Laos, Thailand, HK...the final chapter

So it has been quite a while since the last post, and unfortunately this will be the final one for this adventure! We are officially done, and tomorrow we catch our flight home from Hong Kong.

So from where I last left off….

We ended up spending a day in Vientiane, Laos, which was a city we were not overly impressed with. We also ended up staying in a COMPLETE dive of a hostel. Matt likened it to a prison cell…and it also came with bed bugs. Not fun. The next day we crossed the border into Thailand by bus and stayed for a day in the border city of Nong Khai. It was a quaint town with a nice market. We celebrated our last day of being together as a group of 4 with a dinner river cruise on the Mekong River. It was a nice way to celebrate the end of another chapter in our travels.

The next day we parted ways. Gill headed home, Ryan headed to Vietnam and Matt and I flew to Phuket. Our flight was delayed, putting our arrival into Phuket REALLY late, which made it difficult to get up the next day to catch the morning ferry to the island of Koh Phi Phi. The ride over was nice, despite being tired and hungry. We set out on foot (because there are no cars on the island) and found the bungalows Gill had recommended to us, and decided we would stay. It was a really nice place away from all of the noise and action of the ‘down-town’ area of the island. We had a nice deck with a hammock right beside the pool. It was great! We spent the next few days just relaxing on the beach and by the pool…unfortunately we both ended up getting pretty nasty burns despite wearing sunscreen! The beaches were absolutely beautiful, with white sand and turquoise, clear water and the weather really turned out to be in our favour! We went on a sunset snorkel cruise to Koh Phi Phi Leh, the sister island to Koh Phi Phi, which was made famous by the movie ‘The Beach’ (where it was filmed). The snorkelling was absolutely amazing too…so many brightly coloured kinds of fish! Some of the best snorkelling we have ever done. They also took us to this place called ‘Monkey-beach’…which was what it sounds like. It would have actually been ‘fun’ had the monkeys not been vicious. Seriously – they told us that tourists often get bit by them…which left me asking the question, ‘then WHY the heck are we going there?!’. We also had the chance to walk up to the viewpoint on the island, which doubles as the Tsunami escape route. They had pictures of what the island looked like after the tsunami hit in 2004. It was completely decimated but it has been rebuilt since then. When we took the ferry back to Phuket the waters were unfortunately extremely rough. As soon as we set out they started handing out the puke bags. Luckily Matt and I made it through the trip without vomiting, but we were both exceptionally scared. At times the entire ferry would get ‘air’ and come crashing so hard back into the water that it seemed it would split apart. Water even started leaking in from the ceiling near us (as we were forced to sit on the second level below deck). It was a terrible trip (the longest hour and 40 minutes of our lives), but we managed to make it in one piece, thankfully.

Next we flew to Bangkok and had a whirl-wind stay. Our main highlights in the day and a bit we spent there were the Grand Palace and Kohsan Road. We did lots of shopping at the latter! Bangkok was a very busy and crazy city, not unlike the other major cities we have been to in Asia. As always, complete with hounding Tuk-Tuk drivers and salespeople.

To finish our trip off we flew to Hong Kong, arriving (of course) in the middle of a typhoon. It was a pretty rough and stressful flight, but again we arrived a bit shaken, but safe. We made it to our hostel before the typhoon escalated to a level 8 (it goes up to level 10). We had been told that the buses often stop running when it hits the higher levels, so we were a bit concerned, however we made it in time. We spent today, our last day exploring Hong Kong. We walked around Nathan Road, the touristy area with all of the markets and shops, and we eventually made our way over to Hong Kong Island, where we went up ‘The Peak’. The tram that took us up, went up at such a steep incline! It was unbelievable! When we got to the top, the weather was unfortunately still not the best due to the typhoon, so the views were not great, but still good. We made the mistake of deciding to have a drink at one of the restaurants at the top, which ended up costing us about 7 Canadian dollars per drink (non-alcoholic)! Hong Kong definitely lives up to it’s claim of having an impressive skyline though! It is such a cool city, very built up, modern and busy. We were also impressed by how efficient and ‘user-friendly’ the transportation system is. We both agree that it is unlike any of the places we have visited thus far on this trip. After ‘The Peak’ we had lunch at a little noodle restaurant. We both got noodle soup with squid-balls. I didn’t think it was all that bad, but Matt didn’t really like it. After that we visited the Hong Kong Science Museum, which was a bit of a let down. It was ‘Free-Wednesday’ and boy was it PACKED! It was a bit overwhelming, and difficult to spend time at any one exhibit. After dinner we headed down to the piers to watch the laser light show that is put on by the city skyline every night. Unfortunately the weather really took a turn for the worse, making it literally impossible to see across to Honk Kong Island. We had to walk back to the subway station and got completely SOAKED by the sheets of rain that were coming down. It was a bit disappointing, but you can’t change the weather! Anyways, one day has definitely not been enough here, and we both hope to come back again for a longer period of time. Probably not during typhoon season though!

This trip has gone by WAY too fast for both of us, and it has definitely been the trip of a lifetime. We have had amazing experiences and have really grown to appreciate home and how privileged we are to have been born in North America. Although neither of us are really ready to come home yet (because there is still SO much more to see and do), we are looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family again. We are also looking forward to some of the simple luxuries we have been missing out on over the past 3 months…like not living out of a bag, having clean laundry (Matt only brought 4 pairs of underwear), western breakfasts, home-cooked meals, etc. With any luck the typhoon will not interfere with our departure tomorrow and we will be back in Toronto after our ~15,000km journey home.

Until our next great adventure…

Amanda and Matt

Cambodia Pictures

A Wat in the Royal Palace grounds in Phnom Penh.
Wat Phnom. This was located around the corner from our guesthouse and is also home to all the crazy monkeys.
A typical home that we would visit during our interviews in Kandal Province.
The view from our guesthouse. In the middle of the picture is a children's amusement park.
A typical intersection in Phnom Penh. You kind of just have to weasel your way through. It could take up to 10 minutes to turn left with a controlled green because no one follows the rules.
Ta Prom in the Angkor complex. This is the only temple that has not been renovated since it was built and the forest has really taken over. It was one of our favorite temples because it was all original.
This is after I was stung by whatever it was that stung me. By far the most painful flying insect sting I have ever had. You can see how the veins on my arm have disappeared. Amanda was stung 5 times with the worst ones being on her butt so we couldn't post those pictures.
These are skulls from the killing fields outside Phnom Penh. They are contained in a large memorial at the center of the fields. We asked why they were on display like this and not buried and our guide told us it was to prove that the killings actually occurred.
These are some monks hanging out inside the Royal Palace.
This is Amanda shooting a M-16.
This is Ryan excited by our seafood platter.
This is one of the cell blocks at the S-21 torture facility. It was a school that was converted into this during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. People were brought here before being sent to the killing fields.
No comments.
Outside the Russian market in Phnom Penh.
One of the many slums in Phnom Penh.
In the countryside we saw many men using ox drawn carts for transportation.
A view of the bay at Serendipity Beach.
Serendipity beach at night. Every restaurant had a BBQ going right on the beach. It was a great night.
These are the guys we spent 4 weeks with in Phnon Penh. The guy on the left with the pink shirt and a food stain is Sinel, the guy in the middle is the Provincial vet that never spoke to us, and the guy on the right is Tharin, he was the workhorse of the operation.
A monk showdown in the Royal Palace.
This monkey got angry as the flash from Amanda's camera was disturbing his meal.
This was my friend from Sihanoukville. She was the cutest cat and was always waiting for us at our bungalow. Our relationship was a little love-hate.
Serendipity beach.
Amanda and I at 6:30 am in Angkor Wat.
More of the Royal Palace.
Me with the M-16. The rack of guns on the wall were all available to be shot but the M-16 was the cheapest.
During one of our surveys a chicken just jumped up on the table to check out what we were doing.
Inside the market in Siem Reap. This was one of my most favorite places I have been. It was incredibly clean for a market and had so many things that I wanted to buy.
The food section of the same market.
Amanda, Ryan, and Gill going kayaking.
Another section of Angkor Wat.
A fire show on Serendipity beach the night of our seafood feast.
This is the cow that saved us from rolling into the river. There is no gate on the ferry and our van stared rolling back and the cow was the only thing between us and the river. Sinel was losing his mind while we were rolling back.
This is a smaller ferry that we took in the morning.
This is the four of us at Dr. Fish. The pool was filled with fish that would come and eat the dead skin off your feet. It was quite a weird feeling and Amanda kept screaming.
This is the balcony of our bungalow at Serendipity beach.
Sunrise from our bungalow.
Amanda loved their cows. They had huge floppy ears and a large flap of skin hanging off their neck.
Chicken transport in Phnom Penh. Yes, they are all alive.
A boat in the bay at Serendipity beach.
The four of us enjoying our seafood feast.
Bayon, in the Angkor Complex.
A view of one of the wings of S-21.
Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat.
Amanda eating a cricket. She peer pressured me into eating one too and I was not happy about it.
Amanda at Ta Prom.

Laos II

Yesterday we rented tubes (old tractor tire inner-tubes) and took a tuk tuk a few kilometres up the main river. Tubing is the main attraction in Vang Vieng. By the time we were all organized and the morning rain had stopped, it was about noon by the time we arrived at the start point of the river. We got dropped off at the first restaurant/bar, where they had a zip-line set up that you could ride into the water. The river was moving quite fast because it is the rainy season right now which made me a bit apprehensive at first. After a few people went before me allowing me to see their safe recovery from the water, I decided to do it. I forgot to let go and got a bit of whip-lash, but it was a lot of fun and I managed to catch the tube and multiple water bottles filled with water (attached to ropes) that were thrown at me to bring me back to shore. We also played a game where you have 3 shots to knock down cans and despite being unable to knock them all down, we all got free shots of tiger whiskey and bananas. After that we decided to get into our tubes and head out to the next bar not far down the river. As you pass by they hurl water bottles and tubes at you to bring you in. We did this a few times, stopping at bars to enjoy their massive swings or ziplines into the river. There was even a giant mud pit and a huge mud-volleyball court at one bar. It was unlike anything I have ever seen!

It was so nice floating down the river. The weather was gorgeous and the view was amazing - there was beautiful limestone peaks covered in lush green jungle and mist. It was just breath-taking… I wish I could have brought my camera! The river sometimes got a bit rough, but nothing dangerous. Just enough to keep it interesting… The river eventually brought us back to Vang Vieng, and after having a quick lunch at a riverside restaurant we decided to take a tuk-tuk back up and tube down again. It was about 3 and the weather was kind of taking a turn for the worse, but we decided to go anyways. By the time we reached the drop off point it was pouring rain and it was completely PACKED full of people. We eventually decided that the rain had let up enough to start our ride down. We stopped at a bar we hadn’t stopped at on our first run, and it was so full you could hardly move! There were just so many people, all of them completely wasted. We all agreed that it was no surprise that people drown frequently doing this. At one point on the way down the river it just opened up! It was pouring so hard that we could barely see Ryan 50 feet behind us! It was crazy! Anyways, we arrived back just in time to bring our tubes back to avoid the late fine of 20,000 kip (about $3 CAD) and made a B-line for our hotel to clean up. We were just filthy, as the river is quite muddy and kind of cold from the rain.

Tubing was such a fun experience and I would definitely come back! We all really enjoyed it and I am glad the weather semi-cooperated and that I decided to go.

Today is our last day in Vang Vieng. We are renting some scooters and heading out to explore some caves outside of town. Tomorrow we are catching a bus to Vientiane, where we will spend a day and after that we are heading back into Thailand!

Laos

Greetings from Laos!

We finished up our project at the TECC on Monday and caught a flight to Luang Prabang, Laos on Tuesday. Although the TECC had more hands on than any of our other projects and although it was a good experience overall, we were all ready to leave. The accommodations were quite awful, and we were all very sleep deprived and completely sick of eating the same thing everyday by the end of our 14 days. Some days at the TECC were absolutely great! On those days we got to do a lot of hands on work, and learned quite a bit. A typical day for us would start with a hike alongside our elephants out into the jungle to drop them off for the day. Upon returning we would make the rice-milk for the orphaned baby elephant we nick-named ‘Ricky’ and after it had cooled off we would feed him. We would also help with treatments which were all cleaning and dressing wounds. One day Matt and I even got to go out to a rehabilitation facility and treat some elephants there. They had everything from ‘man-killers’ to land mine victims. There was one elephant that had killed a total of 9 people! You should have seen the chains on it!

Other days at the TECC were not so good. These were the ones where we sat around and actually did nothing. Unfortunately there were far too many of these days for all of our liking. In North American culture, sitting around at work would definitely not fly…but in Thailand and other South East Asian countries, it is completely acceptable. It was a hard adjustment for us, as we felt uncomfortable feeling as though we should be doing something. For the most part, it was not TECC’s fault; there just was not a heavy case load.

So anyways, we spent two full days in Luang Prabang. It was such a quaint and beautiful town situated on a peninsula on the Mekong River. We spent one day exploring the town on some bicycles we rented for the day. We biked up to a large temple on a hill with a great view and had lunch overlooking the Mekong. Luang Prabang also had a fantastic night market which filled an entire street. Hmoung vendors would come out every night to barter for their beautiful silk scarves, paintings, clothing and carvings. We agreed that we could have purchased one of everything if we had enough money and suitcase room! There were also fabulous crepes filled with your choice of fruit, nutella, honey, etc. and delicious fruit shakes for about 75 cents CAD.

On our second day it was raining heavily in the morning and we lucked out when it let up in the afternoon. We hired a ‘taxi’ to take us out to the Kouang Si waterfall. The taxis here are quite unique. They are flat bed trucks with two benches running along the sides of the back and a roof. During our one hour trip out to the falls we had the unfortunate experience of running over a duck as we passed through a village, which was quite sad to see. On a brighter note, the waterfall was absolutely gorgeous! It was about 60m high, and spilled into a bunch of turquoise pools you could go swimming in. We hiked up to the top of the waterfall and edged our way out into the middle of the river. A make-shift fence had been put up to keep us from being swept over the falls. It was so beautiful, and we took some really great pictures. After our hike we were so hot and sweaty, and a swim in the cool water was exactly what we needed! It was so refreshing…Ryan and I used a rope swing to jump into one of the pools. On our way back to Luang Praband we picked up a Laotian family of 6…making it a total of 3 people in the cab, 6 tourists and 3 other of the family members in the back. Sometimes it was surprising the truck could even make it up some of the hills!

So today we took a bus from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. It was supposed to be a 6 hour bus ride, but about 2 hours into the ride our bus broke down. The assistant to the driver was at the back of the bus trying to tinker with the engine when steam shot out all over him…giving him some pretty bad burns. He seemed to be alright after a while. So that put us about an hour behind schedule. The bus ride was really beautiful but also a bit nerve-wracking along a winding mountain road with no guard rails. Needless to say we eventually made it safe and sound. We explored Vang Vieng a bit, and it is a really interesting place. It is a completely tourist based town, with tons of bars and restaurants with cushiony seats and either ‘Friends’ or ‘Family Guy’ playing. You can literally find a place playing any season or episode of ‘Friends’…it is hilarious! We are planning on renting tractor inner-tubes and floating down the river, which is ‘the’ thing to do here. We are also hoping to rent some scooters and head out to some nearby caves for a day to explore them.

I really like Laos so far, however it is one of the poorer countries we have been to and definitely the least developed. It has a rugged beauty with sprawling mountains covered in dense jungle. It doesn’t seem as touristy either (relatively), which is something that we both really like.

Anyways, that’s all for now!!! Will write again soon when I get the chance!

Pictures of Indonesia (Sorry they are late!) - Quotes written by Matt

This is where we went for lunch one day after being in the field. We all had goat sate which was cooked on the BBQ thing with the smoke coming from it. They were very delicious and I ate 17 compared to Amanda's 4.
A layer chicken (ie lays eggs)
This was a combo farm where fish are being raised in the water below the broiler chickens. The chicken feces fall between the cracks into the water and the fish eat it. It is a great way to not only get rid of the feces, but to bring in some extra money with the fish.
This was our first day in Jakarta while viewing the slaughter facilities in the back allies. I don't think many white people came into this area because people were swarming around us wanting to get their picture taken with us. Amanda was the most popular as she was the most "bule".
This was the slaughter area where the woman was dividing up all the chicken parts (their living quarters are above this area). As you can see in the background there are people walking around with shoes on. Out of the picture is where they cut the necks of the chickens and then boil them to make it easier to remove the feathers. After that, this lady gets them. Ryan filmed the entire process from walking chicken to chicken legs, so when we get back if any wants to see it they are more than welcome. She was incredibly quick as they would process 1000 chickens per day to satisfy Jakarta's consumption of 400,000 chickens per day.
This is CIVAS, where we stayed for 2 weeks. We had a room on the second floor and that vehicle was our transportation during our time there.
This is a bus in Bogor. There are 1000's of them and they are all different colours to indicate which route they take. They are hollowed out inside and have two benches running down both sides. It cost 2000 Rupiah (20 cents) to take the bus.
This was from our trip to the Safari. Amanda wanted to pose with an animal other than a monkey so this is what she got.
This is also from the Safari. We were driving by and throwing carrots into their mouths. It was kind of like the real life version of Hungry, Hungry Hippos.


This was on our drive up to the Safari. There were so many roadside places selling carrots for the animals that it was crazy.
This is from the Wildlife rehabilitation center. They threw a chicken in with the croc and the chicken just kind of sat there looking around until this croc exploded across the water. It tried to make an escape but I won't lie, it didn't work out very well for the chicken. Ryan also filmed this so you might want to check it out when we get home.
This was a bird from the wildlife center. It is a very dangerous bird and will attack if you enter the pen. It has massive claws on its feet and in my opinion looks a lot like a dinosaur.
This was my attempt to cut my hair by myself. After this debacle, Amanda now helps me out. I didn't bring my regular buzzer and after that I really regretted not bringing it. I had to sport that hair cut for a week until it grew back.
This is from the very rich man's house that we got to visit. He lived up in the mountains and raised rams. He got his two favourite to fight for us.
This is my plug for the environment. The crop you can see is called a palm oil plant. Millions of acres of rain forest in South East Asia have been destroyed to clear land for this plant. It is a very profitable plant for the farmer but devastating for the environment. Every country that we have been to has had these crops. Palm oil is found in many things such as food, soap and cosmetics. Next time you buy these things look at the ingredients and don't buy it if it contains palm oil.
This is Prambanan, a Hindu temple outside of Yogyakarta. It is very impressive but was damaged by an earthquake a few years ago.
This is Borobudur, a Buddhist temple (Also outside of Yogyakarta). It is the largest temple of any kind in the Southern hemisphere.
This was the washroom over the canal that I wrote about. Kids were swimming just down from here and a lady was doing laundry while ducks were floating by.
This is from a duck farm. All the ducklings were piling against the screen waiting for the fish to be thrown over.
This was our toilet and shower at CIVAS.
This is Amanda and I at a volcano that I can't remember the name of. This was our last day with CIVAS.
This is at the Botanical Gardens in Bogor. We were stopped by many people wanting to interview us just because we were "Bule".