"I want tomato because it has my name in it"

After I last wrote, I continued on my journey through Cambodia. I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but I immediately went down to Sihanoukville, searched for accomodation with a group of people I met on the bus, and ended up at a super cheap hostel. I was absolutely exhausted and beat down, and felt like I needed a break from traveling, if only for a few days. The first night in Sihanoukville was awful. At midnight, the power cut out (apparently a common occurence in Sihanoukville), and that meant no fans in the dorms. The cramped, dirty dorm was a sauna, and there was no possible way to sleep. I went outside to rest on the patio a few times, but was eaten alive by mosquitoes. At one point, I just started covering my face in tiger balm to get a cooling sensation. The next morning, two Norwegian guys from my bus were also moving places, so we decided to split a room in a hotel down the street near the beach. Naturally, this meant that I spent two days hanging out on the beach with Norwegians! On the second day, we checked out Otres Beach, which was supposedly a much more quiet and oasis-like beach a few kilometres down. It was beautiful, and it was amazing to just relax for a few days. No sightseeing, no crowds. On the second night, the Brits arrived and, sticking with tradition, I met up wih them for a night of drinking. We went to a few different bars along the beach and caught up from when I'd last seen them in Saigon. Since I had to move accomodation the next morning anyway (the Norwegians were headed off), I got a room in the Brits' hotel, and that set the tone for the rest of Cambodia...
 We spent two more days in Sihanoukville, one at Otres, and the next I broke off to do a scuba diving trip off of Koh Rong, a serene island lined with beach bungalows off the coast. The diving was phenomenal. The first dive, I couldn't get down, as my sinuses had been a little rough from a cold. I decided to wait for the second dive, and took the opportunity to do a little snorkelling nearby. Almost immediately after I swam over to the rocks, I looked down through a school of fish and spotted my first shark. It was nothing big, either a bull shark or a black tip I think, but it was enough for me to decide that I'd seen enough, and head back to the boat. After lunch, I gave diving another shot and managed to get down. The reef was gorgeous. Instead of bleached coral like you see now in much of the world, the reef was alive and full of life and colour. We saw giant porcupine fish, fuzzy crabs (I think that's what they're called...), blue-spotted stingrays, and too many fish to count.

Some of the hundreds of skulls in the memorial at the killing fields

 The following morning, after a serious lack of sleep, we all headed to Phnom Penh, the capital city. It was the four guys, a German girl - Hannah - and I, and I was more than happy to have some other people to make decisions for me for a few days. Almost immediately after arriving, we ran into Neil, a guy we'd all met in Laos who's biking around the world. We decided to group together for the next day of sightseeing where we would visit the killing fields and the S-21 prison, both important landmarks in the genocide led by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

One of the buildings at S-21 prison

Pictures of the victims at S-21

 We started with the killing fields, a place where prisoners were taken, murdered, and buried in giant pits. Because bullets were expensive, they explain the brutality of the murders which could sometimes be pretty graphic. While hearing all of it is depressing, I actually found it less disturbing than the Vietnam War Museum. I think it was because without the imagery, it's hard to picture all the chaos and brutality when you're only staring at a pile of dirt. Either way, it was an eye-opener and a must-do. Next we headed to the prison which had a much more intense experience attached to it, for me anyway.You walk into each cell, and you can still see the blood stains on the ceilings and walls from people being tortured. Then you walk around the rows and rows of faces; images of the victims, with women, men, and children, young and old. Every so often you'd hit an image that just stared deep into your soul, and you could feel the fear and pain. You then wander down the rows of tiny chambers where prisoners were held with wooden doors peeking open, and it's haunting. By the end of the prison, I got the depressing dose of reality that I'd been expecting that day.
 Meanwhile, all day long our tuktuk driver had been drinking, celebrating Songkran - Thai New Year. By the end of it, he was pissed drunk and there was nothing we could do but go along with it and have a good laugh. He kept asking us if we wanted cheap beer, so he ended up taking us to a cell phone shop with a fridge...They pulled out a table and chairs and a long night of festivities began yet again. Eventually we moved on to a restaurant for dinner, and by the end, our driver was drunk enough to let one of the Brits drive the tuktuk while he rode with us in the back. I can't imagine what people must of thought of some white guy driving a tuktuk around downtown Phnom Penh with a load of drunk people stuffed in the back.

Frog legs for dinner!

 Back at the hotel, I ended up running into the two Canadian girls from Tofino that I'd met in Hoi An, Vietnam, and they joined our group for an evening of dancing. Overall an amazing night in the capital.
 Our last stop in Cambodia was in Siam Reap to visit the famous Angkor Wat. We knew the best way to do it was either sunrise or sunset so we opted for the former and rolled ourselves out of bed at four in the morning to head over to the temples. Nine hours later, we were hot, sweaty, exhausted, and totally templed out. Angkor Wat was amazing though. The ancient ruins intertwined with giant twisting trees gives a mystical feel as you wander through archways and around fallen stone. After a ridiculously long day, Hannah and I decided to take some much needed girl time to have dinner and shop, and ended up meeting up with some of her previous travel buddies for a few drinks and pool. That's just how it works here: you want a peaceful night, yet there are always going to be more new people to meet and down time just doesn't work. After debating if I should stay in Cambodia longer or just head back to Bangkok with the group, I decided to head back to Thailand and get things in order before Indonesia. It was crazy to think that I was back in Bangkok. It seems like so long ago that I was here with Rachel and Jo and felt like I still had my whole trip ahead of me. It makes me unbelievably sad to think that my trip is so close to ending (which is completely ridiculous since I still have six weeks...). The guys decided to stay in Bangkok for one night and go all out, so of course I joined in, as it was probably my last night with them. I've now had two days to relax, catch up on sleep, and prepare myself for my next big stop: Indonesia! I'm beyond excited to see Saskia and do our advanced diving course while living on a boat for four days, not to mention all of our other amazing stops along the way. I head to the airport in four hours, and am counting down every minute!
 Oh, and by the way, my title is a reference to a joke one of the Brits made that I felt summed up my travel week with them: a good laugh (his name is Tom and he ordered tomato...I laughed so hard that I ended up crying hysterically...).
*more photos coming soon!

Most of the group clubbing in Phnom Penh (courtesy of Facebook)

A Whirlwind Week

At the sand dunes for sunrise in Mui Ne

It has only been about one week since I last wrote, but it's been an action-packed week. After my last entry, I spent another night in Dalat, and went on my canyoning tour. With the company of a Dutch couple, we set off for a waterfall park area. I had brought the wrong kind of shoes and had to switch shoes with the guide, ending up with oversized sneakers, falling apart at the seams. Great start. At first, I was hesitant at the safety factor; they first guided us to a practice wall where we strapped ourselves into our harnesses, attached a rope, and learned to control our own descent. Having control of my own rope wasn't favourable, but I went with it. After the first two abseils, I felt pretty good. We had descended down rockfaces, dropping into water at the bottom, and swimming to land. We also did a couple rockslides and one cliff jump after lunch. Our third descent was straight through a waterfall descending 45 metres, and five metres from the bottom, you had to let go of your rope and jump down into the water below. Our guide told us that people often slip and fall on this one, so we needed to learn how to stand back up. As I started my descent, I felt good about my grip, and figured it probably wouldn't be that hard. When I got into the main section of the waterfall however, it was a very different story. The force of the waterfall was unimaginably strong and it pummeled down over my entire body, making it increasingly harder to keep my feet against the wall. I ended up slipping three times, each time getting pushed under the force of the water, soaking my eyes and filling up my mouth. Each time, I had to take a second and tell myself that I could do this, I would not be letting go of the rope or giving up. I would see it through to the end. Finally, after asking the guide fifteen times if I was okay to let go, he gave me the go-ahead and I plunged into the water below. Shaking from adrenaline after I got to shore, it was of little surprise that I whimped out on the last abseil. Still, all in all, a great day, and something that I might have never thought to try in any other place. Before exploring the town, I headed to the tour agency to pick something up I had left on the bus, and ended up having a long talk with a tour guide about his beautiful, mysterious country. I had wanted to ask someone about what it was like to live in a communist country, but hadn't yet met the right person. He explained to me that while Vietnam is technically titled communist, it is actually a very capitalist way of life. He said they have an expression: If you are rich, you are alive, if you are poor, you are dead. He explained that while they pay the government, they still have to pay for all education and healthcare. I also asked about their sentiments towards Americans. He told me how his grandfather despised Americans, but his generation took a different position. While they could forgive, they would never forget. I was so thankful that this man had been so willing to give me some insight into his country and couldn't believe that one simple conversation had taught me so much. That night, I walked to the market to grab some street food for dinner. As I eyed some chicken porridge, a Vietnamese man who spoke English saw my struggle to order, and immediately jumped in to help me out. It turns out he was actually a Canadian from Vancouver, and was just visiting Vietnam on holiday. We chatted about home and about my next destination, and then said our goodbyes. After briefly befriending a local painter ( an art student who sold her dad's paintings each night at the market), I headed back and prepared myself for my morning journey to Mui Ne.

Sand Dunes in Mui Ne

 I arrived in Mui Ne and checked into a gorgeous hostel with a beautiful pool by the beach. After wandering the town to check out the shops, I booked a sunrise tour to the sand dunes the following morning, and spent the rest of the day laying by the

View of a fishing village outside Mui Ne

rock formations along a river near Mui Ne

pool. Every time I get to bask in luxury, I think about how I am the luckiest person in the world to get to leave behind the routine of home and work to simply indulge for five months. The next day I was up first thing at four to board a jeep for the sand dunes. The dunes are simply rippling mountains of sand overlooking the ocean on one side, and a lake on the other. As the sun rises, you see the complexion of every colour in the sky, and are then given the chance to ride down the dunes on a sheet of plastic. After visiting the red sand dunes, a fishing village, and a river surrounded with towerung rock formations, we headed back to town, and I headed straight back to the pool, resting up before my bus ride to Ho Chi Minh City.

A copy of the famous image inside the War Museum

 From what I'd heard, I'd expected a fair amount from Saigon (renamed Ho Chi Minh after the war). People had continually said they liked it more than Hanoi, and I'd really enjoyed Hanoi. After arriving at my hostel, I immediately met some German guys, and joined them for dinner and drinks on the main backpacker road, Bui Vien. Not surprisingly, I ran into the British guys who'd also arrived that evening. The next morning at breakfast, I quickly began chatting with a British girl, Annie, and an American, Chris. We decided to spend the day together, but since they'd already been to the war museum, I broke off and planned to join up with them for dinner. After wandering the streets for nearly an hour in the scorching heat, I finally found it. The war museum was one of the most overwhelming educational experiences I've ever had. Between the images of massacres of women and children, to photos of agent orange victims, to the prisons showing methods of torture, by the end of it, you just want to sit down, breaths, and take a minute to absorb everything you just saw. All I'd known of the war before this was the basic statistics and facts. Now, I've been exposed to a side of the war history books breeze over, and it is a beyond depressing reality.

Crawling through the Cu Chi tunnels used by the Viet Cong

 I wasn't up for much more sightseeing afterwards, so I checked out a market and headed back to get ready for some local food with Annie and Chris, and some people from our hostel. Well, I'm not sure if it was the street alley food or not, but I spent the next full day in bed with a fever and a rough stomach.
 On my last day in Saigon, I decided to visit the tunnels; 200 kms of underground routes built by the Vietkong to hide from American soldiers. I originally planned to go to the non-touristy tunnels with the Brits, but plans fell through, and I opted for a tour to the frequently visited ones. In the end, that was one of the best decisions I ever made...
 Later that night, I heard from one of the Brits who wanted to go for a drink and just have a chill night chatting. We met up and he told me how they had met a Brit in their hostel and he had gone with them to the tunnels. Well, long story short, the guy was in the tunnels, and something went terribly wrong - most likely there was a snake or a scorpion involved - and the traveler died almost instantly in the tunnel. The Brits spent most of their day dealing with the aftermath and taking all the steps to help out the guy's family back home. When I first heard the story, I was shocked, and thought about all the little decisions that were made for that scenario to play out exactly as it did. What if they hadn't told him their plans? What if they'd gone the day before like originally planned? What if I'd gone with them? It's hard to really grasp how quickly life can slip through your fingers until something like that happens. After hearing about that tragedy, I was more than okay with moving on to my next destination, Cambodia.
 I planned out a route in Cambodia that lets me see the main attractions in nine days. I'm starting in the South, Sihanoukville, and making my way to Pnom Penh, and Siam Reap. Sihanoukville has been a cluster of lazy beach days, and tomorrow I'm hoping to go on a diving trip to the island Koh Rong. While the beach here is great and there's a vibe similar to that of the Thai islands. The only difference is the amount of child vendors approaching you on the beach which at times can be extremely depressing. It was actually worse in Saigon because the children were often drugged. Here at least the kids sometimes get to act like kids. I also conveniently met some Norwegian backpackers on my bus down, and have been splitting a room with them for a couple days. Naturally, the Brits arrived shortly after me, meaning that Sihanoukville will probably be filled with memorable nights out. I only have a week until I'm off to Indonesia to meet up with Saskia, which means I'm coming close to the final legs of my journey.
 Looking back to my first entry, I think I've come a long way. When I left for Asia, I wrote about feeling as if the weight of the world is on my shoulders, but the longer I'm here, I realize that that weight is not as heavy as it seems, and there are always people there willing to help you with the load. I've also been humbled by some of the things I've seen and experienced. Life is completely what you make of it, and at the end of the day, if you're doing something you love, the obvious path might not be the right one. This trip has also enhanced my travel bug, and definitely not relieved the itch to see the world. I've already started thinking about my next couple trips: I'm thinking a yoga course and meditation in India and my divemaster in Central America. Saying this of course, I should probably wrap up this trip first and avoid getting ahead of myself.

Good Morning, Vietnam!

I know, cheesy title, but it just happens to be extremely fitting for this entry... I have now been in Vietnam for just short of two weeks, and I am absolutely LOVING it! I want to say this is my favourite country so far, but all the experiences have been so different, I don't think they're completely comparable. I had heard so many mixed things about this country before I got here, and I rarely heard that it was someone's favourite on their trip, but this country is simply amazing. Yes, there's a ridiculous amount of traffic, and yes, the people are way more in your face constantly hassling you to buy things, but a culture needs such nuisances to really make it tick.
 After my last entry, I spent one day on Cat Ba Island, and treated myself to a rock climbing and kayaking tour. I'd never rock climbed before, but hey, why not develop a new hobby in a new country. I also wanted to explore Lan Ha Bay, which I'd read was even more beautiful than Halong Bay. We took a boat to a small island that so happened to be just across from the Hanoi Backpackers Castaway Island - what I called the Halong Bay Booze Cruise. The main hostel in Hanoi organizes tours for young travelers to Halong where they stay in beach huts, do watersports, and get completely pissed drunk from dawn until dusk. Apparently at 9 am, they'll already be shotgunning beers, and even one of the guides was puking by 10 am (just from one of the many stories I heard...). While I'm all about socializing and drinking, I am unbelievably glad that I passed up a five-day hangover for my tamer and more relaxed exploration of Halong. Anyway, while we were setting up the ropes - or actually while my trusty guides were setting up the ropes - a group of drunk bafoons kayaked over and then proceeded to drop their shorts, flashing everyone back at their island. Exactly what you want at nine in the morning: pale euro asses. Two Aussies and a Brit ended up joining the climbing group, and we attempted three different rock walls. It took me a second to realize that I was perfectly safe, and that if I had to let go of the rock, I wouldn't plunge to my death. Once I got it though, the adrenaline went way down, and I became more than happy to let go, and readjust my position. I managed to complete the first, but ended up getting stuck about forty or fifty feet up the others (at least, that's my guess at how high they were). Still, it was heaps of fun and definitely a challenging workout. On the last wall, I gave in simply because my arms went limp. After a huge lunch on the boat, the group headed out on kayaks, pulling up on beaches to explore caverns and arches connecting different beaches and lagoons. The one thing that is really sad about Vietnam is the garbage. Halong Bay is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, but there is nothing wonderful about pulling up on a beach covered in trash - at one point, we even saw a bunch of used needles. It's just depressing and shows that the waste of humanity really does spread everywhere. That night, I wandered around Cat Ba Town looking for dinner when I saw Hannah and Marten, the couple I had trekked with in Northern Laos. I ended up having dinner with them, and chatting about our first impressions of Vietnam. While I was so far satisfied and in awe, they had had a very different experience. From food to the unfriendliness of people, they were not enjoying themselves. I think a huge part of travel is luck, and if it's not on your side, the things that can happen can completely ruin your entire trip.
 The next day, I took an early morning ferry and bus ride back to Hanoi. I was hoping to see a few of the sights before heading to my next stop. When I got there, however, my plans were slightly altered, and the only thing I accomplished was a day of shopping in the Old Quarter. Hanoi is really interesting in that the shopping is organized by streets. There's the shoe street, the cheesy-yet-useful souvenir boulevard, grocery road, even lingerie lane. I was in desperate need of knock-off Tom's, and of course, nothing stands in the way of me and my shoe addiction, not even in Asia. After wandering the streets for hours, I sat down at a sidewalk restaurant (vendors set up mini plastic chairs and tables) to eat before my bus ride. Seconds after I sat down, I began chatting with a couple Brits who were living in Hanoi teaching English. They had both been there for multiple years. All I could think was about how so many people had told me they hated Hanoi, but there must've been an equal amount who loved it just as much. A local came and joined the Brits, and we began talking about my trip, and before you know it, we're all eating peanuts and meat dumplings, having a beer, and adding each other to Facebook to give me suggestions for my trip. In retrospect, I wish I'd seized the moment and just changed my trip plans then and there, and asked if they'd be willing to show me around Hanoi for a day, seeing the places that tourists just wouldn't find. Unfortunately, when you move around as much as I do, you constantly think about what you should've done in past situations to have had the best experience. In the end, I gave a quick goodbye and thank you, and rushed off to catch my sleeper bus to Hue.
 Hue is city about halfway down Vietnam, just off the coast. It was a major battle site during the Vietnam War, but still offers scenic attractions making it a stop for backpackers. I stayed at the main hostel in town, and headed out alone for a day of sightseeing. I first went to the Citadel which shows how the Emperors and Royals used to live, and boasts gorgeous gardens. By the recommendation of an old Brtish man I met at the bar, I headed to the war museum afterward, and only then did I realise that the Citadel had actually been the location of a major bombing during the war. Images showed the ruins of the Citadel, and the ways the Americans tortured and killed local civilians. Unsurprisingly, the war is portrayed in a very different way in Vietnam, and visiting these places is really the only way to get both sides of the story. It's kind of eerie though; there are a bunch of old American war tanks and jets outside the museum, and you can see Vietnamese families and children playing on them and posing for pictures. On my way back to the hostel, I walked through a park along the Perfume River, filled with modern statues. Just before I left, a young Vietnamese girl approached me on her bicycle and explained that she was an English student and was hoping I would sit and have a conversation with her, so that she could practice. I had been wanting to have a real conversation with a local, and it's not like I had anywhere to be, so we sat down on a bench and went through the routine questions of ages, families, and jobs. She told me of her desire to work abroad in a developed country, but she didn't think she could, as it's so expensive and she comes from a poor family. She asked which countries I'd been to, and was shocked as I listed them off. She assumed I must be rich, and although I'm obviously not poor, I explained to her that traveling and seeing the world was a priority for me, and that if she really set her mind to it, she'd be surprised by what she could accomplish. She taught me a bit about Vietnam, and the poverty that exists here, and eventually a couple of her friends came over, which I took as my cue to leave. And that was Lala from Vietnam.
 When I got back to the hostel, I immediately began to meet people. An American guy in my room invited me out for dinner with a group of people, most of whom happened to be Canadians, from Calgary. Of course dinner led to beers which led to a night out, and I was more than okay with this, as I'd taken a reasonable breather from partying to have some peaceful time to myself. The next day, the Canadians and I visited the local market, and more or less just relaxed and walked around the town. The Vietnamese man from Hanoi had told me that I needed to go to Lang Co Beach outside of Hue. It ended up being pretty far though and I couldn't figure out how to get there, but I was determined, and where there's a will, there's a way. New arrivals in my room told me they were planning on motorbiking down to Hoi An the following day. While none of them could take me on the back of their bike, I was more than welcome to tag along on my own bike. I thought this through carefully; only a week or so earlier, I'd told my dad that it seemed liked an unbelievably stupid idea to drive a motorbike in Asia considering the amount of accidents and deaths. Then again, you only live once, and you can't live life fully if you never try something new. Plus, what's life without a little risk? I told the hostel I wanted to try it out the next morning. If it went horribly, I'd pay extra to have a driver. I did one run down the block, and almost hit a bus. For some reason, I judged that as a success and went for it. For the first hour or so, I took my time going slowly and getting a feel for the bike. After I built up my confidence, motorbiking in Vietnam became one of the best decisions I'd ever made. Driving through farming villages and along the coastline was unbelievably liberating. I had the ability to go where I wanted in a country I didn't know, and every new bend in the road presented a new scene, almost always more beautiful than the previous. School kids would line up as we passed, holding out their hands for us to high five them as we drove past; a lady with a motorbike crammed with geese drove past us with feathers flying out in all directions; men and women would pass by going the other way, sometimes giving us funny looks, shocked by a group of white tourists (and women at that) driving motorbikes with no locals. We finally got to Lang Co Beach, and honestly I was a little disappointed. Yes, it was pretty clean for Vietnam, and it went on for miles, but it was completely deserted with little character or appeal. After a quick lunch break, we kept going, driving through the windy mountainous roads of Hai Van Pass - not to mention the occasional goat and cow crossing - until we hit Danang. Danang was the only city we had to go through, but we had no choice but to follow the main road which was swarmed with motorbikes. I wasn't as afraid of hitting the other bikes as I was of losing my group and getting lost in the sea of mufflers. Luckily, I picked up motorbike driving fast enough to navigate my way through and come out in one piece. After that, it was a straight shot along the coast to Hoi An. That was it, I was hooked. The second I returned my bike, I was ready to go again.
 And I did, the very next day. I met up with the Canadians in Hoi An, who also knew two Canadian girls, so we all rented bikes and headed to Marble Mountain, along with an Aussie girl, Mel, and a Danish girl, Mie. Mel and I got bored and wanted to take full advantage of the bikes, so we took off early and headed back to explore the rice paddies and local fishing villages. I decided to take some photos for my portfolio - a task which has fully been neglected of late - and worked up the courage to ask some of the locals for their picture. They were more than willing, and I managed to get shots, from an old lady striking a pose outside her house, to two men posing the water buffalos they were using to till soil. That night, the Canadians managed to find a hole-in-the-wall local restaurant that serves up a table full of food for a set price, and you eat until you can't move. A few of us decided to go out that night, and found a bar that literally serves free alcohol. I ended up running into that group of British guys - yet AGAIN - and spent the night drinking crap moonshine, and dancing on pool tables.
 Despite the late night, the next day, I was up immediately, not only for the buffet breakfast at the hotel, but to visit one of the four hundred tailors in Hoi An to have clothes made. I knew about this feature of the town, and told myself I would only get a business dress made. A business dress, sun dress, leather shoes, and spring coat later, I decided I just couldn't afford anymore. I couldn't have been happier with my tailor. Every time I went for a fitting, she'd sit me down, offer me a cold drink, and we'd chat. One day we got into a deep conversation about her marriage. She's 25 years old and has a baby daughter. She said her husband used to be different; he'd also been a tailor and worked hard, and treated her well. After they were married, he stopped working and expected her to support him, as well as maintain the household. When she was pregnant, she found out he had a girlfriend. Now she was expected to take care of their daughter, run her own business, and wait on her husband, while he doddled around, drank coffee, and socialized all day. She knew she wanted to leave him, but didn't want her daughter to grow up without a father. I was so confused about what I should say to support her. The me at home would say ' Screw him! You're daughter will be happy if you're happy, and no one deserves to take crap like that from a man!', but I know it's not as simple as that, especially in Vietnam. On my last visit, I gave Ann the tailor a hug goodbye, and wished her luck with her business.
  In Hoi An, not only did I manage to blow money on clothes and motorbikes, I also happened to blow a whole seven dollars at a self-serve ice cream shop with 45 flavours. When you're in Asia for this long, treats like that just can't be missed. Soon after the Canadians left and I had passed a day watching Mel shop and drop a grand on a new wardrobe, new Canadians arrived: two girls who lived in Tofino. We immediately hit it off and had dinner and an amazing night out of bar hopping. The following morning, I skipped the hangover saga for a day at the beach before I had to leave for my next destination. I'd spent five nights in Hoi An, and I would've gladly stayed there for three weeks. Between the buffet breakfasts, the pool, the people, the adorable town with tiny streets and a gorgeous river, Hoi An was like living in a summer dream. On this trip though, all good things eventually come to an end, and the search begins yet again for the next mind-blowing adventure.
 So after yet another sleeper bus, I am now in Dalat. Weeks ago, I was flipping through a guidebook and saw that Dalat had an attraction called the Phang Nga Crazy House, an architectural marvel that was described as Gaudi meets Alice in Wonderland. On this alone, I decided it was worth visiting; something slightly off the beaten track that would give me something more than the usual parties and scene of the backpackers route. When I arrived today, after avoiding a thunder shower, I went in search of the Crazy House. Admittedly, it was pretty cool. Not only is it a structure full of funky walkways and narrow staircases weaved in with the natural trees of the property, but it's a guesthouse with rooms full of strange animals, like a kangaroo with glowing eyes or the 'Bear Room'. After exploring the central market, I booked a canyoning tour for tomorrow: a day of abseiling down waterfalls and cliff jumping (apparently Vietnam has me running towards adrenaline rushes). I only have about five days left in Vietnam, but if they're as good as the past two weeks, I have absolutely nothing to worry about.

The Laos Backpackers Route

Day Two at the waterfall with the group of guys

After my trek in Luang Namtha, I headed back onto the regular backpackers route. Usually from the Thai border, people take a two-day boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, but since I'd decided to go North with the Scots, I skipped twenty hours on a wooden seat on a long boat - figured I'd got the best deal. In Luang Prabang, I was officially on my own, making my own way. To say the least, I've met LOADS of people. After wandering around aimlessly with a couple from my bus looking for my damn hostel, I was put in a room full of guys. Initially I thought 'shit', but it didn't turn out too badly. One thing I learned immediately is that you meet plenty of characters. Among the first few was a guy who biked to Laos from London, and was headed to New Zealand, and a South African who I can only describe as a true nomad (I'll go into more detail later). Like I've said in the past, you constantly run into the same people in Southeast Asia, it's a very small world. When I had been with the Scots in the North, we had met a couple Brits, and it so happens I continuously run into them, so it comes as no surprise that I spent my first night out with a big group of Brits. In Luang Prabang, the backpackers have a routine: go to an amazing bar on the river called Utopia, and when that closes at midnight, head to the bowling alley (naturally, of course)!!!! I had heard from the people in my room that the waterfall near Luang Prabang was amazing, so I headed there the next day with the South African. The waterfall is touristy,  but beyond beautiful. There is pool after pool of crystal blue water the colour of Lake Louise, and at the top is a massive, powerful waterfall. We spent the day relaxing in the glacier cold water, and I learned a suprising amount about this fascinating person who has been traveling for what seemed like his entire adult life. He had crazy stories from being in the Amazon with tribal people to working in the circus. He also happened to be a bit of an artist, and sold little things to make a few dollars along the way. After lazying about and shedding off the previous night, I visited the night bazaar and finally bought a couple small gifts. The next day, I didn't really have a plan, and since a big group of people were heading to the waterfall, I figured why not. On day two, I was with a big group from my hostel and others that they had met along the way. One of the pools there had a giant rope swing that I'd been dying to try, so of course, I had to (ungracefully no doubt).

            The next day, I headed to the next spot on the backpackers trail to a town called Vang Vieng. Not too long ago, this town was infamous for its tubing and partying. Backpackers would rent inner-tubes, head down the river that was lined with bars, rope swings, and slides, and spend hours drinking and getting high. I think it was in October when the government decided that too many tourists had died there (rumour has it twenty people died last year), so they shut most of it down. Now it is a much more relaxed version with a few casual bars. I immediately met a couple British girls in my dorm, as well as the group of Brits from the bowling alley upon arrival. After spending a night at the town's Irish pub, we headed for the blue lagoon - a crystal blue stream with a giant rope swing and tree to jump off of, and a nearby cave to explore. To no surprise, I ran into a Belgian guy and a Spanish guy who had known some of the people from my previous hostel, and before you know it, we're all spending the day together. I had to jump off the tree and rope swing, and then five of us went to explore the cave. Not knowing what we were getting into, we were all wearing flipflops and had one headlamp. A Lao man at the bottom tried to rent us flashlights, but since we're all so used to getting scammed, we ignored him. Turns out, we were slightly wrong. At the cave entrance, my flipflops broke, so I had no choice but to do some barefoot spellunking. The cave was amazing. We had to navigate our own way through the rocks, getting slightly lost along the way. We topped off our day by having our tuktuk driver hit a cow on the way home.

            The next day, it was time to do the infamous tubing. It wasn't too bad, but definitely wasn't too crazy. We met a British couple and a guy who was biking around the world (his name is Neil Churchard and he's raising money for Unicef, check himout on Facebook if you have a chance), and spent the day with them having a few beers while relaxing on the tubes.

            I decided to head to Vientiane (the capital of Laos) with a couple guys I'd met through people at my hostel back in Luang Prabang, the Belgian and Spaniard. I ended up splitting a room with them, and had one night out to look at the night market along the river, and of course, down a few beers at a particularly creepy bar lined with old white men looking to get with young Lao girls. Ugh.

            Getting my visa sorted out for Vietnam turned out to be pretty straight forward (and expensive), but I was able to head to Vietnam immediately on the hellish 26-hour bus ride. I'd never been on a sleeper bus before, so I didn't really know what to expect. It's basically a bus where the seats go all the way down. It's still squishy and not ideal, but it is what it is. After yet another extensive border crossing - it took three hours to get everything sorted out - and another 10 hours, I finally arrived in Hanoi. I'd met a Spanish woman on the bus, and we decided to have dinner together and wander around the Old Quarter. She was middle aged and had left everything - her husband, her house, and her job - to travel and have a new lease on life. Some people might think she's crazy, I found it quite admirable. There's no testament to personal strength like shedding away everything you know and have known. After dinner, I ran into that same group of Brits from Luang Prabang and spent the night having a few beers with them before heading to sleep.

Halong Bay with a similar tour boat

            I had decided not to stay in Hanoi since I'm short on time, and I left first thing the next morning for Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba is part of a large area called Halong Bay, and is currently one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A lot of backpackers do a booze-cruise deal where they take you to an island to stay in huts and you do water sports and get pissed drunk all day. I decided to do my own more relaxed (and less expensive) version. I hopped on a boat for a one day tour of Halong. The tour took us to a giant - and way over touristy - cave lit up with fluorescent colours. We then cruised around the islets, eventually landing on Cat Ba Island. I found a cheap hotel in the town and got some much needed rest. The following day (which happens to be today), I found a rock climbing and kayaking tour. The guides were amazing, and it made me unbelievably jealous that this is their life: going around on a boat taking tourists to beautiful islands and more or less just enjoying life. Rock climbing turned out to be pretty challenging, it's definitely a good workout. For my first time though, it wasn't too bad; no accidents and no deaths. Always ideal. In the afternoon, our guide showed us little caves and routes in between beaches. The rock formations here have created endless tunnels and caves connecting beaches and lagoons. It's pure beauty. And that's it! Tomorrow I'm heading back to Hanoi where I'll spend most of the day before hopping on a night bus to my next destination, Hue. I've only been in Vietnam for a few days, but already my list of things to do has gotten monumentally longer and I feel like there's never enough time. I already happened to have looked into extending my trip by a couple months (unfortunately I don't think it's financially possible). Oh well, I'll just have to plan the next trip immediately after returning home!!!! No guarantees, but it's a nice thought!

View of Halong Bay

            

Temples and Trekking

It has now probably been only a week since my last entry, but it seems like so much has happened. After the Scots and I left Pai, we headed to Chiang Mai for one night before heading to Chiang Rai. Our one night was definitely memorable though. We booked a cheap guesthouse and I suppose we expected something similar to our last one in Chiang Mai. This was not the case. The dorm was more or less in a wooden shack. The doors didn't really close and there were tons of holes through the floors and walls. Our thin mattresses were on the floor and soon after arriving, Jo found a lovely cluster of ants on hers. After being there for just a few hours, we discovered that the staff were quite friendly - maybe even a little crazy - and we watched them gamble while they fed us snacks. Not surprisingly, we met people in our hostel almost immediately, one Irish and two Dutch, who of course knew more people from a different hostel, and before you knew it, we had a group of ten for dinner. Funny how you come traveling alone and you almost always end up in giant groups.

White Temple, Chiang Rai

White Temple, Chiang Rai

 The next day we headed to Chiang Rai. None of us really knew what to expect (yet another place that we didn't really research ahead of time). The very first thing we were told to do was visit the white temple (I forgot to mention that we immediately met a Canadian and a Slovakian in our new hostel who told us this over hotpot). The white temple isn't like other temples. It was built by a famous Thai artist who wanted to give a contemporary twist on Thai art and culture. When you arrive, you see an intricately built, beautiful temple. There are silver mosaics on the walls, and the bridge leading to the entryway is clad with giant dragons. When you look closer though, you see the gnarly scenes and decor that the artist has created. Around the temple are trees with head sculptures hanging down and long strands of plants growing out of them made to look like guts spilling from a guillotined skull. When you look even closer, you see that the heads are famous characters like Hellboy and Batman. You then enter the temple and cross a bridge. Below you are two pools with sculpted hands reaching up at you, and the odd face screaming at you from the bottom of the pool, like you're walking over hell. Once you get into the temple, you are surrounded with detailed drawings, some of which are not yet finished. There are lighter characters worked into the drawings, like Superman, Angry Birds, Hello Kitty, and Star Wars characters. Then there are darker images, such as the World Trade Centre being hit by planes, or faint images of different guns and weaponry. In the eyes of the Buddha painted at the front, you can make out the faces of George Bush and Osama Bin Laden. Despite the strange subject matter, Thai visitors were still praying. I guess a temple is a temple, end of story. Supposedly the entire project of the temple and the surrounding buildings is going to take 90 years to finish. Even in ten years time, I can only imagine that this place will just get more and more surreal and outlandish. We followed this up with a visit to the hilltribe museum. Sounds boring in theory, but came in very useful, as I'll explain later...
 The next day, after wandering the streets in search of a botanical garden, we gave up and asked for directions in a restaurant. There we met a couple, the husband from the States and the wife from Chiang Rai. They offered us a ride to the gardens, as we had somehow ended up on the other side of town, and started chatting. The man had lived in Thailand for 36 years, and spoke perfect Thai, but definitely still hung on to some American norms of life. He explained how he built his own giant home in the countryside and still wanted the luxuries of life. Just goes to show, you can take the man out of America, but you can't take the America out of the man. After walking around the gardens, we finished the night by somehow managing to go bowling (in Thailand, I know).
 Next it was time to head to Laos, and I have to say, it was the weirdest border crossing I've ever been through. We took a bus to the border town, followed by a tuktuk to the crossing. At the top of the street are shops to give you American money for your visa and passport photos. You then walk down a dirt road where you go to the Thai immigration office (low and behold, we screwed up our timing and managed to get fined for staying in the damn country one day too long). You then hop on a longboat and cross the river. You hop off, avoiding getting stuck in the mud, and walk up a hill to the Laos office, use the American money for your visa, and that's it. Slightly more rural than an American or Canadian customs officer giving you dirty looks.
 Our first destination in Laos was called Louang Namtha. It's in the North, about 20 km from the Chinese border. I think Rachel picked it out for trekking, so I figured I'd stick with the girls and see something new. After our first night here, it was time for me to split paths from the Scots and continue on my own. I had traveled with them for two months, and it felt like I'd known them for years. There's something about traveling that can turn acquaintances into practically family, and you get to know people twenty times faster than you would at home. The girls wanted to do a longer trek, but since I'm on a bit of a time crunch, I opted for two days. I ended up going with a couple - the girl from Austria and the guy from Germany. I think I really lucked out because the two were true nature lovers and wanted to take full advantage of their two days in the jungle. Our guide, Sing, had grown up in a tribal village, and knew everything about surviving in the wild. He showed us all the plants we could eat and use as medecine, and made us all walking stiks with his machete.

Sing, our guide

After hiking for about five hours, we arrived at a tribal village to spend the night. This was most definitely one of the most rewarding nights of my life. As soon as we arrived, all the kids started telling everyone that the foreigners had arrived, and we were swarmed by children wanting to play. One of the girls found some rocks and challenged me to jacks (which I apparently suck at), and none of them could get over my nose piercing. When it was time to cook dinner, we used plants we had found in the jungle to make soup, and the children gathered to help out, and show us how to prepare the local ingredients. It's pretty hilarious; you're sitting on the ground using a banana leaf to cut on, using a machete to cut up vegetables, and chickens and pigs are wandering around you the entire time. When we sat down to eat, a few of the locals who managed the property and their kids joined us. It was funny, every once and a while, a villager would pop their head around the corner, curious of what was going on. They were immediately invited to join us and eat, and our table got fuller and fuller. There were babies, mothers, and grandmothers, fathers, and teenage boys. We offered to buy our guide a beer, and before you knew it, even more people were joining us for a glass. The young adults of the village then got into their traditional clothes and danced for us. At the end, they tied strings to our wrists - meant to give you good fortune and wish away bad spirits - and fed us eggs - meant to give you strength. The whole night, I also thoroughly enjoyed playing with and making small talk with the young girls who happened to know a few words of English from school. The host family set up our sleeping area in our wooden shack - I'd say one of the nicer ones in the entire village.

Marten and Hannah making dinner with the kids

 The next morning we were woken by the roosters and by all the people working away to prepare breakfast. I forgot to mention that every meal was eaten with sticky rice which you form into balls and use as your utensil. We were off quickly for another day of hiking. Along the way, Sing picked plants to use for our lunch. When we got to our rest spot, we prepared everything using tools from the jungle. First, we made a fire (the German was thrilled to finally use flint and magnesium that he had purchased before leaving home). We then set up banana leaves and started cutting up the vegetables we had picked with the machete using bamboo as a cutting board. In the meantime, Sing had cut a long tube of bamboo, used it as a pot on the fire, and filled it with water to use as the base of our soup. We threw in the ingredients, and used a stick to mix everything inside of the bamboo. Sing then carved another tube of bamboo to make a giant dish and laid out banana leaves for plates. We poured our soup into the dish and used sticky rice (conveniently wrapped in banana leaves) to eat with it. Sing also showed us how to set up traps to catch different kinds of animals. I swear, this man could survive for a year alone in the jungle, it was amazing. The hike was definitely not a walk in the park, but despite the sweat, it was arguably the best two days I've had on my trip thus far.

Sweaty mess...

 Now I'm back in Louang Namtha resting up for the night, and getting ready to head to my next destination early tomorrow morning. Now that I'm on my own, it forces me to meet new people, and every new person has a new story, which I absolutely love. Needless to say, I'm more than anxious to see what the rest of Southeast Asia has in store for the lone traveller.

The Hippy Hubs

After leaving Bangkok, the plan was to gradually make our way North towards the Laos border, and hit up some of the popular backpackers' spots along the way.

Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai

We started off with just a couple nights in a town called Sukhothai. At the end of our stay in Bangkok, I came down with a bit of a fever, so I wasn't up for much, meaning that unfortunately my time in the North hasn't been quite as lively as I would've liked. Sukhothai is a fairly small town in the middle of Thailand. There isn't really too much there, but it is the old capital, so it definitely has some history. On our one full day there, we rented bikes and went around the ruins that are considered the 'Old City'. Turns out that apparently Sukhothai probably hasn't been the capital in, like, 1000 years... (this is a bit of a joke, I actually have no idea when it was the capital last, but if the Old City is any testament, it may have very well been 1000 years). I think I've talked in my blog about those surreal moments that hit you from time to time when you're traveling, those moments where you think "How the hell did I get here?". Well, biking on an old fifties-style bike with a basket going around ancient ruins was one of those moments. After a leisurely day, we had a laidback evening, as I tried to recover from whatever illness I had incurred (the girls were BEYOND nice enough to give me the private room with my own double bed). The next day we biked around the town for a bit getting lost as usual, until it was time to head on our next busride to Chiang Mai.

long neck Karen tribe woman

 I had unbelievably high hopes for Chiang Mai, since everyone I've met, both at home and on this trip, has raved about it, saying what a great, relaxed town it is. I honestly think that perhaps my expectations had gone beyond what they should have - not that I didn't like Chiang Mai, but it was just different than what I expected. We had decided to stay in Chiang Mai for six nights since we'd been moving around so much. I took this as a prime opportunity to rest up and get rid of whatever I'd had (after I'd thought I'd recovered, I was constantly getting lightheaded and had acquired some lovely heat rash on my legs). On our first day, we realised that we had no choice but to buy into some of the tourist traps, as that is just what Chiang Mai had to offer, other than numerous night markets. We started off with a visit to the Tiger Kingdom. Now I didn't even realise that this type of thing existed, but apparently there's one place in Northern Thailand where you can go into a cage with a bunch of tigers and pet them or play with them, whatever you want. Somehow, through growing up around people and being trained, these giant tigers are safe to openly be around (though apparently the baby tigers tend to get nippy). We chose to go in with the adult tigers, and the only thing between you and them is a trainer with a tiny piece of bamboo to knock them on the nose when they get out of line. Awesome. I of course took this as an excellent photo-opp. Obviously though, I had to have a bit of fun and pose with the tiger along with Rachel and Jo.

view of Mae Hong Son

 I almost forgot to mention this one little restaurant that we came across called the Funky Dog Cafe (appropriately named after the owner's goofy looking little dog). It was very cute - when we first went in, we all ordered the same curry with all different kinds of meat. The owner then proceeded to say "Oh no, this curry is much better with just chicken, you should all just order that." We knew he just didn't want to make it three different ways, so we went along with it. We then ordered different drinks and he said, "Oh no, Sprite is much better, good for you." We had a little laugh and went with it. After looking around the walls at the different sayings, poems, and artwork, we found that this was quite a little hippy joint. You couldn't help though but love the little old man - who told every table afterward to have the same curry with chicken - who seemed so cheery and at peace with himself and with life. You don't find that with all the locals, but there is a definite vibe - especially among ex-pats who've ended up here - of tranquility and a go-with-the-flow mentality: HIPPY TOWN! After a day of rest for me, and a day of walking for the others (they also met up with the Argentinian we'd met in Bangkok), it was Rachel's birthday, so we decided to take a Thai cooking class. At home, my mother among others can tell you I am a horrible cook, and a messy one at that. After a visit to the local market and a mini-lesson on different herbs, I successfully made spring rolls, curry paste and massaman curry, sweet and sour vegetables, pad thai, and fried bananas with ice cream - all from scratch! Honestly, it wasn't that challenging and they guided you along the way, but it definitely upped my confidence in my ability to try some new dishes...and it also confirmed that, yes, I am indeed a very messy cook. After surprising Rachel with a birthday cake - I forgot to mention that we also met up with Julia in Chiang Mai at this point - we went out for a small dinner and drinks. I decided to take it easy (surprising I know), and headed home after a few drinks, but the others went full force, and reverted back to our island routine. This of course meant that the next day was a hangover day. On our last day, we rented bikes again and, for some reason, headed to the mall. We decided to pay another amazing visit to the cinema to see a movie, and welcomed the free AC. In short, Chiang Mai flew by. I don't know that I really experienced it fully, but what I did experience was good and fun, but not mind-blowing. Though I will say that the night markets were pretty awesome, and lived up to what I would've expected.
 Our next stop was in Pai, which is where I now find myself. Pai is a small town about four hours Northwest of Chiang Mai. If someone were to go to Chiang Mai, and not really find it to be a hippy town, then Pai is the place to go. This is THE hippy town. On our first full day here, we did a day trip to Mae Hong Son and the surrounding area. We started at 4am and went to a lake for the sunrise, followed by a Chinese style village for breakfast. We then went to a mud spa where you could get mud facials or body scrubs. Being on a budget though, we went for the 'el cheapo' foot bath. We then went and saw a village of Burmese refugees where the women have stretched necks. It actually gave me an overwhelming remeniscence of Peru and the indigenous villages in the Sacred Valley. Our last stops were to a temple on a hill overlooking the town of Mae Hong Son and to a fish cave - basically a park with a river swarming with giant fish. After heading back to Pai, we wandered the streets, indulging in sugary doughnuts. It's funny how alive Thailand becomes after dark. It seems to be that way everywhere in Thailand. A town might seem deserted and dead, and then when the sun goes down, it'll turn into a bustling market full of music and vendors. Today we rented bikes again (this seems to be a trend of this part of the trip). The girls wanted to head to the hot springs, but being lazy and slow, I opted to just go to the local swimming pool, and chilled out for the day. They, on the other hand, biked fourteen kilometres, and visited the local hot springs. Tomorrow we head out for our last stop in Thailand, Chiang Rai. It is strategically located next to the Laos border. On a positive note, I began my research of Laos last night with a wikitravel search, and found that there are definitely some regular spots for backpackers. In two and a half weeks, I'm splitting off from the girls, and heading to Vietnam and Cambodia on my own. While I probably should be nervous about traveling on my own, I have to say that I'm actually quite comfortable with the idea. As much as I love traveling with other people, I think it might be nice to beat to my own drum for a bit, and really focus on my photography portfolio. Anyway, today marks two months of my trip down and three to go! Here's to the next few months!

Same, Same... But Different

After departing the laid back vibe of the islands, the Scots and I headed for Bangkok. Now almost everyone I've talked to, both here and at home, says Bangkok is nothing special. It's a big chaotic city full of scam artists and traffic jams. Well it turns out it is. But what's a city without a bit of chaos, confusion, and a good tourist trap?
 At this point, the girls and I are going day to day; we don't make plans until the morning of, and we're collectively flexible to go with the flow. On our first night in Bangkok, after an overnight ferry and eight hours in a minivan, we were not up for anything crazy. Plus, I think we all agreed we need a major detox after the islands. We opted to go to a movie, which was a fabulous change of pace and a definite comfort of home (and for some reason, the big movie theatre is on TripAdvisor's top ten things to do in Bangkok...Huh?). I'll admit though, it was a pretty decked out movie theatre with VIP seating. The only catch of the evening was that, before the movie, we had to stand for the national anthem, played to images of the King. It's hard to know for sure, since we are constantly lost in translation, but I get the feeling that the government and royal family in Thailand censor a lot of media in order to maintain popularity. I would've assumed this was true to an extent, but I'd say it's quite a prevalent part of Thai culture. That night, Rachel met an Argentinian guy traveling alone in the stairwell (like I've said before, you meet people everywhere here...), so he tagged along the following day for sightseeing. We did the classic day in Bangkok of visiting temples, such as the Golden Mount, Wat Pho, and the Grand Palace. Of course we got slightly lost and wandered the streets for hours, popping into various air-conditioned structures along the way - one of them so happened to be a contemporary art gallery, which I can definitely appreciate any day. We finished off at Kao San Road, probably the most popular street for tourists in Bangkok. It's mainly crammed with street vendors selling souvenirs and food, thrown in with massage parlours (happy ending?) and plenty of restaurants and bars. I think there is some general thought that Kao San is filled with strip clubs and pingpong shows, but that's actually in the Red Light District, conveniently located next to our hostel. Naturally, you can imagine what we had planned for that evening...

Temple at Wat Pho

 Okay, so before I get into this story, for anyone reading thinking I'm in danger or just plain mad, it's not the case, and now that this story has happened, I can be extremely confident that it will not happen again. After having a drink at the hostel to loosen up and actually be able to sit through a pingpong show, we headed down the street. We went with the first person who came up to us offering a pingpong show with free cover and cheap drinks. We didn't really think it through because nobody tells you about that kind of scam; after all, it's basically a strip club. So we head with this guy to a place and it's fairly empty and the show isn't really too exciting. I won't go into detail on what a pingpong show is - if you don't know, look it up. We decide to head out and maybe try a different one to see if it's any better. When we stand up, we are ushered to a desk with the cashier. She writes up the bill and asks us for 4,400 baht, about 150 dollars. Obviously we did not see it coming and none of us even had that much money. We told them what the guy who had taken us there said, and she claimed that he doesn't work for them (right, I'm POSITIVE that's true...). The lady starts going off to Rachel saying that she'll pay her 100 baht to shoot a pingpong - laughable, I know. We gave them enough money to cover the cost of what our drinks should've been and said we didn't have anymore. The lady had the nerve to lift up my dress (I assume she thought I was wearing a money belt or something), and that was it. I was in assertive mode. In the meantime, five women were surrounding us and had closed the exit door. Rachel and Joanne assumed that they would rob us of all we had and beat up the Argentinian - I didn't even think that far, I just wanted to get the hell out. After the lady lifted my dress, I gave her my stern stare-down and assertive speech to lay off and bolted for the door. Once we realized they weren't going to stop us, we ran down the stairs and through the market until we were sure they weren't following us. Verdict for the pingpong show? Never again. While after relaxing and getting a grip soon after we could laugh about it, it was definitely a nerve-racking situation and I'm just BEYOND thankful that I was not in that situation alone. In short - lesson learned. And of course, there is never a situation that some late night street food can't cure.

Bangkok skyline

 The next day we didn't really have much of a plan, but had read that Chinatown was good, so went for that. I also read about bird's nest soup, and am always enthusiastic about gross new foods. If you've ever watched Planet Earth, one of the segments on caves shows Thai caverns where birds make their nests on the wall by weaving their own saliva. The nests are harvested and used to make soup. Basically, it's bird spit soup. We found it fairly quickly, and as is easily imaginable, the texture was a little strange - but it wasn't horrible. We wandered the streets and explored the market before heading back. I decided to split off and visit the Arts and Culture Centre, which was unfortunately closed, but I stuck around to take some photos anyway. Even though I'm not traveling alone right now, I got a small taste of what it might be like later on in my trip. Honestly, even after a day, I feel quite comfortable and secure in Bangkok. I don't feel targeted (though needless to say, there are lots of opportunities to feel this way), and it's very similar to moving around in any city; everyone has a purpose and destination, and if you don't give them a reason to care about your presence, you remain anonymous. As Rachel would say, 'I love a good city'.

bird's nest soup

 Lastly, I must explain my title because this is one of the staples of Thailand. Obviously locals generally don't speak a lot of English, and the only words they seem to have down are 'same same'. What does that imply? Whatever you want it to. Typically, it just a way for them to agree with you, but sometimes it actually does mean 'same'. Since these infamous words get thrown around extremely loosely, it's only natural that the 'same same' is actually different. I'm not sure if the Thai people completely understand the mocking humour involved with the saying, but they have mounds of t-shirts dedicated to it, and it's almost as commonly heard and found as Gangnam Style (that's saying a lot!).

Statue at the Golden Mount

 Tomorrow we head to Sukhothai. None of us really know anything about this place. We literally looked at a map and chose a town halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I guess we'll have to wait and see...