Well I am in Chiang Mai, as I was my last post, but I have had a wonderful couples days to fill the gap. So wonderful that I forgot to post more items for reading. Anyways we decided we were going to rent motorcycles and drive to Pai, a small sleepy town of about 3000 in Northern Thailand pretty close to the border of Myanmar (Burma.) We did this, and without a map or anything followed a help[ers pointing finger and were able to find our way to Pai. The journey of about 140 kilometers included over 640 curves from what I read, and I really agree after having made the trip there and back. Driving a motorcycle is now second nature, even in the urban areas of Chiang Mai, and Thailand in general where you drive on the left hand side. On our way to Pai we were stopped by a military outpost 30k from Pai because of a strike by the garlic and onion farmers against the government. We were told the strike would last for multiple days and we were briefly confused as to our next course of action. Supposedly the strike had completely blockaded the road until the Thai government agreed to raise the raw price of garlic and onions so that the farmers could make more money.
Whaty we decided was to make friends with a cool Thai dude named Mammut, and he talked to the guards who agreed to let us try our best with the locals. We cruised down a mountain for about 25k to where the protest was and were able to drive right by it. There were about 100 cara and vans backed up though so motorcycles were the perfect choice to reach our destination. The road block was equipped by one large tree and about 1000 people that we were able to ride around.
Long story short Pai was near perfection. Imagine a lush mountain valley with more hospitable temperatures thatn I have experienced anywhere in the tropics. Couple that with a small town, many hippie-esque folk, cheap private bungalows with mosquito nets, and the nighttime sounds of geckos, crickets, other insects, iguanas and lizards, and frogs, a comfortable pool, cheap everything, and you have a combination for relaxation. I entered such a relaxed state that I only chilled in the pool, went to waterfalls in the mountains, read books, and ate delicious food for really few dollars.
We have now begun our trek back to the states with the first stage of driving the bikes back to Chiang Mai complete. We rode into the city and found our way around like it was our job. Keep in mind that Chiang Mai is not tiny with a population of aboue 3 million. Tonight we are taking an overnight bus to Bangkok, then flying from Bangkok to Manila, staying in Manila for an extended layover, then flying Manila to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to New York City, and then NYC to Washington D.C., and then overland to Harrisonburg Virginia. Thanks everyone for reading , the bulk of the adventure is now drawing to a close, but stay tuned for a butt-ton of pictures, and a follow up of my adventures once I get to the states and have much time and energy to put into the posts.
see you soon!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Chiang Mai
Well first off sorry because I have been spelling Chiang Mai wrong. Not that the English spelling matters much, but oh well.
The rest of our time in Cambodia was awesome, I will try to post pictures tomorrow if I can. I am back in Thailand now after a 3 hour taxi to the border, 5 hour bus to Bangkok, and 15 hour bus to Chiang Mai on a sick double decker. Chiang Mai is located in northern Thailand in the mountains and is really a cool place, it is nice to not be in Bangkok and to be getting a more authentic experience in some ways. It is still a heavily traveled spot so we decided to take a 3 day motorcycle trip through the mountains with no partiular goal in mind. We will proabaly go to the town of Pai which is much smaller and much higher elevation for a break from such hot weather all the time.
It is already noticably cooler than Cambodia though which is thrilling to me as I really enjoy colder temperatures especially for sleeping.
Two notes:
I got to explore ruins from over 10 major temples dating back to the 9th-12 centuries. All are in different shape, some have giant trees growing out of them, some are constantly preserved.
I got a meal during our bus ride last night after leaving the bus station that has 3 food courts and 3 stories with over 300 bus terminals. Anyways i got the food on a stop and it was Thai spicy which meant that my tongue actually became swollen it was so spicy hot.
The rest of our time in Cambodia was awesome, I will try to post pictures tomorrow if I can. I am back in Thailand now after a 3 hour taxi to the border, 5 hour bus to Bangkok, and 15 hour bus to Chiang Mai on a sick double decker. Chiang Mai is located in northern Thailand in the mountains and is really a cool place, it is nice to not be in Bangkok and to be getting a more authentic experience in some ways. It is still a heavily traveled spot so we decided to take a 3 day motorcycle trip through the mountains with no partiular goal in mind. We will proabaly go to the town of Pai which is much smaller and much higher elevation for a break from such hot weather all the time.
It is already noticably cooler than Cambodia though which is thrilling to me as I really enjoy colder temperatures especially for sleeping.
Two notes:
I got to explore ruins from over 10 major temples dating back to the 9th-12 centuries. All are in different shape, some have giant trees growing out of them, some are constantly preserved.
I got a meal during our bus ride last night after leaving the bus station that has 3 food courts and 3 stories with over 300 bus terminals. Anyways i got the food on a stop and it was Thai spicy which meant that my tongue actually became swollen it was so spicy hot.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Cambodia
Well a lot has been happening and I wanted to write some about Cambodia.
First off, I love everything about Cambodia so far, except the searing heat. It is 100 degrees today in Siem Reap, and it is noticeably cooler than yesterday. Today we rented Tuk-tuks for the day to be our private transportation for wherever our hearts desired. We started early this morning to catch sun-rise over Angkor Wat, and it was perfect. We then went and explored other temples until about 12 and also visited the War Museum where we met one of the most incredible people I have met thus far in my travels.
Angkor means city, and after Angkor Wat we drove over a bridge built in the 11th century, and under the city gate which stood about 50 feet high, to our second stop at Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is home to Bayon which is a Buddhist temple with giant faces looking every which way. I am continually more blown away with each new thing I see. It is like a direct window into the past, when you visit places like these your imagination runs wild and creates thoughts and images of what life must have been like over 1000 years ago when these were being built.
The man I met today provided a very sobering experience. It is easy to forget and ignore the history of Cambodia when you are seeing temples, but in 1999 it was unsafe to travel to Cambodia because they were still in a civil war. Cambodia was in a constant state of war for over thirty years. Without going into too much detail the Khmer Rouge executed a genocide responsible for killing over 3 million people. Sadly the Khmer Rouge was supported by the United States at one point. Resulting from the war Cambodia was still littered with land mines, there were more than two land mines to every Cambodian.
The story is very tragic. The man will remain nameless for privacy's sake. When he was ten the Khmer Rouge killed his entire family and he narrowly escaped. Parents, siblings, everyone. He was captured at the age of ten by the Khmer Rouge and was forced to fight for them. He was shot three times through over 5 years of battle. He also has stepped on a land-mine that claimed his right leg just above the knee, and filled his body with ball bearings. He let me feel some of the ball bearings and I can not imagine the pain that would cause. He even has a ball bearing in his right eye, and he suffers from severe tetanus on occasion.
Later down the line after he had healed from his wounds, his wife was killed when she stepped on a landmine. He now lives with an 8 year old daughter. Despite all the tragedy the man treated us so well, and his kindness was overwhelming. He would make jokes and was just genuinely a kind-hearted person. You can not go anywhere in Cambodia without seeing land-mine victims, and there are still over 4 million active landmines yet to be found. It really illuminates how good we have it back home.
I tried to put pictures up but the worker here is watching internet t.v. and my connection is way too slow as a result. Hope everyone is doing well.
First off, I love everything about Cambodia so far, except the searing heat. It is 100 degrees today in Siem Reap, and it is noticeably cooler than yesterday. Today we rented Tuk-tuks for the day to be our private transportation for wherever our hearts desired. We started early this morning to catch sun-rise over Angkor Wat, and it was perfect. We then went and explored other temples until about 12 and also visited the War Museum where we met one of the most incredible people I have met thus far in my travels.
Angkor means city, and after Angkor Wat we drove over a bridge built in the 11th century, and under the city gate which stood about 50 feet high, to our second stop at Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is home to Bayon which is a Buddhist temple with giant faces looking every which way. I am continually more blown away with each new thing I see. It is like a direct window into the past, when you visit places like these your imagination runs wild and creates thoughts and images of what life must have been like over 1000 years ago when these were being built.
The man I met today provided a very sobering experience. It is easy to forget and ignore the history of Cambodia when you are seeing temples, but in 1999 it was unsafe to travel to Cambodia because they were still in a civil war. Cambodia was in a constant state of war for over thirty years. Without going into too much detail the Khmer Rouge executed a genocide responsible for killing over 3 million people. Sadly the Khmer Rouge was supported by the United States at one point. Resulting from the war Cambodia was still littered with land mines, there were more than two land mines to every Cambodian.
The story is very tragic. The man will remain nameless for privacy's sake. When he was ten the Khmer Rouge killed his entire family and he narrowly escaped. Parents, siblings, everyone. He was captured at the age of ten by the Khmer Rouge and was forced to fight for them. He was shot three times through over 5 years of battle. He also has stepped on a land-mine that claimed his right leg just above the knee, and filled his body with ball bearings. He let me feel some of the ball bearings and I can not imagine the pain that would cause. He even has a ball bearing in his right eye, and he suffers from severe tetanus on occasion.
Later down the line after he had healed from his wounds, his wife was killed when she stepped on a landmine. He now lives with an 8 year old daughter. Despite all the tragedy the man treated us so well, and his kindness was overwhelming. He would make jokes and was just genuinely a kind-hearted person. You can not go anywhere in Cambodia without seeing land-mine victims, and there are still over 4 million active landmines yet to be found. It really illuminates how good we have it back home.
I tried to put pictures up but the worker here is watching internet t.v. and my connection is way too slow as a result. Hope everyone is doing well.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Angkor Wat
Here are some pictures from today. We rented bikes for a dollar and rode the 8 miles to Angkor Wat. I am not even going to touch on Angkor because I am still digesting the majesty of the place. also my fluency in any language, including my native tongue of English, lacks any accurate words of description.
Highlights:
Got owned in Thailand and had to buy another memory card.
Travling to Cambodia was nuts!
Have used 4 currencies in the past 4-5 days.
Rode bikes around in the HEAT of Siem Reap today.
Gained confidence in my traveling abilities.
Realized after finally reaching a breaking point in the number of people bugging the hell out of me to sell me stupid crap, that I love life in the states, but I also live that my citizenship allows me this freedom to travel.
Lowlight:
The Pens lost
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Three Countries in Three Days
Sorry about the eratic post last night, internet is more expensive in Bangkok than what I hae experienced thus-far on this trip. Today we woke up early and took a taxi to the bus station, a bus to Aranyaprathet, Thailand, took a tuk-tuk to the border and walked into the Kingdom of Cambodia into Poipet. We then got another taxi for a three hours ride through lands that seemed to exist only in my imagination. The road was a giant mud pit for over 150 kilometers. Our taxi was airborne, sliding around corners, narrowly avoiding herds of water buffalo and caribou, and playing a game of "honk-tag"with other taxis. The honk-tag games forced our navigator to giggle wildly and hit jumps even faster than normal. Even with some of the desolate areas I have traveled to, including gravel mountain roads in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, this is the worst infrastructure I have ever witnessed.
Alas we arrived safely in Siem Reap, Cambodia home to temples that date back to the 9th century. We are staying in a room that costs $3 a night, beer is $.65 a pitcher, Obama won the democratic nomination, the Penguins won in triple overtime to bring the Red Wings series to a 3-2 deficit, and T and JC are in Wyoming on their bike ride across the country. Life is wonderfully great right now and tomorrow I get to see some of the best preserved, oldest ruins in the world.
I hope everyone is doing well in the States, Vote Obama, Go Pens, and here is a link fo JC and T's blog: http://manifestdestiny08.blogspot.com/
I will try my best to post some pictures tomorrow!
Alas we arrived safely in Siem Reap, Cambodia home to temples that date back to the 9th century. We are staying in a room that costs $3 a night, beer is $.65 a pitcher, Obama won the democratic nomination, the Penguins won in triple overtime to bring the Red Wings series to a 3-2 deficit, and T and JC are in Wyoming on their bike ride across the country. Life is wonderfully great right now and tomorrow I get to see some of the best preserved, oldest ruins in the world.
I hope everyone is doing well in the States, Vote Obama, Go Pens, and here is a link fo JC and T's blog: http://manifestdestiny08.blogspot.com/
I will try my best to post some pictures tomorrow!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Bangkok
Well we got into Bangkok last night aroud 2 in the morning. The place we picked is called Thanon Khao San and the street we are staying on is a festival every day and night...from my experience. Ther are a lot of western Europeans here so it is weird not being the only white person here. We still get solicited a ton, but it is not as bad as Manila. Bangkok seems to be more expensive than the Philippines, but we are planning to go to Siam Reap , Cambodia tomorrow to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Angkor Wat. Today we visited the Thai Palace where the king lives, and experienced Bangkok on foot.
I have tried to post pictured bute the internet in Thailand is terrible. We are taking a bus to Cambodia tomorrow to go to Siam Reap to visit Angkor Wat!!!
I have tried to post pictured bute the internet in Thailand is terrible. We are taking a bus to Cambodia tomorrow to go to Siam Reap to visit Angkor Wat!!!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Welcome to Bangkok
Well I arrived in Bangkok last night and there are some differences I noticed already:
You drive on the left side of the road, and thus the steering wheels are on the right
Thai makes me feel silly because not only can I not speak it, I also cannot read it
Buddhism is the main religion and I have never experienced that before either
Our waiter last night spilled my beer onto three people, still made me pay for it, and refused to refill it. In the states this would have meant a free meal, gas money, and gift certificates hahaha. Welcome to Bangkok what can you do.
I got some pad Thai from a street vendor last night and forgot that Thai food is REALLY SPICY
Eating with chopsticks is fun though.
Three minutes left I will try to post a picture from Boracay, Philippines real quick! Crap no time!!!!
You drive on the left side of the road, and thus the steering wheels are on the right
Thai makes me feel silly because not only can I not speak it, I also cannot read it
Buddhism is the main religion and I have never experienced that before either
Our waiter last night spilled my beer onto three people, still made me pay for it, and refused to refill it. In the states this would have meant a free meal, gas money, and gift certificates hahaha. Welcome to Bangkok what can you do.
I got some pad Thai from a street vendor last night and forgot that Thai food is REALLY SPICY
Eating with chopsticks is fun though.
Three minutes left I will try to post a picture from Boracay, Philippines real quick! Crap no time!!!!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Time to be moving on
Well the rest of our time on Boracay was awesome, and our program has finally come to an end. The scuba diving was great, and the shark dive was much more tame than what occurred in my mother's imgaination. Hi mom! We still had a great dive and got to see some incredible aquatic life including sharks, 3 feet long tuna, and a 9 foot long seasnake. The sharks were mostly relaxing in this small cave that we got to look into. You could see 1-2 meter white-tips many of which seemed to be sleeping and some that continued to swim back and forth inside the cave. The dive took us to 40 meters also so it was a great confidence builder. Oh yeah here is a link to a video one of the dive guys shot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qked0l29A18
Disclaimer: The videographer is sort of a perv so sorry about the European sunbather. Funny note about that, notice her child on the seat to her left!
Anyways many of our friends are now on their way back to the states, and I am preparing to fly to Bangkok tonight. It is sad that the program is over, but I am excited to so some traveling on my own. The study abroad far exceeded any expectations and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents and Natalie for their love and support of not only myself but my ideas.
Some places we are thinking about including in our future travels include: floating markets of Bangkok, Phnom Penh: Cambodia, Angkor Wat, Chang Mai: Thailand, possibly a stop in Laos, and maybe even a visit to a Burmese refugee camp in Northern Thailand. Our itenary is very agressive so it wil be exciting to see how our options play out.
Disclaimer: The videographer is sort of a perv so sorry about the European sunbather. Funny note about that, notice her child on the seat to her left!
Anyways many of our friends are now on their way back to the states, and I am preparing to fly to Bangkok tonight. It is sad that the program is over, but I am excited to so some traveling on my own. The study abroad far exceeded any expectations and I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents and Natalie for their love and support of not only myself but my ideas.
Some places we are thinking about including in our future travels include: floating markets of Bangkok, Phnom Penh: Cambodia, Angkor Wat, Chang Mai: Thailand, possibly a stop in Laos, and maybe even a visit to a Burmese refugee camp in Northern Thailand. Our itenary is very agressive so it wil be exciting to see how our options play out.
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