Chiangmai & NORTHERN THAILAND

The North of Thailand has a charm all its own. From the busy streets of Chiangmai into the outer hills that surround it - the nature of the Thai people here is even more laid-back, and one of friendliness. Their Sunday market in Chiangmai is a Thai massage, food and craft fest that spans what seems like forever... and it remains packed with people well into the night hours.

I took off on a short trek into the mountains about 2 hrs north of Chiangmai to camp out with the local hill tribe - the Lahu tribe - for an evening surrounded by 360-degrees of pure bliss! The hike up was bit steep at points, and was felt more due to hot weather than the actual incline for most of us. As we arrived into the village on top of this mountain area, some of the local tribe was out planting new seeds in the field. The kids were shy as we first arrived, but once we were settled into our hut (with the most gorgeous panoramic views you could possibly imagine) - they started to come around and we took to playing and giggling together. It made no difference that we couldn't communicate with words. Later in the evening they sang and danced for us -- too, too cute! After relaxing in the early morning sunshine a few of us ventured down to a big waterfall for a swim, before riding elephants, white water rafting and bamboo rafting our way back to the village where we would meet our transport back to Chiangmai.

I had exciting things awaiting me in Chiangmai, as I became very close friends with Gan - a girl I met my 1st night there - as I popped into her friend's tour agency. She & I were enveloped in conversation from that moment forward and I went out to play pool and watch a local band with her later that night -- which meant I would ride with her thru the crazy streets on her moped! An event for me in itself! We had such a blast that we agreed I would stay with her at her flat when I returned from my trek. In addition to this, Gan just opened up her own cooking school 4 months ago, so I had the chance to visit her beautiful space and learn to cook 5 more Thai dishes with her privately... which was such a treat -- and very entertaining for both of us! I kept getting in trouble for singing ;) ... We enjoyed visiting for the rest of the night (basically talked ourselves to sleep!) and the following morning we went around town together to take care of a few of my errands, as well as enjoy some breakfast, a walk in the park, and a visit by some of her family's place. It was hard to say goodbye -- but we "pinky-swore" it will be SEE YOU SOON!

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS - Mopeds & Umbrellas

In came the downpour of rain as I was about 15 minutes shy of my departure to the airport… sitting under cover and enjoying at little homemade lemon tea that my guest house family made for me, I sat in silent observance. In walked a local woman with a piece of arched bamboo w/two cut stubs on either end to secure the ropes of the baskets that hung off each side as she balanced this heavy set-up across one shoulder. The baskets are full of local food that she walks home to home to sell… a door-to-door market – what a fantastic concept! The unique thing is that she also carried a scale with her to weigh the kg’s of the produce… we’re talking a scale that’s about 1 sq. ft. in size… I’m impressed!

Traveling to the airport in my Tuk-Tuk (in Laos, they are a motorbike with a small truck flatbed w/a bench on each side and luggage rack on top)… it was a flashback moment to my Jeep days when we had to pull over to secure more plastic window tarps to protect me (actually, my stuff) from the rain. People (mostly younger kids) were trying to get across town on their mopeds with umbrellas overhead to shield the heavy water droplets… it was actually quite fun to watch… and it left me wanting to stay and participate – as I flashed back to our days growing up in Florida and having toothpick races down the gutters in the pouring rain with my sisters – I can only imagine what a blast it would be to try to venture across town while trying to protect yourself from the shower (sort of like being in any of these Southeast Asian countries during their New Year’s celebrations!)

LUANG PRABANG, LAOS - Washing of the Buddha… the completion of the New Year ritual

Hoping to catch sunset from a higher point of the peninsula in Luang Prabang, I ventured to the main temple where local people were visitng from all over to participate in their yearly ritual of offerings (flowers, burning incense, and other natural items) and the washing of the Buddha. It was an interesting visit, as it was part festival, part ritual, and part normal every day wandering and visiting at a local temple. I had a chance to visit with one of the young monks who is living at the temple for 5 years – he’s from the north (Phongsali) and is very well spoken. I realized that their curiosity/fascination with me as a tourist/foreigner, is the same as my fascination with the life they are leading… a beautiful exchange of culture!

LUANG PRABANG - LAOS

Flying in over the lush green mountaintops, I felt a deep sense of relief to be ‘home’… in familiar territory, so-to-speak. It’s only been about five or six days since I left the mountain of Koh Pha-Ngan, but it left me wanting more! Gotta have those mountain sunsets, storms and out-of-breath climbing experiences!

Although they both share the marvel of ancient temples, tuk-tuks and very formal visa-on-arrival processing in their airports, Luang Prabang is a completely different ‘ball game’ from Siem Reap/Cambodia. I was pleasantly surprised to arrive to a pleasant taxi ride over the river, and then along it’s bank, into the slow, interflowing traffic charade. It was a more peaceful sort of craziness… as the cars, trucks, motos and pedestrians somehow intermingled without ever braking!

The town of Luang Prabang is MAGNIFICENT! It is absolutely stunning… the streets are clean, and the side ones are serenely lined with local homes and guesthouses, as well as brick bordering & curbs. Little alley/walkways can be found here & there, and are extremely quiet. You adapt a sense of wandering in silence, as you don’t want to break the peace barrier of the moment.

Along the river, upon a golden sunset in the distant mountains, kids bathe & play, canoes and longtail boats quietly float about, and even the riverside cafes on the bluff above are quiet. Just one street parallel to the riverfront, uphill, is their main pedestrian-only market… it is gorgeous! I have NEVER seen an international market this clean and full of items that I would love to fill my home with. The vibrance of the differing shades of color found in the local clothing and crafts is just too intricate for words. Each market vendor (typically a women or young girl) has one hanging light bulb above their items, along with a calculator for negotiations… and they’ll do their best to sell you, but it’s not overbearing like some other places (most likely because they’re seated and can’t follow you as easily!)

Cafes & restaurants, along with little massage spas and internet venues fill the outer edges of the street… and this stems for many blocks (maybe 8 or so???)… seems like forever, yet it’s so pleasant to just walk about that one might enjoy 8 blocks more!
One interesting thing is that pizza places are big here… certainly not the case in Thailand and Cambodia… I may have to give it a try some evening. For tonight, it was a local dish – steamed fish in banana leaves with steamed rice… delicious! The fish simply melts in your mouth!

O, my elephant!
I went looking for adventure and certainly found it! Usually most well-traveled peeps know to research and ask around a bit before jumping into any tour/activity/experience in any new place they travel for the 1st time. I proceeded to surpass this common sense and attempt to get myself involved in activity for the following day within an hour of arriving in Luang Prabang. I wanted to mountain bike, visit villages, and have an experience riding an elephant (especially after spending time with them in the wild in Africa!) So I pretty much signed up through a local tour agency to do a combo of all 3, all day… and I was told to arrive at 8:00am the next morning. I was at least wise enough to prepare for the trail (as usual) and stocked up on water, snacks, long sleeves, and rain gear for my waist-pack. Upon arriving at the tour co. early in the morning, I managed to make a couple birthday phone calls to the USA for Chelle & Mel as I watched the guy greasing the run-down bike chain with a cruddy toothbrush… after I hung up he asked me to take a test spin… it was the best looking bike out of a rather awful selection, so I just agreed to it and figured all would be cool. That was until parts started falling off and coming loose along the way!!!!!!!! This tends to be a standard for me with international bike rentals! (as I’m sure it is for most people) Riding out of town w/ChanTy I tried to mimic the crazy way the traffic moves so I could squeeze through the flow without harm – it was quite a trip…we didn’t use brakes much! Riding out into the outlying mountain villages and into the quiet of the towering teak forest, I was in ‘heaven’. I was the only tourist to be seen on the road for miles in either direction – it was fantastic! The kids in the villages would shout “Faranga, Faranga!” as I rounded the corner, as a way of signaling to their friends/families that a foreigner was passing by… which they are curious to observe. I would wave and smile and say hello in their local language (phonetically – “sah-bah-dee”) and they would often times be very excited with this simple gesture. 19km’s later, and after a pretty good climb over a mountain pass, I arrived to a dirt road that led to the Namkan River. ChanTy and I road through the village, racing a bit, and finally arrived to a field of papayas with a resting hut. I climbed into the hut with one of the local woman, and as her daughter joined us from collecting papayas in the field, I began a trade of items – I shared peanuts, and they cut up fresh (non-ripe, crunchy) papaya. We did our best to communicate even though we couldn’t speak each other’s language, and I certainly enjoyed my mini-siesta afterwards. The adventure was just beginning… I would then climb down a dirt hill bank to a bamboo bridge (feeling thankful that I had a waterproof bag for my camera if I were to plunge off one side, as it’s not all too sturdy by any means,) and then climbed up the dirt hill on the other side into another village and took a walk around, visiting with the school kids, before meeting “O”… my 18 yr old, female elephant I was going to take a little journey with! During my conversations with ChanTy during our bike ride, I found out he had never actually ridden the elephant and I asked him to join me, since there was certainly room for two – and what a trip this was! We started by weaving our way through the village (watch out for roofs and trees!) and back down the steep dirt hill to cruise up river… somewhat in the middle of it, for a while! Local kids were cast-net fishing either from wooden canoes or from a shallow wade. Once we returned to land, our guide on the neck of “O” hopped off to follow behind – and she thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start cooling herself off, so all of a sudden ChanTy and I were having dirt thrown on us, and then she tore off a small branch full of leaves and started swatting the back of her neck – it was hilarious, as she was inadvertently whipping my legs too! I fed her a ball of sticky rice before our journey, and a bunch of bananas when we returned. The local kids were gathered around to watch.

The next leg of our mountain bike journey was through some pretty cool dirt roads and was a hysterical reminder of my bike ride with Elizabeth in Puerto Varas, Chile as ChanTy’s pedal kept falling off one side of the bike – I was able to share the story of how I single pedaled my way back into town after mine fell off a few years ago – both times were fun! ChanTy was getting a tad frustrated, but I found our extra village stops (in search of tools/assistance) to be the highlight of the journey. We road around the very tall mountain peak we came over the shoulder of and enjoyed sandwiches for lunch along the banks of the NamKan river (and we were starving when we finally arrived – it took quite a while to get there!)… A little swim (too shallow, as I quickly found out when my head met a rock just below the water's surface) and brief siesta and we rode up another mountain section to visit a Temple. This particular temple was very unique in that it had 4 stories and we could climb up to each. Four nuns that were pulling weeds from the grass surrounding the base of the temple were pleasantly surprised to invite ChanTy and I inside.

Our final leg of the journey was relatively downhill and back into the traffic dance… with sore rear ends and a lot of stories from our day, ChanTy and I chilled on the upper banks of the river enjoying a Beerlao. It was ideal.

CAMBODIA - Siem Reap

Siem Reap was inviting upon walking into the airport. It was only our flight full of passengers to be seen anywhere! I randomly jumped in a taxi with two other backpackers from Liverpool, and found my way to a guest house located within walking distance of the madness! Madness meaning traffic, packed markets, and the pedestrian only filled street! To be able to chill roadside at a plastic table and chairs while enjoying a fresh (yes, the cut up the fruit right there) fruit smoothie and curry or amok, while people watching (mostly the locals) is an entertainment experience in itself! The cleanliness of the cooking venue is certainly to be questioned, but I think that 7 weeks into it I have built up a bit of a tolerance to venturing into some of the more local fare (so far, so good in Africa and Thailand!)

Siem Reap draws enormous amounts of tourists for it’s main feature – Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat & Machu Picchu have got to be the two most amazing ruins in the world! (if I am missing another, or have forgotten one, then I will end up finding it someday!)
Ancient Angkor is filled with various temples, containing some of the most intricate stone sculpture I’ve ever seen – from dancing aspara’s, to Buddha faces, to elephants, and decorative flowers. For instance, Angkor Wat is the biggest, and most popular temple of all. It is the sunrise ‘capital’ of this area, where tuk-tuks and motos (and tour busses too) flood out in a line of little white headlights before any morning light is to be seen. I climbed to the top of this particular temple in the far back corner, actually sitting on the outside ledge (my remaining fear of heights was far subsided in this moment)… and witnessed a picture-perfect sunrise – which you will all get to see via pictures (assuming they’re posted here!)

I made the crazy decision to see as much as I could in one day (most people are on 3-day passes)… but knowing that I have the non-stop feature located somewhere within my being, I took off on foot – as my tuk-tuk driver (Bayon) waited to cart me the km’s in between, non-stop, all day! CLIMBING stairs for people with a size 3-4 foot to summit the top of each temple, and doing my best to climb into every corner, ‘nook & cranny’ to soak in the entire experience. The heat in the middle of the day left me consuming full bottles of liquid between each temple. My ideal choice would have been to use a bicycle, however – I could never have reached the far outlying ruins of Roulos in the southeast… I traveled along an old Ancient Route, which is a village dirt road with high-stilted homes, and the families chilling on tables or in hammocks below. Behind the homes lining the streets were vast fields of crops and nothing! This particular area in Cambodia has an interesting mix of palm trees and dirt – like what you’d see in a desert… I don’t know how you technically refer to this type of landscape, but I’ll call it the desert tropics!

So back to a little more on the “things” these temples contain…
BUDDHAS – it’s too cool! Bayon, one section within Angkor Thom is just coated with towers displaying a Buddha face on each of its four sides (or sometimes 2 & 3, depending on the tower)… They are HUGE!... and it is like standing within the envelope of an invitation to meditate.

Preah Kahn, another section further north had dancing asparas – stone carved female figures, in groupings that were detailed to the millimeter. Each woman’s smile and stance was ever so graceful and beautiful within each conglomeration.

In the southeast of Angkor (the Roulos that I mentioned above) – Bangkor, one of the oldest ruins (dating back to the 800’s) towers over a present-day monastery below. The area is absolutely silent. I only saw about 5-6 other tourists during the time I spent here, as most don’t care to venture this far away from the ‘main attraction’. I was able to wander down and observe some of the monks and their daily rituals, as well as witness two young monks learning – one from a book, the other how to put on his orange robe.

Ao Thong Nay Pan Noi - Koh Pha Ngan, THAILAND

Water so very clear… you can see every ripple of the sand based on the current tide; you can see hermit & sand crabs scurrying about; you can swim without a mask and snorkel and gain the same effect! To swim the length of the cove in the early morning, while the water is like glass, or to float about the buoyant salt in the heat of the day as the sun does its best to fry you like an egg… oh so pleasant, oh so wonderful these moments are!
Walking the 2km between the coves (which technically means around the little mountain and up over the hill) you can access both Pan Noi & Pan Yai. Noi is smaller, more quaint, with a fun beach atmosphere and tight-knit town. Yai is a longer stretch, with harder packed sand, and more spread out resorts that line the full of the beach.

Ko Pha-Ngan - THAILAND

Getting ripped off on our bungalows (it happens traveling sometimes!)the night before dampened our spirit for staying on Ko Samui until later in the morning, so we went in search of the local taxi truck early in the morning (after a failure to find a coffee shop along the street,) with a desire to head to the less developed island of Ko Pha-Ngan. The taxi trucks are fabulous! The have a cage rack on top to toss your bag(s) – unless your bag is mine, and it’s far too heavy to lift up there!, and you sit on benches in the back of the truck… simple! And they’re 50 Baht (about $1.50 US)

We finally found our coffee shop in Na Thon – right across the street from the ferry docks. A stroll through town afterwards along the scooter-lined streets, hanging bird cages, and many little tourist shops led us to a travel agency where I happened to notice we had been ripped off a 2nd time! Reverting to negotiating 101, I politely informed the gentleman at the ferry docks that they lied to us (we asked where the 150 Bht ferry boat was, and they said there was none, and played stupid – it was only one pier over) and overcharged us for the same ferry that everyone else would be traveling on at 11am. He actually admitted to lying to us, but was only willing to give us a 50% credit – SHADY! I was actually fine with this, and my German friends were surprisingly thrilled – just had to stand up for us, and other future travelers honestly seeking out the same info. You’d think Kharma would be a way of life for more people around here!

As we arrived on the island of Ko Pha-Ngan we were surrounded by far too many locals offering us taxis & bungalows! It’s quite overwhelming – especially if you don’t know where you’re going! Luckily Ulli had been to Mae Haad before and knew that I’d probably like it since the Yoga Retreat was 1 beach over. We jumped in another taxi truck and enjoyed a much quieter & desolate journey on what was most definitely an island road. The lush palm trees and island green was smelling sweeter by the second! Trucks pass taxis and taxis pass mopeds… that seems to be the hierarchy of the barely two-lane road system!

Mae Haad is a super-quiet, off-the-beaten path village at the northwest corner of the island of Ko Pha-Ngan. There are about 5 different bunches of bungalows and maybe 10 different shops/cafes lining their “main” street. There is also an extra little island that you can walk over to along a sandbar (how cool is that?!)… which also offers a small gathering of bungalows and a restaurant. The beach is pretty well known around the island for having some of the best coral reefs for snorkeling – and boats pull up off-shore in the distance to bring visitors from other beaches who want to take a glance around with their mask. We were able to swim in the wide channel that goes between the coral, and have some nice views through the crystal-clear water at the sea life below! (it’s very shallow – maybe 3+ feet (1m) deep in the 1st 75-100yards off shore)

The bungalows we found were up a quiet road on the way out of the village (a 4-5 minute walk from the beach)… and they sat up high on the mountain side. I was equal, if not higher than the tops of the palm trees! We were the only ones out there, so it was an eerie sort of quiet for the night – especially after the village power went out around 8pm! I luckily had my headlamp in my hand (I had walked into town on my own)… the store owner (where I was on Internet) was so excited that I had the light – I was able to help us to see a few things that we would have struggled to find otherwise!

Koh Samui - THAILAND

The streets in Bangkok are mad! The water war has overtaken the city… it is amazing that people haven’t started opening the car doors or entering buses when the windows are closed, in order to drench you! As we traveled out of Bangkok we wondered how the city streets would appear 20 minutes out from city center – would they be this crazy?!

Arriving at the airport, we had 2 security checks – one at the terminal, and another at the gate – which were an absolute breeze – and a quick bite before our 45 minute flight to Ko Samui! The flight offered multiple views of the greenish lights of the boats harbored in clusters below.

Arriving in Ko Samui was an experience in itself… sort of, well, like Disney World! Reason being that they use the same kind of shuttle that the parking lots used 20 years ago in Disney World to take your from the plane to an open air, resort looking, hut island with one baggage carousel – which is actually 4 separate belts, forming a square, that have a physics wiz behind their design, so they always drop the bag on the belt below!
We’ve officially gone retro – island style! I love it!

The North End of the island (which is the quietest section) was actually quite packed with tons of little shops, cafes, and other minor conveniences lining the road… for about 20 minutes non-stop!

We settled in to a place called the Moon, and enjoyed sinking our feet into the sand and watching little homemade rockets (or, so we think) and a couple fireworks a few hundred yards across the water. Sand so deep and lush, water so warm, sky so clear – I’m lovin’ the Thai island life already!

JOY LUCK CLUB - Bangkok, THAILAND

I may have found my favorite café in Bangkok… tucked into a little 4-table ‘hole-in-the-wall’ is a lovely little kitchen, sweet people, a very eclectic assortment of décor, and a very fresh, healthy, trendy – beautifully presented – menu of traditional Thai dishes! The green curry was so hot I had to cool down the lips with a little coffee ice cream! (talk about the PERFECT remedy!)… where else can you get multi-grain like, red & white rice in the shape of a teddy bear?!, with a fresh flower on the side of your plate?! Wanida, the owner, is celebrating her 17th year with this business, as she has watched many other restaurants along the same street come & go over the years. I returned to this cafe many days in a row, and had the chance to visit with Wanida during the later night hours... and consequently had the chance to hear lots of stories about the area and enjoy some great conversation with her, as she spoke exceptional English. (thankfully, as my Thai is only up to about 10 words max!)

By walking-bus-train-boat-taxi & plane! - THAILAND

It’s not too shocking that I’d pack too much into one day… this day, it’s modes of transport. I made a decision last night to try and catch an overnight train down to Surat Thani, in an effort to reach some of Thailand’s eastern Islands… my walk to the tour agency left me with a plane ticket there tonight! (There were no sleeping trains available for the next couple days, and two of my new friends from Germany were going to head the same direction – so we’re taking a taxi together to our flight!
Here’s a little taste of what Thailand’s transport is like – and how cheap it can be!
WALKING… right now, during Songkran, this is still a bit of a challenge, as you are most likely to get drenched en route to wherever you’re going! (FREE – of course!)
BUS… the local bus in Bangkok is actually pretty good – mind you I did manage to catch one that had seats available. With the windows open, it’s a breeze (literally!) A woman walks around to your seat to collect your fare in a long silver money tube that she opens and closes pretty rapidly, and in doing so, she can also manage to mark your ticket with a perfect tear… you would think she had scissors! Just in case, our tickets were double checked by the male security guy on board too… no messin’ around! (7 Baht = <$0.25cents) TRAIN… the Sky Train in Bangkok is such a treat – city views from above, air conditioning, and it’s super-clean! …and the best part was that it travels all the way from the Chatuchak Market (a huge market alongside a big park) down to the river through the city center of Siam… (40 Baht = ~$1.25) BOAT… the express boats on the Chao Phraya River are wonderful! They usually show up every 10 minutes, or less! They offer probably the most refreshing cooling air, as it is open space between the big city buildings. Make sure to plug your ears if you’re super sensitive to whistling, as the local guys whistle all sorts of combinations to the main boat captain to let him know to go forward, backward, or towards the dock… at EVERY stop! (13 Baht = ~$.045cents) TAXI… the taxis are plentiful, and very colorful – many in bright pink, actually! The only catch with the Taxis is to ensure that they use their meter, as they LOVE to wheel-n-deal with tourists who don’t know better! They’re actually pretty clean inside, and usually very well decorated with all sorts of trinkets that hold a meaning with the driver – whatever helps us all to get from point A to B, works for me! It’s great when they play the local radio – I can enjoy their music and laugh at my lack of understanding even 1 word of Thai! (Airport to/from City Center ~400 Baht = ~$14)…share w/friends! FLIGHT… Bangkok Air will be a new experience for me… you certainly can’t beat a quick 1+hr journey to the Island of Ko Samui from Bangkok! ($2,950 Baht = ~$85)

Dodging the water guns and clay bowls – for the love of Buddha it was quite a journey to the Grand Palace & Wat Pho! - Bangkok, THAILAND

I woke up this morning with only 1 goal in mind – to avoid being caught in the drenching water fights of Songkran… which would prove to be an exhausting challenge – all day! I took a venture up the temporarily abandoned Khao San (the main Rd & heart of the New Year Party) to walk thru clay dusted remnants, a water re-stocking frenzy, stage adjustments, and a few locals just waiting to get back into the water war action (it was only 9:30am… so the 12noon start wasn’t even a possibility!) I was in search of a new guesthouse, somewhere off the beaten path (or better yet, outside the water-war zone!) I didn’t really know where I was going, but that made the journey even more enticing – I just always seem to follow my hiking trail sensibility – to always pay attention where I am coming from… so I can at least find my way back! I wandered down a little alley near the river (probably about a 10-15 minute walk from my previous place,) past a few charred remains of homes that didn’t survive flames a few months ago – to reach my new ‘home’ for the night – Riverline Guest House. I looked at a few places in the area, but the extra $3 US to have a brighter and more inviting room – in the center of a beautiful courtyard – was far too enticing to pass up! Now would come the challenge of walking back across town to pack up my backpack and carry my things across town – with every hope that I would arrive somewhat dry! I used my rain cover on the pack – just in case! I think I had most the locals so in shock that I was carrying so much and moving at such a quick pace that they didn’t really know what to do!

After a cup of coffee in the courtyard with my new friends from France & Greece, I took off to find the pier and catch a boat downstream to the Grand Palace & Wat Pho. I was surprised to see the water so dirty, and even more shocked to see a medium sized turtle surviving its swim in the filth! The river is lined with the sprawling city of Bangkok on both sides – the distant views are rather pleasant and the “taxi” (boat ride) was actually very enjoyable. You must be ready to jump on or off the boats when they arrive at your destination, as they don’t stop for more than a touch of the dock (with ear-piercing signal whistles blowing far too close to your head,) and they’re off to their next stop! I only had a 2-3 stop journey in each direction…

My visit to Wat Pho (home of the largest reclining Buddha) and the Grand Palace (home of the Emerald Buddha) were excellent. With it being the new year celebration I was able to witness the traditional local celebrations, as the Thai people cleanse the Buddha and artistically place offerings. I took part in a movement meditation offering, between two older local women -- as we dropped a coin into each of 100+ metal bowls, while walking down a long hall behind the reclining Buddha and making a wish/offering at each of the bowls. The rhythmic clanking of the coin hitting the bowl created a trance-like journey from one end to the other.

The beauty of a severely failed plan! – Bangkok, THAILAND

I NEED MORE PASSPORT PAGES!!!! ...and, of course, the US EMBASSY is CLOSED!... for 5 DAYS! (which seems like an eternity when traveling so many places in so little time!) HOWEVER, everything happens for a reason, so I am meant to take to the streets of Bangkok with a water gun instead! ;) WELCOME TO THE PARTY!

Since I would have to wait, I spontaneously decided to venture down to the islands of Koh Samui & Koh Pha-Ngan with my friends Ulli and Uta, from Germany!

A FAVORABLE Airline overbooking! Direct to Bangkok!

I called to confirm my flight to Bangkok, via 1-day in Hong Kong, while in Jo'burg, and the agent asked me why I wasn't flying direct to Bangkok?! I explained that my ATW (around-the-world) ticket class didn't allow it... and that's when she proceeded to let me know that my flight was overbooked and offered me the chance to fly direct to Bangkok on Thai Airlines about 30 minutes later, the same day -- and they would give me Rand (South African $) and meal vouchers... HELLO??!! Ya think! To top off this experience, Thai Airlines was fantastic... hot towels, Thai food, South African wine, and your own personal entertainment center -- which I don't usually take to, but I was able to finally watch Freedom Writers and the Pursuit of Happyness... nothing like a little extra real-life inspiration! I kicked back and enjoyed arriving in Bangkok 1-day earlier than expected... the 1st day of the Thai New Year... Songkran! Let the water fights begin...

Jo’burg – meeting a soul-sista’ in Boksburg / riding with Simon

I only had one night back in Jo'burg... and I lucked out with where I chose to go! I made a call over to the Fly-Inn lodge... a super-sweet guy named Simon picked me up at the airport and we had a blast chatting on our way over to the lodge(which is in the suburb or Boksburg, about 10-15 minutes away) -- that's when I met Glen and Tracy -- who just took over running the place about 5 weeks ago... and our conversation ran non-stop from the moment I arrived, until the moment I left. Tracy cooked up a local fare dinner for me and we enjoyed some wine and a sampling of many desserts, before I retired to my very nice African-style room for a night of zzz's. It was a shock to be in a very nice & clean room after weeks of camping and bunking it during my overland journey!

“Are you a local?” – ahhh, the love of Sadza/Pap/Miele

At the Vic Falls airport in Zimbabwe, I was asked if I was a local, after I ordered the most common local dish (v. all of the American menu options) -- I think I had them shocked that I like Sadza/Pap/Miele (it's like a mixture between mashed potatoes and cream of wheat...and has several different names, depending on which country you're in, in Africa.) Why in the world would I waste my time traveling across seas to eat a burger and fries or chicken salad?!

Atop are a couple pics from organizing my stuff in my room at Savanna Lodge (which basically entailed drying everything that I had left in my pocket at the falls!)... and a sunset photo from the plane en route to Jo'burg.

See you again next year?! – Vic Falls to Kenya, here we come!

6 African countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zimbabwe & Zambia) and 1000's of Km's later, next year a handful of us plan to venture from Vic Falls towards Kenya... and continue our adventure! Kenya, Tanzania, Congo?!... here we come!!!!!!

Zambia – Easter at the Falls, Livingstone & bungi frenzy

I walked over to Zambia from the town of Vic Falls in Zimbabwe with a few friends on our 2nd day in town. We took a long break on the bridge over the Zambezi River to watch some of the bungee jumpers from above... wow! That's about all I can say (to the actual event, and the ridiculous cost!)

We continued on, after two successful border crossings to catch taxis into Livingstone -- the main city in Zambia, nearest Vic Falls. We found great bar-restaurant for lunch and had the opporunity to listen to a jazz band's rehearsal for their Easter celebration later that night. We took a brief walk through the markets on the street alongside, before returning to meet our taxi drivers (negotiated deal & time thang.) My friend Cristina was the only other person who wanted to experience the Zambian side of the falls, so the two of us took off on our own to do just that. Inside the park on this side, there is a bridge over to an island (basically an island of cliffs)... and the bridge is SOAKING! Everybody was laughing and running through the spray.. there was absolutely no way not to be drenched! We were having a blast playing in the 'rain'... only one minor glitch -- I forgot to put my passport back into my waterproof case after we crossed the border -- I had accidentally left it in my short's cargo pocket... and it had quickly taken on the start of running stamps, a wavering bar code, and my picture was peeling back from the main cover -- ai, yai! Only one temporary solution -- use some of my money to blot the stamps for the day, so I'd be able to get back across the border into Zimbabwe (as visas are involved!)... I had no problem re-crossing, but I did get some looks and a tad of laughter out of the border officials as I handed them the book of sogginess!

Being at the falls on this particular day was quite special. It was Easter, so all of the locals were there! Kids were swimming around and playing in the river above the falls and most others were picnicing along the edge. There is an intricate series of walking trails going every which-way through this side of the falls, so you can enjoy amazing views of main river before it plunges 100's of feet below, the falls from most every angle, and the bridge spanning over the Zambezi River.