Monday, July 25. Luang Prabang, Laos.

This morning we got up early to walk around to all the Temples before we needed to pick up my skirt and then meet the group at the Guesthouse to leave for the Kuang Si Waterfall.

We walked down the main road to eat Breakfast at Swedish Baking Shop that had been recommended by one of the other gals on our trip. We got a nice full breakfast of eggs, fruit, toast, coffee and juice for approx 30k Kip each.

It was only 9am and already hotter than any of the previous days. The sun was just blazing. First on our walking tour of the Wat's was Wat Xieng Thong at the end of peninsula. This Wat is Luang Prabang's best-known and visited monestery. It costs 20k Kip to get in, but the design is considered one of the most clasic of the region, and the stupas and small chapels scattered around the property are very picturesque.

Next, we walked by Wat Siphoutthabat Thippharam on our way to That Chomsi on Phu Si Mountain, which anchors the center of town. From the Wat it is approx 329 steps up to the top of Mount Phu Si and the That Chomsi stupa. There are lots of garden-filled landings along the way to break up the steady climb. In the burning heat, we were sweating up a storm. Once at the top, the views were stunning. We could see the Mekong, the airport, and several view of the more developed newer part of the city not restricted by the UNESCO world heritage status that the old city holds. Butterflies graced the tops of the trees below. It really was a magical moment -- if only I had a big Iced Tea I could have sat up there for hours.

On the way back down I lost my husband. Turns out Stephen went back down the way we came, while I went down the back way which would spit me out near the Dara Market where I needed to pick up my silk skirt. If it wasn't so hot out, I might have gone back to look for him, but by the time I realised he had taken the other path it didn't make any sense to change direction. After all, Steve had the guidebook with the map in it so I figured he would be okay.

Along the walk down there were a series of gilded Buddhas nestled into the side of the mount just before the turn off for Wat Thammothaylan, right by the monk's accommodation. I snapped a few photos and kept walking.

I came out right by the Dara Market as expected. She had my skirt ready for me. The clasp at the waist was a little snug, but I figured that was easy to move/adjust. The lady clearly wasn't a good seamstress, as the waistline was poorly constructed and poorly sewn. I made a mental note to take it to Sam's (my Vietnamese seamstress near Washington, DC on our way through there in a few weeks to have her fix it).

The worse bit of the skirt I didn't realise until I was half way down the block and looking at it -- the skirt had not been hemmed, but merely trimmed. It had been trimmed too short so that any hem added might cut off some of the embroidery. I was furious! Who does that to a perfectly good piece of silk? Perhaps this fabric is so familiar for them they don't treat it as the precious material it is. So I marched back to complain to her. But she didn't really understand what I was saying to her. She did offer to hem it, but I knew she'd probably not do it right so I resigned to have Sam fix that, too. I'd need to Skype ahead to Sam before I arrived to let her know I have a project for her.

Lesson Learned: Don't have a skirt made by someone you cannot easily communicate with, and also verify some existing pieces of theirs to ensure they know how to sew well. I think I'll pick up a few more silks along the way, but wait to have them sewn until I get a tailor I trust and that speaks good English.

So back at the guesthouse I found Stephen there and we changed into our swimsuits before meeting up with everyone else for our afternoon tour. We were taking the newly-arrived Stray bus to the Kuang Si Waterfall, the Asiatic black bear reserve there and a Hmong Village.

There were three folks who joined our group on the newly-arrived Stray bus, two of which were guys, as well as a male guide that day. Steve was no longer the only guy!

We arrived at the waterfall park after about 30 minutes. First thing on the way in was the black bear sanctuary. The confiscate the bears from poachers and then keep them in the reserve to prevent them from being tracked by poachers again. The bears look really comfortable there and have play areas and bear-hammocks to sleep in, etc. It was still very hot outside so we didn't see much movement from the bears.

The first of the waterfall pools was just up the hill from the bears. We all jumped in, though some of the gals didn't make it long as they were creaped out by the little fish that nibble your dead skin. There was a tree with a rope swing reaching out over the deepest area at the base of a small waterfall about 8-10 feet high, and others were jumping off the cliff of the waterfall into the pool below. The water was crisp and cool and was a nice break from the day's heat, helping to drop our body temperatures back down to something near normal. I had been running a low-grade temp the last few days and was glad to have something to offset it.

After 45 min or so at the small cascading falls, we got dressed again and headed up the hill to see the big thing. The water level was so high from recent rains that it had wiped out the bridge that gave you the best views, but it was certainly an impressive waterfall, about 10 storeys tall from my estimation. Definitely the best falls of the trip so far!

We walked back down to where the bus was parked, and I took some photos of local flowers along the way. At the entrance to the park were a number of vendors and I saw som sticky rice buns! I bought two not knowing what was inside. They were delicious with a chunk of egg and carmelised, seasoned onions in each. They looked pretty appetising, and definitely exceeded my expectations.

On the drive back, we stopped at a Hmong Village. It was part of governments tourism investment programme, and was set up like a meat market parading foreigners through the village. A cement path goes through village and has tables with crafts set out, but mostly it is kids aged 3-8 hard-selling 5-cent bracelets for 5,000 Kip ($0.63). Definitely an uncomfortable experience.

When we got back to the hotel, our adventures that morning in the heat had finally caught up with us and so we took a nap, before getting up to repack our bags in preparation for our early departure in the morning. And then joined the rest of the gang for dinner in the market around 7:30pm.

At the night food market you can get a plate and pile it high for just 10,000 Kip. Steve and I each got one, piling up with fried bread, fried noodles, pumpkin, potatoes, greens, fried rice, pineapple, hand-made potato chips, etc. We also got some grilled chicken and a BeerLao. Not a bad meal, we were both stuffed and it only coast 38,000 Kip total for both of us (less than $5).

Everyone headed over to Utopia afterwards where Stray was doing a travel talk and giving away free BeerLao. We stopped on the way in the night market where I bought a couple cotton skirts and Stephen bought a BeerLao t-shirt. The shirts run so small that Stephen had to get an XXL size instead of his normal L.

Utopia was a great place to end our Luang Prabang stay, and we all headed back after closing to finish packing and get at least a few hours sleep before the bus leaves in the morning.

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Sunday, July 24. Luang Prabang, Laos.

We enjoyed a leisurely morning again before grabbing breakfast around 11am, and then picket up our laundry.

Then we went back to the Dara Market to look for a silk skirt. I went through a number of the booths looking for a silk that was striking, but that could still be warn as a skirt without looking too ridiculous, but that also would not cost a fortune. One of the Stray employees said she usually paid 200,000 Kip for her skirts, but that they would charge me more as a foreigner and that if I got a solid embroidered piece it would also be more. I settled on a navy blue silk with gold and earth tone embroidery at booth 48. She wanted 800,000 initially, but I got her down to 500,000. But she wanted 2 days to finish it. But I needed it by 2pm the next day (Monday) as we were leaving early on Tuesday and already had plans for Monday afternoon. She agreed to have it done by 2pm Monday, but for 50,000 Kip more, so in the end I agreed to 550k Kip (approx. $70) and paid half the amount up front.

It was a hot day, so we returned to our room quite exhausted and loinged in the air conditioning until the other gals got back from their elephant rides as we were going to go to the La Pistoche Swimming Pool and Bar.

It was about a 30 min walk to the pool, 10 min from town by Tuk-tuk. We walked thinking the website meant 10 min by walking and then figured out they must have meant by taxi. We payed 20k Kip to get inside, and then drinks and food were extra. There were all kinds of lounging mats set up on decks around the pool and the bar. The water was a little
murky, but we did't care as it was so hot out. We stayed until about 6pm when it started to cloud over.

We showered and changed and met up with everyone around 7pm. (Pre-dinner showers were becoming a norm on this trip to wash off the days sweat and grime for a comfortable dinner experience). Two of the other gals, Zyrah and Kirsten were joining me t browse through the big night market before meeting Stephen at an Indian restaurant around 8pm.

In the market I bought some Lao-made silk/cotton scarves with golden weave, and got a good bargain of 3 for 100k Kip (approx. $12.50) and some other items for gifts for family and friends. I think I was on fire, and probably should have tried to buy more that evening as I was really getting the hang of bargaining the best price.

We met at the NaZim Indian Restaurant. Steve and I were starving and ordered quite a lot. There was definitely no way we could finish. To be honest, it was a little bit disappointing. The first table we sat at had ants all over it. And other than the Saffron rice that was amazing, the rest seemed mediocre at best. The Butter Masala Chicken that Zyrah ordered was really good, though. We were stuffed in the end, though, so that was good. However, none of us felt up to going over to Lao Lao Gardens afterward and we just returned to our rooms. Steve and I drifted off to watching 'Clash of thr Titans' on HBO.

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Saturday, July 23. Luang Prabang, Laos.

Our first of four mornings in Luang Prabang, we had a much needed sleep in. After waking up late and a leisurely morning watching TV in our air conditioned room, we decided that it was time to venture out since the heavy rains that morning seemed to be letting up.

During the break in the storm we went to take our laundry to a lady down the street to be washed for 8,000 Kip per kilo (or $1, we had 4.5 kilos combined), and then went to grab breakfast at the JoMa Bakery Cafe on the corner near our hotel (Sisavangvong and Hoxieng streets). While the bakery's prices are closer to Western prices, the quality of their products and the level of service cannot be matched. And you get a free glass of filter water with every meal ordered. I had the oat french toast with banana and mape syrup, and Stephen had a breakfast burrito. Some of the other gals from our trip were at JoMa and we joined them at their table.

We went back to the guesthouse to let them know we wanted to stay another night there, but that the toilet wasn't working right. They invited us to move downstairs from room 7 to room 1. After moving our stuff down, we were going to go out to the temples, but it started poring rain again and so we decided to relax in the room a bit longer.

While lounging reading our travel guide, we saw that a massage spa called Dhammada was listed as the best in town, so towel in hand to dry ourselves off when we got there we headed out to Dhammada, just a block or so past the Dara Market. But when we got there the place was not open and looked like it had closed for the rainy season. So we decided to go for a walk around town as the rain had stopped enroute.

We ended up walking along the entire length of he peninsula that is the old city of Luang Prabang. We walked through the Dara Market on our way and I was that there were silk tailors there that made traditional Lao skirts. So while we were walking I was plotting out a plan for the next day with a theory about how much I should pay. We were also discussing where to go for a massage and looking for a place along the way.

We ended up at the massage place two doors down from our hotel. It was air conditioned and spacious, which we thought made it very relaxing. For this venue we payed nearly twice the cost of a non-air conditioned massage place, but with the temperature outside pushing 35 degrees celsius plus humidity, the air con was definitely needed and we were also very happy they gave us fresh, clean robes to change into and washed our feet. It was very calming, spacious and relaxing environment.

The massage was good. Not as much unusual stretching and contorting as I experienced at Lila in Chiang Mai.

We got back to our room in time to shower and meet everyone for dinner. We were going to check out this fashion show that was advertised, but it did not look like they were going ahead with it due to low attendance. So we went to Utopia, which is highly rated in all the guidebooks. And though you have to go through some winding alleys to get there, the walk is clearly signed. Once you step inside you understand why it is a must go location. After checking your shoes at the door, you enter a real paradise with cushioned floor tables under a pavilion that opens up into a garden overlooking the river with tables and benches scattered throughout. It even has a beach volleyball court. One could easily just spend the day hanging out there. And, it has the cleanest bathrooms I have seen since our hotel in Bangkok. Service is good, the menu is a mix of western and local dishes, and you can also order sheesha.

Our table ordered dinner and we shared a grape sheesha. The food is all wonderfully presented and delicious. My only critique was that my Blackened Chicken sandwich with mango salsa didn't come with chicken that was actually blackened, and this sort of ruined the balance of flavours in the sandwich that I was really anticipating. The sandwich was still good, though.

Afterward, we seemed to make it back to Lao Lao Gardens again for the 2 for 1 Lao Lao drinks before the bar closed at 11. We then headed to a disco just outside town at our guide's recommendation. It was interesting and we got some great photos and video. It was a large warehouse type room and it was decorated with metallic wallpaper that looked like wrapping paper and metallic paint. Everyone was spread around standing tables, there was no dance floor and everyone seemed to be dancing around their tables with the people they had come with. And, they only seemed to have 5 or 6 songs that they kept mashing up together with eachother, so bits of JLo's 'on the floor' song kept filtering back in every other song. There were also these Lao guys who came over to our table that we thought our guide knew, but turns out she didn't. They just thought we were a bit of a novelty. Around 1am the club shut down and we grabbed a Tuk-tuk back to our guesthouse.

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Friday, July 22, Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang by longboat down the Mekong River

We got up for an early boat ride. After packing our bags, we loaded then on the Stray bus that would take them to Luang Prabang via road while we headed down via boat.

We grabbed some breakfast at the guesthouse cafe while we were waiting for everyone else. The gal running the cafe was very beautiful, though timid. She talked to us for a bit once our food was ready. She doesn't get outside the village much, but enjoys chatting with the visitors that come through town.

We walked down some steep steps next to the guesthouse bungalows to a longboat that was waiting for us. There was just barely enough room for one row to sit on small chairs along each side with a small amount of room running down the middle of the boat. The trip to Luang Prabang usually was 5-6 hours during the dry season, but due to the faster currents during the rainy season it would only take us 3-4 hours.

The boat motor is so loud you can barely think, let alone converse. So I put on my headphones and just soaked up the magnificence of God's creation with my eyes, and occasionally with my camera.

You can tell by the mud line on the shore and water line on passing trees that the river has recently been at least a foot higher.

The water is brown with mud from run-off from the rains. There are also these white foamy balls of various size floating in the water. I haven't been able to figure out what they exactly are and the noise of the motor is so loud I'm not able to ask. Will have to ask Sai. But I think it is just foam that has collected from parts of the river that have been more turbulent.

The sky had been overcast most of the way, but the sun popped out just as we were reaching the Than Pak Ou caves where many thousands of Buddha's have been stashed. The caves are located where the Ou river meets the Mekong. The lower cave has over 3,000 Buddha statues, and the upper cave has over 1,000. People bring them here as there is no room to put them in the main temples. They believe there is something sacred about caves.

It was only one more hour on the river to Luang Prabang, but it quickly got very hot with the sun out. Even in that short time I managed to get sun burn, but only on my left arm as it was the only part of me not covered by the roof of the boat.

We arrived in Luang Prabang and walked the couple blocks to our hotel, the Phasoke Guesthouse, which was located near the night market in the old part of town. We enjoyed an hour or so in the air conditioned room and then went wandering a bit in the night market a bit before we went back to meet up with our group for dinner.

We went through the night market to a place in town right across from the Stray office called' The Pizza Luang Prabang restaurant'. They had Pizzas, schnitzels, Lao food, etc. I had the Hawaiian pizza (a little taste of Western heaven) with a Rice wine (tasted a bit like Japanese Sake only served chilled). Only real downside to the restaurant was that they tried to overcharge all the ladies (though they didn't try to overcharge Steve). It was only by 5,000 Kip each (approx. $0.63), but it was still the principle that they were charging more than the published price on the menu. I would have otherwise given a 5k tip, but thought otherwise after that.

Afterward we walked around the block to the Lao Lao Gardens, a beautifully lit terraced garden with tiled-covered cement patio tables. This venue is named after the Lao-made alcohol called Lao Lao. You have Lao Lao Whisky, rum, vodka, all mostly rice based but reasonably good. You can get 2 for 1 Lao Lao coctails for 20,000 Kip. A few of the other Stray guides/employees were there, too, and so we all joined up at another table. I had a drink called Pink Gay that had pineapple juice, Lao Lao, Grenadine, and Orange. It was tart, but very refreshing.

A very good start to our 4 days in Luang Prabang.

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Thursday, July 21, Luang Namtha, Laos to Nong Khiaw, via Hmong Village

The roads leading out of Luang Namtha were very windy. Our driver was a little crazy taking the road really fast and many on the bus were very uncomfortable. After what we thought were a few close calls, we asked the bus driver if he could go just a bit slower as we were in no hurry and would rather get there in one piece. He did slow down a little bit, but not all that much.

We stopped for a break mid morning at the bus station in Oudomxai. I was still not sure how my stomach would be doing from last night, but we had an hour and I knew I needed to eat something. But all that were there were crisp and snack vendors and a line of food shacks. I decided to order some chicken noodle soup at one of the food shacks where others were eating. I figured if it is made with boiling water, than all the germs would be killed. The soup was good with cilantro, flat rice noodles, spring onions, and chunks of chicken still on the bone. It did the trick and I felt much better after having a bit.

After being on the road a bit more, we stopped at one of the Hmong Villages along the way and our Lao guide told us a little about their way of life as we toured around. We got to see how they make their houses of bamboo and rushes on stilts, what types of food they grow in their gardens and got to meet and hang out with all the children that had gathered round.

We had several hours still left to drive so we couldn't stay long at the village. To help pass the time, our Stray guide prompted a game of Name that Soundtrack. I won with 8 out of 10. Katie who was sitting next to me, though, got the lowest score (so you know we weren't cheating, right?) so she had to write a 1-min rap about the person next to her, which happened to be me. It was really funny. She said she is going to email me a copy.

Butterflies. I just wanted to take a moment to note about all the really pretty butterflies we have seen here. There are just so many of them flying around everywhere of different shapes and sizes and colours. I have gotten a couple good picture of a few of them.

We were meant to go to Phathok Cave just outside of Nong Kiaw before checking into our guesthouse, but the heavy rains had washed the bridge out and we weren't able to get to it.

The rain we had all afternoon began to let up shortly after we checked into our guesthouse, so we decided to go for a wander around town. We stopped at a restaurant along the river where some of the other gals were and I had a Banana and Yoghurt shake. It was very yummy and refreshing. And then we walked around town some more.

Nong Khiaw is a picturesque, sleepy little village along the Ou River, tucked between a plethora of jutting limestone cliffs. Life here appears to be simple and focused on local life - our waitress said she rarely even gets to Luang Prabang, the closest major city. It also seems a juxtapositing existence. While many local households have satellite TV, they only have basic accommodation that is difficult to keep clean to western standards even if they wanted to.

Stephen said he thinks this shows a key difference between the local faith of Animism and the western, Judeo-Christian worldview. Westerners look to control the environment around them, stemming from God's command to Adam to subdue and rule the earth. While the Lao locals follow an Animist belief of their being spirits in the things around us and don't seek to control such spirits. Similar to the difference experienced between American settlers and the Native American culture.

We all met up at 7pm to head for dinner at a restaurant down the road. As the restaurant was part founded by Germans, they had a few western items on the menu. Steve and I both took advantage of ordering the Bratkartoffeln mit Eier. It was a little bit of a wait to get, but was very comfortingly familiar and quite delicious. The Nana Fresh Lemon-Mint icy I had was also highly refreshing and lived up to its 'most refreshing drink in town' advertisement.

We stayed at the Sunrise Guesthouse, which our guide referred to as 'basic bungallows'. It was not 'basic' by Western stanbdards, but maybe basic by local standards. I might have agreed with the 'basic' label if it was at least clean as the room had a large bedroom, a shower room with a Squatty potty, and a gorgeous view from private balconies with chairs and hammocks to relax and pass away the time. However, there was no sink or mirror in the bathroom, the water out of the tap ran brown, the pillows were stale and heavy with dustmites, springs poked you as you lay on the mattress, and the bathroom smelled of stale urine - so clearly not clean. The bed did have a mosquito net, though, and was more than large enough for the two of us. At least we didn't have the cockroaches and spiders that others had to deal with in their 'bungallows'. I made use of my own pillow and sleep sheet -- definitely glad I brought these along!

Ok for one night, but definitely NOT something I could get used to living in long-term. I prefer a few more 'basics' than the locals, I guess. Does that make me high maintenance?

Turns out, though, that after asking around these were the best of the options along the river there, unless you went to the hugely expensive resort down the road.

Hard to believe we're now one week into our trip already.
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Wednesday, July 20, Chiang Khong, Thailand to Luang Namtha, Laos, via Huang Xai border crossing

We're in Laos! It is absolutely amazing here! But when they say rainy season, they mean it. Fell halfway in a river today as we were making our way up to a waterfall during a down-pore. Of course the rain lets up just as we finish dinner and head back for bed. Murphy's/Sod's Law, I guess. Even with the rain, Laos is well worth travelling halfway around the world for.

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We walked into town this morning -- steamy and damp from the previous night's rain -- and exited Thailand before boarding a longboat to cross the Mekong river.

From the Laos border at Huang Xai, most people opt for a slow boat on the Mekong straight down to Luang Prabang.  We instead got our first glimpse of the orange colored Stray bus, boarding it foe 4 hour drive to Luang Namtha.

We stopped for lunch along the way at a cafe in a small roadside village. We both had chicken with fried rice.

We were all in a strange mood at lunch as a few minutes before we stopped, the bus was unable to slow for a dog in the road, and although the bus driver honked profusely, there wasn't any way to safely avoid it given the poring rain. So unfortunately we hit the small dog, feeling a bump as it hit the front tires and another thump as it was spun out into the undercarriage.

Everyone was stunned, as many weren't sure what had happened but everyone new we had hit some sort of animal due to the honking that proceeded the hit. So needless to say we were all a bit shaken, both by the incident and the drivers calloused reaction to it. We later found out that dogs aren't as valued in Lao life as with Westerners. Apparently chickens took more the revered family animal slot.

Before lunch it had already started to rain, and continued to rain on our way to Luang Namtha. In Luang Namtha we checked into our rooms at a guesthouse near the Night Market. We immediately changed into some rain resistant hiking attire and set out in the Stray bus for Ban Nam Di village and the nearby waterfall.


Ban Nam Di is home to Lenten people, one of the three main ethnic groups of Lao. We walked through the village with our Lao guide and were welcomed in out of the rain into the lower room of one of the houses. The matriarch of the family was dressed in traditional style with a long blue skirt with decorative trim and a purple sash. She also had her hair tied up in the traditional way. She was preparing Bamboo shoots for soup, and asked us not to take photos of her. Instead we talked and joked with her children and grandchildren and had tea with them.

After that we continued on the trail to the waterfall. About half way there we had to cross the stream and my hiking boots proved not to have as good of grip as they claim and I found myself sliding a few times. But then found myself sliding at the end of the bridge, ending up with my bottom 1/3 in the water. Luckily I caught my camera and the rest of me and managed to come out with only a small light scrape and some wet boots.

The waterfall was beautiful, despite the annoyance of the now poring rain. We hiked up as far as we could and took some photos. Then it was back down to the bus. No slips on the way back and we even got to help the locals get a minivan up a hill in the mud.

After a cold shower (we had no hot water in our room for some reason) we met up with everyone for dinner. We were not able to enjoy the local BBQ at the Night Market due to the rain, so we headed across the street to the Manychan Restaurant. For dinner I had Beef Laap - a traditional dish made with minced meat sauted with fresh mint, spring onions, chillies and other spices. Mine seemed the only one prepared extra spicy, though. HOT! One of the other gals in our group let me try some of her fried rice with pineapple and cashew, which was absolutely delicious! I have been looking for it again ever since with no success.

After dinner we grabbed some deep fried bananas from the night market, YUM! And we were going to go to the Chinese discotecque later that evening, but Stephen wasn't up for it and I began to not feel so well. Turns out something in the Beef Laap didn't agree with my tummy, because I was up half the night and developed a fever as well. I managed to make it through the night, but with little deep sleep. Steve was nice and got me some plain toasted bread for me to eat for breakfast on the bus while I tried to get what little more sleep I could before it was time to load the bus.

Tuesday, July 19, Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong, Thailand, via Chiang Rai

We left Chiang Mai around Noon after a leisurely morning and casual breakfast at our guesthouse. A giant van-like bus picked us up.

The seats were comfy and there was a DVD player on board. So we distracted ourselves from the horribly winding roads leading us up into the mountains. Whether it was the snake-like roads that our driver was taking at a much faster pace than what would be considered safe in a Western society, or whether it was the combination of this with the movie-watching, but we all were becoming quite queezy and so were grateful for our first pit stop.

I bought some chewing gum, hoping that would help with the nausea and movement, which it did. We finished watching the movie 'Bridesmaids' on our way to the next stop.

The drizzley rain let up a bit just as we were approaching Chiang Rai. Here we stopped to visit the newest splendour of Thai temples, Wat Rong Khun.

The Wat appears a shimmering, ice-like palace as you round the bend. Although it appears at a distance to be guilded in silver, this is merely a splendid allusion created with white plaster and lots of tiny little mirrors accentuating the edges of building and sculpture alike through careful, mosaic-like placement.

The artist, Khalerm Chai (very famous for mixing traditional and modern Thai art), is obviously very eccentric, mixing old traditional designs with strange choices of science fiction and fantasy characters, such as alien and predator, mermaids, gouls and ghost-like creatures, etc. It sort of reminded me of some of Gaudi's work in Barcelona, who used skeletons and dragons for inspiration, etc.

The Wat consists of several temple buildings and a collection of outer buildings decorated in yellow with Gold mirrors, providing a stark contrast with the white/silver temple buildings. The complex and temple buildings are still under construction and it is not expected to reach full completion until well beyond the artist's natural life (onother resemblence to Gaudi's work).

Inside the main temple the interrior is in the process of being completed. It has a futuristic feel of some outer space in the universe, and here the science fiction and fantasy elements take full bloom as small characters.


We hung around the complex for a bit. I bought a Thai Iced Tear, hoping the milk in it would help calm my stomach. I also browsed the small market there and bought a couple coin purses.

A few hours later we arrived in Chiang Khong. It had been raining hard, so the air was thick and steamy with humidity. We checked into our guesthouse and had a little bit of time to rest before we met to head out into town for dinner.

Heading back from dinner we stopped at the 7-Eleven for some milk and snacks, and then walked back in the rain. We would have an early morning tomorrow.
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Monday, July 18, Chiang Mai, Thailand

We stayed at the Manee Guest House. Just a short walk from the main central area of town, it is located on Soi 7 of Moonmuang Road. The rooms were relatively comfortable and clean, with bottled drinking water and Toilet paper were provided. The advertised free wi-fi didn't work in our room, but we could surf easily from the lobby.

We slept in a bit that morning after a late night cruising the handicrafts of the Sunday street market. We grabbed an excellent, but very inexpensive breakfast down the way. I had a cheese omelette, which was very large and came with onions and tomaton for only 59 Baht.

From there we set out on the Lonely Planet guide's suggested walking tour of the main Wats (Buddhist temples) in central Chiang Mai that includes Wat Lam Chang, Wat Chiang Man, Three Kings Monument, Wat Tan Tao, Wat Chedi Luang, and Wat Phra Singh. Lots of large, golden Buddha's and all had interesting and unique features to them.

We were also going to go to the culture and art museum near the Three Kings Monument, which would have provided a much needed air conditioned break from the startling heat, but it appeared to be closed on Mondays. Perhaps Stray could adjust its starting day so that their tour does not pop travellers out in Chiang Mae on a Monday, as many are missing what is described as a real gem.

Our Lonely Planet travel guide also highlights a program at the Chiang Mai Women's Prison to teach them the skill of Thai massage to assist them with reincorporating back into the community upon release. While walking around town, we found out that Lila Thai Massage works with the Chiang Mai Women's Prison to employ these women after their training and release, as many in the community still will not hire them.

Just near the Three Kings Monument, Lila Thai Massage offers an air conditioned and relaxing environment. We opted for the 1-hour Thai Massage for 180 Baht and were given robes to change into, our feet were hand-washed, and then we were given tea to sip for relaxation before our massages. The massage was one of the best I've ever had, but be prepared for them to test your flexibility. The ambience there is also very lovely with air conditioning, attention to aesthetics in all aspects of the building and treatment areas, from lighting levels and quality of decor to the light, relaxing traditional music playing in the background. It was a real luxury treatment worthy of any high-end spa.

Following our treatments we went for a walk down to the river before returning to our room for a shower and rest before meeting others in our group at 7pm for dinner. Along the way we passed a variety of shops, a mixture of local shops and those filled with handicrafts for tourists. The street along the river holds a flower market, and tucked in-between is a Chinese-style buddhist temple and forecourt - a real contrast from the Thai style.

The river was swollen and brown with mud from the heavy rains of this time of year. Not much to look at, but the journey to and from it was interesting.

That night, we decided to head back towards the river to the night markets to eat dinner in their food courts and then peruse the market stalls. You purchase coupons at the food court and use them to purchase foods. There is quite a variety of asian styles, mostly Thai, but also some indian, Korean, and Japanese. I opted for a green curry with Indian roti bread and rice with a dragon fruit shake for a total of about 100 Baht or $3.30.

Stephen left us to go to an internet cafe, and the gals we spread out through the market. I bought a hat for my brother Alex, and some beaded jewelry. I also found a silk jacket that I really liked, but the stall owner wanted 10,000 Baht for it, or $330. A little too steep for me. I might see if I can find something similar for a cheaper price in Bangkok.

Afterward, we grabbed a Tuk-tuk to our hotel where we dropped off our purchases before a gals night out at the local clubs. There is a collection of clubs of different types from Reggae to techno and pop at the corner of Ratchawiti Road and Ratchapakinai Road. Perfect whatever your style. There wasn't much action there at 9pm, so we headed for drinks at a rooftop bar on Moonmuang Road called THC.

Very Hippy-like, but has a fun, layed-back feel with customers lounging on cushions around small tables. We then returned to the club area for another round where we also brought over some other travellers we met on the way. I headed back to the hotel around 1:30am, but some of the gals were out until 6am!

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Sunday, July 17, Sukhothai to Chiang Mai, Thailand, via Phitsanulok

We got to sleep in a bit this morning -- much needed after yesterday's long travel day.


We took a Songtaew back to Phitsanulok at around 10:45am, where we had some time to look around and grab some munchies at the market before our 7-hour train journey to Chiang Mai.

The market was buzzing and full of interesting smells and food. We had a walk through the traditional market where I bought some Dragon fruit and we also visited the local Tesco where we got milk and water, as well as some chili peanuts and hot chili squid flavoured potato chips/crisps for the journey.


While waiting in the station we tried Rambutan - a redish-husked fruit with hair-like extensions all over - that our guide had bought to share. This fruit has a clear, gummy center and tastes a bit like a lychee.

The train rolled in a few minutes late. Shortly after our departure, the train attendant came around with meals for us. It was chicken curry this time. Yum. With a full belly I drifted off to sleep, taking a hour-and-a-half nap as the train rocked back and forth.

When I awoke, the train was listing to one side quite significantly and moving at a much slower speed. It appears that one of the rails on this train line had sunk a bit, perhaps due to the rains softening the soil, and because the guage of the track is quite narrower than western trains, our train car was listing to the left quite significantly. And just as we thought the train was straightening out it began to list on the right side. Wonder if they're going to have that fixed soon? Our guide says it has been like that for some time. Perhaps a train will have to derail for them to address it?

Once we were level again I took a walk down the corridor to find a window to take photos out of as ours was too dirty to see out of. We passed a lot of corn fields and rice paddies on the way. But it began raining so I started to read and blog for a while. There were no cockroaches immediately apparent this train ride and I got my hopes up that maybe we could have a bug-free ride, but later on Stephen did have a few visitors crawl by along the windowsill next to his seat.

We arrived in Chiang Mai a little before 9pm, and grabbed a Songtaew to our hotel. This Songtaew was smaller than our previous one and we had two additional travellers with us, so we were quite squished inside. They had tossed most of the bags in the rack on top of the cab, and despite being reassured they would be tied down we pulled away without this. I was glad my bag was one of the few that we squished in the cab with us.

We drove by the entrance to the old city where the Sunday market was out in full force, all colorful and lit up.

We checked into our guest house, which was only about a half-mile from the main part of town. After we got settled in our rooms, we headed down to the main street of the Sunday Market to find a restaurant and relax.
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Saturday, July 16. Bangkok to Sukhothai, Thailand, via Phitsanulok

The alarm goes off at 4:45am. It had been another sleepless night with us both waking up at 2:30am, unable to fall back to sleep Stephen had read for a while and I typed up a blog entry on my blackberry.

The alarm goes off just as we were both about to doze off again. Depite our exhaustion we turn on the lights and TV and begin repacking our backpacks for the day ahead. We have to be at the Stray Travel office on the other side of town by 6:45am, so we check out of the hotel at 6am and have a taxi called.

We asked for a 'metre' taxi which arrives promptly. The driver wants 200B to get us there. I say, 'No, run the metre please'. He then says 150B. Again I say, 'No, run the metre please.'. He gives in and gets us across town quite quickly despite my initial scepticism of his chosen route. 20 min and 93B later we arrive at the Stray office in time to grab some breakfast nearby.

TRIP LESSON 3: If your Bangkok taxi driver comes down in price after your first refusal, you will still likely pay less by having them run the metre.

At the Stray office we met five other travellers and our guide, all girls and all younger than us by at least a few years. After a quick intro and filling of our water bottles at the office cooler we hopped in a caravan of taxis toward the train station, where we got coffee and boarded the 8:30am train to Phitsanulok.

We received a morning service on the train of a small flaky pastry with what I think was Guava paste on top and coffee/tea. Stephen was napping at the time, so I ate his, too. Tum. Reminded me a bit of the Cuban Guava pastries they sell in Miami.

And then later on a small meal was served consisting of rice with some sausage-like garnish and a curry disk. Most of our group received a chicken curry, but of course Steve and I received shrimp. By the time I realised ours were different, it was too late to trade anyone. Not willing to test the extent of my shrimp allergy, I nibbled a bit on the veggies but mostly left my curry uneaten.

The train has spacious seats, but are vinyl. Although the service is nice, it was spoilt a bit by the cockroach that was sitting in the space behind my tray and the baby cockroaches climbing on Stephen's tray and the wall in front of us. I promptly let my tray shut into the wall cavity and left it there for the remainder of the trip. It was only after this that I began to notice that the age of the train and its build-up of dirt in the cracks and creases. Evidently UK health and safety officials had not been on this train.....

We arrived in Phitsanulok at around 1:30pm, where we loaded ourselves into the back of a Songtaew -- think Pick-up truck crossed with a Tuk-Tuk. After a 45-min ride we reached the Old City of Sukhothai, and checked into our guest house just as a major downpoor was finishing. Most of us changed into more rain-appropriate clothing, and promptly departed for the Sukhothai Historical Park as it was already 4pm and it closes at 6pm. The park was literally across the street from our guest house.

At the welcome office we learned that as it was the Buddhist Lent holiday that weekend the admissions fee of 100B had been waived, so we decided to go for the 150B rental of the audio guide. Why not? The guide said it would take us 3 hours to tour the sites so Steve and I set out at a healthy walk across the site of historical temples. The rain had already lifted, but had cooled the day a bit. Still hot, though.

There was a mystical feel to the sites and the audio guide was really helpful for understanding the structures and the history, cultural and religious meanings behind each.

We finished the tour at 5:45, even venturing to most of the optional structures outside the main UNESCO preserved part of the site. Apparently only 3 hours are needed if you walk extremely slowly.

Returning to our room we each took a shower to cool down and wash off the day's grime and rested for a bit before joining the others for dinner at 7pm. Two more gals joined up with our tour, so Stephen remained the only guy and the oldest still in the group.

Dinner was very cheap and very good. Though portions were small by American standards, the Basil and Chili Chicken with rice was excellent, and combined with my Green Fanta (we think it was supposed to be an Apple flavour but we couldn't tell) it was all only 75B or £1.50/$2.50. Stephen had a green beef curry with rice and a large Singha beer so his meal came out to 200B.

After socialising for a while, we headed to our room. Though some of the gals bought beer to take up to their rooms, we were looking forward to getting to bed, hopeful we might get our first full night's sleep of the trip.

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Friday, July 15. Bangkok, Thailand

Today we slept in a bit and stayed in our room for a bit catching up on the news of the US debt crisis while we had BBC and Fox news channels at our disposal.

We then wandered out for lunch, still in a bit of a jet-lagged state, but after a good, strong iced coffee and a full stomach we were ready to go exploring to locate the Stray Travel office where we would need to meet our tour group at 6:45am the next morning.

We hopped on the Skytrain and headed to the river (35-Baht ea.) where we caught a boat for 14 Baht up north of the main palace to Pier No 13, and from there Stray was just a short walk near the Democracy Monument. The day was hot, humid and overcast again, and so we were not surprised when a short shower broke out. Thankfully we were within the shelter of the boat at the time, though it might have been refreshing to cool off with a little bit of rain.

At the Stray office they took our emergency contact details and answered our questions about the trip. There would be wi-fi opportunities along the way -- a plus for you blog readers. They also has internet stations at the shop and so we checked our email for a bit before heading out to the MBK marketplace.

My watch had died the day before we left London, and rather than have the battery replaced I opted to grab a cheap watch in Bangkok. The problem was that most of the street venders were only selling large, Knock-off bling watches that were not necessarily practical for our trip. So we headed off to MBK near the National Stadium Skytrain stop at our Stray guide's recommendation. The problem was it was approaching rush hour making a Taxi a bit unpredictable in the traffic, so our guide recommended a local canal boat just up the street.

After walking a couple blocks we found the entrance to the canal boat stop behind the 7-Eleven as expected. The boats and docks are definitely not up to US/UK health and safety standards, but that seemed to add to the fun of it all. We hopped (literally) onto the next boat, minding a big gap of canal water below, paying just 9 Baht each to get to the stop we needed. And we were off...

The boat had a pulley system that raised a plastic tarp along each side to protect you from the sewage-smelling canal water that sprayed up as we went along.

The structures along the canal where an intermix of shacks and houses that the locals seem to live in, with a caged walkway hanging out over the edge of the water with all sorts of local commerce and bartering taking place - from ducks or chicken for dinner to clothes for sale.

It was just a short walk from the canal stop to the MBK shopping plaza. My initial plan was to look for a Swatch watch, figuring the lower end ones would come at a lesser price at such a market. Upon arriving, MBK seemed to be only just a step up from the street markets with only slightly less chaos to the process but with the added benefit of air conditioning. It soon became apparent that Swatch was not on the offering there, so we headed off across the intersection via the sky walkway to the Siam Discovery Plaza where we saw a Swatch shop advertised.

We found the Swatch shop after a little bit of wandering. It had a nice selection, but the prices were similar to UK/US MSRP prices which didn't seem worth it to me when I know I can get one on sale at the Denver outlet malls for much less. So we wandered back to the MBK plaza and I settled on a small, clear plastic watch with a hot pink band advertised for 299 Baht, which Stephen talked them down to accepting 200 Baht for it.

My £4/$6.50 watch to hand, we headed back to Sukhumvit via the Skytrain to grab dinner near our hotel and get our bags shuffled and repacked for our early departure the next morning.


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Thursday, July 14. Bangkok, Thailand

We arrive around 3pm local time in Bangkok.

The 10+ hour flight went much better than we expected. The food was excellent -- you wouldn't have known the Pa-naeng Curry was an airline meal. Thai Airlines definitely has a better service than any of your American legacy airlines. Losts of smiles, making me question whether United Airlines really is the 'friendly skies'. We both also got a surprisingly descent amount of sleep on the flight -- somewhere around 5-6 hours each -- which made the flight not seem quite so long.

Walking out of the airplane we are greeted by a wave of warm, humid, tropical air. After all the hub-bub of moving we had finally arrived on what we hope to be the first of many epic journeys together. Stephen says, 'Wow, it smells like Bangkok' -- memories from his adventures here a couple years back with his buddy Mike come flooding back to him -- and so begins our 32-day journey through Northern Thailand and Laos.

As we made our way out of the airport, of course as Murphy's or Sod's Law would dictate, we ended up in the only immigration line that was not moving. But after a while we found our selves being stamped through without a word or second glance. Guess it's wasn't Americans that were holding up our line. We grabbed our already-awaiting bags from the Luggage carousel. Next was to find an ATM.

We found several ATM's at exchange and bank booths. We found the Bank ATM's only charged a straight fee of 150 Baht, while some of the Exchange ones wanted a percentage. Trip Lesson 1: While the Airport ATM is great and saves the time and expense of getting local currency before your arrival, they only seem to dispense in 1,000-Baht notes, which is roughly equivalent to a £20 note or $32. Given the local pricing of things, we knew this size note would be difficult to break. Thankfully later we learned that our Hotel was happy to do this for us.

We then made it out to the Public Taxi ranks, where we showed the name of our hotel and address and an airport employee writes the address in Thai for the driver. You have the choice of the driver running the meter (which the guidebook recommends), but then you have to pay 50-Baht airport tax and tolls from the highway on top of that. Stephen offered for a negotiated flat rate of 400-Baht for the 30+ mile journey, but the driver would bypass the traffic-ridden highway and get us there faster. We later read in the travel book on route that a typical rate for that journey was 250-Baht, so we didn't feel bad when the driver thought we were to go to Soi 16 instead of the actual location of Soi 5 and we had to sit through 20 min more of traffic to get us to the right place. This led us to Trip Lesson 2: Visit your hotel's website ahead of time and print out the directions in the local language to aid you in getting to the correct place. I had thought to do this ahead of time, but didn't bother since Stephen said they could translate for us at the airport. Next time I'll follow my gut.

Our hotel, the Bel Aire Princess Hotel -- I know the name is a bit much -- receiving great service from the Bellhop to our room where he explained all the features of the room. (I tipped him $1US, even though our guide book said it wasn't expected because he was just so helpful).

We then wandered around the area where our hotel is for a bit, checking out local restaurants and shops and getting a taste of the slightly more chaotic existence that is Bangkok -- something similarly found in thriving big cities in quasi-developed countries the world round. The moment you step out of the hotel you are greeted by two things: the immense humid heat and the chaotic buzz of street vendors, wall-to-wall traffic, and hot sweaty bodies moving along crowded walkways.

While it was all interesting to take in, I realised that after the jam-packed Israel Trip and the hectic 3 weeks of packing/moving I was looking forward to getting out of the big city on Saturday for a few weeks in a quieter setting to relax me a bit so I can fully appreciate when we come back for a week in Bangkok at the end of our tour.

We decided to head back to the room for a much-needed shower and a enjoyable and relaxing meal of some of our favourite Thai dishes at our hotel restaurant. The food was good, the Thai Iced Tea refreshing and fairly cheap by London standards even if it was a bit overpriced for Bangkok.

We ended up going to bed at a normal local time, circa midnight, but here I am up at 3am wide awake with jet lag blogging away. I guess I'm not quite as exhausted by the move as I thought.

I might try a bit of relaxing music and some prayer time before seeing if I can get back to sleep.

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And We're Off....

We've just about made it through the departure checklist:

Have movers pack up and ship items to the U.S.
Check

Make travel arrangements
Check

Sell and give away remaining items not bringing back to the US
Check

Have 'Leaving Do's' and say goodbye to friends and colleagues
Check

Pack luggage for travels
Check

Print out travel documents
Check

Mail any remaining items that don't fit in luggage
Check

Get travel money from bank
Check

Clean flat and shred any sensitive documents
Check

Hand over keys to landlord and get back deposit
Check

Take refunded deposit check/cheque to bank and deposit
Check

Head to the airport with luggage in tow
In process

Catch flight to Bangkok, Thailand
Should make it just fine as we are running relatively on time

4 weeks in Laos and Thailand, HERE WE COME!
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Israel Trip - Part 2

General Info on the second half of our Israel trip -- more to come when I get a chance to ammend this entry

June 13, 2011
Israel Museum - model of Jerusalem during Herod's reing (Jesus' time).
Dead Sea Scrolls
Herodian
Bethlehem and Church of the Nativity
'Paradise Hotel'
Sami speaks

June 14, 2011
House of Hope, Bethlehem

Jericho - base of walls that date back to the time of Israel's conquering of Jericho where the walls collapsed with a shout. The period dating between that base and when the next set of walls were built is consistent with the biblical account and timeline.


June 15, 2011
Jesus early ministry around the Sea of Galilee (now called Lake Galilee).
Boat ride across Lake Galilee
Where Jesus cast out the pigs
Capernaum
Lunch at a Kabab shop in a town called Magdela (the place where Mary the Magdelene was from).

June 16, 2011

Hazor (Major Canaanite city destroyed conquered and destroyed by Israel and later a smaller cite is rebuilt and fortified by Solomon.
The city of Dan - its conquering by the tribe of Dan and the springs there that are the source of the River Jordan.
Caesarea Philippi (Banyas), idol worship there, and a hike to a lovely spring-fed waterfall.
Drive through the Golan Heights to see Mount Hermon and a look-out overseeing the Syrian border (border seemed very quiet and hard to believe this area has been a point of conflict).


June 17, 2011

Nazareth and free afternoon
Brush fires

June 18, 2011

Armegedon McDonalds
Flight back
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Update on the move

So I thought I'd give a little update on our move.

We've spent about a week now getting organised for our move -- sorting what to ship, what to take for our trip, and what to sell or give away. By Thursday afternoon, the movers should have come and gone, and friends will have come pick up furniture they have bought off us. We'll then be living out of our backpacks until July 13th when we fly to Bangkok (which is the capital city of Thailand for those readers who are a bit geographically challenged).

We'll spend a couple nights in Bangkok and then set out on a 3-week overland tour of northern Thailand and Laos with Stray Travel. We'll follow this up with a week in Bangkok before flying to Washington, DC on August 13th. We'll spend a couple days in DC before before loading up the items from our DC storage into a truck and driving it out to Denver where our shipment from London will also hopefully join us sometime in late August or September. We'll likely stay with Stephen's mom for a bit until we find an apartment.

Stephen will begin the International MBA programme at University of Denver on September 1st, and I'll start looking for a job. In any case, we're looking forward to settling in to our new home in Denver as soon as we can, as we anticipate by that point wek"l be tired of living out of a backpack.

This is proving quite an educational moving experience for us. We both only came to London with a few suitcases in tow, so this is the first time we're attempting to 'move house' internationally. It should be god practice for any moves in the future.

Here are some lessons we're learning from this move:
- organise and throw stuff out as you go, otherwise you spend hours sifting through old papers and receipts
- give away unused electronic items as you go, otherwise you end up with a large shelf in the closet that you don't want to pay to move but don't have time to sell on.
- It is cheaper to move things from London to Denver than from Washington, DC to Denver.
- moving sneaks up on you, so plan ahead
- everything takes longer than you think when it comes to packing
- moving is also a good way to identify the junk you have no need to hold on to.
- Pray. There are often too many variables in the moving process, and this will overwhelm even the most experienced project manager. We've found we need to rely on God that he'll help work everything out in its time.
- another good rule, identify the order thing need to be completed in and use that as a prioritisation list of what to do first. In many cases, if it doesn't need to be done by tomorrow you have to leave it to another day.
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