I think I know Better

When I spoke with my mother about the people of Laos and their innate cultural differences to what I have known growing up she expressed sympathy for them saying "they don't know any better", and I got to wondering, is the American life actually "better?" In Laos, some of the people live in the nicer homes in towns like Luang Prabang or Vientanne, while others live in bamboo villages with little running water and 12+ family members in each house. The average monthly income for a person living in the city is 1,000,000 kip (about $100) and the average monthly income for a person in the rural village is 150,000 kip (about $20.) They eat dogs, rats (I saw a child chowing down on a rat head the other hand filled with sticky rice, eating it like it was PB&J snack time) and anything else they can catch. In the river (which all the livestock and people live off of), they bath, fish, brush their teeth and do their laundry. I have to admit growing up watching discovery channel videos of Southeast Asia I always felt sorry for these people too, but now I see that this more simple lifestyle is not awful, just different. As I walk through villages I see children being held by their mothers, kids playing, families gathering and people smiling and laughing. The Laos people are friendly, curious and willing to help you if they can. They seem more connected with their family than most American families I know. Mothers spend all day with their children. They don't put their parents in nursing homes, but keep live in the same house with them. Families eat together. Children play together. People spend their days at the river, laughing and smiling. They eat natural, unprocessed foods, live off the land and don't even own mirrors (how nice that life would be!) I suppose I could feel bad for them, but then I see the "better-off" America, filled with people who work 60+ hours a week in front of a computer, give their children to strangers to raise so they can make more money, who are constantly finding ways to look better, younger, and more fit, and use their legal rights to sue others over anything they can think of to make an extra buck. Perhaps the American way isn't the best? I think now I know better!

After a night in Luang Nam Tha, Toby, Emma, Mike and I rented motorbikes and drove 2 1/2 hours out to Mai Sai. Even though we only spent about 1 hour there, we were inundated with women trying to sell us their crafts/bracelets (we even had an old naked lady run after our motorbikes on the way back, which was one of the funniest experiences I have ever had.)


Besides the ridiculous burn I got on my leg from the exhaust pipe, the journey was amazing, beautiful, and almost indescribable. We stopped at a couple of villages, met locals, I ate some smashed up bugs they use to spice dishes, and took videos of locals (which they love to look at afterward, as they rarely see their own faces in pictures.) Laos is less touristy than Thailand, so the rolling hills and lush green forests feel more untouched.



The following day we did an 8 hour kayak trip. The highlights included talking with our native guides about their culture, eating a true Laos meal of skewered fish, hard boiled eggs and sticky rice (all prepared over a fire, and laid out on Banana leaves by the side of the river), Emma getting stuck in the rapids and stopping in at another village.

The following day we caught an 8 hour minibus ride to Nong Khiaw, which was an experience to be remembered. Forget about the beautiful scenery, the live chickens on board or even the blaring Laos music, the best part was our in-person example of Laos justice. About half way through the bus stops and we all get out to witness a confusing scene. A much bigger bus is stopped in the road in front of us, a man is on the ground looking sad (but fine), and a bunch of Laos people are standing around yelling at one another. After some time, and a serious traffic jam, we learned that the man had supposedly been hit by the bus while working, and was refusing to get out of the road until he gets money (1,000,000 kip.) After 45 minutes of people yelling at each other while the man sat there looking sad, eventually a large amount of money was exchanged and we got on our way.

Nong Khiaw was amazing. (Someone told me that some of the Avatar scenery was modeled after this place!) On either side of a huge river filled with boats and locals, connected by a long bridge, are jutting black mountains with lush green trees overflowing from its edges; butterflies literally swarm around you; chickens and pigs roam through the streets and beautiful flowers bloom in every garden.



We spent two days doing pretty much nothing, visited some local caves, ate some Indian food and relaxed in our paradise. Mike, Emma and I took a 6 hour boat ride down the Mekong river to Luang Prabang while Toby headed north to Muang Mgoi Neua. The boat ride was well worth the 200,000kip as the scenery was amazing and hearing the local children yelling "sa-ba-dee" (which means hello in Laos) while they wave enthusiastically made me feel like a celebrity!


Luang Prabang is a little piece of France in the center of Southeast Asia; quaint, homey and lively, the riverside restaurants, white stone buildings and breathtaking vistas stole my heart on arrival. At night the main street closes down to host a night market filled with silver jewelery, handmade bedspreads and Asian lamps (but you must be back to your guest house by 12pm as ordered by strict Laos rules.) During the day you can hear the monks banging on drums from the neighboring temples, walk along the cafe-lined streets or hang out at Utopia, a seriously chilled lounge bar with an indoor sand volleyball court and lots of bamboo perched on the banks of the Mekong. I have only been here for three days and already feel at home.



Yesterday I took a trip to the Kuangsi Waterfall Park with a couple of new friends being the waterfall connoisseur that I am, I am pleased to say these are BY FAR the BEST waterfalls I have ever been to with crystal blue water and rope swings - sheer beauty and fun! As for today, I have done a whole lot of lounging... It is easy to do here!

Some of the Grass is Greener

I want to take this public opportunity to say a few negative things about travelling. Don't get me wrong, this is hands-down the MOST amazing thing I have ever done in my life (so far!) and I am blissfully happy, but being away from "home" for months at a time does have its self-imposed downfalls. Travelling takes a toll on your body. When I first began my journeys I would see girls who had been travelling for a while with some extra weight on their bones, bug bites all over their legs, motorbikes scars (both new and old), broken finger nails, etc., and think to myself "that is never going to be me!" Well four months into this journey I am sorry to say I haven't escaped the backpacker body woes - my legs are covered in mosquito bites, I recently was involved in two motorbike "accidents" (don't worry Mom I am fine) which left some serious scratches on my leg, have thrown healthy eating and exercising to the wind, and definitely try to avoid dealing with the caked dirt in my fingernails. I miss my body, my gym, and my manicurist. The wickable/fast drying clothes I brought from America are ripping and fading, and the new clothes I am buying along the way don't last long either. If you spend more than 5 days with me you will be sure to see the same clothing on rotation, because my 50l backpack doesn't carry much. I miss my overflowing closet. I even miss the Danbury Mall. It has been about 100 degrees here in Asia everyday which means guarenteed frizzy hair and break-outs like a 12 year old. I miss the New England spring, my haircare products and my own bathroom where I can spend as long as I want primping myself. I have met at least a hundred amazing people along the way, who after only a few short days have to say goodbye to. I miss knowing that when I meet someone I may actually see them again. I miss having consistent friends and family in my everyday life. For those of you who are toiling away at your computer, working for the weekend and your two-week holiday, please don't hate me for this one; as I lie in a hammock, bed, or on the beach, reading and soaking up the sun, I even miss work. I find myself sick of rest and relaxation wondering how things are going at my previous place of employment. I suppose some of the grass is greener, even when your prairie is fertilized with dreams.


Although I am missing home, I am still loving travelling. I am pretty sure I want to be doing this for at least another year (or as long as I can make my money last) - career, marriage and babies can wait!! I never had a 401K anyway, 'gasp!' After my American Doctor friends left me in Chiang Mai, I went out for a walk around dinner time and sat down to eat with a random New Zealand guy named Steve. It turns out he was going to a Thai boxing match that night so I tagged along with him and two other people from his guest house. By the end of the night I had seen a midget fight a 12-year old boy, watched naked ladyboys dance to YMCA, and got to make fun of Gordon Ramsey, a famous chef, who was filming something at the table behind me. He was sitting there all by himself and I said "Are you making a show about being alone?", and he said "yup, its about having no friends. Then I told him we would make a cute couple, he agreed. The following day Stevie and I toured around Chiang Mai, saw some temples, went and heard a buddhist monk speak about buddism (yawn), and added some more people to the "wolf pack". The next day five of us rented motorbikes and toured around the mountains outside of Chiang Mai landscaped with lush green jungles, friendly locals and bamboo villages (I am finally coming around to the joys of riding a motorbike!!). The following day, the now 6 of us, decided to head to Pai, a small hippy town in northern Thailand.


Pai is the type of town I could stay in forever. The town is only about 3 blocks x 3 blocks wide, with a small river bordering our guest house "The Breeze of Pai"; there are only two 7/11's (which is amazing for Thailand), the streets are littered with quirky clothing shops, hand-made jewlrey stands, thai restaurants and unique bars. During the day the falangs (white people) head to Fluid, a pool across town where they serve drinks and food; at night the streets close for a night market and people head to the Bamboo bar or Ting Tang for partying into the early hours. The town is small enough so after having been there for just a day I already felt at home, waving to people I met the day before. We never intended to spend 6 days there, but we did. Most days consisted of sleeping until 11 or 12, uncessarily driving our motorbikes in caravan-style to get brunch at one of the local restaurants, heading out of town to one of the waterfalls (and even once to the canyon for sunset), long hours swimming and sleeping at Fluid, lying in the hammocks at our hostel by the river, reading, sleeping, and just plain relaxing. We had our motorbikes for the full 6 days so we also spent a lot of time travelling out of town to see the amazing Thai landscape and local villages. The only downfall to Pai was the power outages. In the middle of dinner, the whole town would go black, (or worse when you are in bed, and your only fan would die.) They happened at least once a day, sometimes for minutes and sometimes for hours!


Four members of what I have come to call The Wolfpack headed from Pai to Chiang Rai - Toby, Josh, Magnus and myself, while the others went their seperate ways. Chiang Rai is a similar city to Chiang Mai (all this rhyming is getting confusing, I know trust me), but smaller.

We got a great guesthouse, splurged on air conditioning and cable TV (since we didn't have it in Pai) and spent the first afternoon sleeping and watching American movies like The Fifth Element, James Bond, and even Schindlers List. Did I mention I miss TV? I got an oil Thai Massage and we went out to dinner to celebrate my 22nd birthday (and I got the biggest sundae EVER)!

The next day we rented motorbikes and headed out of town to a waterfall, Josh put diesel fuel into the bikes (which gave the locals, who drained the bikes for free, a good laugh), and met up with some American friends we met in Pai at the local night food bazaar where we enthusiasticlaly played Catch Phrase into the evening hours.


Yesterday we said goodye to Magnus then Josh, Toby and I headed to Loas on a 6 hour public bus ride (with only rotating fans - so hot). After a night in the border town of Huay Xai, Loas, Toby and I headed north to where we are now Luang Nam Tha (Josh got on the 2-day slow boat to Luang Prabang.) We already added two English people we met on the minibus to the wolfpack and will probbaly do more trekking or motorbiking tomorrow. As for now, its more rest and relaxation. Ahhh, travelling. ;-)

Going it Alone

Most of my friends (and family, of course) cannot fathom how a young woman can backpack alone through New Zealand and Australia, nevermind Asia - "you're travelling alone?!!? Aren't you worried/lonely/scared? Isn't that unsafe!?" My mother made me watch the movie "Taken" before I left (in this blood pumping thriller Liam Neeson's daughter gets kidnapped and sold into self trafficking but I assured her that white men would definitely not travel all the way to Thailand to have sex with me!) Although I travelled on and off with my college buddy Tim in New Zealand (and will probably meet up with him again in Cambodia), the majority of my travelling since then has been "alone". I will say, though, that It's easy it is to meet people along the way. After a simple hello to another traveller I have asked "can I tag along with you?" only minutes later. Of course, on the days when I just can't be bothered to talk to people I end up sitting on the internet or reading a book, which can be lonely, but hey, I get the best of both worlds; friends when I want them and alone time when I don't. Tonight is my first night truly "alone" in about 3 1/2 months, and it is actually pretty nice. But as for tomorrow, I hope to meet some new people to hang with!


So I haven't written in two weeks, and to my dedicated readers I apologize, but I have been too busy having fun! Rego and I headed south from Bangkok two weeks ago to the island of Koh Toa to start our scuba diving certification. The island itself was another paradise; bigger than the parenthian islands, with more bars, shops and stores, with just as nice beaches and that fun laid-back, beachy feel. After 3 days of pool training, cheezy american DVD watching, amazing scuba diving and a "final exam" (which I decided would be a group exam, and open book while the instructors weren't looking) Rego and I recevied our PADI Open Water certifications. I was enjoying my time underwater so much that even though Rego stuck to our intial plan and headed back to Bangkok, I decided to stay in Koh Toa for three extra days to get my advanced diving certification, which included a night dive (we used flashlights - crazy!) and deep diving to 30 meters. Koh Toa wasn't all scub diving though, I also rented motor bikes with my friend John and drove around the island (and no I didn't learn my lesson; they were still horribly scary, and I gave up after two hours), saw a "Lady Boy" Show (this is a word which is now permanently in my dictionary, and I am sure you don't need the definiton), and enjoyed the beautiful beaches!


On my ferry ride back to mainland I met three American doctors (they all just graduated from Medical school and are travelling through Asia until they start their Residencies in June) who happened to be going north to Chiang Mai, so I invited myself to tag along.

After a 3 hour ferry, 8 hour overnight bus (which got us into Bangkok at 3am!), a 5 hour wait in the train station, and a 12 hour train ride to Chiang Mai in 90 degree heat because the AC in our car was broken, we arrived tired and sweaty. A "taxi" (a pick-up truck with bench seating in the back) drove us to a guest house and we were able to split an amazing room for only $6 a piece!!



The next day we took a 6 hour cooking course where we learned to make traditional Thai meals like Pad Thai, Green Curry, Spring Rolls, Sticky Rice and Mango and Burnt Garlic (actually that's not a traditional dish, it's just a new one I came up with.) We were all throughly exhausted after the class (especially after the deep frying garlic panic session) that we went and got Thai Massages. Reminder to Self: Never get a Thai Massage in a group. It was like when I go to a yoga class, and everything makes me laugh so hard that I can't relax. Between the farting noises (it was supposedly "changing position on the mat" and Don, one of the doctors, being so inflexible that the massuse fell over trying to sit him up) it was the most hysterical (and unrelaxing) massage I've ever gotten!

That evening we went to the night market, where I haggled for some deals on fake birkenstocks and another unneccesary dress, ate ice cream cones at MacDonalds (covered in chocolate for only 30 cents!) and danced at a salsa/hippy bar.


The following morning we began our 3-day trek through the Northern Thailand jungle with our tourguide Moonshine, a native Thai man with no teeth and really, extraordinarily long hair growing out of a mole on his chin. On the way we stopped at the local market to pick up some food for our journey, and me and two of my new American friends decided to eat some bugs.
I ate one super big grasshopper-type-bug, and a juicy maggot. Despite the initial shock of what I was eating, they weren't too bad!! Before we began our trek we did a quit pit-stop at the Elephant camp, where we rode a banana hungry giant for an hour as he trotted around, stopping only to ask for more bananas with his trunk, to poop, and to scratch his butt on rocks. The jungle trek was interesting, and like everything I have found on my journey a little spoiled by tourism. After a one hour hike you come up to a hut which sells Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Chang (a Thai beer), and then another, and another and another. The "tribe village" we stayed in was certainly interesting, but you could tell the bamboo hut was only built for the tourists who stop in there every night. Both nights we played poker using rocks, lychee fruit and bottle caps, and during the day we hiked, swam in two beautiful waterfalls, did some white water rafting (you could call it that, but the water level was so low we got stuck about 10 times in front of the locals who would laugh at our misfortunes, basically you could have walked faster) and rafting down the river in a bamboo raft. On our return to Chiang Mai my new friends caught the overnight bus back to Bangkok and I continue my adventure here. I plan to stay in Thailand until May 11th (then my 30-day visa ends), and possibly head to China or Laos. I will keep you updated!