Even from the Bangkok airport, Laos was already making an impression and not the best of ones as all of the Laos Airlines employees were waving once we were inside the plane. And this from a tiny, propeller plane and some of us had to move to the other side of the plane to distribute the weight. Wow! Where was I going? No man's land? Soon to find out a very laid back, country, one of my favorites so far. And it kept impressing as upon arrival, it was so very easy to get a visa and even negotiating for a taxi into town wasn't necessary. Was so used to Thailand's touts just expected more of the same here. Pleasantly surprised to find quite the opposite!
First hostel was full but no worries second one took me in and even took Thai baht and it was all I needed: a $9 room with a bed and desk, breakfast included, shared bathrooms. Met Ricardo immediately and I know I go on but he was just what I needed: a grounded, spiritual fellow American by citizenship but not in the annoying category. He found me scattered to say the least. He's the sort of traveler who really digs in to a place, I'm the sort who explores everything to the point of exhaustion so I blame him for making me stay in Vientiane so long :-) Anyway, made immediate plans for a Korean dinner with Beer Lao after a disco nap and settling in. And the beer was good!! And this coming from a cocktail girl says a lot!
Might as well start with the food....surprising to say the least! The French influence is in full force: good bread and coffee but also a wide variety of restaurants including western ones: indian, korean, vietnamese, belgian, even swedish bakeries. A foodie's dream, there are even gourmet stores selling good peanut butter and honey. Street food was delish, by day it's a riverbank, by night vendors have set up restaurants and what a view of the Mekong at sunset! Ate spring rolls and pineapple shakes giving myself my very own Buddha belly :-)
And the nightlife was even good. If you don't mind hanging with ladyboys on the 4th floor of Mekong riverfront bars that is. So I found my new go to bar every night with Ricardo and others from the hostel, an Aussie joined us most nights mostly teasing me for exciting the Laos boys. One took a liking to me and approached me multiple times telling me I was beautiful, how difficult to do in a foreign language! Seattle boys, get a clue. :-D And a tatted Laos boy wanted pictures and to sit on his lap, whoa, boy! And be careful in the bathrooms: ladyboys attacked me (sort of!) loving my hair, so blonde! I'm not even that blonde, can you imagine Gwen Stefani like hair in there?! Sex workers were obviously there too and, like Thailand, warnings of only registered guests in the hostels were everywhere. So when the Aussie invites me to his room should I be offended? Yes, I think so, no thank you, off the Aussies fo shiz ;-)
Giving up on the motorbike, I rented a bicycle to explore and got lost going to the Thai consulate, instead found the most important Laos monument by accident, I rock! And that it was Vientiane's 450th anniversary only added to the fun party atmosphere. Only visited Wat Sisaket on purpose, knowing I'd get my full of wats touring southeast Asia, it's home of my now favorite Buddha, with the largest belly to date I've seen. But I must move on, there is much more to see!
LUANG PRABANG
Worst night bus ever! And this is not just because on the tail end of it I lost my wallet to which I'm still dealing with no credit cards, only living off of cash for the past month! No, this bus was meant for Laos people and I have long legs but my Belgian seat mate had even more trouble, our legs were painfully against the seat in front of us and when the tiny Laos men tried to recline, nope, that didn't happen! No way to recline, crappy, windy roads had us practically in the air half the time any way, can you imagine trying to sleep in conditions like these?
But finally....the good stuff! The town is super cute, a UNESCO World Heritage site for good reason with it's many wats, riverside setting and laid back feel. Made friends with the Belgian girl and she was a blessing loaning me money until I sorted out the financial mess but also splitting costs and of course, laughs!
Food again...amazing! Scored pomme frites with amazing curry and garlic sauces, homemade mayonnaise and imported chocolate to go with our Dame Blanche at the Belgian restaurant. Apparently they didn't do this well enough so we ate it again the very next night on their dime! Awww, the benefit of traveling with a Belgian, they sure do appreciate food! A typical day's assortment of foods went something like this: $2 Lao sandwich (tofu, pork floss, cucumbers, lettuce and tomato on a fab baguette), fruit shake (mango, dragon fruit, banana, pineapple); snack: crepe, fruit shake; dinner Lao bbq which consisted of buffalo and water soup with vegetables, loved it so much we ate here 3 nights in a row and so cheap even with Beer Lao, $2 per person!
So a word on my new travel partner: she's young, fearless and loves to travel having lived in India and plans to work in China next year. This is important to know as I describe our adventures. She has that attitude I've mentioned of not particularly liking Americans, she swears to this day I'm not American as she's never had fun with one before. But I must mention how she learned English, it's quite common to learn from music but this girl, she learned from Move, bitch, get out the way, get out the way, bitch, get out the way! You know and love that song, right?;-) And oh no, we did not just go in a tuk tuk to the Kuong Si waterfalls and the bear park. No, we explored the village around it first seeing our own gorgeous waterfall without tourists, just the locals going about their daily life. And no, we did not just ride in a tuk tuk, we were hanging from the back of it. This is what I've termed Aurelie style traveling, it kept even me on my toes!
So next day we decide to rent a motorcycle, I'm stoked that I can be a passenger as I failed miserably at driving one. Motorcycle adventures Day 1: off to the Pak Ou caves to see Buddhas along the Mekong and Nam Ou river. Buddhas not all that impressive but the journey there taking the boat across resulting in the dirtiest face imaginable from all the dust from the bike, oh yeah, this is my kind of traveling! Never mind that I got a Laos tattoo along the way, you know the motorbike burn kind, arrghhh! On the way back to Luang Prabang about an hour away, maybe 30 km, we go to a lesser known waterfall and a man tries to charge us for admission when there's only 5 minutes of daylight left. I started arguing, Aurelie takes off running exploring his property, quite funny in hindsight but I was left to deal with his get off my property 'tude. By the time she gets back to the bike, he's ready to fight, she's bigger, taller and stronger so didn't really worry but when he went to grab something, I'm so American in my thinking imagining he's getting a gun, instead it's a huge stick, seriously?! She revs the engine, I hop on and we're off narrowly escaping what could have been a disaster. Phew!
Next day we weren't taking chances in having to pay for waterfalls so explored where no other tourists went. We found a back street leading to a village but first had to cross what would be considered a rickety bridge in the US, made of bamboo and really quite sturdy, the villagers even rode bikes across it. Once across the bridge, the villagers were working drying coffee beans, weaving and well, not really much else. The kids all wanted to play and chased us as we explored the jungle. I couldn't stop staring at one of the kids' feet: 6 toes on each! I took a picture, I hope, surreptitiously. So friendly and dirty, these villagers! What a simple life with their thatched hut roof homes yet all had satellite tv and cell phones.
Back in town, we hiked up Wat Phou Si for sunset with the masses, not the most impressive of sunsets but what a view of Luang Prabang! Ran into a scorpion along the way....glad they are so slow! On the way down, visited the night market and tasted scorpion whisky and the local rice whisky, called Lao Lao. Ummmm, I'll save that for the other tourists. And of course, had to get another massage, this one just $5, I am seriously spoiled! The only other wat I made it a point to visit was Xien Thong with its' gorgeous jewel tones and gold, truly impressive and I've seen quite a few wats by now! And the town itself is really beautiful along the river. But what made it that much more interesting than any other town were the monks just going about their daily business in their saffron robes. I even got my lazy butt up at 5:30 one morning to observe them in their daily routine of receiving their alms in the form of rice. What sacrifices they make!
Well, time to bid adieu to my new friend and Luang Prabang, what memories!
PAKSE
It's easy to forget Laos is a communist country at times but reminded when traveling around the country, seeing the red hammer and sickel flag next to the Laos PDR one. I liked the people immediately, so happy yet not a rich country and didn't act like victims nor did they beg, as I have found the Cambodians do. After my second worst night bus, at least this time it was a horizontal sleeping bed and now that I'm on my own again I got my very own bed in the middle back of the bus. Score, right? Not exactly. My seat mates are a Laos couple with a 3 year old kid who always managed to squeeze onto my bed and kick me. And I'm just imagining if the bus driver stops suddenly, there's nothing to stop me from flying through the air into the windshield! Oh and the bumpy roads and constant honking meant another night of virtually no sleep. Once in Pakse, I found a bed in a dorm for ultra cheap ($3) and managed to disco nap before going off to explore the riverside town and its' wat, of course! Met Monk Boud who wanted to discuss the basics of Buddhism, bowed out gracefully of that one. Back to the hostel and it was indian food for thanksgiving---so very non-traditional and so Cara!!
A tour of the Bolaven Plateau was a very memorable day! Started out with the coffee and tea plantations which I could have done without but did find the health claims amusing. Apparently green tea is a good cure for hangovers and oolong tea is good for cholesterol, ok, not aware of that but whatever it takes to sell a product. Laos has decent coffee, arabica and robust are the most popular but I don't get why they don't use milk in it. The white coffee is condensed milk, soy was everywhere but no dairy products, not even the yogurt drinks I grew so accustomed to in Thailand. If I never have to smell the fermented coffee beans I'll be happy....rancid vinegar.....ewww! So the plateau is also known for beautiful waterfalls and we saw a plethora of them....maybe 4?! I was more amazed by the villages though. The Alak tribe's belief system is in animism and they sacrifice a water buffalo every year! This tribe is the unfortunate site of many bombs though, there are many UXO workers blocking off bomb sites, this area was heavily bombed by the US government, a fact for which I had to apologize being the only American on the tour, never mind that I wasn't even born when my government did this horrendous action. The tour guide asked me why Laos was bombed! Can you imagine? I felt the hatred, so ashamed of my government! And ignorant as to how many people die each year still clearing land to farm---200! And it will take 100 years to clear all these bombs as this area was the most heavily bombed in the second Indochina war. Sad! The Katu tribe was just as fascinating, they are known for building their own coffins. This is sounding like a rather morbid tour now! Visiting the combined primary and secondary school was so fun but our group disrupted the whole school taking pictures and visiting. Actually, I felt like I was in a zoo and the kids were staring at us as we looked so different! Next we visited the village where these kids live and this is where the poverty and dirtiness struck me......a child with kwashiorkor! Oh my heart was breaking! Even if these kids go to school and get an education, where do they go from here? Tour ended on a more positive note with yet another waterfall and a scenic ride back to Pakse.
The next morning, eating breakfast in a cafe, I spoke with an Aussie girl, albeit too briefly, who works in Vientiane and travels around Laos and I mentioned I'd like to work for a non-profit eventually. She was reading the Laos paper and showed me a job opening with the UN's World Food Programme and after the previous days' tour to the Bolaven Plateau, I was seriously thinking I'd like to do just that and am still thinking on it! She is a vet and when I asked for what, small animals? She says, rather sheepishly, no large ones, ELEPHANTS! Wicked! How does one specialize in that in Australia? Wow! Timing of meeting her, again, I'm so believing in synchronicity at this point.
Change of pace and country: now it's off to Cambodia! 14 hours later, 5 minibuses, 1 awful border crossing literally walking across with all my bags only to find the bus is full and even the conversation with a fellow American and gorgeous Cambodian countryside wasn't enough to distract me from my thoughts. By the time I finally arrived in Phnom Penh, practically in tears as I couldn't find my hostel nor anyone who knew it for close to an hour, already late and Jai is expecting me plus Cambodian men were warning me it's late, you're in Cambodia and you have all your luggage, be careful! Yikes, what did I get myself in, yet again? I have never been happier to see a familiar face!!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Thailand: beach bummin' it round 1!
I can certainly think of worse places to get over a break up than the gorgeous beaches of Thailand! I had never explored this region of Thailand, having only been to Bangkok and Chiang Mai for work so despite southeast Asia not on the original itinerary, I was nevertheless very excited! Ko Samui was meant to be the first stop but the weather had other ideas so Phuket it was. And although overcast some of the time, was glad I made the switch as unbeknownst to me at the time, Ko Samui and Ko Phan gan is in my future for the full moon party New Years Eve style with my most devilish friend, and this is a total compliment: Vickie!
Aside from the cute older, Japanese men sleeping on my flight, Sonja and Ryan were the first peeps I met flying to Phuket, a couple from the Gold Coast of Australia, we hit it off and made plans to meet up along Bangla road for drinks. But first, the touting had begun. On the bus ride from the airport into Phuket, the ever present tactic of making more money from the Western tourists (wow, I'm already jaded and I've just arrived, yikes), I mean, visit to a travel agency was made. Everyone had to get off the minibus and were questioned individually as to where we were staying. They played like they were baffled that I didn't have accommodations and didn't want to book something with them, I said I wanted to see a room before booking, fine, fine, but it's high season, I was warned, I might not find a room, fine, fine, I said, I'll take my chances. Round one of touting: I win! Found a nice, music cafe themed hostel in the center of touristy Patong beach.
First day was spent along the beach and of course, eating and trying the local brew, Chang. I really need to make it a habit of checking the alcohol content on those things, a whopping 6.4 % and this on an empty stomach and being such a lightweight, not my most shining moment. Also should've taken a clue from the German guys (if anyone knows beer they should, right?, hindsight 20-20) of just how strong Chang was. Yeah, they both drank just 1 small can each, I was on my second by the time they introduced themselves. Oh, my poor head, I went back to the hostel with the idea of taking a disco nap and properly going out to Bangla road later but my body had other ideas: slept 14 hours!
Quickly realized I wasn't the biggest fan of Phuket as the beaches were crowded, very touristy at least Patong beach was but I liked my hostel, met some fun peeps and experienced Bangla Road, which has to be the epicenter of ladyboys. (Seriously there's a bar people are lined up outside taking pictures of them dancing, with signs that the real girls were upstairs! The debate was on on just how to tell if they were proper lady boys, of course, obvious if they were dancing but along the streets they were everywhere. Is it the height? Or maybe their defined jawline? Or perhaps the presence of the adam's apple? I thought the latter was the answer but apparently this can be surgically corrected so your guess is as good as mine.) Although aside from the ladyboys, the only real view I had of life outside of touristy Patong beach was the motorbike ride with the manager of my hostel, Anman, who took me to see a quieter beach, Kamala and this great restaurant overlooking the ocean. Ordered all sorts of yummy Thai dishes: spicy, mango salad, massaman curry, green curry, Thai tea, some green bean, spicy mystery dish. Why I travel emphasized yet again.
So branching out of Phuket was obvious as there were so many gorgeous beaches nearby: just a few were James Bond Island and Ko Phi Phi, I decided on the latter and took a scenic slow boat which stopped near Maya Bay to snorkel. Phi Phi has nice beaches but only spent an hour or so there, half of which was spent walking the touristy village and the other half sleeping on the beach. There seems to be a pattern of sleeping emerging here but really, what else do you do in the heat of the day? Met a cool couple from South Africa living in Dubai and chatted about acting non-American, they were amazed I was from there, another pattern that was emerging. Basically, my American friends, we have a crap reputation abroad as uptight, no fun, gun-touting conservative freaks. I intend to change this stereotype with every non-American I meet!
The last day in Phuket had absolutely no rhyme or reason to it, a true wandering day, what I do best if I allow it but have decided to apply some semblance of structure and purpose to this trip which had suddenly changed direction and now feels like the ultimate self-exploratory journey. The only other productive thing I did was to go for the famous Thai massage as I was limping quite a bit. Was nervous explaining to the guy to be very careful, all this is pertinent as I noticed a girl getting a fish massage, her feet were just being tickled by these fish, I guess cleaning away at any dead skin. Wasn't feeling very extroverted but happened to strike up a mini conversation with her, thought she was cool then I was off to my massage. Yay, my knee did feel tremendously better, great decision! And later that night at my hostel, take a wild guess as to who I struck up a conversation with and hit it off with immediately, a few minutes into our conversation we realized hey, it's the fish massage girl and I was the knee surgery girl! The only glitch was I was leaving the next day to go to Krabi, to the more chill, less touristy island of Ko Lanta.
And so I am introduced to the Thai minibus experience. It all begins with a pick-up from your hostel, continues around the entire town in a seemingly random manner picking up numerous other passengers until voila! just when you think you're finally on your merry way and you get comfortable despite being packed in like sardines when they add yet another passenger to an already full bus, just where did they get that extra seat anyway? then they yell your destination and you switch buses, hoping your bag that's on top of the bus is still attached to the vehicle. Phew! Pretty similar to Central America and am still perplexed as to how the seeming disorganization somehow works. All of this transpired over 6 hours, 3 buses and 2 ferry rides and I wasn't entirely sure that I had a place to stay at the end of it meanwhile striking up a friendship with a French couple who decided to join me. Once onto Ko Lanta, I borrowed the cell phone of a local guy to call the Kantiang Bay resort where I thought maybe I had a place to stay as the previous hostel recommended this place, his friend worked there, yada, yada, yada, yes, we have a place for you and are coming to pick you up, yay, the Thai way of doing business works! They picked us up in a pickup truck with 12 others, our hair blowing in the wind, a favorite method of transport for short trips around islands, I have to say! The resort was just what I needed, the antithesis of Phuket, right on the beach, quiet enough but still had some nightlife and I stayed in a bungalow with mosquito netting! Sure, it was a bit crap, damaged from the horrible tsunami of 2004 but I thought charming at the time, even the detached bathroom seemed quaint but after two nights, I was ready for the room switch to air con and a view of the ocean. Days were spent along the beach and if not reading then taking the necessary dip in the ocean when it's too hot on the beach, you know the drill. Ahhh, the lazy, beach days with your biggest decision being what to order off the menu. I didn't even need to decide where to eat, the Why Not tiki bar with live music each night on the beach, yeah, no brainer. Jord, the friend from the first hostel I stayed at, happened to be the lead singer of the band which played great cover songs every night: Coldplay, Killers, Linkin Park, they even managed to keep the typical beach vibe cheese Bob Marley type of music to a minimum. Even played Pearl Jam and Nirvana, more memories of my Seattle roots, rock on! And the fire show preceding the music, not too shabby.
The only times my little routine diverged was when I ventured out into the little town but really my motivation was solely to buy the yogurt drinks, my RX for health and of course, visit the street vendors selling coconut pancakes, delish! And the mangoes, the fresh fruit and the shakes, heavenly! Ok so I did cartwheel on the beach. And oh yeah, took a little walk on the beach along some rocky formations towards the ultra-cute little bungalow beach side resort-y thatched roof hut with hammocks restaurant the ultimate cliche as far as naming restaurants in southeast Asia: Same Same but different. This phrase every single Asian and tourist has uttered it is the ultimate joke, on t-shirts, it's everywhere. If an explanation is too difficult to go into, same same....but different. Anyway, the food was amazing, by far the best papaya salad and spring rolls I've had yet! And other than that, tried to ride on the diving pier which moved along with the waves but security would never let me, believe me, I kept trying. Yes, I basically stuck to my little sliver of paradise for 6 days, loving my beach time, hanging with my new friends and basically, loving life! Well, aside from the bugs, geckos, mantises and other disgusting creepy, crawly things that unfortunately go hand in hand with the tropics. I was reminded why I like Seattle so much and why I chose it after years of living in the south of the US and Guam, ewwww. But I'm facing my fear of them one little scream (albeit sometimes muffled) at a time! :-)
So this seems like a pertinent time to mention synchronicity. You know when you meet someone just when you need to at exactly the moment you need to? Well, this has been happening to me consistently since traveling on my own, I have many examples in each place I've visited which continues to reinforce me that I'm on the right path whatever that may be. So, remember how my knee was messed up? I was limping, was seriously worried I'd need to return home to take care of it, well the lovely French couple just so happened to be osteopaths! They worked on my knee and assured me it was ok and of course, gave me advice on how to take care of it. And have since offered to stay with them in France! The fun Aussie couple as well! And the offer is vice versa.....if or when, I ever stay in one place long enough! And meeting Jai, the vivacious girl from London at the fish spa? Well, she joined me in Ko Lanta and we've since met up in Cambodia and plan to in Bangkok as well. It amazes me that everyone loves that I'm traveling on my own and if they're older, they say they wished they had when they were my age. Yes, I'm definitely grateful for this time so bring it, I'm ready for some more adventure!!
Aside from the cute older, Japanese men sleeping on my flight, Sonja and Ryan were the first peeps I met flying to Phuket, a couple from the Gold Coast of Australia, we hit it off and made plans to meet up along Bangla road for drinks. But first, the touting had begun. On the bus ride from the airport into Phuket, the ever present tactic of making more money from the Western tourists (wow, I'm already jaded and I've just arrived, yikes), I mean, visit to a travel agency was made. Everyone had to get off the minibus and were questioned individually as to where we were staying. They played like they were baffled that I didn't have accommodations and didn't want to book something with them, I said I wanted to see a room before booking, fine, fine, but it's high season, I was warned, I might not find a room, fine, fine, I said, I'll take my chances. Round one of touting: I win! Found a nice, music cafe themed hostel in the center of touristy Patong beach.
First day was spent along the beach and of course, eating and trying the local brew, Chang. I really need to make it a habit of checking the alcohol content on those things, a whopping 6.4 % and this on an empty stomach and being such a lightweight, not my most shining moment. Also should've taken a clue from the German guys (if anyone knows beer they should, right?, hindsight 20-20) of just how strong Chang was. Yeah, they both drank just 1 small can each, I was on my second by the time they introduced themselves. Oh, my poor head, I went back to the hostel with the idea of taking a disco nap and properly going out to Bangla road later but my body had other ideas: slept 14 hours!
Quickly realized I wasn't the biggest fan of Phuket as the beaches were crowded, very touristy at least Patong beach was but I liked my hostel, met some fun peeps and experienced Bangla Road, which has to be the epicenter of ladyboys. (Seriously there's a bar people are lined up outside taking pictures of them dancing, with signs that the real girls were upstairs! The debate was on on just how to tell if they were proper lady boys, of course, obvious if they were dancing but along the streets they were everywhere. Is it the height? Or maybe their defined jawline? Or perhaps the presence of the adam's apple? I thought the latter was the answer but apparently this can be surgically corrected so your guess is as good as mine.) Although aside from the ladyboys, the only real view I had of life outside of touristy Patong beach was the motorbike ride with the manager of my hostel, Anman, who took me to see a quieter beach, Kamala and this great restaurant overlooking the ocean. Ordered all sorts of yummy Thai dishes: spicy, mango salad, massaman curry, green curry, Thai tea, some green bean, spicy mystery dish. Why I travel emphasized yet again.
So branching out of Phuket was obvious as there were so many gorgeous beaches nearby: just a few were James Bond Island and Ko Phi Phi, I decided on the latter and took a scenic slow boat which stopped near Maya Bay to snorkel. Phi Phi has nice beaches but only spent an hour or so there, half of which was spent walking the touristy village and the other half sleeping on the beach. There seems to be a pattern of sleeping emerging here but really, what else do you do in the heat of the day? Met a cool couple from South Africa living in Dubai and chatted about acting non-American, they were amazed I was from there, another pattern that was emerging. Basically, my American friends, we have a crap reputation abroad as uptight, no fun, gun-touting conservative freaks. I intend to change this stereotype with every non-American I meet!
The last day in Phuket had absolutely no rhyme or reason to it, a true wandering day, what I do best if I allow it but have decided to apply some semblance of structure and purpose to this trip which had suddenly changed direction and now feels like the ultimate self-exploratory journey. The only other productive thing I did was to go for the famous Thai massage as I was limping quite a bit. Was nervous explaining to the guy to be very careful, all this is pertinent as I noticed a girl getting a fish massage, her feet were just being tickled by these fish, I guess cleaning away at any dead skin. Wasn't feeling very extroverted but happened to strike up a mini conversation with her, thought she was cool then I was off to my massage. Yay, my knee did feel tremendously better, great decision! And later that night at my hostel, take a wild guess as to who I struck up a conversation with and hit it off with immediately, a few minutes into our conversation we realized hey, it's the fish massage girl and I was the knee surgery girl! The only glitch was I was leaving the next day to go to Krabi, to the more chill, less touristy island of Ko Lanta.
And so I am introduced to the Thai minibus experience. It all begins with a pick-up from your hostel, continues around the entire town in a seemingly random manner picking up numerous other passengers until voila! just when you think you're finally on your merry way and you get comfortable despite being packed in like sardines when they add yet another passenger to an already full bus, just where did they get that extra seat anyway? then they yell your destination and you switch buses, hoping your bag that's on top of the bus is still attached to the vehicle. Phew! Pretty similar to Central America and am still perplexed as to how the seeming disorganization somehow works. All of this transpired over 6 hours, 3 buses and 2 ferry rides and I wasn't entirely sure that I had a place to stay at the end of it meanwhile striking up a friendship with a French couple who decided to join me. Once onto Ko Lanta, I borrowed the cell phone of a local guy to call the Kantiang Bay resort where I thought maybe I had a place to stay as the previous hostel recommended this place, his friend worked there, yada, yada, yada, yes, we have a place for you and are coming to pick you up, yay, the Thai way of doing business works! They picked us up in a pickup truck with 12 others, our hair blowing in the wind, a favorite method of transport for short trips around islands, I have to say! The resort was just what I needed, the antithesis of Phuket, right on the beach, quiet enough but still had some nightlife and I stayed in a bungalow with mosquito netting! Sure, it was a bit crap, damaged from the horrible tsunami of 2004 but I thought charming at the time, even the detached bathroom seemed quaint but after two nights, I was ready for the room switch to air con and a view of the ocean. Days were spent along the beach and if not reading then taking the necessary dip in the ocean when it's too hot on the beach, you know the drill. Ahhh, the lazy, beach days with your biggest decision being what to order off the menu. I didn't even need to decide where to eat, the Why Not tiki bar with live music each night on the beach, yeah, no brainer. Jord, the friend from the first hostel I stayed at, happened to be the lead singer of the band which played great cover songs every night: Coldplay, Killers, Linkin Park, they even managed to keep the typical beach vibe cheese Bob Marley type of music to a minimum. Even played Pearl Jam and Nirvana, more memories of my Seattle roots, rock on! And the fire show preceding the music, not too shabby.
The only times my little routine diverged was when I ventured out into the little town but really my motivation was solely to buy the yogurt drinks, my RX for health and of course, visit the street vendors selling coconut pancakes, delish! And the mangoes, the fresh fruit and the shakes, heavenly! Ok so I did cartwheel on the beach. And oh yeah, took a little walk on the beach along some rocky formations towards the ultra-cute little bungalow beach side resort-y thatched roof hut with hammocks restaurant the ultimate cliche as far as naming restaurants in southeast Asia: Same Same but different. This phrase every single Asian and tourist has uttered it is the ultimate joke, on t-shirts, it's everywhere. If an explanation is too difficult to go into, same same....but different. Anyway, the food was amazing, by far the best papaya salad and spring rolls I've had yet! And other than that, tried to ride on the diving pier which moved along with the waves but security would never let me, believe me, I kept trying. Yes, I basically stuck to my little sliver of paradise for 6 days, loving my beach time, hanging with my new friends and basically, loving life! Well, aside from the bugs, geckos, mantises and other disgusting creepy, crawly things that unfortunately go hand in hand with the tropics. I was reminded why I like Seattle so much and why I chose it after years of living in the south of the US and Guam, ewwww. But I'm facing my fear of them one little scream (albeit sometimes muffled) at a time! :-)
So this seems like a pertinent time to mention synchronicity. You know when you meet someone just when you need to at exactly the moment you need to? Well, this has been happening to me consistently since traveling on my own, I have many examples in each place I've visited which continues to reinforce me that I'm on the right path whatever that may be. So, remember how my knee was messed up? I was limping, was seriously worried I'd need to return home to take care of it, well the lovely French couple just so happened to be osteopaths! They worked on my knee and assured me it was ok and of course, gave me advice on how to take care of it. And have since offered to stay with them in France! The fun Aussie couple as well! And the offer is vice versa.....if or when, I ever stay in one place long enough! And meeting Jai, the vivacious girl from London at the fish spa? Well, she joined me in Ko Lanta and we've since met up in Cambodia and plan to in Bangkok as well. It amazes me that everyone loves that I'm traveling on my own and if they're older, they say they wished they had when they were my age. Yes, I'm definitely grateful for this time so bring it, I'm ready for some more adventure!!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Konichiwa!
Clean, orderly, funky Japan, a culture I still can't fully grasp, how you are so appreciated after dirty, loud, unruly China! Truly, the clash of cultures is amazing. When planning this trip I was almost more excited to revisit Japan than to see Russia and Mongolia for the first time. Having only explored Tokyo and the area near Yokota air force base, I had regretted living so near Japan and missing Kyoto. That regret is now gone! Woo hoo, I got to see kinky kimonos in Kyoto!!
After flying into the Osaka airport, frustration set in trying to figure out how to get to the hostel, locating an ATM for yen and on top of that being completely exhausted from my previous night's escapades, what a relief to finally arrive at the cutest hostel imaginable, Hostel 64 Osaka. Think pure Japanese style: beds in the form of futons on tatami mats, shoji screens and the most unique showers (tatami and a seated shower with swinging arms to name two--wait until you see these pictures!), I was in love!
It was Halloween and this girl loves a dress up but just couldn't get my act together with all the traveling and lack of sleep so merely wore colored glasses and some flare and enjoyed others' creativity instead. It was hard to tell if the locals were dressed up for Halloween or if merely dressed in their usual style but as far as sheer numbers go, it's not like the droves of people dressed up in the States so even harder to tell if they were true harajuku girls or not. We checked out the local scene in the Tenjinbashi-suji shopping district, an area of arcades (the Japanese form of gambling), tons of bars and lights: think Vegas.
So many good eating experiences and this just in the course of 4 days but one of my favorites was the Takoyaki, octopus in fried dumplings, wicked good street food. I think Seattle should adopt this instead of the hot dog, street dogs are so last year and hot pockets just haven't taken off yet ;-) Another yummy experience was okonomiyaki, do it yourself grill type cooking but I have no idea what kind of meat I was eating, come to think of it nor did we have any idea what we were ordering, no wax foods at this joint. And here's another: just a typical udon restaurant yum! Soba in soup, ground beef with egg in rice, common ingredients but how do they always make it taste so damn good? Ramen with garlic, great ambience in the escort district, oh yeah! Breakfast at the hostel was homemade baked bread using rice flour vs. wheat and what a difference, so light with a touch of sweetness. And the sushi, honestly, don't have to say anything, do I? Besides YUM! But the ultimate gastronomic experience was by far the 10 course, fixed meal in Kyoto. Oh but before I describe probably should mention we weren't even hungry but thought, hey, let's check out this place, looks cool and random, we'll just order something light. Yep, 10 courses later, we rolled out of there. My favorite course had to be the whole fish that came out with the explanation in English: fish boiled in broth. (Love the Japanese, again I know I keep repeating but they crack me up always wanting to practice their Engrish, so cute, I want to just pinch every one of their cheeks!) So I attempted the whole fish, well the eyeballs, specifically. And I can't even brag I've eaten it as here's another foodie faux pas: fish eyeball, the first food that I've ever spit out. So sorry for my rudeness but crunch, gulp, it wasn't even the texture, just. wouldn't. go. down. :-(
Again I must point out the differences between China and Japan, which let's just get right down to it, can be summed up in one word: toilets. Yes, I am back on to my second favorite topic. Just take one look at the care of their facilities, no pushing to the front of the line and always immaculate. (By the way, apparently only Americans use the term bathroom or restroom, there is no bath and certainly no rest involved so why call it that? A fact that was pointed out by my Aussie travel mate, but then again they say dunny and the English say loo so what's wrong with bathroom or restroom? But clearly the rest of the world says toilet or WC, duh.) Have you any idea how nice it is to not only have clean and dry facilities but a WARM seat with a bidet and buttons that do everything from play music to splash water to dry and could probably pick the name of your firstborn if you let it. Pure BLISS after squat toilets.
Kyoto: dear God, can this country get any more perfect? LOVE!!!! It's as simple as that, quaint but big enough to have the most amazing Zen gardens, temples, and pagodas. It was apparent the moment you step out of the train station, Kyoto is more traditional than Osaka and Tokyo. The architecture of the buildings and the rock gardens made me feel completely at peace, this after a visit to an especially beautiful temple ground complete with a rock garden ending with a walk through a bamboo garden. Truly Zen! Kimonos were almost commonplace and the sheer variety was brilliant! And on one occasion, a group of girls in kimonos wanted pictures of us, so strange as I wasn't sure if it was rude to take pictures of them and here they were clicking away at us. The best moment was when a group of 3 geishas came toward us but I completely froze and only managed a photo as they were walking away, bummer. And oh yeah, I found a Seattle's best coffee, I kid you not! Oh and even a Tully's, Kyoto must be sister cities? And how funny to see Pike Place blend in Japanese, definitely getting homesick for Seattle. But Japan, I could live here, yes, I am not through with you just yet.
It's the little things about the people that I love the most. For instance, stopping at a random little eatery one night, we were greeted by some friendly Japanese wanting to know where we were from and eager to give us food suggestions. They quickly took a fascination to us, was it the turquoise glasses or maybe the disco bear? Who knows but as the night wore on and they drank more and more Asahi, one girl kept coming over and covering her mouth laughing, pointed to spoon man and said Brad Pitt, handsome. To me, beautiful. They wanted pictures, however, none came out, there was too much laughing and covering of the mouth. Hilarious!
And then there are the weird Japanese inventions. At Starbucks they have umbrella condoms! Yes, folks, just place your umbrella in this machine and it wraps a plastic bag around it, whisking away the rain as it does, a very cool, not sure if it can be classified as a chindogu but I'm gonna anyway. Seattle, are you listening?
My last day in Japan was spent biking around Osaka, running various errands to the US consulate, mailing cold weather clothes home and just seeing the city in its' entirety. Biking is such a great way to get to know a city, plus you can just cruise through the uninteresting industrial and business parts. Really fun although in a city the size of Osaka, trying to maneuver through the massive throngs of people is not fun and made even more not fun when the local police pull you over. Really? Do I look like a menace to society? Asking for my passport? Really? I'm on a bicycle. Clearly a safe and orderly country.
And this is where the story of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell ends. Flash packer status stripped, it's now real backpacking for this pixie dust throwing wanderlust girl. Stay tuned, the real adventure is just beginning........
After flying into the Osaka airport, frustration set in trying to figure out how to get to the hostel, locating an ATM for yen and on top of that being completely exhausted from my previous night's escapades, what a relief to finally arrive at the cutest hostel imaginable, Hostel 64 Osaka. Think pure Japanese style: beds in the form of futons on tatami mats, shoji screens and the most unique showers (tatami and a seated shower with swinging arms to name two--wait until you see these pictures!), I was in love!
It was Halloween and this girl loves a dress up but just couldn't get my act together with all the traveling and lack of sleep so merely wore colored glasses and some flare and enjoyed others' creativity instead. It was hard to tell if the locals were dressed up for Halloween or if merely dressed in their usual style but as far as sheer numbers go, it's not like the droves of people dressed up in the States so even harder to tell if they were true harajuku girls or not. We checked out the local scene in the Tenjinbashi-suji shopping district, an area of arcades (the Japanese form of gambling), tons of bars and lights: think Vegas.
So many good eating experiences and this just in the course of 4 days but one of my favorites was the Takoyaki, octopus in fried dumplings, wicked good street food. I think Seattle should adopt this instead of the hot dog, street dogs are so last year and hot pockets just haven't taken off yet ;-) Another yummy experience was okonomiyaki, do it yourself grill type cooking but I have no idea what kind of meat I was eating, come to think of it nor did we have any idea what we were ordering, no wax foods at this joint. And here's another: just a typical udon restaurant yum! Soba in soup, ground beef with egg in rice, common ingredients but how do they always make it taste so damn good? Ramen with garlic, great ambience in the escort district, oh yeah! Breakfast at the hostel was homemade baked bread using rice flour vs. wheat and what a difference, so light with a touch of sweetness. And the sushi, honestly, don't have to say anything, do I? Besides YUM! But the ultimate gastronomic experience was by far the 10 course, fixed meal in Kyoto. Oh but before I describe probably should mention we weren't even hungry but thought, hey, let's check out this place, looks cool and random, we'll just order something light. Yep, 10 courses later, we rolled out of there. My favorite course had to be the whole fish that came out with the explanation in English: fish boiled in broth. (Love the Japanese, again I know I keep repeating but they crack me up always wanting to practice their Engrish, so cute, I want to just pinch every one of their cheeks!) So I attempted the whole fish, well the eyeballs, specifically. And I can't even brag I've eaten it as here's another foodie faux pas: fish eyeball, the first food that I've ever spit out. So sorry for my rudeness but crunch, gulp, it wasn't even the texture, just. wouldn't. go. down. :-(
Again I must point out the differences between China and Japan, which let's just get right down to it, can be summed up in one word: toilets. Yes, I am back on to my second favorite topic. Just take one look at the care of their facilities, no pushing to the front of the line and always immaculate. (By the way, apparently only Americans use the term bathroom or restroom, there is no bath and certainly no rest involved so why call it that? A fact that was pointed out by my Aussie travel mate, but then again they say dunny and the English say loo so what's wrong with bathroom or restroom? But clearly the rest of the world says toilet or WC, duh.) Have you any idea how nice it is to not only have clean and dry facilities but a WARM seat with a bidet and buttons that do everything from play music to splash water to dry and could probably pick the name of your firstborn if you let it. Pure BLISS after squat toilets.
Kyoto: dear God, can this country get any more perfect? LOVE!!!! It's as simple as that, quaint but big enough to have the most amazing Zen gardens, temples, and pagodas. It was apparent the moment you step out of the train station, Kyoto is more traditional than Osaka and Tokyo. The architecture of the buildings and the rock gardens made me feel completely at peace, this after a visit to an especially beautiful temple ground complete with a rock garden ending with a walk through a bamboo garden. Truly Zen! Kimonos were almost commonplace and the sheer variety was brilliant! And on one occasion, a group of girls in kimonos wanted pictures of us, so strange as I wasn't sure if it was rude to take pictures of them and here they were clicking away at us. The best moment was when a group of 3 geishas came toward us but I completely froze and only managed a photo as they were walking away, bummer. And oh yeah, I found a Seattle's best coffee, I kid you not! Oh and even a Tully's, Kyoto must be sister cities? And how funny to see Pike Place blend in Japanese, definitely getting homesick for Seattle. But Japan, I could live here, yes, I am not through with you just yet.
It's the little things about the people that I love the most. For instance, stopping at a random little eatery one night, we were greeted by some friendly Japanese wanting to know where we were from and eager to give us food suggestions. They quickly took a fascination to us, was it the turquoise glasses or maybe the disco bear? Who knows but as the night wore on and they drank more and more Asahi, one girl kept coming over and covering her mouth laughing, pointed to spoon man and said Brad Pitt, handsome. To me, beautiful. They wanted pictures, however, none came out, there was too much laughing and covering of the mouth. Hilarious!
And then there are the weird Japanese inventions. At Starbucks they have umbrella condoms! Yes, folks, just place your umbrella in this machine and it wraps a plastic bag around it, whisking away the rain as it does, a very cool, not sure if it can be classified as a chindogu but I'm gonna anyway. Seattle, are you listening?
My last day in Japan was spent biking around Osaka, running various errands to the US consulate, mailing cold weather clothes home and just seeing the city in its' entirety. Biking is such a great way to get to know a city, plus you can just cruise through the uninteresting industrial and business parts. Really fun although in a city the size of Osaka, trying to maneuver through the massive throngs of people is not fun and made even more not fun when the local police pull you over. Really? Do I look like a menace to society? Asking for my passport? Really? I'm on a bicycle. Clearly a safe and orderly country.
And this is where the story of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell ends. Flash packer status stripped, it's now real backpacking for this pixie dust throwing wanderlust girl. Stay tuned, the real adventure is just beginning........
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