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.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
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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