Erin Davis in SE Asia

Traveling Shoes...

2006-06-08T13:03:00.000+07:00

4 months of traveling, 6 countries visitied, 1 pair of flip-flops...

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS.....

Favourite food: Thai
Favourite place: Tonsai, Thailand
Favourite experience/most terrifying: Tiffany and Erin's motorcycle adventures in Vietnam
Favourite country overall: Vietnam
Favourite activity: rock climbing
Favourite people: Cambodians and Thai
Favourite person to travel with: Tiffany of course!!!
Favourite local friend: Made Sudikta (from Bali)
Favourite travel experience: long boat ride from Thailand to Laos
Favourite accent: English

Last thoughts:

It’s near the end of this adventure for me, concluding 4 months of traveling throughout SE Asia. The past 4 months has been a kaleidoscope of colorful people, exotic foods, pungent smells, breathtaking scenery, sunshine, beaches, and of course outdoor adventure.

One of the most enriching experiences about traveling has been meeting people from different cultures, backgrounds, and professions from all around the world! I end this traveling saga with rich memories, friendships and new dreams.

What now:

I am heading to Korea in a couple days for a short 2 1/2 month teaching contract before heading back to Canada in September where I’ll be living with my friend Roxy in Vancouver. I’m excited about this next chapter in my life and whatever new kind of adventure that may bring…

The Worst Surfing Day Ever!!!

2006-06-06T18:06:00.000+07:00

Today I got back from Nsua Lembongan and met up with my Spanish friend Lagui for lunch (we met a few days ago over a discussion on avocado shakes). I am amazed how easy it is meeting people traveling on my own. It's always a little scary when I first arrive in a new country by myself. I always think, what if I don't make friends? and then in a day or two I do!

Lagui asked, "Do you want to surf with me this afternoon?" I responded, "sure! but you know I'm a beginner right?" I was starting to feel a little confident, previously having had no problem getting up on my friends 6'6" board. So I rented a 6'6" board that was quite narrow and the guy told me it wasn't a beginner's board. "I think I'll be okay,” I said nonchalantly.

Off I went: surfboard under my arm with a cute boy walking down the beach. I was starting to feel a little cool actually. When we got in the water Lagui said "see you later?" and I was like, "yeah, see you later."

Thank-goodness I really didn't see him otherwise he would have seen quite the show.... First of all I was trying to catch the smaller waves (being a beginner and all) but my board was too small so I was having a hard time actually getting the wave. "So, I thought, I need more powerful waves for this board (obviously) I better go near the back and catch some bigger waves!"

I paddled hard to get to the back and encountered some bigger waves that were definitely too big for me! I tried to catch this rather large wave (for me anyways). It was steep and I took a nosedive. I came flying off my board, crashing head first in the water. The wave came tumbling down on me sending my body somersaulting and flipping every which way in the water. I would come up for air only to have another wave come crashing down on me.

I tried to relax as much as possible but after repeatedly being trapped by the waves, I started to panic a little. Finally, there was a break in the waves. I took this opportunity to paddle like mad towards shore, knowing there would likely be another big set of waves to come.

My hair was completely pushed forward in my face, having lost my hair elastic in the water. When I finally felt "safe" I tried pushing the hair out of my eyes to discover it was completely tangled up in my nose stud. I was holding my nose, hair all wild and in my face, trying to ride the foam to shore. I'm sure I was quite the sight.

When I got out of the water and untangled my hair from my nose stud, I sat on the beach waiting for Lagui. My eyes were really sore (probably from sand) and I really wanted to go back, but felt it would be rude b/c Lagui would have had no idea what happened to me.

I must have looked pathetic b/c this guy stopped and asked if I was okay and had I taken a big fall? As well a German couple asked if my nose was okay? I sheepishly explained it was just my hair caught in my nose stud...

What a day! So frustrating! But I learned my lesson. I am a definite beginner and I should know my limits. Next time: Big board and small waves!

At dinner, Sam and Louis, who have been surfing for a while made me feel better about my surfing disaster. We had quite the international group for dinner: Lagui from Spain, Louis from Brazil, Sam from Sweden, and Zella from Slovenia. I was the only one who was uni-lingual. They could all speak at least 3 languages fluently. They graciously spoke English for my sake (I really need to learn another language!)

Sam said it takes a good 6 months of surfing before you experience the addiction. Surfing is unlike any sport I've ever tried. It really takes some serious perseverance to become good! Going back to Canada, I wonder if I'll ever get there? But I've had fun here regardless! Maybe there will be some surf trips to Tofino in the future (Andrea?)

Beautiful Beaches

2006-06-05T17:51:00.000+07:00

View of a volcano at sunrise.

Maurice, Lieke, and I

After our night surf session... don't ask me what pose I'm doing and why??

I'm in Nusa Lembongan and it's absolutely stunning!! The water is crystal clear and the waves are good.

Last night Maurice Lieka and I had a night session of surfing. We watched the sun set while paddling out on the water. And I thought to myself: I'm in Bali, I'm surfing and the sun set is spectacular... I don't want to be anywhere else right at this moment.

We were on a reef break and the waves were a bit too steep for me so I spent more time paddling than surfing but I still had fun. =)

This morning we woke up at 5:30am to surf at sunrise. This was only my second sunrise I've seen since traveling but it was worth it to get to the waves before the crowd.

I really like it here and wish I had more time to explore the rest of Bali. Kuta is not a particularly desirable place to be (at least not for me) but it's a great place to learn to surf b/c it's a sandy-bottom beach break. That's why I stayed for so long. Plus I met Made Sudikta and have enjoyed his friendship.

The other day I went with Made and his friends to a beach where they were playing guitar and singing (really bad western songs) and I asked Made, "do you know what we call your hairstyle at home?" and he broke out a huge smile and said, "Mullet?" We all laughed. I think it's hilarious that Made is rocking a mullet!!

I only have a few days left to enjoy Bali so I want to make the most of it!

A Little Taste of Balinese Culture

2006-05-31T11:08:00.000+07:00

Woman making Gado-Gado.

Today I went with Made to a Balinese dance. It was beautiful with all the elaborate costumes and was more of a drama than a dance. I enjoyed it.

Then we went to Ubod (in the mountains) and went to this monkey temple. I don't actually like monkeys, but it was alright. A monkey bite me in Thailand, so ever since then I don't like them and I'm a little afraid of them.

Afterwards we drove through his village which was really neat (not a foreigner in sight). We stopped at this little dive of a place (where his friends he grew up with worked) and had the best meal I've had yet! It was authentic Balinese food and we ate with our hands which was a fun experience. It pays to make friends with the locals, forsure!

Made was trying to teach me some Balinese, which was semi-successful. I remember a few things...

Rocking the Mullet!!

2006-05-29T10:59:00.000+07:00

Today after surfing Made asked me if I wanted to go to Ulu Watu (a famous surfing area with huge waves- not to surf but to see) and a couple other places with him on his bike.

In my head I was thinking, "this is not a good idea! I shouldn't go, etc..." but then I remembered Lieke saying when she was here by herself the locals took her around and didn't expect anything in return. So while they do favour girls (especially blonde girls), Lieke only had positive experiences... After a moment of silently debating what I should do, I thought "what the heck!"

It sounded like fun so off we went (me on the back of Made's bike) to different beaches in the area and then to Ulu Watu. It was great to do a little exploring and then we came back to Kuta beach where we had a bite to eat (all Indonesians in this place- I love that) and I ate cow throat soup. Sounds gross but aside from the texture, quite tasty.

I had a really fun day. I think people who only hang out with other foreigners while traveling really miss out!

Surf's Up!

2006-05-28T10:52:00.000+07:00

Today was my second day surfing and I was able to catch some waves (I was doing much better than yesterday) and was even able to turn. I felt cool until I had to take my board anywhere. It's 7'4". It's huge! I think anyone can stand on it and that's probably why it's a beginners board... right!

I'm hanging out with Maurice and Lieke - pronounced Likka. They're a couple from Holland I met climbing in Tonsai and they are super nice. After awhile I tried Maurice's board (a 6'6") and he said I probably wouldn't get up on it, but I did which made me happy =) I know nothing about surfing but I'm having fun!

We leave our stuff with the lifeguards during the day and they are great. We hang out with them between surfing. My new friend Made (pronounced Mauday) came out surfing today. He's really good and gave me some greatly appreciated tips. My surfing adventure has begun and I'm loving it =)

Goodbye For Now Tonsai!!!

2006-05-27T19:33:00.000+07:00

Nee and I cooking at Chai's.

Tiffers and I my last night in Tonsai.

Adam and I

Eva and George (Austrian couple)

Yohanas and Mary-Anne (Austrian couple)

Bon and Kitty (impossible to actually get their photo!)

Eva and I at "sea of love" coffee shop/bar

Cheung and I at Kitty Cafe

Kitty's bungalow (aka Kitty Cafe), across from mine.

My Bungalow/ home for 1 month!

I’m on the road again. Tonsai was an absolute amazing time for me. I’m going to miss the little community I’ve became a part of here. Tonsai has been one of my most memorable experiences traveling so far. I met such a wonderful and interesting mix of people.

There was Louise, Patty, and Geum my first week. Then came Cheung, my favorite climbing partner who could always make me feel like a rock star even if I was only climbing a 6a. haha. I met Cheung through Bon and Marie. Bon is British Chinese and Marie from Sweden. They were both such interesting people. Adam and I also hung out and through him I met the 2 lovely Austrian couples: Eva and George, Yohanas and Mary-Anne.

Last night Chai had a little party for me. Nee and I cooked. (well, I more or less stirred a few things). I enjoyed my last meal in Tonsai with Tiffany, Mary-Anne, Yohanas, Eva, George, Chai and Nee. After dinner the “cool club” dropped by for a drink. Even Fid came by. I’m loosing the Evil Erin bit I think… haha.

In Bon’s, 1-too-many-chang’s-state, he invited me to the Kitty Café at 6:00am for one last coffee before leaving. They made sure to inform me it was only b/c I’m leaving that I get this privilege… what nerds. They’re going to miss keeping tabs on me, as my bungalow is directly across from theirs. =)

Tiff and I had one more late night chat/laughing session before finally going to sleep at 1:30am. Why did I say I’d get up for coffee at 6:00am again?

I met the guys at Kitty Café in the morning for one last heckling session with the “cool club” before I was off. Cheung carried my bag to Chai’s and Chai took me down to the beach with his motorbike. I’m still riding the sprained ankle thing. I told Tiff I’d have to remember to fake it at least until I got to the boat!

I said good-bye to Cheung and as the boat drove away from Tonsai I grew nostalgic. I breathed deeply and soaked up the scenery and memories one last time.

My climbing adventure (for the meantime) is over. Next chapter: Surfing in Bali!

Missing Snow

2006-05-24T18:39:00.000+07:00

Missing Snow/ sprained ankle climb!

Yesterday was my last day climbing. I woke up and was invited to the Kitty Café (Kitty’s bungalow) for coffee. I felt privileged to be invited by the “cool club” haha.

I really wanted to climb Missing Snow on lead and my goal was to send it (lead the climb with no falls or rests).

Well… after a couple warm up climbs, one which I took a Big fall on my warm-up, I started climbing Missing Snow. I fell on the crux a few times no longer making it a send but I still wanted to complete the climb. I was at the second to last clip when I completely ran out of strength. I was hanging onto the rock by an awkward side pull and a small crimper. The bolt was at belly button height. I knew if I tried clipping I would fall. I yelled falling and fell a good 10 ft, before slamming into the rock and spraining my ankle.

My ankle wasn’t stiff yet so I completed the climb and about ½ hour later my ankle was completely sore and hurt to walk on so Cheung and Tiffany had to piggy back me around.

Tiffany is here now (she arrived yesterday) so we had dinner and then drank tea at Bon’s bungalow with Cheung and Kitty.

Today is my last day in Tonsai. That’s a little sad for me. I’ve had a great time here and have enjoyed the community so much. Tiff said the other day: “Erin, you’re killing me!” Because I know so many people here and know them all by name. It’s going to be a little hard for me to leave tomorrow… but I’m pretty sure I’ll be back at some point.

The "Cool Club" Incident...

2006-05-21T17:53:00.000+07:00

Mary-Anne and Yohanas Bouldering on Tonsai Roof .

Mary-Anne, Eva and I and George.

Bouldering on Tonsai Roof

This past week has been spent hanging out and of course climbing with new friends. Evan and George, Mary-Anne and Yohanas (two really nice couples from Austria), Adam from Vancouver, and my friend Cheung as well.

One of the more interesting days for me was when it was pouring rain. Because of the rain there were not too many areas we could climb so we ended up bouldering on the Tonsai Roof and Wall.

Cheung and his crew of friends who are long-timers in Tonsai (Kitty was in Tonsai for 3 years, Bon for 2 and Fid comes every year). I call them the “cool club.” Let me clarify that statement. They are called the “cool club” not b/c they are actually cool but b/c they think they’re cool. Nah, actually they are fabulous climbers and really interesting characters!

After the rain stopped I wanted to try this 6C climb on the Tonsai Wall called Viking in Heat. Yohanas lead the climb and I top roped it. I didn’t finish the climb so Mike (who had already had a few too many at this point) came up with this great idea to put the climb up again with my draws so I could try it a second time…

I didn’t quite think this one through b/c what would happen if I couldn’t climb it? Plus it was already late in the day and people were coming to Freedom Bar (where I was climbing) for a beer or a meal. I’m definitely not good enough to climb there with an audience but too late now, my draws were up. I had no choice but to go up…

After spending a good half hour or more on this climb I called down to Cheung to lower me. Defeated. My arms were pumped and my mind was going a mile a minute as to how I was going to get my draws down.

Bon, Kitty and Fid were still at Freedom Bar so I offered 2 beers to whoever would go up and get my draws down.

They are all stellar climbers (7b) so I figured this climb would be a breeze for any one of them.

After a little persuasion, or maybe a lot, Fid agreed to climb. However the beers apparently affected his climbing ability and he was up there for about 40min before finally completing the climb. We all sat there watching and heckling him as he went flying off the rock at the crux time again.

When Fid finally got down, he was completely knackered! Later on I caught up with them all at the Banyon Tree (their usual restaurant) and now it was my turn to be heckled. Fid now had this huge gash in his knee from this knee bar move on the 6C climb. On his bandage someone had written Evil Erin. I didn’t live that one down for a few days!!

A Typical Day in Tonsai...

2006-05-17T17:28:00.000+07:00

Chai and I at Chai's breakfast cafe

Eva chilling out at Chai's before a day of climbing... ahh the life!

I wake up around 7:30-8:00am and go have breakfast at Chai’s. (Chai is the name of the owner of my favorite breakfast café) I went there my second morning and was sucked in by the cool climbing vibe and Nee’s excellent cooking (Nee is Chai’s sister).

Chai is excellent at remembering everyone’s names and every morning he greets me warmly: “Hello Erin! You climbing today? You want coffee?” I love chatting to Chai and Nee in the morning and his coffee is the best (sorry Kitty!) Also it’s a great place to meet up with other climbers in the morning.

After a leisurely breakfast I get my gear ready and head out to climb for the day. There are so many amazing areas to explore for climbing. I could never get bored here!!

After a full day climbing and a shower, dinner is enjoyed with other climbers and friends. I love Thai food. It is my favorite ethnic food I’ve experienced traveling so far. There is so much variety!

The night winds down by chilling with cool people. I’m usually completely worn out by around 10:00pm. It may sound lame but I love it!!! I love going to bed at the end of the day, completely exhausted from doing an activity I love, knowing I can wake up and do it all over again the next day. I’m actually beginning to see how people come here and end up staying for years. I’m not about to do that but I can actually understand it now.

I love Tonsai: the climbing, the people, the chilled out atmosphere... I love everything about it. The vibe here will not be forgotten!

Some Old Friends...

2006-05-12T15:44:00.000+07:00

Mike getting ready to climb by the beach =)

Cheung and I

Evan and I
Mike and Alex

I ran into Evan, as in Max, Mike and Evan whom I first met in Laos and then again in Vietnam. It was so random to see Evan. I passed him after lunch on the way to climbing and casually said, “hey Evan.” Then I did a double take and was like, “HEY!!” It’s a small world when you’re traveling!

Evan and I climbed together for a day before meeting up with Mike and Mike’s girlfriend, Alex. It was the crew, sans Max and Tiff. We missed you guys! The second day they were here we all rented kayaks and paddled out to Prota Island. It took FOREVER!! I’m not so much into kayaking, but I must admit it was a really good day and an excellent was to explore. Evan has done some paddling so he helped me on my “technique.” Apparently I needed it – haha.

On the way back to Tonsai we saw the most spectacular sunset I’ve experienced since traveling. The sky was red and magenta and fuscia. None of us had cameras unfortunately. It was just one of those moments where you breathe more deeply and try to soak it all in!

Evan, Mike and Alex were around for the next couple days so we climbed along with my new friend Cheung (he’s BBC: British born Chinese. He’s been living in Hong Kong but is returning to England). I had a great time with everyone and it was really nice to meet up with some familiar faces again.

Also it was really random meeting up with Jenna and Noelle Ziegler from my home town Smithers!!! Of all places. It was so funny and I hung out with them and their crew of friends for a night or two. I never really knew them from high school but I really liked them and thought: cool people come from Smithers! haha

Climbing At Last!!

2006-05-04T18:43:00.000+07:00

Geum (from France), Louise (from England) and I. My climbing partners my first week in Tonsai.

crowed crag at Diamond cave

My first week in Tonsai I climbed with an English girl Louise (who I met my first day here) and a French, Geum and an English guy Patti. It was great and I started leading really easy climbs just to get back into it.

I really enjoyed Louise's company and was sad to see her go. We got on really well and she was just trekking in Nepal too (we were there the same time). I thought she was such a neat person. She is a singer/songwriter and last night she played guitar and sang some of her songs for us while we chilled in hammocks at one of the local bars.

One of the things I love about traveling and meeting so many different people, is hearing about what people are doing with their lives. It's inspiring and yet again it shows me that I don't have be limited to the 9-5 job my entire life, if I don't want to. There are so many opportunities that are not only restricted to Canada. I love Canada and desire to be there long-term but there are always options and that is a freeing way to think and live...

Tonsai!!! Tonsai!!!

2006-04-28T18:36:00.000+07:00

Tonsai Roof and Wall: The view from Freedom Bar.

I'm finally here in Tonsai!! I just arrived this afternoon. It's beatiful. There are limestone formations jutting out of the sea and it's stunning... with the beach and the rock... People are climbing and I'm lounging on this little bamboo platform at Freedom Bar right beside the rock. Tomorrow I will climb.

It's a little intimidating being surrounding by all these really hard-core climbers but I'm stoked to climb none-the-less. I passed this girl with a serious six-pack and later I checked out my own stomach in the mirror, expecting to see even just a little definition... Nata. Wah!! haha.

Last Day!

2006-04-19T18:38:00.000+07:00

Our little plane at the Lukla airport.

Our last day! We finally arrived in Lukla and tomorrow we’ll catch a flight back to Kathmandu if all things go as planned.

I’m seriously such a baby!! I have blisters in half smiley faces on the backs of both heals and I was in pain for the last three hours. The boys are great though and even though I told them to go on ahead (which I meant) Gary was waiting for me at the top of this big hill. Awe, I love these boys!

Then with about ½ hour to go we stopped and I asked Gary if this was it (knowing it wasn’t). He said no and I started to cry (very discretely, but they still knew). Can you believe it?! Then Evan came down to see how I was doing and I really did feel silly for crying especially when I pass porters carrying their huge loads wearing flip flops!

Much to my own embarrassment and slighly hurt pride, I turned out to be the biggest loose cannon on this trip with my AMS episodes and couple crying bouts. Honestly! These boys are the bomb for putting up with me and being such great company on this trip. All in all this was an excellent trip. I had a fun guide and 3 great Irish lads to share this experience with. What would any trip be without a little drama anyways? That was my job I guess… =)

Evan's descent...

2006-04-18T18:16:00.000+07:00

I just finished laughing til I was crying as Evan recounted his day. Today was a tough day I admit; thank goodness I wasn’t suffering from altitude sickness. It’s so nice to be able to breathe more deeply now that we’re back in Namche. (We descended almost 1000m today). On the way down, it’s not all down hill. In fact it’s mostly up and down the entire way for 8 hours.

Evan seriously cracks me up and although he probably would love to know this is in my blog, I’m going to tell it anyways. Evan arrived in Namche about 1 ½ hours after Gary, John and I. He was back with our guide Subba and Subba had to carry his bag today while Evan kept one hand on his back the entire way. Anyways Even said he was completely delirious and couldn’t even see. As in, he could hear the cows and yaks passing him but couldn’t see them. He said if Subba wasn’t there he would have passed out somewhere or fallen off a cliff. (I believe him)

When he finally arrived he put his head in his arms and couldn’t stop coughing for about 15 min straight. All I could do was laugh and laugh and laugh. I really truly tried not to laugh out loud which was only making me laugh harder. Sorry Evan!

Whenever I share a room with Evan I can’t stop laughing. (we all take turns sharing rooms) For instance back in Periche Evan and I were telling crazy travel stories and the walls are so thin. I didn’t actually think people would be able to hear what I was saying so I hopped into bed and said, Evan, I think I’m suffering from HAF. He was like, what’s that? And I said, High Altitude Farts! We laughed and told stories until we heard the loud cough from next door. The “Be Quiet” cough.

Sure enough the next morning at breakfast this Aussie man Allen (who was next door from us) said, so you’re suffering from HAF? And then Evan informed me he heard everything we said after that too!! I was so embarrassed I just kind-of slid down in my chair. Oh well, Evan told some pretty good stories too!

Sunrise on Kalapatar

2006-04-16T17:57:00.000+07:00

Sunrise over Everest. Everest is the dark peak (behind) in the center. From this point of view it certainly doesn't look the highest, and it's not the prettiest, but it IS Everest!

Me, Subba (our guide), and Gary on the top of Kalapatar (5555m) at about 6:00am. Me in my Big Bird jacket and Gary with his ridiculous Chinese hat. We look professional don't we? haha.

Ah. Beauty.

This morning we woke up at 4:00am and starting hiking in the dark. It was cool because the stars and the moon were so bright they lit up the mountains and everything looked quite eerie. We hiked up Kalapatar (5555m) to see the sunrise over Everest.

I had about 1 hour sleep the night before (it’s hard to sleep in altitude!) and I had a terrible cold. I was hacking and my nose was dripping with snot… it was awesome! I felt like one of the forever snotty-nosed sherpa kids… poor things!

It was freezing and my water partially froze on the way up. About half way there Evan and John turned around. They were feeling terrible and looked it too. However Gary and I kept going to see the sunrise with our guide Subba. Gary will never let the boys live that one down now, but I certainly can’t say much!

The sunrise was beautiful. We got back to Gorak Shep around 6:45am. We enjoyed breakfast and some time to warm up before we were on our way down the mountain. It was strange b/c almost immediately going down I felt ill. My head was thumping (or tumping as the lads would say) and I felt nauseous (like I was having another AMS bout, but we were going down?) Gary stayed back with me (bless him) and when we stopped for lunch I had to concentrate to keep anything down. I even cried a little. These poor boys had no idea what they were in for when I joined them. I had no idea either!

After Evan gave me some Tylenol at lunch I started to improve. Gary said he can always tell when I start to feel better b/c I start to talk. (I was completely silent for about 3 hours there)

The rest of the day was quite enjoyable talking to Gary and hiking at a leisurely pace. Subba carried my bag, while I carried his VERY light bag. Yes, I am “that camper” on this trip (I can hardly believe it; I can only laugh about it…)

Base Camp!!!!

2006-04-15T17:53:00.000+07:00

Tents at Everest base camp at the start of the Khumbu glacier.

Team: Walk the Line at Everest base camp

Khumbu glacier and base cmap

Hanging out in one of the Korean expedition tents. Gary, me, Lee Hoon Jae, John and Evan in front.

Helicopter crash about 200m from basecamp about 5-10 years ago (wasn't fully clear when it happened actually)

We just got back from Everest base camp. Yay!!!

The excitement and energy around base camp was contagious. Many climbing expeditions were just about to start their acclimatization process and you could see climbing sherpas in the Khumbu icefall, setting up ladders across crevasses and such. It’s amazing what these climbing sherpas do. Without them I wonder how many people would actually be climbing Everest?

We were able to talk to a couple different expedition groups which was really cool. A young guy from Seattle, WA and another guy from Ontario (he looked about 20!) crazy guys… Anyways I saw the Korean tent so went over to say hi. Or Anyung Haseo, rather (hello in Korean). The team was out on the glacier for the day there was only one man there named Lee Hoon Jae. He was a mountain journalist and also going to be climbing Everest but he was manning the radio for the day.

He invited us in the tent for some hot coffee. We had a nice time talking to him about the expedition and he took a photo of us and got me to write down all our names and nationalities so he could put it on their website. Too funny!

It was such a beautiful and warm day to be in base camp and we wandered around, took photos and tried without success to find the American guys who helped me out back in Tengboche. It would have been cool to show them I had actually made it there,

Finally we had our fill of base camp and it was time to head back to Gorak Shep. Now I’m sitting in a sunroom (a bit like a greenhouse) and some Sherpas are playing cards next to me. Wow! What a day! I’m knackered, but it was so worth it to get to base camp. I definitely had my doubts, especially when I was sick, that I’d make it here at all. I’m so thankful my condition has improved so much!

Team Walk the Line...

2006-04-14T17:05:00.000+07:00

Me, Evan, John and Gary sitting around the wood stove reading in our mountain hut at Gorak Shep. I'm wearing my Big Bird jacket. haha.

We spent a day in Dhugla and now we’re in Gorak Shep (5160m) where we’ll be staying for the next 2 nights. I’m feeling good. I got my second half of the test from the German med students here. My oxygen was 87 and my pulse 89. apparently most people have oxygen levels below 80 here at this altitude but I’m sure the Diamox is helping me out quite a bit.

It’s quite a bit colder here although we have been extremely fortunate with the weather here! I have this down jacket I rented from Kathmandu which is an XXL and bright yellow so Gary says I look like Big Bird in it. It’s definitely not about mountain chic for me here... I look ridiculous! Oh well, the boys are hardly concerned with being mountain cool. Evan with his multi-colored striped hat and matching socks and red jacket and pants (I can spot him a mile away) and Gary with his ridiculous hat from China. It’s rather hilarious. John looks the most normal I’d say. We are quite the crew!

Acclimatiztion Day

2006-04-12T16:57:00.000+07:00

Today was our “rest day” at Periche, but better coined acclimatization day as we climbed from 4200m to 5100m. “Climb high and sleep low,” is a climber’s motto. This is supposed to aid in acclimatization.

When we got back we heard that there are many demonstrations still going on in Kathmandu and that they are urging foreigners to leave. There have been 6 Nepalese killed in street fights in Kathmandu. The political unrest here is a little frightening and it’s hard to say what I’ll do when we get back.

In the evening John, Gary, Evan and I played cards as per usual. We play Gin Rummy and Hearts. They taught me this stupid Irish game called 25 which I hate b/c I never win! I’m quite fond of all these boys. They’re great and I’m having fun with them.

Gaining Elevation!

2006-04-11T16:42:00.000+07:00

Snow-dusted Periche: beautiful!

Porters carrying HEAVY loads!

Lunch break =)

After a day of rest at Tengboche I was feeling much better and it was time to go up. I was very nervous about hiking b/c I knew I developed AMS symptoms I would have to descend. No question about it. I prayed all the way to Periche. Lord help me. Help my brain not to swell. I was hiking so incredibly slowly. I imagine this is how I would have walked if I was 90 and hiking to base camp or 100 lbs overweight. Grammas and Grandpas were passing me but I didn't care. The guys climbing Everest told me to hike slowly, so S-l-o-w-l-y but surely I hiked and we made it to our destination: Periche!!! (4200m) No mountain sickness. Yay!!

At 3:00pm there was a high altitude seminar that we went to, put on by volunteer doctors (who were soooo cool by the way!) at the medical center in Periche. It was so informative and I discovered that back in Lukla I was experiencing mild AMS but I didn’t know it at the time. Then at Tengboche I had Severe AMS! Crazy! Severe AMS can develop into HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) if a person with severe AMS continues to ascend with symptoms.

I’m so thankful I recovered but I’ll be taking things slowly from here! I’m actually amazed I’m here after my AMS episode in Tengboche.

Acute Mountain Sickness!!! Tengboche

2006-04-10T16:06:00.000+07:00

Team No Limits: Evesest Expedition team: Larry, Doug and Matt. The guys who helped me out and the guys who are climbing Everest!!

Yesterday after 6 ½ hours on the trail we made it to Himalayan View Lodge and Restaurant in Tengboche.

I had an absolute pounding headache all the way up and when we finally got there I felt completely ill! I decided to eat some rather unappetizing garlic soup. I really didn’t feel up for but it’s supposed to be good to mountain sickness, so I forced it down. As soon as I could get it down I crashed for about 2 hours. When I woke up I was feeling even worse. At this time I was extremely nauseous, dizzy and weak, on top of my splitting headache. I knew I need to make a move to the dining room where there were other people present.

As soon as I got up the nausea hit me even harder and I ran to the outhouse and vomited loads! Just as I tried to leave I began vomiting again! I thought I had HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema which is very very serious sickness brought on by high altitude and can be fatal. It involves swelling of the brain) I was scared b/c I was sure I was dying. I even cried a little between puking, especially b/c of the stories I had heard. I was like, “I don’t want to die on the way to base camp!!!” How lame would that be!

After I finished vomiting I slowly made my way to the dining room and told the boys what happened. They all stared at me for a minute… not sure what to do. There were 3 American guys sitting near us and Evan said, “do you want to tell these guys what happened? One’s a doctor?” I just sat there, all I wanted to do was cry. Finally Gary went ahead and told them and they were absolutely so great and helpful!!

First they told me I was experiencing AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) and asked me if I had Diamox (a drug to help acclimatize) and Tylenol. I had neither so they very kindly gave me Diamox, Tylenol and Ginko from their own supply! Enough for 4 days worth. I was incredibly grateful although still feeling extremely ill.

I popped the drugs and within 10 minutes I was outside vomiting all of it up again! I came back in and told the Americans what happened. They told me to take another dose and practice deep breathing. For the next 40 minutes I felt like absolute sh-ite but was able to keep the pills down and I finally started feeling better.

Once my condition had dramatically improved I felt up for being sociable again. I asked the Americans where they were going (I had a feeling they weren’t just going to base camp) No. Definately Not! They were climbing Everest! Their names were Larry (a doctor from Tennessee) Doug (a lawyer from Colorado) and Matt (a teacher also from Colorado) They are Team No Limits and gave me their web site to check up on their progress. Hopefully (if I get to basecamp) we can say hey to them.

This morning before Team No Limits was off I got a photo with them in front of Everest! They were so nice and helpful to me! Doug even wrote out some info on Diamox and AMS and some tips for me along with their website.

We’re staying an extra day here to help me acclimatize. Like I said before… I am sooooo lucky to be traveling with Gary, Evan and John. They are the bomb! They are all so nice and concerned. Great solid lads they are. Tonight Evan said our team name should be Walk the Line. He’s Johnny Cash and I’m June Carter. John and Gary are our backup guitarists. Haha. They loved that one.

I’m going to Jacksonville….

PS. I just checked out Team No Limits and they mentioned me in their Everest news! The young lady with AMS… to remind them of the perils of high altitude sickness! Haha.

Namche: Day 3: First Encounter with Everest Expedition Team

2006-04-08T15:52:00.000+07:00

First views of the snow-capped mountains in the Himalayas!

The Village of Namche. Last chance to stock up on mountain gear and chocolate of course!

Today was our acclimatization day so we hiked up to 3800m and then back to Namche where we’ll spend another night. I woke up with a headache this morning and it’s been on and off all day. Evan and John were also feeling crappy so now we’re just taking it easy.

Namche is quite the little happening village with chocolate, mountain gear, and jewelry sold everywhere. It’s colorful and I had a good time exploring it today (which took all of about ½ hour)

The boys are out now. They’re funny. Their nicknames are Dolly (John) Pigeon (Gary) and Collie (Evan). They always call each other by their nicknames and they bicker constantly. Yesterday they told me they were relieved to have me along otherwise they’d constantly be at each other. I saw it come out last night playing cards. It’s quite funny. Really, they are like brothers. Probably by the end of two weeks I’ll be right in there, fighting with them too!

Yesterday I met a team from Brazil who will be climbing Everest. They were staying at the same mountain hut. They are hiking to base camp from the Nepal side to acclimatize but they will be climbing from the Tibetan side. That’s been the most exciting part for me… meeting people who are actually climbing Everest! and they are staying at the same places we are!!

Pakding-Namche: Day 2

2006-04-07T15:48:00.000+07:00

Cutest Sherpa kids ever!! They were fighting the whole time I was trying to take a photo =)

Team walk the line and sherpa kids: Evan, me, Gary, John

The boys at lunch: from the left: John, Evan, Subba (our guide) and Gary.

Porters carrying their loads. Check out their footwear...

Today was probably the hardest hiking day (supposedly) from Phakding to Namche. The elevation in Namche is 3400m and we will spend two nights here to acclimatize. We are staying at this cute little mountain hut with a wood fireplace.

I feel much better today. No headache or nausea. We were all quite tired after today’s hike and it was frigid cold towards the end. We were all soooo happy to arrive. The lads (Evan, John, and Gary) are not wimpy boys by the way. They’re hearty boys who play rugby and hurling and have good appetites. I told them this morning it has been awhile since I’ve hung out with boys I didn’t out eat!! Tiff and I would be having lunch or dinner with some boys and we’d both finish our meal. On more than one occasion the guy we were eating would leave something on his plate and we’d be like, “are you going to finish that?” haha.

I’m having fun with these boys and they are all so sweet, asking me many times today how I was doing and such. I couldn’t be doing this with nicer, non-sketchy boys. I’m very fortunate to have met them! My aunt Rosemary would be proud b/c they are Irish! I enjoy hearing about Ireland and one day I’ll make it there. They are from Gort (Southern Ireland) and are all really good friends from secondary school.

We have just enjoyed some hot tea and soup and are now reading and I’m writing. It’s been really crazy to see the sherpas carrying their huge loads in baskets all by the strength of their necks and heads. I bet some are carrying loads heavier than themselves! They get paid 5-6 rupees per kg.

Our guide Subba is cool. He’s 32 and a wiry guy who weighs 10kg less than me! I’m carrying a heavier bag than he is! Haha. We really don’t need a guide on this trip but I kind-of like having him b/c he’s fun and he answers my questions about Nepalese and Sherpa culture.

Arrival in Lukla

2006-04-06T15:27:00.000+07:00

Lukla airport.

First day of hiking.
Guesthouse in Phakding

Today we flew into Lukla (altitude of 2800m). The lads and our guide Subba met me at 5:00am at my guesthouse. From Nepal airport we boarded this tiny little plane headed for Lukla. I was sooooo excited and giddy imagining all the expeditions to Everest starting out in the same place as us!! After a short and very turbulent plane ride we arrived in Lukla. We ate breakfast at a cute little teahouse with photos of past Everest expedition groups and Sir Edmund Hilary decorating this quaint little log hut.

It was a very short hike today (2 hours) to Phakding. It's the same elevation as Lukla so we need to spend a night here to acclimatize. When we arrived I was feeling really ill. I had a splitting headache and I felt nauseous. The boys were all fine and were starving so while they ate lunch (I couldn’t even think about food) I went to bed for a couple hours. I can’t be affected by the altitude already, can I? After some strange dreams about AMS I woke up with a slight headache, visited with the boys for a while and drank some coffee.

Over a cup of coffee I met this German guy who asked me to be a part of a study. He’s in med school and he and his partner are conducting this study on altitude sickness. He used this tool to measure my inner ear waves and are hoping to find a link b/t altitude sickness and the inner ear? He took my pulse: 87. Oxygen: 99, and said I have excellent acoustics in my ears (or something like that). I will be measured again by his partner near base camp to see if there are any changes. I am very curious.

I spoke with him for quite some time and he said every week they see people coming down the mountain suffering from AMS. It’s not uncommon for people to have to be helicopter rescued either if they don’t heed their symptoms and descend. Yikes. I have now heard stories of a few people dying on their way to base camp with high altitude sickness. Who knew it was such a problem just getting to base camp!! After feeling ill today I realize it may be a problem for me down the road too. I’m very interested to see how my body handles the altitude.

The Irish lads are great! They all offerd me medicine and askd how I was doing and such. I didn’t take anything. If my body’s not doing ok I want to feel it.

I'm going to Everest Basecamp!!!

2006-04-04T21:10:00.001+07:00

Tiffany and I said goodbye yesterday which was quite sad. We really had fun together and I'm going to miss her. However she may meet me in May for the Annapurna circuit...

So tomorrow I left Bangkok and flew to Kathmandu. Oh my goodness!! I was totally overwhelmed but excited too. I'm traveling by myself for the first time and it's scary but I think I'm going to really like Nepal!

When I arrived there was no power anywhere b/c of Maoist activity aparently. But while I was eating dinner the power came back on and I could hear cheering in the streets.

Yesterday I was looking for a bookstore to find a Nepal lonely planet and I couldn't find one (I must not have been looking too hard b/c they're on every corner!) Anyways I guess it was fate-ish b/c I asked these two Irish lads and they said they were looking for a bookstore too so I walked with them. I discovered they were on the same flight and were going to be doing the Everest basecamp trek too with another friend. So I kinda invited myself along...

I didn't expect to be doing this trek so soon but on April 6-9th there will be a Maoist demonstration in Kathmandu and the whole city would shut down. If I was here for it I wouldn't be permited out of my guesthouse. It was recommended that if I was going to do a trek do it before that to avoid the demonstration. So that's how it all came together.

I feel very fortunate to have met these Irish lads. Evan, Jon, and Gary. They are 24, 22, and 22 and they seem like really nice guys. Of course I'm older (story of my life!)

That's all for now. I spent the entire day getting everything ready for this trek. I'm excited! I'm going to Everest Basecamp!!

Home Sweet Home

2006-04-02T15:38:00.000+07:00

March 31-April 1

The last two days of our trip were quite uneventful which was a good thing by this point. Finally I drove. The road conditions were quite a bit better out of the mountains and I had a blast.

I think Tiffany was a little aprehensive to let me drive. In Sappa I was practicing and I popped a wheelie with her on it… and I’m not sure why she was nervous about me driving?

I think I did really well though and I felt like I was playing a nintendo race-car game. Dodging cars and bicyclists and cows and whatever else. I only had one close call with a cow.

The last day we finally arrived in Hanoi and Tiffany drove through the city. She did an amazing job getting us there safely as driving in Hanoi is no small feat!

I think the people at our rental place were relieved to see us back safe and sound. I got off that bike and as we walked back to our guesthouse I felt like I radiated cool biker chick! We looked discusting but we were cool! Oh wait, aren’t we always?

Sappa: Day 4

2006-03-30T15:14:00.000+07:00

Me and the girls. Sue was my favourite to the right of me.

Barber in the street... I considered getting a trim.

Sappa market.

I didn't know Tiffany was taking a photo. She was trying to set the timer. I'm a geek!

It was an uneventuful day and that was much needed. I woke up around 5:00am by an intense storm. I love storms! I listened for awhile and wondered if it would still be pouring when we had to ride in just a few short hours. That could make things interesting…

Tiff and I got up at 7:00am and the rain have thankfully tappered to a drizzle. We had an absolute beautiful, enjoyble and short ride to Sappa. The Tam Trom Pass was one of the most beautiful sections of our trip. We took our time, stopped, took photos and sang the whole way there.

We arrived in Sappa around 11:30. We explored the town and really enjoyed being off the bike for a day!

We couldn’t really go far without the cutest little girls tressed in traditional hill tribe clothing trying to sell us something. They were so sweet and smart and remembered our names. I couldn’t help but buy some bangles from them, which, by the way, turned my skin green.

Tonight Tiff and I went to a local pub and played darts before watching a movie in our guesthouse. The youngest girl we saw today (about 4 I think) came into our guesthouse lobby and we cuddled with her and I bought some bracelets from her. She was so cold and dirty. Poor little thing! Her mom finally came for her around 10:00pm. Late night for this little pumpkin!

Over Confidence: Day 3

2006-03-29T14:54:00.000+07:00

Me and the guesthouse lady. I'm looking a little nappy at this point. We wore the same clothes everyday!

Tiff changing the spark plug.

This morning I woke up a little grumpy. It was probably because I was not looking forward to riding the bike today. Yesterday was scary and took forever! Today we had about the same distance to cover so I knew it was going to be another long day. I was just praying that we had already seen the worst of the roads?

The day started well and we rode 31/2 hours to our lunch destination. It was an interesting little town. We had no idea what we ordered but they brought us beef and pork and rice. It was pretty good, I’m certainly not picky. I was shown to the “bathroom” which was literally in the back of the restaurant in a grassy pen with the pigs. Nice one!

We left this little town feeling pretty confident because we thought we only had 100km further to reach our destination (Sapa) that day. I think at one point we actually high-fived each other – we are such nerds!

It all went down hill from there… first of all we took a wrong turn right off the bat and about 20 min later Tiff had a feeling we were heading in the wrong direction. I’m on the back and I have no clue. (I would hate to think what would happen to me if I was by myself) We stopped and asked someone. “Sapa?” we asked. They laughed and pointed in the opposite direction we were headed. That’s okay, no biggie? It only set us back 40 minutes.

We were on our way again, 20 minutes out of town in the right direction, when our engine suddenly died. The first thing we did was check gas. We were low but it certainly looked like it would be enough to keep going. We tried the reserve just it case? Nothing. Ok, if it's not gas what else could it be? We pull out the trusty manual and tool kit. At this point we have an audience. Three 13 year old boys.

I start reading. Aha, the spark plug! It says to check the spark plug if the engine suddenly dies. That must be it! Tiff immediately takes out the tools and removes the spark plug. Yeah. That’s it. This spark plug’s all black - it must be burned out. Tiffany said, "I remember Nam saying brown means dead… or something like that." Sweet. We are awesome – we can ride a bike and fix it! Tiff changes out our old one for a shiny new one.

We’re feeling so confident that we solved our problem that we both put our helmets on and hopped on the bike. Tiff kick starts it but nothing happens? What’s wrong? Just then these 2 men come around the corner on bikes and they motion to our gas tank. We wave them off as if to say, no no no, we have gas in our tank. They didn’t understand or weren’t convinced so one guy comes to look. Well… apparently we were out of gas afterall! Who knew? We had to coast 15 km downhill back into town. At one point the downhill ended and we slowly came to a stop. We still had 8 km to town. Now what? We tried the reserve again and this time it worked! Good timing. Now we had been set back almost 2 ½ hours. We knew we weren’t going to make it to our destination of choice that night. Oh well, what do you do? We laughed about it, gased up and were on our way. It sure is a good thing we "fixed" our sparkplug. Haha!

We arrived at this little town call Tam Duong and are staying at what I imagine is the only guesthouse in town. This older woman who runs the place is so friendly. When we got there she immediately led me by the hand to the roof to see the view of the rice fields. She loved me and kept holding my hand, smiling, speaking to me in Vietnamese and patting my butt. Haha.

We ate great pho bo (beef noodle soup) for dinner and walked around the little town. Mmm. This trip is turning out to be great! I really think yesterday was the worst of it!

Oh yeah, we finally named our Minsk. Gaston. We figured we needed a little testosterone on this trip!

Road Rash: Day 2

2006-03-28T19:07:00.000+07:00

Busy roads at times!

Driving at dusk.

Me and the boys at the mechanics who helped us out!

Guy at the mechanics working on our bike =)

We started out the day nice and early and by 9:00pm we were on the road. I was smiling. The sun was shining. The day was starting off right. I was also feeling confident of Tiffany's driving skills from the previous days efforts. We drove 3 hours to our lunch destination. We were making good time and the roads were descent.

After a quick bite to eat, which consisted of tofu, rice, and fresh tomatoes (those are the only things we know ho to say in Vietnamese) we were on the road again. I had mentioned to Tiffany over lunch that perhaps I was ready to give driving a go. I was getting a little bored on the back.
Well, lettle did I know the road conditions that we were going to be up against or the events that would transpire! The terrain started to change dramatically and soon after lunch we were on these narrow, windy, single-lane mountain roads with blind corner after blind corner. You had to honk evertime you turned the corner to warn other vehicles coming in your direction. For someone who's only driven a moped 2x before Tiffany was doing a fantastic job but I'd have to say at this point I began to rethink both our motorcycle trip and entrusting my life to Tiffany!

Even as I wrie this my jaw hurts from being clenched so tightly and every muscle in my back hurts from being so tense. I honestly saw my life flash before my eyes today. There were too many close calls that right now I'm having a bit of a hard time being super upbeat about this trip. I'm thinking: Wow we made it through today! Are we going to make it through tomorrow? I'm honestly, seriously thinking this way.

They are doing some major construcion on the roads (well actually they NEED to be doing construction but right now the road is in shambles). For about 1 1/2 hours we were riding straight up this mountainside on a dirt, one-lane road that was super rocky and bumpy. We were not motorcylcing, we were dirtbiking! I felt like I was doing a little motorcross actually! Why take a minsk should anyone ask? Today I understand...

About half way through our day (we were 25 km from the nearest town thank goodness!) we got in our first motorbike wreck. We were turning a blind corner and this big semi-truck was coming straight for us! To avoid a head-on we went off the pavement and onto the gravel and as soon as that happened our bike came crashing down. We were tossed off the bike and it landed on us! We were so fortunate that we weren't going very fast and we got off with a little road rash. Our bike wasn't as fortunate... the gear pedal was completely bent out of shape and the bike was badly out of line. We also smashed the rear-view mirror and the tail light.

We sat there for a bit, at the side of the road. Tiffany took out the tool box again... I just looked at her like whatcha think you're going to do with those plyers? The bike started ok and once we figured out we could use the gears we rode the last 25 km into town with it badly out of line. We stopped in town and conveniently right beside us was a mechanic shop. Thankfully mechanic shops are a dime a dozen in Vietnam. We acted out what happened to the mechanic and he put the bike back in line and put on a new gear pedal. $4 and 10min later we were off again. I love SE Asia! They didn't have a replacement mirror though so I had to look behind me and tap on Tiff's shoulders if someone was about to pass. A bit of an inconvenience but we made it work =)

Once I could get past my fear, I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding us. My favorite part was passing all the little villages where hill tribes such as the Black Thai's and Muong lived. They were dressed in their traditional garb and were out working the land. We saw old woman who looked about 70 or 80, but were probably younger, carrying heavy piles of wood on their head and men and women working in the rice fields. The children were especially cute and they were so excited to see us and wave to us as we rode by. It was really neat to see everyone going about their day as usual. You knew it wasn't a put on thing for tourists. I love that!

We spent 10 hours on the bike today! When we arrived in Dien Bien Thu we went for dinner and we actually saw other foreigners. They were a French couple and once we started talking to them we realized we were doing the same trip as them. They looked at us and asked: "Are you girls riding bikes?" (with a big question mark). We explained that Tiffany was driving and how we really don't have experience etc and that I'm quite scared actually. "Wow!" the French guy said. "You mean you girls don't have a motorcycle licence are are doing this trip?" "Yep that's right," we responded. I then said -"we're either some of the coolest girls you'll ever meet or the stupidest. After today I'm feeling we're a little on the stupid side!" He laughed and said "yes, but cool too!"

They wished us luck and we said goodbye. I couldn't help but wish I was his girlfriend getting on the back of his bike and riding away! I'd feel a little bit more safe I think, besides he was also quite cute =) Good-night. I'm praying tonight for safety. We have hit the point of no return. No turning back now!

What's a Carburetor? Day 1

2006-03-27T17:12:00.000+07:00

Outside the rental place, armed with our Barbie masks. =)

Me and our cook for lunch. I feel tall!

Tiffers at our first lunch spot. They were so friendly!

Tiff with the guys who fixed our bike =)

Riding in the fog.

Nam (the guy we rented our minsk from) and I as we bid farewell in Hanoi. Tiffany: the adventure is ours!

My alarm went off at 7:00am. Today’s the big day! We started out by eating a hearty breakfast and two cups of coffee each at this little café called the Good Earth Café just down the street from our hotel. About 8:30am we ventured down the bike rental place with a smiling Nam to greet us. He gave us our tool kit and fix-it manual and showed us the choke and sparkplug and a few more things that is all a little hazy at this point… Seriously! Tiffany and I have NO business riding this bike! We both looked at each other with glazed over looks. Ah well. If something happens we’ll figure it out in a pinch.

Next Nam leads us out of Hanoi on his bike. I’m on the back of his bike and Tiffany is following Nam. Hanoi is a HUGE city! I’m so proud of Tiffany for maneuvering through the crazy crazy traffic on such a big bike! I would look behind me ever so often to see how she was doing and I would laugh every time. Here is this cute little blonde hair blue eyed girl on this bad ass bike driving though a busy Asian city. This girl has guts!

When we got to the outskirts of town Tiff and I bid farewell to Nam and I hopped on the back of Tiff’s bike. I was not quite as confident as when I was on the back of Nam’s bike, but whatever, we were on our way!

Within the first 5 minutes of being on a bike together we seriously nearly took out this girl on her bicycle. Well actually she was crossing the street pushing her bicycle. Tiff and I drove behind her (as she should have) but was just a tad too close and our saddle bags caught her bike and knocked it around. The girl was fine so we kept driving. This is a great start!

A couple hours later we stopped for lunch at this little town called Hoa Binh and they were so happy to see us. I really don’t think many foreigners come through here and they spoke no English. Finally we’re off the very well beaten tourist trail in SE Asia. FINALLY!!

After lunch we started going up into the mountains. We were traveling in the fog on these mountain passes with these big trucks dominating the road. Thankfully the road seems pretty good thus far. I’ve got to hand it to Tiffany though. She’s a good driver! I’m so glad I didn’t drive though. I would have been in tears for sure! So I’m the designated team photographer. It was really cold in the mountains and I had to hug Tiffany to keep us warm. We laughed a lot. We are so dumb and dumber!

Oh wait. Back it up a bit. About an hour into this trip up a mountain road our bike started to make some strange noises. We stopped to check it out and discovered our fuel was leaking. So… we got out our trusty tool kit and manual and sat by the side of the road to read it. Tiff asked, (more hypothetically than anything) “what do you think that tube is called?” I said, “I don’t know. The fuel tube?” Then Tiff said, “I think it’s the carburetor.” I said, “Isn’t that in the engine?” I said it before and I’ll say it again. Tiff and I have NO business riding this bike!

We sat there for awhile brainstorming and finally decided the best bet was to put the bike in neutral and coast to the nearest town to have it looked at. Just as we were about to leave this friendly Vietnamese guy pulled over to see what was wrong. We showed him the leaky tube and he knew what was wrong. He acted it out with a piece of grass by mock tying it around the tube. Oh. There must have been a screw or something there holding it in place. OK. Cool. Then another guy comes to help and he brings out a piece of metal and pliers and uses that to jimmy rig it. Works for me =) we’re set to go. Thanks gentlemen!

We roll into Moc Chai where we are staying tonight around 5:30pm. What a cute little town. Everyone is so friendly. We go for dinner and basically ask them to bring us whatever. They brought us this lovely meal consisting of tofu, tomatoes, some unknown green little vegetable. Then we had some homemade yogurt for desert. We walked around for a bit and everything pretty much shut down around 7:00pm. It’s quite a change from the hustle and bustle of city life. I’m so stoked to be doing this trip. This is finally our chance to get off the beaten path. What a good day to begin our trip.

Erwin and Fanny's Motorcycle Diaries: Day Zero

2006-03-26T16:36:00.000+07:00

Gaston: Our Russian Minsk!

Tiffany and I have been talking up this motorcycle trip in Vietnam since we started planning Vietnam. It’s a 6 or 7 day motorcycle loop of Northwestern Vietnam. We drove little mopeds in Vang Vieng (Laos) and Dalat (Vietnam) so we figured we were ready for the Big Trip! We were reading about this trip in the Vietnam Lonely Planet (we just got our hands on one today) and it said this trip on motorbikes is spectacular but only for the experienced biker – meaning: “has driven a moped 2X?” Mmm… that should have been our first clue and actually by this point I was getting very nervous. Tiffany didn’t seen bothered but she’s a different breed of girl- let me tell you! – granted I do think she’s a better driver than I…

So after we got back from our boat tour we went to the motorbike rental place that was recommended by lonely plant to rent these bikes called Russian Minsk’s. I took one look at the Russian Minsk and just about pooped my pants. It’s a big bike. Like a proper bike. Not a scooter like I’m “used to” driving (and “used to” as in 2X experienced).

The guy who worked there, Nam (who was absolutely adorable – by the way) told me to hop on and showed me how to kick start it and use the clutch to change gears, etc. Then he told me to take a spin around the block. You want me to do what? By myself? I thought.

I looked back at Tiffany with a look of terror in my eyes and she nodded and smiled at me encouragingly. I looked at Nam next and he smiled at me too- urging me on. Fine, I thought, it can’t be that bad. Just around the block right?

Pause for a second. Driving around “the block” in Hanoi is not your typical neighborhood block. The traffic in Hanoi is absolutely insane! Drivers are weaving in and out, cutting here and there, crossing over into head on traffic. Organized chaos it is.

Anyways… I start to go really slowly down this street. I take the first right. People are honking their horn and not just b/c I look fine. They are coming so close to my bike I envision my legs being crushed… then I take another right. I’m talking to myself at this pint. I’m riding this Big Bad Ass bike through Hanoi talking to myself. I’m scared. I’m wearing yoga pants and flip flops. Other foreigners are staring at me. I’m starting to feel really cool and then I stall the bike. I’m cursing in my head- or at least I think it was in my head.

Then I realize I no longer recognize where I am. I think I missed a right back there somewhere? I push my bike – which I can barely even push because it’s so heavy – to the side of the road as far over as possible. Then I literally just sit there straddling my bike for about 5 min. I was frozen. Finally I say to myself: Erin, think. All you have to do is retrace your steps. Easy! But then I’d panic thinking I’d have to cross the traffic to change directions. I honestly didn’t think I could make it.

Finally, these Vietnamese men who were watching me for awhile came over to see what was wrong. They thought I’d run out of gas so I had to act out the fact that I was lost. I couldn’t even remember the name of the rental place. So one of the guys hopped on my bike he drove me back to the place while I directed him. It was so nice of him to drive me back. I mean really… what a geek I am! Everyone was laughing at me when I came back on the back of this motorbike with a random Vietnamese guy driving me. The really funny thing was he didn’t even really know how to drive it either. He didn’t know how to shirt gears and stuff and he was used to the little moped too. So we revved our way in first the whole way back.

At this point, Tiffany had gone looking for me on another motorbike. She’s a good driver and has a much better sense of direction than I. She was like, “Oh Erin, how did you manage to get lost!?” It’s like me and computers and me and directions. Something always goes wrong! I just can’t explain it.

So that night after my driving fiasco I went back to the room to grab something before dinner and I cried. I said I don’t want to die! I know I’m going to die and my family will be devastated and I really really want to live!! So then I met Tiffany and told her I cried and I was scared.

Pause for a second. Tiffany is definitely the boyfriend in our relationship and I’m sure at some point in this trip people have thought we were lesbians. Since we’ve been traveling we’ll go into a guesthouse and ask how much rooms are? Then we’ll say. No 1 bed. Just one bed! We’re really adamant about it because it’s usually cheaper. I think sometimes we’ve gotten some strange looks… oh well. Anyways, Tiffany is an extremely gutsy girl. I certainly don’t view myself as a wimpy girl but Tiffany is one of the most independent, adventurous, fearless girls I’ve ever met!

So Tiffany then gave me a little pep talk and we talked about the possibility of sharing a bike. I was all over that idea b/c I was really beginning to think this motorbike trip wasn’t a good idea after all. After I made sure I was aloud to drive on the open road sometimes we agreed this was the best option!

After dinner we went off to buy last minute essentials for this trip. Rain jackets, batteries, face masks to protect us from breathing fumes and pollution from vehicles. We bought cool Barbie facemasks. Then I prayed for God’s protection on this trip. Something was telling me we are going to need a little more protection than our Barbie face masks could provide…

Halong Bay

2006-03-25T21:36:00.000+07:00

Me in our little room on the boat.

Tiffany in our room on the boat with a look of fear b/c we hear a rat trying to get in our room!

Another boat like the one we were on to tour Halong Bay.

View on the limestone rock on our Halong Bay boat tour.

March 25-26

Today I returned from a two day tour. It was a boat trip in the beautiful emerald green water of Halong Bay with magnificent limestone rock formations jutting out of the water. At least that's what they tell you. It's supposedly one of the greatest tourtist attractions in Northern Vietnam. We had poor weather so I think that put a slight damper on our trip. However, it was relaxing and at least a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep from our time in Hoi An. The rock formations were a little hard to see in the fog but it made for an eerie effect.

We slept on the boat and my favorite part of the whole trip was playing cards with the Vietnamese boat staff at night. Tiffany and I were playing rummy when 4 Vietnamese staff joined in and played with us, for us, cheating and making up rules and such. We couldn't really talk so it was really funny. Tiffany went to bed a little earlier than I so I stayed up while the Vietnamese guys tried to teach me some Vietnamese. I would just repeat them and they would cheer when I got the words right. They thought I was actually learning Vietnamese. It made me laugh.. Then the younger brother of one of the staff caught a moth and tried to put it in my hair. When they discovered I really didn't like moths it became a new game and well I really am scared of moths (I think they're disgusting) so I went to bed soon after that. But I had fun with the staff. Every other foreigner on our boat stuck to themselves so I figure I had more fun!

Tomorrow we are embarking on a motorcycle adventure of northwestern Vietnam. I'm seriously freaked to do this!! But kind-of excited too. Should be interesting to see what these next 6 days bring! I'm terrified to be honest!!

Hanoi: First Impressions...

2006-03-23T12:52:00.000+07:00

Me and Tiffers in Hanoi.

Anna-Karin and David. We first met then on our bus ride from hell from Laos to Cambodia. We have been keeping in touch with them and meeting up with them throughout Cambodia and Vietnam. This is our last night hanging out with them. Aww.

The girls. A night out in Hanoi for Tiffany's birthday. A bit of a gong show but we had fun =)

Playing frisbee in Hanoi with a Vietnamese guy, David and Anna-Karin. Tiff trying to get the frisbee out of the tree with her flip flop! This is before we had a work-out with skipping rope and such. I was skipping and this Vietnamese woman around 35 joined me and we skipped double dutch. It was hilarious. Then we had a gazillion Veitnamese taking photos of us. Apparently it's rare to see foreigners exercise in public?

We arrived in Hanoi this morning at 6:30am after spending a total of 17 hours on a bus. Our first impressions of Hanoi were not super positive. After being pestered by numerous motor drivers trying to get us to stay in their guesthouses (I hate wandering around with backpacks on: it's the worst b/c you're prey to any guesthouse owner, taxi driver and even random motorbike drivers) We said "no" firmly (you have to in Vietnam) which was reciprocated by F' you and a string of curses in Vietnamese no doubt. We were shocked and 5 minutes later the same thing by a different guy. What's the deal! It's Tiffany's birthday today so I just smiled at her and wished her "Happy Birthday!"

After finding a guesthouse, some breakfast and wandering around a little we warmed up to this city. It's definitely the dirtiest city so far in Vietnam but there are friendly people here too. I've never experienced such rudeness up until the two guys this morning. Ah well, water off our backs. =) It's chaotic here and Hanoi holds a certain intrigue for me.

I'm off for a nap I think...

What happens in Hoi An, stays in Hoi An!

2006-03-22T12:39:00.000+07:00

Mike's family took us out for dinner. Mike's Mom, Evan, me, Tiffany, Max, Mike and Mike's Dad. My new American friends.

Tiffany, David and Baia (our French Canadian friends)

What a wild time in Hoi An! The main draw to this town is the numerous cloth shops where you can get tailor made clothes at excellent prices! Most visitors to Hoi An enjoy getting clothes made as well as experience a little down time as the night life is pretty tame here. Well, that was not exactly our experience…

In Hoi An we met up with Tiffany’s American friends she met in Thailand. I met them in Vang Vieng (Laos) about a month ago. I didn’t see much of them or Tiffany for that matter in Vang Vieng because I was mostly with my English friends.

Tiffany's friends names are Mike, Evan and Max and they became my friends for the next 4 days too. Mike’s parents were visiting for 2 weeks so they took us all out for dinner. It was so nice. I LOVE parents! Afterwards we went out to this bar out of town called Full Moon bar b/c everything else closes at 11:00pm in Hoi An. Tiffany and I ditched the boys somewhere along the way and ended up talking to a bunch of English blokes. At the end of the night we all took motorbike taxi's home.

Anyways, I really enjoyed our time with the American boys. I probably spent the most time with Max. He’s slightly schizo but he’s alright. Max you really should have had that lime green suit made. It would’ve been hot! Oh wait. I mean that’s the worst possible idea EVER! PS. Admit it - you LOVED my purple 80's prom dress!!

We also met up with our French Canadian friends David and Baia (we first met them in Laos too) which made for some very interesting topics of conversation and a more than slightly interesting night which Tiffany and I debriefed for hours the next day on the bus to Hanoi. Hmm...

Kitsch Hoi An

2006-03-18T14:05:00.000+07:00

March 18th,
Today we arrived in Hoi An. A city in Central Vietnam bursting at the seams with character and intrigue. Tiff and I took a 12 hour overnight bus ride from Na Trang. Na Trang is a very large resort area in Vietnam and while we enjoyed the beach for a day and a half we cut our time their short in favor of a more authentic Vietnamese flavour. We hardly slept a wink all night so after walking around for about an hour trying to find cheap accommodations we finally settled into a nice, clean, and relatively cheap Hotel for Hoi An ($6/night). After having a silent breakfast together we went straight back to sleep for a couple hours. I Woke up feeling groggy and a little out of sorts but caffeine is beginning to kick in and we're about to go out to explore the city a little and check out many of the tailored clothing shops.

Cheers

Head out on the Highway...

2006-03-15T12:11:00.000+07:00

Me on the little moped. So fun to drive!

View of the lake on our motorbike (well moped actually)

...Looking for adventure!

Tiff and I woke up to sunshine today! Yeah!

After a quick early breakfast we rented motorbikes and decided to hike this mountain 14km out of town. We shared the motorbike b/c we’re cheap and set out for our day.

We hiked a totally deserted mountain which was a nice change from hiking in Korea where even the mountains are packed with people! I love how hiking has a way of sparking good conversation! Although it would seem like Tiff any I have exhausted every possible topic we found new interesting territory to discuss and learned some new things about each other. As well, Tiffany and I are the queens of new ideas and trying to figure out our futures! We tossed around a billion and one ideas for next year and I came away from it only slightly more confused than when we started. Story of my life!

Afterwards we explored the countryside by motorbike and it was absolutely beautiful. We sang all the 90's songs we knew and just as I was driving into town around 4:30pm we got a flat tire. Good timing! We rolled it into a fix-it shop (they seem to be everywhere) and we had our motorbike tire fixed for $0.50. Gotta love that! Then Tiffany navigated us through rush hour traffic back to our guesthouse. I was hanging on to the back on the motorbike terrified as other vehicles and motorbikes would get so close to us I was worried they would crush my legs!

It was a good day. Tomorrow we head to the beach.

Lovely Dalat!

2006-03-14T22:30:00.000+07:00

View of Dalat. Yes, it poured on us!!

At the "crazy house" (a guesthouse modeled after Alice in Wonderland apparently)

I arrived in Dalat yesterday and I LOVE it. It’s a beautiful mountainous town in Central Vietnam. We had been fore-warned that the temperature in Dalat is quite cool. I didn’t think much of it considering everywhere else we've been has been scorching hot in my opinion!
Tiffany and I got of the bus after a mere 6 hour ordeal and set off to find a questhouse. There were a million and one people asking us to stay at their guesthouse but we like doing our own think so we set about with our rucksacks on our backs and map in hand. Actually shall I rephrase that? Tiffany with map in hand. I must say she has a much better sense of direction than I and she is our designated navigator. So we finally settled in a very nice guest house called "Peaceful Guesthouse II" for a mere $2.5/per night each.

We spent the rest of the night wandering the town. Walking through the local food market testing little goodies along the way. We walked a 7km loop and then settled in for a nice dinner. Red wine and Vietnamese cuisine. Mmm. We brought our sketch books with us to design some clothes we want to get made in Vietnam. (Okay so we don’t have actual sketch books but notepads of some sort). I laughed at all my attempts to design clothes. Oh well, it was worth a shot!

March 13th. Today we woke up bright and early with the intention of renting a motorbike and climbing this mountain 14km outside of Dalat. But we woke up to the sound of pouring rain on the roof not to mention on my bed (I left our balcony door open) oops. So we closed our eyes and slept for another hour postponing our mountain trip for a day in hopes that it will be sunny weather tomorrow. Did I say how much I love Dalat? I feel like this is one of my first authentic traveling experiences since being away. I know that sounds weird but everywhere else I’ve been has been so geared towards tourism and it’s a lot harder to get off the beaten path that I ever would have expected.

Tiffany decided to get here hair down today so I wandered around the town. After getting soaked in the rain I ducked into this little hole in the wall restaurant for some reprieve from the rain and hot fluids. I ordered a bowl of Pho Bo (Beef Vietnamese noodle soup) and this Vietnamese guy named Quoc motioned for me to come join him at his table. So I thought why not. We shared an interesting conversation with many hand gestures and broken English and he played Celine Dion and gave me the thumbs up sign which I feebly gave back with a crooked smile. I looked at the CD case and it said "Best Happy Songs from around the World!" it had Eric Clapton and the Beetles, ACDC, Shania Twain. It was an AWESOME mix!

After lunch with Quoc, I found Tiffany at the hair salon (her hair now platinum blonde with blue streaks... love it! what else do you do on a rainy day?) we explored the city a bit more. After visiting this questhouse which is built like Alice in Wonderland by a quirky hippy lady we settled down to a nice steaming cup of coffee. Mmmm.

Evening: lovely diner followed by watching cheesy music videos on Much Music Asia. Loved it! We are such geeks!

Ahhh... Beach at last!

2006-03-10T18:28:00.000+07:00

The lovely view from our room...

Tiffany, Craig and I. Craig was our English friend we met in Phnom Penh.

Tiffany doing her dance around the fire (part of our ring of fire game)

March 10th.

We arrived today to a town called Mui Ne. Actually we're on the stretch of beach just outside of a fishing village called Mui Ne. It's beautiful. Although Ho Chi Minh was a great city I'm never one to want to stay in the city longer that a few days... It always feels like a breath of fresh air when I arrive in a smaller town. Craig, Tiffany and I walked up and down the street next to the beach trying to find the cheapest place. We were a little surprised that we couldn't find anything under $10. When you're on a tight budget and you're used to paying from $3-5 for accommodations this sounded like a load of money. We finally settled on this $10 place which to me feels totally resort style compared to the dives I'm used to staying in. We're right on the beach and spent our time basking in the sun and walking along the beach with a mission of purchasing a Frisbee which is a harder task than one would think!

For $3.33/night and the beach right out our doorstep I reckon this is a great place for a few nights =) (I'm starting to pick up the British lingo a bit. I "reckon" so) Ah! I've been hanging out with too many Brits! =)

Saigon!

2006-03-10T17:59:00.000+07:00

A shot of the center of the town. Saigon is a really clean nice city and very busy of course!

Another action shot of the city.

March 8-9th
We arrived in Vietnam on March 8th. The city of Ho Chi Minh. Formally known and best known as Saigon. Saigon sounds so mystical and beautiful as opposed to Ho Chi Minh City and it's funny b/c Saigon signs are everywhere and many Vietnamese still call it Saigon. It was a 7 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh, not too bad compared to our 18 hour bus ride into Cambodia! and we were on a considerably spacious and air-con bus. Quite a step up from the sans air-con mini van actually. Ho Chi Minh is a very fun, busy happening city! It's a bit like taking your own life in your hands to cross the street though. You have to step out into traffic and wait while vehicles and motorcycles mainly whip past you until you can take another step wait again and eventually make it to the other side.

Second day in Ho Chi Minh City we set out to explore the city. We as in, Tiffany and I and another British bloke named Craig whom we met on the bus. We did our own walking tour and stopped at the Vietnam War Museum. The museum was loaded with excellent photos that were both graphic and horrifying. It was especially sad to see the effect of this agent called Agent Orange on the children of the parents who fought in the war. These children are completely deformed and handicapped now. It's terrible. Wars are horrific and to see the war crimes are especially appalling.

It's interesting being in Vietnam. I think of one of my high school friends who was born in Vietnam and think how different his life would have been had he grown up here...

I spent two quiet nights while the others went out on the town. I needed time to be by myself and reflect on what's going on here and what has been going on at home with my family. I still need time to allow myself to grieve and it feels really good to be alone sometimes.

That's all for now =)

Miss Kissy: Southern Cambodia

2006-03-06T11:27:00.000+07:00

March 5th.
Tiffany and I at a beach party: Bar Utopia Sihanoukville: Southern Cambodia)

People: Cooper from Edmonton - occupation: Bar Tender at Bar Utopia, ex national diver. Nickname for Erin: Miss Kissy. Not sure why?

Swedish boy: Alex - occupation: professional model?
Swedish boy: "What's your name?"
Erin: "Erin"
Swedish boy: Erwin? That’s cool we only have boring names in Sweden.
Erin: Actually it's Erin. Just for the record. Erwin would be a HORRIBLE name.
Swedish boy: oh Erin. That's cool too.
Erin: not as cool as Erwin!

Jake and Andy: English bloke and his Aussie mate
Tiffany: "Who are you sharing that with?"
Jake: "You!"
Andy: "I like your dress."
Erin: "Thanks. It's a T-shirt."

4:00am:
Tiffany: "Where's my friend Erin!"
Tiffany (finds Erin): "We're leaving NOW!"
Erin: "mmm. OK!"
Erin: "let's eat some pancakes!! No pancakes? OK! Pringles will do..."

This probably won't make much sense to anyone else. Some stories are best not told in detail =)

8-year old Attitude!

2006-03-04T17:22:00.000+07:00

Me and my friend Baroose who made me a bracelet if I pinky-sweared him to buy fruit from him later=)

Tiffany and Crammer on the beach

March 3-4:
Sihanoukville, Southern Cambodian

March 3:
Today we arrived at the beach!! Yay! We decided to come here a little earlier than anticipated b/c of a bit of a screw up with our Vietnam visas. It's our fault b/c we didn't specify dates and so right now we are suppposed to be there. We only have 1 month so we had to speed up our time in Cambodia a bit to give us 3 weeks in Vietnam. There are no bungalos on the beach (the bungalow craze hasn't caught on here yet) so we are about a 5 min walk to the beach... works for me =)

March 4:
Today we slept in. Much needed after a very late night in Phnom Penh and we hadn't had a chance to catch up yet... After a leisurly breakfast we walked to the beach and enjoyed a day in the sun. Actually this was my first time at a beach on the ocean. In Laos we were always on the river. I didn't think I'd enjoy the ocean because I'm soooo freaked out of sea creatures but the water was so warm and clear. I had a blast just bobbing around and body surfing a bit. The waves aren't big enough here for real surfing so I'm not sure if I'll get to try it? I bought some bracelets from a guy with no legs (land mines) and this little boy named Baroose made me a bracelet too if I promised to buy fruit from him. I thought it was a good exchange until he tried to charge me an outrageous price for fruit. We worked it out until we were both happy. Baroose was so funny and he had so much attitude!! I held the ends of the sting while he made me my bracelet and he worked his little 8-year old charm and got both my friends to to the same.

Now I'm just chilling out at my guesthouse. Some Aussie guys are watching cricket and there's some fun music playing. I think I'll go read for a bit before dinner.

That's all for now....

Killing Fields and S-21

2006-03-04T16:40:00.000+07:00

In the back on our tuk-tuk on the way to the Heart of Darkness bar in Phnom Penh. These were our new Swedish friends: Nicholas and Anna-Karin. We were searched for weapons at the bar entrance because apparently there was a shooting two months prior at this particular bar. Ooooh, danger... Inside it was definately seedy but we danced the night away to particularly bad music. I had a blast. Nicholas got in a bad situation with a Cambodian girl who told her she would hurt him if he left. Dude, can't a guy just dance with a girl?! This led to a particularly interesting ending to our night... thanks Nicholas!

Tiffany and David in the back of our tuk-tuk.

Some faces of many of the Cambodian children killed during Pol Pot's regime. Unbelievable.

Very disturbing photo of a woman with her baby admitted to the S-21 prison. They were both killed.

My Cambodian friend for the day. I'm embarrassed, but I can't remember his name.

One of mass grave sites at the killing fields.

Skulls on showcase at the killing fields. They were separated into categories. Children/Men/Women.

The glass showcase of skulls located at the killing fields

March 1-2
Phnom Penh

March 1: Today Tiffany and I arrived in Phnom Phen by bus from Siem Reap. As soon as we arrived we were bombarded by taxi, motorcycle, and tuk-tuk drivers trying to sell us the "best deal" for their guesthouse. Before we were even out of the bus two young Cambodian guys pressed their sign up to our window. "No Problem"Guesthouse. $2, $3, $4 rooms available, on the lake. We saw the $2 and we were sold. We didn't care what a dive it might be as long as it was cheap. Next thing we knew we were on the back of a motorbike on our way to "No Problem"Guesthouse which turned out to be a really cute little guesthouse on stilts on the lake, bungalow style. The lake was extremely polluted, but that was besides the point. There was a fun little common area with movies, so for the next couple hours we watched a movie (Supersize Me) and didn't move far from the couch. We met a Swedish guy named Nicholas and made plans for the following day to explore Phnom Penh and all that it have to offer. We didn't have the energy for much else that night.

March 2: Today Tiffany, Nicholas and I rented bicycles and decided to ride to the Killing Fields and S-21 prison. We were advised against this because of the distance but like I said we're always up for an adventure and adventure it was. We cycled about 30 km today and the traffic was so crazy. I was riding on the shoulder and on my left side I had traffic whipping past me and on my right side I had motorbikes coming towards me. It was terrifying at first until I got the hang of it. Even though I was starting to feel confident in the traffic I still managed to have some close calls... shall we say. We didn't see one other foreigner on these roads and we got a lot of stares from the locals. We were the only ones crazy or stupid enough I guess. I was glad to get out of the city. Once out of the city this Cambodian guy on his motorbike rode up beside me and wanted to talk to me. He asked if he could come with us to the killing fields, I said sure. He didn't leave my side for the next 10 km. I think he wanted to practice English but I was getting a little suspicious so when he asked I told him Nicholas was my boyfriend...

The Killing Fields were an area on the outskirts on Phnom Penh where 17,000 Cambodian men, women, and children were brutally tortured and killed between mid-1975 to December 1978 under the regime of Pol Pot. The remains of 8985 people were found in mass graves at this site and more that 8000 skulls arranged by sex and age are in a glass case for viewing. What an incredibly haunting site. As I learn more of the history of the Khmer Rouge I am horrified that such a radical and brutal genocide took place from 1975-1979. Their leader was Pol Pot and he was a former school teacher. He particularly targeted the educated but killed many children and the families of educated men and women in the county. He was Cambodian which is what is so unique about this mass genocide: he killed his own people! Almost 2 million people died under Pol Pot's regime.

Next we went to S-21. It was a former high school taken over by the Khmer Rouge where people were detained and tortured before being taken to the execution fields. There were only 7 survivors total. We looked at all the photos of all the faces that had been murdered. When people arrived at S-21 they all had a mug shot taken and were forced to give a false testimony of some treason that they had "committed"or else they were tortured. It was especially disturbing to see the faces of very young children and even babies... they were ALL killed.

Wow what a heavy day!!! Every person in Cambodia has lost someone: a grandparent, uncle, child, etc. 1 in 4 Cambodians were killed during this period!! I hardly knew anything about this tragedy before coming to Cambodia. It has been an eye opener!

Temples, Temples and... more Temples!

2006-03-01T21:49:00.002+07:00

Some detailed stone sculptures at the temples. I was fascintated by these. I can't imagine how much work it was to do one of these! and there were hundreds at one temple alone!

Feb 26-29

Our first day in Siem Reap we spent recovering from our crazy bus ride by emailing and reading and exploring the city a little.

We spent the next two days exploring the temples of Angkor Wat. They were spectacular!
The first day Tiff and I hoped on the back of a motorbike and our driver Modey took us around to many different temples. We would explore and then Modey would take us to the next temple. We were a sight to see as it was Tiffany, our driver Modey, and I on this dinky little motorbike with me sandwiched in the middle. It was funny because most tourists we passed were on proper tuk-tuks!

Day two we decided to cycle to the temples and around, from our guesthouse. I think we cycled about 30km that day, and b/c of the heat, by the end of the day I thought I was going to pass out! It didn't help that we accidentally cylced to the airport on our way to one of the temples. That added another 10k. We were happily chatting away when we reached the temple and as soon as we got off it hit us. We needed some sugar in our blood... quickly! When we finally arrived at the temple neither of us were talking. We had our baguette with cheese and an apple in hand and that's all I could think about! There was no talking until after both of us were well into our lunch. I bit into my apple which was filled with tiny little worms. That broke the silence as I dramatically spit my apple as far as I could! On our second day we went to the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed with Angelina Jolie.

Cambodians are such happy people despite everything they've been through in recent years. It's quite amazing actually. They are the friendliest I've encountered in all of Asia. They also know the most English and the most facts about other countries. i.e. I've had numerous conversations with kids at the temples that went like this:
kids: "miss, where you from?"
me: Canada
kids: the capital of Canada is Ottawa, people speak French and English there. You have a new prime minister named Steven Harper. Before that Paul Martin. Before that Jean Cretien.
Then they went on to speak to me a bit in French. We also had a couple Cambodian girls speak to us in Korean b/c we told them we taught English in Korea. Smart kids!

The temples were definitely worth it! I ran into sooo many Koreans at the temple and said "Anyung Haseo" (Hello) and whatever else I could in Korean. It was fun because they were surprised to speak to us! I'm starting to tell the difference between Korean and Japanese quite easily. Even by the way they dress gives it away.

Tomorrow we'll be on our way to Phnom Penh...

The Bus Ride from... Hello Operator...

2006-02-26T21:00:00.000+07:00

Ahh! The bus. The lovely lovely bus!

A sample of huts from the villages we passed in our van.

Cambodians at work in the fields. A scene from one of our many "van's overheated" stops!

Feb 25th.
Let me talk about the bus ride from Laos to Siem Reap. Oh my goodness!!! It was the craziest bus ride I've ever been on. First of all, we had a 12 passenger van with 16 people crammed in it. There was no air conditioner so we were literally sticking to the person next to us. We were skin to skin with the stranger beside us and everyone looked like they wet their pants it was so hot and sweaty! We traveled on dusty dirt roads and because we were sans aircon we had all the windows open to try and encourage some air flow. However, it turned out to be a battle of two evils. Unbearable heat or loads of dust to cake our hair and skin and I'm sure our lungs! We chose the dust and dirt over heat stroke! At the end of the trip I looked like I had this crazy dark tan, mostly consisting of dirt!

When we arrived at the border this skinny little Cambodian man with a long metal stick in hand approached us and started speaking to us in English explaining we needed to pay a fee for the departure and arrival stamps ($6 US) This seriously weird little man came out of nowhere and was hassling everyone. I'm embarrassed to say that everyone of us were scammed by this guy and paid him $6. Well, he made a lot of money that day to say the least...He tried to charge Tiffany $5 b/c she lost her departure card but she went over to the border guys smiled and said $2? and they said "for you, ok." It's basically like that in Cambodia. If you flash a bright big smile you are likely going to be liked back instantly. Cambodians are such friendly people, with the exception of this border guy! On the other side of the border our van wouldn't start so we had to push it to get it going. We all coughed at the black smoke pouring out behind us. A good sign I know.

The rest of the trip was crazy. Our driver was going so fast weaving back and forth across the dirt road to avoid gigantor potholes. Not to mention we had to stop every hour b/c the engine was overheating. The worst was that he would race through all these little villages and I was so worried one of the children playing on the side of the road would get run over. We did kill two dogs along the way though and our driver just laughed hysterically. We all looked at each other in bewilderment. Tiff was sitting in the back and had to wrap her head in her fleece to prevent a concussion because she kept banging her head on the roof, the window, and the girl beside her!She was definitely a sight to see!

About 10:00pm we switched drivers and vans and now there was a man on the roof shining a big spotlight where to go. If our driver took a wrong turn he would bang on the roof and point with his spotlight the direction to go. We were being taken on a very deserted road deep in the forest. One of the guys was convinced we were going to be robbed (he told us later) and had his Swiss army knife ready. I was really skeptical too, it all seemed very strange and eerie. But alas we arrived in Siem Reap at 2:00am (18 hours of travel) and set out to find a guesthouse. We took showers before bed and I could not believe the dirt that came off me!

Even though it was a wild ride it was the kind-of travel I had envisioned in Cambodia. Apparently that was the worst stretch of road in the country. It'll only get better from here =)

A Little Taste of Paradise

2006-02-25T20:03:00.000+07:00

Neal and I.

Tiff and Ali
Lao children playing on the river at dusk. How lovely =)

Tiff in the hammock on our porch. Showing off the view, oh yeah...

View of the beach Ali, Neal, Tiffany and I rode our bikes too. Also where we found cliff jumping and took a little boat ride to see some fresh water dolphins. Ali and Neal are two English blokes we met along the way.

Feb 22-25
4000 Islands!!! Here I come. After a 12 hour overnight bus ride and an additional 4 hour ride on the back of a truck and a short boat ride we arrived in our new home for the next 3 days. Tiff and I found the cutest bungalows on the river with hammocks and and an amazing view on the sunset side of the island for $3/night. Ahhhh.... after ditching our backpacks and changing into our swimsuits, which we lived in for the next few days, we went swimming with 2 new English friends Neal and Ali and then spent the evening lying in hammocks, watching the sunset and talking and laughing, laughing, laughing. Two things Tiff and I do best when we're together. Then we met up with the boys for dinner and an evening to celebrate one of the guys birthdays.

Day 2 on the island Neal, Ali, Tiff and rented bicycles and went mountain biking on cheap bikes with skinny tires. It would have only been complete with banana seats. We biked to a pretty little beach about 40 min away. It actually took as about 90 min b/c we somehow took a wrong turn and biked across cow fields and through a little village. We ran into three local Lao boys (about 10 years old) and I think they were surprised to see foreigners in their little village. The boys each had sling shots in hand and one was carrying a clear bag filled with 3 or 4 dead rats. Ewww! Boys will be boys wherever you are =)

When we arrived at the beach we swam, went cliff jumping and kicked a football around with a local boy. On the way home we took a detour to the falls and as the sun was going down were on our ways home. Did I mention how crappy our bikes were? Well Ali and I were racing on this very rocky and bumpy dirt road when my chain came off. And no it's not like putting a chain back on at home. If it happens once it continues to happen. Anyways, Neal was also having troubles with his chain (his came off about 30X that night, mine 5ish). While Tiff and Ali went on ahead to try and catch the sunset, Neal and I stayed behind to deal with our chains. Before long it was beginning to get dark. I thought to myself, no worries, I have my headlamp (which, by the way, I've gotten so much flack for- but what do these city boys know anyways?). However, when I went to retrieve my lamp, I discovered I left it in Ali's basket and he was long gone. Neal and I maneuvered our way in the dark stopping every 50 meters or so to fix one of our chains. All we could do was laugh really. As far as I'm concerned minor mishaps like this only add to the adventure.

That night Tiff and I chilled at the boys bungalows and watched the stars, which have been the most stunning I've seen in Asia so far. It reminded me of watching the stars in the mountains. Brilliant!

The third day Tom, Dom, Neal, Ali, Tiff and I all rode back to the beach. This time we decided against the cow fields route and opted for the road instead. We went to see if we could see the fresh water dolphins (some of the last in the world apparently). Well, they were kind-of far away so I saw them moving and just assumed they were the fresh water dolphins. Exhilarating? Hardly! I had more fun cliff jumping! At the end of the day we began our journey back home, not without some apprehension due to the previous days mishaps. However this time success! We experienced much less chain problems and all made it back in time for sunset. Ah...

That night we all chilled together. It was time to say good-bye to the boys as Tiff and I were leaving for Cambodia the next day. It was kind-of sad b/c we had so much fun with them especially Tom and Dom b/c we traveled all throughout Lao with them.

Next stop: Cambodia!!!

River Bars, Tubing and Mopeds!

2006-02-18T22:40:00.000+07:00

Dom and I in Vientiene (the capital city of Lao). We're in some dodgy little night club with some Lao woman singing or shall I say trying to sing. I went to the bathroom and a Lao woman sprayed her perfume on me. Maybe she thought I needed it? I just laughed and said aw coon (thank-you)

Aimee, Tiffany and I at dinner with Tom and Dom in Vientiene.

Tiff and I at one of the rapids we went down kayaking from Vang Vieng to Vientiene. Er, wait? Wasn't that the only rapid? ...lol

Some children working by the river where we arrived after our kayaking adventure.
My English friend Aimee. She's from Liverpool and I absolutely think she's the best!!

Aimee and I. Aren't we pretty!! See you round like a doughnut Aimee!

Me on the Moped. Saaweet!! Tiff and I took turns driving. Dom and Amy were on another and Tom and Sarah on a third. It was all good until Amy crashed hers into mine! See below.

Check out the view of the river from our guesthouse. Ahhh.

Tiffany and I at the waterfalls. Dude who took this shot didn't do a very good job at getting the waterfalls in. But, c'est la vie =)

Feb 15-18

Vang Vieng... Whoa tourist place! Ah well, I enjoyed my time by the little bar huts right over the river. Sarah, Tom, Dom, Tiff, and a new British friend Aimee and I all hung out tons, played cards, swam, drank beer Lao, and well that's about it...

One day we spent tubing down the river where you could stop at bars along the way and of course drink beer (a little too early for me, but not for most) and play on the rope swings and zip lines and such. Super touristy cheesy, but nonetheless it was fun. I did some double back flips off the rope swings and started a little competition. I know, I'm can be such a showoff at times. Shameful really! Considering that all my years in gymnastics are pretty much good for nothing now, I have to take advantage of the rare moment when I can actually use it! =)

One other memorable day we rented mopeds and explored the surrounding village and some caves too. It was great. I had so much fun driving the moped although if I really thought about it, a little scary perhaps. A combination of no helmets, shorts and t-shirts and crazy Asian roads is enough to give my Mom an ulcer if she only knew. Actually, if I was to drive anywhere this was the place to do it. The traffic was really tame. I want one when I get home!!! Oh yeah, and I can't forget when Aimee crashed her moped into my parked moped with me on it. I didn't see it coming. All I could hear was Dom yelling "brake brake!!!!!" before I had time to turn around Aimee hit me and the next thing I knew I was tossed from my bike and Aimee and I were both on the ground. As soon it was established that everyone was alright we all laughed hysterically over the event. Poor Aimee though ended up with a gigantor bruise on her leg.

We spent the day of the 19th kayaking for 5 or so hours to Vientiane (the capital of Laos). We were just there a couple days. Just long enough to get our Cambodian visas before heading south to 4000 islands in Laos.

Luang Prabang and Curfews?

2006-02-14T22:30:00.001+07:00

The cute Lao guy who worked at our favourite breakfast spot. Upstairs was a cafe and downstairs was a library of sorts.

After missing "curfew" (in Lao curfew is 11:00pm) we had to climb the fence at our guesthouse at about 2:00am. fun times...

Tom and Dom our Two English friends we met on our two day boat ride to Luang Prabang.

Don't worry we asked his Mom before we took a photo. So precious!

View of the night market in Luang Prabang. Just getting started.

Check out the nice view from my bike ride =)

Me on my sweet bicycle. Notice the basket and bell. This is how I explored Luang Prabang.

Feb 13-14

I loved Luang Prabang!! It was such a quaint little city like no other Asian city I've ever been in. The French influence, which is very apparent in the architecture, is unexpected and lovely at the same time. Tiff and I stayed at this cheap little guesthouse, which looking back, there were definitely reasons it was so cheap, but we are never ones to pass up a bargain =)

I spent one day on a bicycle. You know the proper kind with a basket in the front, a bell, skinny tires, and high handlebars. The only thing missing were streamers on the handlebars.

One night we were out with the boys Tom and Dom and we decided to go to their guesthouse because they had a curfew to make. Everything in Luang Prabang closes down at 11:00pm, and I mean everything! We were laughing at them because they had a curfew and we didn't. We had fun and around 2:00am Tiff and I called it a night and set out to go home. We were in for a surprise when we got to our guesthouse and the gigantor gate in front was locked. Just as we thought we'd have to trek back to where the boys were staying, one of us spotted an door open an inch to our guesthouse. That was encouragement enough for us as we threw our bags over the fence and climbed over the way any proper girl would do. Oops. I guess we did have a curfew afterall!!

The second day Tiff and I went to this beautiful waterfall, swam and enjoyed a relaxing day which we ended by climbing this little mountain to watch the sunset (well, it was more of a hill really, but mountain sounds cooler!). Romantic. Oh wait... I was with Tiffany. haha.

Next stop Vang Vieng!!

The Slow Boat to New Adventures

2006-02-12T22:07:00.000+07:00

The girls who worked at our guesthouse the first night of the slow boat adventure. They are 16 and 14 and offered us weed the second we stepped into their "guesthouse" if that's what you want to call it!

The view from the very dodgy little guesthouse. Dodgy maybe? The view? Breathtaking!

The view from our boat on the way into Laos. We spent 2 days on this boat with time only for beer Lao and new friends =)

Tiff and I on the boat.

Feb 11-12

I spent two days traveling by slow boat to Luang Prabang (Laos). What a beautiful way to travel. The morning of Feb 11 we arrived at the dock a little late to discover a very very overloaded boat packed full of miserable looking people. They were tying to cram us all onto the same boat but one lady with us would have nothing of it. She refused and persuaded us all to demand another boat. The boat driver threatened many times to leave us but this bossy woman insisted we call their bluff. About an hour later the boat driver gave in to our request for a new boat. Within minutes about 20 of us piled on to this spacious new boat each with a seat to ourselves. The other boat was the same size but had about 60 people crammed on it. We still don't no why no one else joined our boat, but I must admit we weren't complaining. On the boat we met a Canadian girl named Sarah and two English blokes Tom and Dom. We had music playing from Dom's ipod and we had a great time playing cards, reading, laughing, eating, enjoying the view... We had plenty of room, beautiful scenery and new friends to share the experience. Couldn't get much better. Everyone on the other boat just loved us as we got off smiling and laughing... Hence, the next day the boats evened out in numbers, but I still really enjoyed the trip and our new friends!

My first impression of Lao: breathtaking...

The moral of the story: being fashionably late is fashionable =)

My Arrival

2006-02-08T21:40:00.000+07:00

Feb 8/06

Well, after one night in my swanky hotel room (ok so it was actually just an overpriced dive, but who's keeping track) I took a taxi to Khoa San Rd in Bangkok. I spent a few hours wandering around waiting for my bus to Chiang Mai where I met up with Tiffany. Khoa San Rd is packed with tourists and so far my only impression of Bangkok. Not exactly where I'd want to spend much time but it wasn't as bad as I expected. I spent the whole day sweating and looking at other tourists who were 100x more tanned than I and I felt a little, shall we say.... fugly! I ate pad Thai for about 50 cents from a street vender and hoped on the bus. 12 hours later I was in Chiang Mai at 6:00am. I sat next to a nice boy from Dublin but I hardly spoke b/c I was so jet lagged and fell asleep at about 7:00pm I think. He had such a strong accent that sometimes I would look at him and think, are you sure you're speaking English? Occasionally I would wake b/c our driver was going so fast. I'd wake up and say to myself, oh my gosh we're going to die, and then I'd fall back to sleep. I arrived safely and found my way to Tiffany's guesthouse called "Whiskey Guesthouse" where we stayed for the next couple nights.

That night Tiff and I took a Thai cooking course, and b/c nobody else signed up it was just Tiff and I. We were able to go to the market to pick out our food and then made six lovely Thai dishes. Our teacher was so nice and cute. We ate crazy good food, drank some horrible Chang beer (I thought) with our instructor and heading back to Whiskey GH. I was still very jet lagged so it was an early night for me.

I'm Leavin on a Jet Plane...

2006-02-06T21:03:00.000+07:00

Sunday Feb 6th.

I flew into Bangkok on China airlines. My favorite is still Singapore Air. They're the best! China airlines was okay but I think I was a little turned off b/c I was sandwiched between two men, who were really nice, but one of them happened to be rather stinky: as in that bad breath smell. Imagine that for 12 hours with no airflow and no escape. It actually made me nauseous. Then I had a seven hour layover in the Taipei airport which is not a cool international airport by any stretch of the imagination. I also had no idea I'd be there that long (obviously didn't check my itinerary very thoroughly). I met a girl from Dublin though and that helped pass the time. I bought a tea for something like $6 american. oops...

I arrived in Bangkok at 1:00am (another oversight on my part). Rather than wander around the streets of Bangkok by myself at 2:00am I opted for staying at the cheapest hotel near the airport that I could get which happened to be $40. I was scared so I didn't feel up for wandering the streets alone, but it just about made me cry to spent that much considering I'm supposed to be on a tight budget! Ah well, Cest la vie. For $40 at least I got a free bottle of whisky which I considered taking with me just in case =) haha

and so the adventure begins...