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Lake Atitlan!
Sunday, January 29th, 2012 /

Chels and I took the one “direct” chicken bus to Panajachel from Anitgua. “Direct” just means that it goes all the way there, not that it doesn’t stop for every person flagging it down.

Kinda looks like Greece!

When we arrived in Panajachel we dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed straight for the shore. We made the walk down the main street Calle Santander which is lined with restaurants, markets and tour agencies. Down at the waters edge, Panajachel offers a great view of the lake as you look out at three volcanos. This is the most impressive thing about Panajachel. In fact we didn’t really find Pana had much to offer. It has absolutely no character and you hardly know you’re at the lake, which is why we went.

Amazing view!

Across the lake is San Pedro. The tiny boat ride across offers stunning views and only cost 3 bucks! As soon as we stepped off the boat, we immediately loved it! The whole town is actually along the lake, so no matter where you eat, sleep or walk…you can see the lake (unlike Pana). It is also much cheaper, and you don’t get the feeling you’re being ripped off just for being a gringo! For example: In Pana, a trip to Copan Ruinas in Honduras costs 280 Q ($35) but from San Pedro, almost FURTHER away it was only 150 Q ($18.75)!  Anyway we found a nice quiet little family-run place to stay, Casa Elena, and it was only 8 bucks a night for a private room WITH a bathroom and hot water :)

Boat ride across Lake Atitlan

We immediately starting searching out the best deal for hiking Volcan de San Pedro at sunrise. We ended up going with Bigfoot Agency because the lady was straight up with us. If it’s just the 2 of us, its 20 bucks, it we find a 3rd person, its 15 bucks! SWEET…we set out to find a 3rd! We ended up finding like 6…2 different couples…all from our boat ride over, so got it even cheaper!
So 2:15 am the alarm goes off, and we eat our 2 loaves of banana bread we bought the night before. Brad drinks his cold coffee he also got the night before, and off we went! Our guide met us at our hostel and we started the journey, passing drunks along the way that were still out from the night before.

To the top just in time!

Just getting to the base of the volcano was tough, but the actual climb up was RIGOROUS! Everyone had head torches, except me haha…I followed the other hikers light and the moonlight…making sure to lift my knees high. About 3 1/2 hours later, we were ALMOST to the top and saw the light of day starting to emerge. Brad raced up to the top for the last 10 minutes, and I moaned and groaned my way up shortly behind him! I was actually MOL-ing (Moaning out Loud) it was TOUGH!!! We lost half of our group to the hill…. But oooooh man the view was INCREDIBLE !!!!! It was 100% worth the pain and the colors of the sky behind the other volcanoes were so bright and illuminating! We were cheering and high-fiving each other in complete elation! The entire lake was beneath us and in our view!

Breathtaking!

In the middle of our admiring, the cold hit! THANK GOD our guide was already building a fire, because it was frigid! Even worse for Brad was that he was completely soaked from sweat…his back and butt drenched! We warmed up for a few minutes while we waited for the sun to peek over the volcano tops, singing songs to help motivate its rise… “Here Comes the Sun”!

Warming up by the fire!

Yay Here Comes the Sun!

The others finally arrived after the sun rise, and we all chowed down on some grub! Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Snickers! Some people brought whole blocks of cheese up! After about an hour and a half on the summit, we decided to head down. The hike down was AWESOME! Now that it was light, we could see the beautiful lush green trees. It was like a tropical rainforest up there! Also we could enjoy the view of the other side of the lake, and all the towns sprawled along it. We were able to walk through a coffee farm and try a bean or two, careful as to not risk being shot for stealing their beans!! lol just kidding. We finished just after 11pm and were exhausted, so after grabbing a smoothie, went straight for a nap!

Tropical!

Woo we did it!

After deciding to stay one more day in this cute town, we spent it relaxing at a super cool hostel called “Zoola People”. It’s Israeli run, right along the lake with a colorful tent full of pillows and tables to chill at. Skyping, blogging, and researching…enjoying their delicious Health Sandwich packed full of avocado! Brad and I find we need one of those days every once in a while, because traveling can be EXHAUSTING! (not complaining!)

Zoola!

Next stop…Honduras!!

Category: Central America, Guatemala, Guesthouses, Hiking, Hostels, Lake Atitlan, Panajachel, San Pedro, Volcano  Tags: , , , ,  One Comment
FULL MOON PARTY!!
Monday, June 06th, 2011 /
Exploring a world wonder is a high that no one wants to come down from.  Lucky for us we didn’t have to, since our next stop was one of the world’s most infamous parties.  The Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan!

We booked the overnight charter bus that ended up being pretty sweet, with reclining chairs as seats and movie service which helped when it came time to pass out. At around 5am the entire bus was woken up by the shouting driver instructing us to get off the bus.  We couldn’t see a ferry or water, so everyone was a little unsure.  Slowly we all got off the bus, and were told not to grab our packs that were piled in a giant heap outside of the bus.  We were in a rural area, hoping we were still in Thailand, at some roadside restaurant, but no one had any idea where exactly that was or how far from the ferry port we were.  Also, the organizers where reluctant to answer any of our questions directly.

Chaos and backpacks - typical Thailand!

After an hour of waiting and watching people get called one by one, we finally boarded a large bus that was packed in with backpackers gearing up for the night ahead!  Chelsea and I were the last to board so we had to settle for seats next to the driver on the gear box.  Eventually, after a 45 minute ride, we made it to the ferry and not to our surprise, this was overcrowded as well.  But, we had the fortunate luck of hanging out with some giggling Thai women and a lady boy for the ride over.

The ferry ride in!

As we were pulling in to the dock you could feel the excitement which transpired into some laud chanting and a sing song by the passengers and party seekers.
We eventually found our way to the spot we were staying.  It was right on the water and a beautiful setting with a swim up pool bar and luxurious villas.  We were led from the reception to our room which unfortunately was not in a villa, but in the staff compound building behind the villas.  Our room.. well, lets just say motel six would have been a serious upgrade.  No windows, one noisy fan and black spatters of who knows what on the off white walls. Luckily we were able to get some clean sheets for the bed that took up the entire room haha!

Expecting a big night ahead of us, Brad and I decided to catch some Z’s. We somehow managed to forget the nasty room we were in… Anyway we woke up refreshed, grabbed some delicious Thai grub from a little stand set up outside the room (who turned out to be super sweet and our go-to guy for the next 4 days!), AND found ourselves a bottle of Vodka to start the night off right! Eventually it was time to head to the party and we started walking along the street anticipating that taxi after taxi would try to pick us up for the party! After a few failed negotiation attempts, we finally found one with the right price, and before we knew it, Brad was on the roof of the truck (that vodka must have been starting to hit us!). We were too excited!

On the rooftop!

When we arrived, it wasn’t hard to find the infamous “buckets” we had heard so much about. They were on every corner competing for the best price, and we each got our own Vodka and Red Bull bucket for 250 baht. Next mission….find body paint! The paint vendors were charging wayyy too much for us (looking back it was probably less than $10 haha!) but somehow fate brought us together with these 2 Canadian girls who had talked their way into using someone’s paint for free! They were obviously feeling the effects of their buckets at this point and were ecstatic to paint us…also for free! Therefore…we were ecstatic!

Freshly and freely painted!

Now painted and armed, we hit the beach and began to see just how crazy the night was. We arrived at the perfect time, just as it was getting dark, and just as the FIRE was coming out to play! This is probably one of the sole reasons i am so in love with Thailand… the way they play with fire! First was the fire jumprope which for any Mario Party players from N64… it was a game brought to life! Drunken fools daring to run in and jump, only to run out yelping with burning bums! It was hilarious!! I kept trying to pressure Brad into doing it, but he didn’t…and it was probably better off being that we were onto our 2nd bucket at this point!

BUCKETS!!

The dancing was in full swing and we happened to be in just the right place as they lit the Hadrin Beach sign on fire. Everyone started piling up on the platform, including us! Everyone was our friend J and everyone was having the time of their lives. With a little height, we could see just how many thousands of people were partying on the beach!

Fire Dancers!

A few hours of dancing and wondering later… we stumbled upon a slide..and for some reason, i was super excited about it!! Just as i was climbing up a rope ladder that reminded me of my childhood, a big flame burst behind me, and the slide was now on fire!!!! SO COOL! I was so excited that i went down the slide twice. Mistake. On the second ride down, my skirt came up, bikini bottom turned into a wedgie, and my bare ass experienced the worse case of slide burn I’ve ever felt. I slid off the slide and ran my ass right into the ocean and squatted to relieve the pain…just like you see in a cartoon! OH it was funny but i was feeling the pain for the next week!

Fire Slide!

We didn’t quite make it to sunrise like we had hoped, but we were close! We again, negotiated a cab ride home and were didn’t wake up until late the next afternoon!
I think we did nothing the next day as we recovered in the lovely villa NEXT to the craphole we were staying in! The pool was awesome, one of those infinity ones that overlooked the ocean! Next to the pool was the villa cafe with hammocks and American movies playing on a projector! We did manage to make our way to reception to book ourselves a motorbike for the next day though… only 150 baht for 24 hours ($5 US)!

Pretty Pool!

So the next day turned into quite an adventure as we scooted across to the nicer beaches on the Northeast side of the island! Nobody told us that the nicely paved roads actually ended and turned into dirt roads with MASSIVE trenches and MASSIVE hills. When we approached the first one, we stopped, contemplated turning around, then decided to go for it, but not without me first getting off the bike and walking down the hill as Brad braved it down! It turned out to be fine, luckily since Brad took it nice and slow… but we had heard about the crazy “Koh Phangan Tattoo” people got here. And now we could see why. Even Lonely Planet warns you about it!
We made a pit-stop at Than Sadet waterfall along the way to the North side of the island. It was pretty dried up but ended up being really cool, because we were able to actually climb up the waterfall, rather than walk the trail. Many know…one of my FAVORITE things to do! Climbing mildly challenging rocks :) At the top was a puny little waterfall and pool that we took a dip in. We tried to check our Paradise Falls…the name sounded so enticing! BUT unfortunately there was no way our bike was making it through the treacherous path, so a quick turn-around for us it was.

Feeling adventurous

The beaches we made it to were Ao Thong Nai Pan Noi (and Yai) and Ao Chaloklum. Debatable if worth it after a 2 hour ride across the island, but no doubt were prettier and more deserted beaches. The landscape in Thailand is just so rare… crystal clear blue water, white sand, and green jungle hills all around! Really a sight to remember. We relaxed for a bit, and played around in the water, but realized if we wanted to make it to the west side of the island for sunset, we were going to have to leave now to allow time for the crazy ride back. Thankfully Going UP the trenched hills was not nearly as scary as going down!

Playing in the beautiful water

Sunset at Wok Tum Bay was super cool. With hammocks and benched stocked with pillows mixed in with palm trees, it truly seemed like paradise as the sky turned bright pink at sunset. All the Thai people were playing in the abnormally shallow water with their kids! It seems most of them prefer to go out when the sun goes down over going out in the middle of the day like most westerners prefer!

Incredible sunset!

Before we left Koh Phangan, we decided to take one more look at Hadrin beach, without the Full Moon Party… and it was like a different world. A little hutted bar playing Bob Marley with a few chilled-out patrons lying around on mats. No fire, no chaos.
We spent the rest of the night back at the villa, lounging in beach chairs staring out at the moonlit water; our  conversation interrupted only by a long stroll up the beach to check out some of the night life.  As we walked, we heard different types of music, each bar setting its own mood.  We may have stopped outside one or two to boogie a bit.  But this night was mostly for chilling out and taking it all in.  We sat on the beach and watched a lightning storm out at sea, listening to the quiet crashing of gentle waves, appreciating Mother Natures beauty.

Loved this lonesome tree

We were off early the next morning, happy to have made the trip and excited for our next one.
Category: Beaches, Festivals, Full Moon Party, Guesthouses, Koh Phangan, Thailand  Tags: , , , ,  One Comment
Temples of Angkor!
Monday, May 23rd, 2011 /

According to a 2007 field study conducted by The National Academy of Sciences, Angkor is “the largest pre-industrial city in the world.” – Pretty amazing fact to consider when getting ready to explore the ancient ruins.  It was the work of the Khmer Empire and King King Suryavarman II who started the construction of Angkor Wat as his personal temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.  Over several years and several hundred square kilometers later, nearly 1000 separate temples exist today, some of course in better condition than others.  An amazing amount of history is involved with the temples, so we were honored to be present in such an inspiring place.

Love the moss!

We took full advantage of our free bikes the next morning and headed out to explore the temples.  We were buzzing with energy so even though the humidity was intense, we pushed through it knowing that peddling the few kilometers would be well worth it.

The ticket booth is along the main road and you could almost miss it if you weren’t looking for it.  Something to consider, bring cash when it’s time to buy tickets because they don’t accept cards, we found that out the hard way.  No big deal as it would have taken something catastrophic to derail our excitement.

Welcome!

As we entered the site, the large body of water surrounding Angkor Wat was a tranquil and refreshing blue in the endless waves of green, and we could see the main temple in the background.  We turned left on the main road and came circling around the lake, keeping our eyes focused on the picturesque scenery.  One of our initial impressions entering into Angkor was how impeccably clean the area was.

Once we parked the bikes and had a chat with some of the locals touting post cards & waters and promising them our business for when we came out, we headed inside the first of several temples.

Angkor Wat, the most famous of the temples and the only one that is still used today is absolutely massive.  I’ve read that it is the largest single religious monument in the world.  There is a cool cobble stone pathway that leads up to the entrance, taking you over the water like a drawbridge to a castle.  You enter through the outside wall and once you clear the monks inside lighting incense, the temple is upon you.  We stopped and admired the grounds and the temple from a distance for a bit and continued on to the inside.

Loved this path!

It was very impressive how well preserved it was, especially considering the estimated 2 million tourists that pass through each year.  Chels and I went into photo frenzy, snapping left and right in between eaves dropping on tour guide sessions.  When it came time to climb the center, which is the holiest place on the grounds, Chels had to hang back because she didn’t have the proper attire.  Shoulders AND knees must be covered!  (Bring a sari and scarf so you don’t have to wear lots of clothing in that heat.)

The main temple!

The whole time we were practically speechless, except for when we would look at each other and utter a “cooool” or “AMAZING!!!”.  After about 2 hours we decided to move on from Angkor Wat and save some space on our memory cards for the other temples.  To the bikes!

The next stop was Prasat Bayon, the temple of faces.  It is definitely one of the more technical temples we saw.  What I mean by that is, artistry is more intense here than at Angkor Wat.  Carving a detailed face into stone with primitive tools leaves me dumbfounded.  It speaks volumes about the dedication to religious figures.  We loved Bayon and rank it up there as one of the top temples to see while in Angkor.

Faces!

It was on to Angkor Thom.  This is like entering a whole new city entirely.  We rode over another bridge, where we stopped for a photo op of the beautiful water.  The bridge led us into a small opening in the massive protective walls that had more complex carvings on it.  Once we were through the wall it was like a secret garden of sorts.  The area had been cleared of brush, but massive trees stood with hanging vines housing silly monkeys.  It was as if we had taken a journey back 2000 years and the only evidence of human beings was the passing tuk tuks and tour groups.  We stopped to observe the monkeys and the people feeding them.   Once we started riding again we began to realize how many temples there are within the city.  It is pretty overwhelming, and of course we wanted to see them all, or as many as we could.  So we turned to the highlighted ones on our entry ticket.

Our Cheapo bikes!!

With every ticket purchase you receive a map of the grounds, but it didn’t seem to do it justice how big the grounds actually were. Seeming as Brad and I got the 3 day pass, we decided to save Ta Prohm for another day. Today we thought we would take the “long route” and cycle all the way around the 34 km path! MISTAKE! This is something you should do if you have a tuk-tuk driver, or perhaps a bike that ISN’T made out of rusting tin…OR perhaps when your not on an uneven rocky dirt road! Not only did it take us ages and ages and ages, but there were only a couple temples along the back paths, and NONE were as admirable as the major ones along the “short path”! I was making the most of it though, and Brad stayed positive (Which can be hard for me to do)…it was such a majestic place; nothing could bring us down really!

One of the exciting temples on the long path!

Eventually, we made it back around to the main road back to Siem Reap! We had been out for a full 12 hours now on bike, and were more than happy to get back and relax! We read somewhere that all you want to do when you get back from a full day at Angkor Wat is take a cold shower and have a cold beer. That person was on top of it! We were thrilled for our cold shower, thrilled for our free soap provided, and happy to buy a 50c beer from the guesthouse. Realizing what we had in store for us the next day, we made it a VERY early night!

4:15 a.m. and we were up! We actually beat the roosters!!! No point in showering because we’ll be dripping as soon as we step out into the humidity. 4:30 we were on our bikes and headed to Angkor Wat to catch the magnificent sunrise! Only problem….it was PITCH black outside, and Siem Reap has no road lights…not to mention our rusted tin bikes have no lights either!! Haha! As we were riding down the road at 2.5 miles an hour, trying to decipher what was in front of us, we saw an army of tuk-tuks passing us, all filled with tourists who opted to NOT ride their bikes this early in the morning haha! We were the only crazies that thought it would be a good idea. By 4:45 though, the locals were out on their bikes riding to work, and some of them DID have bicycle lights, so we stuck by them to navigate our way through the town!

First glimpse of light!

When we arrived, we grabbed an iced coffee from a local vendor and made our way up to the temple. The sky was just starting to gain a bit of dark blue in its hue when we found our spot to settle. It wasn’t long before the sky started to dazzle with pinks and oranges….and Angkor Wat started to shine! It was really a photographers dream, with the temple perfectly reflected in the lake in front! I had never seen so many tripods in my life! But it was truly a sight to remember and 100% worth waking up at the crack of dawn!

INCREDIBLE!!!

We did a quick walk around the temple before cycling off to Ta Prohm…the temple we had been saving ourselves for!  Many recognize it from Tomb raider, although I myself hadn’t seen the movie…only pictures. But my imagination didn’t even measure up to the real thing! We arrived to massive moss-covered blocks in shambles, and roots the size of an airplane emerging from the ruins! It was the coolest thing ever!!!! The trees has just completely taken over the temple, and there was no stopping them. We walked and walked and kept thinking we had found the best part, but with each corner we turned, a bigger giant was there!

The smaller...but crazy roots!

We knew when we stumbled upon the mother because there was a small crowd snapping away with their cameras….waiting to get in with the roots! So glad we were there early, otherwise who knows what the crowd might have been like! I would have stayed there forever if Brad didn’t drag me away!

Famous shot!

My single emerging thought of Ta Prohm was how powerful nature can be.  Although it took several years to happen, vegetation has completely wrapped its arms around Ta Prohm, leaving us with the awe inspiring view and spectacular photos.  I left that place with a greater sense to the vulnerability of mans creations to our mother earth.  Whatever man builds can be taken apart in the blink of an eye.

Soo incredible!

The last day we were there we decided to take the hour plus journey beyond Angkor to the Kbal Spean Waterfall and Banteay Srei temple.  The ride out was great because it gave us an alternative look at the area.  We knew the stunning landscape or Cambodia but this ride took us through the endless acres of rice fields.

Neverending Rice fields

First was the waterfall which required a kilometer hike through the jungle, well partial jungle.  Along the way we met a cool couple or international teachers on holiday.  We had a nice chat with them about their teaching internationally and the benefits of travel.  The waterfall was kind of a disappointment for as far as we came, but it was still beautiful.  We took some time playing around and shooting photos and then headed pack through the jungle to our waiting tuk tuk driver.

Finally found it!

The Banteay Srei temple would turn out to be our final stop in Angkor and a grand finale it was.  The carvings were so intricate and amazing I was almost not convinced that they were done as long ago as they were.  We read that this temple was dedicated to women (reference) and was probably done by them because the detail required could have only been done by those who have smaller hands and higher attention to detail.  Seeing the elaborate skill of the artists here justified the long ride out and was the cherry on top of our experience.

Banteay Srei

We were so enthralled an alive in Angkor that on the way up to one of the temples, we stopped and admired a line of ants that cut the path in two.  That is what Angkor did for us and I’m sure will do for anybody.  It is truly a place to marvel at.  The people had such amazing and resilient spirit, the nature was kept wonderfully intact and the detail and effort that went into the construction is astounding.  This place is a must see, skip putting it on your bucket list, go right now.  GO!

 

Category: Cambodia, National Parks, Ruins, Temples  Tags: , , ,  2 Comments
The road to Angkor!
Wednesday, March 09th, 2011 /

We had early roll call at the travel agency to catch our bus to the enchanted world wonder, Angkor Wat.  We had heard about difficulties getting there from Bangkok, including booking through travel agencies which promise only one transfer at the border as opposed to nearly four different ones by train/bus.  There have been reports of this trip taking in excess of 20 hours for a normally 8 1/2 hour journey.  Needless to say, we were hoping for the best but ready for the worst.  (For more info, shoot us an email)

The ride to the border was excellent, hardly anyone on the comfortable air conditioned bus with seats that went practically horizontal.  We slept most of the way before we arrived at the Thai border town to find it quite flooded (literally with water….not people! :) ).  Locals in the street walking in water knee-high, sandbags everywhere and only the trucks and our bus able to drive.  Apparently not unusual for that time of year.

Riding her bike like it's no thang!

We got some cheap eats at the mandatory restaurant stop.  We knew we had to get a Cambodian visa and it was 20 US dollars at the border.  Our tour guide was offering somewhere in the range of 40 US dollars to take care of all the paper work ahead of time.  We saw this one coming after the many blogs we read, and respectfully declined letting him know we were aware of the actual price.  After he talked to everyone else and hearing they all accepted his offer, we were unsure of where that left us, so as he was leaving we stopped him and offered 50 US for the two of us and he unwillingly accepted.

Lunch Break...

...up to our knees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We shuffled back into the bus which took us to the border and a man escorted us and some of our bus mates across.  It was certainly nerve wrecking crossing into Cambodia, a country that just a few years ago had mass genocide and an evil dictator at the helm.   Walking through to Cambodia really reminded us that we were walking into third world.  It reminded us a lot of India’s infrastructure… as did their security guards and processing times.  We waited in a hot sticky shoebox of a room as we went through the border control for what seemed like forever.  Small price to pay for the wonders that lay ahead.

Little kids that sold us friendship bracelets!

In a heap of confusing transfers and pushy guides we eventually made it on to the proper bus which was to take us to Siem Reap, the neighboring town to Angkor and where all the guesthouses and hotels are.  Fortunately for us we had worked out where we wanted to stay the days before, because the bus dropped us off at an out of the way hotel hoping to make commission off the riders checking in.  They will say anything to get you to stay at the place, including telling you that your guesthouse has closed down or fully booked, when it’s not.  We quickly scooted away and along with us was some other backpackers, angrily but justifiably muttering something about the potential tourist trap.

We found a friendly pharmacist along the main strip and his wife called our guesthouse for us and even generously hooked me up with a bandage for my burn from India.

Riding on the Tuk Tuk!

A man came quickly after and brought us to the Golden Takeo guesthouse. We found this guesthouse after hours and hours of research! Everyone seems to be in competition in Siem Reap, but apparently not all the owners are in competition for hospitality towards their guests! We ended up choosing Golden Takeo which is just off the main road, and for only $7 a night we got  a King bed with a fan AND toilet paper and towels!! We received free laundry, free breakfast (and this is a mega-huge breakfast….omelet made to order and fresh bread from the bakery), free bicycle rentals, free fish bath massage, and free internet!! I just used free 5 times and i don’t even think i mentioned everything! We couldn’t believe it…the owner, Prom, who happened to be the nicest man and gave us so many other free things, was practically paying US to stay there! The workers were so lovely too! It was by far one of the best places we’ve stayed.

Fish Massage on the Rooftop!

We made sure to hit up the night markets in Siem Reap, and check out the infamous “pub street” along the way. It was hilarious seeing that the buskers on the street were monks playing flute instruments! Every corner we passed, we were seduced with free beer to get fish massages!! ” Only $2 for fish tickle your feet….. and 2 free  Tiger beer, free Anchor!!  Haha it WAS tempting, but we continued on our way to enjoy some different haggling!

Monks in the background :) on Pub Street!

The markets were amazing, and the prices were even better! I managed to find my whole family Christmas gifts! My favorite item was the Cambodian spices wrapped in  banana leaf packaging!  Then there were the hammocks, jewelry, clothing! I’m still regretting not buying the “Same Same, but Different” shirts…. we asked one lady what it meant, and were told “You’re the same, I’m the same (we’re both human beings), but we’re different!!) I LOVED IT!!

Spices!

Our time in Siem Reap was short, with most of our time spent at the temples of Angkor. However, in that time, we did gain an understanding of the people! They are all so lovely, they are really really hard workers, and always seem to have a smile on their face! Oh and the CUTEST kids around!! I would love to go back and spend some time volunteering at a school or helping out in some way! 

 

*Just a side note, you can use US dollars there, so no need to bring the local currency.  And most of the ATMs have an option for US dollars.


Category: Cambodia, Guesthouses, Travel Tips  Tags: ,  One Comment
What’s the capital of Thailand…
Monday, March 07th, 2011 /

We rode the wave of positive energy all the way back to Bangkok, now ready to explore the infamous city and its nightlife.  There are a handful of places to check out at night when visiting Bangkok, but the most important of course, is Kho San Road.  The road lies in the western portion of the city, appropriately enough, where all the westerners gather.  The bright neon signs light up the slew of bars, hostels, backpackers, con-men, prostitutes, street vendors and performers.  It is a travelers’ amusement park and entertainment epicenter; a place that will tempt your wildest fantasies and where anything goes.  It is the eastern equivalent of Bourbon Street with, what seems like, far less rules and regulations… and a whole lot of energy.  No doubt, a place we had to explore.

Kho San Road!

We booked a room at New Joes guesthouse, which is located in the back alleyway behind the Kho San.  Moderately priced at about 350 baht for a double, with a friendly staff and all the amenities you’d need for a decent stay in the city including: on site travel agency, Thai message, restaurant and bar.  Our friend Michael took massage classes here for a few hundred baht and in a week was a certified Thai masseuse.

Amazing Banana Roti!

After chow’n down on 30 baht pad Thai and comforting banana roti we sat down for a few beers in front of some kids break dancing in the street; our new friends Michael and Ron joining us.  Our waitress was, how to put this, a pretty young man… ladyboy to be P.C.  Despite what one might think about the confusing gender of this person, she was a good waitress and very polite (even when we stared a little).

Beer Tower with New Friends

Two beers quickly turned into four beers as we got to know Michael a little bit more.  Our conversation flowed as he told us about his beat-boxing performances on Broadway in New York City.  Frequent interruptions of women selling bits and bobs would otherwise been annoying, but we just chalked it up to the “Bangkok experience” and laughed it off.  The night ended shortly after our second tower of beer and we tucked in to bed dodging thoughts of bed bugs and concentrating on where we were leaving for the next morning… Angkor Wat!

 

Loving it!

Category: Bangkok, Guesthouses, Thailand  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment
Kanchanaburi!!
Thursday, February 10th, 2011 /

Kanchanaburi was an unexpected journey that turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences we had! Just a couple hours west of Bangkok, it was a chance to escape from the hectic chaos of the city. The lead up to the decision to go was quite stressful, as we spent hours in the tourist agency after finding out we would have visa issues after our future trip to Cambodia! After a little bartering, we ended up with a great deal, and soon we would find out, we would end up having the time of our lives!

River Kwai Bridge

The 2 hour shuttle ride passed by quickly, and we were immediately dropped off in the heart of town. Brad and I made our way to the famous bridge over River Kwai that the Japanese built through forced slave labor during World War II. On our way we passed a baby tiger and leopard which stole my attention for what could have been hours if Brad didn’t pull me away…not before i got to feed the tiger some milk though! It’s uncanny how similar their mannerisms are to tiny house cats!

 

And the bottle's empty!

When we did make it to the bridge, it was quite pretty with the extraordinary green surrounding the river (which itself was quite the opposite…brown). Before we knew it, we were being hustled along with the group to hop on the train for a long ride through mountains. It was a super classic-style train, and although it did take ages, it was a nice trip! We eventually arrived at our home for the next 2 days, a floating guesthouse on the river!

 

Train Ride!

Floating House we stayed in :)

 

Waterfall Fun!

We were given a massive amount of food, met our new friends and travel companions, and then headed to Sai Yok Noi waterfall. Some people could only stay 15 minutes, but since Brad and I chose the 2-day trip, we were able to relax and explore the waterfall for about 3 hours. Instead of following everyone up the footpath, we took off our shoes and waded through the water, climbing up the falls ourselves….way more fun! At this point, i was even happier i bought my waterproof camera, because we had tons of fun in the water! I kept my red pants on over my bikini, unsure of who i could offend, but it turns out Thailand is quite liberal! Surrounding the waterfall were caves, markets, temples, and plenty more to explore!

Lovin it!

Eventually it was time to return to our floating hotel, where we were fed another scrumptious meal and had a couple beers with friends. We met 2 English girls who we planned to meet up with in Kho Phangan, Michael from Israel who we still keep in touch with, and an Aussie who owned a farm and belong to WOOF! Along with some great conversation came our dessert, Rambutan’s… the weirdest hairiest looking delicious fruit out there!

Hmmm?

Our next morning was early, as Brad and I took a long boat ride down the river to bath with the elephants! This was the coolest thing EVER!! We were allowed to hop on the elephants completely barebacked, and go into the water with them. They were just the friendliest animals, especially the little baby! It was swimming around in circles the whole time, coming up to everyone with its trunk to say hello….SO cute :) The owners kept telling the elephants to dunk down, trying to knock us off, and it completely worked!

Brad being knocked off!

I was also able to ride on one just up to the bank of the river, where i was promptly sprayed over and over with water! A really really crazy experience. After it sprayed me a couple times, it would put its trunk up to me to kind of see how i was doing! I didn’t want to leave, but we had so many other things planned for the day, not to mention our 2 hour bus ride home. So we left, watching as the elephants very impressively trotted up this steep hill into the jungle.

Getting sprayed!

So happy!

Next in line was our bamboo ride down the river. It wasn’t quite as exciting as i thought it was going to be (the agency tricked us with different pictures), but it was relaxing and we were joined by good company! First a speed boat towed us up the river before we detached and floated back down….to our floating hotel! Water was spewing through the bamboo sticks as we went, and we all took turns with the paddle!

Bamboo rafting!

Then we were off to go for an elephant ride, which was really cool, but just didn’t quite compare after bathing with them. We sat in a seat, and slowly trekked through the jungle. It was fun to see the elephants eating everything green in sight…tearing down bushes with their trunks :) I love their trunks! We also got to chat a bit with our guides, and found out our 8-year-old elephant was his fathers pet before it was handed down to him. Such a different thought, having an elephant as a pet rather than a cat or dog!

Elephant rides!

After a quick break for ANOTHER delicious meal, our last stop was at a museum that exhibited just how brutal the Japanese were during WWII, and in particular to the Aussies. We saw “Hellfire Pass” where the train tracks were layed in the middle of a carved out mountain! It was really interesting to learn about the other side of WWII, as we do not hear about much in the U.S. with Japan other than Pearl Harbor.

HellFire Pass

Before we knew it, we were on our way back to Bangkok, and sad to be leaving such a magical place! I highly recommend anybody who goes to Thailand to make it to Kanchanaburi! Only $60 each for accommodation, all meals, museums, waterfall, bamboo ride, elephant ride, and of course the best…. bathing with the elephants! Experience it!

Category: Guesthouses, Southeast Asia, Thailand  Tags: , ,  3 Comments
Varanasi
Wednesday, January 19th, 2011 /

Varanasi from the Ganga

Even its name sounds alive , Varanasi, a place of religious pilgrimage, spiritual enlightenment      and deep soul cleansing.  Located alongside one of the worlds most famous rivers  the Ganga, or the Ganges is both the holiest and dirtiest river in the world.  Varanasi is an absolute must for anyone living or visiting India.   The purifying waters of the Ganga draw devout Hindis’ from all over the world.  Whether they are attending a ceremony for the recently departed or renouncing the physical world, this place possesses an aura that can only be experienced.  Along with the religious element, the city is quite unique, with its back ally markets that suck you in then spit you out, leaving you wondering which way is up and  just how you ended up in this area.

Lost in the markets!

Vendors line every centimeter of these narrow paths, slinging everything from exotic spices to beautiful tapestries;  it gets really interesting when a motorbike tries to squeeze through. There is so much going on in Varanasi that you hardly recognize where you are most of the time.

Drifting

Our guesthouse was right in the middle of town, so as soon as we stepped out the door, we were in the midst of the chaos….it was so cool!  We didn’t walk very far before seeing a man sitting cross-legged on the ground, and making personalized bracelets. We sat and watched for a while and realized they were only about 15 cents each, so got ourselves  “Drifting” bracelets.

Duo!

Red and Black of course! It was Amazing how quickly he made them…and for dirt cheap. Feeling a bit sorry for him, we thanked him and left him a tip :) We spent the rest of the night getting lost in the markets and stumbled upon some street food that we worked up the courage to try. It was DELICIOUS!! …dirt cheap! 20 cents each…. spicy! And we didn’t get sick….we were hooked!

Street Food!

The next day, we hit the streets again, dodging the cow poo and monkeys peeing from the building tops. One Indian man just started hilariously laughing at me because I was a drop away from the monkey….I’m sure aiming for my head from above!

By nightfall we made it to the amazing ceremony Brad talked about earlier. We arrived before most people and got one of the best spots in the front. The way they honor and celebrate life then death in India, and particularly Varanasi, is a much happier experience. Full of traditional song and dance, with incense, candles and flowers galore makes it an environment that overloads the senses.

ceremony

When it was over, somebody came out with massive bowls of food, and it turned into a madhouse with poor people trying to get a drop of it. We got out of there quickly and found our own heap of mushy food served in a leaf on the street! No idea what we were eating, but again….delicious and spicy!

Not sure what was in this but YUM!

Another incredible experience I recommend to everyone was the boat ride down the Ganges at sunrise! Completely worth getting up at 5am, this boat ride is both hilariously chaotic and inspiring. Thousands of Indians were around us as we boarded the boat waiting to wash away their sins in the river.

 

Bathing!

The whole time watching this, the guides are desperately trying to pull their  boats upstream, bumping into each other and jumping up on the walls to pull us along. It was sooo hectic, but once we were going, it was amazing. At one point, another longboat came along, filled with souvenirs and empty jars to collect the water in..tied onto us, and successfully sold jars to half the boat! Haha! So perfect for India.

Enjoying the Sunrise!

Varanasi is one of the most incredible places that we have visited in our entire trip.  I can say without a doubt, one of my overall favorites.  It is a myriad of bright colors, spiritually awakening ceremonies and fascinating people.  There is never a dull moment, and just what we were looking for!

Ganga


One of our favs

Category: Ganges, Guesthouses, India, Varanasi  Tags: ,  3 Comments
Taj Mahal!
Thursday, January 13th, 2011 /

Agra, a city that thrives off its visitors and as I saw it, an inevitable tourist trap of India.  Regardless of the scheming locals, there is no doubt that the Taj Mahal is one of the most awe-inspiring spectacles that man has ever created; not for religion but for the only other thing to make men spend wheel barrows full of money.. a woman. Mumtaz Mahal, the beloved third wife of a 17th century prince rests there in most spectacular fashion.

Enjoying the view!

The city itself is not so impressive, but not nearly as bad as some made it out to be; although, we did arrive at night.  Of course, we had to negotiate the rate for our tuk tuk ride, but the man must have been tired or our bartering skills had improved because he agreed to a price right away.

Boooties!

We woke up very early the next morning, before the sunrise and linked up with our driver from the night before.  We asked him to take us to a place where we could watch the sunrise over the Taj Mahal.  Wizzing through the backstreets, dodging cows and people alike, we arrived at a small hotel just before the sun broke.  Up the stairs onto the roof and majesticly and boldly standing in midst of the morning fog was the Taj Mahal.  We stood there and marveled at its prescense.  We snapped some photos and stood silent, admiring the wonderous monument but weren’t quite satisfied yet and moved in for a closer view.

We made an exception, broke the bank and bought tickets, 750 rupees each to be exact, 3800% more than what Indian citizens pay, yes 3800 Percent!  After putting things in perspective we got over the outrage of inflated prices and just laughed about it.  Plus our ticket was fancy, real scrap book material, and along with that we got a goody bag with slippers and a water.

Gorgeous detail!

As soon as we got in, we realized it was well spent money. The Taj Mahal was jaw-dropping! A stunner! Beating the crowd and the heat was well worth getting up at 6 a.m. Everyone was scrambling to get the perfect picture in front, and the paid tour guides were hilarious and annoying at the same time…making everyone else get out of the way so they can take pictures of their clients in 20 different poses. They had no concerns for being rude or pushy. Nevertheless, Brad and I still managed to get some beautiful photos and admire the view. The closer we got, the more we noticed the immaculate details on the building, and as the sun got higher and higher into the sky, the Taj Mahal slowly started changing colors with it.

Favorite!

Inside was just the tomb. Nothing special to look at, but quite an honor for the 3rd wife he built it for. 100% recommend everyone to see the Taj Mahal if they get the chance! It’s inspiring and breath-taking….and the monkeys hanging around remind me of Aladdin, which brings back happy nostalgic moments :)

Category: Guesthouses, India, Taj Mahal  Tags: , ,  One Comment
Rajasthan!
Thursday, December 16th, 2010 /

Well there was no question about it now, we were now drifting our way across the northern regions of India.  We rolled our sleeves up and dug in as best we could; ready to soak up every ounce of mother India.  Our experiences in Delhi left us itching for more, but some place out of the city and a bit more laid back.  Udaipur would hopefully be that place for us.

Udaipur Lake!

Enjoying delicious Chai!

Located in textile rich region of Rajasthan, Udaipur should sound familiar to all the 007 fans out there.  Still haven’t figured out which Bond movie was filmed here?  … Octopussy, and you can’t go five  minutes of conversation without a local telling you about it. Yes the great Roger Moore once walked the streets of Udaipur but besides Hollywood fame, it has much to offer.  It is a charming city with several lakes that fill up once the rainy season has come.  Lucky for us, our hotel was right on one of them.  We had a nice area for delicious Chai tea with pillows and a large window looking out at the lake.

Cow ready to boooze!

We waited until the afternoon to explore though. It is just TOO hot to attempt it, especially with all the extra clothing i have to cover up in! As we were walking, we noticed the cows everywhere! Walking in the middle of the street,hanging outside shops and lounging around in the shade! But also goats, chickens, dogs and donkeys! Kids would come chasing us down the street to chat with us and try to get a ruppee or a pen out of us. After much confusion about the pens, someone finally told us tourists starting giving children pens to use at school….we liked that idea!

It was also kind of surreal seeing all the women cleaning their clothes in the lake. They would dump them in, then slap them really hard again the ground… like they were hitting the dirt out of their clothing! Every evening they did this while the kids played in the water.

Upscale Indian shop!

Brad found himself a super Indian outfit and looked handsome as ever in it! Eventually i followed suit with some outrageous pants and an appropriate-for-temples top. Happy with our new outfits, we spent the next few days wandering around the town and taking everything in again. We noticed all the street food but were a little skeptical to try it still. One man stopped to talk to us and we ended up on the back of his motorbike to see his fancy shop. Luckily he was being honest and actually had a boutique. After serving us Chai and showing off his designs, we eventually left unable to buy anything :(

We were lucky one night to catch a glimspe of and Indian wedding. The kids were all adorable and the brother of the bride came and chatted us up for a bit. It was nice talking to someone who wasn’t trying to sell us anything! Although the kids were trying to get something out of us!

Just the girls!

Just the boys!

There wasn’t too much sightseeing to do in Udaipur; a couple temples, the city palace, and lots of shopping. When we did leave, we had bought too many tapestries, but left with a great feeling of the culture. We still had not been completely engrossed in it yet, but liked what we were seeing. Our next stop was Jaipur.

Temple and tapestries!

Walking into the hotel in Jaipur was the first upset that led to it NOT being our favorite city. The people were more than unfriendly and our room wasn’t the best, not did it smell it.  It seemed quite dull, no pretty buildings or temples in close sight, no greens, lots of construction. Ok… i know it’s India, but Udaipur was still nice to the eye, and maybe it was thanks to the lake!

Not the cleanest place...

Monkey Temple!

We set up to get a tuk tuk driver for the day to take us to the Monkey Temple, Water Palace, and a couple other destinations. It turns out, there isn’t much to see in Jaipur. I went into the planetarium by myself. It was supposed to be free on Mondays, but apparently no longer. It was kind of cool, but not something i would do again …. Brad didn’t miss out on much haha! We expected the water palace to be way cooler than it was……which is a palace flooded with water that you look at from afar! Lol!


Planetarium

Throughout the day, our driver kept trying to take us to these shops and we kept telling him we didn’t want to! Then he was straight up with us and said he gets 30 ruppees for just taking us somewhere, plus commission if we buy something, so can we please just go and pretend to be interested! hahaha, we went with it in exchange for a cheaper fare! We ended up buying a beautiful tapestry too, so he really got hooked up!

Still empty!

On our way to the train station, we did have quite an experience. Brad and I were walking down the road trying to negotiate with tuk-tuk drivers for a fare, when this really cool-looking Indian man riding a bike turned around to help us. He suggested that we take the local bus, because it drives right by where we were, AND it is only 7 ruppees each (15 cents) as opposed to 2 bucks! It was quite an experience! At first it was quite spacious, but as the ride went on, it became PACKED! There Brad and I were with our massive backpacks and tons of Indian eyes on us! hahah, it took almost 2 hours by the time we got off…. running to catch the train that ended up being 3 hours late!

When it was time to leave Jaipur, we were quite pleased, not only to get out, but because the next stop was Agra to see the TAJ MAHAL!!

Category: Guesthouses, India, Jaipur, Rajastan, Udaipur  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment