Update

For all those interested, I finally got around to putting pictures on here for my last three posts, so take a gander. The last posts pictures are a little graffic but thats just the case with those places.

History 101

"The Buddhist Memorial At Choeung Ek Killing Field"

Once I got to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) I decided to leave the late nights and beaches behind me and change to early mornings and history. Ya you heard right, not quite like me I know, but I did enjoy....scratch that, enjoy is a bad way of putting it.. found it rather interesting.

Everyone has surely heard of the War in Vietnam when the United States and Southern Vietnam were fighting against the Communists of Central Vietnam. But what people don't know, well at least I didn't, is that one of the main areas where this took place is almost entirely underground. I don't mean they actually fought underground but this area was controlled but the Communists. In order to be able to stand a chance against the guns, planes, and helicopters of the opposing side they, over many many years, managed to dig a very complex set of tunnels so they could hide, surprise the enemy, and escape basically into thin air. These tunnels are called the Cuchi Tunnels.

I departed from Saigon for a day trip to see for my own eyes and to try to get a better understanding of the war and Vietnam's history. When we first arrived at the tunnels we paid our fees and were sat in a video room to watch a small film before going to explore first hand. Once the movie was over we were taking around the area with a guide to explain many of the different areas and it was also interesting to learn, that our particular guide, was fighting against the Communists at the time of the war.

The Cuchi Tunnels are said to be an architectural marvel. There are hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, sometimes three levels thick, with everything from hospitals and sleeping quarters, to weapon factories and dining areas. Also these tunnels were all dug by hand then all the extra dirt hand to be carried away to be sure piles of dirt would not give there positions away. These tunnels were also made very hard to breach by the USA army because the one advantage the Communists had over the states were they were much smaller. This being the case the majority of the tunnels were not large enough for most of the states army to fit in so most that tried to enter usually ended up being killed from getting stuck or from the waiting opposing army. The only tunnels that were generally big enough were mostly false ones that didn't connect to the main system. These usually just led to a deep end, and in most cases, landmines.

Through the day were were able to climb down into some of these tunnels and explore the underground city a little but since we were confined to only the larger tunnels, we barely even scratched the surface. We also were able to see big bomb craters where the B52's drop bombs on the area and the impact it still has today. Its amazing how much closer to home it makes you feel when you are standing in a place like this, its quite a strange feeling.

After spending only one day in Saigon I was off on another bus but this time heading out of Vietnam and into Cambodia. My first stop in Cambodia was Phenom Penh, which is where I still am, and after arriving around 3 pm I decided not to waste the day, since I am quite limited to the number of these now, so I hired a moto to bring me out to Killing Fields , for the remainder of the daylight.

The Killing Fields were a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Communist regime Khmer Khmer Rouge, which had ruled the country since 1975. The massacres ended in 1979, when Communist Vietnam invaded the country and toppled the Khmer Rouge regime. Estimates of the number of dead range from 1.7 to 3 million but with newer investigation they suspect its closer to 3 million. Just imagine that, almost 3 million people out of a country that's population is around 7 million, and this all happened while some of you reading this were alive.
The Khmer Rouge judicial process, for minor or political crimes, began with a warning from the Angkar, which was the government of Cambodia under the regime. People receiving more than two warnings were sent for "re-education", which meant near-certain death. People were often encouraged to confess to Angkar their "pre-revolutionary lifestyles and crimes" which could be anything from having an education, to wearing glasses (this was a sign of education), to speaking to a foreigner, and even believing in religion being told that Angkar would forgive them and "wipe the slate clean". This meant being taken to a Killing Field and being tortured and executed.
The executed were buried in mass graves. In order to save ammunition, executions were often carried out using hammers, axe handles, spades or sharpened bamboo sticks. Some victims were required to dig their own graves; their weakness often meant that they were unable to dig very deep. The soldiers who carried out the executions were mostly young men or women from peasant families.
The Khmer Rouge regime arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals and intellectuals. Ethnic Vietnamese, ethnic Chams (Muslim Cambodians), Cambodian Christians, and the Buddhist monk hood were the demographic targets of persecution.

The fields, in particular, that I visited is called Choeung Ek and is located about 17 kms south of Phenom Penh. This is the most famous field in Cambodia and its is believed that over 17000 people were executed here and buried in mass graves. In the early 1980 the government dug up some of these graves and found nearly 6000 human remains. Some of the area is untouched and although they know there is many more graves here it is left alone, for now anyway.

At this site they have built a Buddhist Stupa as a memorial and all of the skulls found in the areas that were dug up are on display in glass cabinets that make up all four walls, bottom to top, as a reminder. Its quite a hard thing to explain exactly how one feels as you walk around this area. It is something I have never felt before, no matter where you look there are either bones scattered around, clothes that the rain has brought to the surface, and many deadly reminders of the violent history.

After departing from the Killing Fields my moto driver ask me if I would like to go to a shooting range and try shooting some guns, quite fitting hey? Seeing as I did want to do this for quite some time, after some thought about it I managed to say ok, and he quickly drove me away from the sad history and into a military base. At the base I was quickly seated and handed a menu, ya strange hey, of all the different kinds of guns one could shoot. I chose the AK 47 (The Communists gun in Vietnam), M16 (The American Gun), and to top it all off a few rounds from a Colt 45 Handgun. This is probably the fastest way a person can spend money in Cambodia. Each round is worth about a dollar and with two of the guns being automatic, my money went fast. The guard informed me that all the money raised went to poor children but with such a corrupt military, I have a very hard time believing this.

Having had a very long day I went to sleep early so I could have another day of dark history at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum better known as S21.

S21 was originally a high school but after the Khmer Rouge came to rule in Cambodia it was quickly turned into a prison for people on there way to the killing fields. For all of the documented history they were able to uncover from S21 they figure that out of 17000 people who were locked up here, less than a dozen ever lived to tell about it. (Notice the similarities between the killing fields and that number?)

The main people that occupied S21 were politicians and ex military because the Khmer Rouge were afraid that these people were most likely to rebel against them. Most people were tortured, starved, and then right before they would die from natural causes (well not natural but), they were brought to the killing fields to be executed. There were also very many women and children that occupied this prison, mostly because they were the family of the "traitors".

The prison has now been turned into a museum with all of the facilities open to public. While there I seen the cells, detention area, gallows, and the courtyard where many were executed as a warning to other prisoners.

The last few days have definitely not ranked up there is my most happy days of my trip but definitely the most educational. It confuses me, that of all the things a person learns is school that happened hundreds of years ago, stuff like this that is so resent is often left out.

Tomorrow I am leaving Phnom Penh in the past and will be arriving in Siam Reap for dinner.

"Me And An American Tank Destroyed In The Late 1970s"

"Entrance To One Of The Many Underground Cuchi Tunnels"

"Good Thing I Am Somewhat Wee!"

"Four Of The Many Mass Graves At The Killing Fields"

Notice The Clothes Unearthed By The Rain

"Some Of The 8000 Skulls On Display At Choeung Ek"

"Right Hand - AK47 Left Hand - M16"

"Barbed Wire Enclosed Balconies At S21"

So No One Could Commit Suicide

"The Temporary Cells In The Classrooms"

"S21 Torturing Instruments"

Go Fly A Kite!

"Kiteboarding School"

Mui Ne ended up taking up four days of my very very precious time left on my trip but it was all in good reason and well worth cutting my time short for my travels back to Bangkok. There were four things, that when added up together, made Mui Ne one of my favorite destinations in Vietnam. One thing you learn while travelling is that the actual place itself, although its important, does not exactly make it special, its the little things that make it a love or hate memory for the most part. The four things in this case were; an absolutely amazing guesthouse, beautiful beaches, better than perfect weather, and last but definitely not least, three unforgettable days of kite boarding.

When we first arrived in Mui Ne we were dropped off at a beach side resort that wanted much more than I was willing to part with for a nights stay (as I explained in my previous post) so I threw my bag on my back, and went to see what I could find. About 2 minutes after leaving the gates to the resort I had people all around me with flyer's and pretty much dragging me to their guesthouse, when I spotted a little hotel across the road where the man was just sitting and smiling. Right away I thought, "that is where I want to stay" and I was not disappointed.

Anyone reading this may not completely understand this if you have never been to a country like Vietnam or Asia, but the people constantly hustling you, and trying to get you to do things or stay places, sometimes gets to be too much and you realize how a smile and not being pushy can be the best advertising of all. I ended up staying in this hotel for the duration of my stay and enjoyed every minute of it. It felt like I got to know Vietnam and the history more from chatting over a beer in the lobby with the owner than I have in the previous few weeks. He taught me how the government works, the cost of his business and taxes, what a normal wage is, and even how much I was getting ripped off every minute of everyday in his country. Unfortunately I didn't have much to offer him but we became friends, chatted almost every night, and I even got to further his understanding of reading English a very small amount. (But learning English from me....he was probably better of without it.)

My first day in Mui Ne I spent doing all of the main tourist things that everybody that goes through does. Five other people, I met on my journeys, and I rented a jeep and went out to see the various sight from sand boarding down the white sand dunes, to watching the sunset over the red sand dunes. (Ya there was pretty much only sand dunes but they were quite a site to see)

The next day I decided it was time to scratch off the final entry on my "things to do list" and enroll in a kite boarding lesson.

For all of you who are not familiar with this sport, it is basically wake boarding using a giant kite, instead of a boat, and the wind instead of petrol. Sounds easy enough hey?

My first day in school proved to be very frustrating. I have always been some what naturally alright at anything I try, especially when it come to water, but this proved to be a little different. Although the instructor kept assuring me I was doing very good, considering I had never flown one of these kites, it did not feel like it to me. After learning the basics of just how to keep the kite in the air (a monkey could do this) the next step is to go in the water, without a board, and use the wind to body drag down the beach and back to shore. This in itself would probably be quite easy, in most situations, but at Mui Ne the surf is quite big so the second I entered the water I was thrown into the washing machine and before I could regain my vision, from the salt water, my kite would slam into the water and force me to pull the emergency release, gather my very tangled kite, and do the walk of shame back to my instructor. Of course, he could slowly watch me getting frustrated and I am sure he just loved only uttering the words, "OK, try it again" as he watched me walk past him shaking my head. I only managed to do it once without dropping the kite and feeling that for sure this was the last time, I happily walked up to him, smiling, only to hear those dreaded words, "OK try it again."

That was my first lesson and I can assure you, it was not the most enjoyable day, but at the end of the lesson my spirits were lifted slightly, when he told me, that almost no one actually get into the water in their first lesson, so I was well ahead of the average.

The second day is when I really started to see and understand why people start doing it and cant seem to stop. Again we went through the same drills and I didn't even get to have a board on the whole second day either, but something changed and everything seemed to make sense. I learned how to use the power of the wind and kite to my advantage, and through the whole lesson of different skills, I only dropped the kite once!!!!

One of the skills I learned on the second day was how to water relaunch the kite once you drop it in the open water. Why they didn't teach me this the first day, I have no idea. I think he just enjoyed seeing what I was made of. By the third day I was ready to throw the board into the mix.

When I first arrived at the beach on the third day my instructor told me that the winds were to strong so we would have to wait to out for a while and see if it calmed down a bit. After 3 hours of waiting and watching all the good boarders flying through the air with the strong winds, I started to get restless. Finally my instructor decided that with my kite skills, that progressed very much the day before, he would let me try it but he warned me, normally, he wouldn't let a student go out so I'd have to be careful.

Sometimes I really enjoy being ahead of the normal but, more often than not, I find it puts you into situations that your not really ready for. This was situation was no different.

Once I had my harness on and all the gear ready I was informed that, not only was I going to be flying in higher winds than I should be, but they were putting me on a different kite than I was use to which was 8 meters instead of 5 meters. (more wind, bigger kite, this should be fun.) Once we had rigged the kite and I was all hooked up it, was time to try to launch it. The initial take off was smooth but as soon as the kite was a couple meters off the ground I got a very important lesson in how much force the wind can have. Immediately it started to drag me across the beach until my instructor managed to grab ahold of the back of my harness, and with the weight of two of us, were able to stabilize and stop me from skidding into the water.

It was at this moment that I started to think that maybe this was a little too much power but he got me to give it a whirl in the water and see what happens.

To truly get across how strong of a force this was is kinda hard to explain. When the kite was in front of me at the lowest power zone, it dragged me, and when I lifted it up to the position straight above me (the zenith or neutral) it was lifting me a few feet off the ground!

Figuring that the instructor knew what was best, I slowly walked into the ocean, body dragged out to give the board its
maiden voyage.

My first couple attempt were not successful because of how timid I was being with the kite. In my defense I was just dragged down a beach and lifted from the ground without actually trying to use the power need to get up. So, after failing I decided to go for it.

going through the instructions I got before I left land I brought the kite to the 1 o'clock position, stabilized it, now.....dive from 1 o'clock, through the power zone to 10 o'clock and stand up. This isn't exactly how it went down.

All was well until the kite hit full power and pulled me completely out of my board, up about 15 feet in the air, then crashed into the water, slamming me back down to earth with, probably, 5 times the force of gravity. Fortunately I was just a little shaken, but was no worse for the wear, and released my emergency and swam back to shore, with a very tangled kite, to a smiling instructor.

Between trying not to laugh and trying to look serious he managed to get out the words, "I think you need a smaller kite."

Once I switched to a smaller kite my life instantly got easier. With a few miss hap's I managed to ride for a bit and figured out the art of getting up. I wish I could have continued for the rest of the day but at $45 dollars an hour, it was becoming an expensive past time.

By the end of my three days I accomplished all I set out to do. I learned how to set up the gear, safely fly the kite, and the basics of riding. This gave me an IKO 2 international certification for Kite Boarding so I can now rent gear, without an instructor, worldwide.

With these lessons behind me I feel I could really get into this new and exciting sport. There is something about being able to jump and float up to 20 meters off the ocean and still have a soft landing that is enticing to me. Not to mention a kite is a whole lot cheaper that a boat, and wind is free where as petrol is far from it!

Now my beach days of my trip are behind me and I am off to Saigon in the morning.

"The White Sand Dune"

"Just Messing About"

"Sunset At The Red Sand Dune"

"Getting Ready For Takeoff"

"Some Of The Many Kite Boarders On Mui Ne"

Tailor Made Holiday

"Inside Of My Tailoring Home"

When traveling anywhere in Asia, and most countries I suspect, travel companies get a commission from other companies such as restaurants, convenience shops, and hotels that they bring people to. Normally, the hotels anyway, are way overpriced and in a bad location but since people are exhausted, especially after night buses, they choose the first bed they can see. This has taught me to never take the first hotel and explore the town before checking into a room. On some occasions though, like with Hoi An, even when the first place is an incredible deal, the traveler in you refuses to realize this and refuses to stay.
When I was first dropped off in Hoi An I check out some rooms in a hotel which the bus dropped us off, but after only being able to barder them down to 5 USD a night, I decided this was too much and, with the little energy I had, threw my backpack on and went for a look around town. Hoi An was one of the very few exceptions to the rule I stated earlier, and after exhausting myself in the mid day sun, I ended up back to the first hotel I looked at and happily paid them the 5 dollars just to be able to throw down my bags, shower, and relax.
Its amazing how far your money goes in Vietnam for accommodation. Sure you can find a room in Thailand, or anywhere else in Southeast Asia for that matter, for the same price but nowhere does your dollar goes so far in quality. In Thailand, for example, 5 dollars will get you a bed but thats about it, but in Vietnam, 5 dollars (using my room in Hoi An for example) gets you a big clean room that had luxuries like, elevators, your own bathroom with hot shower, comfy chairs and a love seat, a desk, an ottoman, and even a phone in your room for room service that was almost as cheap as the cheapest restaurant I found in town.
After having a little nap and ordering room service (that sure felt strange to say the least) it was time to explore the town.
Hoi An main tourist attraction is tailoring clothes. No matter where you walk or what corner you take it is impossible not to trip over these shops every couple steps. Whether you want to get suits, jackets, or just copy an old shirt you love, this is the place for you. When first arriving in town I was unsure if I was going to get anything made just because money and the fact that it was more to carry, but within the first night I had already ordered my first 24 hours there, I had already ordered my first jacket and had plans for a suit . . . or maybe two? Its hard to explain but with everyone around you either carrying freshly made clothes or in one of the hundreds of shops getting measured up, it very hard to resist.
The jacket I got made impressed me immensely because all they had to go one was a small, and not very good to say the least, sketch I drew of a double breasted jacket but with a few minor changes from what traditionally is made. After a meeting with the tailor and one of the girls from the shop to interpret between him and I, we changed the small things that worked on paper but in reality wouldnt really work out. After that I got measure from every different angle you can imagine and made an appointment for my first fitting in 18 hours from then.
When the time came I showed up at the shop to my completed custom wool double breasted jacket. I then tried it on and wasnt completely happy with the fit so the owner of the shop jumped on her motor bike and within the hour it met my standards of a true tailored fit. All of that, start to finsh, in 19 hours!!!
My problem with the quality, and how little time it took, was that once I seen it for myself I kinda had a hard time stopping. By the end of my 3 day stay in Hoi An I had two suites, two ties, a dress shirt, and my amazing jacket. For every article of clothing I made the people working at the shop never ceased to amaze me. No matter how many times, three was my most, that you were not completely satisfied with the fit, they would pin it and within a few hours it would be ready for another fitting session. I was so amazed at how much detail went into everything a person wanted to have made. Even with ties, for example, you had to go through heaps of different designs and patterns (who knew a tie was so complicated) and get measure so it would be best for you.
With my time in Hoi An that wasnt spent in tailoring shops I didnt do a whole lot to tell you the truth. I pretty much just walked around and took in a few sights, ate at some amazing restaurants, and spend one long overdue day at the beach. This in itself was a nice change considering I had been in Asia for over a month and had yet to work on my tan, which is quickly fading, and spend some good wholesome time in the sun.
After my time had come to an end I left with a very heavy backpack, and a light wallet, on an overnight buses, yet again, to Na Trang.
Na Trang only consumed one of my nights and as with Hue, basically just served to break up the journey to Mui Ne which was my next major stop.
Na Trang really the first truly beach city as you head south in Vietnam. Its roads are lined with palm trees and big fancy resorts that I could even wish to be able to stay in. Basically, even though I have never been there, it was like I was in Florida or California. The one memorable thing that happened there was after getting completely lost exploring the city, I stumbled across a big "Lighting of the Christmas tree celebration." This was definitely a sight to see with its dancing Asia elves and Santas'. Although it was completely out of place it was fun to see because I think this was the first time I realized how close it was to Christmas and truly start to get excited to be home for the holiday season. The event was a little off our normal celebrations but once again I think some things just get lost in translation from country to country.
I am now in Mui Ne which will serve as my home for the next few days. I am going to try to get sometime on the beach in, seeing as this will probably be my last place before I arrive to the bitter winter. If I am lucky I am going to attend a couple of kite boarding lessons and really make the most of my last few days of sun and sand before I have to say goodbye to it for another five months or so.
I've spent the last 18 months or so without a bitter winter and I am sure not looking forward to how my body is going to react come December 17th.

" A Lazy Day At Hoi An's Beach"

"The Faded Yellow Concrete That Makes Up Hoi An"

"Locals Hauling Cement"

"Hoi An's Local Market"

"Na Trang's Christmas Celebration"

Good Morning Vietnam!!

"Ha Long Bay"

As soon as I knew it my three days of realaxing were over and once again I was getting ready to step into a bus for what might have been my longest bus journey yet. When first booking my bus from Vientiane to Ha Noi I was told by the travel agent that it would take 22 hours. Now, dont get me wrong, 22 hours does sound like a long time but when you are comparing the price tags of either flying ($175) or suffering ($18) it becomes quite clear why I chose the later.

The start of this entry is kinda going to be a step by step of my whoel journey so it will show you why over and over again patients is a virtue and why be in a hurry in Asia is incredible frustrerating.

I was first picked up at my guest house by a mini bus at 6pm, just to mention it was suppose to be 5, then I was taken to the main bus station just outside the city where all of the main busses are sitting and had begun unloading. I was about to pick up some water and snacks for the road when one of the crew members, basically, started yelling at me and ushered me into my seat. So now here I was, at 6:20, sitting in the same seat that was going to become my dear friend over the next day or so. After sitting for a few minutes, and no movement by the bus, I decided to get up and walk out side to stretch but was quickly discovered and once again ushered back on the bus to hurry up and wait. After what felt like a life time, almost two hours to be exact, the bus finally started at 8:30 and we were on our way to Ha Noi at last.

Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones that got to the bus station at least early enough to manage to get a seat. The ones the arrived later, may have not have had to wait the extra two hours on the bus at the bus station, but then did not manage to secure a true seat and for the next 30 hours these poor unfortunete people were stuck on a plastic stool that were placed all down the isles insuring not one spare inch of money making room was waisted. Honestly if this would have been me I don't know if I would have, or could have for that matter, been able to convince myself that staying on that stool was worth not spending the extra 18 dollars and getting to the station a little earlier the next day.

After we set out we drove for about seven hours when our bus came to a stop outside a tiny house in the middle of Norther Laos. Assuming this was a quick toilet and drink break I got of the bus to realize that all of the locals were going into the house. I finally managed to find one of the bus crew that could speak English and he explained to me that were very near the border but we were just having a quick stop because we had to wait for the border between Laos and Vietnam to open. After I persistently asked how long it would be, it turned out that our short stop was 5 hours long! Everybody, well at least all the Westerners, all came to the conclusion that we should have just left Vientiane later but of course some times common sense is lost in translation.

I spent the five hours of our "quick stop" reading, eating and chatting with other confused backpackers and with my canvas hammock, that doubles as a blanket/pillow for bus journeys, I even managed to lay outside the bus and catch a little bit of shut eye before we were on the bus again and finally headed to the Vietnam border.

Once again my border crossing went rather smoothly, that's twice in a row, and after two hours at customs and immigration we were all loaded back on the bus and on our way to Hanoi.

A little lesson I learned about Vietnam traffic is there is no right of way. Its the person with the bigger vehicle and the loudest horn that makes the rules no matter what the circumstance is. When we were about 3 hours outside of Hanoi our bus pulled out to pass someone when there was clearly not enough time to do so (Its a pretty normal thing). The only difference was, normally they managed to squeeze in just in the nick of time or lock on the brakes and squeeze back to there original position, but this time we were faced with a head on collision with a semi, or, to basically run the truck beside us off the road. Fortunately, we didnt completely have to push the other off the road, but we did have to hit them to get enough space to go three wide, on a small highway, and continue on our way. The crazy thing about this is after it happened we didnt even stop. So with one smashed out door and minus a few windows, we carried on like nothing ever happened.

We finally arrived in Hanoi at 7:00pm so, in total, this journey took 26 hours which, I dont think I have to tell any of you, is a long long time on a cramped bus. Obviously flying is the better route and at $175, after stepping off the bus, seems like a bargain but then what would I write about.

Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam, although commonly mistaken for Saigon (HoChinMin City), and is the busiest city I have ever experienced. The traffic is the one thing that is truly amazing. People who think Bangkok is busy only need to travel to Vietnam to realize how organized and structured it really is. If you do manage to cross the street without getting hit, the amount of horns going off is enough to do anyone's head in. My first experience with crossing the road was a little tricky. I stood on the side of road for around a half an hour waiting for an opening big enough to able me to get across the road safely. After realizing that this wasn't going to happen and also realizing that a red light is a decoration, I decided to ask a local woman about the proper technique to this task. Of course she had a little laugh at my expense but then taught me the golden rule, close your eyes and walk. This seems strange and I admit is very scary the first couple of times but it does work. The object is to walk at a slow but steady pace, dont stop, and dont try to dodge a motorbike or they are guaranteed to hit you. But if you walk slowly, amazingly enough, everything goes around you and you reach your destination unharmed.

I spent the next two days wandering around the capital city and getting a feel for what Vietnam was going to be like compared to the other countries I have visited. After getting over the shock from going from Laos to Vietnam, which is the equivalent of going from the Moon to Vegas, I really started to enjoy the city and really was able to see the beauty hidden in the absolute chaos. Hanoi is definitely one of those city people love or hate. I am not really a city person but ,as with Bangkok, I loved it. It seems normal cities bore me, but once the get to a certain craziness level, I love them.

After I was through with Hanoi I booked a two day cruise to Ha Long Bay. Halong Bay has been named a World Heritage site for it spectacular scenery and also the amazing amount of stories and caves that go along with this bay that is around 1500 square kilometers and holds almost 2000 limestone islands.

Local legend says that long ago when the Vietnamese were fighting Chinese invaders, the gods sent a family of dragons to help to defend the land. This family of dragons began spitting out jewels and jade. These jewels turned into the islands and islets dotting the bay, linking together to form a great wall against the invaders. The people kept their land safe and formed what later became the country of Vietnam. After that, dragons were interested in peaceful sightseeing of the Earth and decided to live here there.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of my whole trip. The bay was amazing, which I expected, but I am talking about everything else. When you book tours in Asia you soon realize that you really have no idea what to expect. Even when they show you pictures and tell you exactly whats to happen, it rarely ends up going that way. This trip was the only trip I have done that it was the opposite. The boat was amazing, even nicer than their pictures, the meals were gourmet Vietnamese 4 course meals, and the staff spoke good English and were very entertaining. Overall it definitely ranks up there on the activity, with the most bang for your buck, I have done on this trip.

Before I knew it, it was time to once again head back to Hanoi, which I then had 2 hours to rest and get something to eat, before jumping on, yet again, another night bus to Hue. Ha Long Bay was my couple days of relaxing before I really had to start to make it a point to get moving.

I have traveled in Asia for almost 5 months in total now and the one thing I have learned is that schedules mean nothing and you cannot book things based on what time they say your going to be back. My Ha Long Bay tour was scheduled to be back in Hanoi at 4:00 pm so against my better judgment, mainly because if I would have left the next day it would have been a waste of a night, I booked a overnight bus the same day to Hue departing at 6:00. The beginning of the day went to schedule but just as I expected, when the boat arrived at the mainland, we were informed our bus had broken down and there would be a small delay. No problem really because I still had a couple hours to play with. It became a problem when the bus showed up 3 hours late and it seemed inevitable that I was going to miss my bus and loose my ticket. Luckily on the way home a girl from the company rung the bus and got them to wait for me. The second we arrived back in Hanoi there was a moto waiting to wisk me away, through the crazy traffic, and I got to my bus with time to spare. Sometimes I am still amazed how helpful people are when your least expecting it.

Hue is a town that isnt exactly a main stop and everyone there is pretty much only staying a night to break up the long journey from Hanoi to Hoi An. None the less I have an enjoyable day. I basically just got something to eat, napped (since you dont sleep much on the night bus), and explored some of the historic sights of the city. Tomorro is another bus journey but at least its only about 6 hours to Hoi An. Listen to me, its like, "Oh it only 6 hours, piece of cake."

"Vietnam Border Entering From Laos"

"Ordinary Daytime Traffic In Hanoi"

"The Oilers Shirt Makes This Picture"

"My Home In Ha Long Bay"

"Ha Long Bay"

"The Bridge and Protective Wall Of Hue"

"Historic Hue"

Bordercrossings, Tubes, Joma, And Visas

"The S S Mekong"

Seeing as, as of late, I have become overly busy or lazy, one of the two, for this entry I am going to split it up into two parts to make it easier on me because I have basically missed an entire country and almost the last two weeks.

Part I

Once returning to Pai I decided that it had definitely become time when I should start looking at a calender and moving along if I planned to see Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia with enough time to get back to Bangkok to catch my flight on the 16th of December.

Since I was exhausted by the trek I checked into a guesthouse to have a relaxing night and a quick look at the reggae festival the was being held before having to start my traitorous journey which over three days brought me from Pai, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos.

I managed to make an appearance, only for about 10 minutes, to the reggae festival but decided that it may be my last good nights sleep for a few days so I turned in early and was quickly sound asleep.

The morning, that was to start my journey, couldn't have started off on a worse note, not that to most it would seem bad, but this was the first time in literally months that I was woken up by awful "beep beep beep" of the alarm clock that I can assure you, I haven't missed at all.

With the initial wakeup behind me, things smoothed out nicely and after a coffee and a little bit of sunshine, I was thrown into a mini bus and headed to Chiang Mia, for the first 4 hour leg of the journey.

We arrived in Chiang Mai with enough time to grab some street food and a coffee shake, mmmmmm coffee shake, then I was ushered away to a different, slightly bigger bus, for the last 7 hours of the first days journey which ended in the Thai border town of Chiang Kong.

When I first decided that I was beginning to slowly run short on time ,the one way you can save a few days is by booking a whole multi day trip ticket to where ever instead of doing every leg of it solo and dealing with whatever you run in to on the way, which usually means spending an extra night hear and there but when you have the time I find its much more rewarding and much cheaper. But because I definitely don't have the time I took the first choice where they basically assign you parents for three days that lead you around, have your accommodations booked, and meals ready when you are hungry. The down side to this is that you don't have say in where you stay, what you eat, things of this sort and, as I expected, when we arrived in Chiang Kong, it is a very good thing I am not at all a picky backpacker.

The next morning was better for me even if the rooms werent spotless...... I didn't need the alarm clock and the breakfast was decent. Once again I packed, got loaded in the van, and we were on our way to Thai / Laos immigration.

In Northern Thailand the border is the Mekong River which actually remains the border for most of the country. So once you get stamped out of Thailand you travel by long boat across the river to enter Laos. There you have to apply for a visitors visa then get stamped in and, walla, you are now legally into the country of Laos. The border crossing went smooth, surprisingly, and besides the very long ques, our group managed to be in and out in about 2 hours, which in Asian terms is lightning fast.

This is the part of the journey that gets interesting. There are two ways to get from the border town of Houei Xay, Laos to Luang Prabang and they are a speed boat or a slow boat. I opted for the slow boat just because I have heard that no matter how much you don't enjoy it, its one of those things you just have to do.

The second day of the journey consisted of 7 hours floating on a fairly large boat with around 75 people. I spent the day laying in the sun, reading, and meeting some fello travelers so when we arrived in Pak Bang for the night, I was somewhat confused about why people have so many bad things to say about the experience. The next day I quickly understood.

When I first started down the next morning I actually thought I missed the boat because our original boat was nowhere to be seen. After I talked to a couple Laos guys it became clear that our boat had left back to the border and our new boat that was the replacement was sitting in front of me and, at a glance, it sure didn't look to be quite as big.

When I border the boat my suspicions turned out to be quite accurate and not only was it noticeably smaller but there were also noticeably more people! None the less we all managed to pile on and we finally set off on the final day of our journey to Luang Prabang.

The final day was definitely the most uncomfortable but it was also a very enjoyable and rewarding day for me. From my 2 ft square piece of floor I managed to claim I had a great view of the river and landscape, and I was also seated next to a local family that was eager for me to join them for all there snack and meals through out the day. I ate a lot of things through that 11 hour bus ride but unfortunately I am unable to tell you what they were but some were good, some were bad, and some were downright scary. When I wasn't eating or playing with there little kids, I read and also managed to get a little siesta in before landing in Luang Prabang at sunset that evening.

I wondered around for a couple hours, not that that was a bad thing after sitting that long, before finding a place to call home for a couple nights. Then, for supper, I gorged on a 5000 kip (50 cent) vegetarian street buffet, picked up some "A" brand cigarettes (20 cents), before returning to my 3 dollar a night home. Boy I love this country!

"Not too Much Room To Spare"

"My Family For The Day"

Part II

"Kouang Si Waterfall"

Luang Prabang doesn't exactly have a list of too many possible activities that one couldn't hope to do in a couple days, basically all it has is shopping, bowling, and waterfalls. Like most towns in Southeast Asia the night market is also definitely up on the list, no matter how many you have already been to, of popular ways to occupy yourself in the evening.

The difference between Laos and Thailand is quite subtle at first but after spending a few days you soon learn and begin to truly appreciate Laos. One of the biggest differences is Thailand, because of all the tourists there mind you, has become party central. There is not an hour of the day or night that you cannot find a party or, at the very least, a drink. Laos is very very different. The biggest party you will find here is a small pub with a few people sitting around listening to live blues, but don't get too comfy. Come last call at eleven, you have to make your way home by midnight when the curfew kicks in, and being caught out after hours quickly turns into a hefty fine.

Another very welcome difference is people understand, no that's not even it, they respect the word No. In Thailand, whether it is Tuk Tuk drivers, tailors, or just people selling food; a simple no does not suffice. To get the point across they have to ask you enough for you too loose your patients and sometimes, I'm sure, come across as rude and impolite. Most people that are on holidays are neither, but patients is something that unfortunately runs out. Laos is the opposite of this. Of course all of these people still do ask you, but with a simple smile and "No Thank you," you are on your way.

During my two days in Luang Prabang I really only did manage to go out to the Kouang Si waterfall apart from the normal things like eating, wandering through markets, and sleeping. The evenings were a little more interesting. Apart from going bowling with 100 other tourists, (apparently its the thing to do and its also open the latest out of anything in town) I also got my first lesson and soon became quite addicted to Poi.

Poi is basically fire juggling but not in the tradition sense. You have two wicks that are soaked in Kerosene (in our case jet fuel, but Ill get to that), that are attached to small chains that you hold in each hand. Using your arms, body position, and a few different motions it become quite an impressive sight. With the help and knowledge of an Australian bloke I met earlier, I learnt some of the basic moves, unlit of course, and then practiced with them burning once I was a little more comfortable. We spun for all of the first night but after looking at the fuel supply we had left, we decided that we would have to find some fuel in order to be able to play with it again the next night. This brings us to my second day in Luang Prabang.

After a quick trip to the waterfall we made it our mission to find some Kerosene, easy enough of a task one might think. Its turns out that trying to find something in a small town in Laos with no English speaking people, not to mention that we found out that the word Kerosene doesn't exist in there language or there understanding of English, is quite a task. After walking around for a couple hours going to every shop we could find, showing them the poi and getting them to smell the fuel, we were no further than when we started. We were just about to give up when we came across a fancy, in Laos terms anyway, French restaurant that had little teky torches burning outside. This is when our great idea kicked in; torches need kerosene don't they? We walked inside and started to talk to the manager who was very skeptical about why exactly we wanted kerosene. Again we showed her the poi and made some motions to explain what it was when she finally gave in and decided that we weren't trying to burn down the town, and helped us out. When she asked us how much she wanted, we asked for two liters but she declined. It turns out that she wasn't using kerosene at all. It was jet fuel, just to note it was illegal jet fuel, that the Laos police brought her, and giving us that much could get her in a lot of trouble if we were reeking havok with it and it came back to her. We settled on 500ml and we were on our way to an exciting evening of spinning fire to amuse our night away.

This seems funny to me cause how many people can say they got jet fuel, from a French restaurant in Laos!

With Luang Prabang behind me my next destination was Vang Vieng. If any of you can remember any of my travels from the start of my trip this is where the legendary tubing down the river and rope swings are, which is something that no traveler in Laos misses.

Laos, as I mentioned, is a very quite country with basically no night life. Vang Vieng is definitely the exception to this rule. The bars here still do have a curfew but this only means that in this small town everyone starts a little earlier. Now that I think of it there is also one other very big difference between Laos and Thailand.

Drugs in Thailand are very strictly enforced and most people are smart enough not to even try to use them but Laos on the other hand goes like this. In Laos drugs are still illegal, don't get me wrong, but it is also a much more corrupt police force (at least in this) than Thailand. All of the restaurants and bars pay the cops off so as long as you're on there property anything goes. That means that along with the general food and drinks that you are accustomed to finding on a menu, you also have a "special" menu that has everything from shroom shakes, to opium tea, to happy pizza(use your imagination), to your preference to the size of joint you want whether it be small, big, or a bag. To anyone reading this that is now worried about me, don't be. You have to understand in my travels I have come across drugs once or twice. . . . and they just aren't my cup o' tea.......get it.

I could only afford to give Vang Vieng one day, and after I went tubing for the day I was once again on the road. When I planed on leaving Vang Vieng, my original plan was to take a local bus. They aren't nearly as comfy as the tourist busses but the price tag is alot more appealing. When I showed up to the bus station it turns out I had missed the bus and the next few busses leaving over the next few hours were all, as I like to call them, flashpacker busses. I do not have the money for those luxuries, nor did I want to wait a couple hours, so after me persistently asking how I could get there, they pointed at a truck full of locals, a few chickens, and a dog. And with a small charge of 15000 kip (which is better than the local bus) I was headed on the 4 hour journey through the mountains to Vientiane.

Vientiane is the capital of Laos and it is also a city that I have frequently visited when I had all those issues with loosing everything at the start of my trip. This visit was not so much to see the city, but to get all my visas in order for the rest of my trip so I could jump from country to country with hopefully no complications.

The day that I arrived in Vientiane I managed to get all of my business done by visiting both the Vietnam and Cambodian embassies. Then all I had was three days to relax (three day processing on visas) before I could embark on my next journey, so I made every second count knowing that for the next few weeks, things are going to be hecktic.

I spent my time reading, having coffee in Joma (a very overpriced cafe but darn there coffee is good!), and hanging out at an ol favorite; the Full Moon Cafe where I loaded up my Ipod with 30 new albums including Frank Sinatra, Eva Cassidy, and Elvis to name a few, to prepare myself for the 25 hour bus ride to Hanoi, Vietnam that I am going have to deal with in a couple days. Im not sure if I would say I am looking forward to that adventure.

"Backflip By Bru"

"Another Shot Of The Kouang Si Waterfall"

"One Of The Many River Bars In Vang Veign"

River + Tubes + Sunshine = Good Times!

"Mmmmm Chicken On A Stick"

"Nam Phou Statue In Veintiane"

Legend has it that buried beneath this statue is a Sevenheaded Dragon. Since this has happened

this monument is said to be the protector of the city.

Trekking in Pai radise

A House In The Tiny Village Of Lahu

One of the main attractions and reasons most people visit Northern Thailand is for the trekking. So, while in Pai, I decided that it would make a good two day outing before I had to start putting some miles behind me and leave to Laos.
The Trek started off riding a song thew from Pai and up into the mountains for an hour and a half before getting off in the middle of nowhere where a math path weaved its way up the mountains, through the jungle and into mountain tribe villages.
Our first day was the more physical and difficult of the two days with roughly four hours of a steady climb passing through creeks and rivers. When it came time for lunch our guide cut down some bamboo and used it to make us chopsticks and cups and even made a pot, or sorts, which he used to boil water on the fire and make us some good ol' fashioned jungle tea.
From being in South East Asia I have now decided Bamboo is pretty much the most versatile plants in the world and I think somebody should figure out a way to make it be able to stand up to the cold of winter so I can plant a bamboo forest in my backyard. It amazing!! People use it for absolutely everything. Need a house? Bamboo. Need cups, bowls, chopsticks? Bamboo. Need to make a trap to catch animals and make a rack to smoke and cook your newly acquired feast?Bamboo. Or maybe you just want to sit around, visit with friends and have a nice cup of tea before turning in for night. Bamboo. Well now that I am pretty sure that everyone catches
my drift I will carry on with my story.
The first, and only, night we spent in a tiny village called Lahu. I couldn't exactly give you number for the population but when I asked the guide he told me that these villages are measured in families, not people, and the Lahu village consisted of roughly 45 families. I am so glad I decided to do the trek because this is one of the first times in Thailand that I was able to understand, and see, how poor it is and how hard these people work when you get outside of the tourist area which now consumes the majority of the country.
The village is basically bamboo huts on stilts, so there animals can live under them, with one place where a pipe came from the side of a hill that had a steady flow of fresh water. So as you can imagine this area has 45 families showering, doing there laundry, and also keeping a steady supply for carrying back to your house for daily use.
In the evening we sat with the "locals", stuffed ourselves with a gourmet spread of food from the land, and even got to dabble in the sticky rice moonshine.(Its about as good as it sounds)

The next day we had a fairly short descent through rice fields, some jungle, and down to a river, which is where our walked ended for the day and the real fun started. Once at the river we found a bamboo raft that was going to be our source of transportation back to the highway and our lift back to Pai.

Under normal circumstances, once you get to the last little village in your journey the guide picks up a couple of the locals to steer there bamboo raft full of people and bags down the river. The difference between normal and how it seems to happen with me we all know is quite far from each other. Instead of that happening, when we got to the town it was completely empty because everyone was out working in the rice fields. Our guide felt quite bad, cause that's all we were talking about for most of the start of the day, so he managed to find one of his uncles that had a bamboo raft and volunteered to be our captain for the afternoon.

After first seeing the raft it became clear why it was not part of the tourist fleet. It was completely falling apart but after about an hour of maintenance our ship was ready to set sail.

Once we managed to get the raft from the shore to the river, we loaded our luggage, all crawled on, and with the uncle and guide steering we were starting our rafting adventure.

The raft that we were using I have no doubt worked perfectly well with a couple adults and maybe some rice or something but when we piled seven adults and seven big backpacks it was a little different story......actually it was much more of a bamboo submarine than a raft!

The river was quite low at this time of the year so, in spots, with the buoyancy of our raft the way it was and the rocks sticking up, hitting them was inevitable. After the first few crashes we soon learned that this voyage was not only going to be a little rough but it just so happens that this was our guides first time as "captain".

Even for it being his first time he really did do good and there hasn't been very many times on the trip where I have laughed as hard at someone as I did with him. He was placed at the front of the raft standing so every time we hit a rock he would keep going and land in the river in front of us. He would then scramble back to the boat yelling in Thai, which we learned later was because he couldn't swim, good combination! But he truly was hilarious and after the first few "man over boards" he learned his lesson and went for the approach of yelling "KABOOM" and would lay on the front of the raft and hold himself on.

The rafting lasted a about an hour or so. Then, after a quick stop at the biggest cave in the world (its funny how hard to impress people are when there exhausted) we were on the highway headed back to Pai with memories which will not easily be forgotten.

Our Bamboo Tea Pot

Another Homestead In Lahu

The Local Water Supply

A Rest In The Rice Fields

Our Ship The Bamboo Explorer

Had To Finish Off With Another Sunset

"The Breathtaking Pai Canyon"

During my stay in Chiang Mia I decided to spend one day attending the "Siam Rice Cooking School," to figure out exactly some of my favorite Thai dishes are made. When the day began I had absolutely no idea what to expect all I knew was that I was to meet the rest of the group in the local market at 9:15am.

When I arrived at the local market I was greeted by hundreds of locals but with no westerners in sight and not sure who I was meeting I took at seat at a nearby table and dove into my book I was currently reading.

This must have made up quite a scene to onlookers. There was a big local market with everything from rice, fruit, and vegetables to quarters of hanging meat, drying mystery meat, and fish so fresh they flopped around on the grill. As hard as you may try you would not have heard a word of English, not too mention seen anyone other that Thai, and in the middle of this busy scene there's little ol me sitting cross legged on a table, perfectly comfortable reading my book.

It didn't take to long before the teacher from the school managed pick me out of the crowd and usher me back to the other 6 people who would be attending the course with who, all turned out to be Australian.

The rest of the morning was spent shopping for the ingredients we would be using and getting an explanation about almost every use, in the kitchen or not, for all the vegetables which were laid before us and on all the different types of rice, curries, ect. After our shopping was done we piled into a song thew and drove out to a nice little house in the country side where we spent the rest of the day.

Through the day we learned how to make six dishes from scratch including Papaya Salad, Green Curry Soup, and Tom Yum Soup which are among my favorites. We also got to eat anything we made, therefore after six dishes you can imagine your getting pretty full. The others in the group turn out to be all one family traveling around Thailand for a month because two of them had just got married in Phuket. After the course was over, being the true friendly Aussies they were, also invited me out to a bit of a wedding celebration, you may have called it, for the rest of the evening . . . . and some of the next morning!

The next day, after not very much sleep mind you, I caught a mini bus headed up to the sleepy little town of Pai to get out of the big city craziness that seems to consume Central Thailand.

Now I am Pai and enjoying the laid back atmosphere, good weather, and hammocks that I was longing to revisit Southeast Asia for.

Today I may head up to read and suntan by the pool.........hmm sounds like alot of effort. Maybe Ill just laze and read in my hammock. Tough life.

"Pounding The Curry Paste"

"Bon Appetite"

"Northern Thailands Scenery"

"Sleepy Pai"