Only one flight to go!
In Tokyo at Narita Airport and flight is on time.......7:05pm. It will be 6:05am CST. Landing at Ohare around 3:30pm on Saturday.
Happy (offical) Anniversary to my Mom and Dad!
Speak to you all soon.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Back in Chiang Mai and survived the hilltribe trek in the mountains. Aside from a few minor scraps, bruises and sore muscles. Definitely challenging and out of my comfort zone, but you need to do that every once in awhile. Keeps everything in perspective and you appreciate what you have.
My advise for anyone that wants to do this, is start your trip with the trek, then go to the islands where you can sit on a beach, drink Singha beer and get Thai massages for nothing.
Day 1 - Left on Wednesday morning and stopped at the local market for food and provisions. The trek the first day was the most difficult. We hiked for 6 kilometers (about 3 miles if I did the math right), which was majority straight up the mountain. Stopped in one Karen village to visit. My guide has been doing this for 18 years and knows all the tribes people. Ended the day at another Karen village where we spent the night. The scenery and views were beautiful throughout the entire trip. It was just me and my guide the entire trek, however, another group stayed at the same village so that made it more fun. The group consisted of one American that is going to university in Rolla (small world), two young guys from Australia that were crazy and hilarious (fits the bill for all Aussie's I've met) and two couples; one from Holland and one from Germany. I was glad they were there because we had a ton of laughs around the fire, getting to know one another and solving all the world problems.
Both days the weather was perfection and couldn't have asked for better. Warm (but not humid) during the trek, but chilly at night. I would guess around 45 degrees. We slept in open air huts that are built on stilts so the pigs and chickens can't get to you.........yes, I said pigs and chickens. No mosquitoes or any bugs for that matter so that was good, but the tribe supplied us with mosquito netting anyway. I had gotten malaria pills from NW Travel Clinic, which I was instructed to take two nights before being in the mountains. I took them the last night in Phuket and felt so sick that night and the entire next day in Chaing Mai..........nauseous, headache and was having very strange dreams. When I told my guide that first day in CM, he said I would not need them that there were no mosquitoes this time of year in the mountains. The rainy season had just ended in October and it was the best time to trek. He was right and glad I didn't take any more so I felt back to normal by the time the trek started.
The villages are very primitive........no electricity, however, they did all have fresh water from the mountains that they filtered and ran into the village. The first night I did use it to 'shower' (or more like hose off), but it was so cold. Felt good after the long day of trekking though. There were 'toilets', but I use the word loosely. More like the local asian toilets where you squat over a hole and then flush with water by hand. Quite the balancing act needed. My biggest fear was that I would need to go during the night. It is pitch black and really didn't want to have to do that.
My guide cooked both dinner and breakfast everyday and the locals let me try what they cooked also. So hot and spicy and they got a good laugh at my reaction. They eat noodles and rice at every meal.
Day 2 - Started the morning after breakfast for a 2 kilometer trek to a Lisu village where from there we took elephants to the next village. At first I was happy to rest my muscles but after an hour on a elephant, your behind doesn't feel very good. Slept in a Lahu village that night. The people were a little more interactive than the first village, but still very quiet. That was the only disappointing thing........I thought we would have more interaction with them and listen to stories and how they live, but that didn't really happen. My guide and others were from one of the villages so they did all the explaining. There was one little boy in the Karen village the first night that was wanting to play, but then would run away. The next morning as we were hiking out of the village, he came running out of his house and yelled while waving, 'goodbye falong' which means foreigner. I thought it was very cute.
Day 3 - The Lisu village is situated on a river (Mae Taeong I think?), so in the morning we took bamboo rafts for about 2.5 hours and from there picked up by truck and driven back to Chiang Mai. The rafts were about 15 bamboo stalks wide and you stood on them. The river is low so there were many rocks and rapids. My guide and the other guide did a great job and we never spilled over. Saw others that did and the water was so cold. There was one that kept on sinking and the guides were laughing at their friend and calling his boat the Titanic. He was literally cutting down more bamboo to rebuild while the tourists sat on the beach.
The entire country is preparing for the King's 83rd birthday. There will be celebrations everywhere. His birthday is December 5, which shares my brother. Coincidentally, he's the 'king' also.
Well, that's it for now. Flying to Bangkok tonight and staying near the airport. Will need to be at the airport by 6am.
I'm trekk'd out, wated out, buddha'd out, shopped out, tuk-tuk'd out and might even be thai fooded out! Well, maybe one more noodle dish.
I will upload pictures either from Bangkok or home. Computer just too slow here.
Lagone (goodbye) for now.
My advise for anyone that wants to do this, is start your trip with the trek, then go to the islands where you can sit on a beach, drink Singha beer and get Thai massages for nothing.
Day 1 - Left on Wednesday morning and stopped at the local market for food and provisions. The trek the first day was the most difficult. We hiked for 6 kilometers (about 3 miles if I did the math right), which was majority straight up the mountain. Stopped in one Karen village to visit. My guide has been doing this for 18 years and knows all the tribes people. Ended the day at another Karen village where we spent the night. The scenery and views were beautiful throughout the entire trip. It was just me and my guide the entire trek, however, another group stayed at the same village so that made it more fun. The group consisted of one American that is going to university in Rolla (small world), two young guys from Australia that were crazy and hilarious (fits the bill for all Aussie's I've met) and two couples; one from Holland and one from Germany. I was glad they were there because we had a ton of laughs around the fire, getting to know one another and solving all the world problems.
Both days the weather was perfection and couldn't have asked for better. Warm (but not humid) during the trek, but chilly at night. I would guess around 45 degrees. We slept in open air huts that are built on stilts so the pigs and chickens can't get to you.........yes, I said pigs and chickens. No mosquitoes or any bugs for that matter so that was good, but the tribe supplied us with mosquito netting anyway. I had gotten malaria pills from NW Travel Clinic, which I was instructed to take two nights before being in the mountains. I took them the last night in Phuket and felt so sick that night and the entire next day in Chaing Mai..........nauseous, headache and was having very strange dreams. When I told my guide that first day in CM, he said I would not need them that there were no mosquitoes this time of year in the mountains. The rainy season had just ended in October and it was the best time to trek. He was right and glad I didn't take any more so I felt back to normal by the time the trek started.
The villages are very primitive........no electricity, however, they did all have fresh water from the mountains that they filtered and ran into the village. The first night I did use it to 'shower' (or more like hose off), but it was so cold. Felt good after the long day of trekking though. There were 'toilets', but I use the word loosely. More like the local asian toilets where you squat over a hole and then flush with water by hand. Quite the balancing act needed. My biggest fear was that I would need to go during the night. It is pitch black and really didn't want to have to do that.
My guide cooked both dinner and breakfast everyday and the locals let me try what they cooked also. So hot and spicy and they got a good laugh at my reaction. They eat noodles and rice at every meal.
Day 2 - Started the morning after breakfast for a 2 kilometer trek to a Lisu village where from there we took elephants to the next village. At first I was happy to rest my muscles but after an hour on a elephant, your behind doesn't feel very good. Slept in a Lahu village that night. The people were a little more interactive than the first village, but still very quiet. That was the only disappointing thing........I thought we would have more interaction with them and listen to stories and how they live, but that didn't really happen. My guide and others were from one of the villages so they did all the explaining. There was one little boy in the Karen village the first night that was wanting to play, but then would run away. The next morning as we were hiking out of the village, he came running out of his house and yelled while waving, 'goodbye falong' which means foreigner. I thought it was very cute.
Day 3 - The Lisu village is situated on a river (Mae Taeong I think?), so in the morning we took bamboo rafts for about 2.5 hours and from there picked up by truck and driven back to Chiang Mai. The rafts were about 15 bamboo stalks wide and you stood on them. The river is low so there were many rocks and rapids. My guide and the other guide did a great job and we never spilled over. Saw others that did and the water was so cold. There was one that kept on sinking and the guides were laughing at their friend and calling his boat the Titanic. He was literally cutting down more bamboo to rebuild while the tourists sat on the beach.
The entire country is preparing for the King's 83rd birthday. There will be celebrations everywhere. His birthday is December 5, which shares my brother. Coincidentally, he's the 'king' also.
Well, that's it for now. Flying to Bangkok tonight and staying near the airport. Will need to be at the airport by 6am.
I'm trekk'd out, wated out, buddha'd out, shopped out, tuk-tuk'd out and might even be thai fooded out! Well, maybe one more noodle dish.
I will upload pictures either from Bangkok or home. Computer just too slow here.
Lagone (goodbye) for now.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Arrived in Chiang Mai this morning and spent the day with my guide. He is fantastic. Was a novice monk about 20 years ago, spoke great English and was very educated. Spent the day exploring Chiang Mai and a few of the 150 temples. The ManaThai where I'm staying is very quaint and charming as is Chiang Mai. You still have some elements of Bangkok, but on a much smaller scale. Took a tuk-tuk this evening to the night market for some dinner and he didn't try to cheat me so that's an improvement. The weather is brilliant..........warm, but not humid. It will be chiller in the mountains for the trek, but no rain is predicted.
Leaving tomorrow morning for the two day trek to the hilltribe villages. Will not have internet so no posting from me for a few days. I will let you know when I'm back in Chiang Mai on Friday afternoon. Flying to Bangkok on Friday night for early morning flight home on Saturday.
The internet here is very slow, so will not upload any pictures. Had fun last night with Robyn and Anne in Karon Beach, Phuket after our dive/snorkel excursion. Going to bed early tonight to be ready for tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and Happy Anniversary to my parents!
Leaving tomorrow morning for the two day trek to the hilltribe villages. Will not have internet so no posting from me for a few days. I will let you know when I'm back in Chiang Mai on Friday afternoon. Flying to Bangkok on Friday night for early morning flight home on Saturday.
The internet here is very slow, so will not upload any pictures. Had fun last night with Robyn and Anne in Karon Beach, Phuket after our dive/snorkel excursion. Going to bed early tonight to be ready for tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and Happy Anniversary to my parents!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Spent yesterday in Phang-Nga National Park. Took a boat trip to six islands and sea canoed at three of them through caves. The limestone rock structures were beautiful. Also visited a fisherman's village that has been there for 200 years. It now houses 2,500 inhabitants. Built around one of the islands on stilts. Amazing way to live.
Finally, dived today! Had two dives at Kho Phi Phi islands. Awesome! I was so excited to finally hit the water in Thailand. The dive masters were great and saw amazing coral and sea life. Had lunch on the beach where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed. Just came back from dinner at a little Thai restaurant. The food here is amazing and so cheap. Had appetizers, beers and three entrees for around 20 U.S. dollars.
Leaving very early tomorrow morning for Chiang Mai and then Wednesday and Thursday evening with the hilltribes. Obviously, no Internet access from there, but will try to post one more time tomorrow from Chiang Mai. Staying in Bangkok near the airport on Friday night for an early morning flight on Saturday back to Chicago.
Hope all is well. Will be in touch soon.
Finally, dived today! Had two dives at Kho Phi Phi islands. Awesome! I was so excited to finally hit the water in Thailand. The dive masters were great and saw amazing coral and sea life. Had lunch on the beach where the movie 'The Beach' was filmed. Just came back from dinner at a little Thai restaurant. The food here is amazing and so cheap. Had appetizers, beers and three entrees for around 20 U.S. dollars.
Leaving very early tomorrow morning for Chiang Mai and then Wednesday and Thursday evening with the hilltribes. Obviously, no Internet access from there, but will try to post one more time tomorrow from Chiang Mai. Staying in Bangkok near the airport on Friday night for an early morning flight on Saturday back to Chicago.
Hope all is well. Will be in touch soon.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Hung at our hotel pool yesterday during the day and ventured to the west coast of the island to see the sunset. We had dinner right on the beach and enjoyed the beautiful sunset with the fishing longboats coming back to shore. Then went to some bars in Fisherman's Village closer to our hotel. Embarrassed to admit, but ended the evening in an Irish pub. No matter where I have been in the world, you can always find an Irish pub...........or several.
Arrived in Phuket this afternoon and just got settled at the hotel. Going to venture out into town to organize some excursions. Keep your fingers crossed on the diving conditions. The sea seems very calm so we should be good to go.
Will report back later.
Arrived in Phuket this afternoon and just got settled at the hotel. Going to venture out into town to organize some excursions. Keep your fingers crossed on the diving conditions. The sea seems very calm so we should be good to go.
Will report back later.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
It's Friday, November 20th..................HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!!!
First with the disappointing news: a tropical storm came through Wednesday night so all excursions regarding water are canceled for probably 5 days. They were predicting the swells around Ko Tao were going to be at least 9 feet. So no diving for Robyn and I. Anne and I had Thai massages here at the hotel spa. It was really cool having the massages outside during the storm. The Thai massage is very different than the Swedish ones we're used to. They do not utilize any oils and it's all based on pressure points. These ladies are so little, but freakishly strong. The literally crawl on top of you. Massages are very cheap here and will be getting them often.
The sun was out all day yesterday so we ventured to Chaweng Beach. Had a ton of fun in a beach front bar with some crazy Brits. Drank many Singha beers.
Went into town and visited Dr. Fish. The pools contain garra rufa fish from Turkey that nibble the skin to stimulate, rejuvenate and improve the health of your skin through natural exfoliation. It was so weird. We only did our feet and hands. No way I was going to completely submerge my body.
Off to the pool this morning and then we're going to discover the other side of the island later this afternoon and evening. Someone recommended a restaurant where we can watch the sun set.
No pictures today because somehow I've misplaced the USB cord to my camera. I know it's somewhere. Will hopefully find it or you will not be getting any pictures the rest of the trip. Really wanted to upload the Dr. Fish pics.
First with the disappointing news: a tropical storm came through Wednesday night so all excursions regarding water are canceled for probably 5 days. They were predicting the swells around Ko Tao were going to be at least 9 feet. So no diving for Robyn and I. Anne and I had Thai massages here at the hotel spa. It was really cool having the massages outside during the storm. The Thai massage is very different than the Swedish ones we're used to. They do not utilize any oils and it's all based on pressure points. These ladies are so little, but freakishly strong. The literally crawl on top of you. Massages are very cheap here and will be getting them often.
The sun was out all day yesterday so we ventured to Chaweng Beach. Had a ton of fun in a beach front bar with some crazy Brits. Drank many Singha beers.
Went into town and visited Dr. Fish. The pools contain garra rufa fish from Turkey that nibble the skin to stimulate, rejuvenate and improve the health of your skin through natural exfoliation. It was so weird. We only did our feet and hands. No way I was going to completely submerge my body.
Off to the pool this morning and then we're going to discover the other side of the island later this afternoon and evening. Someone recommended a restaurant where we can watch the sun set.
No pictures today because somehow I've misplaced the USB cord to my camera. I know it's somewhere. Will hopefully find it or you will not be getting any pictures the rest of the trip. Really wanted to upload the Dr. Fish pics.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Arrived on Ko Samui yesterday afternoon. The hotel is amazing..........Zazen Boutique Resort and Spa. I've stayed in some lovely places, but this one is the best. As you can see from the pictures, the rooms are individual villas. Behind the red wall in the bedroom is the bathroom, which is located outside. The shower is a rain head and there are tropical plants all around. Going out today to explore the island and get some sun. Robyn and I are booking our first dive trip for tomorrow to Ko Tao! Can't wait. Will report back later.
REMINDER - Click on 'Old Posts' at bottom of page to see previous posts.
REMINDER - Click on 'Old Posts' at bottom of page to see previous posts.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Leaving Bangkok this afternoon for Ko Samui. I don't think any of us are going to miss it here. The hotel was lovely and the staff was so kind to us. Not to be negative because of course we had a blast and many laughs, the sights, sounds and smells can only be described as 'sensory overload.' As Robyn summarized, 'this city is exhausting.' And what she meant by exhausting was literally exhaust. Between the tuk-tuks, cabs and buses we all felt like we spent the day inhaling gas fumes. As well as the exhaustion you feel as the city envelopes your every sense.
The tuk-tuk and cab drivers are all trying to scam you. We guess that they are somehow paid to bring unsuspecting tourist to jewelry and other shops. We negotiated before getting in the cabs, but they'd still try to take us somewhere we did not request. I think most of you know the three of us pretty well so I'll let you guess who won that battle!!! After we got out of one of the cabs, a local woman got us another one and in Thai made it very clear how much we will pay and where to bring us 'WITH NO STOPS.' However, I will admit it did take its' toll because we all agreed that it would be a better idea to have drinks here at the hotel last night instead of having to deal with being brought to some seedy Pat Pong show. If you don't know what Pat Pong is, just know you will sleep easy. Do not google it.
I'll report back later from Ko Sumai. The plan is beach, snorkel/dive trip to the surrounding islands, cocktails and many massages!
Back from the day of exploring Bangkok. This is a very congested and busy city. Huge extremes of the very wealthy and very poor. It is very hot and humid!
Started the day off by taking a long boat ride on the Chao Phraya River and through Bangkok's canals. A great way to see the city out of the congestion of traffic.
Proceeded to the Grand Palace, which was built in 1784 by King Rama I. Thailand Kings haven't lived there since the early 20th century, but the complex is a stunning display of Thai art and architecture. I had read about it and saw pictures, but it is truly dazzling to see in person. I'm sure the pictures will not do it justice. Also visited Wat Pho, which is the oldest and largest temple. It houses the country's longest Reclining Buddha. Throughout Thailand the Buddha's are found in many positions (i.e. standing, seating or walking), which all represent the many phases of attaining true Enlightenment. The Reclining Buddha symbolizes his arrival at Nirvana, a state of all-knowing awareness.
Along the way took a ride in a tuk-tuk, which is a motorcycle taxi. All I can say is we survived!
Finished the day off with some shopping and a great sushi dinner. Flying to Ko Samui tomorrow afternoon and looking forward to long white beaches, crystal blue water and first SCUBA dive!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sa-wut dee from Thailand. Made it here safely last night (Sunday) around midnight. Got a good night's sleep thanks to Tylenol PM. It's around 10am Monday morning and heading out to discover Bangkok. Anne and Robyn got here a day early and have the lay of the land so I can just follow today.
Will post later with pictures.
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