Trekking About

Wow, about a month has passed since my last post and I can hardly believe that my time here in India is almost over.

With my flight looming over my head on the 1st of July I have mixed feelings about leaving this place. There is still so much to see and do here in this massive country, but I have a great excuse to come back and visit.

After another 2 day bus journey I have landed back in Vashisht near Minali in Himanchal Pradesh. It is a relief to be back amongst the trees and nature of this place. Leh proved to be such a strange and lunar landscape. After spending a month there and taking various side trips I have a couple stories to share…

When I first arrived in Leh it was like a ghost town. Elections were in full swing and the town came to a grinding holt. Basically all the shops were closed and there were no tourists. Now this is quite hard to imagine happening in India, but it did. A river feeds this enormous valley and greenness extends to the foot of gripping mountain peaks. Contrast is the key word to hold onto here. My first segment was spent relaxing and watching the town slowly grow with each new tourist. After long it was obvious that I had to get out and do something productive. One friend of mine had done some trekking and loved it and after a few stories from her I was sold on the idea. Well in the end we really did find the best price in town at 25 dollars per day. Now this included: 5 horses, 1 guide, 2 helpers, all camping gear, and tons of food. With four people now roped in for this trek we were off, or at least I thought we were. I had been in contact with the head of the tour office and he was still unpaid by one in the group. Having just met the woman I did not know what to do. Luckily I ran into her at in a shop the night before our scheduled departure. Here she was shopping and no one had seen her for like 2 days. “What are you doing!?” I asked with much enthusiasm. She was caught like a deer in the head lights. Planning just to blow off the entire thing and never actually face any of us she had nothing to say. Apparently she had not been feeling well and was not confident enough to come with us. “Maybe you could have told someone in the last couple days and by the way you know you signed a contract agreeing to pay the full amount no matter what happens, right?” The conversation continued and she eventually agreed to go and try to fix things with the travel agent. Well we found out the next morning that she had done more harm than good and it was going to be a huge hassle for the owner to try and extract money from this crazy woman. So he sent us off into the new day and to say the least we were a bit shaken by this entire situation. Soon enough everyone was put at ease by our guide, Sichou. Standing about 5’5” and brandishing a golden tooth in the top front row of his teeth he appeared to be aged to perfection. Deep eyes and a wrinkled hard worn face spoke volumes of his life. Quite proficient in English, he had been doing this job for 23 years. Slowly he and the helper lead us into the blazing hot sun through and endless desert like landscape flanked by mountains and a beautiful azul river, the Indus. After about 5 hours of hiking we set up camp at a small oasis nestled in a little valley. Now after spending most of day hiking through plant deprived soil it was quite strange to have our camp be so fertile and green. A family lived nearby and had tamed the water and grown quite the assortment of foliage. Trees, flowers, grass everything was here and seemed so out of place. Ahhhh….

Breakfast and dinner were prepared every day by the guide and lunch was packed for us. Over the ten days we had quite a variety of food and we all agreed at the end that we could not have made food any tastier given the conditions. A typical day involved around 4 to 6 hours of trekking and an hour for lunch. Most nights were spent keeping warm in the main teepee made from an old parachute and drinking loads of chai. Luckily our tour company outfitted us with proper gear for the cold nights and my big puffy down sleeping bag never let me down. My two trekking buds were Jo and Inbal. Jo, from England, I had met in Minali and had been hanging with her for some time before the trip so we shared a tent. Inbal, from Israel, I had just known for a day or two. For the most part the three of us got along great and the trek was made that much better by their presence. Many days were quite challenging, but my spirits remained high throughout thanks to the beautiful scenery. Mountains upon mountains stretched as far as the eye could see. Green valleys surprised me when things seemed like they could not get any more barren. Colored rocks and Quarts decorated the many footpaths. Aqua blue and deep burgundy steaks of color randomly appeared upon cliff faces. Pretty much every 30 minutes of walking provided an entirely new palate of eye candy.

The most trying day was an ascent to 5,300 meters or about 17,000 feet. Oxygen at this height is quite scarce and I could most definitely feel lungs working at their top rate. Buddhist prayer flags greeted my arrival while faintly sending “Om Mani Padme Hum” out onto the winds whipping blow. I gave myself some quite time here and took in the amazing views my altitude afforded. Quite a long steep downward trek wore on the knees and I was so excited to see camp and drink chai that afternoon. By the last couple days of the trek I was going into robot mode. My mind would clear and the only thing that mattered was the next step. What an escape! Our last day at camp was spent thanking all of our help the horses, Sichou and the guides’ dog, Boobie. We even got to treat him to dinner in Leh one night which he was so grateful for.
All in all, the trek through Markha Valley was a life changing experience for me. Never have I been in such a remote place so far away from phones and internet. I saw many things that will stay by my side and many others that I could never truly express to you all. I have never been so consistently pushed physically and mentally. I thank Sichou for inspiring me to get more involved in these types of trips when I return to the States.

After several days of recuperation in Leh I hopped on a bus and here I am back in Vashisht…

Trip into Leh

Hello and greetings from 3,500 meters!

I just landed here in Leh yesterday after a very trying 12 hour bus journey in the very last bench seat. My journey placed me smack dab in the middle of some of the most breath taking scenery I have seen in my life and probably will ever see. Mountains of spectacular color jut up to great heights and the bleakness of high desert pulled at my innermost fears and fascinations. Up down, bumps here and there large enough to send me flying toward the ceiling of the public bus. This particular route from Minali to Keylong to Leh took me over the second highest road in the entire world. I think around 17,500+ feet high. Something inside me has shifted and I will never view nature in the same way again. Leh is a valley alive only due to various canals and a small river. Green trees give way to a totally barren land and peaks of mountains stretching up toward the sky.

From an ancient castle set into a mountainside I got an amazing 360 degree view of this impervious landscape. The mountains seem to laugh at the impermanence of life and stand very majestically and unwaveringly in their place. The castle was made back in the 17th century and is currently being repaired to serve as a monastery. We were allowed a small glimpse into a room of sacred objects lit only by the last remaining light of the day filtering in through windows high in the ceiling. Every molecule of air was dank, drenched with age and secrecy. I could hardly wrap my mind around what I was experiencing. Elaborate statues hide in shadows and masks of fright that conjure thoughts of Halloween hang on pillars. Tibetan books from the 16th century fill out a large shelf about 20ft by 8ft. I was overwhelmed by the feelings this room brought out in me. Such a strange fear and uneasiness gripped my soul and our aloof tour guide, a monk of 11 years did not help with his strange behavior and no English. He smiled at us totally accepting and unaffected by the mystical gravity of this small chamber. I must admit I was caught totally off guard when I made my way to a position behind the figures where I was almost sure a wall should be. A force of great power and secrecy lives here and it was a segment of time I shall not soon forget.

Off into the Mountains

Hello all,

I am giving you a quick update from a tiny Internet shop located in one of the many back alleys of Minali. India has continually impressed and I am still enjoying myself. Here are a few tidbits from my continued journey's.

Bhagsu greeted me with open arms and luckily I was able to begin a yoga course. There are many different schools in India, but I went for the Shivinanda style. I did about ten solid days with the same instructor. She was totally amazing and overwhelmed most of the class with her beautiful energy. Her vibe was the embodiment of the Hindi word “Shanti,” or chill. In the end I was blessed with a great base to continue from and still practice when I get a chance.

Mountains surround this small village and nature is right on my doorstep. I took several little treks into the surrounding hills and lounged by a couple beautiful waterfalls. Looking up from the city a huge ridge and snow capped mountain beyond was visible. A couple of buddies me made the trek up there one day which was about an 8 hour round trip. We were greatly rewarded when we finally crested the ridge. Fresh cool air floated from the snowy mountain before us. Eagles soared with pleasure on invisible highways. An audible silence rung in my ears and my lungs just could not get enough of the delicious oxygen. My mind cleared and I felt miles away from the town I had ventured from. Most of my time was spent meeting new people and eating around at the several villages within walking distance. I did get the rare opportunity to walk by his holiness the Dali Lama's abode. Even though he never showed up it was still quite a treat. Monks are everywhere in McCloud Ganj. Dressed in their usual red and saffron robes, they emanate quite a peaceful air. It was interesting to see the new emerging culture of the young Tibetan's. Dressed with much western influence they can be seen hanging with their buddies drinking chai most of the day. I was even invited one day to shoot a bit of hoop with these dudes on a very strange afternoon. With sandals on I played as well as could be expected, but it was incredible to be playing on a court with Tibetan's in Dharamsala...

My buddy Gilad from Israel and I were still engrossed with our yoga routine and the amazing instructor, but we were ready to keep trekking. So we hopped on a bus and ended up in Vashisht, next to Manali. Located on the side of a hill our guest house soaked up an amazing view. A winding river cut through huge mountains to form a beautiful valley. Snow still sat upon several mountains in the distance. With only a few restaurants in town and cows outnumbering the people you would think our time here would have been short, but we stayed for about a week. Hot water bubbles up from the ground into a public hot spring in the middle of town. Only men are allowed in the bath, but the women are busy doing laundry and cleaning dishes with the help of water pouring from pipes. It was these same pipes that I used on several freezing early morning baths. I would soap up and rinse all while watching snow covered peaks sleep softly in the distance. There is also a temple with a private male and female bath. I jumped right in with the locals and took several soaks. Surreal comes close to an explanation. Days began with yoga and consisted mostly of hanging with the locals and eating loads of different foods. Met a crazy French dude along the way named Cyril. He's still in the crew. Oh yes and my first American from Utah. He kind of reminded me of Uncle Steve and has a forest service job coming up this summer in North Fork. A 20 minute walk from the heart of town landed me at a breath taking waterfall. Its scale matched the surroundings at about 300 ft. I hiked a bit up to the base and found myself being blasted by the power of this giant. Cold wind shot an energy rich mist that saturated my entire being. I felt so alive. Added 20 more minutes to the same hike and a new level of the falls exposed itself. A huge fan of water exploded from its mouth into a serene pool studded with miscellaneous boulders. Mist hung silently in the air giving a mystical feeling to the place. It only got better as I walked behind the falls and saw reality through a veil of water. Easily the most impressive thing I have witnessed in Inida to date. Someone opened the Indian tourist floodgates and we knew it was time to go.

Everyone seemed to be pushing up to Leh, but with the pass freshly opened only jeeps are allowed and cost about $50 per person. So we headed in the exact opposite direction toward Parvatti valley. Kasol was a bit much and after a quick bite we were back on the bus to a smaller village, Jari. WOW! Situated on a sheltered hill this was the quintessential town that time forgot. No cars or scooters to speak of and only a few buildings. Authentic places like this have been hard to find on my trip so far and I was quite glad to just relax and hang. Children with great big white toothed smiles always want to know, "where from and how old?" Most of the kids ten and older spoke amazingly great English for such a young age. I only got in a couple days here because we caught wind that the road to Leh was now officially open to buses.

So today we all came back to Manali. Bus to Keylong in the morn around 5 then up up up to Leh. Hope everyone is happy and great. Much love and peace to all.

India, land of possibility

Here I am!

Dharamsala is my new residence. My shop has now been set up for about a week. I arrived in Delhi late at night and was a bit hoodwinked into a more than cheap cab and a bit of a dive hotel. Luckily this was all very much expected although i was exhausted by the end of the day. Up early an adventure in a rickshaw ensued. These tiny little three wheeled coffins are the only way to get around town. Zooming through the city I coughed on exhaust, witnessed cows in center divides and throngs of Indian’s wandering seemingly aimlessly. Fortunately my driver was cool and advised me to stay away from the scalpers in front of the train station. I took his advice to heart and ended up in a special visitor ticket center. Surprisingly clean plus the all important highly coveted AC! Only problem was that my train was not until about 9 PM and I was there at about 8AM. After hours of hanging around the cool room I was kicked out by the head lady for loitering. hehehe. As the heat of the day advanced i moved with the quickness to Old Delhi train station and waited....Many people were waiting for a train that seemed never to come. Entire families with masses of miscellaneous stuff sprawled the entire length of the main platform. Men with special turbans filled their roles as porters for those who had the extra money. Action surrounded me completely: Babies crying, trains rumbling and horn blowing, people staring, dogs scrapping, beggars asking, and children wondering what (me) the white boy is doing at the station. Finally after a day of waiting the train was announced and I found my place on a double tiered top AC bunk. Apparently this was riding in style although i have my doubts. After a very hot uncomfortable 12 hours I treated myself to a 3 hour bus ride. This tough journey laded me in the beautiful and bustling city of McLeod Ganj (Dharamsala). No luck in a guest house so I caught a rickshaw with a girl from the bus to Bhagsu the next town over.

On a hunch we lugged our belongings up a steep hill to a guesthouse perched high above the little town. My room is awesome. The entire room is wooden and little pieces of art spruce up the place. There is even a curved rainbow above my elevated sleeping platform (BOYGBIV). As the low fading day light filtered into my room through two Star of David windows I took in the lovely scene of lush green mountain ranges and a beautiful snow capped peak in the distance. I took a deep breath; I was now officially in India.

My friends and personal guru's consist of 2 girls from England, 1 dude from the Ilse of Mann, and guy from Israel. Everyone gets on great and we are all after the same goal...to learn the yogic and meditative ways of India and seek a new state of awareness. So far i have been recovering from a little sickness, but tomorrow i will attend my first yoga class. Everything here is so simple and slow. Everyone on the staff at the guest house has a warm heart and inviting smiles.

India has greeted me with open arms...even kind enough to give me a case of the Delhi Belly yesterday :(. Up here the air is clean and crisp along with cold temps at night. burrr. Every morsel of food i have tasted offers a new experience for my taste buds. With such a diverse crowd of tourists every type of food is available and many restaurants cater to the large Israeli crowd.

People are quite open with their interesting lives and new people enter my life everyday. Never have I been in a place of such high consciousness. As of today I absolutely love this place!

Love and Peace to all!

Cambodia, i like it

After an hour in a minibus over unpaved mound littered potholes we crossed into Cambodia. With roads ready to be paved a sweet compacted rock road greeted the minibus with much more ease. 3 hours later we hoped on a ferry ate lunch hoped on another mini bus for 8 hours. Somehow the travel agent forgot to make arrangements for 6 of us on the bus so we had to continue another 3 hours out of our original way. Awe the joys of travelling. Phnom Phen was not really a place for me although i was only there for a night. Early the next morn it was back on yes you guessed it another bus backtracking a bit then west toward Siem Riep and Angkor wat. My friends had arranged a tuk tuk for me but did not know i was 3 or so hours late. Poor dude. They do something kinda funny there though the guest house you spend the night at before arriving there sells your name ahead so someone comes on the bus with a card claiming he has accommodation for that special person! Fortunately i new this before hand and slipped through the cracks arriving at my pre arranged guest house.

$20 will buy you a pass for a day of templing. They give you a little perk of enjoying the sunset from a hilltop temple the day before you embark. Slowly sinking like an orange i watched with those goatherd in amazement. From the opposite side Angkor Wat was in view and I was awe struck. Although nothing could prepare me for the day ahead.

5 am wake up straight into a tuk tuk that would remain with me for the rest of the day. Still no sight of the sun the driver made his way through the quiet streets and I arrived at the main gate of Angkor Wat. Massive shot like a firework from my mind. Blood, sweat, and tears are no doubt the creators of this amazing place. Once the bridge over the moat is crossed and the outer wall breached i took in the infamous three spires that are world renown. Ever so slowly an array of ever changing reds, yellow and oranges began to engulf the nights darkness. All in attendance began snapping photos wildly trying to capture this unrelateable experience. I was among those guilty. Although photos come close, there is no substitute for the eye and the mind working together in that solitary moment. My friend Vered and I moved closer and closer eventually reaching the base of the North tower. We scaled it and took in the still beautiful rays shooting out across light-years. Everything was peaceful and the sounds of the many tourists slipped into the distance and I found some quiet time away from everyone. Every wall is covered in intricate details and different carvings. Each telling a different story. We wondered for about to hours through passageways taking in the various sculptures that had been given to the temple such a long time ago. The scale of this place is so vast i cannot explain. Energy of a very spiritual nature leaked from every pore and crack of every stone that was placed here so intricately. Some stones appeared that a touch would send several sections tumbling. As i lit an incense stick and bowed to the Buddha 3 times i felt calm wash over my body. Here i was in this far away land getting my spiritual side on. Very cool!

With a ride through the woods and an entrance to another temple took form. I could feel the beginning to set in and i knew i could not last all day at this pace. A short walk through the woods lead me to the entrance of this temple. I like to call it the "Indiana Jones" temple. Yeah, its like that. Walls had crumbled to lush green floor some time ago and trees collectively decided to take this place over. Massive roots lay exposed wherever you look and some trees appeared to be growing out of the top of several walls that still stood. Huge curtains of roots slithered to the ground. How these trees got to be so ginormous i have no clue, but like Angkor this temple seemed to be surrounded in a magical air of spiritual energy. Only the trees knew it. Like finding a hidden treasure i excitedly moved through its entirety and was ready for our third.

Bayon temple knocked me even further on my butt as soon as i laid eyes on it down the paved street. I turned into an excited obsessive picture taker here and still i have no way of really conveying the awe that filled my body like an effervescent tablet. Maybe 30 or so spires jutted into the sky and each tip was adorned with a carved faces of the Buddha facing all four directions. Each with its own personality. This temple was very raw like the one before and the weathering of mother nature was quite apparent. Some faces had begun to erode away and others were cracked due to shifts in the foundation. I was surprised at the scale when i found myself standing next to one of these faces. So large and painstakingly precise each and every last one of them.

Lastly in the dead heat of the day i sort of deliriously walked the elephant carved wall and others adorned with time consuming carvings.

Each temple held something different for me which i will forever treasure and remember. If anyone that reads this gets the chance i would recommend seeing it!

The rest of my time in Cambodia was spent on the beach and on a cool quite island!!! With big palm trees and a large beach i was at home.

Trekking in a minibus from the south of Cambodia to Thailand is no light undertaking as the infrastructure is no where to be found. Well actually it is somewhere, and soon the south of Cambodia will be a hit tourist spot.

Somehow i got caught on a motorbike in the middle of Songkran trying to get from one side of Koh Chang to the other and upon my arrival i was soaked along with the rest of my baggage. Songkran is the Thai new year and everyone gets really wet and clean due to copious amounts of water and clothes wash powder.

Much love and Peace to everyone.

Next update: India!!!

Laos part Deux

Pakse seemed to be a bit of a ghost town the infrastructure was set up for huge amounts of tourists yet none were about. Just me and the rest of the crew minus a couple we are now only 6 strong. Arabica coffee is huge in this town and the surrounding villages and i was amazed at the many brand new Lexus SUV's running around town. In fact i distinctly remember thinking holy crap i cannot even here that car although it is in motion. hehehe. Thailand and Laos must truly be home to some of the loudest cars on the planet. It was like finding watching a thunderstorm with no sound.

Not much to do in the town except hop in for an hour tuk tuk ride out into the mountains and check out a couple waterfalls. All the way out to the destination fields of green coffee bean plants greeted me and my compadres. In several place large concrete expanses were strewn with coffee beans drying in the hot sun. I had such a surreal feeling on the entire ride out unsure of what to expect all the while being inundated by the fragrance of flowers, cute children, and the mountain like roar that was in fact our engine. It must have been the low season and no one i mean no one was at this first sight of beauty. The falls were maybe 25 ft wide and loomed commandingly into the air. Water was spilling over the falls at such a speed and high volume that 5 meters from the base you felt like you were in a stationary training pool. Mist was everywhere and the water seemed pure. After a quick dip and some snaps we were off to the tallest waterfall in all of Laos. Now this puppy was massive. 100 meters or something crazy like that. I could not get that close just a ridge view from the top of the other side of a massive gorge. Behind the falls the land continued almost perfectly flat as far as the eye could detect. Almost like a freshly mowed lawn the trees only grew to a seemingly predetermined height and then stopped creating a very awesome visual effect.

Nocturnal Octagon or the group from the slow boat re-united in 4,000 islands. Other than being crazily hot it was quite a network of these tiny little land masses strewn about different fingers of a river. No electricity except from 6 to 11 or so at night was neat. Only the river supplied relief from the heat. An early exit took the crew toward Siem Reap while Seth and I stayed behind got bikes and explored the island. Plus another attached by a bride. At the end of our heat filled journey was a longtail boat out to some rock in the middle of a joining body of water created by all the different rivers. You could say lake, but very small scale. Unfortunately it was big enough that our only sighting of freshwater PINK dolphins was done at a distance.

Lay Back into Laos

Since my last report from Chang Mai my new travel companion and I have moved north through Thailand up to Chang Rai and then over into Chang Khong. Both places had a less than touristy feel and people seemed to have our best interests at hand. It was a great way to end the last part of my journey in Thailand. Even with the inversion and all the smoke from the slash and burn style of crop production here in Laos we enjoyed the extent of our views and bus rides through the country side.

Bright and early and with weary confusion we made our way across the Mekong river from Chang Khong, Thailand into Laos. After boarding the 40 odd foot long boat complete with wooden benches with a sit up straight attitude and leg room for a tiny elf we began to notice that the boat was not only approaching capacity, but also exceeding it at a rapid pace. All of a sudden a boat of similar characteristics next to us began shuffling miscellaneous objects around and people literally started jumping ship to get some space on the new boat. Believe it or not i was one of them! With plastic chairs and leg room we rejoiced in our decision. Now six hours on a boat is a long time in general, but on the Mekong it is a really long time. This would be our fate for the next two days. Our stop over, half way to Luang Pragbong, was a bit hectic with the baggage situation, but we got a good night sleep for another repeat day. The water is quite low at the moment and people living in remote villages could be seen gathering green mossy stuff off the rocks in the river, clams, and fishes. Mountains rose and fell along the way and granite faces dotted sandy shores. Navigating rocks and even a few rapids our 7 hour day landed us in Luang Prabong with a sore ass and a few new friends.

Just a short stroll through the town after dropping our packs and we could tell that the vibe was not quite like we expected. I am talking upscale accommodation, food, and designer clothing stores. Monks a plenty walked purposefully everywhere and actually dominated an Internet shop across from a temple near our Guesthouse. Streets remain uncrowded almost all day with the mad rush coming from kids on bikes once school was out. In true form our crew from the boat met at a pub to celebrate Saint Patric's day. Our boat actually filled the entire bar and once it closed around 12 the 5 or so Irish in the group were not done partying. So we all joined forces and made our way by tuk tuk to the nearest bowling alley... You read this entry right...Bowling Alley! Settled out of town a ways and in the middle of a dirt field we arrived at a fully modernized alley complete with a giant rubber chicken that flashed on the overhead TV, informing you that indeed you did miss all of the pins. I mean this never really happened to me :), but um i know people it did happen to. Needless to say we were all shocked and could not stop laughing about the strange anomaly. Everyone had a blast and St. Patty would be proud. Up early to the sound of monks beating drums, symbols, and chanting in the Wat behind our guesthouse our solid crew of 7 got underway to a local waterfall. Unannounced to us the ride took 40 mins or so and in the back of a tuk tuk on alternating road conditions proved quite long. We reaped the benefits when we discovered not only bear rehabilitation center, but a Bahgera! Who was at about arms length behind a chain link fence. Close encounter indeed! Only in South East Asia. The jungle was lush and we arrived at a pristine pool of aqua blue water being fed by a nice 10 foot by 15 foot waterfall. Serenity, i think so. With only a handful of people around i could hardly get my big toe into the water fast enough. Fresh cold pure water welcomed my body with a friendly zing and some long awaited goose bumps. As i lay floating on my back staring up into the canopy of the trees i felt at peace. Finally i was back in my element...water! We hiked up the trail all the way to the source, stooping at each level of course. Without inversion the view would have been amazing instead it was great. Now refreshed and revitalized we moved back to town luckily for us we got a flat in our 2 outta four of our tires on the way back to town and had to sit around for about an hour for a spare. Between the 2 tuk tuk's only one had a spare while the other carried a spare flat. Not so use full when it comes to needing a new tire :) Back on the road felt like we were gonna loose a gearbox on a decently graded hill, but somehow we made it home.

With a special street market going on we decided to meet and eat on the street and head again to our favorite place in town. The bowling alley. Its so nice to enjoy some of the comforts of home along the way and there really has been no better way since arriving here in SEA. Another night of erect pins and excess fun we prepared ourselves for an overnight trip in a mini bus. Destination: Vang Vien

Up through mountains down through valleys we passed many hill tribes and Lao people shuffling and bustling doing various daily tasks. Scenery filled all the windows of the bus and you could feel the contentment in the air. Arriving at night we check our riverside elevated bamboo bungalows for spiders and snakes and moved in. All 8 of us had bungalows within throwing of each other. The town was hustling and bustling with locals and our day of stay extended into about 5. At 3 dollars each a night it was quite an attractive location. One night awoken by screams the girls next door wanted me to come wrangle a mouse for them. Unfortunately for them i left my Wrangler shirt was dirty and i politely shouted them the sad news. We spent two days floating the river, which during low season can be cause for quite a sore butt. Bars dot the banks and real people in with zip lines and giant rope swings the likes of which i had never been witness. Oh yes I got on those baby's and it was quite a thrill let me tell you! Nights were quiet due to our semi removed location to the town center, but fun none the less. Oh by the way the pace here is slow way slow. Like really really slow.

Skipping through Vientiane our now 7 person crew has arrived in Pakse after a 16 hour adventure. Headed south in a couple and will keep y'all posted!

Happy, Healthy, and Hot i send my love to you all and hope all is well on the home front.

I would like to thank everyone for all they have done for my good friend JM and ask you to please continue to keep my good friend JM in your thoughts and prayers so her recovery can be quick and full!

Christopher

Some pictures of the adventure

Me and D at the Grand Palace... Amazing


Ko Lanta Haven



Unkown



trying to look as tuff as the statue. did it work?



taking a break. check out the details on these dudes!



If you want to check out all the pics just set up an account at flickr.com and add me as your friend. My username is surffari2323

much love and peace

cont...a true story (read other entry first)

The morning after is just as great as the night before. After searching for a new locale to rest our heads for the coming night we decided to have it out with the woman behind the all too intimidating counter. At 600 baht a night it was not cheap for a bamboo shack! We decided to go for 300 at the most. After our explanation that mice inhabited the room the wall and our bed she was willing to knock off 100 baht for us. What a sweet lady! Our conversation dragged on for about 5 mins and i finally had to take the reigns. I looked at the woman square in the eyes and said, "I am not exactly sure if you understand what i am saying, THERE ARE MICE LIVING IN OUR MATTRESS, we will give you either nothing or 300 baht." She shot me and Danny a devious look and croaked, "300 baht good for you, okay." After giving her a good amount of money for a shack that should be condemned she mutters, "good luck...." Needless to say the remainder of our time on the island was spent watching out for her and her thugs and making light of the crazy happenings.

We trekked around most of the island and found some incredible stalactite type rock formations dripping from the overhanging of these giant mountains. Some had caves that went about 50 feet back into them and displayed nearly no support of the millions of pounds of brown matter above. Nature seems to laugh at the laws that have been created by man and makes about in her own fabulous way, seemingly defying all acts to classify her grand beauty. Standing under these huge overhanging structures of rock dwarf you as a human.

A secret trail up and through a mountainous area can be located by the crafty traveller. This secret spot holds the reward of lagoon which few who have visited ever see. You make a little scramble up the face of a semi steep mountain and end up at the top in the midst of trees and bushes. Following a small pathway cut through the brush we eventually ended up in a little canyon surrounded on all sides by cliffs. Jurassic park comes to mind and the sense of anothers staring gaze is unavoidable. Huge trees shoot up from the fertile floor and ancient vines spill out over all the rock faces. Dead silence looms in the air and a misty earthen fragrance is palatable. Fallen trees bring nutrients and shelter to small ferns and who knows what species of prehistoric animal. Everything is lush ancient and unspoiled. The light is slipping and we stand at the top of about4 20ft shear drops before we can reach the lagoon. You can just see it through a crack between 2 of the mountains. Too dangerous and not enough light. We would never see this place, but i will never forget it!

Our cove consisted of 2 beaches. The poor backpacker beach and the wealthy family beach. It was a bit cleaner and boasted a pool for their guests. A large rocky point separated the two and the other side could only be reached on low tide across slippery rocks. I must say the it was quite nice to lounge in the pool and pretend. Plus the lounge chairs were a bonus! Somehow we pulled our stunt off and never got caught. Sunsets are a major event on islands in the south. Ton Sai was no exception. As the enormous sun sunk into its watery grave D and I joined in a soccer game with the locals. I found out that it had been way too long since strenuous exercise. I have found that soccer (football) is the universal sport and i made a cool connection with all the locals playing their game in their environment!

It was time to head to a new destination in search of new adventures. What we found was neither! Phi Phi island was hit very hard by the tsunami just several years ago. If no pictures of the island displayed the state of the island after the water hit you would never know anything had happened. Overly developed falls short of this tourist hot spot. So many stores and places to stay i could hardly wrap my head around the situation. Hustle bustle and no time for peace and relaxation. Apparently this is the hip place for younger kids from Scandinavia to visit and visit they did. With way too much happening on the island we got off it on a cruise around to the different islands. Our vein attempt to escape was thwarted by huge speed boats and fast snapping tourists. I mean crap the lagoon from the film "The Beach," is not a lagoon at all. In fact it is a cove with the most tourist covered beach i have seen since arriving in Thailand. Got some okay snorkeling on the trip and met a few people, but our destinations were far too worn by people. Sad, but true Thailand needs to adopt some kind of development plan and start protecting not just the national parks, but also the islands set up for tourism. Eco is not on the mind of most proprietors $$$ is all that matters. We had a definite lull here and we discussed on several occasions downtrodden feelings about the tourism and destruction of these spots.

D went off to Phuket to sort out his visa and i headed south to a little place called Ko Lanta. Hooked up with some friends and landed a great spot on the beach for cheap. Now this was my kind of place. After spending such a long time with adults and kids my age we ran into a rather large pocket of children staying at our place. The pool sat right at the edge of the beach and like tadpoles the various kids swam all day with ever enduring life-force. Maybe a situation that would have annoyed at another time was quite a comforting situation for me. I bathed in the rays of the sun most days and enjoyed the clear water of the ocean. The pool was cool to and i turned a little German dude on to surfing and surfing lingo. I could see a lot of myself in him that i believe i was like as a tyke. There he was all of 7 or 8 trying to surf his little raft and speaking to me with incredible english!!! We are far behind in the scheme of teaching our children a new language and i have come to believe it is imperative in a child's development. It is a life treasure that can enhance a child's life from the very start. I spent some great alone time at the secluded end of the beach and got reconnected with the chill pace of life. A local bar keep befriended us and even entertained our tongues with Cobra and Monkey Brain alcohol. What an experience! Raw to the core and totally unexpected, all six of us could hardly believe it. I met a cool father of about 60 chillin at the bar and he offered this little life tidbit: "Life is like a pendulum. At one end you are a child and you seek fun and freedom with great passion and joy. As the pendulum of life continues you move toward uncertainty and try to balance your life and decide what you want to do. Eventually you reach the end of the swing and life is focused on money and family. You go to work and make every sacrifice you can to make the family happy. The pendulum begins to return to its starting point and once again confusion sets in on what to do now that the kids are gone and work is almost done. Finally you return to a state of happiness and do whatever you want for fun." He explained that he was at that point in his life and he seemed very sure and happy with his situation. Quite a neat experience.

Once again sunsets held center stage and people gathered on the beach to witness the completion of each day. Then came the long relaxed conversations and nights watching the moon fill the sky sparkle on the water and also eventually disappear behind a curtain of water. Ko Lanta has been my favorite part of Thailand so far and its relax vibe and kind friendly people will forever hold a place in my heart. I truly felt as though i made a connection with the locals here and can come back and have friends down the line.

After an overland trip across several ferries and a long drawn out bus ride i was back in Bangkok. I met Danny for his last night and he took off back for England. Since then i have continued to discover the multi faceted place that is Bangkok. Picked up my visa for India and hooked up visa for Laos. I am really pumped up and ready to see some more sights. Met up with Chris and a few of his buddies and hung out for a week or so. Not too much to report there.

Chris's dad suggested the night train to Chang Mai and so i hopped on the puppy and here i sit. Chang Mai is about 7 degrees cooler and much more chill paced and less congested with people. After one night here i feel great and cant tell for sure when i am headed up north and then into Laos. I met a dude named Seth from Denver and he's just at the end of 9 months of travelling so i am picking his brain and we are splitting the cost of a cheap, but okay guesthouse. He have hit several temples here so far and i have seen the largest golden Buddha to date. We even stumbled upon an ancient maybe 1500 year old temple housing large Buddha's facing all four directions at the very top. The front half of Elephants line the mid part of the temple and symbolically hold up this amazing sight. It was rocked by an earthquake a long time ago and is still under restoration. There is a large pulley system maybe 60ft plus all the way to the tip of this shrine and you can bless the temple with a pail full of water, which i did. We chatted with monks and helped them with their English for a while and once again i feel immersed in the Thai culture and way of life. My travels north should prove joyous and primitive....

Much love and thoughts to everyone taking time out to read this puppy. I am extremely sorry it has taken me so long to update. None the less here it is hope you enjoyed!!!

If everyone could please say a prayer for my very special friend JM that would help her recovery. She was just in a serious car accident and could use all the extra energy and thoughts you have to offer!!!

Thank you all so much for continued support and love, miss you all!

christopher

a true story

A rather cool airline trip across many miles of Australian airspace i landed in a new place. Thailand to be correct. From the moment i hit the tarmac i was itching with pleasure. The lack of diversity in OZ had come too much and i was ready for a cultural experience. I stepped off the plane into this unknown 3rd world country and was not greeted be cows or a ramshackle terminal. Quite the contrary! Back to the future describes this ultramodern mega structure that took many years and millions upon millions to build. Sterile A/C and all glass wall were the last i expected to greet me.

I picked up a dude on the plane who had been travelling for way too long! With a school backpack dreads and fire juggling sticks he needed a shower. None the less he would share a cab to Kao San on the other side of town. Many miles over brandy new highway no traffic and the city lights off in the distance i thought to myself, "this is not what i figured i was in store for," oh was i wrong. Arriving smack dab in the middle of tourist central in the middle of the night with a giant bag no place to stay and noticing NO VACANCY signs everywhere my new travel friend and i were less than enthusiastic. After a small panic attack i finally met up with Chris Souza my bro nicks friend and we hung out for a bit. It was late so he threw me in a cab to his buddies place which consisted of a wild confusing (for me at least) ride to a beautiful home in the middle of the city, but at the same time far removed with a large gate, A/C and Internet. Oh internet the most beloved connection back to the states it was quite a sight. Like being stuck in the middle of a dessert then coming upon a fridge filled with Evian and chocolate ice cream. I stayed with him and chris for about a week and they slowly introduced me to Bangkok as they had come to know it.

Bangkok is kina like a mish mash wish wash dish dash if that makes sense. Tuk tuk's and taxis drive around town with recless abandon with white knuckle passengers. Scooters wizz in an out of the previous with even less fear of injury. All while enjoying the sweet smell of pollution literally ozzing from the tailpipes of everything with wheels. At any one moment a million smeels linger in the air to be absorbed into the olfactory. BBQ chicken floats to the right nostril and an American cookout comes to mind while simultaneously the most putrid stagnant poopy grudge smell enters into the left. It is truly the city of extremes. You can buy anything under the sun here. Geez the other day i almost bought a SWAT team jacket, but that seemed a bit over the top. Little stalls exist wherever you turn and someone always seems to have something to sell you! Constant traffic noises fill the eardrums and coughing is not uncommon so to step into a completely sterile freezing cold place is amazing. This is no more relevant than at the various malls in downtown area. HOLY COW. I have honestly been through the nicest most upscale shopping areas ever and a Ferrari dealership on the 4th floor about sums it up. Public transport is amazing and most of the time very cheap!

Danny was coming to meet and travel with me so it was back to Kao San to prep for the departure. Little did i know i would run into a couple friends who have kept coming into my life since OZ. There they were walking 10 feet in front of me!!!weird. After finally meeting Dan we all hung out for a few days and saw the Grand Palace. This is a must see in Bangkok to be sure. The immense buildings are so caulk full of detail i dont know where to begin. Gold adorned almost every square inch of one's exterior while tiny little murals decorated about 20 yards of wall! Rooftops poked into the sky with mythical symbols and dragonlike forms. Gold leaf shown brightly in the mid days sun and we were all awe struck by the whole thing. It was the essence of what many can do when one goal is pursued. The highlight of course was the Emerald Buddha. Once covered in plaster it was not until the golden Emerald under the plaster was discovered that it was stolen...i think by burmese....not sure...but it did and up back in Thailand and is displayed on a 20 foot pedestal in all its glory. Sporting an outfit that is changed with each new season by the king it holds an important place in many thai's identity. I could not believe the size of the interior of his house and all the golden offerings and huge statues that surrounded this small maybe 3 by 3ft relic. Being a huge tourist attraction it was so cool to enter into this room with so much diversity and have everyone showing their utmost respect! A pin drop could be heard and an eerie peace and serenity permeated every sole in the place! Heavy.

Leaving Bangkok brought with it a huge sigh of relief. It was island time baby. After a plane, bus, ferry ride Danny and i landed in Ko Phangan (the home of the full moon party). Once on the main drag of the island i turned to Danny with an eyebrow raised. It seemed that teleportation had landed us smack dab in the middle of Scandanavia! Wild Wild kids everywhere drunk and crazy. Bars lined the beaches and blasted out techno music until the wee hours of the morning and i could tell that we had hit tourist paradise...or so i thought... After 2 days i was ready too leave. Chill and mellow are not good descriptives of the atmosphere. The water was not the cleanest and the full moon party is the only real thing that kept us there. Ran into some more old friends one of whom was John the man more affectionately known as Peaches! We got little scooters and did some adventures into the mountains and around the country. Checking out the rural life and trying to reach a magical beach on the other side of the island. Our luck ran out when the road ended...Everyday life was spent sleeping in and enjoying the very elusive A/C. Oh ya toilets dont generally fluch unless u make it happen. Most bathrooms come complete with a large bucket of water and a tiny bowl to fight your evil leavings behind. After a big job.............. Well enough about that. One solitary hostel sits on the remote point of the island and proved to be a cool place to chill and get away from everything. Finally Full moon time. Hype does not begin to describe the build up to the this party. Everyone is talking about it and almost no one knows quite what to expect. Me and the boys decide to get a late start on it seeing as though it goes on until about 11 the next morn...this would prove a good decision. Set in a cove there it was a throng of people covering the entire beach like a huge undulating blanket. We soaked up the wild scene from a bar on a cliff at one end of the cove. About 20 different bars were set up and vendors on the beach were selling buckets. Buckets = a small bottle of rum or whiskey, soda, and red bull. We steered clear due to all the crazy reports of hangovers reported by sweeds. Each bar blasted different genre's of music and we danced our way up and down the beach several times. Barely missed sunrise with my pass out time of 5. A valiant effort though if i may say so myself.

We escaped the touristy tourists by heading to Ko Samui. Or so we thought. At Lamai beach we set up camp and did absolutely nothing for a week solid. Bananna/ Coconut shakes got us through the days and books + ipod movies got us through the nights. To be honest we did get out one day and saw the sights from our scooters. A few waterfalls were okay, but nothing like NZ. We met a french woman who makes Rum. Although i did not have any....i was driving hello! It was the best smelling alco i have ever smelled. Every island/ large town has temples and we saw some cool ones on this particular island. Zooming around wind in the face we came across a temple and proceeded through the gates. Customs required covered shoulders, toes and knees when entering these holy places and we had all three so we were in. We sat quietly with a giant Buddha, got a sneak peak into the secret hall of Buddhas (a very errie bone chilling silent powerfilled room of concrete statues). Including a laying buddha stretching over 20f t and about 5 feet tall on its side. Although the highlight was the embalmed Buddha. A very famous monk died about 10 or so years ago and it was his wish to be embalmed while in the customary lotus position. A powerful site with hair still intact, teeth shining from behind shrunken lips, and arms like a dried prune. Very real and very emotionally charged!!! To end the day on a happy note we visited a couple rock formations in the exact likeness of the male and female sexy parts. Grandmother and Grandfather rock's as they were affecitonately known. This island had quite a beautiful beach and huge Granite boulders everywhere. My fav part had to be the beach break and body surfing. I mean these waves were absolutely pounding me into the sand. I scored some much needed time with the ocean and her raw power. I was great fun doing it with the britts cause they had no idea and would almost always end up getting worked really bad. At the end of the week it was go time and a new adventure and another island awaited.

Ton Sai near Krabi is where we ended up. A rock climbing paradise cove surrounded on three sides by enormous limestone cliffs. I have never seen rock shoot so straight up directly out of the water it was rad. With a tip from Souza we got a bamboo bungalo at a place called Viking bar and bungalow. There is nothing viking about this place! After a brief inspection we took the bungalow and headed out for ocean and exploration. We stayed out till about 12 and wandered home. D hit the lights and saw a giant spider run under our bed. A plan must be made and i layed it out. "okay you pull the bed from the wall really quick and i will shine the flashlight on the enormous spider" wham he pulls the bed from the wall and holy shit, there it was the biggest meanest deadliest looking cute little mouse smiling at me from a hole in our bamboo wall. What a relief! Yeah that is until i noticed a large round hole in the side of our box spring!!! That's right there were mice making their home in our bed!mice! Totally freaked out and disgusted we finally got to bed. Well we got into bed at least. Up all night we listened to the various scratches at the walls.

to be continued tomorrow

Melbourne!!!! New POST!

Finally the day has come and here i am writing a new blog as you can well see!

I will dig all the way back into my files and present the deatails of the entirety of the remainder of my time spent here in Aus.

From Byron bay i was due to head south although i felt a little place called coollangatta pulling me northward. For good reason too...surf. This is were pro's from around the world flock to partake in several world class breaks. With a full load and on a hunch from a Russian woman working in a breadshop i lugged my ragged bones about 6 blocks. Upon arrival i was more than shocked to find out that the place had no dorm beds and would cost about 40 US a night. I bargained and wiggled my way into a deal with the man at the front desk and he let me stay for about 20 US. Pretty cool if i may say so myself. Jumped in room and got board ready and basically ran to the point where Duranbah surf break resides. The day was coming to a sleepy yet brilliantly colorful end with pinks, yellows and reds as i rubbed shoulders with sponsered surfers out in the water. There were many breaks and i had one of the best sessions of right hand breaking surf ever. I don't know if it was good wave withdrawl that guided me or some unseen force, but i do know i had an amazing session. My accomodation was plush and sterile. Hardwood floors covered the giant dining room and a walk in fridge was a nice feature. No people were really staying here and it was more of a chance encounter to spot a human. I rested really well the first night and made my way around the corner to check out another famous break Snapper Rocks. A right hand point break that looked machine made. Waves would break close to the rocks on the point and the water would suck out and just dump as the waves broke. Some truly brave kids were out there just getting tossed everytime, by way of the lip throwing over. I ran home grabbed my gear and lathered up with tons o lotion since it was a cloudless day and swealtering hot. Paddled out and caught a few good ones, but nothing like the day before. I did have the distinguished pleasure of sharing the ocean with a famous professional surfer, Mick Fanning. Australia's favorite poster boy! He totally ripped an i was just happy to be out there with a seat that defies a front row view. I spent 2 more days surfing at D-Bah scoring great waves, relaxing and recovering from my time at Byron.

Jumped on a plane down to New Castle. A touristy city with a nice little beach in the middle of town. I was here for about 3 days. Not much to metion though, just kinda wanderd around the city. Nice to see, but nothing notable.

Caught a train down to Gosford to meet up with Danny and John the dudes from England who i spent the first part of my trip travelling with. Dan's Uncle lives there and i was invited for Christmas! What a cool deal to be almost on the other side of the planet and have a family to share Christmas with. I gotta give big thanks to the Lenan family for their generosity. Arrived 23 and revelled in the fact that i was actually staying in a HOUSE! A little mat on the floor of a family room never appeared so inviting! Dinner was planned for the following day and i caught up with my compadres. Phil, D's uncle, is into home brewing so we had plenty to talk about and he was amazed at our brewing process. He purchases a premade beer kit which you basically add water to and allow for fermentation. Anyway guests began to arrive on Christmas Eve and everyone was very kind and made me feel right at home. With three cousins, a girlfriend, Grandpa, and house cat it was quite the full house. A meditteranean themed meal filled my longing stomach. Although i have been eating well on the trip this was truly the first MOM made meal i had eaten since departing. During the gifts i even got a wrapped up candy bar. Totally thoughtful and cool to be acknowledged as family by complete strangers! Discussing travels and life we drank and ate into the night and i had a fabulous time. Slept great and woke to a day full of promis...Christmas Day!

I don't think there is a more holy way to spend the day than going to a rave of sorts, so that is what me and the boys did. Sydney was completely booked up and i was lucky enough to score a place with a few friends in an apartment right in the middle of town. The rave was quite fun and i danced for hours just laughing and having a great time. D and i tried to outdo eachother on the floor so i entailed the use of patented back spin on the middle of the dance floor. The next day i was at Bondi all day with the boys and enjoyed this little cove of a beach which happened to be pumping with huge close out waves that were not surfable. Even playing in the ocean was a test of strength watermanship and endurance. I have never felt a current or wave intensity this close to shore anywhere. Had some great body surfing waves and fun in the ocean despite its severity. I could hardly believe how many people lined the beach apparently this was the place to be seen. My next adventure was a ferry ride through the harbor to Manly beach. This was reall the first time i got a great view of the Opera House and the famous bridge. It was quite surreal to say the least and the architecture did not disapoint. The suburbs spread out like lichens and line the many banks of the plentiful bays and inlets. I would recommend a ferry ride to anyone who ever goes to Sydney. It is only from this vantage point that one can truly take in the magnificentness of the city.

New Years was nutz. Me and some friends made camp across from the Opera House and enjoyed watching the people pass by and watching people slowly become more lucid and rambunctuous. The energy mounted and we made our way to a geat vantage point on top of roof. Never has there been a more overobard fireworks display, ever. Amazing falls short. It was so cool giant shells exploeded with great awe inspiring precision and colorful spit. Fireworks from the top of high-rises were just one more element that set the show off. The buzz of the crowed and the energy pumping from the fireworks truly set my new year of with a blaze! Throngs of people about a million lined every nook and cranny of the surrounding area. And the mass exodus was unimaginable. Our exhaustion of the day put us to sleep somewhat early and exitedly fell asleep.

Another 2 weeks or so were spent wandering around the giant city taking in the people smells and atmosphere that can only be found in a giant city like this one.

I am ready to leave and city life behind i am ready for Thailand.

here in Melbourne for 2 days and i am off to Thailand. Awesome!

will make a great effort to post more often.

Lots of love and peace!