Going where I’ve never been

We’re a bit relieved – Singapore isn’t a completely Truman Show-esque world after all…it has Little India to bring it back down to earth!

After a day spent wandering around this shiny, park-filled city, we decided to spend the evening in Little India, primarily for the food of course. There was no question as to where this area began; suddenly the sidewalks didn’t match up anymore, mini-marts spilled their goods out into the walkways, people jaywalked , and there were thousands upon thousands of Indian men everywhere, filling up the curry houses and loitering on every other square inch of space.

We felt back in our element (my increasingly tired looking clothing was now up to standard) and pushed through the crowds, listening to blaring Indian music and inhaling the smells of incense and curry as we searched for the perfect curry house. We found an excellent one and dove right into a big banana leaf set meal of mutton masala, curried vegetables, rice and roti amid the hoardes of men shoveling in the same with their right hands; it was exactly what we’d been after!

After dinner we strolled around and marveled at the sheer lack of women; in two hours we saw several thousand men and a total of two women. It’s no secret that in India there are major gender imbalances; due to the dowry system in which the family of the women have to make major payments to the man’s family, having too many female children means financial ruin. The practice of female infanticide is a big problem, and although it’s slowly disappearing you now have generations that are nearly all men – men that will never find a wife due to the incredible absence of women. This of course results in tons and tons of men who spend all of their time with lots and lots of other men and, naturally, a very high rate of homosexuality.

In any case, it was a colorful, fun area to spend the evening in and the fact that I stood out so much (blonde female in shorts?) made me feel more comfortable – I’m not used to walking around in Asia and fitting in, which is what has happened ever since we set foot in Singapore!

This still remains what I imagine is the most picture-perfect place on earth (so picture perfect that we’ve found nothing to take pictures of!), but it’s good to know that reality exists here as well!

Our journey through Malaysia has included quite a few route deviations, as we’ve been at the mercy of two uncontrollable forces: the monsoon season and Chinese New Year.

The monsoon season generally wraps up sometime in February or March, and the eastern islands open as soon as it does. We’d assumed that we’d miss the window for these beach destinations, but as it turns out boat service has already begun – we quickly rewrote them back into the itinerary!

Chinese New Year is a much stronger force to be reckoned with. It follows the lunar calendar and thus begins on a different date each year; this year it was January 26th, a Monday. Chinese New Year isn’t too different from our Christmas in that it’s the biggest holiday of the year, preceded by the biggest shopping week of the year. The main difference is that Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days – the entire population shuts its business doors and takes to the road, heading for every beach and vacation destination in the country. This is bad news for us non-Chinese, as half the cities are shut down and all of the transport/hotels are booked until the end of time (or at least the end of 15 days!) The one place that no one goes to is Kuala Lumpur (they all flee it), which is why we ended up there last week instead of at the end of the month, as planned.

That route led us down to Melaka, where we found a room and then spent two days trying to see the sights through the throngs of picture-snapping Chinese tour groups. We’d planned to head to the eastern Tioman Island afterwards, but things hadn’t quiet died down yet and after studying a map we realized that Singapore was a mere 3 hours away – let’s add a new stamp to our passport!

So this is how we found ourselves being sped through the most efficient border crossing on the planet and then bussed into the most eerily clean, orderly and efficient city in existence. We expected it to be nice – this is the city-nation that bans chewing gum, arrests jaywalkers and prohibits spitting – but we were blown away at the surrealness of it all, the sense that we’d just walked into a SIMS World computer game.

The bus deposited us at one of the four MRT lines, where we bought our magnetic access cards and boarded the subway, immediately whisked off to our destination. We ascended the stairs back into daylight and embarked on the half-mile walk to the guesthouse that we hoped had a spot for us, as it was the only one even close to affordable that we’d found. Every single road was spotless. Sidewalks are broad, clean, landscaped, well-lit and lined with extravagant shopping centers, cafes and parks. People patiently wait at crosswalks – no one dares dart across when there’s a ‘red man!’ Shiny doubledecker buses made the rounds, taking passengers anywhere and everywhere, recycling bins are prominent and everyone is impeccably dressed.

The guesthouse had a spot for us, and after dropping off our things we headed outside. There are still hawker food centers, luckily, and it’s possible to eat for $2 or so. After a Chinese dinner we headed to Esplanade Park, which looked like a nice water-front area on the map. It was nice, and full of surprises! There was a major parade going on for Chinese New Year, and throngs of people lined the roads watching the dancers and dragons and fire shows go by. Outside of the Esplanade Concert Hall (an amazing pieced of architecture!), there was a free concert-in-the-park series going on, and we enjoyed an incredible choreographed Chinese Percussion show while fireworks went off somewhere in the distance.

This was one small corner of the city, and so much going on, for free! Despite the thousands of people out and about, there wasn’t a speck of garbage, a moment of claustrophobia or a blade of trampled grass to be seen. Literally, spotless – the place and the inhabitants!

Traffic is light, as taxes are kept sky-high in order to encourage public transport, which is cheap and super efficient. The cost for an average economy car, after taxes and licenses and everything else, runs at about $80,000USD. Typically rent, as we found out from some British English teachers, runs around $2000USD, though it can easily be five times that depending on amenities. Food can be cheap on the street, but restaurant and 7-11 prices run well above those in the US, while alcohol is nearly impossible to justify purchasing. The “official” languages include Chinese, Malay and Tamil, but everyone just speaks English instead. There is serious money here, and a seriously high quality of life. We went to bed still a bit stunned at it all – our budget can’t handle more than a couple of nights here, but it’s so neat to see this side of  SE Asia. Places like Laos seem as though they exist on another planet!

Running this morning was incredible. Whereas my first task in any new city is to study the map and try to find a place that might be suitable for running, the task in Singapore was deciding which place I’d like to go to! There isn’t a single road here without a wide, flawless sidewalk, and you can barely walk one block without coming across a perfectly manicured park with jogging trails and a waterfront. The underpasses aren’t dark and seedy; they have gardens and benches and ornate lamposts. There is protected rainforest full of trails, riverfront promenades and oh-so-many other possibilities!

Today will be spent exploring, and I’m sure we’ll be more and more impressed – check back for some perfect pictures of this picture-perfect place!

Wow. Kuala Lumpur is the cleanest, greenest, most well-planned city that either of us have ever been to. The public transport includes buses, light rail, monorail and usable sidewalks (a first for this trip!) and all are flawless, cheap, easy. There is so much green space, from forest reserves to orchid gardens to recreational parks to the incredible KLCC Park which boasts gorgeous tropical landscaping, the best playground ever, a swimming pool, fancy water fountains and an impressive walking paths that include 1200m of rubber track surfacing for the runners – heaven!

Everything is free here. Museums, parks, flower gardens, forest reserves, visiting the Skybridge of the Petronas Towers (formerly the tallest building on earth, now at #2 after Taipei 101) …it’s just an unbelievably pleasant place to be. You still have the all-important masses of food stalls, street markets, and exotic mix of Indians, Malays, Chinese, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and all of their respective dress and places of worship, but overall it doesn’t feel a thing like the developing Asia that we’ve experienced thus far. There is certainly more money, more education and much more diversity – this place is far more progressive and so much more futuristic than anywhere we’ve been in the US. Enjoy the photos!

Malaysia, thus far, has been both the most modern and westernized place we’ve been (no litter, sturdy buildings, orderly traffic), while at the same time the most exotic (veiled women, gorgeous Indian dress, music, Chinese temples, Muslim mosques, a crazy mix of cultures all coexisting) – we are more than pleased so far!

It wasn’t easy getting here, although it should have been. In a nutshell, we took a bus from Krabi to Hat Yai where we were presented with one option for getting over the border: a minibus that seemed quite overpriced for a three hour journey. Declining that method in the name of thrift and adventure, the entire trip ended up taking 15 hours and covering a lot of ground, from Krabi to Hat Yai to Pedang Besar to Kangar to Alor Setar to Butterworth and, finally, to Penang by a midnight ferry.

In the end, we only saved a few dollars but we did have a number of encounters that left us with a great first impression of Malaysia. This country is made up pretty evenly of Malays, Chinese and Indians, the majority of which are devout Muslims. Right away I stuck out in my shorts and exposed blonde hair, as 99% of the women in those first few conservative towns were veiled and certainly didn’t show their knees. We definitely drew some attention, but not in an uncomfortable or unfriendly way; rather, we were greeted by some of the warmest and most helpful people yet!

At the border crossing we were easily stamped in on a free 90-day visa and congratulated by the immigration officer on our new president. The guards on the other side repeated the congrats, told us where to get money and catch further transport, then wished us a great visit. We walked in Pedang Besar, still a bit uncertain about how to get to Butterworth; upon asking a Chinese woman for information, she went out of her way to explain that we needed to go to Kangar first, called the train station to see if there were any more trains that day and, upon finding out that there were not, walked us to a spot where we could flag down the bus, told us what the fare should be, advised us not to trust taxis and wished us safe travels.

In Kangar, as we searched for the second bus station, a veiled girl pointed the way and shouted a genuine “Have a great day!” after us. A bus driver rescued us from some touts who were trying to get us to overpay a bus fare, then chatted Obama news and his wishes for no more wars with us for the duration of the trip. Everyone that we met wore huge smiles, spoke perfect English and went well out of their way to assist us and wish us well. It added much needed smiles to a frustrating travel day!

Our first morning in Penang began much the same way; we were wandering around Little India, marveling at the incredibly diverse population, beautiful architecture and rich culture all around us (not to mention the food…more on that in a moment) when a Chinese man on a bicycle approached us. He asked where we came from, about our trip, what we hoped to see, what we hoped to eat, how we felt about our new president, etc. I think we were both expecting there to be some strings attached, since there usually are in Asia (especially when the opening question is “where are you from?”), but no – this guy was as genuine as it gets! He gave us some sightseeing suggestions, chatted a bit more and then pedalled off, wishing us well. We passed him a few minutes later at a fruit stand where he waved us over and bought us each slices of fresh papaya. When we attempted to pay he would have none of it, telling us that he is the host and we musn’t insult his generosity. What wonderful people!

The only thing better than the people is the food! Penang is a culinary wonderland, absolutely bursting with Malay, Chinese and Indian food at every turn. The smells are incredible and mingle with the various incenses that burn at the temples, mosques and churches; this is a true melting pot of a place. We’ve made many Chinese food discoveries from the innumerable hawker stalls, tried several Malay specialities and of course indulged in absolutely amazing Indian food from canteens staffed by enthusiastic, overzealous Indian men who also love their food! I will list some new favorites below…

*Rojak (Malay) – A salad made of cucumber, jicama, pineapple, apple and tofu, topped with a tamarind/palm sugar/chili sauce and crushed peanuts.

* Char Koay Teow (Malay) – fried wide rice noodles with prawn, egg, bean sprouts, Chinese sausage and chilies.

*Assam Laksa (Malay) – Noodles in a sour fish soup seasoned with tamarind, mint, onion, pineapple, chili and ginger.

*Lok lok (Malay) – Basically you have a street stall absolutely stacked with satay sticks of every imaginable meat, veggie, dumpling or wonton creation. Each are color-coded according to price (each costs 5-15 cents) and you simply graze; pick a stick, dunk it in the big vat of boiling water to heat it, then dunk it into any one of the available sauces (sweet/sour, peanut, spicy) and enjoy. Just hold on to your sticks and the vendor will add up what you owe at the end…a dangerous game!

*Chee Cheong Fun (Chinese) – big steamed rice rolls stuffed with shrimp or meat and served with an oily chili sauce, peanuts and sesame seeds. This is one of many delicious dim sum dishes (basically all sorts of small dumplings that allow diners to pick, choose and sample til full!)

*Wonton Mee (Chinese) – yellow noodle soup with big prawn-stuffed steamed wontons and barbequed pork.

*Curry Mee (Chinese) – yellow noodle soup with a thick coconut curry sauce and various meats.

*Garlic Naan (Indian) – All naan bread is delicious, but we can’t stop eating the garlic, which is indescribably savoury. They throw a thin (but large) disk of dough into the tandoori, cook it on the side of the oven for a few moments, scoop it out, glaze it with buttery, delicious garlic cloves and serve it piping hot with a side dish of dhal (lentil curry). Cost? Less than 50 cents!

*Kashmir Naan (Indian) – Another wonderful naan bread, stuffed full of dates, nuts and spices. A meal in itself!

*Tandoori Chicken (Indian) – That incredible red roasted chicken that they skewer and cook in the tandoori – served with spicy curry sauce and best with hot naan bread.

 *Masala Thosai (Indian) – A huge rice/lentil “crepe”stuffed thick with a curried potato and onions, served with three kinds of dipping sauces. A super filling meal, 50 cents.

*Nasi Kandar (Indian) – All sorts of things – the Indian version of a “point place,” where there are trays upon trays of curries and meats and yogurt dishes and spicy vegetable casseroles…point and have it scooped onto a big plate of rice!

*Samosas (Indian) – Sort of like a hot pocket, but way better dough, fried hot and stuffed with anything from spiced mutton to potato curries. We can share a couple for 50 cents.

*Pulled Tea (Indian) – Tea mixed with milk and sugar then “pulled” – tossed from one cup into another until it is nice and frothy, then served on ice. Perfect with spicy Indian food!

Other delights include the fresh fruits vendors; not only do they serve up juicy slices of pineapple, papaya, banana, dragon fruit, kiwi and starfruit at rock bottom prices, they also make any sort of fruit juice you can imagine! 30 cents will get you an icy cup (or bag) of pure (healthy) deliciousness – they put nothing but fruit and ice into the blender.

We have only touched the surface of food and friendly people (pretty impressive for 3 days, huh?) and I can promise that this won’t be the last time that you hear me rave about Malaysia – tonight’s dinner alone should be full of new delights!

We’ve been in Malaysia for 24 hours and are blown away at the incredible friendliness of this crazy melting pot of a place. The only thing more amazing than the people is the food.

Off to eat again, report to follow shortly!

I am way past due for a post, but I have an excuse and that excuse is Railay Beach!

Between Khao Lak and Phuket, we were pleasantly surprised with how affordable the islands have been despite the high season. In Khao Lak we benefitted from the sluggish December, and in Phuket we benefitted from the fact that I knew the area, our “going local but still indulging in resort beaches” savviness and the fact that we found a great Swedish couple who believe that Thailand should be affordable and thus offer nice rooms for rock bottom prices, right in Nai Han, the area where I had my teacher training back in May. It was a fun reunion with my old stomping grounds, and a million times better now that I had Gabe to share it with!

After five days of cruising around beautiful Phuket on a motorbike and lounging on the pristine beaches, it was time to head to Railay Beach, an international rock climbing destination that Gabe has been anticipating since last year.  Railay is surrounded by huge overhanging karst limestone cliffs that end at the waters edge.  Numerous limestone towers litter the sea providing ample opportunity for deep water solo climbing.  I was in Railay during my first few weeks in Thailand and loved it; I remembered that it was pretty expensive to eat, since it is strictly tourism (though connected to the mainland, there are no roads over the huge limestone formations, so it can only be reached by boat), but that we had no problem finding reasonable accomodation. Surely prices would be a bit steeper in the high season, but how bad could it be?

By the time we rode our motorbike to the Phuket bus station, travelled to Krabi, took a songtaew to Ao Nammeo Pier and then a longtail to Railay, it was near 6:00. We knew that finding a room would be a bit tough at that time, but we’ve always found a place and weren’t too worried. Our first stop was the really nice place that I’d stayed in for 250B back in May. They were full, but no matter – they wanted 1500B for the same room! We moved on.

We covered every inch of east Railay (the ‘budget’ side) and were greeted with one of two scenarios at each place; either rooms were “cheap” at 950B and completely booked, or else there was a room available for upwards of 2000B! As our budget allows around 2-300B per night, we were at a loss and didn’t even bother checking out the ritzy west side. It was beginning to get dark and we were exhausted – where to go?

Tonsai Beach was the place to go, according to some rasta-type Thai climbers that were lounging at one of the many reggae bars. We’d briefly read about Tonsai, that it was the true climbers hangout on Railay, but that it was quite a hike to get to and only had electricity for a couple of hours a day.  Regardless, we set off over the steepest, sandiest, sweatiest trail ever, hauling our bags and chasing the last bit of daylight; I was having Cambodian jungle flashbacks!

Finally, finally we reached Tonsai, and it certainly seemed more our speed. There was a very definite “type” of crowd there – everyone was young, extremely fit and in no rush to be anywhere. We figured that with that hike, it’d be no problem to find a room, right?

Wrong! After stopping at every single place (and there were a lot, mostly barebones thatch bungalows in the trees) and following tips from helpful fellow travellers (all who wished us an unconvincing “good luck“), we had nothing. “Sorry, full!” became the refrain of the night, and they weren’t joking! One bar owner offered us hammocks on his deck if we couldn’t find anything, and we were just about to resort to that when we came across one last place. We approached and asked about a room, almost cringing to hear the answer. Strangely, we heard “yes, have room!” Our faces lit up, then fell when the price was quoted: 1300B. The kid must have seen our desperation, because he relented and told us that we could stay in a tent on the deck for 300B. By that point I would’ve taken anything, and a tent sounded great! They set it up, swept it out, gave us fresh sheets for the mattress and pointed us towards the restaurant bathrooms, complete with a shower. Exhausted, we threw our things down and trudged back up the hill for the first of many, many expensive dinners.

The next morning dawned in a brighter light. Gabe was able to meet up with some Europeans to go climb (literally every person on Tonsai is there to climb, and climb only – I haven’t seen so many fit people in once place since my last college race!) while I took charge of finding a proper room. After making the rounds twice and still hearing that awful “Sorry, full!” over and over, I was thrilled to see two girls checking out of TiewKhao bungalows and raced over to grab their spot. The room was basic as basic gets (the tent was more luxurious), but at least we had a base! Vacation could begin.

Railay is like a giant, unbelievably beautiful playground, a mecca for rockclimbing, sea kayaking, diving, snorkelling and all sorts of other things. Tonsai was its own little world; it took effort to get there and most people were staying for at least a month, if not more, strictly to climb then rest then climb again. I stayed off the rocks and stuck to long, hard morning runs, but could be entertained all day by these incredible shows of strength, from all over the world. It was bizarre to cross back over to Railay East or West and suddenly find yourself amongst the big, soft resort-typers (remember the TWTs?) lounging at their pools. We certainly preferred the Tonsai side, and after just a couple of days you would suddenly realize that you were running into all sorts of people you knew – it was a true little community!

The drawback of a place like Railay is the price of everything and the lack of Thai food. Understandably, all supplies must be brought in by boat, and of course the prices are then nudged ever higher by the fact that there are no Thai people living here; it is strictly for tourists. On average, everything (from basic goods to meals) was 2-3 times pricier than normal. Sunblock was an ungodly $16 per bottle (we rationed ours and wore hats), and a scoop of icecream could ruin your day. It was impossible to find a restaurant that would serve Thai food for breakfast (hello omlettes and muesli!), and when you did find Thai food it was so farangified (ie no spice, no fish sauce, no taste) that it made the high price that much more painful. A sunset beer could kill your days budget, and internet was astronomically expensive, hence my recent absence!

Despite these things, Railay is a bit of a tropical paradise and we truly settled in for the week, spending each evening watching the pro climbers perform and the unfortunate late-comers search for a place to stay. Gabe got to do some great climbing with really neat people from different parts of the world, and we fit in plenty of other things around that as well.  The climbing highlight for Gabe was going out on a boat for a deep water solo trip to nearby limestone towers, which involves climbing over water without any sort of protection (ie. rope, carabiners, harness).  This is one of the purest forms of climbing as there is no gear to get in the way, only you and the rock wall in front.  You climb up until you arms give out and plunge into the water below, rest on the boat, and repeat!

We spent one day taking a tour to Koh Phi Phi, home of the infamous beach in the movie, The Beach. While the location was stunning and we’re glad that we saw it, the beauty was detracted from by the thousands of tourists (yes, we were part of it), hoardes of speedboats, the smell of gasoline and the cattle-herding method of the tour. Snorkelling was done amid a mass of idling boats, lunch was a bland buffet of fried rice, spaghetti and instant coffee and stops like “Monkey Bay” were disappointing, exploited zoos. We wouldn’t do it again.

We departed today, having discovered affordable-ish food (the chicken ladies!), having made some great new friends, enhanced our tans and having rediscovered some long-lost climbing and paddling muscles. We were partly sad to go, partly thrilled about the return to real Thailand, where not only can we interact with real live Thai people!, but can also afford to snack and use internet and have a beer if we please.

Tomorrow we go to Malaysia for the final “new frontier” of this trip. In one month we will return, again, to Thailand for some diving and goodbyes before heading back to the US for the culture shock of the year! There is a good chance that the next blog will concern food and food alone (Indian food is reportedly better and more plentiful in Malaysia than it is in India) so come hungry!

(Also….enjoy the latest photos!)

It sounds like a pretty brutal winter back home…

You sure can cover a lot of ground in a week! After departing the wintry mountains of the north, we headed to the still-sweltering city of Bangkok, then found ourselves sailing to Kawthoung, Burma (a town that foreigners can enter, but cannot leave), where we stayed just long enough to hand over a perfectly crisp $10 bill to immigration, get a stamp in, buy a Myanmar Beer (betcha can’t find that at your local gourmet beverage store!) and get a stamp out. By lunchtime we were once more legal in Thailand and boarded a bus to Khao Lak, the first of our beach stops and the quintessential environment for what we have dubbed “TWTs.”

A TWT is a Two Week Tourist. There is nothing wrong with these people, so no one take offense, but we couldn’t resist compiling a list of the vast differences between vacationers (ie TWTs) and travellers like ourselves. Khao Lak is beautiful, there is no denying that, and was actually the hardest hit area in Thailand during the 2004 tsunami. As such, it has been rebuilt from the ground up, full of places perfect for the package tourist families and those in search of a “getaway.” It was tough to find a room within our budget, but we managed (back to cold water!) and before too long found ourselves looking for some dinner.

Khao Lak is one long strip of a road lined with the following: guesthouses, gourmet “supermarkets,” shiny pharmacies, internet cafes, dive shops, bathing suit shops, sunglasses shops, souvenior shops, hemp jewelry shops, handbag shops, more bathing suit shops, 7-eleven, banana pancake stands, pizza-pasta-hamburger restaurants, seafood-rest of world food restaurants, Irish pubs and authentic Thai food restaurants.

Rule number one: If a restaurant has to tell you that it serves “authentic Thai food,” it isn’t a Thai restaurant, it’s a farang restaurant with some unspicy Thai-ish dishes (such as fried rice). Rule number two: If there are no Thais eating there, it isn’t a Thai restaurant. Rule number three: If the condiments on the table include ketchup, salt and pepper, it isn’t a Thai restaurant!

We walked up and down that strip, determined to find one single place that could call itself Thai. It wasn’t the higher costs that put us off, as we’ll certainly pay a bit more for good restaurant food, it was the fact that we’d be paying more for food that was dumbed down, cheating us out of Thailand’s culinary greatness! As it was, we ended up settling for a place that was completely indistinguishable from all the others; the food was fine, but it was the entertainment that made it worth a stop!

We’d been in Khao Lak for 5 hours at this point and had barely seen a single Thai person. We’d seen white people of all shapes, sizes and nationalities, but not a single Thai aside from those serving our food and manning the swimsuit shops. As we watched the masses of big, sunburnt people stroll by, pay far too much for knockoff swimwear (bargaining? what?), eat banana pancakes from “street vendors” with English menus and English prices, and head back towards their cozy resort rooms, we coined the TWT term.

These people were all enjoying a nice holiday, no doubt about that. What struck us, in light of all we’ve seen and done, is that not one of these people were experiencing Thailand! They will all return home in two weeks with a nice tan and a bag full of souveniors and claim that they’ve been to Thailand, when in fact they haven’t had so much as a glimpse! Khao Lak could be any beach resort town in any country in any part of the world; there is no reason (and actually it’s quite difficult in this place) to learn a word of Thai, interact with any Thai people or eat any Thai food. It’s like a giant playpen for foreigners.

These observations aren’t meant to insult, they just struck us in a particular way and made us feel sorry for the TWTs. There are so many rich experiences to be had, so close by, if people would just dig a bit and get out of that comfort zone!  

During my morning run I discovered a cluster of local eateries and takeaway stalls, merely a ten minute walk away. We beelined it there for breakfast and enjoyed our meal in a bright bustling restaurant, full of Thais and amazing curries and conversation for a fraction of what the standard “toast and jam” would cost down the road- the smiles on the cooks’ faces told us that not too many farang make it down that way.

Lunch was a similar experience; the somtum lady was tickled pink not only that we stopped by for some takeaway, but that we managed to order it all in Thai. It was one of the best beach picnics ever! We did the same for all of our meals, as the generic establishments lining the main strip were too bland, too mindnumbing to be worth our time – we can visit places like that at home!

Lunch on day two was the highlight of it all. I’d gotten more somtum, but Gabe was after something a bit heartier, so we stepped into a spotless little place with chicken and pork hanging in the display case. The man in charge greeted us with a huge smile and absolutely lit up when Gabe ordered khao moo daang. As he prepared the dish, he talked to us excitedly in rapid-fire Thai; we hung in there as best we could, responding when we got something, smiling and shrugging when it went over our heads. It was no matter to him; after he figured out that we were headed to Phuket soon, he interrupted his task to draw us a little map, indicating that he has another restaurant there, near the roundabout, that serves khao mein gai. He would be going there on Sunday for holiday and was very excited!

His enthusiasm was contagious and we were grinning ear to ear even before he placed the most well-presented (and best-tasting) plate of roasted red pork and rice that we’ve ever seen on the table. The standard bowl of soup (sort of a palate cleanser) appeared next, followed by a second for me so that I wouldn’t have to sit without refreshments. He continued to smile and talk to us, soon placing a bowl of oily rice (from the khao mein gai dish) on the table for sampling. After we’d each tried a bite, he topped it with delicious, moist chicken, delighted at our delight! When we finally finished we felt as if we had a new friend; we paid the measely 30baht (around 90 cents) that he charged us and promised to be back for breakfast – you can bet that we kept that promise!

Something as simple as running was equally rewarding. I run early and I run on the road, because that’s what I enjoy and, well, beach running is horrendous for you. When I’d head out at 5:30, I would find myself sharing the roads with a crowd of Thai runners, returning their enthusiastic hellos and enjoying that bond that crosses all cultural boundaries. I didn’t see any foreigners, and later saw why; they all run right out of their resorts and onto the beach with all of the other foreigners. Again, nothing wrong with this – but you can’t learn things about a culture by staying in your comfort zone, it’s the people who step out that leave with the real memories.

The TWTs are missing out, and they don’t even know it! I’m generalizing of course, but the exceptions seem to be rare. On our final night, while sitting at a noodle stand, an older foreign couple approached the stand cautiously, peering at what was going on inside. It made us smile and admire their initiative; it was without a doubt their first “street food” experience, and while it was tame for us (english sign), I’m sure it was somewhat daunting for them. They hung around nervously, trying to figure out how to order food, and were eventually rescued by the friendly cook who asked them what sort of meat they’d like and invited them to have a seat. They did so and soon had steaming bowls in front of them; we giggled a bit at their attempts to bypass chopsticks and eat the noodles with spoons, but we definitely gave them credit – they escaped the playpen!

These experiences are repeated again and again for us because we do take the time to walk away from the “playpen,” follow the locals, search for the restaurant that is filled with Asians, not the one with the English menu. These people will always work with you; sure, you’ll make a fool of yourself at times, but that’s part of the fun! Why travel if you aren’t going to experience and learn and take something away from it all? You can be sure that tshirts and handicrafts are faaar from the most important things we’ll be bringing home! 

*On a side note: The diving didn’t happen (yet) because we came across the deal of a lifetime once we actually arrived in Khao Lak. Due to the tourism crisis that Thailand is currently facing (one dive company said that they didn’t have a single booking for the month of December, typically the peak of the peak season), companies need to fill their boats. As such, we are going to return at the end of February and join a four day/four night liveaboard trip to the Similan/Surin Islands and each get our respective certifications onboard during the trip. For my open water certification plus an incredible, all inclusive liveaboard trip, I’m paying just over $600; the normal price is nearly double that. It’s pretty much one of the best deals in the world, for one of the best dive sites in the world. More to come in February!

Well, maybe “sweet” is the wrong word for Bangkok…but it does feel strangely like coming home! We took an overnight bus from Chiang Mai and were dropped off at Morchit bus station at 5 a.m., the very place that we departed back on September 30th. Suddenly, the past three months felt like they hadn’t existed, that we’d been here just yesterday!

We knew where we wanted to eat breakfast, we knew how to get a taxi and how to pronounce our destination, we knew how to navigate our way to the guesthouse and we knew that we’d spend all day at Chatuchak Market. It felt bizarre arriving as backpackers when we consider ourselves to be pros here!

Groggy from the bus ride, it took some time to drag ourselves to the market. Suddenly we were back, walking the same old routes, dodging the motorbikes and gaping potholes on the sidewalks while avoiding drips of water from the airconditioning units and drains above, breathing in the exhaust fumes, examining the endless array of food on offer from street vendors, sweltering in the heat (cool season?) and arriving at Chatuchak, a market that looks decidedly unexotic after all we’ve seen. Unexotic or not, consumerism gets the best of everyone and we spent a good portion of the day browsing and buying and eating and marveling at how it was like we’d never left.

In addition to the Chatuchak experience, there were a few other changes in our perspective. The traffic, though heavy, seems very orderly and predictable after what we’ve seen in Cambodia and Vietnam. The city seems about as (over)developed as any place could get, the people seem incredibly wealthy. It’s a shock to be back in a place that never sleeps; 5a.m. and 5p.m. are the same beast, full of cars and buses and bikes and exhaust fumes and food vendors and vendor patrons and neon lights and the ding of 7-eleven doors as people pass through for their iced coffees and Red Bull.

We haven’t done much here, as sightseeing is unnecessary; aside from Chatuchak and morning runs at the park, we’ve mostly relaxed by our guesthouse pool with great books, taking breaks to go explore the nearest mass of street stalls when we get hungry.

Last night we got to meet up with four great friends who are all working in nicer schools (real jobs!) and living in nicer places (real apartments!) than when we’d first arrived. It was wonderful to see all of them, share dinner and drinks with old friends and hear about the past few months. The best part was the massive stack of Christmas cards that my friend Lisa had waiting for me – thanks to ALL of you, it made my day to read your notes and to be reminded of what an incredible family I have!

Being here, in place that we know so well, makes us both feel like the trip is ending; luckily that’s not the case quite yet! In all of its usual brilliance, the Thai government has decided that the solution (?) to their cripplingly low tourism numbers is to reduce the length of the visa from 30 days to 15 days. Because of this, we have to be out of the country by tomorrow, an enormous inconvenience!

We are taking an overnight bus to Ranong, which we will use as a base for crossing into Burma tomorrow morning. We’ll turn right around and be stamped back into Thailand, where we’ll spend another 15 days getting diving certifications and rock climbing in the islands. After those 15 days we will head to Malaysia for a month, one final “new” frontier (one filled with Indian food!), before spending the very last two weeks on a diving trip and stocking up on as many things as we can get onboard a plane in Bangkok. It will be tough to leave (can’t think about that yet!), but real home will certainly be sweet!

Our transition from 2008 to 2009 included all of the necessary elements: motorbikes, open roads, gorgeous wilderness, Thai food, whiskey, bonfires, caves, Burma and new friends. It also included a flat tire and cold showers, but that is beside the point…

We left Chiang Mai on the 30th, intending to spend four days doing the “Mae Hong Song Loop,” a 60okm+ journey that would take us through an artsy town called Pai, a caving/outdoor place called Soppong and the provincial capital, Mae Hong Song, with lots of incredible scenery in between. As things go when traveling, plans changed drastically!

Chiang Mai was the real test of urban driving skills, and Gabe passed with flying colors weaving in and out of jammed traffic, safely, like a seasoned pro. It took well over an hour to escape the interstate-like driving conditions and turn off onto the quieter (so we thought) Highway 1095 that would take us around the entire loop.

Things were quiet at first, and more scenic by the minute as the road started to climb and twist into the mountains. Before we knew it, the convoys appeared. Convoys of Toyota HiLux trucks, the choice vehicle of the Thai well-to-do’s, carrying them enmass to Pai for the longest public holiday of the year. These trucks are America-big and drivers have little regard (or maybe they just don’t notice) a little Honda Wave puttering up the hill next to them. The traffic got heavier and heavier, and we began to take the warning about “no room” in Pai seriously.

About halfway there we turned off to see a hot spring geyser, along with several convoys. After 6km of hill climbing, we sat in line only to find out that it was a national park and that we’d be charged outrageous “foreigner fees.” We turned back and decided to push on to Pai. Within 10 minutes Gabe pulled over near an overlook, saying that the bike felt strange.

Sure enough, our back tire was low; within minutes it was completely flat. After some unsuccessful communication attempts with the resident Thais, we contemplated what to do.  Without tools, spare tube, or airpump we were useless.  A car soon pulled up with a young couple who stepped out to take a break, so Gabe approached the girl to ask if she spoke English. Luckily she did, and was intent on helping. She asked the people there about a tire shop; they replied that the nearest place was 4km away.  Moving on to the next solution, the girl and her boyfriend starting flagging down passing trucks. It took almost no time for one to pull over, the five Thais and a white guy to pile out, happily agree to help and start rearranging the bags in the bed of the truck.  The guys hauled the motorbike up and securely tying it town. A girl who spoke perfect English apologized that there was no room in the cab and that we’d have to sit in the back – we told her it was no problem and hopped in, expecting to be taken the 4 km.

4km came and went; these people drove us all 50km to Pai and drove around the city until they found a tire repair shop, waiting until we were safely inside with our bike before leaving. The tire repair took all of 15 minutes and cost all of $2; by this point we decided to pass on the overrun Pai and head to Soppong, where we had a room waiting at a place called the Cave Lodge. We arrived by 4:00 at one of the neatest guesthouses yet; set far out of town, in the woods and near the main attraction, Tham Lod (Lod Cave), Cave Lodge was a bamboo bungalow sort of place run by a great Australian guy named John, and had a wonderful restaurant/lounge deck with plenty of cushions, reading material and a large firepit.

We went to Tham Lod for sunset, where hundreds of thousands of birds swirl into the cave exit while hundreds of thousands of bats swarm out at the same time. Once it was dark, we returned to the lodge where we enjoyed an incredible meal and lots of conversation with a decidedly cool clientele around the fire until late in the evening. By this point, we’d ruled out completing the “loop” and had decided to hang around for awhile as this was worthy of exploring.

The greatest thing about the Cave Lodge was John, the owner, and the fact that he hands out free information, handdrawn maps and doesn’t try to sell you any sort of guide or tour. As an Aussie, he has spent the past 30yrs exploring caves all over Asia and is a wealth of knowledge.  We woke on New Year’s Eve hoping to find the “Sacred Well Cave,” a spot that looked easy enough on the map but was marked “ask us.” We asked, and were directed to a Belgian guy named Vincent and a French guy named Benny who were headed there as well and had the map.  The map turned out to be scrawled on notebook paper, but we soon jumped on our motorbike and followed them down the road, soon turning off onto a winding dirt road, through peach tree orchards, rice fences, and up rocky tracks too steep for both of us on the bike.

It was rough ride, much harder on our little 100cc bike than on Vincent’s 250cc monster, but between the four of us we eventually made the correct turns, found the right landmark trees, hiked through the correct valley and arrived at the cave, a massive piece of rock with a lot to explore inside.We found the well, a small pool of water with lots of burnt incense surrounding it, and Gabe happened upon a piece of loose rock that pulled away to reveal a bag full of ash and bone – it was like being in our very own Goonie s movie! It took the better part of the afternoon, and by the time that we went to town for lunch and whiskey purchasing, it was near evening and time to prepare for the new year.

We started by indulging in the herbal sauna on offer at the Cave Lodge; for the price of a small tip we enjoyed an hour of sweaty cleansing! From there we headed along the river (5 mins walk) to foodstalls near the more touristy Tham Lod for some Thai-priced Thai food, then it was dark and time for the festivities! The Cave Lodge had some of the neatest people that we’ve found anywhere, and it was a wonderful New Year, complete with fireworks, a bonfire, a giant bamboo ladyboy (soon to be a burning ladyboy!) and plenty of whiskey.  The highlight was shooting bottle rockets from a bamboo bazooka across the river to ignite the “ladyboy” who was stuffed with bags of petrol and fireworks.  John also built a Shan candle.  This deserves a short explanation – Whenever a Shan village held festivals there were no streetlights to illuminate the festivities.  Instead they would tie together 6-7 tall bamboo sticks and place them upright into a small hole dug in the ground.  Once lit, the “candle” would burn slowly from the top down illuminating the festivities.  This created quite an ambience for our party!

New Year’s day began a bit later than usual, but after a perfect Thai breakfast (padkaprow gai kai dao – wok-fried chicken with basil and chilis over rice, topped with a fried egg) we found Vincent and asked John about nearby caves.  He pointed out a few with the jewel being just over the border in Burma. He said it was a great drive, but that our bike might not make it up some of the mountain roads. He mentioned we had a 50/50 chance of crossing over to see the Burma cave…it all depends on the border guards. We  teamed up with our friend Vincent, safety in numbers, and took off anyways, soon finding ourselves on some of the most scenic and secluded roads in SE Asia.

Gabe was a master motorbike driver by this point and we had no issues at any point. The scenery was unbelievable and the day was pristine; after about 20km we found ourselves at the immigration checkpoint on the Burmese border. We tried our luck but to no avail; the guard had no interest in letting us pass even after a bribe offer. We took a few photos and headed back towards Soppong, soon turning off into a village that housed the White Cliff Cave. It was a muddy hike, directed by the village kids, but this was easily the most impressive cave that I’ve ever encountered before in my life.  It took a lot of climbing and effort just to cover the area covered by overhang, and when we finally reached an entrance Gabe was the only one ambitious (and brave) enough to continue on.

He headed in while Vincent and I enjoyed the relatively bright and spider-free conditions outside, finding a steep, slippery drop down for as far as he could see. On return, he reported what I expected; I would hate it in there! By this point it was well after 3:00 and high time for us to be heading back to Soppong.

There was an immediate detour when the guys spotted a sign marking another cave; we headed down a treacherous dirt road, picking up a persistent “guide” along the way, but ended up declining his services as the cave was far more difficult to get to, and would take far more time, than daylight allowed. The drive back was even more breathtaking, as the time of day lent  surreal, painting-like quality to the sky and the endless blanket of mountains.

We’d all missed lunch and spent the evening at the Cave Lodge, enjoying a big meal, a beer, a newfound friendship and the campfire.

January 2nd began with a painful but wonderful mountain run for me, followed by one final incredible padkaprow breakfast and our departure from the Cave Lodge. We said our goodbyes to Vincent and embarked on a long push towards Chiang Mai. The traffic was just as heavy this time around, as the whole of Thailand returned from their holiday along with us, but once again Gabe handled it like a pro. We were free from tire issues and arrived late in Chiang Mai with extremely sore backsides but full of excitement for what lies ahead in 2009!