Chang Mai and Pai

We started traveling Northern Thailand in Chang Mai which is a beautiful city, perfectly square and surrounded by a moat. Along the edge of the moat there are remnants of brick walls which were built over 700 years ago to defend the city from Burmese invaders. There are over 300 wats/temples scattered throughout the city, I’d like to say that we explored a lot of them but to be honest, we’re both a bit templed out. Chang Mai has a very relaxed atmosphere and we enjoyed walking around and speaking with the friendly locals. We spent a few nights exploring the Chang Mai night bazaar, one of the largest and oldest markets in Thailand, continued over time from the original Yunnanese trading caravans which stopped here along the ancient trade route between China and Myanmar. The bazaar is seemingly endless, spanning several streets and selling just about anything.

After a few nights we left for Pai, a small town about 3 hours south-west of Change Mai. The drive was beautiful, small villages along twisting mountain roads with a lush green landscape. Upon arrival in Pai, a man offered everyone on our bus free mopeds to drive around to look for a hotel. We took him up on the offer and found a nice place close to the river. We had made plans to meet a friend of a friend for dinner that was traveling a similar route and will be meeting back up with us in Bali. There were 8 of us at dinner, all travelers from different parts of the world and a few Thais. That evening after dinner and drinks we collectively decided to go to the elephant camp the next day and on a 2 day white water rafting/camping trip on the Pai River the day after.

The elephant camp was amazing. Just being able to feed, touch and be so close to these amazing animals is worth every Bhat, even though it’s free to just hang out and feed them. The pictures speak for themselves.

We started the rafting trip early the next morning with a debriefing and a1 ½ hour truck ride to the base of the river. Along the way we realized that we were truly out in the middle of nowhere and we were definitely the only Westerners in sight; which is unusual for Thailand. We stopped at a random house/hut along the way which had a few plastic water bottles in the front and a small sign in Thai. Our friend told us they sell homemade rice whiskey, but we didn’t expect it to be this “homemade”. We brought three 1.5 liter empty water bottles into the house and came out with three 1.5 liters of whiskey for 90 Bhat ($3). The whiskey house, if you will, also had a mango tree out front with a long bamboo stick to knock the unripe mangos to the ground. Unripe mangos and Thai rice whiskey is like peanut butter and jelly and the mangos were free of charge.

At the river our guides took care of everything and made sure we had fun at all times. One of the guides, Danny, lives in a small village outside of Pai where he and his family farm and have self-sustaining lifestyle (no 7-11’s or Safeway’s nearby). Chai, our guide, was a little older, a bit more experienced and from Pai. The 8 of us couldn’t have asked for better people to be with, they truly made the experience more worthwhile. The Pai River is like a bunny slope compared to the Colorado, American, or Snake River but still had a few class 3+ rapids that made the heart flutter a little. Most of this was due to our guides, the classic saying from our guides was “ahead is a class 3 but I can make class 6 if you want”. Everyone was thrown (or pushed) from the raft at one time or another! We also witnessed some locals illegally fishing in the river, we stopped and observed. Apparently a few men stand up stream and send electric shocks into the water stunning the fish and another man slaps the water with a bamboo stick directing the dazed fish into a barricade of nets being held by about 15 fishermen and women. The reason why this is illegal, and also a bit stupid, is that they electrocute/daze the large fish, which they want to eat, but at the same time kill the small fish that will eventually become larger and all the food the fish eat to survive. It was interesting to see and we were able to snap a few pictures before we were told not to.

After 5 or 6 hours of paddling we made it to camp where a man was already there assembling the makeshift kitchen ready for dinner. Apparently it took him all day to walk to our campsite through the jungle. He didn’t speak English at all but you could tell he was a very nice man. Everyone set up their sleeping areas and bathed in a shower using river water. Dinner that evening was amazing and could be one of the better Thai meals we’ve had. After dinner we indulged in the rice whiskey and played some funny games that involved some face painting, the “paint” coming from the bottom of the charred wok used for cooking. The winner painted the loser…good times.

The second day of rafting was a little slower then we anticipated, it could’ve been from the whisky the night before or because the river stayed pretty calm. We arrived back in Pai around 7pm and had a good night sleep.

The next few days were spent exploring Pai and the surrounding areas by scooter and hanging out with our new friends. The surrounding area is beautiful with caves and waterfalls to explore and friendly villages. We also discovered the local market. One of our Thai friends, Mam, invited all of us to her home for a cooking lesson and dinner. That day we went to the market to shop for produce and spices and that evening feasted on red curry with chicken, sweet and sour vegetables and fried fish, all of which was phenomenal. Everyone had a good time playing with Mam’s 7 year-old son Mark. It felt really good to cook and sit down to eat in a friend’s home after eating at restaurants and in our hotel room for so many months. The last few days we spent relaxing and hanging out with friends before we all parted ways.

After 7 great nights in Pai we headed back to Chang Mai. We met up with our friends Maya and Bennett for drinks and a movie and went to see a Muay Thai fight. Muay Thai is THE sport of Thailand, most fighters starting when they are children and it is amazing to watch. We’ll post a short video clip from the fight soon.

Tomorrow we are off to Kuala Lumpur!

Luang Prabang

We had a great week in Luang Prabang, the city is so charming and the people are so friendly that it’s hard not to like. The city is tucked within a corner of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and it’s easy to walk from end to end. Every morning we would get breakfast from our favorite café and sometimes enjoy it on the hotel viranda. In the evenings, we would usually stroll through the colorful nightly market. We didn’t buy much (our packs are already too heavy) but its fun to watch the action. We ate dinner at a buffet in the market, only 5,000 kip (or 50 cents) for a big plate of different food, by far the best deal in town.

We spent a day visiting some of the many wats scattered throughout the city, our favorite being Wat Xieng Thong. There are 190 steps to the top, with beautiful Buddha statues along the way and stunning views of the city and the Mekong River. In a city of just 26,000 people, there are over 30 wats in Luang Prabang. Every day at sunrise, the beating of a wooden gong instructs monks to line up in preparation for filing through the street, barefoot and in single file. Carrying alms bowls, they collect offerings of sticky rice and other gifts from the kneeling villagers, who wish to receive merit by their actions. Many local women wake early each day just to prepare food for this ceremony.

After a few days, we arranged a trek to some Hmong and Khamu hill tribe villages. The trek itself was rougher than expected, through thick forest and streams and slippery hills. At one point, we had to cross the Mekong River and a man pulled up in an “I Love NY” t-shirt to take us to the other side. It was a memorable experience as the boat was filled with about 6 inches of water and it felt like we could tip over at any moment. Along the paths we met different groups of people, a couple of Hmong villagers growling like bears (jokingly) before we could see them in the scrub, a group of girls playing hide and seek behind a basket and a group of boys taking our pictures with handmade clay “cameras”. The villages were nice but we moved rather quickly through them along the 8 hour trek.

We arranged to have a traditional Luang Prabang meal at a place called Tamarind. There were so many different dishes served; mekong seaweed with sesame, leaves filled with buffalo/rice/peanut sauces, stuffed bamboo, laab (a dish with buffalo/eggplant/cilantro/lime), buffalo/pork soups and of course, lots of sticky rice. It was great to sample the unique dishes of Laos and to have someone explain how each dish was made (and how to eat it).

We spent one rainy day on the hotel viranda with our next door neighbor, Tommy. We met Tommy at a café on our first day in Luang Prabang and it was coincidence that he was staying in the same hotel in the room next door. Tommy is an interesting character, about 80 years old and full of stories, quotes and advice. He grew up in India, went to school in New Zealand and now runs a guesthouse in Thailand. He’s out there, I think a bit too much partying in the 60’s, but he was interesting and funny to visit with.

After 7 great nights in Luang Prabang, it was time to leave. We took a short 45 minute flight to Chang Mai and we’ll be in Northern Thailand for the next two weeks. Then we’ll be off to either Myanmar or Malaysia.

Laos, Vientiane to Vang Vieng

We spent a quiet three nights in Vientiane. The city rests on a bend in the Mekong River and it is the capitol of Laos, although with a population of only 200,000 people, the city is small and near silent. There isn’t an abundance of cars/scooters/buses cluttering the roads and no horns constantly beeping. It’s very peaceful to walk the streets, lined with traditional wood houses, French colonial buildings, temples and concrete structures. There isn’t much to do in Vientiane other than relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. We took a bus to a village about 5 hours north, Vang Vieng.

We had read that travelers either love or loathe Vang Vieng and unfortunately we were on the side of the latter. The village is nice and it’s placement along the Nam Song river with small wooden crossing bridges is beautiful, it was the atmosphere which was the problem. The village is overrun by young backpackers who either want to sit in one of the many restaurants blaring “Friends” or “Family Guy” 24/7 or who are there to get drunk daily and tube down the river. Then they proceed to walk around town dressed inappropriately for any city in the world. It just wasn’t for us. We did rent bicycles one day and explored the nearby villages and visited some caves nearby. That was our main highlight in Vang Vieng and we quickly moved on.

We took a long and bumpy bus ride along winding roads 6 hours north to Luang Prabang. The scenery was beautiful but the ride was nauseating. Although we’ve only been here for one night, we absolutely love it. Luang Prabang is a beautiful city set along the Mekong River with tree-lined streets and French colonial architecture with beautiful limestone mountains as the backdrop. It is dotted with Buddhist wats and monks wandering the city, smiling locals and quaint shops. We are staying in the Old Quarter which will be a good base to see the various sites and close to the nightly Hmong market which sells traditional Lao handicrafts, jewelry and traditional medicines. There are an abundance of cafes along the Mekong River, so we’ll more than likely park at one for a while this morning and watch the city float by. Then in the coming days we’ll be taking a 1 or 2 day trek to the villages north of Luang Prabang.

More to come.

Sapa and the Nearby Villages

We took an overnight train from Hanoi to Sapa which was an 11 hour ride. The cabin was extremely comfortable, with four plush beds and nice furnishings. We were sharing the cabin with a couple from Australia and spent the evening having drinks and snacks and talking about various places to travel. We arrived in Sapa in the early morning and it was a short bus ride to our hotel, which overlooked foggy rice terraces and nearby Cat Cat village.

Sapa is a small picturesque village just 5 minutes from the China border. The main town is a bit touristy but a short trek will take you into the nearby villages where you can see many hill tribe people, their villages, rice terraces and lush vegetation. The minority groups which are most prominent are the Hmong, Red Dao, White Thai, Giay, Tay, Muong groups.

Groups of ethnic Hmong youngsters and women can be seen hauling impossibly heavy, awkward baskets of wood, stakes, bamboo, bricks, mud and produce. The Hmong people are the most outgoing, always smiling and wanting to talk (or sell you some homemade jewelry or clothing). We went on a trek to nearby Cat Cat village which winds through the village and rice terraces, the views changing by the hour due to the low hanging fog that comes and goes.

We were sick for a few days which unfortunately cut into our time to do longer treks outside of Sapa. We were able to do a full day trek to Lao Chai and Ta Van which is predominantly Red Dao and Giay minorities. We didn’t go with an organized trek or have a guide but a couple of Hmong women followed us on our trek and pointed us in the right direction for the different paths to take, at times holding our hands while we crossed small rivers on small stepping rocks. The views were breathtaking and it was nice to see life in the small rural villages. We met one woman along the way who must have been around 80 years old, her ears stretched from the heavy weight of the large earrings that they wear. She sat with us for a while and took the rings from her ears to try to sell.

At the end of our 10km trek, the Hmong women didn’t ask for any money but only asked that we purchase something. I spent $4 on a few bracelets and then we took a motorbike back to Sapa. The motorbike ride was intense, winding around mountains while our driver made calls on his cell phone but we made it back quickly and in one piece! We made plans to leave although it is an area we will definitely come back to. There are so many villages in the north of Vietnam that we would need weeks to explore fully. We took an overnight train back to Hanoi and it was nice to be back. We both feel very comfortable there and enjoy daily life in the city. We spent another 6 nights in Hanoi before taking a flight to Vientiane, Laos (only an hour and a half flight on a prop plane). We are both happy to be starting a new country and we’ve been looking forward to Laos for a while now.

Halong Bay

We took a bus from Hanoi to Halong City where we planned to organize a boat trip to Cat Ba (the only populated island) and a tour around Halong Bay. Most travelers to Halong Bay organize a tour package from Hanoi for 2-3 days (hotels, transportation and activities are all planned). We try to avoid tours for the most part, preferring to travel on our own schedule and avoiding large tourist groups. In hindsight, it would have probably been in our best interest to book a package for this specific journey.

We started by purchasing a one-way ticket to Cat Ba which included a tour of Halong Bay, with over 3000 limestone karsts rising from the Gulf of Tonkin and innumerable caves throughout. It was a beautiful tour of the bay, small floating villages and schools within the maze of islands. We stopped to tour of one of the caves which had a beautiful ray of light beaming through. The boat was comfortable with a dining area and a top deck with lounge chairs and we met quite a few other travelers from around the world who also avoided the tour package.

The problem was the boat dropped us off on the far end of the island (about 45 minutes away from the main town, over mountains and winding roads). We quickly realized that there were buses for the tour groups but no transportation for those who were on their own. We were in an uninhabited part of the island and at the mercy of those who provided transportation services. In all, there were 12 of us who didn’t have transportation and we went back and forth with the drivers/touts at the pier over costs. They wanted to charge $10 per person for what should have been a $3 ride, everyone refused based simply on principle.

We spent hours at the pier, trying to contact hotels for transportation, talking to the other boat drivers and haggling at the pier. They knew we were at their mercy and it was just a matter of time before we gave in. All of the buses left, the sun was setting and we were on a pier surrounded by motorbikes. Two Australian guys absolutely refused to pay the amount they were demanding so they started the 30 km hike to the other side of the island. The rest of us eventually gave in and hopped on motorbikes ($6 to the other end of the island). It scared the hell out of us to have to ride a motorbike for such a long journey with large backpacks. The ride was long but beautiful, mountains and valleys with small villages in between.

We found a hotel quickly and for only $8 had a room with a beautiful view of the bay. I would like to say that we had a nice stay but we just didn’t enjoy the area so much. The people weren’t very friendly and it just wasn’t as beautiful as we thought it would be. The nicest person we met was a young deaf girl who only spoke Vietnamese. You’d be surprised how well you can communicate by drawing pictures and gesturing with hands. We tried to make the best of our time there, trying out the different restaurants and meeting other travelers but after a couple of days we were ready to leave. Overall, Halong Bay is beautiful but completely overdeveloped and overrated. It was nice to get back to Hanoi and we spent another 4 nights there before booking our train tickets to Sapa, in the far northwest of Vietnam on the border with China.

Good Morning, Vietnam!

We arrived in Hanoi early in the morning and were both exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before and the 4am wake-up call to go to the airport. Upon our arrival in Hanoi, we quickly passed through immigration and the driver for our hotel was waiting for us outside. The drive from the airport to Hanoi was beautiful; thick, low-laying fog against a landscape of women working in rice fields and men plowing with oxen. Within 30 minutes we arrived in the colorful Old Quarter, where our hotel is located.

Hanoi is filled with small French colonial style buildings and this Capital city is packed with charm. Throughout each street and alleyway you can find cafes serving deliciously strong coffee/tea and an abundance of bakeries offering delicious bite-size cakes and mousses for about 10,000 Dong ($.66) because of the strong French influence. For being a Capital city it is surprisingly easy to walk from one end to the other, except for the traffic. The manager of the hotel gave us just one piece of advice before we left, warning us about crossing the streets, “look, walk slowly, DON’T STOP or turn back, and don’t worry, you wont get hit”. After being in Delhi, Bombay, Jodhpur and Bangkok we figured it couldn’t be much different. We were wrong. Matt learned his lesson within the first hour when he had his pinky toe run over :). It seems there are as many motorbikes as there are people (Hanoi’s population is 5 million) and sure enough if you cross the street slowly and without stopping, the drivers will weave their way around you. The interesting thing about the traffic situation is that 20 years ago there were no motorbikes and everyone used bicycles. There are a few busy intersections that have street lights but no one seems to obey them…it’s almost like they are for decoration only. At night the city slows down completely though and the streets are nearly silent.

People within Hanoi are very welcoming, always smiling, sometimes asking a little bit about you and where you are from, but few try to hustle or sell you things. We found a good Vietnamese restaurant next to our hotel that we went to at least once a day. The beef noodle soup is unbelievable and cheap, 25,000 Dong (about $1.66), and the beers are 11,000 Dong ($.70) for a 20 oz. mug. The great thing about this restaurant is that the family that works there also lives in the restaurant in an open air loft upstairs. While we’re eating dinner they are usually cooking similar dishes for themselves and most of the time the children are in pajamas waiting to go to bed. Good, clean, cheap meals with a lot of charm.

We spent a lot of time exploring the Old Quarter, narrow streets which change names every block or so, each street dedicated to a specific trade or craft. For example, Hang Bac sells silver, Hang Tre has bamboo, Hang Ca sells fish, Hang Thiec is lined with tin items. Women walk the streets carrying baskets of fruits, snacks, etc for sale and men drive people around on cyclo taxis. There is so much going on all around you and every street you turn on offers something different. We ate at various cafes, drank great coffee and watched the city pass by.

We visited the Hoa Lo prison, nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton” by US POWs held there during the Vietnam war. It was constructed by the french in 1896 to hold communist revolutionaries but between 1964 and 1973, it was used to hold prisoners of war. The cells still contain the iron gates that clamped one foot in place, the original french guillotine is still standing and there are areas where torture took place. On the walls are mostly stories of communist revolutionaries but there are some pictures of famous inmates like John McCain receiving treatment by Vietnamese doctors. The prison is an eery place to walk through, especially after reading more about the events that occured there.

The next day we explored the Revolutionary Museum, which explores Vietnam’s past and present. The museum takes you through a timeline of events from the early 1600’s, through the French occupation and repression, photos of child soldiers, revolutionary newspapers and weapons, then taking you through exhibits and artifacts from the American war, pieces of airplanes, uniforms and missles. The photographs, stories and artifacts are extremely powerful and emphasize Vietnam’s strength as a nation.

Our last day was spent wandering around the Duan Xuan market, Vietnam’s oldest and largest market, three stories of shops selling everything from spices to clothing. After dinner we went to the Water Puppet theater. It was a great show with traditional Vietnamese music and puppets playing out stories on a stage of water. The tradition started over 1,000 years ago, when people put on puppet shows in the rice fields for the amuzement of their children.

After the water puppet theater, we went to the only jazz bar in Hanoi, known for the international artists who have played there. The music was great and we’ve posted some short video clips.

After 7 great nights in Hanoi, we knew it was time to move on. We could have stayed longer but it was time to leave for Halong Bay. We’ll be back again for sure.

Last Week in Thailand

We spent some time in Krabi trying to figure out our travel plans; we’ve decided to go to Vietnam next and applied for visas and arranged flights. Once we had our travel arrangements made we went to Ton Sai, one of our favorite beaches, to spend our last week in Thailand. It was a great week, warm during the day and cool at night, pouring rain in the afternoon and tides changing from hour to hour. We saw a few old friends and made a few new ones. We spent some time in Krabi Town; going to the morning market and sampling the different foods there. We went kayaking again, this time to a further destination. Koh Poda is about 8 km away from Ton Sai and being in the open ocean it took a bit more work to get there, taking us almost an hour and a half to get there. We were rewarded with beautiful beaches once we arrived though. There were quite a few boats on the island but only one kayak; apparently we were the only ones crazy enough to paddle out there… We spent some time swimming at the main beach before finding our own quiet spot on the other side. The fish on the main beach are so used to being fed by tourists that they swim around you hoping for a piece of bread or something. It was cute for a little while until one bit me in the leg, people shouldn’t feed fish on the beach :(. After a couple of hours we started paddling back and we were both sore and exhausted at the end. The last few days were spent relaxing and reading on the beach.

We flew into Bangkok with only two nights to spend. It seemed like enough time as neither of us are really into big cities and the chaos that comes with it. Bangkok is such a beautiful city though with so much to see and do, I find myself wishing I could stay longer. We are staying in the main tourist area of Khao San Rd; lined with restaurants, bars and shops selling just about everything. Since we didn’t have much time to visit the many historical temples around Bangkok; we had to choose just one. We decided to go to Wat Pho and of all the temples in Bangkok, I’m really happy we were able to see this one. Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok; housing the country’s largest reclining Buddha. The reclining Buddha is 46m long and 15m high, showing the Buddha passing into final nirvana. It’s truly an amazing site to see, covered in gold while the feet/eyes are made from mother of pearl and truly larger than life.

Afterward, we took the express boat down the Chao Phraya River which cuts through the city of Bangkok, the west being the old city while the east is full of modern high-rise buildings. The boats are used by many for commuter transport so you see a mix of professionals, school children, monks and tourists. It’s a great and inexpensive way to get around Bangkok. We didn’t really know our way around the city so we wandered through side streets along the river trying to find the boat station. These tiny streets are mostly used for storing and selling spices and dried goods, which leave a pungent aroma in the air (especially the dried fish). Once we arrived at the station we decided to head to Chinatown. We’ve heard from other travelers that it is one of the busier/crazier parts of Bangkok. Once again, we didn’t really know our way around so we ventured through the streets making our way through the traffic, sort of like a game of frogger except the consequences are worse. After about 20 minutes we arrived in the middle of the chaos of Chinatown. It seems that every major city has a Chinatown and for the most part it’s all the same; thousands of people, stores, food vendors, etc. It’s the same in Bangkok but on a large scale. The shops are located in no particular order, e.g. a jewelry store will be next to a dried fish stand, then a traditional Chinese pharmacy, then an underwear store, and then a durian fruit stand. Also, the traffic in Chinatown is just like any other congested city in Asia; organized chaos. Cars, bikes, tuk-tuks, buses, trucks, motorcycles zoom past thousands of people and there are very few accidents. Overall Chinatown was a fun experience but didn’t have much to offer for shopping, except for the tasty and interesting snacks from the food stalls.

We have a 6:45am flight to Hanoi, Vietnam tomorrow. We are both looking forward to seeing a new country and Hanoi is another capital city with experiences to offer. Hopefully it will be just as fun to get lost in.