I'm Leaving Now

Hiking in France!

2011-09-24T02:10:00.000-04:00

Checking in from St Remy de Provence

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Beijing! Ohh yeah!!

2010-04-02T20:22:00.001-04:00

So alrighty then, this is Beijing:

We found this lawn of creepy pandas at the zoo. China: Of course!

The Watercube and Bird's Nest Stadium

Tiananmen Square. There was some very important meeting of very important people going on at the People's Hall, so the Square was closed. Also closed was the building in the background there. It's the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. So sadly we were unable to view the lifeless yet preserved body of Dear Leader.

Oh, but there's his beaming face, looking down upon us from the wall of the Forbidden City.

Inside the Forbidden City. If you're like me and have seen the Last Emperor, you'd be walking around talking to yourself, "I know this place!"

Proof it was like crazy cold. But begs the question, what good is an Imperial Moat if you can just walk over it?

The cold didn't stop these brave Thai Buddhist Monks from rocking bath slippers in the Forbidden City.

Check back! More to come! (just humor me, okay?)

What I Ate in China - a photo essay

2010-03-15T07:34:00.000-04:00

The title of this post says it all, so lets begin:

Mystery meal, day 1: we were tired and not that hungry so we went to the grocery store and picked up a few mystery items. This meal was so so.

Beijing night food street had many interesting options. I chose shrimp on a stick! Yum.

This ramen was all the way delicious. If only we could get this in the States! This was basically fast food.

OMG! The stuff that looks like twisted noodles is the best ever! EVER! I still don't know what it is, but if anyone does, let me know. It's a sweet crumbly dessert thing. Tasty!

I'm a sucker for grass jelly, and this ice cream with grass jelly that we got at Honeymoon Dessert in Shanghai didn't disappoint.

Last meal - this Shanghainese meal was our last in the country and it may have been the best. Spinach, crunchy tofu, dumplings (not pictured), and the best shrimp ever! Note to self: go back to China.

Shanghaied!

2010-03-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

Well no, not really, but I couldn't resist. Oh, it's so sad though, we've now spent our last day in China . We spent it schlepping around the city on foot, on subway and on the tackiest tunnel ride ever. Highlights of the day included finding the bird and cricket market where locals meet to sell birds/cricket and all the gear required to raise them. Yes, apparently there is gear involved, and this being China that means the cages are made of wood and the birds drink from, what else, china.

For reasons unknown our split pants baby sightings went through the roof on this last day. For the uninitiated, split pants are used on babies instead of diapers (although this practice is changing). When the baby needs to go, he just squats where he is and gets it done. Hmm, there definitely seem to be some pros, and umm, a lot of cons to this practice, but hey, you can't deny those pants are ridiculously cute.

Our day was capped off with maybe the best meal of the trip. We found a Shanghainese restaurant near the hotel and tucked into crunchy tofu, spinach, dumplings and shrimp. Boy was it delish! Our bellies full we were ready to face the next day and 30+ hours of travel. Wait! What? 30+ plus hours! Noooo!

(pics coming soon)

Oh Hai Haibao!

2010-03-09T18:02:00.001-05:00

So this is Shanghai! We got here a few days ago and it's all flashy and shiny like I thought it would be.

My current obsession is Haibao who is the official mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo which begins May 1. They are expecting millions of visitors to the expo and as a result there's an army of construction workers building a multitude of construction projects in preparation. Haibao, who is basically a huge blue gumby, is everywhere cheerily proclaiming the motto of the Expo - "Better City, Better Life!" And of course, I'm in!

We spent yesterday riding the subway and walking all over the city people watching (and dodging lugeys which is apparently a sport here, the producing and dodging I mean), going to temples and shopping. I bought a cheap winter coat at Shanghai No 1 Department Store on Nanjing Road, their largest shopping street. I also spent yesterday taking too many pictures of Haibao!

Last night we went to a hole in the wall restaurant (Anthony Bourdain would be proud!) and having mutton hot pot. Basically there's a burner in the middle of your table and they bring out a huge pot of mutton in broth w/cabbage. You order additional veggies, noodles, dumplings, etc and add them to the pot to cook. It was yummy! It also helped that some random Russians shared their cheap Chinese wine with us.

And oh yeah, how could I forget! Dreams really do come true! Several Chinese people have asked me if my hair color is natural. AND ... wait for it ... wait for it ... they've told me my hair is just like Chinese! HA!

This is China!

2010-03-07T08:09:00.001-05:00

Our last day in Beijing we went and saw the Temple of Heaven, which in the olden days is where the Emperor prayed and where the peasants stood outside looking hungry. Today it is used mainly as a park and as a tourist attraction. Local seniors use it as a gathering place to meet up with friends, and do exercise. Things like tai chi and fan dancing that sort of thing. But also in this park you will find the most best part of China. Senior citizens playing hacky sack! Nearby you will find their brethen dancing in twos to music, but not just any song, it's the remix! As they waltz along, with stoic faces the jumpy rhythm of techno blares through the trees. This is China!

Our last night in Beijing we ate super delicious Peking Duck! The skin was definitely the best, it was like candied wild game sent straight from God! Thanks to Soledad for the reccommendation!

Today we traveled to Xi'an which is an interior city to the west of Beijing. It's just a medium sized city for China. Just 8 million or so. The site of the Terracotta Warriors is outside of the city. It really was amazing and I hope to upload some pics here once I get back home. The rest of the day was spent spotting split pants babies and passing the nuclear facility where I'm sure the Chinese Homer Simpson works.

On to Shanghai tomorrow!

Beijing in March

2010-03-05T08:26:00.001-05:00

Let me just tell you one thing, Beijing in March is cold. Like crazy cold. Like double glove cold, like snow on the ground cold, like imperial moats are frozen cold. And the coldest place in China in March? It's gotta be the Wall. So is it worth it? ... Yes definitely.

Here are some notes on China/Beijing:

1. You want to know what one of the best things about China is? One of the best things about China is the gawking. Gawking is okay. Not only is it okay, it's encouraged. See something weird? See somebody weird? Want to stare? want to gawk? want to take out your camera and take a picture? Go right ahead. It's quite possibly some sort of partriotic Chinese duty! This is my kind of country!

2. The Great Wall - I'd like to say something sarcastic about it. National monuments aren't really my thing, but I have to say that the Great Wall is definitely worth it. It's big, like really big, and really long (in case you didn't already know). It's also steep, and have I mentioned it's cold in March?

3. Goals completed. Forbidden City, Tianaman Square, Beijing night food street, Great Wall, Summer Palace, working hard on my Chinese. And more importantly, picked up what is sure to be magic elixir for my hair, at the supermarket. The fact that it was placed somewhere between the duck necks and the thousand year old black eggs I think is a good sign. Engrish: you really can't avoid it. Mystery food on a stick. Yeah, and it was quite delicious!

4. To go. Tomorrow is our last day in Bejing. We're going to the free market where I'm hoping to pick up some cheap knockoffs. Tomorrow night I'm hoping we get to the roast duck place. Yum! Then it's off to Xi'an on Sunday to see the terracotta warriors.

See everyone later! (& I'm hoping this emailing the blog entry thing is working as still can't see the blog, which is also the reason that I haven't put any pictures up. Plus I'm going through slight Facebook withdrawl as that is also blocked, but that's probably a good thing.)

Beijing

2010-03-04T02:55:00.001-05:00

So alrighty then, we're here. Well that us and 1.5 billion Chinese. Sadly those 1.5 billion Chinese will never see this blog as it seems to be blocked here. Thankfully I thought ahead and set up a way to email this to the blog! Woo, always thinking ahead!

Ok, I gotta be quick here since my computer time is running out ...

I have been breathing as deeply and fully as possible in the interest of science in order to see the full effects of the air. So far nothing. I feel good and have only spotted a handful of face masks here. Those that do sport them tend to go for the more decorative kind (most of those sporting patterns of playful cartoon animals).

We spent the first day visiting the Summer Palace which I won't bore you the details of, but it was nice, if not warm. Once back near the hotel which is in downtown Beijing (near Tianaman Square) since we were so tired we decided we wouldn't go far and occupied ourselves by wandering the mall attached to our hotel. I can't really explain how bewildering the mall was, but we spent most of our time there horribly lost. Higlights included the manicure bar and the many unreconizable animal parts being sold at the market at the bottom of the mall. That's where we got our mystery meal for the night, which was okay, but not horrible, so I'm calling that a win!

The journey was 28 hours and we landed at about 5 am which meant that we had to stay up an entire day afterwards. I had the ambitious goal to stay up to 8 pm but only lasted till 7:15. That's mostly the reason I haven't gotten to writing this yet. My bad. Sorry gotta go now though! Time's up!

2010-03-01T13:39:00.001-05:00

And so it begins. Waiting to board flight # 1. Just 28 short hours till Beijing. *sigh*
See ya on the other side!

China!

2010-02-25T21:41:00.001-05:00

So, here's the thing, my mom and I are going to China. Yeah, China. For a while I resisted the urge to do a blog, because ... well ... it's just so nerdy. That time has passed and so here I am.

On the agenda:

Shanghai

Beijing

Xi'an

Great Wall

Terra Cotta Warriors

etc, etc

On the other agenda ('cause I always got one!):

SOMETHING'S IN THE AIR - What's all this fuss about the pollution? How bad is it? Are those masks really worth it? Were all those Olympic athletes at the Beijing games a bunch of whining cry babies? I will investigate and report back!

THE HOLY HAIR GRAIL - All my life I have had one dream, well one dream that I have consistently worked towards achieving. No, it's not finding the end of PI, or discovering life's real purpose. No, not at all. Since my childhood I have dreamed that one day I would achieve the perfection, the beauty of silky, straight, luxurious stereotypically Asian hair. While this concept may not even exist in real life, it hasn't stopped me from looking, in Japan, in Thailand, wherever. And while the Chi (my flatiron) has brought me infinitely closer to this goal, I haven't gotten there yet. However, I remain convinced the holy grail of asian hair exists! I will be on the hunt.

NOODLES - In my former life I would have cared less about homemade artisan noodles, but with increased age has come an unhealthy obsession with Anthony Bourdain. So here I am, itching to eat some real homemade chinese noodles. Extra points for seeing them being made. Super extra points for getting a picture. Also in this category will be the all the delights (and the potential not-so-delightful aftermath) of street food! Woo!

ENGRISH! - Imagine you had to create public signage in a language you had no knowledge of and the only help you had was a bad english/other language dictionary. Here's a hint, hilarity ensues.

Helping with the Blog

2007-11-03T11:45:00.001-04:00

Athena helping with the blog

Georgetown & Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

2007-10-29T18:01:00.000-04:00

The Orient Express stopped in Georgetown/Penang Malaysia before continuing on through the jungle of Malaysia to Kuala Lumpur where we ended our Orient Express journey. Here are the photos from that leg of the trip:

Approaching Georgetown/Penang, Malaysia Khoo Kongsi Clan Temple

Inside clan temple Kuala Lumpur Skyline from Subway

Ice Kachang - yummm!

What is Ice Kachang?
Ice Kachang is a yummy Malaysian/Singaporan dessert of shaved ice topped with a variety of yummy toppings. Usually there's some sort of red bean, grass jelly, sweet corn, syrup, aloe jelly, etc, etc. Sounds kinda gross, huh? When made right, it's not, it's great actually. (Unfortunately I tried some stateside when I got back from my trip, and umm, not so yummy. I'm still searching though for a great US ice kachang).

Orient Express

2007-10-25T19:34:00.000-04:00

At about mid-point in my trip we took the Orient Express from Bangkok, Thailand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Here are some photos of that trip.

Orient Express in Bangkok Station Bar Car

In My Cabin Morning Breakfast in Cabin

Interior Hallway Observation Car

Where We've Been Bridge Over the River Kwai

Trekking Photos Continued

2007-10-24T21:08:00.001-04:00

Neighborhood TV Weaving: White Karen

Milling Rice Trekking Crew

Trekking in Northern Thailand

2007-10-23T19:22:00.000-04:00

Photos from the 2 days we trekked in Doi Inthanon National Park in Northern Thailand.

Rice Field Hut Life

Campsite: Day 1 "Bed"

Campfire: Making new friends Falls at campsite

Rice Field Water Crossing

Chiang Mai: In Photos

2007-10-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

After Bangkok, we travelled to Chiang Mai, which is a town in the northern part of Thailand. It is known for it's hill tribe people and it's extraordinary number of Buddhist wats (temples).

On the sleeper train to Chiang Mai

Warorot Market Export: Bad Movies

Wat: Chiang Mai Inside Chedi: Doi Inthanon

Bangkok in Photos

2007-10-22T10:04:00.000-04:00

Well I've finally started uploading my photos, here's the first of the series. All of these were taken in and around Bangkok

Wat Pho

Reclining Buddha

Outside the Royal Palace

Prayer Bowls

Soi Khao San

Bangkok breakfast

Street Pad Thai

Singapore: Wrapup

2007-10-19T02:23:00.000-04:00

Well after 35 hours of travel, I'm back home. Here's a recap (pics should be coming soon)

Tioman --> Singapore
Getting to Singapore was a pretty long day. We spent our last night on Pulau Tioman hanging out at the only bar in Salang, the Four S with our new backpacking friends and dive instructors. That made getting up at 6 a rough way to start the day. We then boarded the 7:30 ferry to the Mersing on the mainland. Once at Mersing we had to scramble to find transport to Singapore. We were extremely lucky to get a ride on the only bus of the day to Singapore. It was a mini van with 8 seats. We made way to Singapore through southern Malaysia. Once at the border we had to get out of the van and go through Malaysian customs at Johor Bahru. We then boarded the van again just to get out a few minutes later to go through the Singapore immigration checkpoint. From there we were dropped off in Singapore and made our way to Little India by subway.

Upon getting to Little India, we ate of course, and then headed to John's cousin's house in a suburb of the city. Once there we ate again and visited with John's family for the evening.

The next day we spent seeing Singapore by bus ... in the rain. Of course we took time out to eat some Malaysian food laksa which are noodles in a tangy fish soup, and cendol which is a crazy good coconut ice frosty dessert. That night we had a drink in the trendy Clark Quay area and then headed to our dorm for the night. Yes dorm! For the only time of this trip we were forced to sleep in a dorm type hostel as all the three person rooms were booked. The first night we had to share with 3 tremendously smelly Germans. The second night was better as it was a normal Malaysian family of three on vacation.

My last day in Singapore and on the trip I spent by myself as Angela and John left in the early morning for India. My flight wasn't until the afternoon. I spent the day walking around, shopping and eating some last minute Indian food.

Salang, Pulau Tioman and Scuba Steve

2007-10-14T20:47:00.003-04:00

Pulau Tioman is a small island off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. It's very small and fairly rustic. We took a quick (approx 1 hour) flight from Kuala Lumpur and landed on the lush jungle island. The jungle is so think, that to get anywhere on the island, you have to take a water taxi. We arrived at the airport, which was the smallest I've ever seen. One small runway (so small, only small planes are able to land there), and a small building for a terminal. The "terminal" is just a pavilion type structure (no inside!)

From the airport we hopped on a small boat (large backpacks and all) to Salang, the town/beach where we'll be staying. Salang is teeny tiny. It's also very campy (campy as in stay-away camp when you were a kid, not like drag queens romping along the shore). It was made even more sleepy because many places were closed for Hari Raya.

We made a few fast friends, a Japanese guy, some Dutch, the usual sort. The days just floated away ...

Though, mostly in Salang we dove! We dove! My first time and I made 4 dives. We saw hundreds of fish, tons of coral, a few quid, some large turtles. Angela and I made our best impressions of Scuba Steve, it was great!

Next stop ... Singapore

Kuala Lumpur

2007-10-14T20:47:00.002-04:00

What can I say about Kuala Lumpur. It's big and city-ish and we were only there a day and a half. We got to Kuala Lumpur at the end of Ramadan which is the Muslim month of fasting. Malaysia is a Musim country and it's a noticable change from Thailand with which it shares a border.

It was a few days before Hari Raya (known elsewhere as the festival of Eid) which marks the end of Ramadan. It's a huge holiday and as a result many things were closed and it felt at times as though the entire country was on the move. Everyone goes home to their family to celebrate Hari Raya. As a result we had a hard time getting out of Kuala Lumpur (more on that in a sec).

So for those unfamiliar with Ramadan, it's a time in the Muslim calendar where Muslims fast from sun-up to sun-down. No, food, no water, no spit, all day ... and it's hot here. So at the end of the daily fast, everyone is extremely anxious to get to eating, and probably more important drinking, since I can imagine it's very dehydrating. We were in the evening Ramadan market at the end of the daily fast one day. Everyone was getting prepared to end their fast. Everyone bought food, bought drink, and then just sat ... waiting ... cups full, plate full, just waiting. Then all the sudden over a loudspeaker somewhere, was the call of an Imam. Then everyone, drink in hand, took a long gulp ... the fast was over ... for today.

So we were trying to get out of Kuala Lumpur, because, well I wanted to get to the beach. Unfortunately because Hari Raya was in a few days, all the routes out of town were booked. Buses, trains, flights, everything, but tiny Berjaya Air. Miraculously we were able to go to the airport and buy a ticket to Pulau Tioman ...

Hey You!

2007-10-14T20:47:00.001-04:00

Thanks for reading my blog!

Here's some notes:

1. When in Rome, err, Bangkok - I've gotten a lot of notes on the whiskey! Haha. No I'm not a whiskey drinker now. It was just the cheapest bucket they sold (200 baht - approx $6 shared with a group, can't beat that). So hey, we were sold! And no, it wasn't a lot I drank, so I can't really justify the bugs. I dunno, I like to try new things. They did not taste like chicken though. They taste like ... well ... one word ... guts!

2. Fam - Thanks for reading cousin and KG and FG! Kelly will have a great time in Europe.

3. Culture and stuff - yes, I've actually been seeing some cultural sights, but honestly they don't make such good reading. Bugs and whiskey however!

4. Photos - I haven't been able to load my own photos just yet. When I come home I will and will put some on here. For the time being these photos are ones I've found on the internet.

Incident on the Orient Express

2007-10-14T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'm a little behind on these updates as I haven't had internet access for a while. Anywho ...

So we boarded the Orient Express in Bangkok. After the trek and roughing it out backpacker style, it was nice to get a clean bed and a hot shower. I had a bathroom all to myself! The food was great. The free bath products were divine. The personal tea service in my cabin, exquisite. Then ... well there might have been a slight incident on the Orient Express seeing as we didn't have proper attire. Well Angela and I had passable attire (although, really people, flip-flops are the best I've got right now), but John apparently made a major faux-paus by not having a jacket and tie. It was slightly uncomfortable, I'd say.

On the Orient Express we made our way through southern Thailand and crossed over the border in the middle of the night into Malaysia. As we travelled through Malaysia we passed thick, thick jungle. I've read that it's some of the oldest jungle in the world; older than that in the Congo and the Amazon! It was incredible. Once in Malaysia we stopped in Butterworth and took a ferry to Georgetown/Penang which is a small island on the west coast of Malaysia. It was a very quant town although they only gave us 2 hours on the island and our movement was very controlled. Don't want the grey-hairs straying off the path I guess? We also took a trickshaw ride while we were there (although it was nicer than in the picure I posted here).

In the early morning hours we arrived in Kuala Lumpur. Luckily we had already booked our hostel ...

Eat this ...

2007-10-07T01:46:00.000-04:00

Why yes, I have been obsessing about food. It's just that it's so good! I love you food! Here's some to look at:

Pad Thai - always yummy. Had one about an hour ago!

Mango Sticky Rice - The new love of my life!

The story of how I got to eating silk moth pupae starts on Soi Kao San (Kao San Road). Add some newfound Swedish friends, a cheap bucket of whiskey, and well the rest is history. I had to try it, right? Here's some advice, you don't need to try it!

Comments Enabled

2007-10-07T01:31:00.000-04:00

I've now fixed the comments section so now you don't have to log in to post one. I expect the comments box to be overflowing ... Really

Look! I'm Trekking!

2007-10-05T03:34:00.000-04:00

Trek Day 2

We wake up pretty early on day two of the trek. After the night on the wooden floor, I'm slightly worse for wear, but ready to go! Ugh, but not for long. We keep walking, and walking and walking. Which would be okay, but we are walking up and down mountains and the terrain is tough at spots. I almost fall down at times, and then I do fall down at times, and then at times I wish I just would fall down. Then there are times that I I think about is me ending up flying down the mountain just like in Romancing the Stone, but I probably wouldn't laugh at the end. The paths are so steep that going downhill causes my legs to ache and is almost as bad as going up. The only thing worse than going downhill is going uphill and it's plenty worse. Somehow the flat stretches are almost nonexistant. We've been promised an elephant ride and are told that it will be in the morning. While I have qualms about taking the elephant ride, I'm now dreaming of the moment where some poor elephant will have the opportunity to carry my weight up and down this mountain. Finally I hear a bell in the distance, and in my mind I'm already on the elephant. Then up along a ridge we see a lone vilager. Unfortunately for us, she's just shooting birds with a slingshot and there are no elephants in sight. The morning hike ends 3 1/2 hours after it starts.

There would be no elephants on this first day. We did stop by a stream and bathed alongside the falls. In all this second day, we hiked (a long hard hike) for approx 5 1/2 hours. We finally got to our hut for the night. It appeared on the top of a mountain. This time instead of by the falls we slept in a White Karan village of 40 people (all one family). This is Jovi's village. The White Karen are so called because the unmarried women of the tribe wear white tunics. While they are Karen, they are separate from the Karen who wear brass rings around their necks.

I'm not sure you could get a whole lot more villagey than this. The settlement just got solar power and running water (a large water tank - brought up by pipes from the river at the base of the mountain) last year. At nighttime one hut turned on a tv on their porch and many villagers gathered to watch.

Again we slept in a bamboo hut on a wooden floor. This night I'm not that certain that I haven't been bitten. (Luckily?) I believe I was only bitten by fleas!

(the photo above is of an Akha (another tribe) village, but looks very similar to where we stayed.

Water Buffalo and Rice Fields

2007-10-05T03:17:00.001-04:00

Trekking Day 1 - Cont.

So here I am in the mountains of Northern Thailand (closer, but not too close for comfort to Burma), aside from our group of 3, along for the trip are a Dutch couple and an Israeli guy. In addition leading us is the guide, Sonny and a young boy (approx 12 y/o) Jovi, who is from the area and is helping out. Our short hike for the day consists of walking through a few vilages, past many rice paddys (the pic on this page is from Vietnam, but you get the idea), and by a dozen very curious water buffalo. One of the villages we walk past is part of a Royal Thai project. The King pumped money into the village and started new flower and fish cultivation projects in an effort to get the villages away from cultivating poppies for opium production. We walk past a hut where a man is intently smoking from a long (approx 2 feet) wooden pipe. We are told he is just smoking tobacco, but I have my doubts. I have read however that the Kings efforts have caused the opium production in Thailand to plummet 80 percent.

It's quite a bit colder up here, but still hot during the day. For a bathroom there is an outhouse, but instead of a standard outhouse, it's an asian style toilet inside, so that's ok.

During the night we go to sleep in a semi open bamboo hut. Like I said before, we are sleeping on the wooden floor. A flat woven straw mat is all that separates us from wood. For covers, we sleep with approx 4 or 5 blankets (it's cold remember) that look like they were made a hundred years ago, and likely washed at about the same time. I am fairly certain however, aside from some mosquito bites, nothing else bit me while I was sleeping. That would change the next night however ...

Squat Here!

2007-10-05T03:06:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah, I may have forgotten to mention that for the most part everywhere you go there are asian style toilets everywhere. Basically an asian toilet consists of a small raised platform. In the middle of the platform is a small ceramic "hole". Not quite a toilet, not quite a hole. You squat down and do your business. In many places the toilet does not have a flush. You flush the toilet by throwing a small bucketful of water down the toilet. The pressure from the water causes the floating mechanism (usually in the back of a standard toilet) to rise and the toilet to flush. It takes a bit getting used to I guess, but is suprisingly efficient. Here's a similar toilet from China. I would note that none of the toilets I have used have been this clean however. Also this photo shows a flush. Most toilets here do not have that. Usually they have a larg tub of water next to them. Inside the tub of water is a small pail. You use the pail to scoop water out of the tub to pour down the toilet. Tada, you are done! Hope you brought your own toilet paper though!

Trekking and trekking and more trekking

2007-10-04T06:49:00.001-04:00

After our second day in Chang Mai we booked a trek to Doi Inthanon, a national park outside of Chang Mai. The highest mountain in Thailand is located inside the park.

Day 1:
The company picked us up outside of our guesthouse. Then for the next 5 hours or so we drove to the park and up the mountain. Honestly I could have don't without this part. On the way back we learned we took the long way. Somewhere along the way we picked up Sonny our guide. Finally the truck dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and we walked about an hour and a half to our bamboo hut. Next to the bamboo hut there was a small river and a gushing waterfall. We spent the late afternoon hours swimming in the river and sliding down the falls. That night we spent in the bamboo hut, on a wooden floor! All we had for matresses were small woven straw mats and some blankets. It was quite cold there since we were fairly high up the mountain.

Day 2 - to be continued - my time on the comp is running low, and I'm super funcky from the trek! Plus there's a sign next to the comp urging me: "Don'ts download, Don'ts Change Everything in Computer"

Gotta go!

Hill Tribes: Chang Mai - Day 2

2007-10-04T06:46:00.000-04:00

Our second day in Chang Mai we booked a tour of some hill tribe villages. I kind of felt weird about this part, since it seemed so voyeristic, but nonetheless, off we went. There are a number of hill tribes that have fled the fighting in Burma. Some of the other tribes are from China. These tribes included teh infamous Karen who wear brass rings around their necks in order to make them grow.

Basically our day consisted of a guide taking us to several hill tribe villages. They live a very rustic lifestyle. Chickens, pigs, and other animals all around. The women and children would come out and try to sell us stuff. It was unbearably hot and dusty. The day ended with a visit to the Karen long neck tribe, and true to form, they looked just like you would expect. Nearby the Karen tribe is another tribe in which the women put large hollow discs in their ears to make their earlobes expand. Just like the hippies ...

Chang Mai: Day 1

2007-10-04T06:39:00.000-04:00

Chang Mai is a rather large town in the northwest of Thailand. We spent our first day wandering around trying to find the market and booking a trek to the forest. The first night we stumbled upon the Sunday market which was pretty good. There were a lot of vendors selling handicrafts. I bought a few gifts ... for myself. Note to self - buy stuff for others. Also at the market there were a few "stalls" for Thai massage. Picture a large sidewalk with about 30 lazyboy type chairs; a sea of people reclining in the middle of the street. Of course the night ended with a plate of mango with sticky rice. Absolutely amazing.

Food Diary - Chang Mai Day 1

2007-10-04T06:24:00.000-04:00

AM - pad thai - cafe - approx $3
Snack 1 - mangosteen (fruit) - fruit seller - I can't remember price
Snack 2 - milk bubble tea - street vendor - approx $.33
Snack 3 - milk stringy/coconut tea - street vendor - approx $.60
Snack 4 - sticky rice w/ mango - street vendor - approx. $.65

Sleeper Train

2007-09-30T02:41:00.001-04:00

We headed off to Chang Mai on the sleeper train at the end of day 2. The train was pretty comfortable, and if it wasn't for my jet-lag, I probably would have slept well. They sold food and drink on the train, but we thought ahead and I enjoyed my $.60 street vendor pad thai on the train. The bathroom was at the end of each car and basically was a small room with a hole in the ground. Eh, it's all biodegradeable

Chang Mai is in the northwest corner of Thailand and is known for it's scenery and native hill tribe culture. There are a number of hill tribes that make up an ethnic minority here. The culture as well as the nature trekking is what draws visitors. We plan to spend two nights in Chang Mai and then head off to Pai for some trekking! Should be fun. We also plan to see some muay thai (thai boxing) while were here in Chang Mai.

Food Diary: Bangkok, Day 2

2007-09-30T02:41:00.000-04:00

Midday - noodle soup and thai iced tea (cafe) = approx $3
Snack 1 - fresh papaya w/ sugar & salt (street vendor) = approx $.33
Snack 2 - milk bubble tea (street vendor) = I forget
Evening - pad thai (street vendor) = approx $.60
Night - chewy tamarind candy (store @ train station = I forget

Yum ...

Bangkok: Day 1

2007-09-29T02:01:00.000-04:00

Well day 1 is spent getting tickets to the overnight sleeper train to Chang Mai. We then head over to Wat Po and see the reclining Buddha. A giant golden Buddha. We spend the night on Kao San talking to fellow travelers and lucky for us, we run into two girls living in Chang Mai teaching english. They clue us into which trekking to do while up there as we share a bucket of cheap liquor.

Since traveling is about learning and my time on the internet is running out, here's a few quick things I learned/did on my first full day in Bangkok:

1. 100 percent of Tuk Tuk drivers are shady, although we did end up getting two free rides.

2. Fresh cut pinapple in the park - 10 baht!

3. Banana pancake from street market - yum!

4. Mai au na ka - the new word I learned - it's like a really polite no - and I'm not the only one who nods their head when trying to do a rising tone in Thai.

So we're off to Chang Mai tonight for a few days and nights of trekking, till then ...

Halfway Around the World

2007-09-29T01:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, so somewhere in my 30 hour journey to Thailand it strikes me as amazing that anyone ever gets here. It seems worlds away. Then it his me it is more than a half a world away. The moment I finally get off the plane, the scent of coconut milk and curry hits me, and I'm in Thailand.

I end up sharing a cab with some fellow backpackers to Kao San, the hippie haven in the middle of Bangkok ...

Taa Daa!

2007-09-25T21:12:00.001-04:00

Red Backpack
Originally uploaded by I'm Leaving Now

There it is. My friend ... my foe ... for the next few weeks. And yes, only 3 pairs of shoes - it's gonna be rough!

Carry-on Baby!

2007-09-25T00:07:00.000-04:00

43 cubic inches!!! (the maximum carry-on allowance)

Yup that's right, 3 weeks, 1 backpack, 1 small daypack. Carry-on all the way **

Here's what I'm bringing:
1. 3 pants
2. 5 shirts
3. 1 t-shirt
4. 1 pair of shorts
5. 1 sarong
6. 1 scarf
7. 1 bathing suit
8. 1 pair flip-flops
9. 1 pair sandals
10. 1 pair mesh tennis shoes
11. 1 travel towel
12. toiletries/medicine
13. 1 small umbrella
14. guidebook
15. paper/pen
16. and oh yeah 6 pair underwear

** Some restrictions apply, meaning we'll see how it goes @ the airport

Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore

2007-09-24T23:57:00.000-04:00

Okay, so the point of this is to tell you about my trip.

Here are some guidelines for me:

1. Try really hard to write a few times a week*
2. Come back

*my internet access may be limited, but I'll try.

Here are some guidelines for you:

1. Log on now and then (in the event you still remember who I am)
2. Write a comment, umm ... please
3. There will be a test on my trip details when I come back, so I'll know who's reading, and who's not!

I think I'll just go now

2007-09-24T23:51:00.000-04:00

Yeah ... so ... umm ... I have a blog.

We'll see how it goes.