If you want to know what Jeff is up to...

A 'world'-class education? Wocka wocka

2010-12-13T18:24:00.001-08:00

Travelling can and will teach you more than even you know. From the moment you step off a plane in a foreign country, your senses are bombarded by stimuli that are different from what you are accustomed to. A mere glance at the landscape with all its accompanying sounds and smells will give you an inherent feeling of the place that you would not gain from reading an encyclopedia on your destination. Often, the feeling I get from people entering Bangkok is a "...Oh." Not many people expect a sprawling metropolis, massive skyscrapers in every direction, giant billboards and honking, state of the art Toyota (oh, aren't they all) cabs. No, Thai's do not live in mud huts. Yes, they have running water. Computers do exist in Thailand. These are the kinds of things that you take in nearly instantaneously without even realizing it, and they are invaluable in assessing the cultural norms and how they compare to your own back home.

Then there are the kinds of things you can actively learn from travelling - cultural displays like dance, eating habits or various historical monuments and museums - all of which offer you insight into what makes a different culture tick. I enjoyed this quote from a book I was just reading about the Vietnam War - a perfect example of how a cultural difference meant all the world. "To Asians steeped in Confucian concepts, time is an endless river flowing from an infinitely regenerative source. Time to Westerners is always precious; to the Oriental it can be spent with generosity." It even goes so far as to compare calendars in the West with calendars in the East: ours are linear, with pages that begin and end...a year is a long time. In Eastern calendars, time is a wheel with no beginning or end. It goes on to say, "Quick victory is a Western concept. All the Vietnamese had to do was not lose." They were patient, and it worked. But I digress.

For those out there who have travelled far and wide, it is all too easy to follow the rote tourist route, see what you came to see, and climb up on that high horse and say you've done it all. (Even if you go off the beaten path and do it your own way - if you aren't applying the things you learn to improve yourself or the world around you, there is another opportunity missed) And maybe you're right. But what is even more important about travelling is what you learn.

Travelling for the sake of travelling is just like any other hobby. What makes it unique is there are often more opportunities to take what you see around you and use it to better yourself. Look around you, at the things other people do through their unique personalities or through their different cultural perspective. Take those things you like and make them a part of yourself. Remove those habits that you hold on to that you dislike. Create your own culture and cultivate your personality to be how you want it to be. No one else has as much power to do that as you!

Whether it be exercising your body or your mind, testing your ideas against someone else's, helping someone in need, or contemplating your purpose in the world to better clarify your goals, make every day count. We only gots so many of em. And travelling is one of my favourite ways to find new ways of improvement!

The name of the game is self-improvement, and if a day goes by where you haven't learned something new or gained a new perspective or changed your life or anothers in any way, was that day well spent?

Is Patriotism Worth It?

2010-11-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I can see a lot of people not liking this blog post. Why? Because everyone loves their country. Everyone loves LOVING their country. We love our countries so much we root for them. We love our countries so much we fight for them. We love our countries so much we die for them. The funny thing is...those people on the other side of our gun barrels, they're doing the exact same thing. Everyone is willing to die for their country...but is every country worth dying for?

I will not bash my country, nor the significant things it has accomplished. I am lucky enough to be born in one of the most affluent parts of the world, and the standard of living is among the highest on the planet. We have lots to love. Free health care, high paying jobs, a relatively robust economy (for the times, at least), and two car garages. Sounds like the best place to live in the world. Nor am I saying that my country is better than any others. For the way most of us live our lives, it is one of the only conceivable places we CAN live - who grows up on a 6 figure household income and then goes to shit in a hole in a jungle for the rest of their life? Not many of us. But the point of this post goes deeper than a game of "my country is better than yours" and indicates a deeper, and occasionally dangerous, need of the human psyche - the need to belong.

Think back to your elementary school days, when you had those schoolyard rivalries with that other school down the street. It was us and them. Known and unknown. Good and bad. But then when you all went to high school together and went out to cheer on the football team, you were all buddies. Now it was the next TOWN over that were the baddies. "Kick their ass sports team X, they're not from here! Send em home crying to mama!" All of a sudden you've graduated and working at the local automobile factory. Now you and all your buddies are proud, Canadian auto workers, top notch workers in an industry floundering in our society's maturation to a services based economy. "Don't buy from that OTHER country! Support US! Your neighbours! Your countrymen! Our cars may not be better, but they're OURS!" It would take an extreme case of myopia to not see the pattern here.

The severe in-group mentality of patriotism can sometimes be alarming and has been the cause of more than a few world conflicts...and on top of that, the example above is just economically unsound in a properly regulated global market! The issue we are all forgetting when we stand forward to defend our country, whether from economic "backstabbing" or from the evil doings of another country, is that there is a deeper bond connecting all of us, running deeper than patriotism or all our other groups that we create to feel that we belong.

I'm not saying we should all hold hands and wear flowers in our hair being beatniks around a bonfire and be "citizens of the world", but I would question why that statement garners a "pshaw" from most people who hear it. Is it so unreasonable to extrapolate our lessons learned on the schoolyard and embrace that which ACTUALLY binds us as a species? We seem to so crave that in-group sense of belonging that we forget that we are ALL part of an in-group, as human beings. Should that level not take precedence over our nationality, no matter how awesome our country is? "Well that would be no fun, there would be no one to exclude!" Maybe someday we will find life on another planet. Then we can all have fun being xenophobes and maybe we can have peace on Earth.

Empathy has been called the most intelligent and evolved of all emotions. Perhaps that's what this is about. We evolved from solo hunters who had to kill any nearby stranger because they were a threat to survival. Now we've evolved into nations of strangers. Perhaps we have to evolve past that nationalism, too. I swear there's a quote from Lincoln out there somewhere about how if we grew up with the same influences and experiences as our enemies, we would be no different from them...so how can we hate them for it?

Granted our forms of government can hardly handle the burdens put upon them by supporting and ruling even their small amounts of citizens. But perhaps one day we can hope for a unifying body that is capable and trusted enough to carry out our next schoolyard evolution.

Update: Found this video from the RSA a few weeks after writing this and he brings up some really good points that go along with this post! Enjoy!

The Lottery You Never Knew You Won

2010-10-19T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is a post done by a friend of mine on Facebook and I really liked it. I will cite my sources: This is by Madison "Big Cat" Schwartz. Awesome dude, and apparently he can write too! Our favourite pastimes include discussions about Russia, politics and failed states as well as doing push up competitions while drunk. Which I won. Here is a picture of him in a bath with another man and a teddy bear named "Mrs. Bear".

Told you he was awesome.

Take it away, Big Cat!

Whenever I meet people for the first time, the subject of travel seems to inevitably come up. Traveling is a major part of my life, I love it, and thus, I seem to always end up talking about it. People are sometimes unsure how to start planning, and saving for a trip, and a common response when I invite someone to travel with me, or to travel in general is “…Ya… when I win the lottery”. Well, here’s the thing, you’ve already won it, so pack your bags.

Think about your life. Chances are, if you’re reading this blog, you’re from a middle-class family, in the Western world. Now, I’m not a statistician, I’m not going to bombard you with numbers, but I wager you’re pretty stoked that you haven’t been born one of those people that live on less than $2 a day. These people number approximately 2.8 billion, we number considerably less. Not everyone in the world today has the opportunity to travel, we do, and we should take advantage of it. In addition, because of where we live, none of us were pressed into military service at the age of 18 (more than eighty countries worldwide still enforce some level of conscription, effectively removing the ability to backpack freely, at least for a time).

Now think about the era into which you’ve been born. Many of our grandparents, and great grandparents had the opportunity to visit Europe, or Asia, but it certainly wasn’t for pleasure (this is a reference to the World Wars, for those who are less historically inclined). We live in the freest era the world has ever seen, we’re not expected to join the army, get married, have children, or own a home by the time we’re 25, we can, but we don’t HAVE to. We’re part of what’s being dubbed the “boomerang generation”, we have a unique opportunity to have been born into a time when it is very acceptable to pursue a travelers lifestyle for a few years, and most of us still have the safety net of a home to come back to.

We live in the era of air travel. Sometimes, bleary eyed, and pissed off at the lack of movie selection on my 12 hour flight to Bangkok, I have to remind myself that only a few decades ago that same journey took several weeks, and a ship full of hearty sailors. Take advantage of this era when flight prices are at all time lows, don’t wait for that big retirement trip in forty years, the way things are going, there might be no aviation fuel left. Pretty good timing for us I’d say.

And yes, I know, even though all these things have added up to create an era where world travel is possible, it still costs a pretty penny, but here’s a clichéd idea you could try. If you’re a student like me, you drink a shitload of coffee, and odds are you buy your coffee at $5 a cup from the capitalist heathens at Starbucks. Brew your own for a year, and pocket the fivers, and next year we’ll go to this little café I know in Bangkok, and the coffees are on me. Deal? Deal.

Just DO it.

2010-09-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Nike had it right all along.

When you're thrown in the deep end, you'll learn to swim. Fast. In other words, when you are committed to a course and have no option but to see it through, you will be surprised at what you're made of. So, stop worrying about it and let the cards fall where they may. All will work out in the end.

All you need is confidence.

Change yourself to suit your environment, not the environment to suit yourself.

2010-09-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

While travelling, I found that I was very content with my life. Some people may say that is easy, given that my life was a permanent 'holiday', but it is surprising how many people still find discontent. "We hate waiting at the airport", "It's too hot here", "Why can't X be like back home?" are complaints that I hear often.

I relish waiting time, as it gives me a chance to listen to and record my thoughts in an otherwise fast paced life. Accept your environment as it is, and change it when necessary to suit your needs. But always be happy.

If you are cold, don't leap for the thermostat. Put on a sweater. Grab an extra blanket and get cozy. If you are hot, embrace it. Remember a time when you were extremely cold and bask in the warmth you are currently experiencing. If you are hurt, accept the pain as part of yourself. Do not consider it an external effect causing you discomfort. Absorb it into yourself and there is nothing more to complain about. Internalize the pain and concentrate on healing.

Don't miss the chance to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. If you are lonely, see it as a chance to make new friends. If you are with friends, see it as a chance to enjoy time together. If you are bored, see it as a chance to look up something you always wondered about or read a book or learn a new skill. If you are stuck in one place for a while, see it as a chance to join something new and stick with it, enjoy your routine. If you change your perspective on your environment rather than seeking to change the environment itself, you may find that it is not so bad after all.

Perhaps discontent comes from within yourself rather than from without.

The phoenix had the right idea.

2010-09-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

Travel is by no means about "finding yourself". That would imply that a perfectly formed version of yourself already exists somewhere that only needed to be adopted to become "you". No, there is far more truth in creating yourself...seeing parts of others and the world around you that you find beautiful and want to incorporate into yourself and share with others. It is frightening at how many opportunities for us to better ourselves passes us by without even our notice...every experience is one to learn from. It is never too late to change yourself to be exactly how you want to be - besides, phoenixes are pretty.

This brings to mind a pertinent quote:

I have learnt silence from the talkative,
toleration from the intolerant,
and kindness from the unkind;
yet strange,
I am ungrateful to these teachers.
- Kahlil Gibran

We should thank all those who put us through hardship, because they are the fires who forge us into the people we are.

The New Wealth

2010-09-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

There's a new form of wealth, one you can't see or taste or touch. You can only hear of it, or experience it yourself. It is not a wealth displayed through cars or jewels or anything that can be measured against traditional riches.

It is in the experience of wealth, the ability for those who accept this ethos to live like they were wealthy rather than just collecting the ephemeral dollars in the bank. It is those gathered life experiences, that APPLICATION of wealth and the freedom it permits...that is the new wealth.

I hope I can remember to enjoy it.

Who said travel days had to be boring??

2010-07-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

One would think that since the word 'travel' implies moving from place to place, then travellers would be accustomed to such a thing. Some more than others do enjoy the thrill of heading somewhere new and unknown, but I have seen more than a little dread cross someone's face when they look at the endless kilometres that must be traversed to their next fun destination.

Night train with a solid crew!

Crossing a border? We've got you covered on all party fronts!

Although the saying "It's not the destination but the journey that matters" is true in the larger sense of your life long journey, try quoting that to a haggard soul who has been on a train for 36 hours and they might tell you different. Travel in most people's experience involves seeing new places and experiencing new things, not just passing them by at 80 km/hour. And so the oft-dreaded 'travel day' is born. Luckily, Free & Easy has a solution to that.

With Captain "Clown College" Coolin in charge, a course was set for epic-ness!

It all started on the ferry back to the mainland...

Travel with Free & Easy is not comparable to anything I have ever experienced. What might have been a long, lonely, iPOD filled ride (better hope that battery doesn't run out!) if you were travelling solo or with a friend has the potential to turn into a massively mobile party on wheels. You are never alone without someone to share a conversation with when you are in a group of 20+ happy, friendly people travelling the same direction without a care in the world except when is the next bathroom break (or beer stop!). Whether it is chillaxing on a ferry from one paradise island to the next, playing games at the pier waiting for a transfer, or enjoying the wind whip your hair into a frenzy in the back of a truck, Free & Easy travel days are anything but boring!

The girls enjoy the wind in the back of a Song Thaew

While the boys take the back of a pick up

Indeed, they have perfected the recipe for group travel over the past decade, and even provide the Thailand trip with the ultimate travel vehicle: the PARTY bus! Equipped with a devastating sound system, indoor siren lights, and a leather couch at the back, the party bus is an explosion waiting to happen like a chemical reaction. Take a group of fun loving people, add costumes, a few road pops (that's allowed in Thailand, and for that matter pretty much anywhere outside of the western world), some sweet tunes and maybe a rainbow coloured wig, enclose for 3 hours, shake it up with some on bus crowd surfing and a bumpy road and BOOM! Party time! You are at your destination in no time, and kind of sad to be getting off the bus!

Party bus!!! With Bryn, Sara, Kimber, Coolin and me.

Aly, Kyle and Shawn join us while Roanne decides its roof dancing time!

The costumes get busted out - wigs and all!

Kirb-stomp finishes off the bucket by her lonely self =)

Even bathroom breaks can be a blast!

Even when things go wrong on a Free & Easy travel day, there is always a silver lining hidden in the clouds. While travelling from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang on the LTC, my group experienced quite heavy traffic due to excessive mud on the road caused by recent landslides. At first we were expecting a few hour delay and grabbed some snacks and beers from local roadside villagers, but as we edged our way around some clifftop roads and the tires slipped closer to the edge with every tap of the brakes, we knew something was up. As time wore on we realized we were in this for the long haul...it looked like we were going to be delayed over 15 hours and would have to spend the night on the bus! Not to be discouraged, we made friends with some of the locals to ferry a few crates of beverages to and from the bus for us to enjoy, and after a few hours of hanging out on the bus we decided to go and explore the local cliffside village. The locals were excited to see us, as they don't have much exposure to foreigners except in the odd roadside stop. The women of the village graciously offered us food for free as we were quite hungry and stranded with no dinner, but we understood the plight they were in living in such poor conditions so we offered them a fair price of a dollar or two for corn and rice to tide us over until we reached our destination.The children came out and wanted to play games with us, resulting in endless rounds of Stella Ella Olla for the girls and catching cicadas (a noisy but harmless bug about the size of half your palm) and giant bat-sized moths (honestly, it was as big as your hand!) for the boys. I have never seen a child so happy as the boy who had a cicada in each fist - it was like Christmas morning! Who needs that expensive plastic Tonka truck when you've got perfectly good bugs to put in your pockets?

Look at that thing! Isn't it cuuuuuuuuute?

At first we thought it was a bat.

Dani tries to steal local children. "It's not CREEPY, it's called the maternal instinct!!" Sure, Dani.

We also discovered that a 4 year old Laos child was much better at catching the cicadas than we were - they had no hesitation to get in there and grab it by the wings or thorax, where a lot of us foreigners would hesitate or recoil because we thought it was gross. It reminded me of how some people hesitate to take the reins on their life and idly watch it pass by from the sidelines - while Free & Easy shows us that it is okay to grab life by the horns and enjoy every minute of it. Even on a travel day!

Songkhran - Country wide water fight!?

2010-04-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Songkran...What is there to say about it? Perhaps one thing: if there is a time of year to be in Thailand, this is it. If there is a place, it is in Chiang Mai. It is in this very place that 16 Free & Easy travelers (and a score of others along for the ride) are lucky enough to celebrate the half week long Thai new year's festival.

That poor kid looks so confused by all those white devils...

Water accessories not only necessary, but encouraged!

The holiday of Songkran coincides with the coming of the new year in the Thai calendar (among others in South and Southeast Asia). Historically this was a time of cleansing and renewal, and a ritual evolved where water was poured over statues of the buddha to cleanse them of dirt. Afterwards, the "blessed" water that had been poured over the statues would gently be poured over relatives and friends shoulders to cleanse them of any past misdeeds. The holiday has largely modernized into a gigantic country wide water fight, in which it is perfectly acceptable to spray anyone anywhere as long as they are outdoors and it is relatively daytime.

Told you it was gigantic.

Outdoors? Check. Daytime? Check. Spray on!

Jon and Lindsay having a good time blasting people in the face. Note the foresight in buying classic WWI pilot goggles. This isn't his first rodeo.

Chiang Mai has an Old City surrounded by a moat, which makes for water fight central during this week of warring wetness. To celebrate the holiday in true Free & Easy style, we rented three pickups off of our good friends at Libra Guesthouse and placed a garbage can full of water in the back of each. To be extra sneaky, we bought a few giant chunks of ice to cool the water down and give it that extra kick when you dump a bucket over a stranger's (or friend's!) head. We took the pickups for a rip out and around the old city, and by ' a rip' I obviously mean waited in traffic for hours as the roads were full of revellers on foot, bike, and pickup dousing each other mercilessly with unending buckets of water. It was pandemonium! People lining the both sides of every road, two or three deep, and an equal number clogging up the roads themselves, with a few more unfortunate enough to have been pushed into the moat. I made the mistake of choosing the truck packed with Canadian girls...now if that isn't a target for Thai's and foreigners alike, I don't know what is. I tell you, if this water absolves sins, then by the end of this week I will have atoned for every sin of my life. Not that they believe in sin in Buddhism, but you catch my drift. Being in the back of that pickup was like being in a torrential monsoon, non-stop! There was no break in the downpour, not even time to shotgun a beer! That didn't put a damper on our fun though, as we hopped in and out of our truck, refilling our water guns and going to find our friends and blast them in the face while yelling "Sawat dee bpii mai!", which means "Happy New Year" in Thai. All in the name of cleansing, right?

Be healed, heathens!

The greatest thing about this holiday (other than being able to be a kid in a water fight again) is the friendliness and openness of the Thai people to strangers. I rode countless motorbikes and jumped on the back of dozens of trucks, just to catch a lift around the corner or to graciously refill my empty water gun with precious ice cold water, which I inevitably turned on those very same Thai people 30 seconds later. It's a blessing, right? You have to be polite. There were smiles all around, even after a bucket in the face. Locals would cheerily invite you onto their trucks, offering to share their whiskey as they asked about your home country and what you were doing in Thailand. This would all happen while you simultaneously soak every victim in sight. Now there's a bonding moment.

I'm pretty sure I'm in one of those trucks out there. Or maybe I made that up. You can look for me if you want.

Walking around the moat, you were inevitably targeted by Thais in posession of talc powder mixed with water, often used by monks for blessings but during this week of mayhem it was more for the purpose of face paint. You could expect to walk out of there looking like you were just in a mud fight with your younger sibling. But it washed off easily enough, and your luck should be improved for the rest of the day! More likely than not it would be washed out by the next wave of water to hit you head on. Even the street vendors got into the fun, getting soaked and returning the favour, shooting back with their own wares of water guns and buckets.

This is the only week a year where you can slap a complete stranger across the face with a full bucket of water with no explanation other than a smile. (Preferably a foreigner...the Thai's are usually more polite with a sprinkle of water from a bucket or a gentle pour over your shoulder). So I know where I'll be next April...do you?? Sawat dee bpii mai!

Year end...already??

2009-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

Starting with an LTC trip right around Halloween and following through to a 20 day Southern Thailand trip, my co-leader Colin and I had a few months of adventure ahead of us!

Coolin and me doing what we do best. Standing around lookin good ;)

We did a bit of temple hopping around Siem Reap, posing with some Apsara dancers at Bayon temple.

What horrible beast could be coming out of that door?!? I don't know, it was Halloween gimme a break. Normal pictures are boring.

We managed to make it to the Loy Krathong festival in Nong Khai, where you make these elaborate boats out of banana leaves and flowers, put either a piece of hair or nail clipping to symbolize something about yourself that you want to let go, and float it on down the river to cleanse yourself of that which you don't like about yourself. Neato.

Here's to crossing borders successfully and finding ATM's (and beer)!

We swung by the party spot in Laos (river tubing in Vang Vieng) and decided it was time for a drink.

There's no escaping the roving 26. The bar just let me take it and pour into people's mouths, how cool is that?

What goes around comes around!

We had a few daredevils on this trip, including Rob shown above and Shan who went on one of these swings while chugging a beer. Impressive.

Of course we had to swing by the Chiang Mai zoo and give props to my brethren. If you look closely you can see that I'm wearing my panda family shirt (courtesy of Jemma) and my panda shorts (bought for me by Janelle, Kaley, Carmen and Sharen in my group). What a thoughtful bunch!

Heading out on a jungle trek with my good buddy and everyone's favourite guide: B!

Only I didn't feel like carrying a backpack on the trek, so I tried out the timeless hobo stick. Next time I'll pack lighter. I'm moving towards phasing out the bag completely.

A sweet secret waterfall pool that you have to climb across and down some sketchy rocks to find. We are a few hundred feet up from the bottom of the waterfall and loving every minute!

For some reason B let me guide our raft this time, which almost ended us up in a rock wall. Other than that minor slip up though, we made it unscathed!

So FINALLY after 6 months of working out (not in the gym way) in Thailand, Ryan was convinced to join me out here for an adventure! When they got news of this, Dennis and Seabass booked the trip as well and flew over from Australia, and Ryan managed to sign on Mikey G from our California days as well. Two good friends Christopher and Sophie from Germany were also in Thailand at the time, and Honza from the Czech Republic was going to meet us in a few spots as well! Even without a group, we would have had a good time...but with the crew we had, it was nothing short of legendary!!

Reunion in Bangkok!

Shortly thereafter Ryan got pick-pocketed and lost his passport...but not to worry, he had this completely accurate passport photocopy! Looks just like him, don't it?!

Mini - Tubingen reunion mit ze Germans!!

We started out straight at the floating bungalows in Khao Sok, where all sorts of shenanigans ensued.

Such as makeshift Seabass diving boards.

Dennis might regret that one.

Seabass put it to our guide Yaya with a lake in the face...with Ya's consent, of course. Nobody can force that jungle man to do anything!

Then we encouraged a "shotgun-a-beer-and-backflip-off-the-dock" competition, which wasn't really a competition at all. It was just fun and really cool.

Family photo! Resulting in a sinking dock.

Ryan got stranded on a tree in the middle of the lake. Mischievous Dennis...

Coolest flag ever. Onwards rasta people!

Then we headed back to the jungle to meet up with the other two F&E groups and have some massive parties! One party in particular took a bit of preparation: the famous JUNGLE PARTY!

Our jungle party theme was goth...can you tell? We kind of intimidated the other groups.

TWO bald topless Asian dudes?? Which is which?!

Freaky deaky.

But our stony faces deteriorated rapidly...there's just too much fun to be had!

We squeezed in some river tubing while we were there too.

Look like fun? Oh it was.

Ryan likes licking giant Cicadas.

After chilling in the jungle we headed to Koh Phi Phi, party central of Thailand, with some of the best fire shows in the country! Including fun (and definitely not safe) stuff for tourists, such as fire limbo, fire skip rope, and leaping through flaming hoops. Yeah.

Go Jessi! If she makes it through, she gets a free shot. ...and if she doesn't!? *Woof*

Ryan got up for the fire skip rope and won a whole free bucket! Holy crap! I only won two shots =(

Phi Phi is also famous for it's epic scuba diving. Those courses sure came in handy, eh Ryan?

We also found a nice sunset that kind of looks like the F&E logo...so of course I had to pose with it.

Next stop: Railay! Rock climbing, abseiling, intense hiking, white water rafting, cooking courses, and some of the best beaches in the world!

A lagoon hike (more like rock climbing without a rope!) that Ryan and I braved at Mikey boy's insistence. Insanely beautiful lagoon enclosed on all sides by limestone cliffs.

Apres that we did a cave hike over the beautiful Phranang beach.

Which took us to this cave with a spectacular view over West Railay beach...which we then abseiled out of into the jungle below.

What a brave mountain climbing man!

We got the opportunity to visit a local school and play some games with the schoolchildren. That one in the front is Dennis, in case anyone was confused. We almost lost him there, he fits in so well.

Relay race!

I'm gonna WIN!

Sunset in Railay. Ooooh, ahhhhh.

For our last stop, we head to Koh Phangan for the infamous Full Moon Party. We stay on a little slice of paradise called Haad Yuan beach. See for yourself.

This may be my favourite restaurant in Thailand: Bamboo. Nice view, eh?

A cuddle puddle over at Eden bar.

Getting pumped up for the FMP!

Full Moon partaaaaaaaaaay into the next morning!

FINaLLY the bet to wear the panda hat for 2 months comes to a close! Jeff gets a case of beer and is happy. Joel challenges Jeff to wear the hat for 4 more months. Asshole.

Back to Bangkok and Ryan picks up his new passport safe and sound. I told you not to worry Momma! It's a sad goodbye, but a happy "See ya later!" I'll see these boys again in a week!

With the big party over, Dennis and Seabass are heading up north to Chiang Mai, so a few of us decide to tag along with them! We took a Mahout training course, where you learn to command and ride elephants and do various tricks.

Now THERE'S a trick! Who knew this was even possible?

We feeded them...

We got picked up by them...

We got some elephant hugs...

And don't forget the elephant smoochies (that felt kind of like a vaccuum)...

We used them as convenient seating...

We learned to mount them...

And command them using a combination of Thai phrases, foot and body movements, and a dull hooked tool. My elephant was the best, her name is Va. She is a very polite elephant, and can say "ka" when you give her bananas. (Ka means thank you in Thai)

We rode them around the property...

And then had a giant waterfight using the elephants' trunks as weapons! Nak nak nak! BOW BOW BOW! Jenna took the first one right in the head!

Seabass got a good one in the face, and I did too as I was yelling "Bow bow!" which resulted in a wave of elephant nose water down my throat.

No day is complete without an elephant turd fight. I got a nice wet one in the head, care of Seabass, so for some reason I decided it was Jenna's turn!

Group shot with our new buddies.

Seabass decided it was now time for Dennis to learn how to ride a motorbike, since they were planning on driving Vietnam in a week (probably one of the most difficult places to drive in SE Asia) and Dennis at this point could still barely ride a bicycle. Good idea, Seabass. I hope they make it out alive to come back and visit someday!

What, were you expecting some deep and inspiring thoughts in this post on the significance of closing one year and beginning another, based on the title? Well...it took me long enough to write THIS, okay?! What's the big deal with years anyway? It's just another measure of time. Do we have new month parties? Well...I guess that COULD be the Full Moon party...but we'll ignore that since it's just an excuse to get drunk (kind of like New Year's?). Perhaps it's because the year is the most significant measure of time relating to the span of human lives...is that it? If you were some sort of super being you would probably measure your age in decades or centuries, and each new year would probably be much less noteworthy. Babble babble babble...although the new year is a good reminder for us to reflect and think on your past deeds and how you could have done them differently (preferably for the better). A good REMINDER...if this is the only time this year you have done this, you need to smarten up and do it a bit more often! Who needs New Year's resolutions? We should be making New Day's resolutions! Each and every day you can work to improve some part of yourself in some small way, and each day you will be the better for it. Abe Lincoln agrees with "I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday"...and if Abe Lincoln doesn't think much of you, you must not be very cool!

Cambodia is supposedly the 3rd most corrupt country in SE Asia. I believe it.

2009-11-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

We arrive after a 4 hour drive at the Cambodian border. Colin, the other group leader, forgot his passport. Shyyyyyte, he'll have to turn around and go back. That's alright, I've done this border crossing many times before, he can meet up with us tomorrow. Nooo problem. None...hop on that bus Colin and we'll see ya tomorrow! Ok bye! Yep...just waitin around, waitin for our guide, waitin waitin for our guide, where is our guide? I give our contact in Cambodia a call asking where our guide is. My phone beeps: LOW BATTERY. Well that isn't good timing. He says he will call the contact and get back to me. Alright...I hang up, and my phone beeps again: CREDIT IS LOW. REFILL SOON. Even better! So now I am trying to contact our guide with a phone that is about to die AND run out of credit, and I have no backup phone because my co-leader is on his way back to Bangkok. Impeccable, really. I laugh. Being screwed can be so much fun.

20 minutes later our guide shows up, and takes us across the border but decides to change it up and make things difficult, probably because I was missing a leader and had a phone that was about to die AND run out of credit. Maybe that was just coincidence. The Cambodian border is a special place, rife with corruption and bribes and mafioso. A visa will cost you $20 + a bribe for the guards on duty, usually 200 baht ($6) per person. This fee is negotiable when you are in a large group, and I usually negotiate it down to about 50 baht ($1.50) per person. But our guide today won't let me go to the guards, he wants me to give HIM the bribe money. Yaaaaaah right, so you're going to take this over there to them and do exactly what I'm gonna do and pocket the rest? I don't think so. This little charade went on for another 1.5 hours, as he sends me from office to office to find out why I can't just go to the border and get a damn visa. Finally he gives up in the face of my stubbornness, and we go together with 15 passports to the visa office, where I haggle the bribe down to 50 baht per person, like I said I would all along. We then sat down at a big table, 4 Cambodian guards and myself, and proceeded to fill out visa forms for each group member, forging their signatures all the while. I wonder if it's illegal if they give you permission to forge their signatures. Oh well, it's just official CAMBODIAN documents, how official can they be? If only you had listened to me in the first place, Mr. Border Guide, they could have filled the forms out themselves!

I then proceeded to bribe the mafia $15 to drive us from the border to the 'bus station', because of course they need their cut. Last trip, one leader and our guide were actually surrounded by mobsters who double as motorcycle taxi drivers, and it was threatened that if we didn't take this bus to our ACTUAL bus, heads would roll. Hmmm, ok, we'll pay! Hard decision there.

Finally, our guides themselves want a bit of the action, because even though he was a pain in the ass the whole time, kept us waiting unnecessarily and was trying to rip us off, he wants a tip. So I do, because I know that if I don't grease the wheels now it will be even more rusty the next time we come through.

Damn you, Cambodian border crossing.

LIVING in Chiang Mai!

2009-10-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah, really living like a real person would! With an apartment, and a bed that is mine, a TV (not that I watched it) and even a closet! How cool is that!! For three weeks, I didn't live out of a bag! (I kind of missed it though...ok maybe not.)

What did we do in that time? Well...we studied Thai of course.

Could it be true? Speaking Thai in 15 days? Kapom! Rao puut paa saa Thai dai mak mak!

Look at us, such diligent students. This was during detox week.

Detox week was a bit of a shock to our systems, considering I hadn’t stayed in one place that long since…Germany? More than a year ago. It was bizarre having constant internet access, a shower always available, and a gym to work out in. What is that?!? A g-y-…g….GYM? Jemma and I even hopped over to the mall (right next door to our apartment, score!) and picked up some workout clothes. We were good boys and girls and went to the gym every day, except when I was coming down with some nasty disease a few days before we left. We even went when we were hungover! But that wasn't during detox week, I’m getting ahead of myself.

What else did we do? I watched a crapload of movies, caught up on all my emails and facebook messages I had been neglecting for months, and sorted my life out as much as I could (considering you have to be in Canada to renew every official document and piece of ID you own…crap!) We went to a few of the many night markets around Chiang Mai…

See? Mmmm Som Tam…

I also slept a ton, averaging well over 8 hours a night trying to catch up from all those months of drinking and partying. Which I was kinda starting to miss by the end of the week…

I had heard from a girl I met in China that you could ride ostriches in Chiang Rai, 3 hours north of Chiang Mai. “No WAY” I told her. “I don’t think you can even RIDE an ostrich, and on top of that, there ARE no ostriches in Thailand!! How preposterous!” Well I hopped on the G machine and sure enough, Wana Ostrich Farm operated out of Chiang Rai. So I sent them an email:

Dear Wana Farm,

Can you give me any information about riding an ostrich, how much it costs, how long it takes to get there, etc?

Thanks,

Jeff Emmett

And they sent one back:

Hello, Mr.Jeff Emmett
we are really glad to give you the information.
about the cost of riding an ostrich, it's 70 bath [which is about $2]
you can ride it as much as you would like.
it is quite easy to ride it, you just have to balance yourself while riding
it
and i confirm that it is very fun.

Thank you very much and hope to see you soon
Wana Ostrich Farm.

So I checked with the roomies.

Jeff: "What do you guys think?"

Chris: "Well if you can ride ostriches and they sell beer, I'm in."

And so our weekend was decided. Let’s book our bus to Chiang Rai!

Of course, a bus ride isn’t a bus ride without getting drunk first.

We got into some trouble on the bus speaking naughty Thai words, forgetting that everyone else on the bus knew exactly what we were saying. Oops…

First night in town I wanted to practice my Thai and ask where the bar was…well I seem to have asked the wrong Thai female and we got dragged into some kind of bar/prostitute alley. But we found a chill out rasta bar and had (more than) a few beers. Apparently I didn’t catch up on enough sleep last week!

The big day is finally here, I am ready to fulfill one of my childhood fantasies and ride a fricken ostrich. So we hop in a tuk tuk…and he takes us here:

Well that’s not an ostrich farm. But it is a very pretty temple.

We get back in the tuk tuk and explain to him where we want to go, very slowly and with some Thai to help us along. “Farm. Kun ruu Wana Farm? Ostrich. Nok Yai. Ostrich. Kow jai mai??” To this he nods….and then takes us here:

wtf? Well it's a farm...but where are the ostriches?!

This is gonna be difficult. So finally he calls one of his relatives who can speak 3 words of English (instead of 2) and they inform me that if we want him to take us to WANA farm (which is exactly what we said all along) that it was going to cost 3 times as much. Damn you taxi man, we are in the middle of nowhere, why you gotta do that? At this point we were tired and just wanted to get there, so we shelled out. It’s been a while since I’ve been ripped off in Thailand, it had to happen sometime.

We made it! Hehehe…

Then we rode some large birds. On the right is Nok Yai, and on the left is Gaylord. Their names were decided arbitrarily.

There’s Jemma…hi Jemma!

I was born to do this.

Well, with that adventure over with, we were ready to ignore the rest of Chiang Rai and head back for something long overdue: RETOX WEEK!!

We’ve been in detox so long Chris doesn’t even recognize it anymore!

First order of business - stocking the fridge with yummy yummy Chang beer!

Now that we're all set to have fun, what shall we do tonight? Oh yes…bar hopping!

Which bar do you think we should go to Jemma? I don’t know, why don’t you pick, Jeff?

How about the bar where the baby elephant wanders around out front! We actually saw this elephant 3 or 4 times hangin around the old city and the bars…I even learned his name! But then I forgot it. I was drunk, gimme a break.

Oh mannnnn, Sunday niiiight, we have SCHOOL in the morning…ouch! So we go out and party on Sunday night anyways, and show up the next morning in class as one haggard crew. Our teacher laughs at us and teaches us how to say “hangover” in Thai. She also teaches us a few key phrases like “poor you” and “serves you right”. She is just happy we showed up, and tells us that as long as we come to class we can be hungover, sleep, drink beer, all in the hopes that we might absorb some of what she is saying. Is this the best teacher I have ever had?? Maybe. But she’ll regret saying that! The next 5 days we proceeded to drink every night, and sleep through at least a half hour of class per day. Break time was also dubbed nap time (after snacks and coffee, at least), and there were even convenient benches outside of class where we would pass out, sometimes as a group. Did this stop us from being the best students in class? No WAY! This was also the point where we began to talk about what we did yesterday (to practice our Thai, of course). For Chris, the topic always seemed to revolve around drinking – drinking beer, drinking whiskey, drinking gin, and so on. For some reason our teacher decided that I liked ladyboys (maybe because my hair made me look like one), and so my conversations always seemed to revolve around looking at or liking them. For Jemma it revolved around not wanting to hang out with me or Chris anymore…understandably so.

So…what’s up for this weekend? How about a trip to Pai, hippie capital of Thailand and quite possibly to coolest place to chill out and relax in a hammock? Sounds good to me. I <3>

So we get to Pai and determine that our money is best spent buying beers at the 7-11 and drinking them in the intersection before heading to the bar. Yes, that is us standing in the middle of a full on stoplighted intersection. No one even minded, except one bike driver who barked at Chris…that was bizarre. By the end of the night the intersection ‘bar’ was the most happening place in the city! No joke!!

Chris saw some Thai people wandering around earlier in the day with Panda hats and decided we should all buy them. Who were we to disagree?

Joel (the one in the mouse hat) dared me to wear my panda hat for 24 hours straight, for which he would buy me a large Chang beer. Not being one to back down from a free beer, I did as he suggested. With only a few hours left in the bet, he dared me to wear it until the December full moon party when we would meet up again – a full TWO MONTHS later. He knew from the beginning that I couldn’t turn down such a dare, and so he didn’t even have to set out terms for the completion of the bet. We eventually decided on a case of beer to be shared between us at my eventual victory…at which point he dared me to wear it another FOUR MONTHS to Thai new years in April when we would meet again. Oh JOEL, you will be the death of my healthy head of hair! Well...so far so good!

Drinking, studying, partying in intersections, ostrich riding, going to class hungover wearing panda hats...what did we NOT do in Chiang Mai?

Taxi: 439, Backpacker: 1

2009-10-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

1 am: "Qui Nhon!" The bus driver yells to wake me from my fitful sleep. I goggily pack my things and get off the bus...in the middle of nowhere. "10 minute walk to taxi, then 10 km to hostel," he informs me. Daaaaaamn, you can't take me any farther? Unwittingly, I try a tactic that works in negotiating the world over: looking pathetic and groggy and lost. "Alright, get back in..." he agrees as I morosely flip through my Lonely Planet looking for a map I know isn't there. Yaaaaay thank you Mr. Bus Driver Man! A good 10 minute DRIVE ensues (imagine if I had to walk that!), and I am dropped off at the outskirts to the city. I hop off with a hearty wave of thanks, and immediately the motorcycle jackals pounce. "Where you go, where you go, 200 thousand dong, 100 thousand dong"

I'm not falling for this one! For once I've done my homework, and I know that 30 thousand dong is a fair price. "50 thousand dong! 50!" they proclaim. "Dat gua!!" I reply, "Too expensive!!". I love this game. I wander up to a slumbering taxi and ask for meter. No surprise, the motorbike jackals scream over my shoulder to charge 200 thousand dong. Alright, you wanna play? Because I am more than willing to stand on a deserted street corner at 1 am arguing with 3 taxi drivers over $1.50. (Yes, I am THAT poor.)

I call the hostel, intending to give the phone over to these insolent drivers when the girl tells me it costs 30 thousand dong. But she doesn't. She says it should cost 100 thousand. Uh oh...better cut my losses and take this guy for 50 while he's still offering! I pretend she said 50 thousand, and hop on the back of the bike.

A bumpy 10 minute ride later, we arrive at the hostel. I can only imagine that my driver called out to ask how much they had quoted me, because as I handed him a 100 thousand dong note he nodded and gestured that I go inside, pocketing the money. I don't move as he walks toward the gates. "Change," I say. "No, 100 thousand." "We agreed on 50." He turns away and begins to speak to the hostel workers, but I turn around and hop back on his bike. Yes, the key is still there! I pop it into neutral and hit the ignition, drawing their attention and an angry shout from the driver.

"Change?" I ask him again, politely but with the obvious implied threat. "We are getting change!" The hostel worker informs me. Good enough, but I KNOW the dude has a 50 thou note in his pocket since he was waving it around in my face 10 minutes earlier, so don't try to fool me into thinking you were getting that change all along.

For once it's the cab driver that took a hit to the wallet...it's about time! Backpackers need a break too!

The wonders of Ninh Binh

2009-10-08T02:23:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to write this by Ninh Binh, an out of the way spot in Vietnam with some interesting landscapes. Unfortunately my friend's camera died and my kodak disposable sucked, so you will only be able to live this place through my words and some terrible, 1970's esque pictures. I had only one day here, but we managed to get out and rent some scooters, check out a few pagodas and take the famous boat trip down the scenic river and through something like 11 caves barely big enough to accommodate the boat. This is a place to come back to.

We race over the wide, paved streets, extricating ourselves from the grasp of the quiet but constricting city. The buildings drop away, and the wide boulevard evaporates into a narrow lane suffering from obvious neglect. Our bikes coast over potholes and stones, slowing our journey, but this does not bother us. For we are looking out upon a beautiful collaboration between man and nature. Vast green rice paddies, tipped with gold - the promise of a good harvest - stretch off into the distance, where limestone cliffs thrust out of the ground like vengeful fists of the gods. We tour through the backroads, between quaint villages to visit ancient pagodas and climb to the very tips of the mountains themselves. A hole in the rock at the peak allows a much needed breeze to flow through, and affords a view over the landscape framed by nature herself. A land of beauty.

On our boat, we glide through narrow caves just inches above our heads on perfectly clear water, and by some trick of nature the humidity and temperature only increase, giving no respite from the day's heat. The shade does not go unthanked. The only sound in the depths of the mountains are the soft lapping of the water being treaded by the paddles of the boat. Through to the other side, a faint wail can be heard in the mountains, belying a temple secluded in the limestone bluffs. We climb the mountain of stairs to reach it. The peace and tranquility of this place is unparalleled, and I promise myself I will someday return. On our sojourn home, the sun sets the fields of rice ablaze in golden flames as it lowers itself between the prodigious mountains, all the more magnificent wrapped in their robes of light and shadow lent them by the sun each evening and returned to the heavens each night.

He who hesitates is lost.

2009-09-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

On the streets of Vietnam, at least. At first glance, traffic here appears to be ruled by ultimate anarchy, the worst nightmare of any western traffic regulator. The truth is, the rules of the road are very simple. DON'T HIT WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU! That's pretty much the only rule going. If you follow that, and you trust the people behind you to follow that, you're on your way to a fab roadtrip in Vietnam! Of course there are some finer nuances to help you cope with the lack of any real adherence to traffic lights, road signs, or lane markers. Heck, intersections don't even have stop signs!

Note the dude at 90 degrees to the others...he just plowed through moving traffic without a hitch.

- Steer around anything in your way...even if it puts you out of your lane. The person behind you will do the same to avoid you, even if it brings them into traffic coming the other way...because the traffic coming the other way will swerve to avoid them, and so on. Like a giant ballet.

- Always pay attention to the road ahead! Traffic conditions can change any time, from a free and clear road to two trucks trundling towards you...BOTH in your lane!

- Be confident - always remember to hesitate is to be doomed! When you are approaching what looks like a sketch situation, do it at a constant speed, so all other participants can judge your actions and plan to not be in the same place you are at the same time. No speeding up, stopping or swerving!

- Since 90% of the vehicles on the road are bikes, the name of the game is 'fill up space'. If there are cars stopped at a light, don't hesitate to fill up every available inch in between them with your bike. Also if there is space in front of an oncoming truck, don't hesitate to fill that as well - the truck driver will probably expect it and be ready to slow down so that he doesn't mow you. Just make sure you don't STAY in that space. Or the driver won't have much choice.

See? 90%. I counted.

Can you see any discernible order in that chaos? Can you see anything at all? Damn that camera sucked.

The city of Hanoi itself pulsates with life, the traffic twisting in and out of the streets and alleys, never stopping, yet never seeming out of place. The seamless weaving imparts an organic quality to the whole scene, as if all the bikes and their drivers subscribed to come higher conscience. The whole system rests on the competence of each individual driver, and more than anything I want to join in to this collective consciousness, to be one with the stream of life teeming in the streets of this nation's capital city. The trust implicit in each twist of the throttle, each tap of the break, each time a driver enters a stream of traffic without so much as a glancing over his shoulder at oncoming traffic is surreal.

I loved to sit on the corner in Hanoi and have a tea at the stands set up there. People watching has never been better, and I was even lucky enough to be offered to share a tobacco bong by an old local driver. Hanoi is an appropriately fascinating city for a fascinating people. Their vigor, flexibility and resilience can be seen in everything from their leaders' manifestos to every element of day to day life. An old man blazes past on his turn of the century vespa, followed by a young girl pedalling slowly by on her bicycle. The contrast is pleasant, the bustle of a people with somewhere to be and the tranquillity with which they do it. The feeling of the people seems to be one of exuberant happiness, an overcoming of obstacles and the final return to what they've wanted all along: peace and independence.

Vietnam really got the shit stick handed to them by history. I have never seen a country whose people believe more in the principles of peace, freedom, and brotherhood. Every written word of Ho Chi Minh attests to this, and his countrymen seem to have taken up the call. And yet Vietnam has been mired in war and oppression for thousands of years, first under the Chinese, and since the 1800's by the French, then by the Japanese during WWII, followed by the senseless invasion of the US, which was criticized worldwide as completely unnecessary and overblown, a case of an oversized bully picking on what looked like the littlest kid in class. The statistics on the amount of bombs dropped during this war are jaw-dropping...there were more bombs dropped on some CITIES in Vietnam than in the entire WWII conflict in the European arena! Not to mention the napalm, the gassing, the horrific war crimes committed by US soldiers...whole villages of innocents murdered without rhyme or reason: women, children and the infirm all, because a foreign soldier couldn't tell friend from foe. The effects of that conflict last even to today, with the ecocide of Vietnam's jungles and the deformations of it's citizens due to Agent Orange, or the ever present danger of unexploded ordinance.

That is a BOMB. I was amazed at the size of the shell...imagine the blast radius?

A bomb crater in the DMZ. You can't really tell how deep it is, but these were EVERYWHERE. And those are just the ones that haven't been filled up.

Even after the horror and bloodshed of that pointless conflict, Vietnam had no time to stop and rest, having to invade Cambodia to save them from their own rulers during the Pol Pot regime and becoming wrapped up in yet another pointless Sino-Soviet proxy war. And yet the people keep on. As Ho Chi Minh told the American administration in the 50's - we will struggle and we will suffer, but we will not give up. I would not believe this to be true for any country more than Vietnam. One fine day on the beach in Nha Trang (a big beachy backpacker spot) I even came across a community AK-47 training session...a soldier teaching girls from 15 to 25 how to assemble and use an automatic weapon. In some countries, this would have been horrifying. But in Vietnam, you had the sense that it would be used to protect their precious independence, and not to impose war on anybody else. The Vietnamese have seen enough of that.

Who wants to bike Vietnam?!

2009-09-22T03:31:00.003-07:00

Bowl of Pho - $1
Room - $3
Hat - $1.33
A water and 3 cups of tea - $0.66

Sitting on a stack of styrofoam on a random street corner smoking a tobacco bong with an old local man and being so zonked I can barely write - priceless

Pulling out a stack of 50k notes in front of a bunch of people who probably make 50k per day - MISTAKE

So I made it Hanoi, and my first thought was: I want to bike this country. UnFORTUNATELY, Curtis, who I knew would be down 100% for that plan, had just departed for home, and I was a leeeettle bit pensive about driving 2000 km alone on a rickety Russian bike that would probably break down a good 10 times. Not only that, but I had just less than three weeks in the country, and the drive would have taken a solid 10 days of driving, minimum. SO that adventure will have to be put off for another day. It's GOING to happen. Curtis promised me.

So I settled for the usual backpacker route, heading down from Hanoi to Saigon on a bus that allowed you to stop at multiple cities on the way. I hit up Halong Bay (to see the spectacular karst peaks), Ninh Binh (supposedly the Halong Bay of the rice paddies), Hue (an ancient capital riddled with bulletholes), Hoi An (the tailoring capital of SE Asia), Qui Nhon (a quiet, more laidback beach), Nha Trang (the tourist beach of Vietnam), Dalat (I don't really know what was going on there since I was sick and in bed...and almost quarantined in the hospital for H1N1...jerks) and Saigon (the bustling economic metropolis). The plan was to rent bikes as often as possible (because it's FUN to drive in Vietnam!!) , check out the cities and then get out to see the real Vietnam, the part that the travel agents refused to tell me about. (Really they did, they told me I was a tourist and therefore wanted to go to the tourist places...no help at all!). I had a crap-o disposable Kodak on me, so I wasn't able to take THAT many pics, and the ones I did take didn't turn out that hot...but here are a few of em anyway.

Halong bizzle nizzle.

A pretty river near Nha Trang.

Vendors in a street market in Hoi An.

The biggest flag in Vietnam. No, I'm not lying to you. Yes, I know it looks really small. It's called perspective, people!

As I was wandering the streets in Hanoi one day I noticed a local electric company worker about to do some maintenance on one of the poles along the street. The funny thing was, he didn't seem to have much equipment other than gloves, a hard hat and a wrench. No ladder, no safety harness, nothing of the sort. The next thing I know, he reaches up, grabs a thick, low lying cable and clambers up like a monkey onto the roof of a nearby building, from where he begins his repairs. Really?? You can only chuckle at these shenanigans. I should probably mention that wiring along the streets looks more like spaghetti than any ordered electrical system.

Here is another shot of roadside electrical maintenance. You can't really tell but that's a dude on a bamboo ladder tugging on random wires with his bare hands.

Apparently Vietnam is also the second largest producer of coffee behind Brazil. I will leave you now to cogitate about that fact.

Curtis Curtis Curtis Curtis

2009-09-22T03:29:00.001-07:00

Curtis

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Curtis told me to write a post only about him, including his name a bunch of times...so I did. I also included some pictures. Is that enough words?

Curtis enjoys heavy firearms.

Curtis used to have a little duck friend who he cared about more than anything in the world. They even shared cookies in gondolas. But then Curtis lost him. Ok that was mean, Derek just decided that he wanted to live at the Great Wall of China. But really Curtis just lost him.

Curtis doesn't buy thin cigarettes. He says they are for girls. So he buys cigarettes with red hearts in the filters. Those are for Curtis.

Curtis likes long walks on the beach, and seafood lunches. Especially with dumplings and chao sao bao. Hold the sea cucumber.

Curtis is stupid and can't read signs very well.

He likes to keep other people's gardens spic and span.

He likes pandas, but is too cheap to pay to hug a real one.

He might like elephants more than pandas.

Curtis likes to break rules, like climbing over railings on Chinese tour boats to get a better view...of the crowd who didn't climb the railing.

Curtis really likes shopping for trinkets, especially rings and pipes that he will never buy.

The End.

Addendum from Curtis:

Hello

I have a Job

I hate my Job

I killed a deer

Dressed up as a fullmoon partier

danced

this is wht i did last month. i thought u would want to know for your book.

I miss u like a fat kid misses cake!

Curtis in all his...glory? I wouldn't call it that.

Lies and economics.

2009-09-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

Whose responsibility is it to monitor and punish international agencies for falsifying economic statistics used to shackle less developed (or even affluent but floundering) countries to US hegemony?! (ahem, IMF, why do you think Iceland is afraid of you??) Whoever is responsible should be speaking up for the past 4 decades of lies! Isn't that a felony, at least SOME crime?? Can't these countries hire counsel to report their distress at the hands of untrustworthy officials whom we trust to guide our world economy to new heights of prosperity? The direct influence of the US over these international aid agencies must be shattered so that they cannot control foreign policy with such an iron hand as afforded them by their economic influence. I saw an article about that in the Economist the other day, I probably should have read it. But apparently book stores in airports aren't libraries.

Sorry for that rant. But it's true.

Beef, Beer Pong and Balloon Accidents

2009-09-17T08:14:00.001-07:00

Enough with the jibba jabba and on with the journey! Since we had been on the road pretty hardcore for the past few weeks, we decided to cut a few destinations out of our trip and head down south to chill out at everybody's favourite spot in China: beautiful Yangshou.

View from the hostel rooftop. Told ya.

Our favourite river swimming spot.

We stayed at a place called Monkey Jane's which had a decent guesthouse and a bar with a good atmosphere, if only the owner wasn't so crazy...daily she would threaten to throw us out of the guesthouse, for excuses ranging from "You stole my speaker cord" to "You won't get naked after losing to me at beer pong". You heard it from the source...bat shit crazy!

We had a week in Yangshou, so we rented some motorbikes to jam around the countryside and check out a few spots. What we didn't know was that motorbike rental in China is much different than most of SE Asia. For one thing, it was about 6 times as expensive. For another, we were recommended the petrol scooters because they "go faster". We were not told that "faster" was 50 km/h and that the wheel diameter of these things was about a 12 inches. It was like riding a kids bike! When you're used to ripping around the Philippines at almost 100 klicks on semi automatic bikes (and that was me being a chicken on the throttle!) , this was child's play! Imagine my luck when my petrol bike broke down, and I was given an electric bike instead. Good for the environment: yes. Good for my need for speed: topping out at 30 klicks riding an open throttle...not quite. It's gonna be a long day of riding!

We checked out a few places like Moon Hill:

Looks like a moon, don't it?

Curtis climbed a random pole at the tip top peak of the mountain. Why? He had shoes.

On the way back down the mountain, Curtis fell off a cliff or something and sprained his ankle maybe. I thought he was kidding. Regardless, the old lady who was trying to sell us postcards fashioned him a bamboo walking stick and he took hours walking down the thousands of steps like some old wise man coming down off the mountain to impart words of wisdom to the world. Unfortunately, the only words of wisdom that came out of his mouth were "Stop taking pictures of me, asshole."

We also hit up Dragon Bridge, a popular spot to jump into the river below:

Doesn't look much like a dragon to me. But the water hurt when I landed. It's higher than it looks, I tells ya.

Then I swam across the river to make friends with a water buffalo. Mission failed.

On the way home we passed a fireworks shop, and Curtis - being Curtis - could not resist buying what would have been hundreds of dollars of fireworks back home...luckily in China it only worked about to $30 or $40. That night we took a water taxi to an abandoned plot on the other side of the river and set off all the fireworks in view of the rooftop bar of the hostel. What the people on the roof DIDN'T see was when the giant box of fireworks knocked itself onto it's side and began shooting balls of exploding light in every direction! I saw them start to shoot out over the river, exploding just a few feet above the water, getting closer and closer to the boat. In the intermittent light I could see the boat driver running for his life away from the ruckus, which is when I decided to make my own break for it once the explosives turned their sights on me! I start sprinting off to the right, dodging bursts and laughing uproariously as I periodically looked around for everyone else. Curtis and Sam were closer than I was to the fireworks, lighting them off, and I could see them alternating between hitting the deck, running for cover, and laughing their asses off as line after line of exploding phosphorus and magnesium shells zip over their heads in a haphazard free for all reminiscent of some battle in Vietnam! When the melee was over, we all stopped to catch our breath, more from the incessant laughing than from any running we did! Sam finally caught up to us and informed us that he had had no clue where anyone was, and that he was just running towards our laughter for safety! Good thing we thought it was funny! Wow that was a good time! The girls didn't quite agree with us on that fact. Let's do it again tomorrow!!!

The best thing about this place was by far the beer pong. They would have twice weekly tournaments, where the "winner takes all" of the pot (actually just a fraction of it, once Jane collected her unannounced dues). Regardless, it was a lot of fun, and Curtis and I became the Canadian team to be reckoned with, on occasion even destroying the bartenders (who, understandably, played a lot of beer pong). One game we simultaneously scored a double bounce and an air shot in the SAME cup, forcing the other team to drink 5 cups in one go AND give us a free turn! I guess I would have to explain the rules of beer pong for most of you to understand that, so you'll just have to trust me that it was a good shot. In one singles tournament, by some twist of fate, Curtis and I were matched up against each other for a good old Canadian showdown! It was Canadian elimination round of beerpong. The mood was tense, the crowd ecstatic, as the two evenly matched Canadians stepped up the table to see who would move on in the elimination beer pong tournament, winner take all!

Ok so I lost, but it wasn't by THAT much, and I swear we are more or less evenly matched. If I HAD to lose, it should have been to Curtis. He lost the next round anyway, he sucks. What a waste of money.

So before we knew Jane was crazy, she invited us on an adventure out into the country to visit her parents and have a meal out of town. We all climbed into an early 90's Dodge Caravan and headed out on a road that was clearly designed for a 4x4. In good weather. In bad weather perhaps some kind of tank. We got to the house just as the rain started to fall in earnest, so our ride there merely consisted of destroying the shocks of Jane's brother's poor Dodge. As soon as we got inside the house, the antenna on the roof was struck by lightning and a deafening peal of thunder rolled around the countryside. We began to get the feeling that we would not be leaving any time soon!

So we ate dinner instead.

Countryside. Pretty, na?

Not so pretty on the way home...mostly because we had to literally take apart local farmer's stone fences to form some sort of road under the wheels of the van because they were so submerged in mud.

The mud was so thick we couldn't wear shoes or they would just be sucked off our feet as we were pushing the van through the countryside. The best part was being the dude behind the wheel well when the driver hit the gas and splattered mud from ankles to forehead. Too bad the girls didn't take the time to get a picture of us while we were playing in the mud =P

While in Yangshou we heard about this sweet, cheap-compared-to-home hot air balloon ride you can take over the limestone mountains, giving you an exceptional view of the river winding through the massive rock formations. We were even told that some drivers will take you right down to the river and dip the basket in the water, skipping along in good fun. Well we were skipping along somewhere all right, but it sure as poop wasn't on a river.

Not surprisingly, that flame is really hot.

Look ma, no haze!

So we're flying along peacefully, enjoying the scenery (although it was a bit hazy when the sun rose), and we start to approach some higher elevations. It isn't a windy day, but you can tell that we are moving along at a decent clip for a giant oversized balloon. All of a sudden the driver starts giving us tips.

Driver: "Bend your knees when we land."

Us: "Uhhh...ok...weird thing to say in the middle of the flight...we aren't even close to the clearing where we started."

Driver: "No, we land here."

Us: "HERE? Here where? In that tiny clearing there?? On top of a mountain, in the middle of nowhere? There aren't even any roads!"

Driver: "Don't worry, we land in the trees!"

Curtis: "I thought you asked him to dip us in the RIVER! He sure one upped you with this forest!"

Play along for a moment here. Close your eyes and picture a hot air balloon landing. You may have an image in your head of a hot air balloon descending slowly towards the earth and gracefully alighting upon the ground. This is not how hot air balloons land in even the slightest wind. Keep in mind these things have no brakes. Or a steering wheel for that matter. Which is probably how we ended up crashing through a forest on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. It was not the softest landing, skidding along the ground, smacking into saplings and pines that raked you with needles and branches until we finally came to a stop.

Driver (after crash): "Is this your first balloon ride?"

Jeff: "Yeah...is it yours?!"

We had to recruit the help of the local farmer whose mountain we landed on to cut us a path out of our thicket and tow us out of the trees into a clearing where we could let the balloon down.

Unhappy campers...well, only until we heard that the rescue crew was coming to pick us up with beer! I bet they've got a few flats waiting at the office for just such an occasion.

And so Curtis and I drank lots of beer before 9:30 am, and continued when we got back to the city. No point in wasting all that good morning beer and staying sober!

Even Ronald got in on the action.

We had a few good jokes about this purported rescue team, whether they would arrive in a balloon and where the hell THEY would land, seeing that there is no recognizable steering mechanism. We'd probably have to save them before they saved us.

Theoretical Rescue balloon: "Can you guys grab this rope?? We're stuck in the trees..."

Ahhhhhh good times.

China: Progressive World Power or Oppressive Backwater Regime?

2009-09-17T08:13:00.002-07:00

China. A country of unending size, where each city seems as far off as the last. (I can sympathize with backpackers travelling to Canada!) Exotic food delights you at each street corner, and beautiful landscapes surround you each time you depart from city life. For a country poised to take center stage in world economics, to become a superpower with a powerhouse of an economy, China still has a few surprises in store for visitors.

Children urinating in the streets, epidemic impoliteness in crowds, and other uncouth habits plague those who are not accustomed to such behaviour, but there are more concerning issues to be dealt with. An ingrained paranoia in the upper echelons of Chinese leadership has persisted seemingly since the dawn of Chinese civilization, starting with the first emperors who believed themselves to be immortal dragons - yet at the same time built their palaces with a courtyard 15 LAYERS of brick deep, to prevent subjects from the city common from digging under the palace to attempt assassination. In Curtis' words of the architect: "Well sir, if you're a dragon, couldn't you just...fight them? Or at least fly away?" At which the emperor would probably say: "Uhhh...yeah...well what if I didn't...you know, what if I didn't want to...nyeah...just put down the damn bricks, I'm the dragon emperor! Rraahh!!"

This paranoia persists today in their fear of a politically educated society. With internet censorship including a block of Facebook, Youtube, many blog sites and parts of Google itself, and with Lonely Planet China being confiscated at the border one has to wonder at the maturity and honesty of an elite so afraid of the truth being found by their own people. Not to mention some of the human rights abuses such as the disputed claim over Tibet and Taiwan that have garnered much international rebuke lately. China, although a grand and ancient country, seems to have some distance to cover before emerging as the world leader that many predict.

For another thing, Chinese tourism smacks of the rank and file proletariat. "Oh, we're making an 8th stop between here and lunch? Alright, we'll follow you in line wherever you go, as long as you've got that flag! Time for food? Okay. Whatever you say Mr. Tour Guide. Oh, that Mountain looks like Chaiman Mao, Zhou Enlai, AND Deng Xiaopeng? Ha ha, why it does, doesn't it! Don't we love them!" It seems that there is quite a bit of propaganda still in China, with the government seeking to control the thoughts of the general population in order to keep the reins of power as long as possible. For example, the Lonely Planet for any country can be bought within China, except for the China edition itself! They claim it has something to do with a map in the book that marks Taiwan as a separate country (which China obviously disagrees with), although I wouldn't be surprised if it had something more to do with some of the history presented by the unbiased authors of the Lonely Planet (compared with the government approved drivel printed in the tour books that are legally allowed to be sold in China).

This 'brainwashing' definitely has it's negative effects, but there is also a surprising upside to the information that the government crams down people's throats. They are incredibly well informed about different market systems, from communism (when that was all the rave in China) and more recently about the workings of a capitalist market system. China has pursued a calm and cautious approach when shifting their economy from a closed communist system to a more open market, compared with many unsuccessful market shifts in Eastern Europe and South America, to name a few examples. China has consistently resisted the Western world's requests to give up all authoritarian power in government and move to a completely free democracy, while at the same time moving from a centralized, government run communist economy to a completely free market. China has studied the history and mistakes of other countries who have tried to do this and failed, and has instead slowly opened up its market piece by piece, at the same time holding tightly to authoritarian power which allows for a controlled market shift with acceptable time to build the necessary institutions to accomodate such a shift. With its broadening economic freedoms comes a slower trickle of democratic freedoms, which China is accepting in stride. Not bad for a country who brought one sixth of the world out of abject poverty within the past few decades...

To resist change is to succumb to stagnation.

2009-08-31T04:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't it true? People who refuse to accept the changes in technology and society at large are seen as old-fashioned and out of touch. Cultures and languages that refuse to adapt become less useful and endangered. This is true not just in the social sense. A river that stops flowing becomes dirty and unpotable. I can't think of more examples, but I'm sure that's good enough! Never stop learning! Or you suck! On to more relevant topics...

Qingdao: The Chinese Oktoberfest! There must be a ton of tourists (or at least English speakers) there we can meet and socialize with! Or so we thought. It turns out it was just another gigantic carnival with 20, 000 drunk old Chinese tourists. We counted 14 foreigners. That's not a lot of English to go around. The good news was, beer in a bag costs only 50 cents! I've never had beer out of a bag before. And it was a big bag!

Rejoicing at finding the Tsingtao brewery bar, where our picture was taken with half a dozen different curious people.

Next stop: The ancient capital of Xi'an. Beautiful city, one of my favourite in China. The whole core is surrounded by a 14 km wall, which you can rent tandem bikes to ride around. We were much to hetero for that, unfortunately. We were finally informed about the names of some Chinese foods and became enamoured of steam buns in particular...which we called Chao Sao Bao, a terrible pronunciation of the Cantonese name for them. Which doesn't really make much sense in a Mandarin speaking region of China, but that didn't stop us from wandering the streets asking for Chao Sao Bao day and night. The good news was, there was a whole STREET of Chao Sao Bao, which we promptly named Chao Sao Bao street, and we ate there pretty much every meal for 5 days. It was quite easy to get around Xi'an...there was Chao Sao Bao Street, Trinket Street, Hot Pot Street, and White Person Street. Those were our favorite spots, anyway. We also hit up the Terracotta Warriors, which are an interesting historical discovery (an ancient emperor buried an army of thousands of clay warriors near his tomb to protect him in the afterlife or some nonsense...paranoid chump. More on paranoid emperors later.) I have a problem with tourist sites that are famous just because someone told you it was famous. "If you touch this lion statue on the nose, it will bring you good luck and long life!" Alright, I better line up behind 100 tourists to get in on that action! Not to say that the Terracotta warriors are like that...but, well, it was a bit overrated.

Terracotta Warriors...in an airplane hangar?

Chengdu: Panda City! These cute and cuddly little buddies are now my second favourite animal due to their more than adorable antics at the Chengdu Panda Preservation Centre. Check out the vids!

Awww what a bunch of snuggle buggles!

The Yangtze: The (not-so) yellow river. We took a 3-day river cruise through the Three Gorges from Chongqing to Yichang in Hunan province. Nice scenery, but rather expensive for the value. The funny thing about China is there are high-rise apartments EVERYWHERE, even along the river going well out of any city! As I wrote one morning: 'The red sun of China rises through the interminable haze on endless skyscrapers...even in the "countryside".' Difficult for cameras at the very least, and you wonder what the haze is doing to your lungs! To make the trip more fun (and to save money!), we bought our beer by the case from the on-boat shop. I don't think he had ever seen that before in his life.

The Yangtze. This was the city we started off from, which didn't look TOO different from the countryside we floated through for half of the trip...no joke!

We got to see some purdy temples...Chinese architecture is awesome!

I had an interesting experience while on the boat, trying to get a bowl of rice from the restaurant where they were serving a one price buffet. I was not much in the mood for the whole buffet, so I asked if I could pay just for a bowl of rice (and good money at that!). Their response was something along these lines: "A bowl of RICE? Where do you think you are?? In a restaurant? In CHINA?!?! Nooooo no no no. No." Ok that was a bit exaggerated, but they ACTUALLY wouldn't sell me a bowl of rice, even though there were bowls sitting beside a giant steaming plate of rice. To top it all off, our English speaking guide came up and got a bowl of rice...and when I asked her to get me one too, the lady behind the counter at least looked like she had been caught red handed when she told me to get lost. What a jerk.

This tour was a VERY typical Chinese tour, the kind you would walk past on the street and see 100 tourists following a guide with a flag and a loudspeaker. We were 3 of those 100 people. But Chris and Curtis thought they could do a better job guiding.

So they gave it a try.

Curtis even asked this girl on a date. She took her flag back and left.

To prove that Chinese tourism revolves around carnivals, we played whack-a-mole and rode bumper cars in the most inappropriate places...temples, old towns, you name it!

Some temples retained their serenity.

Others did not.

There are two places you can find the words burn, strategically located, explode, irritable, and rape used in one document...dark, gory war novels and the MENU of a Chinese restaurant.

And now, the top 8 food choices at a delicious Chinese restaurant in Beijing:

8. The winter mushroom burns the fat cattle string
7. Yam explodes the shredded tripe.
6. Fries without added ingredients the rape.
5. Irritable pig's intestines.
4. The garlic burns the blood to be prosperous.
3. Keep in good health stir-frying for a short time.
2. On the ant sets up.
1. Self-sufficient and strategically located region twice-cooked pork often with chili seasoning.

Yes, those were actual meal choices in the menu. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

Here's the video of the pandas I promised:

Th-th-th-that's all folks!

First day in a new country - Be ready to get RIPPED OFF

2009-08-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

We arrive in Beijing, 7 am. The sky is overcast and the threat of rain is ominous.

We don't have a Lonely Planet, and for some reason we didn't bother booking a hostel or even looking up where one was. We have no idea what the currency is worth. No one speaks English, and we don't speak a word of Mandarin. The tourist booth is less than friendly and can only guide us to multiple star hotels - obviously out of our price range. We manage to find the train to somewhere near the centre of town...25 Yuan. Good enough! Wait...how much is that?

In fact, to display how little we know about where we are or where we are going, here is a map of China.

Map of China.

And here is our only guide to where our travels are taking us.

Oh boy...perhaps we're in more trouble than we think.

We're told that if there is one country that requires a Lonely Planet, it's this one. Well, we'll see how it goes, because the Chinese government forbids the sale of them in bookstores! The history presented in them isn't up to 'snuff' I guess.

We meet another white person on the train (making a grand total of 3, including me and Curtis), an Eastern European/Mongolian girl named Anna, who loves to tell us about Beijing an dChina in general. Thank god! She teaches us a few words in Mandarin, and even says she will talk to our cabbie to get us to a youth hostel! He's even got a pamphlet to a Hostelling International place! All right, not all is lost!! We exit the train and she arranges us transport. "How much is it going to cost us??" I ask. "Oh, taxis run on meter here." Perfect! None of the scamming you so often find in Southeast Asia. So we throw our bags in the back and bid farewell to Anna. I turn around and the cabbie gives me a sly look. The rain is drizzling down, and all I want to do is get in the cab and go to a nice warm dry room. "100 yuan" he says. "No no no, meter, we go by meter" I say as we get into the backseat. "No no, 100 yuan, I take you." Curtis and I exchange looks. I slowly point at the meter in the front, in case there is some misunderstanding. "She say to you meter, we go by meter or we find another cab."

Fine, he says as he gets out and opens up the trunk so we can get our bags out. The rain is pouring down now. Perfect timing. (Although the rain DID have the benefit of clearing up the haze from the skies the next morning, which was the only time I can honestly say I saw blue skies and a few kilometres of clear weather!) "Can we look at your pamphlet?" I ask, hoping to show the next cabbie in line. "No...50 yuan to look." (That is almost $10, btw). The cabbie now calls back to the cab behind us, presumably telling him not to give us a ride for less than 100 yuan. We ask him, and he refuses to take us anywhere. As the rain pours down on us, and we realize that we have little chance of finding a decent place any time soon, we start to barter. The cabbie drops his price to 90 yuan, still WAY over priced. "It's 100 from the AIRPORT!" Curtis exclaims, and the cabbie laughs jovially, resting his hand on my shoulder as if we are old friends. "You want to go by meter? Beijing VERY big city!" *points to map in circles around the downtown core* "I take you to hostel! Around, 100, 200, 300! Whoo whoo whoo! Or you pay 80!" At least he is honest about how he's going to rip us off! Ah well, we ended up paying 60 for a cab ride that should have cost 10...but I showed him when we got out and I wailed a passing car with the cab door. Oops...but he deserved it!

China has quite a different culture from southeast asia, and we discovered this each and every day. For one thing, the tourism industry is geared much more towards asian than western tourists. What does that mean? Carnivals. Well lit, tacky, low budget carnivals. I don't know who came along and thought "Oh boy, all these tourists are going to come see this ancient temple, we should put a rickety old ferris wheel and a merry go round right next door! Surely people will pay for that!" Another difference I am quite dismayed to find is that every bus you get on, the people push and shove as if the station we are exiting is on fire. And don't even mention trains, I thought we were going to be crushed in a stampede trying to get through the gate to the platform! Slow down nana, there are enough seats for all! Another difference is nobody knows how to travel the country. You can ask at the hostel, and they will tell you that they can book a train...but if the train is full, you have to take the bus. But they don't book bus tickets. You have to do that at the station. "Where is the station?" you might ask, but they won't know. Not only that, but there are 4 stations in the city, and they don't even know which one you should go to. Might as well start with the closest! But...the cab driver doesn't know where the bus station is either. Really dude? Isn't that what you get paid for?? Alright fine, we'll find it ourselves! And find it we did. But not before some adventures in Beijing!

Like finding the largest door stop in the world at the Forbidden City!

And being the coolest people to ever pose in front of the Bird's Nest Stadium.

We checked out the great wall, which was far and away the coolest thing to do in China. We even took the 4 hour bus ride out of Beijing to get away from the crowds (And the carnivals) and did a 10 km hike along the wall from Jinshanling to Simatai.

We're really there!

Did you know they sell BEER on the wall? Well...they do. And we took advantage of the fact. Then Curtis decided to walk around naked for a bit, before attacking the wall like a Mongolian.

Curtis attacking the wall like a Mongolian. Need a closer look?

There he is!

Where did he get an axe, anyway? That's a little concerning.

Unfortunately I wasn't kidding about the naked wandering part. More unfortunately I was the only one around to take the picture.

We wondered what the conversation would have been like while the Chinese were building the wall...I mean, it's a big wall, it must have taken a few years! Here is Curtis' best guess:

Mongolians show up while Chinese labourers are building the wall.
M: "Whatcha dooin?" "
CL: Just uh...building a house..."
M: "Wow...thats a pretty big house!"
CL: "Yeah uh...build a wall...y'know...put a roof on it...*trails off*"
M: "Ok, yeah....... Alright, we'll come back later!"
CL: "Yeah, alright. You do that."

Maybe it isn't funny if you didn't hear Curtis say it, but I can tell you I had a good chuckle.

"Do you think the mongolians are coming back??" - Curtis

I don't know, I think it was the hat that made me do it.

We also found out that Chinese acrobats can not only do a headstand ON another person's head...apparently they can do it while spinning plates on sticks. UPSIDE-DOWN. Are you picturing this?!? If only we could have got a picture of THAT! Of course the flash would probably have made them fall, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Other than that, the food in Beijing is EXCELLENT, and beer costs 50 cents for a large bottle, in the street at least. Good intro to a new country so far!! Next stop: Qingdao, the home of delicious Tsingtao beer and an annual beer festival on NOW! Let's go!

More to come next time!

A shameless plug for the company, or a prophesy of what's to come...? Shameless plug.

Between Rice and Death. a.k.a. Partying in the Philippines!

2009-08-04T06:45:00.000-07:00

Having heard so much about the Philippines from various Free and Easy leaders and former group members, Justin and I decide to make good of our time off and spend a few weeks in the over 7,000 islands that comprise this country. Not only is it supposed to be paradise, but it seems to be the hot spot of choice right now, with Bertus and Aaron Gage-Cole leading a trip, Swatman acting as cameradude, Elissa on the trip with a friend of hers and a friend of mine from home (Dennis), Ben planning on taking a trip there at the same time, Jemma and her boyfriend Jeff traveling through at the moment, and Madison and Chris Sherry hanging around for a while…who could turn down that line up of Free & Easy heroes?!

Unfortunately it was unlikely we would meet all of those people at the same place and same time, but Justin and I were lucky enough to run into Jemma and Jeff with some of their former group members on our first night in Manila. Too bad we just missed Madison and Chris Sherry, who were on their way back to Bangkok as we were just getting into Manila. We discussed travel plans over a few beers, bid farewell to our friends and hopped on a night bus up north to see the world famous rice terraces!

Banaue Rice Terraces

Wow. I am not sure I have ever taken a bus ride like this before. We are cruising along a winding road, overlooking ramshackle farmers dwellings clinging to the side of the road, just barely resisting the overtaking lure of the jungle. The rice terraces spread below like a giant stairway to heaven, beneath the morning clouds lying nestled between the peaks of the craggy, jungle covered mountains. The sun rises over the crests of the most distant mountains, lighting the whole countryside on fire with a warm, rosy light. A wide river cuts across a swath of land far below, and as the sun rises ever higher, burning the morning mist into mere wisps, I divide my time between this breathtaking view and Meagan Fox, playing in Transformers on the bus. (I think it’s a fair divide, considering my 5 word review of the movie was “Meagan Fox is really REALLY hot.” Yes, I know that’s 6 words but I felt it needed the emphasis.)

As we exit the bus in Banaue, we are still unsure how long we will stay in Batad. “Do we have to book the bus back to Manila right now?” we ask the lady. “It is no problem same day, but you come early because if it rains, we leave…landslide here.” ‘No joke,’ I think, as I look around at everything covered in an inch of old mud. Gas pumps, corner stores, even the school gymnasium is covered in it.

We hopped in the back of an overpriced jeepney (we made the mistake of letting someone else barter for us), which looked like a cross between a stretch jeep and a schoolbus, but very often rainbow coloured, just to complete the ensemble. As we start driving down the windy mountain road, overlooking some awe-inspiring rice terraces, the paved road ends and we begin to drive on rocks. No, not gravel. Rocks. In some countries this road wouldn’t suffice for mountain goats, but our jeepney powered on through. We began to see signs of more recent mudslides, rockslides and landslides – villagers with shovels on the side of the road, mudtracks from cars passing through what used to be several feet of mud. We can see on the adjacent cliffs where the mass of earth fell, blocking the path some days ago. Then we come around a corner and see several huge rocks standing just off the center of the road. Good thing we weren’t around when those fell! I was surprised the jeepney could even squeeze around them. I still had no idea what was in store for us. A while later we come across a fresh mudslide, with a backup of jeepneys and tricycles trying to get across, and a small contingent of locals trying to dig a tire trenches to get the trucks through. After a few unsuccessful attempts, one jeepney paves the way for the rest of us. Phew! But it wasn’t over yet! A few minutes after, I look out the window and see the biggest landslide yet, easily the size of a one story house, with boulders as big as dishwashers sticking out from all angles. “Look at THAT landslide!” I exclaim, not realizing yet that it was the ROAD! Everybody looks at each other in giddy excitement (and some in fear to be sure!) as the driver revs the engine to prepare to climb this monstrous hill that in no way resembles a road (or anything drivable, for that matter.) Sounds impossible? Well I thought so too until I saw it done. Needless to say we are still in one piece, and I stoutly believe that a jeepney can climb pretty much anything after seeing that.

That was our road. We drove up that in a vehicle the size of a school bus. The picture does not do it justice.

We hop out at the end of the road, and are told that the village is a 45 minute trek through the jungle. Why oh why did we bring our big bags…good thing we’re strong (and handsome) young men! 5 minutes in, I slip and end up half over the edge of a cliff, feet hanging down into the jungle. Maybe next time I should put my contacts in before jungle hiking! The hike ends at the village viewpoint, which overlooks the amphitheatre rice terraces rising hundreds of feet above the village below.

World famous rice terraces.

We heard of a scenic waterfall hidden somewhere over the crest of the mountain in the picture above, and decide to trek it without a guide and see what the fuss is all about! We hike down the paddies to the village and off into the distance, down some 100's of steps to this:

Ooooooh, aaaaaaah.

On the way back, we are a little lost as to where we can make our way back to the hostel. We end up climbing about 3/4 of the way to the top of the terraces, and hike along them all the way to where the amphitheatre picture was taken. This may look kosher from the picture, but the truth was we were walking along a wall which was one rock thick (one foot at the max, in good areas), with a muddy swamp of rice to our right, and a 6 to 10 foot drop into another muddy swamp of rice to our left. Thus the title of this post (I know, clever, wasn't it?). Not only that, but these terraces were hundreds if not thousands of years old, and consistent maintenance was obviously not on the agenda of the villagers' great great ancestors. There were missing and loose rocks aplenty, not to mention out-of-control jungle and uncooperative rice stalks which conspired to push you off of your precarious perch into a muddy quagmire. Justin and I had a few differences of opinion on which level of terrace to take across to the hostel, and poor Justin ended up at a dead end on his level more than once. One time he began to climb down to my level, but as he climbed down to about 6 feet above my level, the rock he was holding broke off in his hand, plummeting him into the middle of a big muddy pile of rice and nastiness. I won't say I didn't laugh, because I did, but you can't blame me because you would have too. He was fine, worried more about angry Filipino farmers than about being a bit muddy.

Panglao

We depart the spectacular views of Banaue’s rice terraces, and catch yet another night bus back down to Manila, the start of our long travel day down to Panglao to meet up with the F&E group travelling there. We had at this point been 4 days in the Philippines, and so far have only spent one night in an actual bed. Back in Manila we are lucky enough to meet up with Ben, one of the Philippines leaders, who will be joining us for the rest of the adventure! Right on! A short flight later, we arrive in Panglao and settle in for a night of mischief, one that is inevitable when you throw together 7 F&E leaders (4 of which were on vacation!), a rowdy party group, a pool, and a crapload of booze. That’s my kind of recipe!

The next morning, Ben, Justin and I decide to tour the island on some rented bikes. While the freedom and the scenery were exhilarating, the highlight of the day were the chocolate hills, a strange geological site in the middle of the island where thousands of hills that look like giant, misplaced Hershey’s kisses dot the landscape for kilometers. The hills themselves were alright, but the fun part was posing for pictures. Oh yeah, we did it. And we got the t-shirts to prove it.

The proof is in the T-shirt.

Really really, chocolate hills!

Well, with that done, nothing else could hold our interest for long in Panglao, so we hit the road once more! As we start our long day’s journey from Panglao to Siargao, I am a bit daunted by the length of time we will spend on ferries. It is for just this occasion that I have been carrying Settlers of Catan around all week! Ben, Justin and I hit up the mini-mart and bought out their beer supply, fire up a game, and once we get into it, we can’t stop! Seven hours later, at almost three in the morning, we decide that it would probably be a good idea for us to catch some shut eye before our ferry docks in Surigao at 6 a.m. It was shortly after we made this rather prudent decision that we found out the contents of all those boxes the locals brought on board and placed no more than 10 feet from our beds. Thus began the most irritating night of my life.

Mysterious boxes beside the beds. What could be in them?

Chickens. Dozens and dozens of chickens. As in, chickens that think the morning starts at 4 a.m, and decide for some unfathomable reason to tell the world about it. NON-STOP. At first, I thought it was some kind of joke, some kind of alarm clock to wake people up to get them off the ferry. But then the realization sets in to my sleep clouded mind: There will be no sleep tonight! Cock-a-doodle doo, cock-a-doodle-doo, one at a time and in chorus. As I dream irritably of punching each chicken in the face, I wonder how these chickens could possibly have so much to say to each other. What could they be talking about?

“Hey Frank, how’s your box-a-doodle-doo?”

“Not bad-a-doodle-doo Jim, except I seem to have this piece of corn-a-doodle-doo stuck in my throat, and all the crowing in the world-a-doodle-doo won’t seem to dislodge it. Maybe I’ll just cock-a-doodle-doo a hundred thousand more times to get it out.”

How could that take FOUR HOURS?! I tell you what, when we hit land I am going to eat 20 chickens and not feel the slightest bit of remorse.

As I wandered around the ship, trying to clear my head from all the noise and …well that’s all I’m trying to clear my head from, I come across boxes and boxes of chicks for transport to Surigao. Finally it dawns on me: it isn’t the chickens on MY ferry, it is ME on the CHICKEN ferry! Somehow there must have been a grave mistake, and they accidentally booked 300 people on a ferry meant for CHICKENS! Pardon me, precious chickens, don’t allow me to interrupt your raucous crowing with my quiet slumber. How dare I.

Whole families of chickens. I wonder if they got a family pass for the boat, or if they all had to pay individually?

To make things even more irritating, a person two beds over is playing Apple Bottom Jeans AGAIN (sorry to all those who like the song, but spend a week in Koh Phi Phi and you will rapidly change your mind), and the person sleeping beneath me won’t turn off their damn low battery phone, which has the same warning sound as mine and so prompts me to check it every time it beeps. Ok these things wouldn’t normally bother me, but I told you I’m irritable and I want everything to die right now. Especially things that go low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low. I need sleep.

Siargao

Siargao is a hot spot in the Philippines for surfing, with Cloud 9 proclaimed as the best break in the whole country. So we dragged our butts out there for some surfing and partying with the F&E crew! Ok, there was a lot more partying than there was surfing, but we managed just fine! A few people rented bikes and went out exploring the island, spending some time at the local rock pools and finding some pretty neat restaurants outside of town. One was owned by an eccentric German man who could summon 2 foot bats out of the jungle! Kinda creepy.

On our way out of Siargao, we are looking at maps on the ferry, trying to decide where we will hit next. A friendly local on the boat chimes in, letting us know about ferries and busses and how we can get from place to place. We decide we need to check some flights online, so Roel invites us over to his place for some free internet time! We all pile into some trikes to take us there, which the man refuses to let us pay for, and we head to his house to meet his family. The father immediately busts out some cups and pours us all Tanduay on ice (the delicious and dirt cheap local rum). We spend a bit of time online, and decide we can take the bus out anytime that day. To repay Roel for his kindness, we take him out for some Filipino barbeque and a few beers. By this time he has decided that he wants to show us some more traditional cuisine, and takes us to the market to pick up some fresh marlin and herbs before whipping together some kinila, which is kind of like Filipino sushi. YUM!

The Camiguin crew with Roel, our favorite Filipino!

Then he and his friend take us to the bus station and set us up with our tickets, teach us a revolutionary new way to mix gin and lime juice, and bid us a fond farewell on the next leg of our journey. Roel was kind enough even to call us through the night to make sure we caught all of our busses in time and that we weren’t being ripped off!

Transit to the bus station, with our new friend Sponge Bob.

And Ultraman. I tell you, white people get weird looks in this country. White people carrying around balloons get REALLY weird looks.

Camiguin

So we finally make it to Camiguin Island, my favorite spot of the trip. We are no longer travelling with the F&E group, so we are a bit more free to explore and adventure! We take our time checking out resorts, and luckily decide against a beach resort to instead stay at Enigmata Tree House, a hostel built like a treehouse three stories into a giant acacia tree. A dream from anyone’s childhood! Rosalin and a group of artists have decorated this giant tree house in a very eclectic style, with all forms of art covering every available inch of space that isn’t taken up by musical instruments. Our bedroom was the whole top floor of the treehouse, including a small kitchen area, our own bathroom, a bedroom including three beds, 2 of which are in the loft, and an up up UPstairs ‘breathing space’ for meditating (which was pretty much the top of the tree). It was quite the acrobatic death-defying climb to get up there, but you could easily sit here for hours, looking out at the surrounding jungle and soaking up the peace of this wonderful place. Inside was a 1000% hammockable paradise, which is where we spent most of our nights enjoying some fine San Miguel beer! This is DEFINITELY a place I will come back and stay (for at least a week this time!), relax, meditate, and perhaps even get the creativity flowing and get down to some writing.

Rosalin also teaches courses to local students about eco-tourism, using her hostel guests as speakers in class to offer the children perspectives on travel from actual travelers. She offers the courses with government grants, giving less affluent children on the island the chance to learn something about the outside world and put that knowledge towards getting a good job and making a decent living. Sounds like a good idea to me! Minus all the paperwork. =\ Enigmata is also a hangout for local kids, which is wholly supported by Rosalin who entertains them with stories and trampolines.

In our short time there, we rented bikes and drove around this beautiful island, visiting a supercool waterfall, some chilly cold springs, a sunken cemetery, some ruins from a former volcano, and some awesome hot springs (where we could have hung out all day!).

I would hate to stand under that waterfall.

We even drove up the side of the volcano for a spectacular view of the palm covered island and a hike to the crater, although we never did find the path to the top. Justin figured that a water ravine was the way to go, so we went exploring for a few hours off in the jungle in the middle of nowhere. A few cuts and bruises later, we decided to call it a day and head back down to the bikes. Good thing we made it back! As we get back into town, we get a call from Roel, who is at a wedding party for his cousin and is quite drunk. He’s just calling to check in on us and make sure we’re having a good time! Thanks Roel, you’re the best!

Although our Philippines adventure has come to a close, I know that someday I will be back, because for all the adventures we have had in our short time here, we haven’t even scratched the surface of all that this beautiful island country has to offer. Palawan, Catanduanes, Boracay, you can be sure that I will Camiguin! (come again, get it? hehehaha...ha. I know you appreciate my humour, or why else would you still be reading my blog! A HA! I've got you now!)

Cogitating in Cambodia

2009-08-04T02:02:00.000-07:00

The last stop of our journey lands us in Siem Reap, home of the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. Arguably the cornerstone of the LTC trip, the almost 200 temples surrounding the city, combined with the tragic but fascinating Cambodian history fills our 4 days here to the brim with sightseeing and sombre lessons from the past.

Free & Easy was kind enough to treat us all to 3 day passes to all the temples in the area, giving everyone enough time to see as many as they could fit in in our time there. They even provided a bus and tour guide on the first day for the biggest attractions, Angkor Thom (which houses the Bayon temple on the front of your LTC guidebook, among other temples), Ta Phrom (better known as the temple portrayed in Lara Croft’s Tomb Raider), and the legendary Angkor Wat. I don’t know about everyone else on the trip, but I could have spent three days at those temples alone!

We begin to trek through the ruins, out doors that may have been windows, through windows that may have been doors, and down dark passageways and winding corridors covered with centuries old dust and moss covered stonework that composed the outer wall sometime in the distant past. I wonder at the massive trees growing up from the ruined walls and pagodas where monks would meditate and pray so many hundreds of years ago.

My mind reels with the image my imagination provides, trying to picture the grandeur of the place before it was left neglected by all except nature, who was only too happy to reclaim her own. Despite the tourists, it is really easy to wander around the ancient grounds and get lost in another world, especially listening to the music of the local bands formed of landmine victims (who really appreciate a dollar if you throw it their way!)

In fact, we enjoyed our bus tour so much that we all chipped in and hired it again on another day, this time to visit a few temples farther out from the city, as well as a landmine museum, shooting range (where two group members opted to fire off a clip from an AK-47 – both turned down the offer of a chicken on the range for an extra $20), and then on the way home we stopped to catch the sunset on top of another temple overlooking the towers of Angkor Wat in the distance.

Landmines are a big problem in Cambodia, given that the country has been wartorn for the past several decades and landmines were planted by all sides with no maps ever being drawn of their locations. Many thousands of Cambodians are injured each year through landmine accidents, often right in villages or in their fields where they work. It is very expensive to find and de-activate mines, but a Cambodian man named Aki Ra has taken it upon himself to make his country safer for his people by deactivating over 50, 000 mines and displaying them in his museum, which also spreads knowledge of the problem to more affluent countries who can lend a hand.

Our nights in Siem Reap were invariably spent on the bar street, which is quite literally the only street with bars on it, where foreigners flock to the ‘Angkor What?’ bar, or the Temple bar right across the street. These bars post ridiculous happy hour deals like 50 cents for a pint of beer, $1 margaritas and $5 gin tonic buckets. To encourage you to drink irresponsibly even more, they throw in a free t-shirt when you buy two buckets at the same time! I’m sure you can see how it’s easy to get carried away there. So when our cameraman nearly got thrown out of the bar by his neck by a drunk, steroid enraged bouncer, we decided to take our shirts and call it a night. We had to be up early the next morning for our trek back to Bangkok!

'Laxin in Laos

2009-07-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

Our first stop in Laos is beautiful Luang Prabang, a city considered a gem of French colonialism, although perhaps not the most accurate representation of Laos cities. Our first impulse in this UNESCO World Heritage site was to rent a bunch of bikes and explore the lazy town situated between two winding rivers, discovering to our delight many quaint restaurants and even a stand sporting what could only be decades fermented snake/scorpion/giant centipede whiskey, of which the kind man would offer you a shot for only 75 cents. “Good for power! Good for man!” he assures us as he makes uncouth hand gestures. How could we resist?

The main attraction in Luang Prabang (you can tell by the sheer number of Tuk Tuk drivers asking you if you want to go there) is the Khong Si waterfall, a tiered waterfall rising hundreds of feet into the air. For the lazy travellers, there is a great picnic area to relax and enjoy a sandwich in, while the more thrill-seeking can dive into the many idle pools off of various smaller waterfalls or rope swings suspended from trees. There are also hikes to the upper tiers of waterfalls, and for the slightly insane (I suppose most Free and Easy leaders, who I was hiking with at the time, fall under that category) you can ignore the worn out ‘DANGER DO NOT PASS’ signs and climb down 50 feet or so to a tropical playground that seems to have come right out of a movie! There are caves to explore behind waterfalls, natural vine swings to be swung from, and pools that afford some awesome diving, complete with shallow sitting areas overlooking drops hundreds of feet down!

Another hot spot in Luang Prabang are the renowned night markets, sprawling all the way down the main road from 6 pm until midnight every night. The variety of goods available, along with their special Laotian flair make this a must see (and for some, a must buy) for everyone! After the night market we hit up the hot after hours bar in town – the bowling alley. No joke, this place takes off at 11 (when all the bars in town wind down) and when you show up for a few more beers, you will find every foreigner in town hanging around the overwhelmed 5 lanes, waiting for a turn to bowl or just to grab another 600 mL Beerlao for about $2 (a complete rip-off by Laos standards). With bottles of ‘Lion King’ whiskey going at $3 (trust me, it’s not worth more than that), it sure is a party all night long!

But don’t get too carried away with nightly activities, because another must see is the morning alms giving ceremony. Picture a misty morning sunrise on quaint streets, with hundreds of orange and saffron clad monks moving along the road in a solemn line to accept rice and other offerings from the townspeople. For those of us who couldn’t make it out a 5 am to get a few photos, there are always postcards!

Mmmm...rice.

With our short stint in Luang Prabang at an end, we boarded the mini bus and started on the beautiful, mountainous drive to Vang Vieng, home of the legendary river tubing! Our paths finally crossed with Colin and Justin’s group, so the party could finally begin! The next day, 40 plus Canadians hit up the biggest river party in Southeast Asia dressed in the most ridiculous swimwear we could find, many of us decked out with Free and Easy logos spray painted in bizarre places all over our bodies. Far from floating down a lazy river with a beer in hand, the local bars have people all over the banks of the river ready to cast out floating rings or bamboo poles tied to strings, which they will use to pull you in to their bar once you grab on! With Beerlao coming in at about $1.50 and free Tiger whiskey shots all day long, it’s hard to say no! Most bars also offer some form of zip line, trapeze swing (often from trees or platforms 30 feet in the air), or giant water slide, with some more recent additions being a mud wrestling/tug-of-war pit and plentiful beach volleyball. Talk about entertainment!

The group before hitting the river in our wacky swimwear!

If you had a big start to the day and need to call it quits, there are opportunities to head home early and take a Tuk Tuk home from some of the bars along the river. However, my favorite way to sober up is to take the easy float home down the river, landing you a 10 minute walk from the guesthouse! One word of warning: the local kids may be ready to pull you in to the shore, but they are only looking for tips from tipsy tourists. If they seem eager to help you carry your tube, beware – if they return it, THEY get your 60,000 kip deposit back. Not a bad wage for a kid in Laos!

Linds and I having a muddy tug-of-war session. Which she won. But I had the bad side =P

Other than tubing, Vang Vieng is a backpacker driven town, with most restaurants offering 24 hour a day Friends, Simpsons, or Family Guy episodes – take your pick! There are also many opportunities for rock climbing, lagoon visiting, caving, river kayaking (where you can show up at the river party sober and watch all the insane stunts from a less intoxicated angle) and so on…you just have to drag yourself away from the party first!

Free and Easy Bloggin - Chillin in Chiang Mai

2009-07-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

I started doing some blogging for Free and Easy, so I thought I would include those in here as well...enjoy!

All our bags are packed, we’re ready to go! The new group just flew into Bangkok from all directions: Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Canada, and the air is tingling with excitement for the trip through northern Thailand, Laos and Cambodia! Even the leaders are in for something new, this being the first of many LTC trips being run throughout 2009 and beyond. The trip starts out smoothly, but not without a bit of an adrenaline rush when a group member goes missing an hour before our train up to Chiang Mai! All is well when she turns up with 10 minutes to spare, beer in hand! Mai pen rai (Thai for “no worries”), let’s get going!

Chiang Mai - the rose of the north. A nickname that certainly holds true for this cultural metropolis. The first impressions I hear from group members are comparisons to unsavoury Bangkok (which I think is a little harsh, I kinda like the place!), but I must admit Chiang Mai is a breath of fresh air after the hectic, smoggy capital of Thailand. Surrounded by a crumbling stone wall used to keep out invading armies from ancient enemies, the Old Town is a charming maze of side streets and back alleys full of markets, restaurants, guesthouses and massage parlors to tend to a traveler’s every need.

The group at a waterfall somewhere around Chiang Mai.

Outside of the Old Town, Chiang Mai is a sprawling city which has a more laid-back feel than many big cities in Thailand. For an excellent view over the city, the group headed up to Doi Sutep, a famous temple up on the mountain of the same name. There we witnessed amazing Thai architecture and many Buddhist rituals, including several group members being blessed by real live orange-clad monks for safe travels. For the more adventurous in the group, a short half hour ride out of town brought us to a tiger kingdom (for all your tiger petting needs), a snake farm (if you can stand the wriggly things), beautiful botanic gardens and orchid farms, an extreme sports centre (complete with bungee jumping, zorbing, paintball, and more), and my personal favorite, the unforgettable elephant show! (Have you ever seen an elephant paint an elephant on canvas? It’s an experience you can’t miss!)

Ridiculously cool!

Another unmissable opportunity for which Chiang Mai is famous are the multi-day treks you can take out into the jungle north of the city to visit some of the many hill tribe villages and see how more rural villagers live. This was definitely the highlight of our trip up north, getting out of the city life and embracing life in the jungle to the fullest with elephant rides, authentic bamboo rafting, and even sharing a few Burmese cigars with the locals over shots of “happy water” (aka rice whiskey moonshine). I tell you, you gotta be careful with that stuff, or you might forget where your bungalow is and wake up in the village kitchen surrounded by tribesmen cooking their morning coffee! …Oops. I was told not to worry, because even though happy water comes with the saying “happy tonight, not happy tomorrow”, we were through with our hikes for the next day and we could relax and cruise down the river on our hand made bamboo rafts, made right in front of our eyes!

Elephant riding...duh.

A Thai tribeswoman preparing our meal.

Chad, a Free and Easy leader trying to fit in as a tribesman...or something.

Well, that was a bit of an overstatement, as we found out the next day when we boarded the rafts and all of the men were handed 12 foot bamboo poles, and told that not only would we be standing the whole way down the river, but we had to help pole and avoid rocks in the rapids along the way!! Understandably, I was a bit nervous, considering my sense of balance is pretty bad on dry land. But 15 minutes in, I felt like a natural, steering our raft at the instruction of our guide, who was pulling his own weight at the front of the raft. A few adrenaline filled hours later, we were sad to disembark our bamboo armada and hop back in the vans down to Chiang Mai. On to the next leg of our journey!

Ryan's super cool mega awesome visit.

2009-05-10T03:55:00.000-07:00

Where to begin. Where to begin. Really...where to begin, because it's been so long I am afraid I will leave out so many stories! Ryan, Dennis, Andrea, please message me if I leave out important stuff and I can add it in here later!

After our Kiwi adventures, Dennis flew over to Sydney to meet up with Ryry, and Andrea and I flew up to Brisbane to meet them there in a few days. We hung around a pretty awesome hostel for a while, met some super cool people and drank some yum yum beer for a few days, checking out my favorite city in Australia (so far, at least) and partying hardy! Wednesday night was karaoke night, which we obviously dominated!!

DOMINATED. Is this even karaoke? We'll say it is.

See? It wasn't just us, either!

We even managed to meet up with Sophie, one of my best buds from Leeds, after more than a year and a half of promising I would come visit! It was about time!!

Obviously quite happy to see Soph again!

She even let me pretend to drive Noddy, her teeny tiny car I had heard so much about.

Why do I always look like that in photos with her? Maybe I don't like her much after all.

From Brisbane, we planned a 4 day adventure up to Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world. Companies who run these tours put about 10 people in a group, give them a shopping list for food and a giant 4x4 truck, and let the tourists run wild! I must say, I am glad we had a few English folk on the trip, because driving on the wrong side of a car is difficult. Driving on the wrong side of a MANUAL car is more difficult. And driving on the wrong side of a manual MASSIVE FREAKING 4x4 is the most difficult of all! Especially when you are on a sand only island, and you are offroading on ridiculously bumpy and treacherous roads that are two way yet mysteriously only have room for one massive freaking 4x4. We definitely had a few close calls, and I definitely burned out the clutch a little bit when I found out you have to go up insanely steep sand hills in first gear. I had to stop her halfway up the hill and put 'er back in gear while rolling back downhill. (Ok I've never offroaded before, okay? Give me a break GEEZE. GEEZE guys let it go!)

Ryan doing a rather excellent water fountain pose.

Paddy, our good-hearted Irish buddy!

The group at freshwater Lake Mackenzie. Beautiful! Paddy and I tried to swim across. He succeeded. I didn't.

One thing I may not have mentioned about this island is there are a few really neat spots to visit, but other than that the only activities to be had are being bumped around viciously in the back of the truck while driving from place to place, or getting hammered. And get hammered we did. We spent more on booze among our one truck than the other two trucks did combined. If you don't know this about Australia yet, the cheapest and most popular (until the next morning) way to get drunk is to buy Goon, which is a box of wine going for around $10 (Aussie dollar, of course). We had our van packed to the windows with crates of beer and boxes of goon, and a good thing too! That way we can play lots of put-your-wrist-in-the-6-pack-holder-plastic-thing-and-pull games! Which we did, as demonstrated below.

Exhibit A.

We were such a haggard crew on our final day, returning back to mainland Australia, that we considered making some custom shirts with the logo "Fraser Island KICKED MY ASS".

Champagne pools, some really neat rock formations you could sit in and enjoy the waves washing over you from time to time. Also the place where I found out I look like a centaur or fawn. But probably less like a centaur, because he meant a fawn.

Nice shot from a viewpoint on the island...sorry it's sideways, I'll fix it later maybe. Probably not. Just turn your monitor sideways. Or your head, that would be easier. Up to you.

Occasionally vampire Andrea gets scared and hides under the bed from her larger cousins. Long story. "Hey Jeff, isn't that the point of your blog, to explain the long stories?" Yeah well...shut up. =P

Back at the hostel after our Fraser adventure, we discover to Dennis' delight that passed-out Andrea's also make for excellent party seating!

Soooo...after Fraser we headed back down to Brisbane again, and spent a day out at the Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's contribution to preserving wildlife in Australia. We managed to see and/or pet and/or cuddle all of the wild and wacky animals they have down under. And I've got proof!

Exhibit B.

Exhibit C.

After that we hit up Byron Bay, a hotspot just south of Brisbane that is huge on the tourist radar. There are some places that are hyped up, and when you get there you find yoruself a bit disappointed. Byron is not one of those places. If you can stand a heap of tourists, then this is the place to be! Cheeky Monkeys, a bar across the street from the hostel (conveniently run by a bunch of Canadians) offers $2 or $5 dinners each night, beer INCLUDED. They then proceed to have contests where you can win more beer, and offer the cheapest deals in town for all your boozing habits. Our nights often consisted of pre-drinking at the hostel with a few good games of 'cowboys' before heading over for some cheap dinner and dancing the night away!

Me demolishing Mandrea at Cowboys. She knows it too.

We also took a few surf classes, just to look really cool.

As our wonderfully super awesome mega cool journey was coming to an end, I bid a rushed and less than sober goodbye to everyone, with Ryan accompanying me to the train station. "Are you sure you have the right airport Jeff?". "HAHA," I laugh, "I am not falling for that one again. There is ONLY one airport in Brisbane." Little did I know that AirAsia is actually compliant in a complex conspiracy to confuddle confused tourists to miss their flights out of Brisbane. It turns out my flight is actually flying out of the Gold Coast, 1.5 hours by train from Brisbane, EVEN THOUGH the airport is listed as Brisbane on the AirAsia website. What a bunch of jerks. But all wasn't lost, since I got the chance to head back to the hostel in Brisbane and scare the shit out of everyone while they were sleeping. We had another day to chill out around the city, and I even managed to get Ryan and Dennis signed up for a stripper contest about 10 minutes before I was leaving...too bad I couldn't be around to witness the show. Or maybe I should be thankful. But there will always be pictures to remind us. Thank god...?

Dennis stripping out of a leopard print dress. 'Nuff said? More than enough.

I want New Zealand to name my landmarks too.

2009-04-12T12:32:00.000-07:00

Alright this is a little late, and because I've left it so long it may not be as detailed as it should be...sorry. But I've still got pictures!

Basically, New Zealand is one of the most kickass countries I have been to, it has everything a country could offer in terms of landscapes in the size of...well, New Zealand. You can drive from mountains to beaches to glaciers within the span of a single day, and you can have a beer while doing it. Unless you're the driver...but that's a bit of a grey area, supposedly.

Dennis and I flew into Auckland and spent 5 days with my excellent compadre Eric, who we met on a tour of Laos a few months earlier. He was a most hospitable host, and made such an impression on us of his lovely city that I thought I may want to live there forever. He took us out surfing at some beautiful black sand beaches, and cooked for us until our bellies were more than full.

Piha beach, great sunsets and awesome surf!

Eric being the great host he is and cooking us up a barbie FEAST!

After Auckland, we headed down to Rotorua to do some cultural Maori activities and see what their story was. New Zealand is quite unique in how well they have come to terms with their native population. Canada, the US, and Australia all have problems with their indigenous tribes, and yet Kiwis accept the Maori culture as their own in a way, and everyone seems to get along just fine. It sure helps out with the tourism!

Maori warriors in war canoe. Super cool!

A traditional Hangi, a Maori meal cooked on stones under ground.

From Rotorua we headed down to Wellington to visit Brendon, a friend we had met in Greece at the beginning of our trip a few Mays ago. Stayed with him for 5 days and did some supercool hikes, sightseeing, and of COURSE a bit of partying! He introduced us to Weetbix and our lives will never be the same!

Sweet forest hikes.

Brandon and Dennis breaking it down on the dance floor. Aaaaaand getting kicked out.

From there we hit up Christchurch to visit Matt and Karen, friends we had also met in Greece (and the same couple we did the Running of the Bulls with). They were amazingly good hosts (as all Kiwis must be by this author's account) and showed us around the city, took us up to Matt's cottage for a few days (and a few beers!) and also taught us everything there is to know about rugby (union and league), cricket, and even a bit of AFL. Talk about confusing! We hit up a Rugby match in Christchurch and even got out to the park to play a few games ourselves.

Matt and Karen posing pretty in Christchurch.

At this point, Andrea (my cousin) flew in from Australia to meet us and the three of us rented a car and planned a 2 week roadtrip all the way around the South Island and back up to Auckland on the North Island. Matt made sure we weren't short of Nutrient Water (he works for them =), and off we went! Thanks Matty! We hit up all the hot spots, travelling to Mount Cook (the highest mountain in NZ), Lake Wanaka, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Franz Joseph Glacier, Abel Tasman Park, and Lake Taupo. A whirlwind tour! Along the way we did some pretty cool things:

Napping!

Looking at weird rocks!

Glaciering!

Drinking (from glaciers)!

Socializing (with elves)!

Bike riding (with skeletons)!

Ice climbing! (Hehe...her life is in my hands...)

Who even climbs like that?!?

Laughing at Andrea playing Monopoly!

Hiking ridiculous mountains over Queenstown!

Milford Sound-ing!

BBQing like MADMEN!

Beach posing with cool people!

Skeet shooting!

Jeff shooting!

Do it yourself bone carving!

Do it yourself knife forging!

MORE knife forging!

Axe throwing!

Giant swinging!

Something we noticed throughout our trip on the islands was that Kiwis have a very funny way of naming their landmarks. We saw such gems as: Kaka Creek, Stinky Creek, Bonar Creek, and my favourite of all, Pu Pu Springs.

Really.

Yeah ok, I'm immature. But a wise man once told me "Growing up is for kids." Ok he wasn't that wise, it was just Bertus. But I love him all the same. Anyways, I wish I had the creativity of the Maori. I also wish I could grow 10 foot ferns like they can, I love ferns. I love ferns so much sometimes I hug them. Oftentimes I would prance around when I saw ferns and talk about how much I love them. I don't even know why.

Really.

So all in all, we crushed 3000 klicks in less than two weeks, and had a crapload of adventures and a REALLY good time. New Zealand, I will be back.

Proof.

Aussie Adventures

2009-03-29T02:34:00.000-07:00

Catch up time.

Our flight tickets are only good for a year, and as I sat in Thailand and considered this unfortunate fact, I realized I should probably use a few more of the flights before they all expired, leaving me trapped in...paradise. Can't have that now, can we? So I hopped on a flight to Sydney to meet up with two very good friends of mine, Sophie and Dieter, who happened to be in Australia for a convention from his workplace in Scotland. But he's Swiss. And I met him in England. But I visited him in Germany this summer, and we were in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany simultaneously. Not that any of this matters. On with the post!

Sydney is a nice city, but coming from Thailand everything was too cold and too expensive. So I flew to Melbourne to check things out over there, met up with Tristan who was kind enough to play host and show me around, introducing me to his crazy friends and teaching the strange method of eating Aussie style fish and chips, and even found me a wombat to pet. But it wasn't in a wheelbarrow like he promised. Although we did see a koala in an akubra hat (think Crocodile Dundee), which made me surprisingly happy.

No plates, no forks, just FISHNCHIPS!

I call him Wombie.

The unfortunate side of Melbourne was that it turned out to be even colder than Sydney, and raining for some reason. I don't know about you, but I heard Australia was hot and dry, and here I was cold and wet. And alone. And hungry. It's funny when I travel alone, I forget to do certain things...like eat. So I bought a few rolls of sushi, called up Dennis and begged him to fly to Melbourne and meet me so we could rent a camper and drive the south coast, see the sights, and get the hell out of there to somewhere warmer.

So we did! We rented a campervan and drove around all day in our boxers (I can't remember why exactly, but it was fun checking out some of the lookouts with no pants on).

Dennis without pants on...no surprise there.

We saw some local wildlife, as usual blitzed out of their mind off eucalyptus leaves, and even witnessed one grumpy koala roaring at another one (they are actually quite loud and aggressive sounding). He then proceeded to climb down his tree, attempt a leap to another one, and fall flat on his face. Laughter ensued.

Sweepy sweepy.

The very first wild kangaroo we saw was while driving in Victoria, and it actually hopped out between me and a cop car coming the opposite direction. So of course I slammed on my brakes, and the cop turned on his lights to warn me not to hit the kangaroo. Or so I thought. Because as soon as he passed me, he chucked a U-ey and pulled me over! I wasn't sure what this had to do with kangaroo safety, but I thought I had better oblige. He walks up to the window and asks me "Do you know how fast you were going?"

"Maybe 110?"

"You were going 115."

"Oh.........is that bad?"

"The limit here is 100. How long have you been in Australia?"

At this point he took my invalid drivers license (oh yeah, my license expired a few months earlier, which car rental companies don't seem to mind) and went back to the car to check his criminal database. After a few minutes of me sweating like a hooker in church, he determined that I should get off with no ticket somehow. Works for me! Zoom zoom zoom!

We headed over to Adelaide to visit Kirby, another Aussie friend from Waterloo. A few days of sightseeing, catching up, and 'How I Met Your Mother' later, we headed on the inland route back to Melbourne through the Grampian mountains. Don't worry, we took some pictures along the way.

We hit some van-eating potholes.

And found some ferns. I love ferns...more on that later.

The Great Ocean Road - Southern Australia

By some miracle we managed to synch our schedules with Miri and Nico, our German friends from California. We shared a few meals and a few too many boxes of goon, to the enjoyment of all. By the way, goon is the term for dirt cheap, really nasty wine that is the backpacker booze of choice. Count me in! Until the hangover at least...

Cooking with Miri in our camper!

Some lighthouse and some Germans.

Butts please!

Dennis falling off a cliff that looks like an iguana.

Up to some mischief.

Taking in the view.

Skillz.

World's scariest koala. That saved us from a gasless fate.

We managed to make it back into Melbourne in one piece, and we already had our next travel plans worked out. Imagine! We were going to head to New Zealand for a month before it got too cold, and then head back up to the East Coast and roadtrip with Ryan, Andrea, and Sophie! YAAAY!! Just as our wonderful Aussie Adventures were coming to a close, however, fate had something else in store. We rock up to the airport a good 2 hours early, expecting an easy check in and a relaxing rest in the airport lounge. "Oh wait", the desk attendants tell us. "Dennis doesn't have a ticket." "Ohhh yes he does," I reply, having been through this in Bangkok and forced to miss my flight due to an airline error in the past. "You have to cross-check the Quantas database with the American Airlines database." Duh. Well, it seemed to work. But by that time we had other problems. "Um, do you guys know that neither of you have visas in Australia?" Heck yeah we do, darn tootin, we gots us some fancy E-LECtronic visas, activated as soon as we stepped in the country! But they don't buy it. They call up immigration. "Ok ok...you have visas. But they're only good for re-entry into Australia for one year from PURCHASE, not from first ENTRY." Which gives us...two days. We were flying to NZ on March 19, and if we wanted to be allowed back into Australia, we had to be back on the 21st. Or face deportation. But the attendants decided to step it up a notch. "Well sir, if New Zealand immigration thinks you will not be allowed back into Australia, he may not even allow you into New Zealand. You may find yourself back in Canada by the end of the day." WHAAAAAAAAAT just happened to our lives!?!? Our little kiwi adventure turned into a deportation nightmare!

"What can we do?!" We beg and plead. "Well sirs, you will have to go to New Zealand and apply for a new Australian visa. But you will have to do it within the next two days, because we have to change your flights to March 21 so they will let you into New Zealand. That's IF they let you in." Wait a moment. The desk attendants are trying to tell us that we can't get into New Zealand without a valid Australian visa, and we can't get a new Australian visa without getting into New Zealand. I've always wanted to read Catch-22, I've heard it's a very interesting book.

So we follow their advice, pull off a massive last minute flight change, go through several small heart attacks and all-out sprint across the airport for our departing flight. We made it into New Zealand alright, and double check the fine print on our visas. Turns out they were wrong. We were fine all along. Grr.

No harm done, we managed to change our flights back to their original dates and all is well in the world. But that poor Kiwi immigration officer will never understand why that strange Canadian dude was only visiting his beautiful country for two short days. He warned me it wouldn't be enough. It wouldn't have been.

Temple roaming at Angkor Wat

2009-01-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

Exploring the ancient ruins of Ta Phrom, I linger behind Dennis, Kim and Missi and wonder at the massive trees growing up from the ruined walls and pagodas where monks would meditate and pray so many hundreds of years ago. My mind reels with the image my imagination provides, trying to picture the grandeur of the place before it was left neglected by all except nature, who was only too happy to reclaim her own.

Ta Phrom temple, near Angkor Wat.

I happen across two monks in amber orange robes, peacefully walking the property. (Off-topic, and only relevant to those who wonder what Wikipedia is doing with its life: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shades_of_orange) We talk about Cambodia, Canada, Buddhism, and other topics before parting. He asks me if I would like to visit him in the monastery in Siem Reap, something I have always hoped to do! Perhaps I will...but first I have to find my friends.

I begin to trek through the ruins, down dark passageways and out doors that may have been windows, through winding corridors covered with centuries old dust and moss covered stonework that composed the outer wall sometime in the distant past. I start to worry that I am lost, and pick up my pace. I am trapped several times in dark dead ends, filled with crumbled Buddha statues and other relics of the temple's past piled haphazardly in corners. I finally emerge into the sunlight, feeling like I am in the middle of the set of an Indiana Jones movie, and see more signs of the jungle jealously reclaiming the temple. I am all alone until I finally spot some other tourists. I am not lost after all!

Bayon temple, with giant faces in all four cardinal directions on over 200 towers.

See?

Siem Reap was one of my favorite spots on this whole trek through southeast Asia, with $5 double rooms at the friendliest guesthouse I've seen, appropriately named Happy Guesthouse. Mr. T greets us, and before long we are good friends, going out for beers while he introduces me to all his clients and friends along the way. Even our tuk tuk drivers Hok and Tommy who show us around Angkor Wat are super friendly guys! This is one place I have to come back to visit!! (Yeah ok I say that a lot, but so far I'm following up pretty well!)

The group at Angkor Wat. Wonder of the World indeed!

Thoughts on Cambodia

2009-01-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

Cambodia has struck a chord somewhere inside me. The poverty these people face and the determined way they pursue what may be the only options open to them is inspiring. Their suffering under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in the 70's still weighs heavily on the Cambodian psyche, with almost half of the country's population of 7 million murdered by the decree of Pol Pot, for no reason other than paranoia and racism.

My heart suffers along with those who must scrounge in the dirt, who must beg rich foreigners for enough money to be able to afford dinner because they have no other choice. Those disabled by landmines, those who can't afford an education, or simply those who have no better ideas sweat and toil in the unforgiving sun all day. A boy pleads with me to buy his postcards, when I just bought 10 from the boy next to him and couldn't possibly need any more. Another boy offers two carved flutes with bamboo sheathes for $1. I give him 1000 rial (almost enough for one flute that I don't want!) because I feel his desperation. A beggar graciously accepts my half finished bag of sugar cane. A man selling souvenirs in the dusty parking lot asks me for some of my water, because his throat is parched and he can't afford his own. As we drive away I see him share his precious few gulps with a friend. A band of landmine disabled men provide ambience music and thank me heartfully when I drop a dollar into their collection plate, which holds three other dollar bills. The band has at least 7 members with which to split their earnings.

I never thought a roadside bus stop could be so eye opening. The desperation of the Cambodian children, all trying to be the first to sell you their fruit, or the deliberately but not inaccurately pathetic beggars, sitting at the step of your bus or being guided around blind by their young children. No wonder they see westerners as cold, as bus after bus of rich foreigners come, drop a few measly dollar bills into th hands of those who desperately need it, and then board their bus again with a juicy snack. Is it that we can't handle the assault on our sanity, that some are forced to live and be brought up in such conditions, while we fare so much better at home? Or is it our ability to keep ourselves so distracted that we can afford to not thing about it...our books, our iPods, our movies, our food. How pathetic. How human.

The rest of Lao that I glazed over

2009-01-16T05:34:00.000-08:00

Our first introduction to Laos was on the Mekong River. Due to the lack of decently drivable roads in Laos, the most common way to get into the country from northern Thailand is via a two day boat trip. Sound fun? Well it was, despite the horror stories we heard! Chanting our mantra "It's part of the experience", we board the boat with 100+ people on wooden benches that are too narrow for anyones ass, and settle in to our two day routine of meeting cool people, drinking the wonderfully cheap BeerLao, chilling, reading, pondering, stretching your legs, rubbing your sore ass, pacing, and meeting even MORE cool people. The greatest thing about the Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam loop is that since there is one main tourist path, the people you meet at the beginning of the trek you will see in almost every city throughout your trek. How fun is that?! We ended up travelling with a Canadian couple and a few kiwis along the way, welcome additions to our ragged and smelly group.

Our first night was in a hole of a town along the river, called Pakbeng. We were offered everything from cheap alcohol to marijuana to opium...and all on the way from the boat to the guesthouse! Quite sketch, but we only paid $1 for the room, including a bathroom where the sinks were not attached to any piping. It was quite hilarious to watch people spit on their own feet while brushing their teeth. Dinner and beers included a free bottle of Laolao rice whiskey moonshine! Can't go wrong...until you try it!

The second day of the boat trip was similar, but MORE packed as they pulled a fast one on us and gave us a significantly smaller boat for the same number of people...not only were there not enough seats, there wasn't enough FLOOR space for everyone! The crew had to tiptoe around the gunnel of the boat to get from bow to stern! The captain also liked to put the boat into slow 360 degree turns every time we came to a local port. Strange, because there seemed no purpose for them whatsoever, so we just assumed he was showing off his awesome boating skills. Hell, I'd do it too if I were him. He even put us through a slow 540 once. Awesome.

Along the river were many tiny villages, growing corn and smaller crops right along the riverbanks. Children would crowd the shore when our boat neared, trying to catch a glimpse of the rich farang aboard. Quaint and beautiful, with locals living in bamboo huts with thatched rooves and often without electricity, I often wondered what it would be like to step off the boat into their world, with no outside contact, and where everything is done by the sweat of your own brow. A truly different experience.

Vang Vieng

One of our stops in Laos was Vang Vieng, home of the legendary tubing adventure. This city is made for backpackers. From cafes playing nonstop Friends, the Simpsons, or Family Guy to dozens of bars all offering free shots and drink deals and of COURSE the unforgettable tubing experience, there is enough to keep any 20-something year old busy! Our first night we sat down (on floor cushions, of course) at a bamboo restaurant overlooking a beautiful sunset behind massive limestone cliffs on the Mekong river, just next to two chickens duking it out and a lost cow that was getting upset at a fence blocking its way.

What used to be, 3 years ago, a chillout day in a tube on a river, hanging at a few bars and having a beer or two has blown up into a full-on all day river party. Starting as soon as you get off the tuk-tuk, you walk past a bar offering free shots and cheap beers. Why not take one for the road (err...river)?! So we do, and hop in our tubes to start the day...30 metres down the river we are assaulted with bamboo poles and water bottles on strings, cast by staff at the next bar. ALREADY?? ...Alright. We hang out here for a while, partaking in diving boards, ziplining over the water, and a GIANT-trapeze-like thing that is built up in a huge tree! You can climb the tree, grab onto the bar, and swing out over the river, letting go about 10-15 metres in the air before plunging into the artificially deepened river. Sounds FUN! The rest of the day progressed similarly, with TONS of party animal tourists, some beach volleyball, HUGE waterslides, and of course more free shots of Laolao whiskey. At the end of it all, we have a lazy 1 hour drift back home. Should have left while the sun was still up, that's for sure!

What fun!

Our next trek: down the nearly 1000 km stretch of Laos to the deep south, where the beautiful 4000 islands (Si Phan Don) rests peacefully on the border between Laos and Cambodia! A rather long journey, involving a sleeper BUS...never seen that before! Normally on sleeper trains, one seat is upper bunk and one seat is lower bunk...but on this bus, it was two per bed! Good thing we were travelling with friends!

A cozy night's sleep on the bus to Si Phan Don!

Si Phan Don itself was a laidback riverside paradise. The main tourist islands offer little more than tiny bamboo bungalow huts along the river, with local families often living on the same property. Electricity is unheard of in our guesthouse, but then again we are only paying $3 per night...for both of us! Some more "expensive" ($5) huts have generator power until around 10 o'clock. Bike rental is $1 a day, supremely affordable even if just heading to the beach for a few hours. And beach there is, out into the refreshing Mekong with beautiful waterfalls upstream to boot! Our huts looked right out over the river and an archipelago of smaller islands directly into the sunset, which we watched each night from our favorite restaurant. We managed to befriend the waiters at the restaurant, and went to cheer them on at their local boat races, a big competition between the islands. Despite all the stares from the locals at our uncommon white skin, everyone was SUPER friendly and open here, even inviting us to sit down for shots of Laolao and a conversation at times! Backpacker paradise indeed!