A jet-lagged induced sleepless morning has led to pictures being up sooner than expected. Enjoy the final installment:
Chiang Mai (not great photos - skippable!): http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaChiangMai
Ko Phi Phi: http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaKoPhiPhi
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Jet-lagged reflections stateside
After my 36 hours of traveling I have made it home safe and sound to San Francisco. The travel was uneventful, and the quantity of steps actually helped to break it up and made it slightly less painful. I got a lot of reading done and napped quite comfortably in the Tokyo airport.
Before I embark on reflections on my little adventure, I'll recap the last few days in Thailand. Ko Phi Phi ( pronounced Pee Pee) is a small island off the south west coast of Thailand. It's known as the location where the Leo DiCaprio movie "The Beach" was filmed. I read the book on the trip, but still haven't seen the movie. Must do that. There's a central touristy area where the pier is where most people stay. Charlotte and I needed some time away from that, and opted to stay on "Long Beach" - a boat taxi ride away on a different side of the island. The locale consisted of 3 resorts with their own bungalows, a beautiful beach, massage beds, probably 50 people, and NOTHING else. It was perfect for a few days of relaxing and unwinding. The beach was our own for most of the time. Low season was quite the blessing. I indulged in 2 seaside thai massages that may have put me in the most relaxed state I'd ever been in. Being massaged outdoors with a sea breeze skimming your skin while listening to nothing but the sound of waves may be unbeatable :)
Needless to say, after that ending I'm feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and prepared to embark on my next adventure at school.
I've now been up for 48 hrs (plus a bit of napping in Tokyo) so I'm not sure how coherent this will be, but feel like I should offer some reflections on this adventure. Could be more eloquent, but if I wait I know I'll get wrapped up in preparing for school and never get to this :)
Till next time...
Steph
P.S. - Couple more photo links still to come :)
Before I embark on reflections on my little adventure, I'll recap the last few days in Thailand. Ko Phi Phi ( pronounced Pee Pee) is a small island off the south west coast of Thailand. It's known as the location where the Leo DiCaprio movie "The Beach" was filmed. I read the book on the trip, but still haven't seen the movie. Must do that. There's a central touristy area where the pier is where most people stay. Charlotte and I needed some time away from that, and opted to stay on "Long Beach" - a boat taxi ride away on a different side of the island. The locale consisted of 3 resorts with their own bungalows, a beautiful beach, massage beds, probably 50 people, and NOTHING else. It was perfect for a few days of relaxing and unwinding. The beach was our own for most of the time. Low season was quite the blessing. I indulged in 2 seaside thai massages that may have put me in the most relaxed state I'd ever been in. Being massaged outdoors with a sea breeze skimming your skin while listening to nothing but the sound of waves may be unbeatable :)
Needless to say, after that ending I'm feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and prepared to embark on my next adventure at school.
I've now been up for 48 hrs (plus a bit of napping in Tokyo) so I'm not sure how coherent this will be, but feel like I should offer some reflections on this adventure. Could be more eloquent, but if I wait I know I'll get wrapped up in preparing for school and never get to this :)
- Solo travel - I highly recommend it. It was refreshing to sometimes spend a day alone with my thoughts, doing whatever I wanted to do. There are always friends to be made anywhere, and I found myself meeting people who I never would have talked with had I been traveling with people I knew. I made some friends for sure that I will keep in touch with, but more than that, chatted with people for a day or just a few minutes who taught me something.
- Uncharted (or less charted) territory - go there. Laos and Cambodia are both developing into tourist destinations but the people aren't yet jaded by tourism as I found to be the case in Vietnam and Thailand. The Laoatians and Cambodians were warm, friendly, and genuinely happy that I was there. It's also nice to see not only people who are a) tourists b) tourism industry workers, but people who live in the area you're visiting. It's not quite as comfortable to be there as things aren't always adapted to Western preferences, but the sacrifice is well worth it.
- Trip duration - is all relative and is what you make of it. Everyone in the US thought 40 days was SO LONG to be traveling. Most people I met in Asia were traveling for 6 months or more! (note that very few were Americans) and thought that my trip was so short. For me, 6 weeks was just the right amount of time to spend alone and away from home. Had I been planning for a 3 month trip, though, I may have felt the same way. It's all about what you get from the trip, however, not how long you spend in any certain place.
- Americans need to get out more - I had many conversations with Aussies and Europeans about this. In the US, people just don't take extended vacations. Theories on why this is are varied but include the following (among others) a) We don't get as much vacation time as other countries b) We have so much to see in the US c) We're really narrow-minded and don't care to see the rest of the world d) "Getting ahead" or making money at work is too important to most people to dedicate time to traveling. Whatever it is, I think we're personally and as a country doing ourselves a disservice by not exploring the rest of the world.
- I am really fortunate.
- Kids at my school in Oakland have never even taken the train to San Francisco, much less been halfway across the world to sit on a white sand beach like I was able to, just because I wanted to.
- I was born in a country that speaks English! English is the universal language as far as I can tell. All tourist interactions were in English. If you're a German or Israeli who wants to visit Asia, it's not enough to have the money and time to go, you need to learn another language, too. Thanks for speaking English to me as a baby Mom and Dad.
- Not only was I able to go to Asia, but I had the confidence and ability to do it on my own. I chalk that up to nothing that I've done for myself, but the experiences I've had and people that have made me the confident person I am.
- I can choose my own path in life and day to day. So many of the native Asians I met had very little choice about who to marry, how to make a living, where to live, and how to spend their time. The amount of personal freedom I have is unparalleled.
- I can swim. I definitely took this one for granted. I met more than one Brit who was well-educated and well-off but missing out on the trip because he/she was never taught to swim. Once again, thanks Mom and Dad.
- I have toilet paper and can flush it - no trash can required. Enough said.
- I have friends and family who supported me and stayed in touch with me throughout the trip :)
Till next time...
Steph
P.S. - Couple more photo links still to come :)
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Homeward Bound
Today I embark on my 36 hour journey home. My schedule looks something like this:
1) 15 minute boat ride to Ko Phi Phi pier
2) 1.5 hr boat ride to mainland
3) 30 minute taxi ride to airport
4) 1 hr plane ride to Bangkok
5) 3 hr layover/int'l check-in
6) 6 hr plane ride to Tokyo
7) 10 (YES TEN) hr layover in Tokyo
8) 10 hr plane ride to San Francisco(!)
9) 30 minute BART ride to Powell Street
10) 5 minute taxi ride to Jim's apartment (thanks Jimmy!)
That's quite a lot of transport if I do say so myself! I land Monday morning and will try to stay up all day when I get home. Wish me luck! I'll also do a post on my time here in Ko Phi Phi, though it will be short. I can only write so much about incredible massages and gazing at a pristine beach :-)
See you Monday!!!!
1) 15 minute boat ride to Ko Phi Phi pier
2) 1.5 hr boat ride to mainland
3) 30 minute taxi ride to airport
4) 1 hr plane ride to Bangkok
5) 3 hr layover/int'l check-in
6) 6 hr plane ride to Tokyo
7) 10 (YES TEN) hr layover in Tokyo
8) 10 hr plane ride to San Francisco(!)
9) 30 minute BART ride to Powell Street
10) 5 minute taxi ride to Jim's apartment (thanks Jimmy!)
That's quite a lot of transport if I do say so myself! I land Monday morning and will try to stay up all day when I get home. Wish me luck! I'll also do a post on my time here in Ko Phi Phi, though it will be short. I can only write so much about incredible massages and gazing at a pristine beach :-)
See you Monday!!!!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Reverse culture shock (and photos!)
After a week in Laos, including 3 days living in the jungle, I've experienced reverse culture shock upon re-entry to Thailand. On my "take it easy" day after getting back from the jungle I decided to go see a movie...at the mall. The Chiang Mai mall is similar to any western mall you've seen except there are a lot more Asian people. Not so exciting, really, unless you're really into malls :)
In Laos I learned a few key phrases - hello, thank you, how are you, etc. In Thailand I don't need to or have any inclination to learn them because everyone speaks English. In Lao it seems that tourism is still relatively so new that they haven't completely shifted over to English as they have here where tourists are a dime a dozen. There are definitely pros and cons to both situations.
Sunday in Chiang Mai there is a special night market called, fittingly, the Sunday Market. I attended, walking for 3 hrs without seeing everything. I did stop for some performances of little girls made up and dressed up Star Search style. Some of the dances were a bit risque for 6 year olds. Made me think of Jon Benet Ramsey and sketched me out...so I left. Still not really sure what it was.
On day 2 in Chiang Mai I took a cooking course. It was held at a fancy kitchen setup at someone's home in the 'burbs. I like to think of it as my very own "kitchen stadium" (for those of you who watch Iron Chef). We each (3 of us) picked the 6 courses we wanted to cook - yes, 6!! - and went to the market for ingredients before digging in. Pounding curry paste and boiling pumpkin balls was a lot of fun and I was STUFFED at the end of the afternoon. I came away with a recipe book full of authentic thai recipes. I can't wait to get started in my tiny dorm kitchen!
I found out that Ildi (my Sapa, Hanoi friend) was in town so met up with her in the evening to go to the night market. Totally overcommercialized, but still a lot of fun.
The highlight of Chiang Mai was white water rafting on the last day! Level 3ish rapids (I think). I was in a boat with an Aussie guy and a German couple with a riot of a guide. We rafted for about 2 hours, which included a lot of "fighting" with the other boats and significant time in the water. We stayed in for all the rapids though! Go team! Unfortunately I have no photos of it since we couldn't take cameras. I stood next to the raft at the end in my dry clothes and took a photo to prove I was there :)
Today I flew to Krabi in the south of Thailand. Tomorrow I boat over to Ko Phi Phi, which is my last stop.l I can't believe it! Met a Canadian girl, Charlotte, on the way into town and I think we may hang out on the beach together. Yay tan!
***Photo notice!!! Luang Prabang and the spectacular, but doesn't-do-it-justice Gibbon Experience photos are up! LP:http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaLuangPrabang
GibbonX: http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaTheGibbonExperience
In Laos I learned a few key phrases - hello, thank you, how are you, etc. In Thailand I don't need to or have any inclination to learn them because everyone speaks English. In Lao it seems that tourism is still relatively so new that they haven't completely shifted over to English as they have here where tourists are a dime a dozen. There are definitely pros and cons to both situations.
Sunday in Chiang Mai there is a special night market called, fittingly, the Sunday Market. I attended, walking for 3 hrs without seeing everything. I did stop for some performances of little girls made up and dressed up Star Search style. Some of the dances were a bit risque for 6 year olds. Made me think of Jon Benet Ramsey and sketched me out...so I left. Still not really sure what it was.
On day 2 in Chiang Mai I took a cooking course. It was held at a fancy kitchen setup at someone's home in the 'burbs. I like to think of it as my very own "kitchen stadium" (for those of you who watch Iron Chef). We each (3 of us) picked the 6 courses we wanted to cook - yes, 6!! - and went to the market for ingredients before digging in. Pounding curry paste and boiling pumpkin balls was a lot of fun and I was STUFFED at the end of the afternoon. I came away with a recipe book full of authentic thai recipes. I can't wait to get started in my tiny dorm kitchen!
I found out that Ildi (my Sapa, Hanoi friend) was in town so met up with her in the evening to go to the night market. Totally overcommercialized, but still a lot of fun.
The highlight of Chiang Mai was white water rafting on the last day! Level 3ish rapids (I think). I was in a boat with an Aussie guy and a German couple with a riot of a guide. We rafted for about 2 hours, which included a lot of "fighting" with the other boats and significant time in the water. We stayed in for all the rapids though! Go team! Unfortunately I have no photos of it since we couldn't take cameras. I stood next to the raft at the end in my dry clothes and took a photo to prove I was there :)
Today I flew to Krabi in the south of Thailand. Tomorrow I boat over to Ko Phi Phi, which is my last stop.l I can't believe it! Met a Canadian girl, Charlotte, on the way into town and I think we may hang out on the beach together. Yay tan!
***Photo notice!!! Luang Prabang and the spectacular, but doesn't-do-it-justice Gibbon Experience photos are up! LP:http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaLuangPrabang
GibbonX: http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaTheGibbonExperience
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Gibbons and leeches and civets, oh my!
I'm on a HUGE high from the ridiculous experience I've just had over the past 3 days. I've been trekking through the jungle of Laos, living in treehouses and swinging from ziplines. Incredible. There's no way to describe it, other than dreamlike. Nothing I will ever do again will compare to it.
Day 1 of our 3 day trip included 8 hours of trekking up and downhill through the mud. Awesome. We arrived at the first stop, a kitchen, and I went to use the squat toilet when SOMETHING JUMPED ON MY BACK!!!!!! I screamed as I realized there was a monkey on my back. He jumped off and peered at me to let me know he was going to do it again. Talk about an awkward position. So we made friends and he sat on my back as I peed. Turns out he was rescued from poachers and lives with the guides at the base kitchen. Yikes! A downpour began as we zipped in to treehouse #1 of the Gibbon Experience (www.gibbonx.org ) in the Bokeo Nature Reserve in Northern Laos. The treehouse is literally in a tree, ~50m off the ground. It has running water from a natural spring and a free-fall toilet. During the night we slept with mosquito nets, and I awoke in the midst of a huge thunderstorm to something CRAWLING OVER MY ARM thru the net. I had no clue what it was but was just hoping it didn't want to crawl under the net to visit me, or steal my camera which was outside the net. The next morning the guides told me it was probably a civet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civet.
Woke up at 5:30 after a horrible night's sleep (a 4 hr thunderstorm when you're in a really high tree in the jungle makes it difficult to sleep) to gibbons "singing" (sounded like screaming to me). The jungle is mesmerizing to watch. Sat for a few hours just staring out, looking for shaking trees to indicate monkeys. I was able to see 4 monkeys! Only about 40% of the people who go ever see monkeys, so I was pretty lucky. If that wasn't enough of a rush, we then set out ziplining for the day. We got very little instruction on how to zip, just basically hooked ourselves up and went! Probably the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had!
We zipped and trekked our way to treehouse 5 where we spent the second night. It was the most luxurious treehouse I'd ever seen. The view from the bathroom was unbelievable. After dinner our guide taught us a Lao card game and proposed marriage to me. This was after the cook proposed as well. The cook (Bonmai)is 19 and searching for a farang (western) wife in addition to the Hmong wife he already has. The similarities between him and Li (my Hmong guide in Sapa) were striking. They talked about love, animals and life in a similar way and shared a similar laid back demeanor.
I slept very well the 2nd night. No wildlife crawled on me, and there was only a small storm. Woke early again to look for gibbons but didn't find any. We zipped out of the treehouse one last time, and I left Bonmai behind with a hug and broken heart :) Trekked out to the base village through MUD. Mud mud mud, and leeches. Gross! 3 leeches, 2 rivers, lots of mud and 3 hrs later we made it to the village where the jeep drives to in dry season. We were fully prepared, though not looking forward to it, to hike the additional 5 hrs back out since we'd had so much rain. An hour into the trek we heard a car. We LEPT for joy since we wouldn't have to walk out on our own! It was quite a gift.
BEFORE this whole experience, I spent 4 great days in Luang Prabang in northern central Laos. Rode an elephant on its neck (not in the bench thing you usually have to sit in) and frolicked in some ridiculous waterfalls. My last night there was spent out with 12 westerners (US, Canada, Ireland, France, Australia, England) at the only spot allowed by law to stay open pas 11...the bowling alley :) Quite a fun time. Stayed up all night and was out at 6am to see the monks proceeding for their morning alms. We gave them bananas and sticky rice. I then spent 2 REALLY LONG days on a slow boat going against the current to get up the Mekong River to the Lao/Thai border. 10 hrs both days on really hard small benches. Pretty brutal...but the treehouse experience was a great reward to have after going thru it.
Last night after getting back from the GibbonX I crossed into Thailand and took a private bus (wasn't supposed to be, but I was the only one on it!) to Chiang Mai - the 2nd biggest city in Thailand. So far I like it and am here for a few days, so today is going to be pretty low key. My body needs some time to recover I think!
Write me an email if you have a chance. I miss everyone! I'll be home soon!
Day 1 of our 3 day trip included 8 hours of trekking up and downhill through the mud. Awesome. We arrived at the first stop, a kitchen, and I went to use the squat toilet when SOMETHING JUMPED ON MY BACK!!!!!! I screamed as I realized there was a monkey on my back. He jumped off and peered at me to let me know he was going to do it again. Talk about an awkward position. So we made friends and he sat on my back as I peed. Turns out he was rescued from poachers and lives with the guides at the base kitchen. Yikes! A downpour began as we zipped in to treehouse #1 of the Gibbon Experience (www.gibbonx.org ) in the Bokeo Nature Reserve in Northern Laos. The treehouse is literally in a tree, ~50m off the ground. It has running water from a natural spring and a free-fall toilet. During the night we slept with mosquito nets, and I awoke in the midst of a huge thunderstorm to something CRAWLING OVER MY ARM thru the net. I had no clue what it was but was just hoping it didn't want to crawl under the net to visit me, or steal my camera which was outside the net. The next morning the guides told me it was probably a civet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civet.
Woke up at 5:30 after a horrible night's sleep (a 4 hr thunderstorm when you're in a really high tree in the jungle makes it difficult to sleep) to gibbons "singing" (sounded like screaming to me). The jungle is mesmerizing to watch. Sat for a few hours just staring out, looking for shaking trees to indicate monkeys. I was able to see 4 monkeys! Only about 40% of the people who go ever see monkeys, so I was pretty lucky. If that wasn't enough of a rush, we then set out ziplining for the day. We got very little instruction on how to zip, just basically hooked ourselves up and went! Probably the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had!
We zipped and trekked our way to treehouse 5 where we spent the second night. It was the most luxurious treehouse I'd ever seen. The view from the bathroom was unbelievable. After dinner our guide taught us a Lao card game and proposed marriage to me. This was after the cook proposed as well. The cook (Bonmai)is 19 and searching for a farang (western) wife in addition to the Hmong wife he already has. The similarities between him and Li (my Hmong guide in Sapa) were striking. They talked about love, animals and life in a similar way and shared a similar laid back demeanor.
I slept very well the 2nd night. No wildlife crawled on me, and there was only a small storm. Woke early again to look for gibbons but didn't find any. We zipped out of the treehouse one last time, and I left Bonmai behind with a hug and broken heart :) Trekked out to the base village through MUD. Mud mud mud, and leeches. Gross! 3 leeches, 2 rivers, lots of mud and 3 hrs later we made it to the village where the jeep drives to in dry season. We were fully prepared, though not looking forward to it, to hike the additional 5 hrs back out since we'd had so much rain. An hour into the trek we heard a car. We LEPT for joy since we wouldn't have to walk out on our own! It was quite a gift.
BEFORE this whole experience, I spent 4 great days in Luang Prabang in northern central Laos. Rode an elephant on its neck (not in the bench thing you usually have to sit in) and frolicked in some ridiculous waterfalls. My last night there was spent out with 12 westerners (US, Canada, Ireland, France, Australia, England) at the only spot allowed by law to stay open pas 11...the bowling alley :) Quite a fun time. Stayed up all night and was out at 6am to see the monks proceeding for their morning alms. We gave them bananas and sticky rice. I then spent 2 REALLY LONG days on a slow boat going against the current to get up the Mekong River to the Lao/Thai border. 10 hrs both days on really hard small benches. Pretty brutal...but the treehouse experience was a great reward to have after going thru it.
Last night after getting back from the GibbonX I crossed into Thailand and took a private bus (wasn't supposed to be, but I was the only one on it!) to Chiang Mai - the 2nd biggest city in Thailand. So far I like it and am here for a few days, so today is going to be pretty low key. My body needs some time to recover I think!
Write me an email if you have a chance. I miss everyone! I'll be home soon!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sapa photos
They're up! Apologies for the massive number, but hopefully you'll be able to see why I loved it so much! http://picasaweb.google.com/stephaniepwilson/SoutheastAsiaSapa
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Serenity
After the constant honking and bustle of Hanoi, Laos is a refreshing change. I arrived in quiet Luang Prabang on Friday evening after a long travel day. I arrived at the airport at 11am to find out that my 1pm flight had been cancelled due to "mechanical problems" and was put on a 6:30 flight instead. I spent the day in the dark, boring international terminal. Fortunately midway through my stay there I discovered I could pay my way into the business class lounge. That made it a bit more manageable.
After some money conversion issues (I couldn't convert my dong) and the goodwill of fellow travelers I made it safely to a guesthouse. Yesterday was spent wandering the streets and many wats (temples) of the town. In stark contrast to most of the places I visited in Vietnam, the streets are quiet, and very few people bug me to buy anything. There are still the token children trying to sell bracelets and the "jumbo" drivers who want to take me to a waterfall, but it's very manageable.
Luang Prabang is known for its Wats and monks. They're both everywhere. I need to capture a photo of a group of orange-robed monks all sitting around in an internet cafe. It's a great contrast. Last night I saw a Lao ballet and traditional dance performance. The costumes and masks were spectacular. Ran in to Casey (from Sapa) there and some of her new airport friends. We all got dinner together from a street stall veggie buffet. All you can fit on a plate for 50 cents. Tasty tasty!
I'm about to head out for a day of elephant riding and kayaking. Mom tells me that when I was little I rode an elephant at the zoo and was crying the whole time. This time I'm going to work on being a bit more brave!
After some money conversion issues (I couldn't convert my dong) and the goodwill of fellow travelers I made it safely to a guesthouse. Yesterday was spent wandering the streets and many wats (temples) of the town. In stark contrast to most of the places I visited in Vietnam, the streets are quiet, and very few people bug me to buy anything. There are still the token children trying to sell bracelets and the "jumbo" drivers who want to take me to a waterfall, but it's very manageable.
Luang Prabang is known for its Wats and monks. They're both everywhere. I need to capture a photo of a group of orange-robed monks all sitting around in an internet cafe. It's a great contrast. Last night I saw a Lao ballet and traditional dance performance. The costumes and masks were spectacular. Ran in to Casey (from Sapa) there and some of her new airport friends. We all got dinner together from a street stall veggie buffet. All you can fit on a plate for 50 cents. Tasty tasty!
I'm about to head out for a day of elephant riding and kayaking. Mom tells me that when I was little I rode an elephant at the zoo and was crying the whole time. This time I'm going to work on being a bit more brave!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
