mountains where we then zip lined through the front door. This was so cool! We put our stuff down, got acquainted with the massive tree house and set off on a short tour of the jungle. This took us about two hours switching between hiking up the mountains and zip lining down to various sites. On this trek, the zip lines were between 620ft-980ft long, 140ft-300ft high, and lasted around 10-20 seconds. To end the trek, we zip lined our way back to the guest house while watching the sun set which was absolutely amazing.
Back at the guesthouse we all got cleaned up and sat down for dinner which was incredibly awkward for me because aside from being the odd man out and completely imposing on this family getaway, only the daughter spoke fluent English. I thought I was saved when the founder showed up (which he never does) and brought a bottle of wine with him. But he too was french! So I sat there speaking only every now and then because everyone was talking in french the entire time while Fanny intermittently translated for me.
Oh and it gets better! I forgot to mention that there is a cat named Milo living in the tree house. For those of you who don't know, I am very allergic to cats, so I spent the entire night not knowing what anyone was saying while I sneezing every 5 minutes and scratching everywhere the cat hair touched on my body.
By 9pm I was exhausted and we all made our way to bed.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The SLOW-SLOW-Boat
Well the last two days have been uneventfully eventful...
Two days ago I woke at 5am to see the monks get their morning alms and then left Luang Prabang on the "slow boat" up the Mekong river en route to Huay Xai. Now there are two boat rides to Huay Xai. The slow boat takes two days and the fast boat takes 8 hours. Your probably wondering, why on earth would I take the slow boat? Well the fast boat is a small boat, big enough for three rows or three people sitting cross legged on the floor in a tight matrix. This boat is indeed fast and they require all the passengers to wear these martian like helmets with black visors. If I could see their faces I'm sure it would read, "WHY THE FUCK DID I DO THIS?!"
The slow boat is pretty massive and the seating is either straight-back teak benches or recycled car seats. The boats power comes from a recycled diesel car engine that has been expertly rigged up to run the boat at a crawling pace. As the engine roars its really quite hard to talk to anyone yet, all the Laotians were able to sleep no problem. To my disbelief, one guy was even passed out in the engine room. Once on the boat I was switching between sleeping, reading, music and my favorite, This American Life podcast's. As the boat makes it way up the Mekong, I notice the fast boaters screaming by, buffalo and goats grazing the pastures and drinking the muddy waters of the Mekong, fishermen, kids swimming and playing, amazing rock formations and greenest mountains I have ever witnessed.
My two day journey required an overnight stop in a teeny-tiny town called Pakbeng. I was traveling with 5 other backpackers with ages ranging from 20-41 years old. On the boat we didn't talk much, but once we got to Pakbeng we all bonded over Indian food and Beer Lao. At the only bar in the town we met up with a bunch of other travelers who are currently going the opposite direction, (Huay Xai to Luang Prabang), so they were filled with all kinds of questions and concerns. We all drank and talked till close which was 10:30pm! At that point the power to the entire town is shut down and there isn't one watt of energy floating around. So it was early to bed.
We all woke the next morning to noodle soup and went right to the boat for the next leg of the journey. Today's relaxing journey was much easier for some reason and I was even able to finish my book Bangkok 8. Again I flollowed my initial routine with the addition to writing a bunch of post cards. And just to mention, for some reason, everyone on the boat today was chain smoking for the entire 8 hour ride so I now stink of cigarettes and B.O. Before I knew it, the sun was setting over the mountains in Thailand and we were in Hauy Xai.
I would recommend that if anyone reading is ever in Loas, you dont miss out on this tranquil journey up the Mekong.
Two days ago I woke at 5am to see the monks get their morning alms and then left Luang Prabang on the "slow boat" up the Mekong river en route to Huay Xai. Now there are two boat rides to Huay Xai. The slow boat takes two days and the fast boat takes 8 hours. Your probably wondering, why on earth would I take the slow boat? Well the fast boat is a small boat, big enough for three rows or three people sitting cross legged on the floor in a tight matrix. This boat is indeed fast and they require all the passengers to wear these martian like helmets with black visors. If I could see their faces I'm sure it would read, "WHY THE FUCK DID I DO THIS?!"
The slow boat is pretty massive and the seating is either straight-back teak benches or recycled car seats. The boats power comes from a recycled diesel car engine that has been expertly rigged up to run the boat at a crawling pace. As the engine roars its really quite hard to talk to anyone yet, all the Laotians were able to sleep no problem. To my disbelief, one guy was even passed out in the engine room. Once on the boat I was switching between sleeping, reading, music and my favorite, This American Life podcast's. As the boat makes it way up the Mekong, I notice the fast boaters screaming by, buffalo and goats grazing the pastures and drinking the muddy waters of the Mekong, fishermen, kids swimming and playing, amazing rock formations and greenest mountains I have ever witnessed.
My two day journey required an overnight stop in a teeny-tiny town called Pakbeng. I was traveling with 5 other backpackers with ages ranging from 20-41 years old. On the boat we didn't talk much, but once we got to Pakbeng we all bonded over Indian food and Beer Lao. At the only bar in the town we met up with a bunch of other travelers who are currently going the opposite direction, (Huay Xai to Luang Prabang), so they were filled with all kinds of questions and concerns. We all drank and talked till close which was 10:30pm! At that point the power to the entire town is shut down and there isn't one watt of energy floating around. So it was early to bed.
We all woke the next morning to noodle soup and went right to the boat for the next leg of the journey. Today's relaxing journey was much easier for some reason and I was even able to finish my book Bangkok 8. Again I flollowed my initial routine with the addition to writing a bunch of post cards. And just to mention, for some reason, everyone on the boat today was chain smoking for the entire 8 hour ride so I now stink of cigarettes and B.O. Before I knew it, the sun was setting over the mountains in Thailand and we were in Hauy Xai.
I would recommend that if anyone reading is ever in Loas, you dont miss out on this tranquil journey up the Mekong.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Extreme Adventure!!! = Extreme Sunburn!!!
I got up early today to embark on an action packed, full day tour of Luang Prabang. At 9am I was shuttled over to the elephant camp with a older couple from Australia and and recently graduated industrial designer from Holland.
We all got to greet the elephants and then climbed up for a 1 1/2hr jungle excursion. I have to say that I am extremely impressed with the balance and agility that these elephants displayed. They were climbing steep hillsides, stepping over fallen trees and boulders, and even descending with a subtle grace. About a third into the ride I was able to climb off my seat and sit on its neck. To steer the elephant you call out left or right and simply tap your foot behind its ear in the direction of choice. While on the elephants neck, I was able to pretty much lay on top of his head as she wondered around the jungle. I found it facinatign to touch the elphats skin. the surface is so rough and textured though its soft at the same time. The hairs are like thin plastice sticks that randomly protrude from all over body. After the riding we got to feed the elephants and say goodbye.
At this point the Australians went to an elephant training camp, the dutch went to the waterfalls and I went trekking on my own with my guide Kat. The trek was just over 3 hours, cutting through the jungle, traversing various plantations, scaling the mountainsides, while also visiting villages and farms. It was somewhat of a quiet trek because my guide spoke limited English but I feel this helped me to really embrace the experience and even appreciate it more. Upon entering each village (40 people at most!) I was bombarded with children. Depending on the village, kids wore either uniforms, regular clothes, in some places just torn rags, and in all, no shoes. The kids were so cute and curious and rarely even shy. In between villages, we passed through several plantations where they were harvesting all kinds of fruits, vegetables, grains, and even rubber. In between the plantations were small but steep hills where there was virtually no trail. And I'm not kidding when I say no trail. At some points, the trail would completely disappear and Kat would kick brush out of the way revealing a path beneath. Just before lunch, we were climbing down a muddy face and I totally ate shit. I had been sliding the entire time and finally didn't catch myself and fell on my ass. If I hadn't caught myself on the brush, I would have had a long fall down the rest of the face. I cut my arm pretty good where I had already sustained a rope burn from rock climbing in Vang Vieng, but other than that, nothing too bad. After the last village I noticed that I was extremely hot and for the first time all day looked at my shoulders to notice the massive sunburn outlining my tank top. Yet again I forgot to put on sunscreen thus getting stuck with another ridiculous tan line!
I continued to the Tat Sae falls shirtless and upon my first glimpse of the falls I can tell you, this place is the single closest thing to paradise I have ever known. (Sorry you didn't find it Max, cause I DID!) The Tat Sae also features multi level limestone formations resulting in small gentle falls that cascade down into several massive turquoise pools. The water was again ice cold but I couldn't ask for anything better as it refreshed and revitalized me. After swimming I was walking around taking pictures when an two elephants walked into the main pool. Everyone was feeding them and as they left the pool they left us a present. Two gigantic shits, the thickness and length of my arm were plopped into the pool. Everyone swimming freaked and all those on the bridge with me laughed as the giant stools drifted from the pools down stream.
So this concludes my adventurous day in the outdoors on Luang Prabang. Tomorrow I wake at 5am to watch the monks receive their alms at sunrise and then make way to the Mekong to take the slow boat up stream to Hauy Xai for my Gibbon Experience.
We all got to greet the elephants and then climbed up for a 1 1/2hr jungle excursion. I have to say that I am extremely impressed with the balance and agility that these elephants displayed. They were climbing steep hillsides, stepping over fallen trees and boulders, and even descending with a subtle grace. About a third into the ride I was able to climb off my seat and sit on its neck. To steer the elephant you call out left or right and simply tap your foot behind its ear in the direction of choice. While on the elephants neck, I was able to pretty much lay on top of his head as she wondered around the jungle. I found it facinatign to touch the elphats skin. the surface is so rough and textured though its soft at the same time. The hairs are like thin plastice sticks that randomly protrude from all over body. After the riding we got to feed the elephants and say goodbye.
At this point the Australians went to an elephant training camp, the dutch went to the waterfalls and I went trekking on my own with my guide Kat. The trek was just over 3 hours, cutting through the jungle, traversing various plantations, scaling the mountainsides, while also visiting villages and farms. It was somewhat of a quiet trek because my guide spoke limited English but I feel this helped me to really embrace the experience and even appreciate it more. Upon entering each village (40 people at most!) I was bombarded with children. Depending on the village, kids wore either uniforms, regular clothes, in some places just torn rags, and in all, no shoes. The kids were so cute and curious and rarely even shy. In between villages, we passed through several plantations where they were harvesting all kinds of fruits, vegetables, grains, and even rubber. In between the plantations were small but steep hills where there was virtually no trail. And I'm not kidding when I say no trail. At some points, the trail would completely disappear and Kat would kick brush out of the way revealing a path beneath. Just before lunch, we were climbing down a muddy face and I totally ate shit. I had been sliding the entire time and finally didn't catch myself and fell on my ass. If I hadn't caught myself on the brush, I would have had a long fall down the rest of the face. I cut my arm pretty good where I had already sustained a rope burn from rock climbing in Vang Vieng, but other than that, nothing too bad. After the last village I noticed that I was extremely hot and for the first time all day looked at my shoulders to notice the massive sunburn outlining my tank top. Yet again I forgot to put on sunscreen thus getting stuck with another ridiculous tan line!
I continued to the Tat Sae falls shirtless and upon my first glimpse of the falls I can tell you, this place is the single closest thing to paradise I have ever known. (Sorry you didn't find it Max, cause I DID!) The Tat Sae also features multi level limestone formations resulting in small gentle falls that cascade down into several massive turquoise pools. The water was again ice cold but I couldn't ask for anything better as it refreshed and revitalized me. After swimming I was walking around taking pictures when an two elephants walked into the main pool. Everyone was feeding them and as they left the pool they left us a present. Two gigantic shits, the thickness and length of my arm were plopped into the pool. Everyone swimming freaked and all those on the bridge with me laughed as the giant stools drifted from the pools down stream.
So this concludes my adventurous day in the outdoors on Luang Prabang. Tomorrow I wake at 5am to watch the monks receive their alms at sunrise and then make way to the Mekong to take the slow boat up stream to Hauy Xai for my Gibbon Experience.
Drinking Beer...Laos Style
In Laos, they have a very different style of drinking beer that I quickly became a fan of. First you get a large Beer-Lao, a bucket of ice, and 1 small glass a little bigger than a low ball that everyone shares. Next a person is delegated as the "regulator." The regulator is essentially the bartender and is in charge of refilling the glass with ice and beer. Once filled, he or she gives the cup to the next in the circle where the beer is downed in a gulp or two and passed back to be regulated (haha its fun using this word). This system is actually quite conducive to getting drunk quickly because its a very social experience with a nice flow. When a new bottle is opened, the regulator duty is passed along to the next in the circle and so on.
So to everyone who is reading this, give Lao style drinking a try.
So to everyone who is reading this, give Lao style drinking a try.
A Failed Excursion
The past two days have been packed with outdoor activities and I truly feel like I am gettin it done here.
Today I spent the morning walking around and scoping out the scene in the main part of town as well as doing some antique spotting. After a noodle soup brunch while looking out upon the Mekong River, I went back to the guesthouse to see if I can hire someone to take me to the Tat Kuang Si waterfalls.
My guesthouse receptionist Phuo offered to drive me on his motorbike for 10,000Kip (a little more than $10). The drive was beautiful and I got to see some of the best scenery that Laos has to offer. The ride over was also like a slalom run but instead of rounding gates, your rounding cows and massive buffalo which made the ride very interesting. Within 40 minutes we arrive at the entrance of the waterfalls. Before actually getting to the falls you walk past a bear and tiger reserve. Both are endangered in the region and this shelter serves as a means to keep them safe until able to return to the wild. The shelter is basically a giant playground for the bears with giant tire swings, hammocks and climbing structures. I got to see two bears wrestling in a hammock which was fun. Though as much as I was enjoying the bear battle, I could hear the crashing of the waterfalls calling.
The Tat Kuang Si falls are a series of multi-tiered falls beginning with small blue pools. As you make your way up the track, pools branch off left and right, each one spilling over boulders into each other. I decided to keep moving to see the main attraction and then work my way back by stopping in as many pools as possible. The grand finale was not nearly as picturesque as I had hoped because the area below the falls have picnic tables and its flooded with tourists climbing all over. But don't get me wrong it was still extremely impressive, just not picturesque. As I walked around trying to find a view where I couldn't see anyone, I stumbled upon a shabby trail that leads straight up. So of course I felt compelled to see where it goes. I was climbing for about 20 min on nothing but mud steps and roots with no end in sight. I eventually caught up to some Chinese girls on their way down and they said there is no end! The trail just stops. So I sadly turned around with them and decided to dip into the pools.
The pools were ice cold which was actually quite refreshing after the failed excursion to nowhere. It was great swimming out to falls where the frosty turquoise water tumbles over the round limestone formations. At each pool I met different people from all over the world and we would sit under a small fall and talk of our travels and life. After the pools Phuo and I made our way back to the guesthouse. We got to catch a quiet sunset beyond the mountains while we sat at the edge of a rice paddy and enjoy it with a few other locals.
Tomorrow, elephant riding, trekking, and another waterfall!
Today I spent the morning walking around and scoping out the scene in the main part of town as well as doing some antique spotting. After a noodle soup brunch while looking out upon the Mekong River, I went back to the guesthouse to see if I can hire someone to take me to the Tat Kuang Si waterfalls.
My guesthouse receptionist Phuo offered to drive me on his motorbike for 10,000Kip (a little more than $10). The drive was beautiful and I got to see some of the best scenery that Laos has to offer. The ride over was also like a slalom run but instead of rounding gates, your rounding cows and massive buffalo which made the ride very interesting. Within 40 minutes we arrive at the entrance of the waterfalls. Before actually getting to the falls you walk past a bear and tiger reserve. Both are endangered in the region and this shelter serves as a means to keep them safe until able to return to the wild. The shelter is basically a giant playground for the bears with giant tire swings, hammocks and climbing structures. I got to see two bears wrestling in a hammock which was fun. Though as much as I was enjoying the bear battle, I could hear the crashing of the waterfalls calling.
The Tat Kuang Si falls are a series of multi-tiered falls beginning with small blue pools. As you make your way up the track, pools branch off left and right, each one spilling over boulders into each other. I decided to keep moving to see the main attraction and then work my way back by stopping in as many pools as possible. The grand finale was not nearly as picturesque as I had hoped because the area below the falls have picnic tables and its flooded with tourists climbing all over. But don't get me wrong it was still extremely impressive, just not picturesque. As I walked around trying to find a view where I couldn't see anyone, I stumbled upon a shabby trail that leads straight up. So of course I felt compelled to see where it goes. I was climbing for about 20 min on nothing but mud steps and roots with no end in sight. I eventually caught up to some Chinese girls on their way down and they said there is no end! The trail just stops. So I sadly turned around with them and decided to dip into the pools.
The pools were ice cold which was actually quite refreshing after the failed excursion to nowhere. It was great swimming out to falls where the frosty turquoise water tumbles over the round limestone formations. At each pool I met different people from all over the world and we would sit under a small fall and talk of our travels and life. After the pools Phuo and I made our way back to the guesthouse. We got to catch a quiet sunset beyond the mountains while we sat at the edge of a rice paddy and enjoy it with a few other locals.
Tomorrow, elephant riding, trekking, and another waterfall!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Leaving My Mark on Vang Vieng
After 3 hours of sleep I woke with bruises on my hips from my ply wood-like bed and was happily greeted by a groggy hangover. I forgot to mention that I have been staying in a very well known room. They call it the Dungeon because it has one big window that looks out at a white wall no further than 5 or 6 inches away. It gets extremely poor air flow and virtually no natural light. Also, I can open the entrance door, bathroom door, as well as access all the lights and fan without ever leaving my bed. Truly a shit hole but a memorable part of the journey non the less.
I packed up my gear, checked out, and made my way back to Q Bar to meet everyone for breakfast. Rob was already there and clearly frustrated with his net book. He was attempting to use photoshop to make Bar III a logo and clearly had no idea what he was doing. Knowing I am a designer he asked me to do it for him. So I happily designed the logo for Bar III which I must say came out great. I modified the Magneto typeface and overlaid the type in an offset of cyan, magenta, and yellow to create a psychedelic effect on the eyes. Everyone loved it and I have officially left my mark on Vang Vieng.
After breakfast and my design workshop, I got on a mini bus headed to Luang Prabang. I ended up sleeping most of the drive which is kind unfortunate but I was really enjoying the detox. We stopped periodically for toilet breaks and to get food. One stop made the women pay to use the toilets and made the men use exposed urinals that stick out of the side of the building. We arrived around 7pm and I immediately made my way to the night market with a craving for noodle soup. After my fix, I went back to the guesthouse to take my first warm shower in days and get to bed.
Just before passing out I went to move the fan and my finger slipped inside and hit the blade. This cut a chunk out of my ring finger and shattered two of the 3 blades. I thought I could wait till morning to deal with it but I realized I was already sweating so I had to go wake up the receptionist. This resulted in 30 minutes of terrible communication and nothing getting fixed. Now I had to pay $8 for the night so I can use the air con instead of sweating to death.
Tomorrow is waterfalls and road tripping.
I packed up my gear, checked out, and made my way back to Q Bar to meet everyone for breakfast. Rob was already there and clearly frustrated with his net book. He was attempting to use photoshop to make Bar III a logo and clearly had no idea what he was doing. Knowing I am a designer he asked me to do it for him. So I happily designed the logo for Bar III which I must say came out great. I modified the Magneto typeface and overlaid the type in an offset of cyan, magenta, and yellow to create a psychedelic effect on the eyes. Everyone loved it and I have officially left my mark on Vang Vieng.
After breakfast and my design workshop, I got on a mini bus headed to Luang Prabang. I ended up sleeping most of the drive which is kind unfortunate but I was really enjoying the detox. We stopped periodically for toilet breaks and to get food. One stop made the women pay to use the toilets and made the men use exposed urinals that stick out of the side of the building. We arrived around 7pm and I immediately made my way to the night market with a craving for noodle soup. After my fix, I went back to the guesthouse to take my first warm shower in days and get to bed.
Just before passing out I went to move the fan and my finger slipped inside and hit the blade. This cut a chunk out of my ring finger and shattered two of the 3 blades. I thought I could wait till morning to deal with it but I realized I was already sweating so I had to go wake up the receptionist. This resulted in 30 minutes of terrible communication and nothing getting fixed. Now I had to pay $8 for the night so I can use the air con instead of sweating to death.
Tomorrow is waterfalls and road tripping.
A Great Day of Many Mistakes
I was planning on spending my last day in Vang Vieng touring around on a bike and trying to see as many of the caves as possible. Instead I was talked into tubing. But this time with a tube.
Today was an amazing day but non the less, a day of many mistakes in which I have to suffer the consequences. My first mistake happened as soon as I got the tube. I should have known better than to rent one. Instead you just take from a bar because you never have your own tube for the entire day let along one stop. The second of the early mistakes was jumping off the 40ft rope swing with my favorite bandanna. It came right off upon hitting the water and was sucking into the murky river current and never seen again. The third and most crucial mistake was starting my day with Tiger whiskey shots and a bucket. Next I cut my foot along my big toe and pinky toe jumping out of the water to drag my friend off the dock fully clothed. I didn't notice the gash until I stepped in booze.
After, I made my first few stops at the bars which I knew where my friends were working and I also made a point to stop at each bar and see their main attraction. Since you cant really steer the tube, staff from each bar throw ropes with a buoy at the end out to you and reel you in. I wasn't entirely coherent and ended up getting hit in the face with a buoy. This shattered my clear Oakley Frogskins and those two disappeared into the depths of the Nam Som River.
Soon after that episode, I met up with some other friends and branched off with them for the remainder of the ride. The last mistake, which actually wasn't that bad, was not getting off at the proper stop where a tuk tuk service can shuttle you back to the town. We ended up staying on the river for an extra hour. As we approached the town it gets tricky to figure out where to get off. Fortunately, there are lots of little Loa kids standing in the water waiting to safely taxi you and your tube back to the proper shore. So instead of paying 15,000 Kip each for a tuk tuk, we split 3,000 Kip for little Loa kids to tug us to shore. So this ended up being a blessing in disguise because we got to watch the sunset on the river and didn't have to pay for the shuttle.
The night was especially fun because I again got free drinks all night and everyone wanted to give me a solid send off. After all the bars closed we went back to our guesthouse and by 5am everyone was passing out on each other.
Today was an amazing day but non the less, a day of many mistakes in which I have to suffer the consequences. My first mistake happened as soon as I got the tube. I should have known better than to rent one. Instead you just take from a bar because you never have your own tube for the entire day let along one stop. The second of the early mistakes was jumping off the 40ft rope swing with my favorite bandanna. It came right off upon hitting the water and was sucking into the murky river current and never seen again. The third and most crucial mistake was starting my day with Tiger whiskey shots and a bucket. Next I cut my foot along my big toe and pinky toe jumping out of the water to drag my friend off the dock fully clothed. I didn't notice the gash until I stepped in booze.
After, I made my first few stops at the bars which I knew where my friends were working and I also made a point to stop at each bar and see their main attraction. Since you cant really steer the tube, staff from each bar throw ropes with a buoy at the end out to you and reel you in. I wasn't entirely coherent and ended up getting hit in the face with a buoy. This shattered my clear Oakley Frogskins and those two disappeared into the depths of the Nam Som River.
Soon after that episode, I met up with some other friends and branched off with them for the remainder of the ride. The last mistake, which actually wasn't that bad, was not getting off at the proper stop where a tuk tuk service can shuttle you back to the town. We ended up staying on the river for an extra hour. As we approached the town it gets tricky to figure out where to get off. Fortunately, there are lots of little Loa kids standing in the water waiting to safely taxi you and your tube back to the proper shore. So instead of paying 15,000 Kip each for a tuk tuk, we split 3,000 Kip for little Loa kids to tug us to shore. So this ended up being a blessing in disguise because we got to watch the sunset on the river and didn't have to pay for the shuttle.
The night was especially fun because I again got free drinks all night and everyone wanted to give me a solid send off. After all the bars closed we went back to our guesthouse and by 5am everyone was passing out on each other.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A Traditional Lao Spanking
The last thing I said in the previous post was I can finally take it easy. That was not even close to how the rest of the night unfolded. Like I mentioned Vang Vieng is a party town and its pretty much like Cancun Spring Break 24/7. So I left my guest house to find everyone was already at Q Bar and most of them were well on their way to belligerency. Since I needed to catch up, I grabbed a few free whiskey buckets from Rob and hit the pool table. At Q Bar there is one pool table so you get to know the "sharks" pretty quickly. I being among them, have always teamed up with some of the local guys and we try to run the table all night. In this case, we played for 2 hours on and off and then made our way to Sunset Bar with the rest of the town.
Only an hour after arriving at Sunset Bar, everyone had noticed that Rob needs to get home so I took the initiative and made my way back home with him. This was where the most eventful part of the night began. We stopped at a sandwich stall in front of our guest house and Rob insisted on on making his own sandwich. Every time he would mess something up, the woman would start spanking him. This soon turning into a spanking war between the two of them while I watched and cooked the food. Soon people began to leave Sunset Bar and were surprised to find the battle going on between Rob and the Lao lady. When it came time to pay, I only had half the money and Rob would have to pay the rest. This was where we realized Rob had lost his keys and had to figure out a way into his room. We ended up having to wake up one of the owners so he can saw off the lock on Robs door. There are no lights in his hallway so it was dark and took another 30 minutes because the pieces of the saw kept snapping off. By 4am we were paid up, safe and full.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
A Backpacker's Right of Passage
The past two days have been extremely eventful as I have been partaking in two of Vang Vieng's greatest activities... tubing and rock climbing.
I woke yesterday to a massive hangover and promised myself I would not drink for the rest of the day. This however is not how things are done here, you drink all day every day. So I made my way down to the river with everyone to grab our first beverages and begin the tube loop...tubeless. I have heard from several tubing veterans that you don't want to get a tube because most people steal them. So a lot of people just dive into the river and eventually someone throws you a rope and reels you into the next stop. The 6 mile river route can takes anywhere from 3-6 hours based on how many times you stop. The entire route is lined with several bars with each one offering their own special activity and "special menu." There are swings that launch you 15-40ft into the air where you jump off into the river, zip-lines, cliff jumping, mud pits, and dance floors. On the "special menu," tubers can purchase joints, mushroom shakes and tea, space cakes, brownies, happy shakes, and buckets of booze. Because the crew I was with all work at Q Bar (in town) and Bar III (on the river), we pretty much stayed at the top of the river all day partying and jumping off stuff. Bar III is notorious for covering you with marker, spray paint, and bracelets which prep you for your messy day and solidify your right of passage. Before I knew it, 5 hours had passed and it was time for everyone to head back to town for dinner and a pre-night-rally.
Fortunately, I didn't stay out too late so I could actually get some sleep and have a productive day of climbing. I met up with my buddy TG who is a certified climber and has been itching to find someone to climb with for a while. We both rented hot pink single speed cruiser bikes and then TG took me to the last bar on the river which has a lot of walls and a small gorge that make for some of the more popular climbs in the area. It also conveniently has a bar so we could drink and a snack between climbs. Since I haven't climbed in years, nor have I ever belayed anyone before in my life, this was going to be a real adventure. TG walked me through the necessary protocol for climbing 101 and we got right into it. The first climb wasn't too hard but the second one did me in good. I tried to climb it 4 times and couldn't do it. Each face had slight overhangs and jagged rocks that's if not held onto properly, cut up your hands. So after about 3 hours of climbing, I left the rocks drentched in sweat, with cut hands and arms like jello.
We returned to town just in time for the sunset and now I can finally take it easy...
I woke yesterday to a massive hangover and promised myself I would not drink for the rest of the day. This however is not how things are done here, you drink all day every day. So I made my way down to the river with everyone to grab our first beverages and begin the tube loop...tubeless. I have heard from several tubing veterans that you don't want to get a tube because most people steal them. So a lot of people just dive into the river and eventually someone throws you a rope and reels you into the next stop. The 6 mile river route can takes anywhere from 3-6 hours based on how many times you stop. The entire route is lined with several bars with each one offering their own special activity and "special menu." There are swings that launch you 15-40ft into the air where you jump off into the river, zip-lines, cliff jumping, mud pits, and dance floors. On the "special menu," tubers can purchase joints, mushroom shakes and tea, space cakes, brownies, happy shakes, and buckets of booze. Because the crew I was with all work at Q Bar (in town) and Bar III (on the river), we pretty much stayed at the top of the river all day partying and jumping off stuff. Bar III is notorious for covering you with marker, spray paint, and bracelets which prep you for your messy day and solidify your right of passage. Before I knew it, 5 hours had passed and it was time for everyone to head back to town for dinner and a pre-night-rally.
Fortunately, I didn't stay out too late so I could actually get some sleep and have a productive day of climbing. I met up with my buddy TG who is a certified climber and has been itching to find someone to climb with for a while. We both rented hot pink single speed cruiser bikes and then TG took me to the last bar on the river which has a lot of walls and a small gorge that make for some of the more popular climbs in the area. It also conveniently has a bar so we could drink and a snack between climbs. Since I haven't climbed in years, nor have I ever belayed anyone before in my life, this was going to be a real adventure. TG walked me through the necessary protocol for climbing 101 and we got right into it. The first climb wasn't too hard but the second one did me in good. I tried to climb it 4 times and couldn't do it. Each face had slight overhangs and jagged rocks that's if not held onto properly, cut up your hands. So after about 3 hours of climbing, I left the rocks drentched in sweat, with cut hands and arms like jello.
We returned to town just in time for the sunset and now I can finally take it easy...
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Hello Loas!
Its been quite a few days since my last post and a lot of fun adventures have unfolded.
After spending a few day in Bangkok with Richy playing tennis and eating non-stop, I excitedly made my way to Loas. I chose to take the night train to the boarder which took about 12 hours in hopes of meeting some other travelers and setting up a crew. It didnt work that way. An hour into the trip, everyone was already heading to bed and the train was very quiet. But this was still a fun and very relaxing. Once I crossed into Laos I immediately went to Vientiane to eat some Nam Neung which is essentially grilled meatballs that you wrap up into bite size balls. First you place some lettuce in a rice paper wrapping. Then you put a combination of meat, garlic, rice noodle, mint, basil, star fruit, chili, and peanut sauce on top and wrap it up. This was one of the most unique meals I have had since coming to Asia.
After eating I hopped on a bus heading to Vang Vieng. I got very lucky in meeting a fellow traveler named Rob who has been traveling for the last 7 months between Australia and Asia. Rob is very connected here and this trip serves as somewhat of a reunion for him and his friends. When I got into Vang Vieng, I didn't have to worry about a thing and everything was taken care of. After meeting Rob's crew for dinner, we got our rooms and quickly got after the night.
The night scene in Vang Vieng is nice and simple because there really aren't that many options. You party in Q Bar (which is where all Rob's connections are) and then make your way to "the island." On the island which is very small and is connected by a small rickety bridge, there are pretty much only bars. Its the source of the late night scene. On the island we spent the rest of the night at a bar called Sunset Bar. The place was great and I got to meet many people from all over the world. Since the crew I was with had bought bottles all night, I was able to drink all night for free which took its toll. I went home around 2am with Rob and his buddy Renz and we indulged in some late night Lao grub which was a baguette with chicken, cheese, bacon and some local veggies. SOOOOO GOOOODDDD!!
After devouring the sandwich I crashed hard on my bed that feels very similar to a sheet of ply wood and a pillow stuffed with dirt. Oh and my view is a brick wall. But then again, who cares because I am never going to be in my room anyhow.
After spending a few day in Bangkok with Richy playing tennis and eating non-stop, I excitedly made my way to Loas. I chose to take the night train to the boarder which took about 12 hours in hopes of meeting some other travelers and setting up a crew. It didnt work that way. An hour into the trip, everyone was already heading to bed and the train was very quiet. But this was still a fun and very relaxing. Once I crossed into Laos I immediately went to Vientiane to eat some Nam Neung which is essentially grilled meatballs that you wrap up into bite size balls. First you place some lettuce in a rice paper wrapping. Then you put a combination of meat, garlic, rice noodle, mint, basil, star fruit, chili, and peanut sauce on top and wrap it up. This was one of the most unique meals I have had since coming to Asia.
After eating I hopped on a bus heading to Vang Vieng. I got very lucky in meeting a fellow traveler named Rob who has been traveling for the last 7 months between Australia and Asia. Rob is very connected here and this trip serves as somewhat of a reunion for him and his friends. When I got into Vang Vieng, I didn't have to worry about a thing and everything was taken care of. After meeting Rob's crew for dinner, we got our rooms and quickly got after the night.
The night scene in Vang Vieng is nice and simple because there really aren't that many options. You party in Q Bar (which is where all Rob's connections are) and then make your way to "the island." On the island which is very small and is connected by a small rickety bridge, there are pretty much only bars. Its the source of the late night scene. On the island we spent the rest of the night at a bar called Sunset Bar. The place was great and I got to meet many people from all over the world. Since the crew I was with had bought bottles all night, I was able to drink all night for free which took its toll. I went home around 2am with Rob and his buddy Renz and we indulged in some late night Lao grub which was a baguette with chicken, cheese, bacon and some local veggies. SOOOOO GOOOODDDD!!
After devouring the sandwich I crashed hard on my bed that feels very similar to a sheet of ply wood and a pillow stuffed with dirt. Oh and my view is a brick wall. But then again, who cares because I am never going to be in my room anyhow.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
A Terrible Day, Saved by Soup
I had arranged for my tuk tuk driver John to pick me up at at 9am so I can see the infamous Floating Villages of Siem Reap. The guide book had informed me that its a nice escape from the chaos at the temples and makes for a good cultural experience. What they failed to mention was the overwhelming sense of depression and overcharged tickets.
As I approached the ticket booth I was bombarded with guides and other staff trying to sell me tickets for $30 which included a 3 hour tour and visit to the crocodile and fish farms. I had no interest in seeing the farms nor spending 3 hours on a long tail boat. This guy wouldn't drop his price so I went right to the booth and they asked for $20. I was still pissed but I wanted to stick it to this scammer. So I paid for the ticket, shot him an ominous grin and he immediately got pissed. Upon walking past him he tried to take my tickets but everyone else yelled at him.
On this huge boat it was only me, a driver, and his son who was basically my guide for the trip. There are several villages that are broken up by religion and/or Nationality. The Christians and Muslims have their own sections. The Vietnamese have theirs and so do the Cambodians. As we drove around the villages, one cant help but to be overwhelmed with empathy and depression towards the rough life these people live. They are all fishermen and the entire family must pull their own weight in one way or another, whether that's fishing, transporting goods, or driving the kids around to dock with tour boats. The kids docking was the worse because the mother would drive them around and their children would be wearing virtually nothing and holding up drinks with snakes wrapped around their bodies. Once they caught up to you, which the drivers facilitate, they hop on the boat and don't leave till they get something from you. At one point the driver asked if I want him to stop at mouth of the river where it meets the lake. This was basically putting my self in the red zone for every small boat carrying children to come and get me. I told the driver there is no way we are stopping and he then took me to the farms that I also told him I dotn want to see. Hundreds of fish are crammed into a small tank where they can barely move and the crocodile pit is scattered with piles of garbage and wood scraps. It was only an hour into the tour and I had had my fill. I requested we return and they could sense my displeasure with the trip so they let em drive the boat to make me happier. It did, until a woman with he hunger struck kid latched onto the boat and wouldn't let go until i paid them. Finally we returned and I could go back to the guest house to get food and recover from the Floating Villages.
Later I asked John to take me to the temples for the last time so I could see a few more sites, grab some gifts, and catch one more sunset. The sky was beautiful and there was a cool breeze which is not common. John and I had been getting along great and he knew I wanted to experience something that normal tourist don't do. He took me to a local school where there was a soccer game and the river across the field was lined with food stalls. We sat on a bamboo mat and he got me some noodle soup that was filled with all kinds of exotic vegetables and flowers I have never seen before. We caught the end of the game and the sunset and made our way back to the guesthouse. After such a depressing day, Johns final hour with me was the best way to end my stay in Siem Reap.
As I approached the ticket booth I was bombarded with guides and other staff trying to sell me tickets for $30 which included a 3 hour tour and visit to the crocodile and fish farms. I had no interest in seeing the farms nor spending 3 hours on a long tail boat. This guy wouldn't drop his price so I went right to the booth and they asked for $20. I was still pissed but I wanted to stick it to this scammer. So I paid for the ticket, shot him an ominous grin and he immediately got pissed. Upon walking past him he tried to take my tickets but everyone else yelled at him.
On this huge boat it was only me, a driver, and his son who was basically my guide for the trip. There are several villages that are broken up by religion and/or Nationality. The Christians and Muslims have their own sections. The Vietnamese have theirs and so do the Cambodians. As we drove around the villages, one cant help but to be overwhelmed with empathy and depression towards the rough life these people live. They are all fishermen and the entire family must pull their own weight in one way or another, whether that's fishing, transporting goods, or driving the kids around to dock with tour boats. The kids docking was the worse because the mother would drive them around and their children would be wearing virtually nothing and holding up drinks with snakes wrapped around their bodies. Once they caught up to you, which the drivers facilitate, they hop on the boat and don't leave till they get something from you. At one point the driver asked if I want him to stop at mouth of the river where it meets the lake. This was basically putting my self in the red zone for every small boat carrying children to come and get me. I told the driver there is no way we are stopping and he then took me to the farms that I also told him I dotn want to see. Hundreds of fish are crammed into a small tank where they can barely move and the crocodile pit is scattered with piles of garbage and wood scraps. It was only an hour into the tour and I had had my fill. I requested we return and they could sense my displeasure with the trip so they let em drive the boat to make me happier. It did, until a woman with he hunger struck kid latched onto the boat and wouldn't let go until i paid them. Finally we returned and I could go back to the guest house to get food and recover from the Floating Villages.
Later I asked John to take me to the temples for the last time so I could see a few more sites, grab some gifts, and catch one more sunset. The sky was beautiful and there was a cool breeze which is not common. John and I had been getting along great and he knew I wanted to experience something that normal tourist don't do. He took me to a local school where there was a soccer game and the river across the field was lined with food stalls. We sat on a bamboo mat and he got me some noodle soup that was filled with all kinds of exotic vegetables and flowers I have never seen before. We caught the end of the game and the sunset and made our way back to the guesthouse. After such a depressing day, Johns final hour with me was the best way to end my stay in Siem Reap.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Other Siem Reap
I finally got a day to sleep in and I took the late morning to explore the non-tourist side of Siem Reap.
First let me fill you in with whats its been like dealing with the local tourist seekers. The main area is made up of five dense streets and two markets on the outskirts. When approaching the general vicinity of the area you cant make it ten steps without either getting approached by someone trying to sell you their services or any tourist junk they can get their hands on. At first I thought it was funny how persistent they are. I would joke around with them and tell them I have the best stuff and so on but it quickly became very aggravating. The Tuk Tuk drivers walk across the roads and through traffic just to ask you if you need a Tuk Tuk. Or you hear a dozen other guys yelling out at you, "Sir! Sir! You need Tuk Tuk? No? Tomorrow? How about next day? Sir? Sir?" The shop keepers and their kids run up to you with guide books, T shirts, and other nick-knacks saying "Sirrrr? Siirrrr? You buy something... Sirrrr? You buyy..." There is little to no tact and their persistence is never ending and there is no escaping it. After a while I walk around not saying anything to anyone and just ignoring them all together.
So back to my day. I ventured across the river where all the locals live in raised, slum-like shacks and dirt roads that have been turned entirely to mud. Here I got a sense of the real culture behind the thick mask of impoverished tourist scammers. Children in school uniforms casually walk the edges of the muddy roads smiling and laughing. People tending to their houses and families. Along the way are small shops, shoe makers sitting on the side of the road with a crate of tools, laundromats with clothes drying on an array of multi-colored plastic chairs, and best of all, no noise other than the squishing of mud beneath your feet and distant voices. I can walk around and talk to people without them ever mentioning a Tuk Tuk or anything else to get money out of me. Everyone looks up at me with big smiles and either approach me to talk or let me walk peacefully through the semi-slum.
I eventually came across a restaurant back near the tourist area that I read about where locals go to train in the restaurant service industry. After the meal I was walking back to the guest house and I got caught in some heavy rain. Fortunately, I made it back just before the thick of it came pouring down like a blitzkrieg for ten minutest every ten minutes. I was stranded in my guesthouse for the next 3 hours before it cleared and I could catch a ride to the temples for sunset. I finally got some great pictures of Angkor Wat and the Bayon. The architectural landscape has giant pools at the foot of the structures that allow for amazing reflections. At this point of the day everyone is rushing to the main sunset spot on top of the Bakheng Mountain so the Bayon was nearly empty.
This was an amazing way to spend my day where it was quiet and I was finally removed from the mainstream tourism.
First let me fill you in with whats its been like dealing with the local tourist seekers. The main area is made up of five dense streets and two markets on the outskirts. When approaching the general vicinity of the area you cant make it ten steps without either getting approached by someone trying to sell you their services or any tourist junk they can get their hands on. At first I thought it was funny how persistent they are. I would joke around with them and tell them I have the best stuff and so on but it quickly became very aggravating. The Tuk Tuk drivers walk across the roads and through traffic just to ask you if you need a Tuk Tuk. Or you hear a dozen other guys yelling out at you, "Sir! Sir! You need Tuk Tuk? No? Tomorrow? How about next day? Sir? Sir?" The shop keepers and their kids run up to you with guide books, T shirts, and other nick-knacks saying "Sirrrr? Siirrrr? You buy something... Sirrrr? You buyy..." There is little to no tact and their persistence is never ending and there is no escaping it. After a while I walk around not saying anything to anyone and just ignoring them all together.
So back to my day. I ventured across the river where all the locals live in raised, slum-like shacks and dirt roads that have been turned entirely to mud. Here I got a sense of the real culture behind the thick mask of impoverished tourist scammers. Children in school uniforms casually walk the edges of the muddy roads smiling and laughing. People tending to their houses and families. Along the way are small shops, shoe makers sitting on the side of the road with a crate of tools, laundromats with clothes drying on an array of multi-colored plastic chairs, and best of all, no noise other than the squishing of mud beneath your feet and distant voices. I can walk around and talk to people without them ever mentioning a Tuk Tuk or anything else to get money out of me. Everyone looks up at me with big smiles and either approach me to talk or let me walk peacefully through the semi-slum.
I eventually came across a restaurant back near the tourist area that I read about where locals go to train in the restaurant service industry. After the meal I was walking back to the guest house and I got caught in some heavy rain. Fortunately, I made it back just before the thick of it came pouring down like a blitzkrieg for ten minutest every ten minutes. I was stranded in my guesthouse for the next 3 hours before it cleared and I could catch a ride to the temples for sunset. I finally got some great pictures of Angkor Wat and the Bayon. The architectural landscape has giant pools at the foot of the structures that allow for amazing reflections. At this point of the day everyone is rushing to the main sunset spot on top of the Bakheng Mountain so the Bayon was nearly empty.
This was an amazing way to spend my day where it was quiet and I was finally removed from the mainstream tourism.
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Most Magical Place on Earth
I woke today at 4:45am to catch the sunrise and was greeted with a massive hangover. I went through my morning routine with the add on of a good vomit session and went to find the Tuk Tuk I arranged to bring me to the temples. He was no where to be found so reception had to find me another one. On the ride over, I was very surprised that the sky was still so dark. My immediate thought was, "did I not account for a time zone change?" But it wasn't that. The sky was completely covered in dark, rainy clouds that were just waiting to pour. I disregarded this and still made my way to the temples.
I purchased the 3 day pass and off to Angor Wak I go! The Angkor Archaeological complex massive and holds far more than just the Angkor Wat. There are several wondrous temples scattered throughout the complex and it should take about 2-3 days to see everything worth seeing. It is not only the most popular destination in Cambodia, but also the largest employer for the Cambodian people.
Today I saw most of the famous temples that have been in movies and books. Because Tomb Raider was filmed here, both the locals and tourists are still riding that wave. Everywhere you go people are talking about seeing the Tomb Raider Tree and the Tomb Raider Temple. Unfortunately, the spots that Tomb Raider hit are now some of the most popular attractions.
I began at the Angkor Wat and at this point of the day the tourist traffic was not so bad and I was able top get a few shots here and there without anyone in them. Apart from the bad lighting from the looming clouds of death, the sight was still absolutely amazing. Towers protrude out of the ground like closed lotus flowers and the stairs ascend all around you in a near 90 degree angle. As one climbs all the temples in the complex, you feel as if your scaling a mountain face.
After Angkor Wat I went to another site called Angkor Thom. This is the biggest walled in park and holds dozens of temples, ancient ruins, pools, and bridges. This part of the complex is easily the most magical place I have ever been. Specifically the Boyan and Ta Prohm.
The Boyan is a temple that has three levels and is covered in old bas-reliefs, scriptures, and over 200 massive faces. Each tower has four faces on it facing North, East, South, and West. All the faces peer down at you with the same cold smile that some historians say may be symbolic of the look of complete spiritual relaxation and contempt. I had just beaten the crowd there and when I'd had my fill I was able to comfortably move on to the next site on my list. I'm not going to go through each temples as it will quickly get redundant, but I NEED to describe the Ta Prohm.
I'm going to do my best to help you visualise the wonder of this place. The only way it can be described, is being the closest physical "thing" to a dream. The entire moss covered temple has be swallowed by the jungle where the massive roots that both cover and intertwine with the stones that make the walls, are equally as integral to its structure. These tree's shoot out of the ground and reach heights of hundreds of feet while their roots deliver an aesthetic that can only be describes as a monstrous octopus reaching out its tentacles, wrapping around anything it can grasp. As you walk through the what remains the hallways of the temples, you notice that many of the hallways are impassable due to the fallen structures and jungle debris. As you exit each passage, you emerge from a doorway covered in stone carvings complimented with snaking tree roots. Next you see a courtyard scattered with shrines covered with intricate carvings, ruins, and several obvious and secret walking paths. These three elements are what make the temple so dream-like; passage, doorway, courtyard, over and over again. The only thing that hurts this place is its popularity. Some of the doorways and walls have lines to take picture in front of and its very difficult to take a photo with no other tourists. But no matter how many people are there, you still cant help but to feel a sense of nostalgia and awe by which the marriage between nature and civilization thrives in unity.
I choose to leave after Ta Prohm as it started to pour and went back to the guest house to eat and relax. Over the next two days I can see the rest of the temples and close this chapter of my travels.
I purchased the 3 day pass and off to Angor Wak I go! The Angkor Archaeological complex massive and holds far more than just the Angkor Wat. There are several wondrous temples scattered throughout the complex and it should take about 2-3 days to see everything worth seeing. It is not only the most popular destination in Cambodia, but also the largest employer for the Cambodian people.
Today I saw most of the famous temples that have been in movies and books. Because Tomb Raider was filmed here, both the locals and tourists are still riding that wave. Everywhere you go people are talking about seeing the Tomb Raider Tree and the Tomb Raider Temple. Unfortunately, the spots that Tomb Raider hit are now some of the most popular attractions.
I began at the Angkor Wat and at this point of the day the tourist traffic was not so bad and I was able top get a few shots here and there without anyone in them. Apart from the bad lighting from the looming clouds of death, the sight was still absolutely amazing. Towers protrude out of the ground like closed lotus flowers and the stairs ascend all around you in a near 90 degree angle. As one climbs all the temples in the complex, you feel as if your scaling a mountain face.
After Angkor Wat I went to another site called Angkor Thom. This is the biggest walled in park and holds dozens of temples, ancient ruins, pools, and bridges. This part of the complex is easily the most magical place I have ever been. Specifically the Boyan and Ta Prohm.
The Boyan is a temple that has three levels and is covered in old bas-reliefs, scriptures, and over 200 massive faces. Each tower has four faces on it facing North, East, South, and West. All the faces peer down at you with the same cold smile that some historians say may be symbolic of the look of complete spiritual relaxation and contempt. I had just beaten the crowd there and when I'd had my fill I was able to comfortably move on to the next site on my list. I'm not going to go through each temples as it will quickly get redundant, but I NEED to describe the Ta Prohm.
I'm going to do my best to help you visualise the wonder of this place. The only way it can be described, is being the closest physical "thing" to a dream. The entire moss covered temple has be swallowed by the jungle where the massive roots that both cover and intertwine with the stones that make the walls, are equally as integral to its structure. These tree's shoot out of the ground and reach heights of hundreds of feet while their roots deliver an aesthetic that can only be describes as a monstrous octopus reaching out its tentacles, wrapping around anything it can grasp. As you walk through the what remains the hallways of the temples, you notice that many of the hallways are impassable due to the fallen structures and jungle debris. As you exit each passage, you emerge from a doorway covered in stone carvings complimented with snaking tree roots. Next you see a courtyard scattered with shrines covered with intricate carvings, ruins, and several obvious and secret walking paths. These three elements are what make the temple so dream-like; passage, doorway, courtyard, over and over again. The only thing that hurts this place is its popularity. Some of the doorways and walls have lines to take picture in front of and its very difficult to take a photo with no other tourists. But no matter how many people are there, you still cant help but to feel a sense of nostalgia and awe by which the marriage between nature and civilization thrives in unity.
I choose to leave after Ta Prohm as it started to pour and went back to the guest house to eat and relax. Over the next two days I can see the rest of the temples and close this chapter of my travels.
Helllooooo Cambodia!
My alarm wakes me at 6:30am to get up and finish packing. Once I got everything together, I made my way down the street to get a motorbike taxi to take me back to Kao San Road where I can catch a bus to Cambodia. This ride was also interesting because I was carrying a big pack. I negotiated the ride for 125 Baht and since the roads were virtually empty, by Bangkok standards, we made it there very quickly. The biggest challenge in that was not falling off the back of the bike every time my driver accelerated.
The 1st of three buses I took was very easy and I read and slept the entire time. We pulled over near the boarder at a meeting point and found out its going to be another 3 hours till the 2nd bus comes to get us. It had broken down in 5km before the boader and was stuck in Cambodia. This was a good opportunity to meet my fellow travelers. There was a very diverse group of people traveling from USA, Japan, UK, France and Israel. We all mingled by talking about our trips and exchanging stories of previous travels. Before long we were being shuttled to the next bus that will take us on a 5 hour ride into Siem Reap. Along the ride we passed many rice paddies and flat plains. As we ventured deeper into the country, see saw the impact the rain has taken on the environment. Everywhere was flooded for as far as the eye can see. Though this seems to keep the locals entertained as they were all sitting around with each other tubing. Some tubed in the rivers and other in their back yards.
We arrived in Siem Reap around 6:30pm and I was very eager to find me some quality street food. I sat down at the first place I saw and it was a damn good decision. I had a chicken and rice noodle soup along with sauteed beef with onions, tomatoes, fried egg, and rice. This was especially fun because I was the only foreigner in the chain of stalls. Everyone was watching me eat and lots of people came and sat with me to find out what I'm doing in the area. These conversations also ended up in getting me a cool tour guide for the temples.
After eating I walked around town on my own while drinking some Beer Lao. The city has a great night scene packed with markets, bars, clubs, massage, and endless options for food. I eventually met up with some of the people I came in with and we spent the rest of the night bar hopping and finally ending at a club packed with both locals and tourists. The 2 for 1 special really got the best of me as I was quickly reminded that my college tollerence is gone.
So to sum it up, this was an easy day of traveling, a great night, and a solid way to kick off Cambodia.
The 1st of three buses I took was very easy and I read and slept the entire time. We pulled over near the boarder at a meeting point and found out its going to be another 3 hours till the 2nd bus comes to get us. It had broken down in 5km before the boader and was stuck in Cambodia. This was a good opportunity to meet my fellow travelers. There was a very diverse group of people traveling from USA, Japan, UK, France and Israel. We all mingled by talking about our trips and exchanging stories of previous travels. Before long we were being shuttled to the next bus that will take us on a 5 hour ride into Siem Reap. Along the ride we passed many rice paddies and flat plains. As we ventured deeper into the country, see saw the impact the rain has taken on the environment. Everywhere was flooded for as far as the eye can see. Though this seems to keep the locals entertained as they were all sitting around with each other tubing. Some tubed in the rivers and other in their back yards.
We arrived in Siem Reap around 6:30pm and I was very eager to find me some quality street food. I sat down at the first place I saw and it was a damn good decision. I had a chicken and rice noodle soup along with sauteed beef with onions, tomatoes, fried egg, and rice. This was especially fun because I was the only foreigner in the chain of stalls. Everyone was watching me eat and lots of people came and sat with me to find out what I'm doing in the area. These conversations also ended up in getting me a cool tour guide for the temples.
After eating I walked around town on my own while drinking some Beer Lao. The city has a great night scene packed with markets, bars, clubs, massage, and endless options for food. I eventually met up with some of the people I came in with and we spent the rest of the night bar hopping and finally ending at a club packed with both locals and tourists. The 2 for 1 special really got the best of me as I was quickly reminded that my college tollerence is gone.
So to sum it up, this was an easy day of traveling, a great night, and a solid way to kick off Cambodia.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My First Moto-Taxi Ride
This was a VERY unique experience. I was trying to get from Kao San Road to Sukhimvit where Richy lives. This is usually a 20-30 minute taxi ride with no traffic. But since there is usually plenty of traffic, the ride can take up to an hour. Knowing this ahead of time, I decided now would be a good time to try out the Motorbike Taxi's, AKA "Bangkok Helicopter." They are the cities fastest form of transportation because the pretty much ride wherever there is space.
My ride begins with getting picked up by a fat guy riding a motorbike that seemed just a little too small for him, yet alone two people. He gave me the best price which was 100 baht (about $3) so I was blinded to the hilarity of what I was about to endure. First of all, picture this: two big guys on a small bike = a circus act. I had almost nothing to hold onto because I am sitting on the handle bar, thus there is absolutely not enough room for the both of us to be comfortable. We take off riding the yellow line so we are passing cars in our lane and the just scraping by the cars in the oncoming lane. In fear of getting my knees taken off, I was forced to clench them tightly around my driver which was extremely uncomfortable for both of us. Now there happened to be even more traffic than usual because the cops had shut down some of the roads so the Royalty can drive through on open roads. My driver along with the dozens and dozens of other motorbiker's funneled and shifted through the gaps to make their way to the front. Once in front of everyone and the peleton has formed, tension rises with the suspense of the green light. Now funny enough, I have pin-pointed the best analogy to describe what happens when that light turns. Its like sperm chasing an egg. Almost a hundred people on their motorbokes jump out of idle and weave in and out of each other to get to the front. We were one of the weaker one's seeing that this small bike was carrying probably close to 400lbs, and would get stuck in the back immediately. But despite the weight and lack of suspension, we still made it in less than a half an hour.
Aside from the thrill of this new experience, the next best thing was seeing everyone's reactions to the sight of us and then finally driving my very reflective wall and see for myself. It was a sight for sore eyes.
My ride begins with getting picked up by a fat guy riding a motorbike that seemed just a little too small for him, yet alone two people. He gave me the best price which was 100 baht (about $3) so I was blinded to the hilarity of what I was about to endure. First of all, picture this: two big guys on a small bike = a circus act. I had almost nothing to hold onto because I am sitting on the handle bar, thus there is absolutely not enough room for the both of us to be comfortable. We take off riding the yellow line so we are passing cars in our lane and the just scraping by the cars in the oncoming lane. In fear of getting my knees taken off, I was forced to clench them tightly around my driver which was extremely uncomfortable for both of us. Now there happened to be even more traffic than usual because the cops had shut down some of the roads so the Royalty can drive through on open roads. My driver along with the dozens and dozens of other motorbiker's funneled and shifted through the gaps to make their way to the front. Once in front of everyone and the peleton has formed, tension rises with the suspense of the green light. Now funny enough, I have pin-pointed the best analogy to describe what happens when that light turns. Its like sperm chasing an egg. Almost a hundred people on their motorbokes jump out of idle and weave in and out of each other to get to the front. We were one of the weaker one's seeing that this small bike was carrying probably close to 400lbs, and would get stuck in the back immediately. But despite the weight and lack of suspension, we still made it in less than a half an hour.
Aside from the thrill of this new experience, the next best thing was seeing everyone's reactions to the sight of us and then finally driving my very reflective wall and see for myself. It was a sight for sore eyes.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
From Culture to Cheesiness
The alarm blares from Richy's Nokia at 5:45am sharp. I peered out the window and found I could only see 30ft in front of me. At this point, the sunrise will have to wait for another day and my bed beckons me to stay. I wake again only two hours later to find our breakfast of pancakes, toast, jam and tea are waiting for us on our porch. After this quick meal, Richy heads into town to find an ATM (which was an adventure in it self) and I went down to the famous floating temple complex on the Danau Bratan.
When I arrived, I was greeted by the festival police. These are a special branch of officers that work in and around the temples during the festivals. I don't know any other responsibilities they serve other than that but they also have different uniforms. Instead of the all black or green and red uniforms, they bare a saran with a black, white and red plaid, along with a red or black vest and a small plaid hat.
They ushered me into the temple and I made my way around the grounds. The temple had several sections spread allover the grounds which were laid out beautifully with small shrines, large Pagoda's, and Stupa's. Upon entering the complex I immediately noticed that their was a hint of excitement in the air and it seemed everyone was waiting for something. When I thought I'd had my fill, I made my way out the inner complex to find a huge crowd of people flooding into the front gate. Along with that several bands began to play traditional ceremonial music. At this point I got to witness the beginning of one of the biggest processions I have seen yet. It took half an hour to get everyone into the inner complex as they all funneled in through a small gateway where I had been standing. The people were singing, some marching in while other's danced in, and they carried offerings in both small baskets and on large stretcher-like-things, (sorry for the lack of description). I stayed until everyone was inside an tourists began to show up so that was my que to leave. I didn't want to be one of the many tourists standing around clueless and taking photo's.
So I returned to the bungalow to meet up with Richy and pack to head back to Kuta for our final evening in Bali. We got to Bali very quickly, returned the bikes, and finally got to do some nice beach lounging. Before we knew it, dinner time was looming over us and we we're scheduled to meet Wawan for what would no doubt be an eventful dinner.
After ordering our food the lights went out and Wawan seized the moment to start singing Happy Birthday. As soon as he began everyone slowly chimed in thinking it was actually someones birthday. The power went out three more times and without fail, everyone would sing Happy Birthday. The three of us got a really kick out of what Wawan started.
So Aside from Wawan and the beach, I have to say that I felt Kuta was the more disappointing and culture-less city in Bali. It's over saturated with tourists and every shop sell the same tasteless and cheesy beach junk as the other. What I quickly learned is that you don't go to Kuta to get a true sense of Balinese culture, but you go there to surf and party with the transcontinental buffet of tattooed meatheads. Now if thats what your looking for then this is the place for you, but if not I would suggest staying away.
So with that I leave both you and Bali and head back to Bangkok to prepare for my trip to Cambodia.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Danau Enshallah?
It's now time to head into the mountains. Richy and I decided to check out some waterfalls in a small town called Gitgit (pronounced Git-Git, not Gidgit). Before getting to the falls, we had to pass dozens of souvenir shops and the owners were way to persistent. We eventually started making up languages so they would get confused and leave us alone. Finally we got to the falls and they were beautiful with cold, but still very refreshing water. Only a little time was spent there and we made our way to Candikuning on the Danau Bratan.
Danau Bratan is a small lake that sits at the foothills of one of the volcanos in Bali. To our surprise, this area was very cold and VERY Muslim. Everywhere you go in Bratan there are women in Bijab and men in Lungi's or Saran's; it was mostly traditional. And since we were always surrounded by Mosque's, the Call to Islam can be heard everywhere in the area.
EEENNNSSSHHHHAAAAALLLLLAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here in Bratan we could finally enjoy some authentic Indonesian Satay which is very different than any satay I have ever had. They are smaller pieces of meat dipped in a delicious peanut sauce and you get a lot of skewers. Watching them make the satay was just as exciting as eating it because they set up a very simple DIY cooker. It was made of a half-pipe that was welded to four legs. The they fill the pipe with charcoals and bridge the skewers over the flame. To keep the coals at maximum heat, they keep a fan facing the coals which blows smoke everywhere while spreading its wonderful aroma around the vicinity. After our lunch/snack/dinner, we set up our hammocks under a small gazebo and played scrabble. We were also able to watch the wonders of nature as the gazebo was home to dozens of giant spiders. Bugs would get caught in the webs and some even fought the spiders and got away.
After the Scrabble game, which I won, Richy and I got to be early so we could wake up for a sunrise on the lake.
Monday, October 5, 2009
I'm Officially a Hindu
FINALLY A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!
Richy and I were planning on heading into the mountains today but we decided that this beautiful day would be better spent riding the coast on our Tiger 2000's and checking out some temples. These next few days would be especially interesting for us because the Hindu's are celebrating the coming and going of a full moon.
We rode West to the well known temple of Pulaki. This temple is the home to hundreds of monkey's. They are all over the place but as cool as it is to see them, its a shame because they eat all the service offerings. The prayer sessions run all day and we got to participate in one. They begin outside where everyone prepares their offerings and get a blessing to enter the temple. After the group in front is finished and have made their way out, we get to move in and begin our service. We found a place in the back and sat cross-legged on the floor. Since we didn't bring any offerings (we're bad Hindu's...), a family to our left gave us a bamboo leaf basket with various flowers and incense. Everyone faces forward and a man sits on a small platform in the center on the crowd and recited the prayers. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is no alter that faces the congregation, the leaders and congregation pray together in the same direction. Every time a new prayer was recited, we place our hands together with flowers and hold our hands to our heads. After the prayer, we place the flowers behind our ears. When all the payers are finished, ushers come around and douse us with holy water and we place rice on our foreheads. While we were doing this with the locals, they all stared at us with big smiles. All the kids were laughing too, I guess we weren't doing everything properly. After the service, all the men go and fill big jugs with holy water to take home to their families for prayer. When the service is over, another begins immediately with a different service leader, male or female.
After the ceremony at Pulaki, we checked out another temple where people kept asking us to take pictures of them. Everyone also wanted to talk to us because they don't get too many tourist's there. In no time we got templed-out and decided it was time for some beach chilling and swimming.
We pulled onto a nice black sand beach near a secluded temple maybe 15 minutes from Pulaki. The sand was amazing. It was much darker than most black sand beaches and it was glistening in the way that cobalt does. The water looks black too because of the sand below but it was crystal clear and cool.
Following our swim, we got back to Lovina in time for sunset and a short nap on the hammocks. Now we prepare for a night out, Lovina style!
Richy and I were planning on heading into the mountains today but we decided that this beautiful day would be better spent riding the coast on our Tiger 2000's and checking out some temples. These next few days would be especially interesting for us because the Hindu's are celebrating the coming and going of a full moon.
We rode West to the well known temple of Pulaki. This temple is the home to hundreds of monkey's. They are all over the place but as cool as it is to see them, its a shame because they eat all the service offerings. The prayer sessions run all day and we got to participate in one. They begin outside where everyone prepares their offerings and get a blessing to enter the temple. After the group in front is finished and have made their way out, we get to move in and begin our service. We found a place in the back and sat cross-legged on the floor. Since we didn't bring any offerings (we're bad Hindu's...), a family to our left gave us a bamboo leaf basket with various flowers and incense. Everyone faces forward and a man sits on a small platform in the center on the crowd and recited the prayers. Unlike Judaism and Christianity, there is no alter that faces the congregation, the leaders and congregation pray together in the same direction. Every time a new prayer was recited, we place our hands together with flowers and hold our hands to our heads. After the prayer, we place the flowers behind our ears. When all the payers are finished, ushers come around and douse us with holy water and we place rice on our foreheads. While we were doing this with the locals, they all stared at us with big smiles. All the kids were laughing too, I guess we weren't doing everything properly. After the service, all the men go and fill big jugs with holy water to take home to their families for prayer. When the service is over, another begins immediately with a different service leader, male or female.
After the ceremony at Pulaki, we checked out another temple where people kept asking us to take pictures of them. Everyone also wanted to talk to us because they don't get too many tourist's there. In no time we got templed-out and decided it was time for some beach chilling and swimming.
We pulled onto a nice black sand beach near a secluded temple maybe 15 minutes from Pulaki. The sand was amazing. It was much darker than most black sand beaches and it was glistening in the way that cobalt does. The water looks black too because of the sand below but it was crystal clear and cool.
Following our swim, we got back to Lovina in time for sunset and a short nap on the hammocks. Now we prepare for a night out, Lovina style!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
My Name is Ketut
Here in Bali, the culture has an interesting naming system and everyone here pretty much has the same names. Each child has a name based on their chronological order of birth. the 1st son, Wayan, the 2nd, Madae, the 3rd Nyoman, the 4th Ketut and so on. The same goes for the daughter's but there is one exception. If the daughter is born first in the family, then she gets a special name of Kadek.
The naming system is especially funny when we go out to the bars or mingle with locals. Because everyone has the same names, I can't remember who is Ketut and who is Wayan. They all laugh at me but its in good fun. Since I have learned of the naming system, I introduce myself as "Eli or Ketut." They get a good kick out of that.
The naming system is especially funny when we go out to the bars or mingle with locals. Because everyone has the same names, I can't remember who is Ketut and who is Wayan. They all laugh at me but its in good fun. Since I have learned of the naming system, I introduce myself as "Eli or Ketut." They get a good kick out of that.
Road Ethic's in Bali
Bali is a mad-house for driving. Though there are law's in place, the Balinese have their own loose interpretation based on flow and respect. Yes, they all drive on the proper side of the road but because of the constant passing on both left and right sides of you, you have people coming from all directions. I have watched as people dodge each other between cargo trucks and and miss each other by nearly inches. And this happens constantly!
Another reason driving here gets exceedingly tricky, is because there are more motorbikes on the road than car's or trucks. You move with the peloton for most of the time and everyone is within an arms reach. Most people go with the flow but there are obviously those riders that feel the need to weave in and out of their lane to get ahead of the traffic.
The one thing that I have come to appreciate more than any other code of conduct is the use of the horn. They are perpetually beeping their horns at each other but it isn't an offensive gesture like we normally perceive. At first, I was getting very frustrated because I thought everyone was mad at me, (which they very well could have been) , but I soon learned that it is actually a very kind gesture. They use it to say hello to fellow rider's and let them know they are near you. Every time a person is riding along side you, they give a beep. Every time a rider is about to pass, they give a beep. It is actually very comforting after a while. Once you realize how they use it, it become and fun part of the ride and when you play by their rules, they look and smile that a foreigner respects the Balinese road culture.
I know this doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary but once you experience it for yourself, you'll understand how different it really is.
Another reason driving here gets exceedingly tricky, is because there are more motorbikes on the road than car's or trucks. You move with the peloton for most of the time and everyone is within an arms reach. Most people go with the flow but there are obviously those riders that feel the need to weave in and out of their lane to get ahead of the traffic.
The one thing that I have come to appreciate more than any other code of conduct is the use of the horn. They are perpetually beeping their horns at each other but it isn't an offensive gesture like we normally perceive. At first, I was getting very frustrated because I thought everyone was mad at me, (which they very well could have been) , but I soon learned that it is actually a very kind gesture. They use it to say hello to fellow rider's and let them know they are near you. Every time a person is riding along side you, they give a beep. Every time a rider is about to pass, they give a beep. It is actually very comforting after a while. Once you realize how they use it, it become and fun part of the ride and when you play by their rules, they look and smile that a foreigner respects the Balinese road culture.
I know this doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary but once you experience it for yourself, you'll understand how different it really is.
A Fateful Feast
Today, we woke to a cloudy sky but no rain....yet. While packing up our bikes, both Richy and I started slowly began to do the itchy dance. We quickly realized we were covered in giant red ants and they were crawling all over us! We both ran around looking like idiots trying to swat the ants off while the kid working at the reception desk whacks us with a duster. So now I have ants and dust, which I am severely allergic to, all over me. After that little episode, we head out to Tirta Ganga. Tirta Ganga is known mostly for The Royal Water Palace and its vast rice terraces.
When we got to the water palace we hired a guide to show us around the place.... BIG MISTAKE. This guy was terrible. There was one point were Richy and I both started laughing out loud because we were both bored out of our minds. Several times through out the tour I contemplated the humor of leaving Richy alone with him to suffer. Before we finished, we paid him, thanked him, and finished the tour on our own. The rest of palace was beautiful and just as we finished it began to rain. We waited for a while to depart but then realized this rain was inevitable. Along the way we passed several process ions of people celebrating the coming of a full moon. Tons of people dressed in traditional attire and walking the streets singing and playing music. The rain was on and off for most of the ride but it wasn't as issue because of the picturesque landscape we rode through. Tier after tier of paddies covering every hill in sight throughout the Valley's. After leaving the paddies it had just begun to rain really hard and I spotted our next rest stop.
Outside this small eatery was a giant pig on a bamboo stalk that had just finished roasting. I was a calling for us to stop there and get the first cuts of freshly roasted swine. The massive pig was stuffed with large beer bottles for moisturizing the meat and was covered in a solid glaze of rub. The family that served us was just as excited as we were because they don't get many tourist's in this area. They served us massive slabs of pig with more crispy-crunchy skin than we could handle. Along with the meat came a big bowl of rice, the best sambal (a Balenise hot sauce) I have had yet, coke's, and finished with endless array of exotic fruits. They had no limit to the amount of food we could consume and allowed us to keep eating till stuffed. By the end of the feast, our bill totaled at $7.50 between the two of us! After filling our stomach's to the point of "Eli-Full," we waddled to our bikes and made our way further up the coast.
We only had to stop one more time because of the down pour and just as we cleared the mountains, all the rain stopped and there wasn't a cloud in front of us. We finished our day finding another beachfront bungalow where we can walk less than 30ft to the black sand beach, warm ocean water, and
chill in our hammocks
.
When we got to the water palace we hired a guide to show us around the place.... BIG MISTAKE. This guy was terrible. There was one point were Richy and I both started laughing out loud because we were both bored out of our minds. Several times through out the tour I contemplated the humor of leaving Richy alone with him to suffer. Before we finished, we paid him, thanked him, and finished the tour on our own. The rest of palace was beautiful and just as we finished it began to rain. We waited for a while to depart but then realized this rain was inevitable. Along the way we passed several process ions of people celebrating the coming of a full moon. Tons of people dressed in traditional attire and walking the streets singing and playing music. The rain was on and off for most of the ride but it wasn't as issue because of the picturesque landscape we rode through. Tier after tier of paddies covering every hill in sight throughout the Valley's. After leaving the paddies it had just begun to rain really hard and I spotted our next rest stop.
Outside this small eatery was a giant pig on a bamboo stalk that had just finished roasting. I was a calling for us to stop there and get the first cuts of freshly roasted swine. The massive pig was stuffed with large beer bottles for moisturizing the meat and was covered in a solid glaze of rub. The family that served us was just as excited as we were because they don't get many tourist's in this area. They served us massive slabs of pig with more crispy-crunchy skin than we could handle. Along with the meat came a big bowl of rice, the best sambal (a Balenise hot sauce) I have had yet, coke's, and finished with endless array of exotic fruits. They had no limit to the amount of food we could consume and allowed us to keep eating till stuffed. By the end of the feast, our bill totaled at $7.50 between the two of us! After filling our stomach's to the point of "Eli-Full," we waddled to our bikes and made our way further up the coast.
We only had to stop one more time because of the down pour and just as we cleared the mountains, all the rain stopped and there wasn't a cloud in front of us. We finished our day finding another beachfront bungalow where we can walk less than 30ft to the black sand beach, warm ocean water, and
chill in our hammocks.
Lord of the Flies
We woke at 7:30am to meet Gusti, our taxi driver chartered for Kuta to drop by Richy's friend Wawan's shop and pick up our motorcycles. It rained the entire way to Kuta. Roads flooded and terrible visibility. Fortunately, once we got to Wawan's the rain cleared and it was sunny skies. Wawan owns a two part shop; half leather fashion and accessories, and the other a wood antique shop. He must be one of the most interesting individuals I have ever met. He's been a Enduro motorcycle racer, a club owner, business owner, artist, and designer. We spent the first 3 hours in Kuta at Wawan's place above his shop exchanging stories and eating Nasi Campur (translated at "mixed rice" is a traditional Balinese meal of rice, prawns, chicken, egg, native vegetables, herbs and spices) . While hanging with Wawan, his maid arranged for two 200cc Honda Tiger's to be dropped off at his place for us. Life is nice and easy.
Once we got the bikes we made our way up the west coast of Bali en route to a town called Tirta Ganga. To no surprise, 30 minutes into the ride it starts pouring rain. Not rain like the Thailand land-slide rain, but enough rain that in 10 minutes we were completely soaked. We ended up stopping at a roadside food stop to eat one of the foulest meals I have ever had. Fish balls on a stick, mystery meat soup, rice and mystery vegetable stuff... Oh and we weren't the only ones there either, we were accompanied by HALF THE FLIES IN BALI!!! Before I realized that I couldn't eat this junk anymore, the flies had taken over my meal and there was nothing I could do. I left my entire meal on the other side of the room with the flies and attempted to enjoy my roadside "Coffee Balinese." This is basically coffee flavored sludge in a cup with water that is hotter than the center of a hot pocket. It was a matter of minutes before I broke down from heart burn and the sensation of bugs crawling all over me. I demanded we leave "fly kingdom" and move on in the pouring rain.
Before turning onto the road from the shore to Tirta Ganga we noticed it was nick named "Dizzy Road" so we decided to stop early in a small town called Candidasa. We were very lucky to have stopped here because we got a the last 2nd floor beach side room in the our guesthouse. We set up the hammocks, took in the breeze, and listened to the the crashing of ocean waves beyond our front yard. After a short nap, we treated ourselves to a feast of Balinese food.
Just like the night before, we ended our day asleep in our hammocks...
Once we got the bikes we made our way up the west coast of Bali en route to a town called Tirta Ganga. To no surprise, 30 minutes into the ride it starts pouring rain. Not rain like the Thailand land-slide rain, but enough rain that in 10 minutes we were completely soaked. We ended up stopping at a roadside food stop to eat one of the foulest meals I have ever had. Fish balls on a stick, mystery meat soup, rice and mystery vegetable stuff... Oh and we weren't the only ones there either, we were accompanied by HALF THE FLIES IN BALI!!! Before I realized that I couldn't eat this junk anymore, the flies had taken over my meal and there was nothing I could do. I left my entire meal on the other side of the room with the flies and attempted to enjoy my roadside "Coffee Balinese." This is basically coffee flavored sludge in a cup with water that is hotter than the center of a hot pocket. It was a matter of minutes before I broke down from heart burn and the sensation of bugs crawling all over me. I demanded we leave "fly kingdom" and move on in the pouring rain.
Before turning onto the road from the shore to Tirta Ganga we noticed it was nick named "Dizzy Road" so we decided to stop early in a small town called Candidasa. We were very lucky to have stopped here because we got a the last 2nd floor beach side room in the our guesthouse. We set up the hammocks, took in the breeze, and listened to the the crashing of ocean waves beyond our front yard. After a short nap, we treated ourselves to a feast of Balinese food.
Just like the night before, we ended our day asleep in our hammocks...
Friday, October 2, 2009
Well Surpriiiseee Surprise!!!
Richy and I woke at 3:34 am to get on a flight heading to Sukothai (mid- Thailand)... so I thought. When we arrived at the airport I went to the "Domestic" line and noticed Richy was no longer with me. He was standing in the "International" line. When I told him he's not paying attention and to wake the fuck up, he smiled and responded, "we're not going to Sukothai.... Happy Graduation!" After standing there all antsy and guessing where we could possibly be going, I finally figured it out. Richy surprised me with a round trip ticket to Bali, Indonesia.
We arrive filled with excitement, a new full page visa, and we head directly to Ubud. Ubud is the culinary and art capital of Bali where everything about this city is magic. Everywhere you go , you are surrounded by ancient ruins. The architecture is covered with extremely detailed stone reliefs of god's, demons, guardians and they all tell different stories. Most of the population of Ubud both Hindu and very spiritual so they present offerings to their Hindu god(s) of choice all throughout the day. Everywhere you go there is art, offerings, the smell of delicious food; these people live and breathe their culture and history like I have never seen before.
We spent the two days in Ubud chilling on hammocks, eating endlessly, and perusing the many unique antique shops for art, old relics and unusual objects. I ended up splurging on a 3 ft tall sculpture of Garuda, the Hindu God that is both man and eagle. Its so bad ass...I couldn't resist.
I also could not resist to explore the vast and endless rice paddies that Ubud has to offer. Since it is one month away from their harvest, all the paddies are lush and full of life. It is a truly surreal experience seeing the paddies for the first time because it is only something we know from travels shows and movies. Being in the heart of it, waling and balancing on the foot wide trenches makes you really feel foreign to this lifestyle. Throughout the fields there are farmers, people offering coconuts and artists creating and selling their work, ad they are all eager to talk. I was lucky enough to be invited into an artists home which is just a small shack big enough for his bed, a plastic chair, and his carving tools, which opens up to face his cow and chicken coup. We ate coconut, talked about his work and the Balinese way of life. Very enlightening and insightful. These farmers have virtually nothing and they are so welcoming and happy that it helps you really appreciate the life we live.
After my walk in the paddies, I got another taste of the Southeast Asia monsoon season. It has been pouring here! Roads flooded, clothing soaked, and no one cares. Its very funny to see how adjusted and accepting they are to this type of rain. I learned quickly to accept the rain and find refuge in my hammock. We posted up on our balcony overlooking the valley, smoked clove cigarettes (the Balinese LOVEEE clove cigarettes), and took in the hypnotic trickle of the rain fall as we slowly drifted into a relaxed trans.
Tomorrow, we head south to pick up some motorcycles and begin our tour around the entire island of Bali. Should be another series of adventures to come...
We arrive filled with excitement, a new full page visa, and we head directly to Ubud. Ubud is the culinary and art capital of Bali where everything about this city is magic. Everywhere you go , you are surrounded by ancient ruins. The architecture is covered with extremely detailed stone reliefs of god's, demons, guardians and they all tell different stories. Most of the population of Ubud both Hindu and very spiritual so they present offerings to their Hindu god(s) of choice all throughout the day. Everywhere you go there is art, offerings, the smell of delicious food; these people live and breathe their culture and history like I have never seen before.
We spent the two days in Ubud chilling on hammocks, eating endlessly, and perusing the many unique antique shops for art, old relics and unusual objects. I ended up splurging on a 3 ft tall sculpture of Garuda, the Hindu God that is both man and eagle. Its so bad ass...I couldn't resist.
I also could not resist to explore the vast and endless rice paddies that Ubud has to offer. Since it is one month away from their harvest, all the paddies are lush and full of life. It is a truly surreal experience seeing the paddies for the first time because it is only something we know from travels shows and movies. Being in the heart of it, waling and balancing on the foot wide trenches makes you really feel foreign to this lifestyle. Throughout the fields there are farmers, people offering coconuts and artists creating and selling their work, ad they are all eager to talk. I was lucky enough to be invited into an artists home which is just a small shack big enough for his bed, a plastic chair, and his carving tools, which opens up to face his cow and chicken coup. We ate coconut, talked about his work and the Balinese way of life. Very enlightening and insightful. These farmers have virtually nothing and they are so welcoming and happy that it helps you really appreciate the life we live.
After my walk in the paddies, I got another taste of the Southeast Asia monsoon season. It has been pouring here! Roads flooded, clothing soaked, and no one cares. Its very funny to see how adjusted and accepting they are to this type of rain. I learned quickly to accept the rain and find refuge in my hammock. We posted up on our balcony overlooking the valley, smoked clove cigarettes (the Balinese LOVEEE clove cigarettes), and took in the hypnotic trickle of the rain fall as we slowly drifted into a relaxed trans.
Tomorrow, we head south to pick up some motorcycles and begin our tour around the entire island of Bali. Should be another series of adventures to come...
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