TravelStream™ news feed for member april-b on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/april-b en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:16:58 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/2/1199475900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/2/1199475900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/2/1199475900/tpod.html Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:16:58 -0500 Big Bend New Year's 2007

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Marathon, Texas, United States

This New Year's, Kelly and I decided to try out all the new gear we gave each other for Christmas.  So, we loaded the car with everything we could possibly want or need and set out Friday afternoon after work, headed for Big Bend National Park in far west Texas on the Mexico border. We drove 6 hours to Fort Stockton, Texas, where we spent the night at a Best Western.  On the way, we stopped for dinner in Junction, Texas, at an absolute gem of a restaurant-- Isaacks.  As we entered, I counted nine deer heads, two mountain goats, and a javelina mounted on the walls.  Nice.  The restaurant was hoppin', and we were clearly the only out-of-towners in the joint.  Every single person in the place from babies to grandma was dressed in camo.  Most of the women were wearing high-fashion camo, but the men and children had clearly come straight from the field and were decked out head to toe.  For dinner, I ordered chicken fried steak with fries and slaw.  My dinner came with a trip to the salad bar and dessert as well.  Kelly ordered catfish, fries, and pinto beans, along with the salad and dessert.  Everything on our plates was made from scratch, hot, fresh, and tasty.  Homemade chocolate chip cookies rounded out our feast, and the bill, with tip, was less than 15 bucks.Next morning, we set out early, headed south to the park entrance.  We paid the 20 dollar entrance fee and continued about half an hour to the visitor's center.  Here, we sat down with a very nice ranger who told us our options for camping in the High Chisos Mountains and helped us pick sites where we would spend the next three nights.  We spent the next hour or so packing our backpacks, choosing our meals, and deciding what gear to take and what to leave behind.  Because New Year's is the busiest time at the park, we did not know beforehand whether we would be car camping, primitive camping, or backpacking, and we had brought along options for everything.  Therefore, actually packing up our stuff took much longer than it otherwise would have.  Anyway, after lunch, we set off up the trail. PHOTO_ID_R=setting-off--heading-towards-emory-peak.jpg  That first day, we only had to hike 3.7 miles.  However, it was an unrelenting uphill climb, and each of us were carrying 12 liters of water on top of all our other gear.  Kelly claimed it as one of the harder hikes he's ever done, although maybe he said that just to make me feel better.  I did not fare so well on that hike.  PHOTO_ID_R=ready-to-quit.jpg  We left the trailhead at 2:00 and arrived at our campsite at 5:15--just over 3 hours to go less than 4 miles.  YEOOW.  3 miles into that hike, I was halfway between tossing my pack over the side of the canyon or simply throwing a temper tantrum worthy of a two-year old.  Kelly kept up a constant stream of encouragement to get me to our campsite.  We arrived blistered, exhausted, and proud of ourselves.After a quick dinner of couscous and salmon from the pouch, we turned in.  I was planning to read for awhile, but holding a paperback was more than I could handle at that point.  I turned off the light at 7:35 pm.  By 7:38, Kelly was snoring deeply.  PHOTO_ID_L=babyx-itxs-cold-outsidex.jpg&a mp;n bsp; We slept until 8:30 the next morning, giving the sun plenty of time to rise over the canyon wall and warm up our meadow to the low 30's.  We emerged from the tent to find ourselves surrounded by birds and deer.   PHOTO_ID_R=mama-and-baby-in-our-campsite.jpgA doe and fawn stayed in our campsite all morning, watched over by a 6 point buck who made his presence known but didn't come so close as mama and baby.  After we ate our own breakfast of grits, scrambled eggs, prosciutto, and cheese, we set off on a dayhike.  Thank the good Lord, we did not have to carry our packs that day since we had chosen to spend two nights in Laguna Meadow.        We hiked up to the Southwest Rim to amazing views of the Sierra del Carmens in Mexico.  We could barely see the Rio Grande snaking its way through the canyons below, and the blue, blue sky and warm sun made this a wonderful, thrilling hike.  We stopped for lunch (salami, cheese, crackers, apples, Snickers) and continued our hike.  That day, we covered 8.8 miles, following the rim of the canyon with desert views, mountain views, and deep views into the canyons.  We arrived back in our campsite in time for some reading in the meadow until the sun went down.  For dinner that night, we did red beans and rice.  Once the sun set, the temperature dropped rapidly, and again, we hit the hay by 6:45.  Next day, we broke camp, packed up the backpacks, and headed for the next site.  We had used our water heavily, and carrying it this time was not nearly so painful (especially for me, since we had used ALL my water first before breaking into Kelly's stash).  The third day's hike was 2 miles uphill, and then 4-5 downhill through Boot Canyon.  It was an even prettier hike than the day before, although the views were not so sweeping.  We took our time, stopping to take pictures, watch deer and birds, eat lunch, etc.  We arrived at the 3rd night's campsite at 2 in the afternoon.  After pitching the tent, I suggested we hike back down to the trailhead to enjoy a nice New Year's Eve dinner in the lodge restaurant.  We guessed that the trailhead was only a half mile or so downhill, so it would be relatively easy to walk down there and then back up again at night using our headlamps.  Stupid, stupid me.  45 minutes into a very steep, downhill walk, we arrived at the trailhead only to learn that a mountain lion had been spotted on that trail a bit earlier, and they advised hikers not to hike in late evening.  We stayed long enough for Kelly to buy a New Year's beer and then turned around to hike back up the very steep, now uphill trail.  It was getting dark and cold, Kelly was worried about the cat, and we were both hungry.  We made very good time.  Our New Year's Eve celebration was limited to ramen noodles for me, instant potatoes for Kelly, a toast with the Shiner Kelly had bought at the trailhead, and a New Year's kiss at 8:00 before we both fell asleep.    We hiked out the next morning in the coldest temperatures yet, made a beeline for the restaurant for celebratory cheeseburgers and an ice cream sundae, and then hit the road back to Austin.  We drove through Sanderson, Texas, where No Country for Old Men was filmed, and stopped for dinner at a fantastic Mexican restaurant in San Antonio.  Overall, it was an exhausting, amazing trip, and we had a wonderful time.  I had no idea Big Bend was so spectacular.  I really enjoyed seeing Kelly the Outdoorsman in full swing.  He's very accomplished and competent, and I felt I was in very good hands.  We're already talking about how soon we can get out there again.  Anyone wanna go?
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1191056280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1191056280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1191056280/tpod.html Sat, 29 Sep 2007 05:34:12 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Panglao Island, Philippines

After a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to the Philippines, we spent a few days with Kelly's good friend from college who has been teaching Spanish for six years at an international school in Manila.  The charms of Manila are few and far between, and I admit it took a few days for the Philippines to work its magic on us.  However, now that we've been here for a week, I think it's safe to say that the Philippines is probably our second favorite country after Vietnam.  After a couple of days in Manila, we took a bus to Batangas City, a port city about 2 hours south of Manila.  From there, we piled our selves and our two backpacks into the sidecar of a tiny Kawasaki motorbike for an hour and a half ride to our dive resort.  Sidenote to our mothers: we are safe, the motorbike went very slowly, and we promise never to do it again.  It was the ride from hell, though.  We tied handkerchiefs over our faces to cut the exhaust fumes we were breathing in, and I think the poor driver was ready to leave us on the side of the road after half an hour.  The bike wouldn't go uphill with all of us on it, so Kelly had to get out and walk uphill every time we got stuck.  The first resort we chose was closed for the season, it was getting dark, the motorbike was seconds away from exploding, and we felt a little desperate.  We ended up staying at a very nice, though way overpriced resort with a private beach and very nice beachfront cottages.  We were the only guests of the resort and had a staff of about 12 at our service.  Every time we emerged from the room, a little signal would travel from staff member to staff member that we were coming.  It was kind of crazy.  At that resort, we did two dives--both times just the two of us and the divemaster.  These were only my 5th and 6th dives and the first real ones outside my certification dives.  The visibility was incredible and the variety of corals and fish amazing.  However, I am in dire need of learning fish species and can't tell you what we saw.  From the resort, we went back to Manila for the night and then caught an early flight to the island of Bohol.  Here, we rented an apartment with a kitchen, which has been wonderful.  Yesterday we did two wall dives--both amazing dives.  Scorpionfish, parrotfish, clown fish, hard and soft corals, elephant ear corals, etc.  Last night after the dives, we went to the mall.  Yes, the mall.  Our taxi driver was named Ginger, and he asked if we had been to the Chocolate Hills yet.  We said no, but we were interested.  He said his brother Jimmy has a minivan and could drive us there for the day.  Great.  So this morning, Ginger and Jimmy showed up at the apartment, and we piled into Jimmy's van for a daytrip.  Turns out Jimmy was a truly terrific tour guide.We started out at the Chocolate Hills, the most famous site in Bohol.  They look like a series of huge Hershey's Kisses that stretch into the horizon as far as you can see.  Dark brown in the summer, they were pretty green when we saw them.  From there, we made a series of stops with Jimmy telling us the history of the island, Magellan's exploration and conquering of the Philippines by the Spanish, the cultivation and farming techniques for rice, the history of the Catholic Church in Bohol, etc.  He was a fount of knowledge and a wonderfully friendly fellow.  He took us to the oldest church in Bohol (1596), a butterfly farm, a tarsier sanctuary (the smallest primate in the world--SO cute), a suspension bridge made of bamboo, and a really beautiful beach.For lunch, Jimmy suggested we take a river cruise along the Loboc River.  It looked like a total tourist trap, but we were game.  Jimmy did not come with us.  We boarded a boat with a buffet lunch set up.  It was full of tourists, but our best guess is that almost all of them were Filippino tourists with perhaps some Koreans on board as well.  The buffet lunch was a feeding frenzy with everyone descending on the table, grabbing food from the dishes, eating as they went, no line, no order.  It was scary.  I think we must have looked completely overwhelmed because Jimmy saw us from shore, boarded the boat, procured plates and forks and Sprites for us from somewhere, sat us down, and told us to wait for the frenzy to clear and they would restock the food.  Now, an all-you-can-eat Filoppino buffet is just not an appealing thing.  The food here is remarkably bad.  However, we got some rice and meat on a stick and bananas, and we were set.  The boat traveled about 15 minutes downstream to a waterfall, turned around and came back.  Along the way, we stopped at a floating platform where about 30 children were playing ukeleles and singing their hearts out.  We stopped for pictures, including an obligatory shot of Kelly and me sitting with the kids, pretending to play our very own ukeleles.  Great shot!On the way back, a guy with a guitar started singing and playing.  Pretty soon the entire boat was singing, banging on tables, and dancing.  We rocked out to several Filippino songs as well as Rock Around the Clock and La Bamba.  However, the guy truly brought the house down with Leavin' on a Jet Plane.  Imagine, if you will, the two of us on a river in the middle of an island in the Philippines, surrounded by Filippino tourists, singing Leavin' on a Jet Plane at the top of our lungs.  Ah, John Denver, uniting the world one soulful ballad at a time.  The boat docked, and we formed a conga line, dancing our way off to a rousing version of Day-O!  Yes, it was the most cheezy tourist thing we've done, and we loved every second of it.   Right now, we're in the tail end of a typhoon that is hitting Manila.  I imagine we'll head to the beach for some fish and rice for dinner.  Tomorrow, we have two more dives scheduled.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  Hope everyone is well.  Let us know how you are.  And we are looking forward to coming home in one week!      
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1190288580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1190288580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1190288580/tpod.html Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:40:01 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated.  Let's see...last y'all heard we were in Luang Prabang, washing up from my little impromptu swim.  Unfortunately, the day after, we were both hit with a fierce case of food poisoning from some bad spring rolls and spent the last day in Laos unable to leave the hotel room.  Bleh.After a flight to Hanoi, we checked into a completely wonderful, brand new guesthouse run by some of the friendliest folks I"ve ever met.  They treated us like rock stars from the moment we stepped out of the cab.  If anyone is planning a trip to Vietnam, Queen of Heart Hotel in the Old Quarter.  Anyway, we were both still a little weak on our feet, but we set off to explore the Old Quarter of Hanoi.  Quite simply, within a few hours, Hanoi won our hearts and took its place as our favorite city on the trip so far.  The architecture of the Old Quarter is French colonial and the city has remained much the same since the days of French rule.  It's beautiful: crumbling, brightly colored, multi-story buildings that sort of tumble in on each other and down into the street.  The streets are narrow, twisty, and jam-packed.  If you multiplied the streets of New York City by 3, you have a sense of the go-go-go of Hanoi.  We didn't have much of a destination in mind.  We simply wandered, letting the life of the city wash over us.  It's a writhing, chaotic, wonderful mess.  People crammed the sidewalks, sitting on tiny plastic stools, sipping beer and slirping noodle soups.  Vendors wound their way through the traffic and the people, selling everything from balloons to pirated guidebooks to fruit.  Many of them wore the traditional conical bamboo hats and carried their wares in baskets hung from a pole slung across their shoulders.And everywhere, everywhere roared motorbikes.  It's the main source of transportation, and we have passed our time in restaurants the last few days by staring out the windows to identify things carried on the back of motorbikes.  Families of five with a baby or two strapped in the front and a toddler standing between his mothers's legs and holding onto his father's shoulders is a typical sight.  We have seen furniture, fruit, barrels, baskets stacked 8 feet high, live animals, dead animals, a weeks worth of grocery shopping in plastic bags hanging off the bike every which way, metal rods, brooms, etc. etc. as these bikes roar down the road, driver carefully weaving, dodging, and honking his way to his destination.I had been  warned by friends before leaving on this trip of the proper way to cross the street in Vietnam.  There are no traffic signals, and the traffic does not ease up.  Therefore, the only way to cross the street is to simply start walking.  "Whatever you do, don't stop walking or they'll hit you," my friend warned me.  With her advice in hand, we observed the locals.  Sure enough, they don't break stride, setting a slow steady pace that allows the drivers to gauge how fast they're walking and dodge around them.  My thought process every time we have to cross a street is something akin to: "Keep walking. Slow and steady. Keep going. Praise to Buddha and Help me, Baby Jesus.  Don't stop.  OOOOO. Sh@t! That was close..... Made it! PHEW!"After another day exploring the sights in Hanoi, we booked a two day, one night cruise to Halong Bay.  Halong Bay is about 3 hours from Hanoi and a spectacular emerald green bay filled with limestone formations called karsts that jut out of the water, forming 4000 tiny islands.  It's worth googling to see pictures; it's one of the most beautiful natural sights I've ever seen.  Anyway, it ended up being only 6 of us on a really nice boat with about 8 staff and crew members looking after us.  The other passengers were two British girls and an older couple from Australia.  We all got along quite well and had a wonderful time.  We kayaked through the bay past fishing boats and other cruisers and through a small cave into a gorgeous, isolated cove.  Hawks soared overhead, and we could hear their nestlings chirping high above.  After kayaking, we went for a swim, had a huge dinner, and all six of us fell asleep quite early, disappointing the staff when we turned down karaoke.  Oh well.  The staff on the boat were funny.  They were very nice, but their English was limited.  Therefore, everything came out as a command.  "Now you will kayak for one hour!" "Now you will eat 4 course dinner!"  "Tomorrow you will eat breakfast at 8 o'clock!"  They split us up into two tables, one that sat 4 and one that sat 2.  We were never sure why they couldn't give us 3 tables for each or 1 big table for everyone.  But we confused them thoroughly by having each couple sit at a different table for every meal.  Our tour guide, Sinh, was quite upset by it. "I think you don't do this..." he told us.  "No, no it's fine, " we assured him. That way all of us got to eat together at least once.  We returned from our cruise in time to pick up some clothes we had tailored before we left.  I had a dress and suit made, and Kelly had a suit made.  It was a fun experience and ridiculously cheap.  Then we hit the airport again from the 2 hour trip to Ho Chi Minh City.  Unfortunately, our flight was delayed, and we ended up arriving at our guesthouse last night at 2 o'clock in the morning.  We had to wake up the poor deskboy to check in, and we ended up sleeping in this morning instead of getting an early start on our tour here.  Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) was a very pleasant surprise.  It's a city of 6 million and seems to be a destination for Vietnamese as much as it is for tourists.  All day as we toured, we saw many, many Vietnamese school groups and young people visiting the same sights.  Rebuilt after the war, it's a modern city of skyscrapers and concrete.  But it's also a city of green spaces and wide sidewalks and lots of money.  The people here are very fashionable, very sophisticated.  We had a truly terrific day today.  After a splendid 4 course lunch at a restaurant run by a charity that pulls in street kids and gives them extensive training in restaurant and kitchen management, we went to the War Remnants Museum.  It was a haunting, chilling place--mostly pictures documenting the Vietnam War and the contributing factors that led to it.  The museum assigned no blame (except it was very Anti-French) and treated American soldiers and casualties with as much grace and empathy as it did Vietnamese victims.  As I sat outside decompressing from the experience, I watched people coming and going.  Many stopped for pictures in front of a US Army helicopter that is on the grounds.  As I watched, several Americans posed--all very serious.  Several Vietnamese also posed--2 girls in traditional dress and a high school aged group.  Both groups flashed peace signs and big smiles for the camera.  Their hopes and expectations for peace around the world comforted me after the stark atrocities documented at the museum.  We were both in need of something familiar after the museum and decided on ice cream sundaes.  After our treat, we did a lot of shopping (we purchased a large new duffel bag to hold all the purchases made on this trip) and returned to the hotel.After almost a week in Vietnam, I can honestly say this is the only country on the trip so far that I want to return to.  Thailand and Laos were so overrun with European and Australian tourists and their attendant cheezy bars, cafes, and tacky souvenoir shops.  For the first time, we have escaped the hordes of Westerners and the begging and touting that accompanies them.  We have found our reception in Vietnam to be the warmest and most genuine on the trip.  The people are incredibly welcoming, friendly, eager to joke and quick to laugh with us.  The food is fantastic--the French may be hated over here, but they did leave a fine hallmark with the fresh baguettes, pastries, and appreciation of fine cuisine that have elevated eating here to a sheer delight.  And now, I've made myself hungry.  Time to go find some dinner.  Love to everyone and keep in touch.                
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1190079000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1190079000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1190079000/tpod.html Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:36:51 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Hanoi, Vietnam

This is a quick update as we are waiting for the minibus to pick us up for our cruise around Halong Bay.  I will update more fully later.  Hanoi is wonderful--easily our favorite city on the trip so far.  I posted 3 pictures to the blogs: the monk boys, Kelly giving food to the monks in Laos, and the Little General.  He wouldn't stand still long enough for me to get a non-blurry shot of him.  Uploading was SLOW, so I think more pics will have to wait until I get home.   
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189262580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189262580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189262580/tpod.html Sun, 16 Sep 2007 11:43:33 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Not much to report on Bangkok.  Loud, polluted, dirty, crowded, and chaotic, we were happy to leave after one day.  After a pleasant bus ride 7 hours north to Sukothai, Kelly and I checked into a lovely guest house with polished teak floors and walls and a pretty garden restaurant.  Sukothai was the ancient capitol of Thailand through the 15th century, and the ruins of the old city are spread throughout a historical park.  Early this morning, we rented bicycles and rode through the park, stopping to explore wats along the way.  The park is quite large and exploring the entire area by bike would probably take all day.  We did our best, but the heat was brutal, and we gave up after 4 hours.  Still, we managed to explore about half the park, which was nearly deserted, allowing us ample opportunity to play Explorer as we roamed the grounds.Rather than take a tuk tuk back to the city from the ruins, we opted for the town bus.  The "town bus" in Sukothai is actually a pick up truck with benches that run alongside each side of the truck bed.  I'm not sure if there are specific stops.  The driver seemed to stop for anyone who raised a hand and drop someone off whenever they yelled from the back.  We were the first to board the bus.  About 5 minutes later, 5 young monks joined us.  Two climbed in front with the driver, and the remaining three sat opposite us on the back benches.  Clad in their bright orange robes and wearing flip flops or bare feet, the boys ranged in age from about 9 to 12. All five had just purchased packages of cherry bombs.  Immediately, they engaged in a cherry bomb war, pelting each other, the road on either side of the truck, and several passersby. For about ten minutes, the boys laughed and smacked each other whenever one landed a particularly good hit on another with a cherry bomb.  However, one of them got annoyed and asked his buddies to quit.  Of course, his request simply egged them on, and they all 4 ganged up on him until he got angry and slid down the bench to sit at the opposite end of the bus.  One of his friends obviously felt bad and quickly moved to join him, stowing his cherry bombs inside his waist belt.  And so peace reigned for a few minutes.  Just when calm was restored, the bus was flagged down by a transvestite male.  She crossed the street toward the bus, and when the boys caught sight of her, the two on the end quickly moved back down to their original spots, giggling and jostling each other and making inappropriate comments, no doubt.  The arrival of our new passenger prompted the five to whispered consultation, the discussion being an obvious question as to whether they could pelt the newcomer with cherry bombs.  The young ringleader dared one cherry bomb at her feet, but she ignored him, and, somewhat disappointed, the boys returned to pelting each other.  As we continued toward town, we picked up and dropped off an assortment of locals, mostly students and old women.  Finally, we arrived back in the center of town, and Kelly and I disembarked.  THe young ringleader twisted around in his seat, waving merrily to us as the bus jostled away down the street.  It was, by far, the most fun I have ever had on a bus. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189758540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189758540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189758540/tpod.html Fri, 14 Sep 2007 05:06:03 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

This morning we decided to cross the river and do some hiking outside the city.  After paying a fisherman to ferry us across in his skiff, we entered a small village--the first place on the entire trip free of English billboards, pseudo-Irish pubs, touts calling for our business, and the ever-present roar of motorcycles.Rather, we entered the temple grounds and wandered about, enjoying the peace and quiet of the place.  Two young monk boys approached Kelly and gestured to him that they would unlock the doors of the wat for us.  We entered the dark, cool stillness of the shrine and simply sat on the floor, feet tucked under us, watching the incense swirl, and meditating on this trip and all it has meant so far.  We continued up the trail to another abandoned wat, located at the top of a long series of steep, winding steps.  Open to the elements and stripped of its former grandeur, this wat provided a gorgeous view of Luang Prabang across the river, and its decaying Buddha statue seemed to welcome us more so than other of the gilded beauties we have come across here. We snapped several pictures of the view and continued on our way.  Further up the trail, we were greeted by two boys, aged approximately 5 and 13.  They asked us if we wanted to visit the cave.  We paid them one dollar for the entrance fee, and they provided us with tickets and flashlights.  We followed them straight up the mountain a short distance to another abandoned temple, located deep inside a limestone cave.  The older of the boys unlocked the doors, and we followed them inside.  They provided us a rather spectacular tour, pointing out crumbling Buddha statues and natural limestone formations, stalactites, and stalagmites.  Deeper and deeper into the cave, they led us, not terribly far, but far enough that the beams of the three feeble flashlights they provided barely penetrated the pressing darkness.  The younger of the two boys was quite a character.  He was dressed in a tee shirt and jeans, ripped in several places in the back so that his behind peeked out with each step he took.  Wearing flip flops and carrying a ball of sticky rice in his hand, he negotiated the steep, slimy steps of the cave with ease, laughing at us as we slipped and stumbled our way down into the darkness.  He had the bearing of a little prince and the bossiness to go along with it.  When we paused to dig out our cameras, he impatiently called to us in Laotian to hurry up.  When he stopped to look at something in the cave and we passed him, he quickly called out, "Hello, hello."  When I turned to him, he made it quite apparent that HE was the leader, and I was to follow humbly behind.    As we exited the cave, he imperiously demanded, "LIGHT!"  I handed him my flashlight, and he repeated the order to Kelly.  Then he turned back and, with the air of a little general, held out his hand and said, "You tip!"  Kelly gave him and his brother a very small tip, which did not impress our imperious little host in the least.  He demanded "More!"   However, we had already paid them to enter the cave in the first place and were not about to be bossed around by a 5 year old.  He accepted his tip with good grace and led us back through the jungle, singing all the way.  When we reached the place where we had met them, he called out a ringing good-bye and headed back to his sticky rice.  As we neared the pier, another boy asked if we wanted a ride back across the river.  We paid him the same as we paid the fisherman this morning, and he ferried us back to the city.  As we approached the pier, another boat was blocking the access, and he pulled alongside it, indicating we should simply step out of his boat and across the other onto the shore.  As I stepped from the larger boat to the shore, the boat suddenly shot away from me, leaving me with one foot on shore and one foot on the boat, doing a split over the river.  I could not move in either direction, and the boat continued to push away from the shore, my legs splitting farther apart in either direction as it did so.  I yelled for Kelly to try to push the boat closer to shore, but he had no leverage.  "I'm going to push you," he yelled.  Despite my "No! No! Don't push," he gave me a tremendous push, expecting me to pirouette gracefully onto shore.  Of course, being me, I face planted into waist-deep Mekong mud.  I scrambled madly for shore, crawled onto the bank, and promptly burst into tears.  Kelly jumped onto shore and started apologizing profusely.  I wanted none of it, however, and stomped off toward the guest house in high dudgeon, flinging mud and curses the whole way.  Poor Kelly trailed behind in my wake, apologizing for all he was worth.  About halfway to the guest house, the ridiculousness of the whole situation hit me, and I started giggling and then laughing.  I'm sure the locals thought I was completely bonkers, the crazy American girl soaking wet, covered in mud, and laughing like a crazy person.  Luckily, everything survived.  My passport is a bit damp and crinkly, and I'll be wearing flip flops for a few days while my shoes dry, but all in all, it was a great day and a grand adventure. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189687200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189687200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189687200/tpod.html Thu, 13 Sep 2007 09:15:15 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Luang Prabang, Lao Peoples Dem Rep

We arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos, two days ago via a one hour flight from Chiang Mai.  The traditional way for backpackers to do the trip is a bumpy, cramped bus ride followed by a hot, crowded slowboat down the Mekong River, arriving two days later.  The cost difference was small between the boat and the flight, and our sanity is intact.  Moreover, Luang Prabang is every bit as beautiful as my friends who have been here assured me.  It's far more lovely than over-touristed Chiang Mai, with French colonial architecture and traditional Laotian wooden building blending together in a laid-back, somewhat crumbling, beautiful fashion.  Anyway, we arrived on a festival day and feared that finding a guest house would be difficult.  Stupidly, we accepted the first room we tried, a 5 dollar a night (and horrendously overpriced) rat trap of a room.  After not sleeping a wink that night, we arose before dawn to see the most famous sight in Luang Prabang: the daily procession of 500 or so barefoot monks who walk down from their monastaries all over town drum to collect alms for their daily meals.  The faithful of the city drop sticky rice and other foods into bowls carried by the monks who depend on the charity for their sustenance.  According to the guidebook, "this ancient tradition is not to be missed."Accordingly, we slipped quietly out of the guesthouse into the predawn and prepared to climb the guesthouse gate as we were locked inside...and were immediately accosted by a woman who wanted to sell us sticky rice and banana leaf packets to give the monks.  She simply would not be shaken off and stood at the guesthouse gate crying none too softly, "10,000...10,000" (one dollar).  Finally, to shut her up and keep the sleeping guests from coming after us, we gave her a dollar and took her food.  As the monks began to process down our street, a woman came up to Kelly, offered him a plate, and emptied the food we had bought onto it.  She balled the rice into small balls and put a ball on each banana leaf packet.  Then she gestured that he should follow her.  He followed her lead in placing the packets of food into each monk's bowl as they passed.  Soon he was joined by two other women who kept piling packets of food onto his plate.  He kept offering the food to each monk who passed, and I snapped away with my camera.  The ritual may be ancient and hallowed, but capitalism is alive and well in Luang Prabang.  The streets were lined with more tourists than worshippers, and the flashes of cameras (I turned my flash off) lit the street.  As soon as Kelly's plate was empty, the women immediately began asking for money.  This sticky rice mafia followed us up the street, pulling at our clothes, clutching our wrists, and just generally disrupting the zen of the moment.  Kelly paid them a buck apiece, and more than a little disgruntled, we went to find our breakfast.  As he grumped over breakfast, "I don't like hidden fees, whether it's cell phones or bank charges or women charging me to hand out food to monks!!"  I had to agree.  We would have been happy to pay for the privilege of participating, but their aggressive tactics of piling food on his plate even when he gestured repeatedly for them to stop ruined the beauty of the moment.  After breakfast, we left the fleabag guest house and checked into a beautiful guesthouse on the Mekong where for 11 dollars, we have a private bath, AC (woohoo!!), a TV, and a fridge.  We spent most of yesterday relaxing and recharging and watching CNN and terrible movies.  This morning we chartered a longboat for a two hour ride up the Mekong to the Pak Ou caves.  These caves have been used since the 8th century for religious ceremonies, dating back to nature worship when it was believed the caves were inhabited by a river god.  When Buddhism arrived in Laos, people began leaving Buddha statues in the caves, and today, they are filled with all shapes, sizes, and poses of Buddha.  The boat ride up the Mekong gave me the most real sense of how far away I am from home.  Laos is remote, decidedly so.  On the plane, we saw nothing but jungle.  No roads, no farms, no villages to break up the landscape.  As we rode up the river today, long stretches of time passed where we saw no sign of life whatsoever.  Occasionally, we passed wooden skiffs tied to the banks, a woman modestly draped in her sarong bathing, or far less modest naked young boys plunging from the tree tops into the river below.  Mostly though, the landscape was unbroken: emerald green mountains thrusting up from the milk chocolate of the river.  It's beautiful, and life here has a relaxed pace that is good for the soul.  Tomorrow, we plan on renting bicycles and riding out into the jungle to visit some abandoned temples.  I shall report on the outcome.  Thanks for all your comments and emails.  They mean the world to us when we're so far away. 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189418940/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189418940/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/april-b/seasia2007/1189418940/tpod.html Mon, 10 Sep 2007 06:43:13 -0400 Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines--Or How I Spent My Comp Time

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

After a great breakfast this morning (a bacon, egg, and cheese baguette sandwich and two cups of heart-poundingly strong coffee for Kelly and a big bowl of tropical fruit with yoghurt and muesli and a banana shake for me), we were picked up at the hotel by a young woman named Nice.  At the suggestion of our travel agent in Chiang Mai, we had signed up for a day long cooking class located on an organic farm about half an hour outside the city.  The two of us and a girl from Cameroon named Patricia set off in the back of Nice's pick up truck for a day of cooking five different Thai dishes.Our first stop was the market.  Cooking classes are a popular tourist attraction here, and I had read that the market tour portion of many of these classes was a let-down, consisting of a stop at a store where the shopkeeper pulls out a pre-arranged plate of rice and spices and gives a canned spiel.  No such prepackaging for us.  Rather, Nice drove 15 minutes outside the city to the morning market, about two blocks long and packed full of people doing their shopping for the day.  She showed us several different types of rice, spices, curry pastes (we would make our own an hour later), and sauces.  Then she set us free to wander while she did the shopping, purchasing all the ingredients we would need for our class.  We walked past rows and rows of fruits, vegetables, fish still wriggling in bamboo baskets, and pig's heads stacked high on tables.  Some women wielded large cleavers to dice chicken and pork for noodle soups, some men skinned melons and loaded them into plastic bags for easy sale, other men skinned fish, and old women piled heaps of steaming pad thai and other noodle dishes onto platters, all the while gossping and laughing.  We three were the only non-Thais in the entire market, and we reveled in the vibrant sights, colors, and even smells around us.  Surprisingly, given the amount of raw meat and fish, there was no odor in this market, and the smells emanating from the cooked food stalls set our mouths watering.  I'm sure it comes as no surprise to those of you who know me well that "going to the grocery store" was the highlight of my trip thus far.  After we left the market, we continued half an hour through residential areas and farmland to Nice's family's organic farm.  There, they grow mostly vegetables and herbs, enough to support themselves, but not enough for sale.  We donned wide-brimmed straw hats, and Nice took us through the garden, showing us the herbs and vegetables we would be using throughout the day.  We then entered the open-air kitchen to make our first dish of the day: green curry chicken.  After chopping green chilis, coriander, garlic, shallots, and various spices, we used a mortar and pestle until we achieved a smooth paste.  We added the paste to coconut milk and cooked chicken, eggplant, and onion until tender and delicious.  Since Kelly and I both took the class, we thought it would make sense to make two different entrees.  Thus, I had prearranged with Nice to cook Pad Si Ew for my entree while Kelly and Patricia made stir fried chicken with sweet basil leaves.  Pad Si Ew is one of my favorite Thai dishes, and I was thrilled to learn how to make it.  Nice also made a much bigger batch for her own family for lunch, so I felt quite authentic!!  I stir-fried pork, garlic, eggs, and wide, flat rice noodles in a brown gravy, while Kelly and Patricia diced chicken and mixed together a spicy, sweet sauce that they stir-fried with a bunch of vegetables and of course lots of sweet basil.  With our green curry chicken and our entrees, we sat down to lunch, complete with sticky rice for dipping in the curry and jasmine rice for the chicken with basil.  All were delicious, but we three unanimously agreed that the green curry was our favorite.  Perhaps it tasted better because of all that pounding in the mortar!!  After lunch, we returned to the kitchen to make tom yum kung soup, a hot and sour soup with shrimp.  This soup is another favorite of mine, and I was pleased to learn it only takes about 5 minutes to cook.  If anyone wants the recipe, let me know.Finally, Nice gave us an hour long break.  At this point, we were almost miserably full, and it was all I could do to stumble to a shaded bench for a spectacular and much-needed nap.  Post-nap, it was back to the kitchen for spring rolls and a dessert of bananas cooked in coconut milk.  We rolled and fried our spring rolls while the bananas bubbled away on the stove.  Nice asked if we wanted to eat the spring rolls and dessert or take away.  We all three practically begged for take away, and she put our spring rolls into small banana leaf baskets for dinner tonight.Tonight, it's off to the night bazaar.  Tomorrow we head to a wat located at the top of a mountain and then fly to Luang Prabang, Laos.  Thailand has been absolutely wonderful.   
]]>