Lao and My Man

Much time has past since I have last updated this blog.  My boyfriend met me in Thailand, we went to Laos, I got engaged, went to Cambodia and on to Vietnam.  After Pai I returned to Chiang Mai where George flew in to meet me for two and a half weeks.  I rented a motorbike with my new found confidence and picked him up.  Driving with two is a lot more difficult then alone but we managed safe and sound. 

The first couple days after Georges arrival we stayed in Chiang Mai, ate good food at good restaurants, drank wine, shopped in the markets, went to a Mai Thai fight and rode elephants.  Everyday we found ourselves entertained and keeping busy.  We both enjoyed a rambungtious night out watching the Mai Thai fighting that I nearly killed myself trying to do in Pai.  The fighters started off young, maybe 13 years old and slowly got older.  There was even a girl fight.  Mai Thai is different then other boxing in that it is done to drums and looks more like a dance when they are in the ring.  As they dance around eachother they swing and kick and try to beat the other up.  George and I sat front row and had a great view of the cometition and really enjoyed the different fighting. 

Now I don't want to brag but we are offical maouts now!  Well techniqually, officially unoffical mahouts.  Mahouts are the people that ride and control the elephants when they are working to clear a forest or move logs and we did a training course all the next day.  We went to an elephant farm where they teach you to ride the elephants, without the basket.  You sit on their neck and learn to control them.  For the whole morning we found ourselves playing with the elephants, getting picked up, sitting on them, turning them, going forwards and backwards.  We took tons of photographs and discovered it was a little more difficult than we thought. After lunch we went for a jungle trek on our elephant and realized, our elephant really didn't like to listen and eventually gave up to let the real mahout walking with us get our slow poke going.   After we got to play in the water with her and wash her where she sprayed us multiple times. 

George and I enjoyed Chiang Mai but it was neccessary and we needed to move on so off we went in a mini van to the Lao border.  On arrival we had to check out of Thai immigration, cross the river and check into Lao immigration.  Half of our minivan followed us to the Lao side for the night the other half stayed on the Thai side.  We found cheap accomadation and met up with our new friends.  We got dinner and drank and had a fun night.  In the morning we had to get up pack for the two day boat trip down the Mekong river. 

The slow boat trip downt the river is two days of motoring with a night stop in a small town on the Mekong.  The boat is very long and there were many tourists on board but the boat also made multiple stops to pick up and drop off locals on the way.  The scenery was very beautiful as we floated through the valley.  The boat itself had many wooden benches inside which were completely uncomfortable.  Despite the views and beer and having eachother onboard the seats were awful and the slow boat slowly got boring.  We both thought, two days of thsi???!!!!  ahhh, we already been there done that.  When we eventually arrived at the town we would stay for the night we were so happy to be getting off the hard seats.  We wondered and stumbled on an amazing bungalow overlooking the river and got some Indian food, I know but we had a craving!

The next day again up early for a second day, except we got lucky.  One of the first people to arrive we got to select the VIP seats which were new car seats with cushioning and were wonderful.  The day started off fantastic.  The boat was same same but different, no sore ass this time. 

After two days of floating the Mekong we were definitely happy to arrive in Luang Prabang.  LP is a cute little artsy touristy French town.  It has great French architecture and good food.  Here is were we spent the next five days in our French mansion hotel.  We rented bikes, saw the silk village, caves, had good wine, good food, ran into old friends, rented a motorbike and saw the waterfall, where George proposed and I nearly forgot to say yes I was in so much shock.  Good job babe!

LP was the perfect place to relax and enjoy our time together but we eventually grew restless and needed a change so off we went to Vang Viene for some partying and tubing.  We booked a minivan and off we went for our 5 hour drive twisty turny mountainous drive which was beautiful but not so good on the stomach.  On our way up the mountian we turned a corner to an overturned beer truck.  It was shock, disappointment and love at first sight.  Shock because there was thousands of beers sitting in the road, disappointment because it was impassable, and love for the beer.  No one was hurt which made the whole situation ok.  After oranizing a clean up process to expedite our trip everyone banned together and helped to pick up the bottles and put them in crates on the side of the road.  After the work was finished we were each granted permission to take a victory bottle.  On we went.

Vang Viene is a small town with a very backpacker feel.  It is a party town and though the mountains are beautiful there was not a whole lot to do beside tube down the river and drink.  We enjoyed some good food here, especially the goat meat and cheese and had a good day tubing.  For the tubing you rent a tub and they drive you to the start of river.  The river here is lined with bars that have rope swings, trapeez, ziplines, and slides, plus buckets.  Buckets of what you may ask, the answer is unclear but they are loaded with booze.  Tubing and booze can be a dangerous activity but it was good fun and we had a great day, but had no need to do it again.  The only way to describe it would be, spring break Cancun, except in Lao. 

After we left Vang Viene we went to our final destination together, the Lao capital of Vientiane.  Here we relaxed again, had nice dinners and enjoyed the celebrations they had along the river for their big festival that was going on.  We lite off a candle floating lantern with the locals along the river and enjoyed the French food and architecture.  While in Vientiane we went to a national soccer game, Lao vs. the Philippines, tie game where we drank wine and got a ride home in the back of a pickup truck full of drunk Loasians singing and playing drums.  Here we also shopped our hearts out at the market and enjoyed our last days together and eventually said a tearful good, (for me at least).

Chiang Mai and Lovely Pai

Northern Thailand immediatly has a different vibe and feel to the south.  It is refreshing and slower paced and has a more relaxed less touristy feel.  Chiang Mai is a central point to see the northern territory, ride elephants, go rafting and trekking to hill tribe villages but also has a great Sunday market and amazing cooking classes, all of which interested me. 

I arrived in Chiang Mai 6 days before George would be meeting me and I didn't want him to miss any of it, especially the elephants so I took it easy wondered around on my rented bike checking out hotels for his arrival, got a couple massages, went to the movies, went to a local club with a couple English teachers, enjoyed mango shakes, numberous coffees and Kau Soy, the curry noodle dish special to the north.  I spent two nights before I hit the road for the smaller hill town of Pai.

A minivan picked me up and was soon filled with other travelers who all wanted to see the famous Pai.  We were told it was only a three hour minivan ride through the mountains.  Our van climbed and climbed into beautiful scenery overlooking the valleys.  We drove fairly slow around numerous switchbacks and a few of us started to feel a little queasy, if you are prone to car sickness this is definitly a trip to set it off even in the most hardened of us.  On my way I met another girl my age traveling as well and we decided hang together. 

As we arrived we were given free motorbikes to use for an hour to find a hotel.  We were both very excited having never driven one, though they were only free for the experienced.  It was only a little white lie....  We got on our bikes and mostly drove around exploring, and not guesthouse, bungalow options.  We gave back our bikes after our hour of learning to drive and found a place right in town. 

The town town of Pai is filled with cute bars, coffee shops, shops with artisan and artsy sale items and has a real backpacker, artsy feel.  It is very small and everyone is very nice.  It is a slow paced town and a wonderful change.  We spent our night dinning and drinking cocktails at a couple of the low key bars, listened to live music and met a group of four other backpackers who were leaving on a motorbike trip the next day.  We decided to join.

The next morning we rented our motorbikes and met up with the other four.  We were a gang of 6.  We had a quick breakfast and hit the road.  Pai is in the northeastern part of Thailand and is close to many caves, waterfalls, and hill tribes.  It boarders with Myanmar and has a lot of Chinese influence. 

We set off without a true destination but with hopes of crossing into Myanmar for the day.  Our confidence quickly improved as we drove our bikes into the hills and down the valleys.  The countryside was absolutely breathtaking.  Green rice patties in the valleys with beaufiul green hillsides and bright flowers.  The riding became relaxing and enjoyable.  We saw waterfalls and small towns and eventually arrived at a very small town on the boarder with Myanmar.  It was getting to be late afternoon and we were all quit hungry. 

The quiet town we stopped in was deserted.  Only a couple people about and one expensive restaurant.  As we looked for cheaper food a couple school girls pointed us to a big empty restaurant where the owner came running from no where to open for us.  As the orders went in food was very slow to come out.  Eventually, asian style, orders came out one at a time with a lot of time waiting.  As we waited we looked for guesthouses but the others were set on finding something cheaper which meant moving on to another town. 

It was already getting late, past four and it would be getting dark.  Against my recommendation and better judgement we left for the next big town over an hour away.  We got on our bikes as huge rain clouds rolled in.  I prepaired myself for the miserable journey ahead.  As we drove it grew dark and started to rain heavily.  We creaped through the hills and down the roads, stopped for gas and searched for a new guesthouse in the bigger town.  Eventually we found one, but it didn't save us much dough, go figure.

By the time we got in it was late and I was freezing.  I stripped off my wet clothes, asked the owner for a blanket, I am pretty sure he thought I was nuts, and tried to warm myself.  Eventually I got warm and fell asleep.  The next day we got back on our bikes and road back to Pai.  The drive was equally amazing and enjoyable as my clothes had luckily dried overnight.

My last couple nights back in Pai were spent at a very cheap bungalow with the others.  We had to cross a not so safe bridge over a stream to get there.  We explored on bikes the surrounding area finding waterfalls and beautiful bungalows, scenery, canyons, ravines, hot springs and elephant camps.  Additionally, during one of my bright ideas I decided to try Mai Thai.......

Mai Thai is Thai boxing.  When watched it's like a dance.  The boxers bounce around to the beat of drums trying to kick the living daylights out of eachother using their hands, feet, elbows and knees.  I thought it would be like a kick boxing class for two hours.  I arrived at the training facility and was placed with a trainer.  We started jump roping then got immediatly into basics, stance, arm position and movement.  Then I began to beat him up.  Kick, punch, punch, elbow, knee, knee, knee etc etc.  The trainer seemed impressed.  He kept on me and pushing me and told me one month training and I would be really good.  Feeling confident I continued fighting hard. 

As I punched and kicked and the trainer blocked I realized my leg was starting to hurt where I had been kneeing and his hand blocking. As I looked down I realized the vien in my right leg above my knee had swollen up far beyond it's normal size.  I freaked out and stopped the training.  They poked and proded at my vien in my leg and the viens in my arm like a science project shocked.  They gave me some rub for my leg and tried to convince me to continue.  I went with my gut and took it easy.  Within an hour a bruise the size of a soccer ball took over my leg. 

Pai: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Pai?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_7jOHs9cLfTQ&feat=directlink

On the Move, River Boat, Bus, Van and Train

I spent the next couple days from Phenom Penh to Chiang Mai on the constant move.  I stayed one night in Battambang and got the river boat north to Siem Reap.  It was interesting though the boat had mostly travelers with occasional locals.  We motored up the river through very narrow passages trying to avoid getting hit by tree branches and through floating villages.  The floating villages have some structures on stilts and some structures the are built on a rafts.  Every house and store along the river has it's personal boat for transport.  The people here seemed very nice and always were smiling.  The isolation they have from most tourists separates them from the national psyche which comes across as hostil and rude at times, the attitude of you have and I want.

The river places seemed very clean and we stopped for a bathroom brake at one of the shops.  The toilets were around the back and when I went to use it I realized that it is a little hut with a hole in the floor which dumps directly into the river, mental note....don't swim!  Although the bathroom itself was very clean I am not sure how clean the river was.

Upon arrival in Siem Reap I jumped on the back of a motorbike taxi and got a ride down town where I spent an uneventful night before again waking early to move on to Bangkok....again, the next day.  I was picked up from my guesthouse early in the morning and we took a mini van then bus to the boarder where it took over an hour to get through Cambodia immigration and Thailand immigration.  Once in Thailand we jumped on another bus to Bangkok.

My next mission was to get to Sukathai to break up the long jorney north, but having arrived late in Bangkok I had to hunker down for a night and get a bus in the am.  After second thoughts ran through my head I decided to abort Sukathai and more wats and head direct to Chiang Mai on the night train.   I booked my ticket in the morning for the 10pm train with a bed due to arrive in Chiang Mai at 12:45pm the next day.

I headed for the train station. The next night with a supposed departure time of 10pm, not so much the case.  Delayed till over midnight the train finally arrived and everyone boarded.  The train looked like an old style wild west train.  Inside there was double bunks on either side. The bottome bunks had huge open windows open to the elements if desired and the top had shared fans and no windows. I climbed into my top bunk and quickly fell asleep to the rythmic sounds of the train. 

Throughout the night the train made multiple stops which I dreamily slept through and more and more people got on.  By morning the light and vibrations of the train gently woke me.  The next couple hours I spent reading, sitting in the open door watching Thailand go by, hanging out the door without a care or safety precaution and sitting by the window after they transformed the bottom bunk into two oppossing seats.

Slowly our 12:45 arrival dragged onto 2 then 3 then 4.  We made one stop were everyone had 20 minutes to disembark and run to the local minimart to stock up on cookies, chips and whatever you could find as the dinning cart that was supposedly available did not truely exsist.  With a bit of food, some beautiful scenery and relaxing trip I was not too bothered about the final late arrival into Chiang Mai.

Battambang boat: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/BattambangBoatToSiemReap?authkey=Gv1sRgCI3N2ueG5KffWw&feat=directlink

Train: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/TrainToChiangMai?authkey=Gv1sRgCL3_rP2djvOk9AE&feat=directlink

Amoking About in Cambodia

Mangostin Fruit, you eat the white in the middle!

After an intense day in Pehnom Penh and success with our Vietnamese visa's we met up to find a recommended restaurant to try Cambodia's national dish of Amok.  I had heard of amok many times but every opportunity I had to order it I always found something I was craving more.  With a name like fish amok it never sounded very appetizing.

Amok is a dish with different vegetables like green beans, carrots, pumpkin some sort of green leaf and usually fish or chicken in a yellow curry sauce.  Usually the dish is served over rice and it soupy. Berg and I found the restaurant we were looking for and ordered some amok and some mango spicy salad.

The chicken amok we received was different than I had imagined.  It was not soupy there was no rice and it was more like a pastry.  Apparently they make it two ways.  This one was a bit similar to a quiche with the crust and in the middle was the curry and chicken and vegetables.  To my surprise the dish was very tasty and I enjoyed it so much so that for the next two nights I ordered amok at 2 other restaurants in to other towns to compare.

First I headed back for Battambang where I was going to catch the river boat to Siem Reap.  I went out to a local restaurant and ordered the amok here.  This one was more traditional and soupy and delicious.  The next night in Siem Reap I ordered the same again at another local restaurant.  This time I ordered the fish amok.  I assumed it would be shredded or very small pieces of fish and possibly too fishy for my taste but the amok came out with nice chunky pieces of fillet filled with loads of vegetables including pumpkin.  This third time was by far my favorite of the three and it tasted incredible.

The food of Cambodia appears very similar to me to those found in Thailand.  Thai food is very fragrant with many different flavors of lemongrass, Thai basil and curry.  So far all the food I have had everywhere has been delicious like pad Thais, green curry, yellow curry, red curry, cashew chicken, basil chicken, pork, mango salad, tom yum soup etc etc.  I am loving the food but often find that it's always a stir fry with rice or noodles or a soup or curry.  I have also been disappointed in the spice of the Thais.  Everyone claims Thai food is spicy but even when you ask them to make is Thai spicy it usually falls short of my expectations and without fail I always add more chili. 

I have also fallen in love with the fruits here.  Every morning I have fresh fruit with muesli and usually a homemade yogurt.  I have tried many new fruits and am always amazed by the variety and flavors.  Everywhere here you can get giant fresh fruit smoothies with the freshest most delicious fruits.  The mango, watermelon and bananas here are so much more flavorful than back home and it is something I will miss a lot once I leave.  Next cuisine to try is the north Thai noodles and then the food in Laos!

Phenom Pehn and the Khmer Rouge

Cambodia's capital Phenom Pehn was busy and crazy with bicycles and motorcycles, tuk tuks, cars, trucks and any other transportation you can imagine with their knack for transporting people and goods.  The traffic on the roads in Phenom Pehn appears to be complete chaos but once you join in it your realized there is an organization to their madness.  I came to Phenom Pehn to get my Vietnamese visa, see the S-21 museum and the killing fields.  All of this I accomplished in a day and two nights minus the killing fields.

My path crossed again with Berg my fellow traveler from China who I met in Bangkok weeks before.  His plan was a mirror image of mine so we decided to execute it together.  We met up for dinner the first night and I had my first taste of pizza in months and months, oh how I have missed western food.  The next morning we agreed to rent bikes, ride to the embassy, then to the museum and the killing fields. 

With the embassy quick and easy we set off for the S-21 Museum.  The museum is the sight of an old school that the Khmer Rouge took over and converted into a prison where they kept people and tortured them.  The school has changed little since 30 years ago and is very powerful in all of it's rawness.  The experience in the museum was so intense and sad I did not take any photo's of the gruesomeness that went on here.  At the school there were multiple different buildings where they imprisoned men, women and children.  To this day the people and the government do not understand Pol Pot and what he was trying to do or accomplish through this horrific genocide. 

We hired a guide who was 10 when forced with her family was evacuated from Phenom Pehn.  Depending on your location the day the Khmer Rouge came into the city the forced everybody to leave, whole families where forced apart and in different directions, so if you were in the north they pushed you north, south...they pushed you south. Kids were left separated from their parents, wives were separated from their husbands and the city was in complete chaos with not a person understanding what was happening.  

The only goal of the KR was to kill people, with a focus on the men.  No one at the time even knew who Pol Pot was as no one had television or food.  Everyone was forced into labor camps and denied basic human rights.  At the prison we visited they chained, tortured and kills thousands and thousands of people.  The victims pictures hang in the museum, some with pin tags stuck in their necks with their bed numbers on them. 

As the Vietnamese came into the city to free them, there were only 7 remaining survivors all of which held skills valuable to the regime.  Right before they arrived they killed the 14 other high ranking KR prisons.  They killed them after torture usually by slitting their throats.  You can visit each of the cells the prisoners were found in and there hangs photos of their dead bodies.

After seeing the atrocities committed by Pol Pot for no reason both Berg and myself realized that we did not need to visit the killing fields where there are over 100 mass graves of the people they killed mostly by bludgeoning them to death.  Some of the graves have been dug up but many remain. I have been told you can still see the bones and clothes of the people in the field.  

For the rest of the day Berg and I took it easy.  We got some food, visited the different markets and felt we had enough cultural history for the day, week, or even month.

Battambang, Is this it????

Battambang is an odd little town with French Colonial architecture not many travelers and not much to do. The town shuts down early at night and the only sights are the bamboo train, a couple temples and the eerie killing caves. On the bus to Battambang I met a German girl traveling alone and we decided to hire a tuk tuk for the next day to see all the Battambang had to offer. That night we headed to the night market for cheap food at one of the stalls. Here we stumbled upon an English speaking Cambodian who ran a stall with his family. He was in his late 40's or 50's and he talked with us shortly about the Khmer Rouge and how he remembered being so hungry. He also introduced us to his family and told us jokes still maintaining a good sense of humor.

"Why do poor Cambodians have so many children.".......Believe me, I used sociology and science to guess about birth and death rates, help in the fields etc etc.  The answer, " because poor people have bad beds and can't sleep, the richer people have comfortable beds and money for booze so they pass our quickly."  Nice Cambodian joke.

The next morning we set out first to the killing caves which were used by the Khmer Rouge as a killing ground.  The caves go deep into the ground and they used to push people to their deaths.  We hiked a little way down but the caves were dark, steep, craggy and dangerous.  They were also unsettling and a bit creepy.  Coming up you can still see a pile of bones and clothes that they left behind from the horribleness that existed here.

Before we headed up the mountain to the caves we were asked many times if we needed a guide but we knew it was easy to locate ourselves and we went up alone.  On our way we acquired an attachment.  A young Cambodian guy decided to tag along with us guiding us about.  At first I was skeptical of his intentions and was only partly listening because I knew by the end he would want money for his unwanted service.  As he asked questions I reluctantly answered them.  Once he discovered my English teaching he began to ask me questions about English.  I slowly began to help my first Cambodian pupil with grammar and pronunciation.  He thanked me continually for being easy to understand and helpful with pronunciation.  As he described the caves and temple for us I corrected his grammar and pronunciation and offered answers to the many questions he asked.  After our tour he left us right where he found us, he said he was repairing the road and needed to get back to work.  We thanked him and he thanked us and it was a great experience.

After we headed to another temple where the children followed us up over 300 stairs waving fans at us until the top.  At the top there was a beautiful but small temple with lots of flowers and land mine warnings all around.  The kids were silly and we took many pictures as they thanked us, they picked flowers but them in our hair and jewelery and continually fanned us.  We sat and rested and chatted with them for a bit.  It was relaxing but I knew they were going to ask for money, which unfortunately they did.  I apologetically said no and we were on our way to our final destination, the bamboo train.

The bamboo train is a jerry-rigged double set of wheels placed on the train tracks with a bamboo platform on top and a motor used to run it forward.  It is used by locals to transport goods to the towns along the tracks.  The freedom of sitting on top and exhilarating through the beautiful scenery was relaxing and enjoyable, except when there was oncoming traffic.  With approaching bamboo trains the train with fewer people needs to get up and the two trains controllers pick up the one train in pieces remove it from the tracks and after the train passes they put it back together.

I enjoyed the day out and the company of my new friend but she was moving on to Thailand and I was headed to Phenom Penh so the next morning we both caught a bus in the opposite directions.  Off to the capital I went.

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Battambang?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7mzZWqsIa7sQE&feat=directlink

Wats and wats of wats

The temples, or wats as they are called are 6.5 km north of Siem Reap which to get to you either need to higher a tuk tuk or a bicycle.  I did both.  The first day of temples I rented a bike for one dollar and set off for the many temples to the north, Angkor Wat being the most famous but not necessarily  the most awe inspiring .
I rode to four of the different temples first Angkor Wat which I walked around in for a bit after I got some delicious street food.  It is old, large and beautiful and covered in tourists....Next temple please!  After I left for the famous faces of the Bayon temple in Angkor Thom.  Here there were fewer tourists and I was able to peacefully walk around through the many pillars of giant smiling faces.  This temple was steep and interesting.  I hung around a bit then moved on to one more temple then finally Ta Prohm or more well known as the location for Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie.

Ta Prohm is by far the most interesting temple to me because it has been over grown with the trees planting their roots all around the hidden temple and jungle.  Although it has been pruned back it still feels slightly more forbidden or lost.  It has a slight air of mystique and with fewer tourists would have been an ideal place to explore. The temples were fun to see but after a day of riding my bike and walking through them all day I felt a bit templed out.

At the temples there is a problem and frustration which aided my temple exhaustion.  Every temple you  go to you become accosted by the children of Cambodia trying to sell you cheap bracelets, post cards, books and drinks.  They come in swarms all shouting "you buy my...." No matter the number of times you decline or walk away they always continue.  When they finally realize they can't change your mind and you don't want to buy they walk away mumbling or sometimes just blatantly say a good old F&*^% you!  So sweet.

I was about to give up a second day of templing but was invited by my fellow hotel guests to go with them on a rock and roll tuk tuk the next day.  That's right, ROCK and ROLL baby.  I of course could not resist.  The second day our amazing tuk tuk driver showed up in style with dvd players, speakers, ipod hook ups, music and a cooler.  What more could you ask for?  With my companions, a Brit boy, and 2 Aussie boys we set off on our adventure, headed for the smaller temples away from the north and to the east. 

These temples were less impressive but the day was made by our amazing tuk tuk driver who would pull into the temples doing donuts and yelling rock and roll.  He was an ex monk that stopped being a monk to support his family.  A month ago he got the idea to convert his tuk tuk into an unusual and unique tuk tuk which rocked!  As we pulled into the third temple we started the donuts with our music blasting.  The children from the empty restaurants came running over trying to get us to eat at their restaurant.  Normally this would have been annoying but instead it was a pleasure as our driver decided to have them all rock, paper, scissors for our patronage. 

The kids not only were laughing but they were amused by our famous driver and were able to just be kids.  We finally sat down to a nice meal.  After we finished our food we joined the kids in games and they all were begging for their photos to be taken.  I took tons of photos and continued to show the results to the very excited children.  We got to talk with the kids without them selling anything and enjoy their company.  This was by far the most enriching experience in Cambodia thus far. 

After, as we headed for Angkor Wat for the sunset we made a quick pit stop at the orphanage.  Again we were greeted by smiling children who offered us water and chairs and a concert.  "In da joongle da mahty joongle" was lovely but took me a minute to realize they were singing in the jungle the mighty jungle.  They also attempted head and shoulders knees and toes and the ABC's among others.  They were very cute but often never on the same word or with the right beat and never pronounced correctly.  It was very cool to watch and we also got to observe their English class before we left.  The orphans here seemed well cared for as best they can and have not needed to beg which was refreshing.

The second day of temple seeing was more of a cultural day and I very much enjoyed it.  I think it had much to do with my fellow travelers who were laid back and wanting to play with the children and also to our tuk tuk driver who new just how to make everyone smile.

Temple pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/TheWats?authkey=Gv1sRgCJOMwe784cfdfQ&feat=directlink

Cambodia, the Final Frontier: Siem Reap

Border crossing hell= mini van to the boarder where a "guide" met us.  Well our guide was young, arrogant and had a bit of an attitude.  I found him untrustworthy and felt like he was always trying to take advantage of the situation and get as much money out of us as possible.  After leaving the boarder with a bitter taste in my mouth I finally found myself on my way to Siem Reap in a taxi with two travelers from the Republic of Georgia.

Transporting pigs, they are alive!

On first arrival I noticed that everything was very dusty and everybody seems to get around on motorbikes or bicycles and sometimes loaded on the back of trucks. All along the road to Siem Reap were motorcycles with pigs tied on their backs, two to a motorcycle, or 3 dozen birds tied by one leg or sometimes even an ox or horse with legs tied together on some sort of cart on  the back of a bike.  On first look they seemed dead until I saw a couple kicking and moving.  Welcome back to the third world I thought...and loved it.

First impressions of Siem Reap and Cambodia, I was surprised by how developed the infrastructure was, like the main roads, not to say they are anything comparable to the western world.  Geographically Cambodia is very flat, except for the southwest region, which surprised me so the roads are paved, straight and easy to negotiate, just don't hit, bikes, kids, animals, motorcycles or any other road block. 

I found Cambodia like Thailand has a very developed tourism economy in comparison to other places.  They have many easy to use tour agency's (though you need to watch out they can rip you off but that's the way the game goes) that only focus or mostly cater to travelers.  This seems to isolate the travelers from the locals at times, more so than in South America.  People seem to show less interest in the backpackers and it is more difficult to interact and feel excepted.

The people of Cambodia seem to be wonderfully friendly and smiley and a pleasure to talk to much of the time but they can also become short, arrogant and hostile at other times.  If money for tourist services is involved they often try to take advantage and can use sarcastic and rude comments.  If you say you don't need or want their service on multiple occasions I was told "fine then do it yourself," which I was trying to do anyways.  Also, on a daily bases in Siem Reap you are accosted by tuk tuk drivers asking if you need one.  If you politely say no they don't stop and then ask you about tomorrow, if you just say no they will respond with a sarcastic "no, thank you"and if you say nothing at all they get louder and more rude.  They do not understand how to back off.  They consistently hassle you no matter what whether it's for a tuk tuk, food, drink, post cards, books, etc.  If I want what you have I will find you!!!  It is possible to walk past a line of tuk tuk's tell the first no politely, the second no again and the third no and you will still be asked by the fourth and fifth in line. WTF?

The city of Siem Reap itself is nothing more than a small town with the center catered to the tourists.  The day market, the night market, the food stalls the bars and the restaurants are all battling for your patronage like the tuk tuks.  It becomes overwhelming and annoying most of the time.  Mostly Siem Reap is the city that is the jumping off point for the amazing temples including the famous Angkar Wat.

Additionally it is at night that the children come out to beg and try and sell you bootlegged books.  Both the children and the women with babies and empty bottles are trying to make money off of you.  One woman asked for money for formula and a guy bought her a 10 dollar bottle of formula and when he gave it to her she ran and we were told by the shop keeper she returns it at another shop.  If you buy anything you need to open it so they can't return it.

The children additionally try to sell you stuff and won't leave you alone or they try and touch you, (watch your wallet) and look really sad and helpless so you give them money for food.  I tried offering food to one but he didn't want food.  It's hard to not trust children but many are brought up to scam travelers.  They are not begging for themselves or selling books for themselves but for someone else around the corner.  Seeing these sights makes you feel bad but I know that supporting this behavior only hurts it in the long run.  You are better off giving your money to an organization that can help. 

My first full day in Siem Reap I spent  wandering the town to the market buying silver bracelets, my weakness, and stumbling on the Angkor Artisans which is a fair trade school where they teach locals to make traditional stone carvings and wood carvings as well as silk paintings and silk weaving.  You can tour the workshop and watch them create intricate details.  At the end there is a shop where you can buy the products.  It was all very impressive and beautiful, but a bit pricey, but that is fair trade.

Artisan carving a statue

In the shop I noticed a free shuttle to their silk farm/factory as well so I visited and watched how they make silk and how they weave amazing time consuming patterns on intricate looms.  All of the workers were extremely friendly and nice and it allowed me to notice the difference in attitude between those being taught and learning a skill that allows them to make a fair wage and income to those who feel abandoned and like they deserve more.  

Overall I am liking the more third world aspect of Cambodia but am having mixed feelings about the people and how they deal with tourism and the begging.  I feel I am constantly being overcharged and they are always trying to get money and rip you off.  When they look at you they see dollar signs, not people.

Siem Reap Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/SiemReap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMDrorXh3OSA6wE&feat=directlink

Ton Sai Climbing Heaven

With a 15 kilogram bag I left for the far side of the resort beach and found the connecting path to the alternate world of the backpackers and climbers.  It was a bit of a strenuous climb up and over to the other side but I needed the conditioning having not climbed in over a year.  As I entered the new world I spotted a dive instructor from the place I received my open water certification.  He immediately showed me where he was staying for super cheap.  I got my own bungalow with a double bed, so so sheets and a working toilet and shower, though, not what you would call luxury, actually boarding on very poor but it works.

Railay, Thailand

The first night we grabbed some food at a little hut which was delicious and decided to meet up in the morning to find some climbers with ropes to adopt us.  We met at the food hut in the early morning I ordered the best fruit yogurt and muesli and coffee and we waited, and waited, and slowly gave up on hope of finding climbers, after all it is the low season and not many people are floating around.  Just when almost all hope was lost our angel Martin from France appeared and invited us to climb with them.  I rented a harness and off we went to find a wall to climb.

After not climbing for nearly a year my start was slowing. not finishing the first route which was graded a French 6b+, so 5.10b/c for the Americans.  Low on confidence and feeling week I was not sure I would be able to climb anything here until things changed for the better....which only took another 20 minutes.  I made another go at a 6a route and not only completed it but felt confident, next step, leading, maybe not this time around. 

Climbing Ton Sai

I spent the next couple days either climbing or recovering from climbing.  I met loads of others who were also their for the amazing limestone walls and quickly made friends and climbing partners.  Ton Sai was so beautiful and laid back.  The low season also was refreshing as there were fewer people and places open so it made life simplistic and relaxing.  After 5 nights on Ton Sai I decided I was ready for a change of pace away from the sun and the sand and heading to something more cultural. 

My original plan was to head into Northern Thailand but after much debating and problems trying to figure out timing with Georges arrival and my visa expiring I decided it was best to waist some time in Cambodia.  I took a boat to Ao Nang, then a van to Surat Thani then an overnight bus back to Bangkok.  I arrived at 5:30 in the morning to Bangkok full of exhaustion and ready to collapse.  I was unable to process anything in my brain and decided it was best to get a room and stay another night in Bangkok until I could sort out my next move.....somewhere in Cambodia.  Today I have roved around Bangkok with a fellow backpacker from Colombia.  I have practiced my Spanish and am ready to head to the boarder at 7am on to Ankor Wat.

Railay pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Railay?authkey=Gv1sRgCKj2uaSh_ajs2gE&feat=directlink

Ko Phangan...Ko Phanwrong...

Ok, so I made a hasty decision and arrived on Ko Phangan with zero idea of where to go, I know, my own fault.  I ended up following three Israeli guys to the area where the full moon parties are, second bad choice of the day.  Anyways, the place was kind of dead as it was not full moon time and it was covered with Germans and Israelis.  The beach was kind of dirty and overall it gave me a bad vibe.  I had some drinks and food with the three guys after I found a small room then hit the hay early.

Upon awakening I went and bought a ticket on the first boat and bus to Krabi town.  I left Ko Phangan and headed west.  It was a 3 hour boat ride and a 3 hour van ride.  Disembarking from the van I met a Scottish gay couple and attached myself to them.  We were headed for the same guest house so it was perfect.  We arrived showered and headed for some beers and some of the cheapest and best Thai food....street food!  We left for the night market which is all food and I order amazing noodle soup and they each ordered a curry dish and noodles.  All the dishes were amazing and cheap.  After we left for a bar where we chatted and drank cocktails for the rest of the night.  Good night.

Night Market, Krabi

Things began to look up for me and I started feeling more comfortable with my decision to move on.  I woke up in the morning and headed for the pier to catch a longtail boat to Railay beach, which is the only way it can be reached.  I was the only traveler about and was told we needed more people before we could leave so I ventured to grab some street food at a little local stall with locals eating.  I asked for a menu but was told the menu was the food, they brought me behind the counter and pointed to all the items trying to explain.  Eventually I was just given one noodle dish.  It was cheap and delicious and I enjoyed it with a couple locals.

After my delicious meal I met a vacationing older Malaysian couple.  Together we waited until we had enough people to leave for Railay beach and off we went to arrive at a small half resort half backpacker hangout.  They headed for the resort and I headed on a hike up and over a hill to the tiny village of Ton Sai, where all the rock climbers hangout.  Perfect start!

Krabi pictures!: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Krabi?authkey=Gv1sRgCM29nsXw36_HJg&feat=directlink

Ko Tao Open Water Dive

Upon arrival this small island reminds me of the beaches in Mexico or Colombia.  All the long boats are anchored along the shore with palm trees everywhere and the small village atmosphere.  I already knew it was going to be a nice relaxing environment and the perfect place to get dive certified......

Sunset on Ko Tao

I am now a certified open water diver.  The course was three and a half days of movies, basic theory and practical diving.  The course was both fun and interesting.  I shacked up at the dive school Big Blue and was put in a class of four with an English guy, Ian (also my dive partner) and a couple living in Dublin from Poland and France.  Our instructor Nick was patient and friendly.  At the hostel they have an outdoor bar and restaurant right on the beach with a beautiful view. 

The first time in the water was good fun and we learned all of our skills on a sandy island beach off the coast.  Here we learned to empty our masks, what to do if you run out of air and how to control our buoyancy.  Most of this I found simple and basic and found myself growing impatient with the other partner group.  Things took a long time in the water and by the end I had blue lips and was freezing.  The cold made the end not enjoyable and all I could think about was getting out.

The next day we had basic theory in the morning and our first two proper dives.  Again I found that some of the other students struggled at times which could have been very funny if I was not freezing again.  As I complained to my boyfriend he quoted it perfectly, "idiots are annoying, but at least they remind you that life is tough, but it's a whole lot tougher if you're stupid."  Although I am sure they are not completely daft it took them a bit longer to catch on, and I am not sure they mastered any of it.  On this dive we swam in close to shore and did a gradual swim deeper and deeper.  I found it pretty basic and we didn't see a whole lot. 

By the second dive of the afternoon I was given two wetsuits and a pep talk to get me back in the water...I really was cold!  The two suits helped and the second dive was really enjoyable. We started at the surface and lowed ourselves along the anchor line.  This was a far more interesting decent and the overall dive went much smoother.  My partner and I were the first group (right behind the instructor) and the other two became the second group, behind us!  YES!  Following them was like following a 6 year old trying to drive a car, fast, stall, stop, go, up, down, stop, slow, foot in face, kick Sucks!!  Now we had a much smoother swim with a steady pace which allowed us to play with our buoyancy more.

Today was our final day and we had our final two dives.  We woke up and left before 7am and were the first boat on the water.  It was, by far, the best day diving as every ones skills slowly improved, though some faster than others.  For both dives I had on two wetsuits and we descended down the anchor line.  The first dive was at an underwater pinnacle and the second was on a coral reef.  Both were great fun and relaxing when I wasn't cold.  I found the buoyancy and breathing techniques fun to play with and relaxing.  Overall I am really excited to do some more diving and am ready to get my advance. 

With open water you can only dive down to 18 meters with the advanced course it allows you to go down to 30 meters.  Not this trip but next time I will move on to get my advanced certification.  What next????  We get to watch a film of our final dive day tonight, have some drinks to celebrate, a couple more days here then headed south.

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/KoTao?authkey=Gv1sRgCN6Z_JSq-cnCgAE&feat=directlink

Moving On

My last day in Bangkok left me feeling confident in my decision to move on.  I went and saw China town and ran into a lovely Australian girl who I spent the day with, had a couple glasses of wine and some lunch with, she was headed to Chang Mai at 4 and I was headed to Ko Tao at 6.  Overall a great time in Bangkok which left me fulfilled. 

Next stop, Ko Tao....I waited for my guide at 6 and was picked up along with other travelers.  We went to the bus office and waited for an hour to depart.  I met a Northern Irish girl and English guy and we sat down and I had some wonderful glass noodles and vegetables from a lovely family restaurant.  At 7:30 we finally boarded the bus.  The bus was basic, but at least had a bathroom.  Our adventure began.  We drove until 3:30am where we were told it was our stop and to disembark.  We were left with a bunch of other travelers outside a closed shop in a random town.  We were told we needed to wait here until 6am when another van would pick us up to drive us to the boat. 

Everyone was exhausted, including a cranky 5 year-old German boy that continually threw tantrums, no fun.  I actually  got some sleep on a little bench under a covering despite the fact the air was damp, rainy and cold. Our van finally came and took us to a bus which took us to our boat.  We departed the pier at 7:30 and finally arrived in Ko Tao at 10am.  It has been a long exhausting night and it is starting to catch up with me.  I have hunkered down at a dive school and start my open water certification tomorrow.  I can't wait. 

Overall my first impressions of Thailand are all good.  The food is amazing and the people are nice but the traveler trail is a well beaten path.  There seems to be little room for adventure and or error because they make it very simple for the tourist.  Although this is nice because it is less stressful it is also slightly less exciting and I am looking forward to something a little more off the normal travel route. 

Ko Tao seems to be more low key and relaxing.  Today is a bit overcast but slowly the sun is emerging and the temperature is increasing, time to hit the beach. 

Bangkok

On first arrival in Bangkok I found it hot and humid and I was surprisingly relaxed and ready for the adventure to begin.  A quick bus to the backpacker area and a quick search for a hotel left me with nothing to be desired but a bite to eat.  I ordered spicy thai soup with vermicelli noodles and loads of vegetables which tasted amazing then hit the hay as I was exhausted.  

Grand Palace, Bangkok

I woke up early Friday got some amazing fruit, yogurt and museli on the street with a great coffee and left to see the Grand palace, some temples, the amulet market and the water taxis. The sites were really quite amazing, the palace was covered in gold and the largest laying down buddha in the world was here.  Although I enjoy the temples and the palace I am much more of a culture girl and my favorite part of the day was the amulet market where Thai people go to buy little trinkets and good luck charms.  I saw only one other westerner walking around which made me happy.

Throughout the day I used the Thai public transportation which included water taxi boats up and down the river.  It was refreshing and showed a great perspective of the city from the water.  It was on one of these trips I met Bernd a German guy.  We chatted and took the boat up and down the river and stopped at a little local side stall on one of the piers for spicy squid and grilled fish.  Overall a cheap delicious meal.

From here we went to the center of town.  We tested out the up ground skytrain and visited the giant mall.  With everything from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Coach and all the other expensive unaffordable designer brands people go gaga for being in a very high end classy mall.  As we walked around we realized that all the crowds in the mall were young and hip.  They must come from the upper upper middle class and be very good at spending their parents money.  Many were high school students in uniforms or what looked like university students, definitely not young people making their own money.

After a day of wondering I was very tired and we headed to the bus stop and met another traveler, Berg, from China.  The three of us headed to dinner at an amazing, slightly higher class Thai restaurant.  We had a nice bottle of wine and we had an amazing meal.  We ordered for different dishes and split them all including grilled fish, spicy mango salad, tom yum soup, and pad thai, all of which was mouth watering delicious.  After we headed to a Jazz club where local music students were performing and who were amazing.  After the actual band finished all the students in the club continued to play piano and sing passing around the microphone and and having an amazing live karaoke session.  What a night!

The next couple days I went to the weekend market and almost lost my mind.  More jewelery, household goods, and amazing clothes in a crowded market.  If I was rich I would have bought loads and sent it all home. As for today, I am checking out and moving on to greener pastures.  I am headed south to Ko Tao which is a small island where I will get dive certified.  I can't wait!

Bangkok Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Bangkok?authkey=Gv1sRgCP__142JkcbOeQ&feat=directlink

Final Day Korea

So on my final day in Korea I finally was successful in seeing the DMZ, I got to North Korea for a quick pic with a guard and came back.  After I enjoyed Korea from a boat on the Han River.  Overall a great day with one of my favorite people Claire. 

With the threat of a typhoon hitting the next morning being at it's fullest at 9am, my flight being at 9:40 I was a bit nervous and tried to forget by heading out for my final farewell dinner with Tram, Rebekah and Claire  We had some Mexican, sangria and wine, what a night. I finally crawled into bed at 2am only to not sleep and listen to the pounding rain and howling wind, and then to wake up and head for the airport at 5am.  Surprisingly,  I got to the airport on time and my flight left without any issues....I finally arrived in Bangkok!

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/DMZ02?authkey=Gv1sRgCP2v2umC2ODydA&feat=directlink