Thailand Trails

Maria and Grant's Adventures in Asia

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Compilation video of our travels!

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Elephant Island

We got to our hotel on Koh Chang, Nature Beach Resort after 40 minutes of driving. The island is huge, and I wanted to stay in a more remote part of it (which was more South) so we ended up on "Lonely Beach." It was finally time for us to relax! After so much traveling, finals, and trying to make the most of our time in Chiang Mai with friends, we were exhausted. Luckily, since the weather was a bit overcast when we got in, we took naps and had time to upload pictures in our big hotel bed. We got dinner at the beach restaurant and then watched the beautiful sunset.

It was another overcast day in the morning, but I went to the beach anyway. Luckily, it cleared up and to my surprise I got a bit burnt. The island is so beautiful and I wanted nothing more than to just lay in the sand and swim. A guy invited me to go to a commercial shoot with free booze just down the beach a little, so I grabbed my fire hoop and we checked it out. It was supposed to look like the full moon party, so they had face paint and strobe lights, etc. and was for an Israeli iced tea. We were just told to "keep dancing!!" so we tried to have fun with it despite not being drunk because it was 6:30. I spun my hoop and met some cool spinners in the process. I lit up by the water once again and an Israeli photographer took some pictures of it.

Our hotel was too expensive to stay, so I found another one a bit more south called Bailan Hut and we migrated the next morning. It was way less comfortable and our bed was hard, but it was still a nice location. Grant and I got oil massages one last time near our bungalow. We got a motorbike to get around the island with ease, and rode around for new sunset locations and restaurants. We saw wild monkeys walking along the powerlines on the road. That night we went to the very south of the island where a fisherman's village is to watch the sun setting. We ended up in a really beautiful location, very isolated, and just listened to the waves crash on the rocks. 

With each passing day, I got sadder to say goodbye to Thailand. I was really enjoying getting some sun before going back for winter! That night we had to find a backpack for the plane because our suitcases would be too heavy, and then we got some delicious Indian cuisine. We went back to the bungalow and watched Cloud Atlas.

Our final day, we (obviously) spent at the beach and had some fresh fish for dinner at a restaurant called Magic Garden. We then watched the sunset from our bungalow's restaurant and then played cards with a few Chang's before packing our stuff up. 

Korp kuhn ka, Thailand! We've had the time of our lives.

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Farewell

Getting back to Chiang Mai by plane was a great decision, because we bypassed all the long bus rides back through Cambodia. We had one more final before we were done – Thai Communication. After it, most of USAC went to the beer buffet one last time together that Thursday night. We ended up at Saloon after the buffet was over, and somehow Cameron got one of the waiters really pissed at him (enough to threaten him with a beer bottle, and then Colby with a knife once he stood up for Cameron) and even though none of us did anything wrong, we got kicked out indefinitely. We were able to laugh it off, because we all were going to leave the next day anyways, but it was a weird end to the night.

  The next day Grant and I had a lot of packing to do. We gave away some of our clothes, our uniforms, backpacks Grant didn’t want, etc. and gave K. Rice our microwave since he is staying the year. We took our motorbike back and before we knew it we had to get ready for our farewell party. Everyone got dressed up and the red trucks took us to a really swanky hotel ballroom, which felt a little like prom. We ate, watched a slideshow (to “I Will Remember You,” so sappy!) watched Grant and Jack’s Thai language video, got presents from Manon santa, and played games. Our secret santa gift exchange went well, and KO gave me an awesome Moonrise Kingdom bag with a framed picture of Grant and I in it that he took in Laos..it was so sweet! The night continued after the farewell party at Riverside, where we split a Sangsom bottle one last time. The group ended up at Zoe’s, our tradition, and many of us took tequila shots at Hollywood. We tried to make the night last a long time because no one wanted to say goodbye, but our flight left at 10 AM for Bangkok and eventually we had to part ways. We all got a little teary giving our final hugs as a USAC group, together for the last time. I’m really going to miss these new friends I made and traveled with, learned with, and grew with for 4 amazing months.

Prom Pose at the Farewell Party

  We were on the same flight as Colby and Cameron to Bangkok, who were going to meet up with their parents and then fly to the islands with them. Grant and I felt like we needed another night in Bangkok to experience it’s wild side – so I booked our hotel in a different part of the city. We took naps before going to “Escape Hunt,” an interactive game where you are locked in a room and have to find clues before you can get out. You have one hour, and we made a really good team (we only needed a few clues from our guide) and got out with a minute and a half to spare! It was really fun. After, we walked to Terminal 21, a mall with different country themes on each floor. We didn’t stay long because there wasn’t anything we needed to buy. We went to a nice Indian restaurant and met a taxi driver “Cameron!” who shuttled us to a rooftop bar. We met up with Colby and Cameron and their parents there for a drink and to admire the view. 

The next morning Grant and I were on another minibus for 5 hours to Koh Chang island. More to come about our week there soon. :)

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Vietnam

The bus at 4:45 AM to Ho Chi Minh City was 6 hours from Phnom Penh and was the least comfortable bus we had taken on this trip. We survived, and got to District 1, which was full of hostels and seemed more “backpacker-friendly.” HCMC is a huge city, comparable to Bangkok, and it is divided into districts to give it some organization, I think. We walked a few streets over to a place called “Asian Cuisine” and got some grub, chicken and broccoli (!!!!) for me. We went to the “Reunification Palace,” and then the War Remnants Museum. It appeared very anti-American when talking about the war in Vietnam, but honestly…we completely screwed this country. Dropping Agent Orange on their land reeked so much havoc on their environment and people, it was harrowing to see all the pictures of deformities from contact with “dioxin,” the most lethal poison known to date. I was upset after going to the museum, knowing so much information we are fed is spewed in one direction and oftentimes keeps us from knowing the full story.

  After we got kicked out of the museum at 5 when it closed, we walked to a place named “MTV Café” for a coffee. It was an oddly decorated nightclub and though it was called a café it seemed like they were confused when all we wanted to drink was coffee and not liquor. We continued walking and went through a covered market that was outdoors. Despite it being almost sundown, it was humid and muggy inside it and I could not imagine going shopping there midday. They had lots of plates, lamps, trinkets, and clothes for sale. After dinner we ended up in a bar on the street next to our hotel that had $1 Saigon beers, so we began playing card games. We met a table full of Australian dudes who were also drinking and I asked them to join us for a game of King’s Cup. It got funny when we made a rule where we had to talk in each other’s accents. We found out it was their friend “Joan’s” 21st birthday at midnight. They were a rowdy bunch, to say the least.

  Our gang booked a tour by boat on the Mekong Delta, which was a 2 hours bus ride from the city. We were up early for it and scarfed down the eggs  and baguettes our hotel provided us for breakfast before heading out. We got to see “Unicorn Island” and “Dragon Island,” which Jack was pumped about. Our tour included a bee’s nest and local honey sampling, watching coconut milk and coconut candies being made (they were delicious, and a lot like caramels) and seeing rice paper being made. I got chosen to help make a sheet of rice paper but was not so good at it. It ended with a Vietnamese gondola (?) ride, wearing their traditional cone-shaped straw hats through a very quiet and peaceful part of the river. It wasn’t the most fun thing we’ve done but it was an enjoyable day. 

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Phnom Penh (Cambodia p.2)

When we got to Phnom Penh, we arrived at our hostel, “Nomad” and put our bags away in our 6 person dorm room before searching for food we really needed. We chose some restaurant by the river (where most things are in town) and then tried to get our Vietnam visas because we knew they would take 3 days. Unfortunately, it was Sunday the next day and we had to pay out the butt for the visas to come on time so we could go to Ho Chi Minh City without worry. Of course, we were really tired from getting up so early and we took a nap before heading to a local restaurant where they served “ox cock.” None of us were daring enough to order it, but we did get some Anchor beer in a tower for pretty cheap to start our night.

We walked around, knowing the nightlife was good and there were loads of bars to check out. We stopped in a hookah bar for a while before unknowingly moseying down a prostitute street. We popped in a bar called 69 and as the boys walked in, the girls started screaming. Haha, they were relieved to see young men and not old creeps for once. We left there pretty quick and went to a place called “Lemon Lounge.” Heading straight for the pool table, even I got some attention from the ladies in the room, and we got a few beers as we played rounds of pool against hookers…and they are good! We got a tuk-tuk to the casino and were shocked by how fancy it was in a city with such poverty. It was comparable to Vegas, and Cameron was sad the buy-in for blackjack was a minimum of $20 dollars. We left soon after.

The next day was devoted to learning the history of Phnom Penh, and this was honestly the reason I wanted to go. Cambodia (very recently, in 1975-1979) was the victim of the Communist Khmer Rouge regime. Under the leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge overtook Phnom Penh (Cambodia’s capital city) and attempted to terminate all educated people. Over 2 million Cambodians died in this genocide, and learning about it was a very eye-opening experience. Large gravesites where people were taken and slaughtered are open to the public today to educate them about what Cambodia went through during this dark time. We walked around this open space, known as the “Killing Fields,” with our audio players in hand. After this tour, we were taken to an old high school that was converted into a prison/torture camp known as “S-21.” Seeing a headshot picture of every victim in one of the rooms was really difficult. Men, women, elderly, and children were all treated equally. I was left to wonder how everyone heard about the Holocaust and not a word was mentioned about the Cambodian genocide.

If you want to learn more, I read a book called “First they Killed my Father.” It is a first-hand account of a woman who was 5 when the Khmer Rouge overthrew Phnom Penh and she, her parents, and 6 siblings all fought to survive. It was well written and very insightful.

When we got back into town, we went to a restaurant called “Blue Pumpkin” and then walked to the nearby temples with what daylight we had left. It was Sunday so the Grand Palace was closed, but we ended up in the huge park in the middle of the city where many families were enjoying their day off of work together. We sat in the grass and watched the kids play with bubbles, feed pigeons, and eat various treats from street vendors. Monks were sitting in circles, laughing and talking. The sun was setting behind one of the temples in front of us and it was a great end to our day. Although we learned about the terrible things that happened in Phnom Penh just 34 years ago, seeing so much happiness in all the families at the park brought me peace.

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Cambodia p. 1

We flew to Bangkok and started our voyage to Cambodia from there, using a public bus to get to "Aran" the border town for the night. When getting a tuk-tuk driver into town, there was an old French dude traveling alone and he and his suitcase tried fitting into our already full tuk-tuk. It was pretty ridiculous, and we refused to pay the driver 30 baht and gave him 20 because he was trying to be greedy. Grant, Colby, and I found a hotel in this small town late at night and settled for one that was pretty shitty. It had a squatter toilet in it's bathroom...if that gives you an idea of the quality. Grant and I went and got some street food down the road at one of the vendors still open and then went to bed. Sleeping was difficult because of the rocks they considered pillows, but we awoke early anyway to cross the border.

We got a tuk-tuk to get Colby's visa before getting dropped off at a building for our passports to be stamped out of Thailand. (Grant and I got online visas because we heard bad things about people getting ripped off at the border...it wasn't a problem, but just in case.) The woman at the hotel who looked at my passport for the room noticed my Thai visa was expired. I guess when we were getting back from Laos they only allowed me a week in Thailand, yet stamped Grant and everyone else until January! I was so stressed out that I would have to pay for 2-3 weeks of being overdue (the fee is 500 Baht a day, which would really suck) but with a few questions from the border guy and me telling him ohhh, mai ru! (I don't know!) I got across.

When in Cambodia, we had to find the arrival building to get stamped into the country and noticed many casinos in our path. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, so it was a sign we were definitely in a different country. We then arranged a taxi for an hour and a half to Siem Reap. When there, we got to our hostel, the Mad Monkey, and were instantly impressed. It had a pool right by the front desk and bar area, plus bean bag chairs all around it. A floor up are canopies that you can rest in and even further up is a rooftop bar. We met up with Cameron and Jack, who left a day earlier than us, and went to lunch at an Indian/Khmer restaurant. The food was so so delicious. We went back and swam for a while at the hostel. For dinner we got some very different pizza and then headed to the Siem Reap Circus. It was so awesome! All young Cambodians, they put on a play that intertwines with their circus acts, and also have a live band playing in the back. It was a small venue, but we were very glad we got to see it. I made sure to get the crowd clapping often. We went back to our hotel rooftop bar (with sand on the ground, sweeeet) and redeemed our free beer token that we got for staying with them. 

The next morning, we arranged to go to Angkor Wat at sunrise. It is a very famous way to see the temple because the sun rises right over it's silhouette. Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. A Khmer King built it in the early 12th century. “Angkor Wat” means “temple city/city of temples.” Many others were there, and we all waited in darkness until the colors in the sky started to change and the sun peeked out. By that time I needed some coffee because we had a long day ahead of us exploring all the buildings. We sat down for breakfast at one of the many vendors to the left of the temple and were constantly approached by beggar kids. In the various buildings, it is so amazing to see huge trees growing overtop of bricks. It gives you a real sense of how old the monument truly is.

After Angkor Wat it was only about 1 pm so we took quick naps and then Grant and I got massages. The girl doing mine didn’t look over 14 although she told me she was 18. I don’t like seeing children working, but it is part of their culture here in Cambodia and I know they need to be helping to make money. It was a night for the bars in Siem Reap, so we walked to the boys’ hostel and got $2 pitchers for a while as we played card games. A guy named Tom joined us in the festivities, and then we all walked to Pub Street, where the night had already begun. The first and best bar we went to was called Temple, and it was decorated to look similar to Angkor Wat. It was awesome, and we played pool and danced for a while there. Before heading back, we were approached by a Japanese guy with his laptop who needed help from English speakers to write a sentimental email. We sat with him for a while and helped him get his feelings out, haha.

We awoke at 5:30 to catch a bus to Phnom Penh, which is 5 hours away. It was a public bus with only locals on it, but besides the bumpy roads, it wasn’t bad.

  More to come…

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Random Observations

Toilet paper is a luxury..never a given.

On that note, dry toilets are hard to find..let alone toilets at all (many times you'll have to use "squat toilets")

Thais don’t necessarily follow a schedule..they are very “mai ben rai” about arriving on time for anything.

Traveling by motorbike makes the most sense in cities because it is easier to get around in a traffic jam. Wearing a helmet is suggested, not enforced.

The police are very chill as well, supposedly you can pay them off when getting a ticket on a motorbike (and probably for any other offense, I presume)

Skin whitening is very prevalent here - Thais value light skin (similar to Japanese culture) so many of them try not to go out in the sun.

Coffee shops are everywhere and most of the time they are uninhabited..which makes you wonder how they stay in business.

Selling sushi on the side of the road is perfectly okay.

Thais write out "555" when they are laughing, because 5 is pronounced "ha" in Thai language. 5555555...how clever!

Crocs. All ova de place.

Construction is happening everywhere in Chiang Mai, and presumably everywhere else in Thailand - it is a developing country and lots of businesses want in on it, apparently. It's scary to think how different it will be in 5 or 10 years.

Thai food is SPICY unless you tell them otherwise. Made that mistake a few times too many.

Table salt isn't seen very often. Sugar is much easier to come by.

You have to stand for the National Anthem at the movies - there is very much respect for the King. To talk badly about the King will put you in jail.

Thais will wait in line to get on an elevator instead of using the stairs.

In Chiang Mai, you can't see stars too often because of the city smog. It's a real treat to take a weekend trip away from the pollution.

Monks have Iphones sometimes.

Probably the most common food at street vendors is processed meats - pork balls, hot dogs, sausages. I rarely see people buy them, but they are everywhere.

Oddly, when we had Cambodian money (Reap), Vietnam and Thailand would not exchange it for their currency. 

Cambodia is great with English and uses US dollars as their primary currency. It is all ATMs will give you. What doesn't make sense is that they were actually colonized by the French.

We learned that when someone is an elephant keeper, it is a lifelong responsibility. Like a circle, in a way, the elephant depends on them for survival and they depend on it for the exact same thing. They are completely devoted to the animal.

Prostitution is huge in SE Asia. It's all over the bar scenes in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Unfortunately, human trafficking is big business as well in these parts. Many young girls - even lots of young boys are bought for very cheap by foreign men..it can be for one night, or forever. You can see stickers on electricity poles around Chiang Mai that say "boys cannot be baht." (Baht is their currency..it is a play on words).

In Vietnam, traffic never stops for you. You have to just walk and the hundreds of cars and motorbikes will adjust...it is suuuuper sketchy.

Thailand doesn't have many beggars (the only people with bowls out are blind or disfigured people sitting at the night bazaar) but in Cambodia, people seem much more desperate and kids are very persistent.

In Thailand, 7/11 is the convenience store of choice. They're everywhere.

Because of the US, many landmines and grenades lay in tact in Laos, and it is still a huge problem to this day. The cleanup effort is seriously lacking and you must not go hiking without a tour guide because you could easily become a casualty. 

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Don't get pissed, just laugh.

our Buddhist Philosophy teacher

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The Final Countdown

I've been out of touch lately because it's finals week...yes, even in Chiang Mai. The work piled up and these past few days have been super rough for Grant and I. Luckily...tomorrow is our last presentation and then we jet to Cambodia/Vietnam!!

Catching up on a few of the things we wanted to get done before leaving Chiang Mai:

Friday we went to Tiger Kingdom and laid with/pet tigers! It was so surreal..they are so huge and when they walk right past you your heart stops a little. They tell you not to touch their heads or front paws (alrighty, got it) but they like their tummies rubbed :D

I went shopping for some gifts to bring home at the night markets around the old city. They have good stuff in Chiang Mai, but I need to get a secret santa gift for the USAC exchange, so hopefully Cambodia will have nice things.

Sunday we went white water rafting with K. Rice and Pang! It was a really bumpy ride to get upstream - took over 2 hours - but it was nice because we didn't have to go on the same roads once we were downstream again. It was so intense though! The rapids were awesome and although we came close to overturning a few times, it never happened. Pang got thrown around a bit by the rapids..and we all got throw out of the boat by our captain Tom, but we had fun swimming when the water calmed down in certain areas. 

We've been filming videos for our Thai Communication classes (scripted Thai conversations), and Grant and Jack's is going to be crazy. Jack has quite the imagination...I won't go into detail. It will premiere soon enough. Unfortunately, I have had to be Grant's mom about his priorities and to let him know he can't spend all his time editing.  

I can't believe it is 18 days until we're on a plane home.

MUST. MAKE. IT. COUNT. MUST. EAT. KHAO. SOI. EVERY. DAY.

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Our last weekend in Chiang Mai

Although we have roughly a month left until we fly out of Thailand, we only have this weekend to do things in Chiang Mai because we plan to travel. On Thursday I was really excited for The Hunger Games to come out in theaters, so we visited the newest mall in town for an Imax showing of it. (There are a lot of malls in Chiang Mai, but this one was really huge). We went with K. Rice and Pang, got dinner at one of many Japanese restaurants in the mall, saw Coldstone Creamery and obviously had to have some, and then watched the movie. 

Fridays we have no class, so we went to an illusion museum called Art in Paradise and then visited the "Grand Canyon" of Chiang Mai once again to go swimming. After going home to change, we played poker at the boy's house with 100 Baht as a pay in. Cameron won. Later on that night we decided to go out to the bars because it had been a while since we drank with the group. Our new favorite bar, Saloon, was where we met up with everyone and got some margaritas. 

After having some conversation and hanging out, our waiter mentions something about an autograph and asked if we wanted his sharpie. We were confused, then he said Owen Wilson was sitting at the table next to us. We looked over and sure enough, there's Owen in a white button-up and baseball cap, chatting with a table full of people (presumably the crew from his new movie being filmed in Chiang Mai). We got excited, but I knew I wasn't gonna be that pushy fan who goes up to him and asks for a picture, yadda yadda. Some people in our group asked him already and got turned down, so I figured I would leave him alone. 

Liz and 3 others decided to buy him a tequila shot, and he actually took it with them. Grant and I were just at the bar talking to some guy about life and Owen approached us (sweet) and asked us some questions about ourselves. It was a nice gesture..and hey, good things come to those who wait (or aren't annoying fanboys!) 

Oh, the people you'll meet in Thailand.

Saturday I took a cooking class all day..Grant had "no interest" in doing it with me, so I decided to go by myself. It was really fun and delicious, but for some reason I didn't have much of an appetite all day. I have lots of leftovers, though! I got to cook 7 things: stir-fried glass noodles, hot and creamy soup, curry paste, massaman curry (with my paste), sweet and sour veggies, mango sticky rice, and spring rolls. Yum. I got a recipe book and a certificate at the end. I hope I can find these ingredients so I can make some dishes back home..I really miss cooking because we don't have a kitchen in our apartment. I can't wait to make my own food again!

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Loy Kratong

Last weekend, we went on our last Hilltribe home stay in Chiang Rai, about 3 hours away and we only had one night with the Akha tribe. We saw two really awesome “temples” in the city, but to my surprise they were not temples at all. They were art installations, titled the “Black Temple” and the “White Temple” and they are both fairly new exhibits. When we got to the village, we were divided into houses. Ours had around 9 little boys and one little girl running around inside and we wondered which actually lived there. We found out that they were either brothers or cousins and the moms were sisters. We ate dinner at the house and played with them a bit, we gave them sparklers and that was a mistake because they were getting rowdy with them. Our house moms dressed us in Akha traditional clothes and then we all met back up around a campfire. We danced and chanted under the full moon with the women who were leading the ceremony. It was a really cool experience.

We were excited to get back to Chiang Mai because the annual Loy Kratong festival. It is such a picturesque event – once it gets dark, everyone lights off sky lanterns near the Ping River, and if you look around you see thousands in every direction. They also float lanterns in the river with two incense sticks and a candle on top of banana leaf ornaments. We got the pleasure of making our own kratongs in Thai Society class and it was neat seeing everyone’s different creative brain at work.

 We went to the river two nights in a row because Loy Kratong goes on for a few days, and celebrations are downtown. It gets so crowded – I started feeling a bit claustrophobic in the huge crowds of people, especially with fireworks going off randomly around you. All of us laughed at the lack of safety of this entire event – people would never be allowed to set off fireworks and sky lanterns in a major city in America. It just wouldn’t be safe – and it isn’t…but it sure is fun. 

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Laos is More p.2

Finally continuing our expedition to Laos (read the last post if you haven't yet)

Our parents got ahold of some of us about the Typhoon that had hit the Philippines and was on it's way to Vietnam and Laos. They warned us to make sure we checked the weather and got somewhere safe in case it reached us. Luckily, we had great sunny weather and the typhoon went North instead of West. That would have been an experience...

The second day in Luang Prabang consisted of us getting baguette sandwiches on the street again for breakfast and then finding a bus that would take us overnight to Vang Vieng. Sorting that out was a priority, and we got it figured out early in the day so we could relax. Grant, Jess, Sarah, Jeremy and I went to a pool party we got a flyer for while the others in the group split between going to temples in the city and taking bikes to the outskirts. We got a tuk-tuk to the pool, which took us down a very residential dirt road and did not look at all like somewhere a nice pool belonged..but again, that's Laos for you. It was a nice surprise to see fellow backpackers lining the huge blue pool and pool bar. They had another pool just for water volleyball, and played techno all day out of huge speakers.

We got drinks to sip while wading in the water and getting some sun on such a nice day. There was a crew of breakdancers dancing for a while and were SO good! Grant got some footage of it on his go-pro. We tried playing volleyball for some time but realized it was a lot harder when in water and ended up just sunbathing. We watched a crazy Lao lady who appeared to be on meth as she talked to herself and spazzed out, throwing rocks as hard as she could into the ground and being a general mess. So..needless to say, we were entertained.

We all went back to change before going to the night market and doing some shopping. The things in Laos were surprisingly different from Thailand, but bargaining was difficult due to their high sums of money. Eventually the whole group got on our minibus at 11 PM to travel 6 hours to Vang Vieng. We were packed in like sardines and the driver kept his window down despite our pleas that we were cold..so it was pretty unpleasant. We got lucky yet again when we got to the town in the middle of the night and found a really good hotel for cheap. We all napped until about 10 AM and then got some grub before making something of the day. 

In Vang Vieng the most popular thing to do is to go tubing down the Mekong River...drunk, might I add, which leads to backpacker deaths somewhat frequently. When we got our tubes it was still early in the day so we didn't drink anything yet. There were bars along the river that you could stop at and play basketball, volleyball, beer pong, etc. so we got a few drinks at the first one and I proceeded to dance to the Macarena, No Speak Americano, and the Cha Cha Slide. It was a good time and there were a lot of people there, but we knew we had to have our tubes back by  6 or else we got fined, so Grant and I proceeded to float. The water was extremely shallow in some spots, and I actually got hooked by my swimsuit bottoms on a rock - the current was pulling me and my swimsuit was keeping me in one spot! They tore a little but could have been completely off, which was lucky. I made sure to tuck my butt in when we went through rocky areas. 

Eventually we got out of the water and carried our tubes through town a bit to return them before 6 PM. We went back to shower and then met up with the group again for dinner. Many of us went to a pizza place and I got a pesto pizza which was delicious. We got so many free cocktail coupons handed to us for various bars so all of us redeemed them and bar hopped for a little. I started to feel really sick and stopped drinking around 8:30. By 9 I knew I needed to just go home. Grant and KO walked with me and then came back a little later. By that time I had terrible stomach cramps and no matter how I laid down I felt shitty. I would sleep for a little and then get up and vomit throughout the night. I believe the pizza gave me food poisioning - of all the things I've eaten in SE Asia....pizza made me sick..the irony. I was upset that the next day was ruined for me - I needed to rest and felt very weak. I slept most of the day and kept fighting the illness, trying to rehydrate and get healthy. I told Grant to go with the group to the Blue Lagoon, which was supposed to be really fun - so after getting me some medicine he went to enjoy the day. It was a beautiful hot day outside which was good for them, but bad for me because our room did not have A/C. 

When they all returned I was still not 100% but knew I needed to eat so I got Grant to get me soup and a baguette, I only ate some. The group planned to leave at 2 AM on a bus to go back to Chiang Mai. I did not want to go, but we figured traveling as a group is cheaper and easier so it was now or never. The bus ride in total took 17 hours I think. Not fun when you're just getting over food poisoning. When we got to the border in Thailand, we were so desperate for a ride so we wouldn't have to wait for a bus which left 6 hours later that we almost packed into the back of a pickup truck for 8 hours to Chiang Mai. Dude..that was a bad idea. We luckily got everyone on the same page and got a "VIP minibus" with nice seats and A/C. There was even a TV, and when we stopped at a 7/11 Grant bought us 3 movies to watch (they were American movies but only spoke Thai..we watched them anyway). Getting home was such a relief.

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Laos is More p.1

This past week me, Grant, and 10 other friends from the program boarded a mini-bus to the border between Thailand and Laos. That...was the easy part. 

When at the border town (Chiang Khong), we got a room in the middle of the night at the first place we saw that had lights on - "Jam House," it was called. We woke up a sleeping woman who was laying with the TV on outside and got rooms for all of us until the next morning when we could get our visas to Laos and take a short ferry across the river. Once across, we had to pay a fee and give our passports and then we all boarded the ever-famous "slow boat" which takes 2 full days and stops for one night. We were packed in like sardines on what looked like old minivan chairs along with probably around 60 other travelers. We decided we should try the famous "Beerlao" beer, as it would be a long day. We saw the sun go down on the river and then we got off shortly at a stopover town. We managed to get accommodation for 100 Baht a night (3 dollars) which was the same that we payed for Jam House - sweet. We all ate dinner at a restaurant that played good music and gave free Lao Whiskey shots (though only K.O. took one and told us we made the right decision not to). I ordered Lao curry and would say it compares to Indian curry more than Thai.

It was an early morning and started with a cold shower, but was made better by the array of baguettes and croissants sold by street vendors to choose from for breakfast. Laos has French influence, so their bread is SO good compared to Thailand. Kinda sad we could only eat it for a week. We got on the boat and made ourselves (sorta) comfortable for the long voyage to our destination town - Luang Prabang. The scenery was out of this world. Laos is so remote, especially along the river, and the mountains are breathtakingly beautiful. I was entertained by listening to my reggae tunes and looking over the railing for the majority of the day. Not to mention the weather was sunny and perfect. 

We got to Luang Prabang around 4 and got a tuk-tuk into the city center. We got off and began to walk around looking for a hotel and lucked out again by finding one for pretty cheap that was only about 10 minutes walk to the main street. That night we explored the town a bit and browsed the night market before heading to a bar we heard was really cool called "Utopia." The path to it was ridiculous and you'd never know a bar was back there...but that's how Laos is. You just have to keep walking until you find what you're looking for! Utopia was packed both nights we were there with backpackers and some familiar faces from the slow boat. They had floor seating and low lighting under a straw-roof (and a stupid no-shoe policy that sucked when you had to walk on their rock paths). In the back was a sand volleyball court and more seating right next to the river. 

Luang Prabang has a curfew and the bars close at 11:30. The last song Utopia played was "Hit the Road, Jack" and then we knew we had to go. Oddly enough, there is a late-night bowling alley in town that everyone goes to until 4 am. The owner pays off the cops to allow him to stay open, so business was really good and it was packed. We didn't end up bowling because we tried to bargain with a guy at the lane and he wouldn't budge so we just ended up drinking a little then taking off. 

The next day we got egg baguette sandwiches for breakfast at the street vendors then talked to a tuk-tuk driver about taking us the full day to different sites outside of town. I knew about a waterfall in Luang Prabang that I wanted to see more than anything else, so that was our first stop. Krung Si Waterfall was 30 km from town, the drive was really pretty, the weather couldn't be beat. When we got in, there was a random black bear exhibit and then you walk further to the falls. They were everything I dreamed they would be. The water was surprisingly really blue because of the minerals in it, which only added to the beauty. We eventually went swimming and though the water was freezing, we had fun on a rope-swing that was attached to a tree jutting out above the water. When I stood still in the water, fish kept biting at my feet (but I have no clue how big or small they were). 

After our swim, we got back on the tuk-tuk for an hour and a half to another waterfall. Jeremy and Holden got a whole grilled fish from a street food vendor and ate it on the way, skin and all. It actually was delicious, despite the appearance. After the ride, the next waterfall could only be reached by speed boat, so we got on it for about 5 minutes before arriving. It was just as beautiful, but more tourist-oriented around the area. There were elephant rides and ziplines that people could do above the falls. We didn't have time for them, but they weren't very high anyway (where's the fun in that?) 

We got back to town just in time for sunset. All of us climbed 300 stairs to the highest view (Wat Tham Phu Si) in Luang Prabang to get a good view of it going down behind the mountains. We then got dinner at a vegetarian buffet that was on the street - you pick all the dishes you want and this dude throws it in the wok to warm it up. It was only 10,000 kip...sounds like a lot because kip is ridiculously high numbers for some reason, but it converts to $1.20. For as much as you want! We loaded our bowls up and it was delicious. (By the way, kip feels and sorta looks like monopoly money - you have trouble knowing how much you're spending). 

More to come..

[thailandtrails]

Halloween in Thailand

On Wednesday, Grant and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. Not knowing what to do after class on an overcast day, we decided dinner and wine would suffice. We went to one of our favorite restaurants in Chiang Mai, The Dukes, then walked around the night market...when we saw the ladyboy cabaret we'd only heard about! We decided right then we would see a ladyboy cabaret show on our anniversary. We got a few beers in us and headed over. It was so entertaining! We were very impressed at how well all the dancers knew their routines and the costumes were fabulous as well. It was definitely a night to remember.

Thursday was Halloween and our whole group was excited! Grant and I dressed as Sam and Suzy from “Moonrise Kingdom,” because we went to a thrift store and they had tons of Boy Scout shirts..so we then found a pink dress for me and some accessories. Everyone went to Liz and Holden’s lovely little villa for a Halloween party, and then went to a few different bars around town to see what Chiang Mai had to offer for Halloween. It was weak, and our group was definitely the most fun (minus a few of the ladyboys from the cabaret show – they go all out with their makeup, obviously) but it was still a really great night. 

This weekend we had the option to go for 2 days and one night to a homestay with our study abroad group. We were really glad we went, it was a beautiful village about an hour and a half from Chiang Mai, Mae Kampong. Grant and I got paired up with the other couple (Liz and Holden) in a house with a woman and a little boy. His name was Bim and he was 10 - I was practicing my Thai with them a lot since I was the *most* fluent out of our group. I found out that Bim's parents died when he was young so the woman took him in. They host travelers for a homestay as their income, I believe. She kept trying to talk to us but knew very little English so it was difficult. We ended up laughing a lot and I would say "mai ru" (I don't know). 

We trekked for about 2 hours and passed lots of coffee plants and picked tea leaves. It was gorgeous walking along a stream and then ending up at a waterfall. The vegetation was amazing. A few of us volunteered to paint their temple walls and the rest went to the waterfall to pick up brush. Grant went to the waterfall and I chose to paint. We had another Kantoke dinner and cultural performances, and we also got a blessing and a white rope bracelet from their religious leader (I presume). We ended up playing cards and watching the soccer match that was on in one of the village's coffee shops before sleeping.

The next day we could choose a spa day or a hike. I obviously wanted a free spa day and Grant felt like hiking, so we went with other friends to each activity. I stuffed a pillow with tea leaves, this is used to keep in a closet or room that doesn't smell so good. It was fun, but I was most excited about the Thai massages and sauna. After the sauna they move you to these bamboo beds by the river that have big banana leaves on top of them and hot coals under them. They then lay you on it and put a banana leaf over your body - basically cooking us like kebabs. It was really hot and I had to keep flipping over so I wouldn't burn. Grant said the hike was really beautiful and they went to an overlook of Chiang Mai and on the mountaintop you could see really far. He and his friends were also shooting a bunch of things with slingshots along the trail. Word on the street is that his aim is getting good.

We left after lunch - in a bit of a rush because Grant, Jack, KO, and I really wanted to go see the Siam Cat Competition! We saw a banner at the mall for it and it is only once a year - this was the weekend for it. So we rushed to the mall and got our fix of some beautiful Maine Coons and those weird smooshed-face cats too. We couldn't touch them, but it was a really wild experience either way to see cats being judged. Cat in Thai is "maw." 

Off to Laos for a week, folks! Updates to come.