Ok, I know I've been terrible at keeping up with my blog. At times I just want to experience where I am, without trying to cleverly capture it in a journal of any sort. Now I'm realizing that is a stupid idea. My memory is good, but not that good. At least I have Jack to help me fill in blanks.
Just a quick update for those of you who are kind enough to still read this. Are there any of you left? Jack and I spent almost two weeks with his mom, Alexandra, in Viet Nam and Bangkok beforing heading to the Middle East on March 1st. Here is the list of places we've visited since:
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 1
Bahrain, March 4
Egypt, March 6-16 (or so)
Jordan, March 16-24
Egypt, Sinai, March 24-30
Czech Republic, March 30- Today!
I have a lot of catching up to do here. I know. It is coming soon, I promise. I have to admit, I am very happy to be free of the Middle East. We have a lot of great memories, which sad to say are now just memories (we lost our camera with all of our Middle East photos on them in Prague - I think it was lost at a pub), but I am glad to be free of the men's stares. Jack was offered 300 or so camels for me at one point. He rightly said he wouldn't ever trade me. That's the spirit!
I tell you it is all wrong, all wrong. I give my friend Cate, who is now living in Cairo, major props. I don't think I could've lasted there alone, for even a day. I might have lost my cool at some point (saying this I am reminded that I sort of did at the airport to a guard who snapped his fingers at me. I snapped back. I momentarily forgot he was a police officer. He took it as a joke, but I was MAD I tell you). I will not miss that.
Other stories soon. We miss you all!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Pour un Sourire D'Enfant
Cambodia. Ah cambodia. It has now been almost two months since we were there and I still think about Cambodia. We spent a few days in Ankor Wat, cycling around the ruins before heading to the capital, Pnom Penh.
Ankor Wat was incredible, absolutely breathtaking and spectacular. We stayed at a hostel where the owner let us borrow bikes for free to cycle to the ruins ourselves. So the first morning we set off really early, before sunrise, and made it to the top of one of the sites before the sun came up. There we saw a monkey climbing all over, toppling the trash and eating leftovers. Somehow that made it more magical.
We had the bikes for three days and although exhausting, it was possibly the best way to see the ruins. The last day we were too tired, and rented a tuk tuk to take us around Ankor Wat and drive the 30 km or so to the Landmine museum.
One of the major reasons we went to Pnom Pehn was to experience the history of the Killing Fields. I admit that I did not know much about the country, or its tragic history, before the visit, but learning it in the country it took place made it all the more horrifying and vivid. We slept in a hostel across from the S-21 Prison, an old school which the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture prison and which is now a museum. It was from here that people of all ages were sent to the Killing Fields. The hostel, although completely void of any connection to its grusome neighbor, still had a strange aura. The first night I could barely sleep, imagining screams coming from across the barbed wire fence. Then of course there was the Killing Fields themself, located about 14 km outside the capital. It is now an outdoor museum of sorts and a memorial to all those killed by the Khmer Rouge.
I think Jack and I were not expecting to be moved as much as we were. We also read a book, First They Killed My Father, which gave the people a voice and gave us more images than were possible with the museums alone. This book, combined with our talks with our Tuk Tuk driver, who referred to himself as Mr. Lucky, made me realize that every person in Cambodia is connected to what happened. They all lost family, over a fourth of their countrymen died. It was almost too much to take in.
In both Laos and Cambodia there were publications called Stay Another Day, where local NGOs or organizations which helped the local community were listed. Shops tended to contain items made by victims of landmines, orphans, or the disabled, who are discriminated against in both countries. Most restaurants either donated money or helped street kids or employed them. Our favorite organization was called Pour un Sourire D'Enfant (literally "For the Smile of a Child"), a French NGO set up to help the poor children around Pnom Pehn's garbage dump. The founders visited Pnom Penh over a decade ago and found children scrounging around the dump looking for items to reuse. The children did not go to school, barely ate, were living in filth (a lot of families set up shacks on top of the dump) and some were even crushed to death by the incoming dump trucks.
Now there is a school, training facilities, and regular food and health aid around the dump. The dump remains, we even visited it, but the conditions are so much better. We also ate at their restaurant, where all of the wait staff are former dump children. Here is their site if you'd like to visit, .
Cambodia has a much different feel than Laos. It feels poorer and a bit more dangerous. Poverty is apparent and something to be keenly aware of. The thing that touched me most though was the smiles. People, looking ragged and warn thin (like our cyclo driver in Pnom Pehn), couldn't possibly be happy, or so I thought. They might have looked older than their years, and most likely stared at us straight through, but once a smile was offered, their faces lit up! It was fantastic and never failed.
For the Smile of a Child. Try it.
Ankor Wat was incredible, absolutely breathtaking and spectacular. We stayed at a hostel where the owner let us borrow bikes for free to cycle to the ruins ourselves. So the first morning we set off really early, before sunrise, and made it to the top of one of the sites before the sun came up. There we saw a monkey climbing all over, toppling the trash and eating leftovers. Somehow that made it more magical.
We had the bikes for three days and although exhausting, it was possibly the best way to see the ruins. The last day we were too tired, and rented a tuk tuk to take us around Ankor Wat and drive the 30 km or so to the Landmine museum.
One of the major reasons we went to Pnom Pehn was to experience the history of the Killing Fields. I admit that I did not know much about the country, or its tragic history, before the visit, but learning it in the country it took place made it all the more horrifying and vivid. We slept in a hostel across from the S-21 Prison, an old school which the Khmer Rouge turned into a torture prison and which is now a museum. It was from here that people of all ages were sent to the Killing Fields. The hostel, although completely void of any connection to its grusome neighbor, still had a strange aura. The first night I could barely sleep, imagining screams coming from across the barbed wire fence. Then of course there was the Killing Fields themself, located about 14 km outside the capital. It is now an outdoor museum of sorts and a memorial to all those killed by the Khmer Rouge.
I think Jack and I were not expecting to be moved as much as we were. We also read a book, First They Killed My Father, which gave the people a voice and gave us more images than were possible with the museums alone. This book, combined with our talks with our Tuk Tuk driver, who referred to himself as Mr. Lucky, made me realize that every person in Cambodia is connected to what happened. They all lost family, over a fourth of their countrymen died. It was almost too much to take in.
In both Laos and Cambodia there were publications called Stay Another Day, where local NGOs or organizations which helped the local community were listed. Shops tended to contain items made by victims of landmines, orphans, or the disabled, who are discriminated against in both countries. Most restaurants either donated money or helped street kids or employed them. Our favorite organization was called Pour un Sourire D'Enfant (literally "For the Smile of a Child"), a French NGO set up to help the poor children around Pnom Pehn's garbage dump. The founders visited Pnom Penh over a decade ago and found children scrounging around the dump looking for items to reuse. The children did not go to school, barely ate, were living in filth (a lot of families set up shacks on top of the dump) and some were even crushed to death by the incoming dump trucks.
Now there is a school, training facilities, and regular food and health aid around the dump. The dump remains, we even visited it, but the conditions are so much better. We also ate at their restaurant, where all of the wait staff are former dump children. Here is their site if you'd like to visit, .
Cambodia has a much different feel than Laos. It feels poorer and a bit more dangerous. Poverty is apparent and something to be keenly aware of. The thing that touched me most though was the smiles. People, looking ragged and warn thin (like our cyclo driver in Pnom Pehn), couldn't possibly be happy, or so I thought. They might have looked older than their years, and most likely stared at us straight through, but once a smile was offered, their faces lit up! It was fantastic and never failed.
For the Smile of a Child. Try it.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Just Chewing the Fat
If you did not already know, this trip around the world was planned really quickly. In preparation, which was only about a month, Jack and I picked up a spanish language book, booked some flights with STA Travel and tours with G.A.P. and that's about all. We did consult a few travel books beforehand in order to design a general route. As we go along we pick up more travel books, mainly Lonely Planet guides, which steer us in a certain direction. We rely on them for first contacts with a new place, such as a place to sleep or the recommended sites in an area. Then we go it on our own. For the most part, we've found these guides helpful, sometimes off and sometimes really spot on.
Well, one thing that was absolutely right on in the Lonely Planet of Southeast Asia was the description of travel in and around Laos. Getting to the border was relatively painless, a bit uncomfortable in a rickety old bus where our seats shook uncontrolably. Then we took a tuk tuk to the border, where we climbed into a long boat to cross the Mekong. Again a bit uncomfortable, but for the two minute crossing it was quiet and peaceful, despite the smoke coming from some European's cigarette. Next up our bus from Huay Xia on the border to Luang Nam Tha. You could say this was our real introduction to Lao travel.
Crammed into a bus, sitting knees jammed into a seat back made of metal, arm to arm with an old man who really did not want to give up any space, with my nose covered to avoid the smell of vomit coming from not one, but two, people a row behind me, I honestly thought it could not get worse. That's when it started to rain. I realized, with some horror, that our bags were on top of the bus packed between 15 motorcycles. All we could do was wait it out and hope we didn't hit any small children playing too close to the road, or chickens for that matter.
In the end, it could have been worse, they could have fallen off the bus. We just had to endure days of airing out everything from socks to photocopies of our passports. At least we got to unpack! The bus experience was bad enough though that we decided to take a van on our next journey. That is, of course, after we hit up a local tourism office in Luang Nam Tha to go on a few days hike.
Our hike started off really well. Small packs, water, a guide who barely spoke English, and some food for lunch. By the time lunch rolled around, we had passed through amazing rice paddies and headed into the mountains. Our guide took a palm leaf and turned it into a bowl, held in place by a small stick, for our spicy tomato dip. (It is now a skill I seek to acquire.) The lunch of sticky rice, aubergines, meat with spices and tomato dip was great. In fact, we thought that Laotian cooking was on par with Thai cooking at first. That was before we realized how bland it could be and the fact that every meal on the two day hike included sticky rice, breakfast too and desserts. You could say that by the end of our time in Laos we never wanted to see sticky rice again.
The best part of our hike was due mainly to the people we met, far more than the sites we saw. Although that included some of the prettiest countryside I've ever seen, complete with dense forest and large palms. Basically imagine all of the Vietnam movie sceens you've seen and there you have it. We traveled through 5 different hill tribe villages on our way and stayed the night with one. Families in the village we stayed with take turns playing host to the hikers. The family who hosted us was made up of one woman and her two daughters (there was a third daughter, who lived in another camp because she was married; the woman's husband was in the army). They made us wonderful food, sticky rice included, and introduced us to Laolao. This drink, if you ever visit Laos and have occasion to drink it, is toxic! We, though, had our share before heading down to a village party for an engaged couple.
Just a side note, in Laos a couple says they are going to marry and then has a year of engagement where the girl leaves her family to live with his. In some tribes the couple live in a small house, practicing if you will, and if by the end of a year she is not pregnant, or he believes she won't get pregnant, he has the right to leave her for another engagement. I learned that my hostess had left her village 20 years before and had never been back. She had only seen her parents twice, when they made the trip to visit her. She cried telling us, and I did too.
At the party we were introduced to the chief and the engaged couple, who walked around serving more Lao lao. They do not believe in drinking an odd number of shots, they say that doing that will make you unstable and fall. Two legs, even drinks. So it seemed we could never have just one more, it always meant two! That said, we were having a nice time and making friends with the men at our table. One man, the village mute (he could not speak or hear well) was particularly kind to us. He motioned for me to eat something off of his chopsticks and I foolishly tried to take it off with my fingers. This is perhaps where I made the biggest error. Whatever it was dropped on the ground! He nicely picked up another piece from the bowl with its inoccuous substance, this time I ate it right off the sticks. I was mid-chew, speculating that it was fish of some kind, when Jack was fed a piece and informed me it was fat. FAT! I almost lost it. No one could understand what we were saying, but it took everything in my will power not to show it on my face. Apparently the fat is considered the best part and only offered to honored guests. Sweet (and oh so gross).
The next morning we woke up to the roosters before dawn, complaining of our heads and wishing we had just had a bit less lala. (At some point in the night I stopped calling in Lao lao and started saying lala instead. Needless to say, this has stuck.) We fell back asleep before having a hearty meal of sticky rice and veggies and heading out to make the longer portion of our hike. It turned into the longest day possible. At some point, I'm not sure if it was before or after we hiked up a steep incline where our guide had to get out his machete to chop away the overgrown brush, he told us it would only take two more hours. That two hours turned into about four and a half. Lesson: Do not drink too much lala in Laos. Even though it is cheaper than beer, it is their version of moonshine.
Before we set off we were able to stop by a organization called Big Brother Mouse to buy some books for local children, so as we went we gave them out and left a bunch for the village we stayed in. We enjoyed the organization so much that we found them in Luang Prabang too and hosted a book party at a nearby school. In all, I think about 150 books were donated. The organization is amazing because it helps the local Lao children read, giving them a book which can later be swapped at school for another book. Unlike at home, most Lao kids don't have books of their own, and they do not have libraries to borrow from.
Thanks to our families for sponsoring the book party with us - we had a great time! If you want to learn more about Big Brother Mouse go to
In Luang Prabang we had a wonderful time walking around the town, which still exudes remnants of its French colonial past. We bought fabulous French baguettes and I drank some of the best coffee I've ever had. (Please try the Lao coffee if you get the chance). We ate at a great restaurant, named Tamirind after the beans that help with hangovers (our hosts on the trek gave Jack some of these the morning after lala) and run by a Laotian and an Australian. It was there that we realized Lao food, no matter how fancy it looks, is not as flavorful as Thai food. We still enjoyed it though.
We witnessed monks receiving their morning meals at dawn, and were scammed by a couple of kids who took us out in their boat and guided us into a cave that should have been completely closed off to everybody! To make it short, we wanted to go to the Paku Caves, with their hundreds of Buddha statues, but we were cheap and decided to let a couple of kids take us. They said, cave, Buddha, no problem. So we went. Where we went was somewhere else, across the river, not 2 hours down it, and up a hill to a path leading to a decrepit cave. We had fun though, and still laugh about how I almost electrocuted myself by just turning a switch, to which one of the kids went, "No, uhhhhhhhhh" making a shaking action as he did so. This was my warning that I could electrocute myself. Nice.
A lot of people ask us what place we like the best. We have a few. And I know I'm leaving a lot out here, but I can honestly say that I loved Laos. I would go again in a heartbeat. I would take all of it, the bad bus, the lala, the bland food, the craziness, and most definitely the people. They are the real gems.
Well, one thing that was absolutely right on in the Lonely Planet of Southeast Asia was the description of travel in and around Laos. Getting to the border was relatively painless, a bit uncomfortable in a rickety old bus where our seats shook uncontrolably. Then we took a tuk tuk to the border, where we climbed into a long boat to cross the Mekong. Again a bit uncomfortable, but for the two minute crossing it was quiet and peaceful, despite the smoke coming from some European's cigarette. Next up our bus from Huay Xia on the border to Luang Nam Tha. You could say this was our real introduction to Lao travel.
Crammed into a bus, sitting knees jammed into a seat back made of metal, arm to arm with an old man who really did not want to give up any space, with my nose covered to avoid the smell of vomit coming from not one, but two, people a row behind me, I honestly thought it could not get worse. That's when it started to rain. I realized, with some horror, that our bags were on top of the bus packed between 15 motorcycles. All we could do was wait it out and hope we didn't hit any small children playing too close to the road, or chickens for that matter.
In the end, it could have been worse, they could have fallen off the bus. We just had to endure days of airing out everything from socks to photocopies of our passports. At least we got to unpack! The bus experience was bad enough though that we decided to take a van on our next journey. That is, of course, after we hit up a local tourism office in Luang Nam Tha to go on a few days hike.
Our hike started off really well. Small packs, water, a guide who barely spoke English, and some food for lunch. By the time lunch rolled around, we had passed through amazing rice paddies and headed into the mountains. Our guide took a palm leaf and turned it into a bowl, held in place by a small stick, for our spicy tomato dip. (It is now a skill I seek to acquire.) The lunch of sticky rice, aubergines, meat with spices and tomato dip was great. In fact, we thought that Laotian cooking was on par with Thai cooking at first. That was before we realized how bland it could be and the fact that every meal on the two day hike included sticky rice, breakfast too and desserts. You could say that by the end of our time in Laos we never wanted to see sticky rice again.
The best part of our hike was due mainly to the people we met, far more than the sites we saw. Although that included some of the prettiest countryside I've ever seen, complete with dense forest and large palms. Basically imagine all of the Vietnam movie sceens you've seen and there you have it. We traveled through 5 different hill tribe villages on our way and stayed the night with one. Families in the village we stayed with take turns playing host to the hikers. The family who hosted us was made up of one woman and her two daughters (there was a third daughter, who lived in another camp because she was married; the woman's husband was in the army). They made us wonderful food, sticky rice included, and introduced us to Laolao. This drink, if you ever visit Laos and have occasion to drink it, is toxic! We, though, had our share before heading down to a village party for an engaged couple.
Just a side note, in Laos a couple says they are going to marry and then has a year of engagement where the girl leaves her family to live with his. In some tribes the couple live in a small house, practicing if you will, and if by the end of a year she is not pregnant, or he believes she won't get pregnant, he has the right to leave her for another engagement. I learned that my hostess had left her village 20 years before and had never been back. She had only seen her parents twice, when they made the trip to visit her. She cried telling us, and I did too.
At the party we were introduced to the chief and the engaged couple, who walked around serving more Lao lao. They do not believe in drinking an odd number of shots, they say that doing that will make you unstable and fall. Two legs, even drinks. So it seemed we could never have just one more, it always meant two! That said, we were having a nice time and making friends with the men at our table. One man, the village mute (he could not speak or hear well) was particularly kind to us. He motioned for me to eat something off of his chopsticks and I foolishly tried to take it off with my fingers. This is perhaps where I made the biggest error. Whatever it was dropped on the ground! He nicely picked up another piece from the bowl with its inoccuous substance, this time I ate it right off the sticks. I was mid-chew, speculating that it was fish of some kind, when Jack was fed a piece and informed me it was fat. FAT! I almost lost it. No one could understand what we were saying, but it took everything in my will power not to show it on my face. Apparently the fat is considered the best part and only offered to honored guests. Sweet (and oh so gross).
The next morning we woke up to the roosters before dawn, complaining of our heads and wishing we had just had a bit less lala. (At some point in the night I stopped calling in Lao lao and started saying lala instead. Needless to say, this has stuck.) We fell back asleep before having a hearty meal of sticky rice and veggies and heading out to make the longer portion of our hike. It turned into the longest day possible. At some point, I'm not sure if it was before or after we hiked up a steep incline where our guide had to get out his machete to chop away the overgrown brush, he told us it would only take two more hours. That two hours turned into about four and a half. Lesson: Do not drink too much lala in Laos. Even though it is cheaper than beer, it is their version of moonshine.
Before we set off we were able to stop by a organization called Big Brother Mouse to buy some books for local children, so as we went we gave them out and left a bunch for the village we stayed in. We enjoyed the organization so much that we found them in Luang Prabang too and hosted a book party at a nearby school. In all, I think about 150 books were donated. The organization is amazing because it helps the local Lao children read, giving them a book which can later be swapped at school for another book. Unlike at home, most Lao kids don't have books of their own, and they do not have libraries to borrow from.
Thanks to our families for sponsoring the book party with us - we had a great time! If you want to learn more about Big Brother Mouse go to
In Luang Prabang we had a wonderful time walking around the town, which still exudes remnants of its French colonial past. We bought fabulous French baguettes and I drank some of the best coffee I've ever had. (Please try the Lao coffee if you get the chance). We ate at a great restaurant, named Tamirind after the beans that help with hangovers (our hosts on the trek gave Jack some of these the morning after lala) and run by a Laotian and an Australian. It was there that we realized Lao food, no matter how fancy it looks, is not as flavorful as Thai food. We still enjoyed it though.
We witnessed monks receiving their morning meals at dawn, and were scammed by a couple of kids who took us out in their boat and guided us into a cave that should have been completely closed off to everybody! To make it short, we wanted to go to the Paku Caves, with their hundreds of Buddha statues, but we were cheap and decided to let a couple of kids take us. They said, cave, Buddha, no problem. So we went. Where we went was somewhere else, across the river, not 2 hours down it, and up a hill to a path leading to a decrepit cave. We had fun though, and still laugh about how I almost electrocuted myself by just turning a switch, to which one of the kids went, "No, uhhhhhhhhh" making a shaking action as he did so. This was my warning that I could electrocute myself. Nice.
A lot of people ask us what place we like the best. We have a few. And I know I'm leaving a lot out here, but I can honestly say that I loved Laos. I would go again in a heartbeat. I would take all of it, the bad bus, the lala, the bland food, the craziness, and most definitely the people. They are the real gems.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
The Good: The first place we landed in Thailand was a beautiful resort island of Koh Samui. We got an amazing deal at the airport, paying only about $35.00 for a comfortable, clean, air-conditioned and fresh looking room at a nice resort. We, having no idea how cheap things really are in Thailand, thought this was the biggest steal! We still do, although we now know that it's all pretty cheap. Our hut had everything we could ask for, plus hot water. Here it is:
Good Thing Number 2 was our amazing scuba diving experience. I have to admit, both of us were nervous. We had taken a course in Belize for one day and enjoyed it enough, but were apprehensive about going much deeper into the ocean. Jack has had problems with his ears popping properly, and I, well, I get nervous snorkeling sometimes! I mean, there is always the possibility of a shark encounter, or jelly fish sting... the list goes on. After our first day of diving, taking those precious breaths underwater and realizing you can get neutrally buoyant, you could say that we were both hooked. Underwater views were spectacular, and nothing quite beats the feeling of swimming with the fish, coral, and all the miraculous sea life. Our visibility in Koh Tao, where we took our Padi course, was about 15 meters! You can't get much better than that. We did look ridiculous in our wetsuits though.
Good Thing Number 3 was our two encounters with Buddhist Monks in Bangkok. We visited a Wat on the first day, and just so happened to get there right as the Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, arrived. Because of his visit there were members of the media and a few Monks. Jack and I, as two of only a handful of tourists, got to speaking with a Monk while we waited. He kindly offered us two bracelets made by the Monks. He struggled to get it over Jack's wrist and let Jack put mine on, as Monks are not allowed to touch woman. It was very special.
Our second encounter was at a Wat in Chiang Mai, where we sat at a "Monk Chat" to talk with two young monks. Their stories were interesting and enlightening for me; Jack unsurprisingly knew a great deal about Buddhism, and seemed to know much more than they were prepared to answer questions to, at least in English. Both, however, did not seem convinced that being a Monk was the life they were going to chose to lead, at least not in this life time, and talked of one day having a family. They said that studying as a monk was often the only way for a young boy to get a good education, and a great honor for a family.
Thai food ended up being scrumptious. Despite any hesitations I had on spiciness, I am getting much better on handling spicy foods. This leads us to Good Thing Number 4: our day learning to cook Thai food. A company called Thai Farm Cooking School, an organic farm which teaches one- three day courses, was excellent. Check out their website at http://www.thaifarmcooking.net/. We chose 6 dishes to make. Jack and I picked different things so that we can have more to make later in our kitchen. Mine were fabulous, (no boasting here) the first of which was a green curry paste, followed by a chicken curry, then a chicken in coconut milk soup, a papaya salad, spring rolls and a dessert of pumpkin in coconut milk. YUM!
Although we agreed mine were better, despite any contrary opinions to my general cooking ability (mentioning no one by name), Jack made a wonderful yellow curry paste, a chicken curry, Tom Yum soup with shrimp (not so good), chicken and cashew nuts, Pad See Ew (large noodles), and mango and sticky rice for dessert. The mango dish was the crème de la crème. If any of you choose to visit us once we get back to the states (and we welcome visitors), maybe we can whip up one of these!
Good Thing No. 5 was our day bicycling around the ruins at Sukkothai. This city is unspoilt by tourism and the ruins were beautiful, both seen from the bike and just walking off. A few highlights:
Good Thing No. 6 was a dinner we spent at a Sukkothai buffet. Raw meat labeled in Thai was a dime a dozen here. We picked out anything that looked remotely appetizing and took it over to our hot pot, a charcoal filled metal pot with a grill on top, to cook up! Jack did all the meat touching while I just played with the vegetables and noodle dishes. We also scored some pineapple. At that same dinner we saw our first elephants - babies too! Sadly, they were being used as work elephants, and we gave money, good or bad, to feed them sugar cane and take their photos.
Finally, this leads to Good Thing No. 7, our day at Lampang and the National Elephant Institute. We went on an elephant ride, watched elephants of all sizes bathing and watched an elephant show. And man are they talented! They can play musical instruments, raise a flag, walk on logs, bow, and even paint a picture! The day was packed with fun.
The Bad:
On our ferry ride to Koh Tao from Koh Samui (both small islands on the Gulf of Thailand) we experienced something I hope none of you ever have the misfortune to experience first hand. For some reason almost everyone on the boat got sea sick, and clung to their plastic baggies passed out by staff. Jack and I had seats near a window, so we avoided most of the unpleasant views, but the smell was hard to ignore. In a Christmas package from Jack's parents I received a small battery operated fan (Hello Kitty to be exact). This saved me from loosing it - literally!!!
Bad Thing Number 2 was our cab ride from the bus terminal to our hostel in Bangkok. Our driver had no idea where he was going, despite the exact address given to him, and repeatedly asked for directions from tuk tuk drivers to women on the street. We decided at some point to get out and walk.
Bad Thing Number 3 was the sign posted in the lobby of our hostel, so named Hostel Thailand. See for yourself.
Bad Thing Number 4 was a night we spent in Sukkothai. At first, the room looked fine, sparse, but fine. That night, however, we realized that the sheets were just not that clean: ants and hairs littered the lot. I was so freaked out that I slept without covers and used my blow up neck pillow. You could say that was not my best night's sleep.
Bad Thing No. 5 was the tremendous number of tourists in Chiang Mai. For some reason the sheer number of people and exhaust in the city did not sit well with us. Despite the many beautiful things the city has to offer you could say that our expectations were not met. So, we decided to ditch our planned trek and go to Lao instead. This turned into the best decision we could have made. I'll write about that in another posting.
The Ugly:
So I mentioned Hostel Thailand. Well, on our second day in Bangkok I noticed all these itchy bumps all over my body. I thought they were mosquito bites. But, you guessed it, BED BUGS! Ew. Ew. Ew. I will not share a photo of this hideous experience. I will report that they have gone away, well mostly, in the week and a half since we've left.
So now that you know the good, the bad, and the ugly of Thailand, now we're going to share the joys of Lao with you! Sorry the photos are not up, we rarely get to a computer that can support photo uploads and it takes forever. I will get back to it though, I promise.
Good Thing Number 2 was our amazing scuba diving experience. I have to admit, both of us were nervous. We had taken a course in Belize for one day and enjoyed it enough, but were apprehensive about going much deeper into the ocean. Jack has had problems with his ears popping properly, and I, well, I get nervous snorkeling sometimes! I mean, there is always the possibility of a shark encounter, or jelly fish sting... the list goes on. After our first day of diving, taking those precious breaths underwater and realizing you can get neutrally buoyant, you could say that we were both hooked. Underwater views were spectacular, and nothing quite beats the feeling of swimming with the fish, coral, and all the miraculous sea life. Our visibility in Koh Tao, where we took our Padi course, was about 15 meters! You can't get much better than that. We did look ridiculous in our wetsuits though.
Good Thing Number 3 was our two encounters with Buddhist Monks in Bangkok. We visited a Wat on the first day, and just so happened to get there right as the Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej, arrived. Because of his visit there were members of the media and a few Monks. Jack and I, as two of only a handful of tourists, got to speaking with a Monk while we waited. He kindly offered us two bracelets made by the Monks. He struggled to get it over Jack's wrist and let Jack put mine on, as Monks are not allowed to touch woman. It was very special.
Our second encounter was at a Wat in Chiang Mai, where we sat at a "Monk Chat" to talk with two young monks. Their stories were interesting and enlightening for me; Jack unsurprisingly knew a great deal about Buddhism, and seemed to know much more than they were prepared to answer questions to, at least in English. Both, however, did not seem convinced that being a Monk was the life they were going to chose to lead, at least not in this life time, and talked of one day having a family. They said that studying as a monk was often the only way for a young boy to get a good education, and a great honor for a family.
Thai food ended up being scrumptious. Despite any hesitations I had on spiciness, I am getting much better on handling spicy foods. This leads us to Good Thing Number 4: our day learning to cook Thai food. A company called Thai Farm Cooking School, an organic farm which teaches one- three day courses, was excellent. Check out their website at http://www.thaifarmcooking.net/. We chose 6 dishes to make. Jack and I picked different things so that we can have more to make later in our kitchen. Mine were fabulous, (no boasting here) the first of which was a green curry paste, followed by a chicken curry, then a chicken in coconut milk soup, a papaya salad, spring rolls and a dessert of pumpkin in coconut milk. YUM!
Although we agreed mine were better, despite any contrary opinions to my general cooking ability (mentioning no one by name), Jack made a wonderful yellow curry paste, a chicken curry, Tom Yum soup with shrimp (not so good), chicken and cashew nuts, Pad See Ew (large noodles), and mango and sticky rice for dessert. The mango dish was the crème de la crème. If any of you choose to visit us once we get back to the states (and we welcome visitors), maybe we can whip up one of these!
Good Thing No. 5 was our day bicycling around the ruins at Sukkothai. This city is unspoilt by tourism and the ruins were beautiful, both seen from the bike and just walking off. A few highlights:
Good Thing No. 6 was a dinner we spent at a Sukkothai buffet. Raw meat labeled in Thai was a dime a dozen here. We picked out anything that looked remotely appetizing and took it over to our hot pot, a charcoal filled metal pot with a grill on top, to cook up! Jack did all the meat touching while I just played with the vegetables and noodle dishes. We also scored some pineapple. At that same dinner we saw our first elephants - babies too! Sadly, they were being used as work elephants, and we gave money, good or bad, to feed them sugar cane and take their photos.
Finally, this leads to Good Thing No. 7, our day at Lampang and the National Elephant Institute. We went on an elephant ride, watched elephants of all sizes bathing and watched an elephant show. And man are they talented! They can play musical instruments, raise a flag, walk on logs, bow, and even paint a picture! The day was packed with fun.
The Bad:
On our ferry ride to Koh Tao from Koh Samui (both small islands on the Gulf of Thailand) we experienced something I hope none of you ever have the misfortune to experience first hand. For some reason almost everyone on the boat got sea sick, and clung to their plastic baggies passed out by staff. Jack and I had seats near a window, so we avoided most of the unpleasant views, but the smell was hard to ignore. In a Christmas package from Jack's parents I received a small battery operated fan (Hello Kitty to be exact). This saved me from loosing it - literally!!!
Bad Thing Number 2 was our cab ride from the bus terminal to our hostel in Bangkok. Our driver had no idea where he was going, despite the exact address given to him, and repeatedly asked for directions from tuk tuk drivers to women on the street. We decided at some point to get out and walk.
Bad Thing Number 3 was the sign posted in the lobby of our hostel, so named Hostel Thailand. See for yourself.
Bad Thing Number 4 was a night we spent in Sukkothai. At first, the room looked fine, sparse, but fine. That night, however, we realized that the sheets were just not that clean: ants and hairs littered the lot. I was so freaked out that I slept without covers and used my blow up neck pillow. You could say that was not my best night's sleep.
Bad Thing No. 5 was the tremendous number of tourists in Chiang Mai. For some reason the sheer number of people and exhaust in the city did not sit well with us. Despite the many beautiful things the city has to offer you could say that our expectations were not met. So, we decided to ditch our planned trek and go to Lao instead. This turned into the best decision we could have made. I'll write about that in another posting.
The Ugly:
So I mentioned Hostel Thailand. Well, on our second day in Bangkok I noticed all these itchy bumps all over my body. I thought they were mosquito bites. But, you guessed it, BED BUGS! Ew. Ew. Ew. I will not share a photo of this hideous experience. I will report that they have gone away, well mostly, in the week and a half since we've left.
So now that you know the good, the bad, and the ugly of Thailand, now we're going to share the joys of Lao with you! Sorry the photos are not up, we rarely get to a computer that can support photo uploads and it takes forever. I will get back to it though, I promise.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Brunei and Malaysia
My first trip to a Muslim country was interesting. Right from the start, I could feel a strange tension in the air. Mind you, not from the locals, but emanating from me. I was tense, particularly around men. You see, although everyone was extremely pleasant in Brunei, most of the men would not look me in the eye. I tried not to take it personally, but it was difficult. So after getting a cab to take us to the hostel (it was after 6 p.m. when we landed and thus extremely difficult to commandeer a taxi after sunset) we headed to the open market on the blocked off street right outside where we were staying. The only thing we bought was a head scarf for me, so I could visit the mosques. Its black, which most Muslim women wear during the daytime. Don't ask me why this is the chosen color, considering its extremely hot, while the men get to wear white, but then again it seems like women endure more discomfort than men in general. Anyway, the woman at the market was extremely nice and I had a lot of fun trying on various kinds, in the end I opted for a very easy one piece head scarf, so that I can just pull it over and not worry about it coming undone and exposing my hair.
Here it is, beautiful eh?
The next day we got up and headed to the large open air market where fruit, vegetables, and fish of all sorts were sold. The fish was by far the most fascinating item, with dried fish of all sizes, live eel, and pickled fish and many more being sold. I tried to take many pictures of all the colors, as I tried to be respectful. It was a bit difficult too to maneuver around the stands and umbrellas, particularly when they are at a height suitable for a 5 foot 2 inch populous!
We then headed to the large Mosque in town. It was under construction, but we went inside and took many photos around the moat outside. We then wondered over a bridge to a separate area of the city where homes were high on stilts. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. From one vantage point I could see the enormous golden Mosque in the background while the foreground was full of decaying and dilapidated homes. I had always heard that the King of Brunei was until recently the wealthiest man in the world, so I was disappointed to see the level of poverty in such an oil rich nation. Clearly the oil money does not reach the citizens.
I however, did benefit from the oil in an indirect way. At Immigration in the airport Jack and I were waved through as US citizens while citizens of other countries had to wait in a really long line. We figured it must be because of trade relations and oil importation. It was a refreshing outcome, considering right now Americans do not get many perks abroad (bad exchange rate, etc.).
We then took a public bus out to the Palace, so we could walk around the enormous structure and gape (at the parts we could see at least) at its grandiosity. The trip did not produce the desired affect. We ended up just talking about his harem of women inside and how all that money could be given to his people.
Anyway we wondered to a small cafeteria style place for lunch, where Jack nicely pointed out that I was the only woman, other than the servers, in the place. (So that's why there were so many men staring!) I chose not to notice, I was too engrossed in the Patriots game on the t.v. - it’s about the only one I've seen this season too, although we didn't stay for the whole thing. We left to visit a second and larger Mosque away from downtown. This Mosque was simply stunning, getting better and better as we made our way upstairs (after dutifully removing shoes and donning a black robe).
It is gorgeous.
Then, just as prayers were about to begin, which we had to leave for, we realized we probably missed our only bus back. You see it was 6:00 and things just don't run past then. So we booked it to an intersection where we waited and waited, then caught sight of the magnificent sunset before running again for the small purple bus we saw coming from the other side of the road. It was madness.
The next day we were off for Kuala Lumpur and another Muslim country, but by then I was excited and my nerves had gone. Brunei and Bandar Seri Begawan turned out to be one of my favorite spots.
Kuala Lumpur, however, turned out to be my least favorite. Right from the start our trip was dirty, smoggy and hectic. We booked the cheapest option from the airport to the city, a bus called the Star Shuttle, direct to Chinatown. We were dropped off just as it was starting to pour! With my rain coat safely in the hotel in Darwin, I broke out the poncho. We had a run for it, but ended up sitting in a dingy restaurant, happily eating some curry and rice, waiting for the rain to stop.
We checked into Westover Lodge (sounds Western doesn't it? Ha-ha.) and cursing at the fact that the air-con rooms were really only air-con in the hallway from 10 pm until 8 am., mind our room did come with a tiny hole in the upper wall where a fan, conspicuously placed, blew any cool air into it, we headed out to buy a phone card. You could say that this is where our troubles began.
We bought a phone card for 10 ringgits and tried to use it on the payphones. There were about 50 payphones in the mile or two around our hotel, and I could swear we tried them all. But the problem was that the phones required some change to work, and when they didn't, and they all didn't, they took our change. We then realized the phone card had been eaten up by one of the pay phones and decided to buy another. Another 10 ringgits. Here's where we got genius. We went to a 7/11 (they are all over the place there, sort of like a third world Starbucks) and tried to use the free phone for calling cards. This worked, at first. Then the phone system wouldn't unregister our card, so that any number of calls made on that phone would take credit off our card! I was upset. This is where genius turned into true idiocy. I argued with the people in 7/11 for an hour, a whole hour!, before Jack mentioned that we were arguing about 3.50 USD. Wow. So this is what being stingy really means. Yikes!
We sadly left the 7/11, feeling really embarrassed and got food in the Chinatown market. I was tired and really really hungry. My food of some sort of vegetables, rice and unappetizing meat did not make me feel much better. But the atmosphere did. I was happy to be there, sipping my watermelon smoothie and taking in the crowd. As we walked back to the hostel and took photos of the mosque a block away I was optimistic.
The next day we headed to the National Mosque, where we could not go in because it was prayer time, and really happy not to don the black headpiece, we took a short jaunt up the hill to the Museum of Islamic Art. The building was impressive alone, not to mention the array of the Qura'an and script work. Islamic writing is striking, especially when placed on golden pages with meticulous care and craft. Beyond the Qura'an, jewels and cloth displayed was a room with models of famous Islamic buildings. It made me excited for the day when we can visit Damascus and Uzbekistan, not to mention the Taj Mahal. The buildings are certainly impressive, and it made me wonder if they are a sort of idol themselves, like great Catholic Cathedrals or Buddhist Wats. I left thinking that it’s such a shame most Muslims and Christian and Jews do not have more respect for one another. In the end we are all suppose to live in similar manners when you cut out all the cultural traditions. The lessons in the Qura'an, the Bible and the Torah are similar. Peace. Love. Respect. Humility.
Our discovery after a long walk up a further hill that the National Planetarium was closed was disappointing, so we explored the Orchid and Hibiscus Garden instead. Quaint is the word I'm looking for here to describe it. Because it was hot, extremely hot, we sat in the garden and talked about the roses and lavender at our wedding while we planned a garden in our heads (well I did most of the planning) for the future. It was relaxing. Then a popsicle and a large bottle of water later, we headed back to the city for a night of madness attempting to find an internet cafe.
The next day we traipsed around the city, taking photos of their Twin Towers and gawking at the masses of high-end stores. I was really unimpressed with the city, it seemed crowded, loud and really dirty. Combine this with all the hair wrenching, nail biting traffic scenarios, mainly because of what Jack and I deemed the biker mafia (everyone there seemed to ride either that or a scooter), and the fact that I really hadn't slept because of bugs in the bed, and I just wanted to go home. Or at least to a clean hotel.
But alas, that was not in the cards. Instead we wondered around a street looking for the Laos Embassy. They had moved locations, apparently without informing anyone or updating their website. We did have word that they had stayed on the same street, so we wandered in the rain, after a taxi driver ripped us off, before we discovered it was closed. The street became our haunt the next morning before our flight out in the afternoon.
The highlight of the day, and indeed our time in Kuala Lumpur, was seeing Jack's former roommate Anthony. He's from Kuala Lumpur and was able to show us around a bit that night. It really was a shame he was out of town for the first few days of our visit. We ate some funky, puckery, horribly smelly, yet oddly yummy fruit and another type that was smaller, more delicate and delicious, named the King Fruit and Queen Fruit respectively. We caught up on all of our travels and left marveling about all the wonders that lay in Borneo. When we go back to Malaysia, who knows when that will be, scuba diving will most certainly take precedence on our list of activities.
Our trip the next morning to both the US Embassy and Lao Embassy went smoothly, geeze was it nice to be in US territory again for about a second, and we finally made it to the small airport which would take us to Koh Samui in Thailand after a subway, train, and taxi ride - oh the wonders of travel. We were thrilled to leave.
Next up: Thailand!
Here it is, beautiful eh?
The next day we got up and headed to the large open air market where fruit, vegetables, and fish of all sorts were sold. The fish was by far the most fascinating item, with dried fish of all sizes, live eel, and pickled fish and many more being sold. I tried to take many pictures of all the colors, as I tried to be respectful. It was a bit difficult too to maneuver around the stands and umbrellas, particularly when they are at a height suitable for a 5 foot 2 inch populous!
We then headed to the large Mosque in town. It was under construction, but we went inside and took many photos around the moat outside. We then wondered over a bridge to a separate area of the city where homes were high on stilts. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. From one vantage point I could see the enormous golden Mosque in the background while the foreground was full of decaying and dilapidated homes. I had always heard that the King of Brunei was until recently the wealthiest man in the world, so I was disappointed to see the level of poverty in such an oil rich nation. Clearly the oil money does not reach the citizens.
I however, did benefit from the oil in an indirect way. At Immigration in the airport Jack and I were waved through as US citizens while citizens of other countries had to wait in a really long line. We figured it must be because of trade relations and oil importation. It was a refreshing outcome, considering right now Americans do not get many perks abroad (bad exchange rate, etc.).
We then took a public bus out to the Palace, so we could walk around the enormous structure and gape (at the parts we could see at least) at its grandiosity. The trip did not produce the desired affect. We ended up just talking about his harem of women inside and how all that money could be given to his people.
Anyway we wondered to a small cafeteria style place for lunch, where Jack nicely pointed out that I was the only woman, other than the servers, in the place. (So that's why there were so many men staring!) I chose not to notice, I was too engrossed in the Patriots game on the t.v. - it’s about the only one I've seen this season too, although we didn't stay for the whole thing. We left to visit a second and larger Mosque away from downtown. This Mosque was simply stunning, getting better and better as we made our way upstairs (after dutifully removing shoes and donning a black robe).
It is gorgeous.
Then, just as prayers were about to begin, which we had to leave for, we realized we probably missed our only bus back. You see it was 6:00 and things just don't run past then. So we booked it to an intersection where we waited and waited, then caught sight of the magnificent sunset before running again for the small purple bus we saw coming from the other side of the road. It was madness.
The next day we were off for Kuala Lumpur and another Muslim country, but by then I was excited and my nerves had gone. Brunei and Bandar Seri Begawan turned out to be one of my favorite spots.
Kuala Lumpur, however, turned out to be my least favorite. Right from the start our trip was dirty, smoggy and hectic. We booked the cheapest option from the airport to the city, a bus called the Star Shuttle, direct to Chinatown. We were dropped off just as it was starting to pour! With my rain coat safely in the hotel in Darwin, I broke out the poncho. We had a run for it, but ended up sitting in a dingy restaurant, happily eating some curry and rice, waiting for the rain to stop.
We checked into Westover Lodge (sounds Western doesn't it? Ha-ha.) and cursing at the fact that the air-con rooms were really only air-con in the hallway from 10 pm until 8 am., mind our room did come with a tiny hole in the upper wall where a fan, conspicuously placed, blew any cool air into it, we headed out to buy a phone card. You could say that this is where our troubles began.
We bought a phone card for 10 ringgits and tried to use it on the payphones. There were about 50 payphones in the mile or two around our hotel, and I could swear we tried them all. But the problem was that the phones required some change to work, and when they didn't, and they all didn't, they took our change. We then realized the phone card had been eaten up by one of the pay phones and decided to buy another. Another 10 ringgits. Here's where we got genius. We went to a 7/11 (they are all over the place there, sort of like a third world Starbucks) and tried to use the free phone for calling cards. This worked, at first. Then the phone system wouldn't unregister our card, so that any number of calls made on that phone would take credit off our card! I was upset. This is where genius turned into true idiocy. I argued with the people in 7/11 for an hour, a whole hour!, before Jack mentioned that we were arguing about 3.50 USD. Wow. So this is what being stingy really means. Yikes!
We sadly left the 7/11, feeling really embarrassed and got food in the Chinatown market. I was tired and really really hungry. My food of some sort of vegetables, rice and unappetizing meat did not make me feel much better. But the atmosphere did. I was happy to be there, sipping my watermelon smoothie and taking in the crowd. As we walked back to the hostel and took photos of the mosque a block away I was optimistic.
The next day we headed to the National Mosque, where we could not go in because it was prayer time, and really happy not to don the black headpiece, we took a short jaunt up the hill to the Museum of Islamic Art. The building was impressive alone, not to mention the array of the Qura'an and script work. Islamic writing is striking, especially when placed on golden pages with meticulous care and craft. Beyond the Qura'an, jewels and cloth displayed was a room with models of famous Islamic buildings. It made me excited for the day when we can visit Damascus and Uzbekistan, not to mention the Taj Mahal. The buildings are certainly impressive, and it made me wonder if they are a sort of idol themselves, like great Catholic Cathedrals or Buddhist Wats. I left thinking that it’s such a shame most Muslims and Christian and Jews do not have more respect for one another. In the end we are all suppose to live in similar manners when you cut out all the cultural traditions. The lessons in the Qura'an, the Bible and the Torah are similar. Peace. Love. Respect. Humility.
Our discovery after a long walk up a further hill that the National Planetarium was closed was disappointing, so we explored the Orchid and Hibiscus Garden instead. Quaint is the word I'm looking for here to describe it. Because it was hot, extremely hot, we sat in the garden and talked about the roses and lavender at our wedding while we planned a garden in our heads (well I did most of the planning) for the future. It was relaxing. Then a popsicle and a large bottle of water later, we headed back to the city for a night of madness attempting to find an internet cafe.
The next day we traipsed around the city, taking photos of their Twin Towers and gawking at the masses of high-end stores. I was really unimpressed with the city, it seemed crowded, loud and really dirty. Combine this with all the hair wrenching, nail biting traffic scenarios, mainly because of what Jack and I deemed the biker mafia (everyone there seemed to ride either that or a scooter), and the fact that I really hadn't slept because of bugs in the bed, and I just wanted to go home. Or at least to a clean hotel.
But alas, that was not in the cards. Instead we wondered around a street looking for the Laos Embassy. They had moved locations, apparently without informing anyone or updating their website. We did have word that they had stayed on the same street, so we wandered in the rain, after a taxi driver ripped us off, before we discovered it was closed. The street became our haunt the next morning before our flight out in the afternoon.
The highlight of the day, and indeed our time in Kuala Lumpur, was seeing Jack's former roommate Anthony. He's from Kuala Lumpur and was able to show us around a bit that night. It really was a shame he was out of town for the first few days of our visit. We ate some funky, puckery, horribly smelly, yet oddly yummy fruit and another type that was smaller, more delicate and delicious, named the King Fruit and Queen Fruit respectively. We caught up on all of our travels and left marveling about all the wonders that lay in Borneo. When we go back to Malaysia, who knows when that will be, scuba diving will most certainly take precedence on our list of activities.
Our trip the next morning to both the US Embassy and Lao Embassy went smoothly, geeze was it nice to be in US territory again for about a second, and we finally made it to the small airport which would take us to Koh Samui in Thailand after a subway, train, and taxi ride - oh the wonders of travel. We were thrilled to leave.
Next up: Thailand!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Changing Plans in Southeast Asia
I just want to inform you all that our plans are changing a bit. We are now in Malaysia, after spending a few days in Brunei. Our plan had initially been to travel over land to Thailand and up towards Bangkok, stopping along the way to scuba dive. However, recent developments in southern Thailand, including the murder of 8 Thai soldiers a few days ago by rebels and the recent bombing in the Yala provice (right where we would have crossed into Thailand) have made us change our plans. If you want to read about it, visit the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7188654.stm
We now plan, I think, to fly. Although a lot more expensive, we seem to have fewer options now. It just goes to show that you can never be too safe or set plans in stone on these kinds of trips.
We will be in southeast asia for the next six weeks, hopefully visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before heading to the middle east. We'll try to keep everyone posted.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7188654.stm
We now plan, I think, to fly. Although a lot more expensive, we seem to have fewer options now. It just goes to show that you can never be too safe or set plans in stone on these kinds of trips.
We will be in southeast asia for the next six weeks, hopefully visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam before heading to the middle east. We'll try to keep everyone posted.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Meeting Boghans - Traveling Aussie style
So our huge Maui Camper van turned into a home of sorts for at least 10 days. We were able to put our clothes away in the cubby holes and cook our own meals. Plus we had a great time just traveling the way Aussies do on summer vacation. We left Sydney on the 26th and spent that first night in a rest stop on the side of the road. It was an interesting experience, we were attempting to do what all the posters on the side of the roads say and "not sleep and drive." Odd? Yes, but effective. We got to Jack's other first cousin's house that morning and geared up for a day of sight-seeing in Lake Cathie (pronounced cat high). We drove down Ghost Rode, named so because of the white trees, and up to a lookout on the highest mountain, or hill, in the area. We had some fine fish and chips while we chatted with his cousin Fiona before heading back to her place and napping before dinner.
Dinner that night was wonderful. We ate lobster and prawns again (seems like a true Aussie summer meal) and pulled crackers to celebrate (my first time pulling real cracker with a present inside). What we were celebrating I do not know - but it was close to the new year and I think they were left over. It was great to meet his family, especially his great aunt Joan, who shared some wonderful photos of Jack's grandfather as a boy.
The next few days were spent walking on the beach, fishing in a lake system in a small metal boat (Jack did the fishing, I just watched really), and visiting a zoo of sorts called Billabong Sanctuary, where we walked with kangaroos and petted koalas. We also saw wombats and cassowaries (small versions of Ostriches really). It was a lot of fun, but seeing them all in the wild was much better. On Ghost Road the night before we saw a a whole bunch of wild kangaroos - jumping really high and fast to get clear of the lights from the car, it was crazy.
We then headed up the coast towards Lenox Head and Byron Bay which were packed with tourists! We stopped at other places along the way in the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, just as a storm was headed our way.
Here is a break in the clouds!
We made it to just north of Brisbane for New Years, where we spent an incredibly rainy night in our camper van. We pulled to the side of the road, near where fireworks were supposed to go off, to cook our Indian dinner and open our beers. The rain was pouring down and the fireworks were cancelled. So we headed back to the camp site for the night and spent an absolutely lovely evening drinking Champagne and playing games. It was so much fun, and the perfect was to celebrate an anniversary for us - we've known one another for four years, having met New Year's Eve 2003.
We then spent the next few days traveling up the coast, avoiding the rain when possible and attempting to site see. We made it to an Aboriginal Cultural Center near Rockhampton called Dreamtime. Although mentioned as one of the best in the country, we were a bit disappointed with the lack of overall information on Aborigines. Despite that, we had our share of didgeridoo playing and boomerang throwing - I was quite good :)
Before we got to Townsville, where we met up with our friend Josh again, we headed out to the Whitsundays for a couple of days. It was gorgeous there, and no rain. We took a boat out to the reef for an afternoon and went snorkeling. Although Jack and I expected much more color in the coral, the fish were fantastic. Plus it got us riled up for our scuba diving lessons in Thailand. We've decided that when we go back to Australia, it will be to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef.
We then spent a few days with Josh in Townsville and got to see the school where my friend Jackie teaches and their new home. It was splendid. I have to admit, there is no way I could live in Townsville, being in the tropics and extremely hot all year, but it was great to see their home there and the life they have together. We also got to experience Josh's fabulous cooking and share our experience with the Boghans!
So in Melbourne Jackie told me all about Boghans. Which, as she described it, were simply sketchy people who tended to have rat tails or mullets. I didn't really understand what she meant - that is, until I saw some for myself. It was in one of the many camp sites we stayed at along the way. This particular one was perfectly nice, with a pool, Internet, laundry and an outdoor grill. I first noticed the family because of the cute kids (I'm a sucker for cute kids) who happened to all have shaved heads except for the tuft of hair at the bottom (i.e. mullets). Then there was mom and dad: mom held a baby of about 18 months and dad was wearing boots, cutoffs and a flannel shirt (also cut off). I was suspicious. Then, without warning the mom got into the pool and started breastfeeding her 18 month old! Right there! I was convinced - these were the infamous Boghans. Josh agreed they must. So there it is folks.
After our trip to Townsville we flew to Darwin for a few days, where we tried to relax, take long walks, and went to see some Crocs!
In between we took in a movie and stocked up on items we would not be able to find in south east Asia. I think we were both ready to move on and travel by bus, plane, and boat again!
Now onto our 7 weeks traveling in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.
Dinner that night was wonderful. We ate lobster and prawns again (seems like a true Aussie summer meal) and pulled crackers to celebrate (my first time pulling real cracker with a present inside). What we were celebrating I do not know - but it was close to the new year and I think they were left over. It was great to meet his family, especially his great aunt Joan, who shared some wonderful photos of Jack's grandfather as a boy.
The next few days were spent walking on the beach, fishing in a lake system in a small metal boat (Jack did the fishing, I just watched really), and visiting a zoo of sorts called Billabong Sanctuary, where we walked with kangaroos and petted koalas. We also saw wombats and cassowaries (small versions of Ostriches really). It was a lot of fun, but seeing them all in the wild was much better. On Ghost Road the night before we saw a a whole bunch of wild kangaroos - jumping really high and fast to get clear of the lights from the car, it was crazy.
We then headed up the coast towards Lenox Head and Byron Bay which were packed with tourists! We stopped at other places along the way in the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, just as a storm was headed our way.
Here is a break in the clouds!
We made it to just north of Brisbane for New Years, where we spent an incredibly rainy night in our camper van. We pulled to the side of the road, near where fireworks were supposed to go off, to cook our Indian dinner and open our beers. The rain was pouring down and the fireworks were cancelled. So we headed back to the camp site for the night and spent an absolutely lovely evening drinking Champagne and playing games. It was so much fun, and the perfect was to celebrate an anniversary for us - we've known one another for four years, having met New Year's Eve 2003.
We then spent the next few days traveling up the coast, avoiding the rain when possible and attempting to site see. We made it to an Aboriginal Cultural Center near Rockhampton called Dreamtime. Although mentioned as one of the best in the country, we were a bit disappointed with the lack of overall information on Aborigines. Despite that, we had our share of didgeridoo playing and boomerang throwing - I was quite good :)
Before we got to Townsville, where we met up with our friend Josh again, we headed out to the Whitsundays for a couple of days. It was gorgeous there, and no rain. We took a boat out to the reef for an afternoon and went snorkeling. Although Jack and I expected much more color in the coral, the fish were fantastic. Plus it got us riled up for our scuba diving lessons in Thailand. We've decided that when we go back to Australia, it will be to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef.
We then spent a few days with Josh in Townsville and got to see the school where my friend Jackie teaches and their new home. It was splendid. I have to admit, there is no way I could live in Townsville, being in the tropics and extremely hot all year, but it was great to see their home there and the life they have together. We also got to experience Josh's fabulous cooking and share our experience with the Boghans!
So in Melbourne Jackie told me all about Boghans. Which, as she described it, were simply sketchy people who tended to have rat tails or mullets. I didn't really understand what she meant - that is, until I saw some for myself. It was in one of the many camp sites we stayed at along the way. This particular one was perfectly nice, with a pool, Internet, laundry and an outdoor grill. I first noticed the family because of the cute kids (I'm a sucker for cute kids) who happened to all have shaved heads except for the tuft of hair at the bottom (i.e. mullets). Then there was mom and dad: mom held a baby of about 18 months and dad was wearing boots, cutoffs and a flannel shirt (also cut off). I was suspicious. Then, without warning the mom got into the pool and started breastfeeding her 18 month old! Right there! I was convinced - these were the infamous Boghans. Josh agreed they must. So there it is folks.
After our trip to Townsville we flew to Darwin for a few days, where we tried to relax, take long walks, and went to see some Crocs!
In between we took in a movie and stocked up on items we would not be able to find in south east Asia. I think we were both ready to move on and travel by bus, plane, and boat again!
Now onto our 7 weeks traveling in Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, etc.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Opera and the Harbor
Perhaps because it was the holiday season, I was missing home more than usual. Although I've wanted to go to Sydney since a couple friends of mine in college studied there, I couldn't get too excited about it. The first day in town we walked all over George Street, Circular Quay and The Rocks, went to a lovely dinner. But I couldn't get over the fact that Christmas was supposed to be cold, with snow and everyone bundled up going Christmas shopping. That was until Jack took me to the Sydney Opera House!
The Opera House is more than you can imagine. Its gorgeous. Not only is the story of its construction amazing, but the structure itself is phenomenal. I tried to take as many pictures of the curved roofs and slanted walkways as possible. [enter photos here]
Jack, knowing how much I like Christmas carols, bought us tickets to the opera house holiday show. It was fantastic and I was blown away by the acoustics. The singers and musicians don't use microphones, the sound bounces off the wood in such a way that they don't have to. However, because the sounds takes a few seconds to come back to them, they placed plastic rings above the musicians which capture 40% of the sound and directs it back to the players in real time, so that they can hear what they are playing. What an interesting idea. Plus, the music was fun and you all know how I love to sing. Even though they made jokes about the Christmas barbeques and sang a few bizarre carols, it immediately made me get more into the Christmas spirit.
After the show we ran, literally, for the harbor and our ferry to Watson's Bay where we were meeting Jack's family (Jane, his first cousin-once-removed, and her family). Watson's Bay was stunning. On the way over we got to see amazing views of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House, plus all the boats in the bay. Then once there we took a walk along the water and beach and saw a beautiful little fishing spot taken up by some Asian families which just happened to be alongside a nude beach (really Jane described it to me as a couple of older men who were always fishing naked). Strange combo, but interesting nonetheless. Then we went out to dinner with them to a pizza parlor close to Bondhi Beach. It was such a pleasure spending time with them that we readily agreed to visit again for Christmas.
Christmas Eve we left our Y Hotel (YWCA hostel) to spend a wonderful two nights in the Sheraton on the Park. We decided to celebrate with a warm, comfy bed and a huge shower! Then we went to Chinatown and the Anglican Cathedral. If you don't know, my family has a strange, but lovely, Christmas Eve tradition based on the movie "A Christmas Story" in which a family's Christmas dinner is ruined when neighbors dogs eat it. So, they all go out for an nontraditional meal where they are sung "Deck the Halls" with a fa ra ra instead of fa la la. Funny stuff. Since about 15 years ago, my family has always gone to eat Japanese food in celebration. So, because or token Japanese restaurant ended up being closed, Jack and I went to a Chinese restaurant before going to the Cathedral for service. The service was splendid, complete with a boys gospel choir. Growing up Catholic, I found the service refreshing, void of the more formal sermon and readings. Plus, something about church has always made me really happy and relaxed, the perfect way to celebrate giving and the holiday spirit, whatever your personal beliefs might be.
A few days before we had spent a rainy afternoon in Darling Harbor and gone shopping on George street for stocking stuffers, so we had ample ammo for our Christmas morning surprises. I got Jack the typical goodies: a Toblerone, some games and small toys, a kangaroo boxing pen, bursting jelly babies (starburst flavor), etc., and he got me the most important chocolate items, including mints, and a toothbrush! Without the decorated stockings we improvised with some of Jack's socks, and yes they were clean. We then opened our two gifts: mine a hat/scarf combo made of possum and cashmere; his a pair of binoculars that he wanted, before heading to our family's for Christmas.
Christmas with the Rothschild/Dickson gang was interesting. I have never eaten shrimp with their heads still on before, but I braved it all in the name of an Aussie Christmas, and boldly ate my lobster and prawns. I don't know if Jack or Jane, Nigel and Simon would agree it was that bold, but I thought so. At least they all kept major chuckles to themselves. We had a lovely day, again taking a walk and enjoying their company. Simon just got into Penn, so we hope to see more of him at the family Thanksgivings over the next four years.
Our Sydney adventure ended as Jack and I picked up our enormous camper van on Boxing Day, the 26th! We headed out to start our road trip, traveling like the locals in the summer heat.
Pictures coming!
The Opera House is more than you can imagine. Its gorgeous. Not only is the story of its construction amazing, but the structure itself is phenomenal. I tried to take as many pictures of the curved roofs and slanted walkways as possible. [enter photos here]
Jack, knowing how much I like Christmas carols, bought us tickets to the opera house holiday show. It was fantastic and I was blown away by the acoustics. The singers and musicians don't use microphones, the sound bounces off the wood in such a way that they don't have to. However, because the sounds takes a few seconds to come back to them, they placed plastic rings above the musicians which capture 40% of the sound and directs it back to the players in real time, so that they can hear what they are playing. What an interesting idea. Plus, the music was fun and you all know how I love to sing. Even though they made jokes about the Christmas barbeques and sang a few bizarre carols, it immediately made me get more into the Christmas spirit.
After the show we ran, literally, for the harbor and our ferry to Watson's Bay where we were meeting Jack's family (Jane, his first cousin-once-removed, and her family). Watson's Bay was stunning. On the way over we got to see amazing views of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House, plus all the boats in the bay. Then once there we took a walk along the water and beach and saw a beautiful little fishing spot taken up by some Asian families which just happened to be alongside a nude beach (really Jane described it to me as a couple of older men who were always fishing naked). Strange combo, but interesting nonetheless. Then we went out to dinner with them to a pizza parlor close to Bondhi Beach. It was such a pleasure spending time with them that we readily agreed to visit again for Christmas.
Christmas Eve we left our Y Hotel (YWCA hostel) to spend a wonderful two nights in the Sheraton on the Park. We decided to celebrate with a warm, comfy bed and a huge shower! Then we went to Chinatown and the Anglican Cathedral. If you don't know, my family has a strange, but lovely, Christmas Eve tradition based on the movie "A Christmas Story" in which a family's Christmas dinner is ruined when neighbors dogs eat it. So, they all go out for an nontraditional meal where they are sung "Deck the Halls" with a fa ra ra instead of fa la la. Funny stuff. Since about 15 years ago, my family has always gone to eat Japanese food in celebration. So, because or token Japanese restaurant ended up being closed, Jack and I went to a Chinese restaurant before going to the Cathedral for service. The service was splendid, complete with a boys gospel choir. Growing up Catholic, I found the service refreshing, void of the more formal sermon and readings. Plus, something about church has always made me really happy and relaxed, the perfect way to celebrate giving and the holiday spirit, whatever your personal beliefs might be.
A few days before we had spent a rainy afternoon in Darling Harbor and gone shopping on George street for stocking stuffers, so we had ample ammo for our Christmas morning surprises. I got Jack the typical goodies: a Toblerone, some games and small toys, a kangaroo boxing pen, bursting jelly babies (starburst flavor), etc., and he got me the most important chocolate items, including mints, and a toothbrush! Without the decorated stockings we improvised with some of Jack's socks, and yes they were clean. We then opened our two gifts: mine a hat/scarf combo made of possum and cashmere; his a pair of binoculars that he wanted, before heading to our family's for Christmas.
Christmas with the Rothschild/Dickson gang was interesting. I have never eaten shrimp with their heads still on before, but I braved it all in the name of an Aussie Christmas, and boldly ate my lobster and prawns. I don't know if Jack or Jane, Nigel and Simon would agree it was that bold, but I thought so. At least they all kept major chuckles to themselves. We had a lovely day, again taking a walk and enjoying their company. Simon just got into Penn, so we hope to see more of him at the family Thanksgivings over the next four years.
Our Sydney adventure ended as Jack and I picked up our enormous camper van on Boxing Day, the 26th! We headed out to start our road trip, traveling like the locals in the summer heat.
Pictures coming!
Melbourne and Melvin
On December 15th Jack and flew from New Zealand, where the temperature was cool and balmy at times, to Melbourne, where the Australian summer hit us like a ton of bricks as we stepped off the plane. We were there for a few reasons but our main one was to see our friends Jackie (nee Melvin) and Josh. I had gone to school with Jackie in Boston and, as she's now married to an Aussie and lives here with him, I rarely see her.
Our plan was to meet them in Melbourne on the 16th and stay for a few days before heading to Sydney for Christmas. Although they live in Townsville, they were headed to Josh's family in Tasmania for the holidays, so Melbourne was the perfect spot to meet. We took a really late flight into Melbourne, got in a cab and headed to the hostel I booked online for the first night when just Jack and I were there. The "plan" which quickly turned into a failed plan!
We got to the hostel around 1 am. Drunken 20-somethings packed the streets on their way out to clubs and bars to find soul mates, or maybe just a mate for the night. Among the crowded street was the hostel, completely postered up and geered for the young, hip crowd. We were just looking foward to sleep. But that was not in the cards. We finally managed our way inside when the night attendant told us that our room had been double-booked and proceeded to give us $10 for a cab to another, far away, hotel. We tiredly walked outside, made our way with our large backpacks and travel ware to the corner, hailed a cab just to be told that it was only a few blocks away and we could walk. Not what you want to do at 1:30 am. But we did it anyway, until I was tooo tired to face the 20 some-odd blocks it turned out to be! So we finally got into a cab and made it to our new hotel. Whew. The rest of the trip was far more enjoyable than our early morning stroll amongst the puke and hussy filled streets.
We met up with Jackie and Josh the next afternoon and headed out in search of a belt for Jack and a dress for me. Obviously with so little packing room we had not planned for a nice night out with friends. That night we were going to a fancy dinner on a train that toured the city, called "Meals on Wheels." Our attire of fast drying clothes and Keen sandals would not have done. So we went to Target! I couldn't believe they had Targets here, but thanks to globalization, they did. After a successful shopping trip, we headed to the Melbourne Gaol (that's Jail in the USA).
The gaol was fascinating. I learned about Ned Kelley and all the unfortunate people who had to spend time there, any amount of time. Unfortunately none of the four of us remembered to bring a camera; so as they treated us all like convicts, making us form lines and putting us in the holding cells that they used until the 1990s, we have no proof of it. In the beginning however, the police officer looked at us all and picked a person to role play who looked like he/she would never be in a jail. That person was me. I just look that innocent. (Don't laugh.) We each got a card with our crime on it, mine was larson with the intent to kill, Jack's was indecent exposure! It was all in good fun.
That night we got all dressed up and headed to dinner. And although my shoes garnered a "nice 'fancy' shoes Joyce" from Jackie, they had to do. It was great to spend time with Jackie and Josh, getting to know him better especially as the night wore on. We went to the casino afterwards, just to drink and watch the ridiculous Christmas show. It was a good night.
We got up fairly early the next morning. Thanks to Josh and Jackie, who went to pick up the rental car, we got to sleep in later. Then we all headed to the Great Ocean Road. We saw beautiful passages, like Route 1 in California, and the 12 Apostles, but most importantly we saw koalas in the eucalyptus trees. They were adorable. And its completely true that you want to hug them on site, but the ones that don't grow up in petting zoos really aren't friendly.
The next two days were spent visiting all the Melbourne sites: the skytower, the museum, the aquarium, an Anglican cathedral and walked all over. It was a lot of fun. On the 19th we said our goodbyes and were off to Sydney.
In retrospect, I think I liked Melbourne most out of our Aussie city adventures. It certainly was nice, with milder temps than the rest. Even though the Great Ocean Road was a fly haven (flies literally swarmed us as we got out of the car to see the sites) the city was quaint. I think Jackie and Josh's decision to move from the tropics down that way is a great one! Hopefully you'll get lots of visitors in a couple of years, Jacks.
Our plan was to meet them in Melbourne on the 16th and stay for a few days before heading to Sydney for Christmas. Although they live in Townsville, they were headed to Josh's family in Tasmania for the holidays, so Melbourne was the perfect spot to meet. We took a really late flight into Melbourne, got in a cab and headed to the hostel I booked online for the first night when just Jack and I were there. The "plan" which quickly turned into a failed plan!
We got to the hostel around 1 am. Drunken 20-somethings packed the streets on their way out to clubs and bars to find soul mates, or maybe just a mate for the night. Among the crowded street was the hostel, completely postered up and geered for the young, hip crowd. We were just looking foward to sleep. But that was not in the cards. We finally managed our way inside when the night attendant told us that our room had been double-booked and proceeded to give us $10 for a cab to another, far away, hotel. We tiredly walked outside, made our way with our large backpacks and travel ware to the corner, hailed a cab just to be told that it was only a few blocks away and we could walk. Not what you want to do at 1:30 am. But we did it anyway, until I was tooo tired to face the 20 some-odd blocks it turned out to be! So we finally got into a cab and made it to our new hotel. Whew. The rest of the trip was far more enjoyable than our early morning stroll amongst the puke and hussy filled streets.
We met up with Jackie and Josh the next afternoon and headed out in search of a belt for Jack and a dress for me. Obviously with so little packing room we had not planned for a nice night out with friends. That night we were going to a fancy dinner on a train that toured the city, called "Meals on Wheels." Our attire of fast drying clothes and Keen sandals would not have done. So we went to Target! I couldn't believe they had Targets here, but thanks to globalization, they did. After a successful shopping trip, we headed to the Melbourne Gaol (that's Jail in the USA).
The gaol was fascinating. I learned about Ned Kelley and all the unfortunate people who had to spend time there, any amount of time. Unfortunately none of the four of us remembered to bring a camera; so as they treated us all like convicts, making us form lines and putting us in the holding cells that they used until the 1990s, we have no proof of it. In the beginning however, the police officer looked at us all and picked a person to role play who looked like he/she would never be in a jail. That person was me. I just look that innocent. (Don't laugh.) We each got a card with our crime on it, mine was larson with the intent to kill, Jack's was indecent exposure! It was all in good fun.
That night we got all dressed up and headed to dinner. And although my shoes garnered a "nice 'fancy' shoes Joyce" from Jackie, they had to do. It was great to spend time with Jackie and Josh, getting to know him better especially as the night wore on. We went to the casino afterwards, just to drink and watch the ridiculous Christmas show. It was a good night.
We got up fairly early the next morning. Thanks to Josh and Jackie, who went to pick up the rental car, we got to sleep in later. Then we all headed to the Great Ocean Road. We saw beautiful passages, like Route 1 in California, and the 12 Apostles, but most importantly we saw koalas in the eucalyptus trees. They were adorable. And its completely true that you want to hug them on site, but the ones that don't grow up in petting zoos really aren't friendly.
The next two days were spent visiting all the Melbourne sites: the skytower, the museum, the aquarium, an Anglican cathedral and walked all over. It was a lot of fun. On the 19th we said our goodbyes and were off to Sydney.
In retrospect, I think I liked Melbourne most out of our Aussie city adventures. It certainly was nice, with milder temps than the rest. Even though the Great Ocean Road was a fly haven (flies literally swarmed us as we got out of the car to see the sites) the city was quaint. I think Jackie and Josh's decision to move from the tropics down that way is a great one! Hopefully you'll get lots of visitors in a couple of years, Jacks.
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