Adventures in Traveldom

Video Highlights from Week 7-8 & Thank Yous

2009-09-18T08:33:00.001-07:00

Better late than never, here is the highlight video from the last couple weeks of the tour!

Planes, Trains, and almost no sleep

2009-09-12T09:25:00.000-07:00

Three days worth of solid travel going 1100 (ish) kilometers from Damascus Syria, and I am now back in Istanbul. I haven’t gotten much sleep yet, but that’s alright. I’m only really in the city for about 24 hours before I have to jump back on a plane and head home, so I figured I’d try and destroy any sort of sleep patterns I might have in order to make my transition to the wet coast easier. If only I could sleep well in transit this sort of cross continental blitz traveling might be a little more fun.

There is something to be said for taking the train. After having traveled via bike, foot, car, bus, motorcycle, and boat already this trip I figured that I should finish off with the last major type of mass transportation. Now, let me be the first to say that I haven’t been on many trains in my life (unless you count the skytrain in Vancouver). I feel like in North America the train is a dying beat and for the life of me I can’t figure out why. The train is a lovely way to travel. Yes, it is a little slower than a plane, and doesn’t always go exactly where you want it to go like a bus or car but it is an extremely relaxing way to travel. You actually get space for your legs, the ability to move around, a dining car, and some wonderful scenery that you would be very hard pressed to otherwise see. Plus, if you are willing to pay for it you can even have a bed and be gently rocked to sleep by the sound of the rails. I’d love to have more chances to take trains.

Now I’m gearing up for my long plane ride home. I love traveling, but there is always something very exciting about getting to go home and see everyone you’ve been wishing were with you on your trip. I'm also very much looking forward to the prospect of my own bed, cheese, perogies, clean air, and even rain again. It really is amazing all of the little things that are part of your daily routine that you don't even think about.

I'll see everyone once I touch down in Vancouver again!

Cultural sensitivity and misgivings

2009-09-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

(This blog is being posted by Lauren for Chris as blogger is blocked in Syria):

I’m not sure if it is just to mess with tourists and to get more money but I’ve noticed that there tends to be different bus stations in different parts of town depending on where you want to go. Now I know this probably makes a ton of logistical sense but they always seem to be on the exact opposite side of the city (meaning you can’t just walk there) and not easily serviced by public transit. Trying to get from one town to another is always a bit of adventure as you are never entirely sure that the bus you are getting on is going where you think, and having to change bus stations mid-route can make it downright stressful. You get dropped into a city you don’t know and have to try and navigate to the other side, most of the time without the use of a map because you don’t know where you were to begin with.

One of the upsides to this is it does mean that you talk to a lot of local people and when they can speak a little English you can wind up in some wonderful conversations. I think my most memorable one of this trip was with a young gay Syrian filmmaker. It was a very unique opportunity to speak with a very oppressed minority and to hear him express just how much he loves Syria but how he has to find a way to leave because of his sexual orientation. It was very moving. He cared very deeply about progressive politics but had seen too many friends go to prison and was scared of the same thing. It is not a conversation I will soon forget.

That same day I visited Palmyra, home of Syria’s largest ruins, some of which date back to 17 AD. Palmyra is located pretty much smack in the middle of the country at a desert oasis and the heat was just scorching when I arrived in the afternoon. Not to be denied seeing the ruins however I set out into the sun with lots of water and camera in tow. Upon reaching the ruins I was offered the chance to see them from atop a camel. Seeing that I’d never ridden a camel before, and it seemed liked a decent alternative to walking in the heat I set off into the mid-afternoon sun. I also had the very odd experience that night of sleep on the roof of my hotel in my tent.

Yesterday provided a new type of adventure, a rather hellish bus ride. Most of the bus rides I’ve taken so far have ranged from decent to tolerable, so I suppose it was time I got one that tested my resolve. The main problem was that the bus was full (which means some people were standing) and that the chair in front of me was broken so that whenever the person in front of me leaned back they basically wound up in my lap. Despite the best efforts of the guy in front on a 3-hour trip with a bus that full there was little he could do but sit like I was going to give him a scalp massage. This in and of itself wouldn’t have been the end of the world, but this particular bus seemed to take a page out of my South East Asia memories. Now, I have a lot of cultural sensitivity and am willing to be good spirited about a lot of things, but something that I just have not been able to understand is why on earth people would want to watch music videos on a bus for several hours at ear piercingly loud levels. Even with my hands plugging my ears I could make out every note being hit. It felt as if the music was entering my skull with a pitchfork and then trying to exit via my eyes.

After a very restful sleep and with the memory of the musical bludgeoning fading I set out this morning to visit the Krak des Chevaliers, what TE Lawrence called the ‘finest castles in the world’. Built around the 11^th century it served as a major castle stronghold during The Crusades. I really enjoyed walking around the castle and to be able to stroll down darkened passages without running into another tourist provided a sense of wonderment for the imagination. It was one of the few times on this trip that I could almost feel myself being transported back to another era and it was an excellent afternoon.

Day Tripper

2009-09-04T08:55:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been a Damascus-and-surroundings pictorial blur. Starting with the Umayyad Mosque and then spilling out into the tight streets of the old city wandering happily between a wash of colours and smells, Damascus is a city to get blissfully lost in.

Not to be outdone however, there are also wonderful day trips to be had. A short bus ride south took me to the city of Bosra where I recited the opening monologue of Romeo and Juliet from centre stage of a theatre built in the 2^nd century AD. The theatre was pristinely maintained (they even still do shows there) and can accommodate 9000 people. A short stone's throw from the theatre, you can stroll down the remains of an ancient Roman street right up to a mosque built in 636 AD.

Today I took a trip up to Mar Musa and the ancient Monastery of Mar Musa. Legend has it that the Monastery was founded in the 6^th century AD by Moses. The Monastery is literally in the middle of nowhere on a hillside facing out into the Syrian desert. You have to do a solid hike to get up to it but it has some lovely views and tranquil setting for a relaxed afternoon.

The only problem with the monastery is that as I mentioned it is in the middle of nowhere and it was a 20km hike back through the desert to get to the main highway. I managed to get a ride out to it but I had no idea how I was going to get back. Oddly enough however, upon my descent from the mountain I came across some other tourists who were wearing MEC gear. I quickly struck up a conversation with them as they were clearly Canadian. It turns out that they worked for the Canadian Embassy in Syria and very kindly asked me to join them for a picnic. I actually don’t know that calling this a picnic does it justice, there were lovely egg sandwiches, nuts, apricots, salad, and of course wine. It also turned out that they had a car and were heading back to Damascus via another convent a short distance away. So the five of us squished into the car and we chatted away the rest of the afternoon while getting an excellent tour of the surrounding area by air-conditioned car.

This is my last night in Damascus, and while I’m sorry to be leaving it will be nice to move on again. Tomorrow I am heading up to Palmyra to see more ancient ruins and then I continue my trek north as I slowly make my way back to Turkey.

Generational Tourism

2009-09-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

(This blog is being posted by Lauren for Chris as blogger is blocked in Syria):

Last night I was awakened from a dead sleep at 3am by an explosion. Another quickly followed this, and in my semi conscious state my mind began to try and work out the possible cause. As much as I am ashamed to admit it one of my first lines of thought was, are we being bombed? After another one further away and with my brain now speeding up to full power I quickly dismissed this idea, as it didn’t actually hold much weight. It was far more likely that it had to do with Ramadan celebrations and as it turns out this was the case. It was the morning wake up for everyone so they could eat before call to prayer.

As I awoke this morning I actually felt quite foolish, and had it not been for the concerned looks exchanged with another road weary traveler during the night I likely would have felt downright embarrassed. Why is it that the instant something goes wrong we also assume the worst? What is mass media doing to our collective psyche?

Now, it is very easy to simply blatantly write off mass media as a force for evil without a second thought the same way it is to write off governments for all being the same. The truth is a much murkier subject, but in a lot of ways I feel like we also have ourselves to blame. The news may exist on the mantra of, “if it bleeds it leads”, and we have come to accept and expect this, but why is this the case? As a society we do not demand any better of the news so why would they go out of their way to provide it? In many ways we get the news we ask for and deserve.

Totally switching gears but at least staying in the same type of car another idea that has been floating around in the ether of people I have encountered on this trip is the idea of disaster tourism. In the past this term was reserved mostly for people who would travel to monuments of horrific events of the not so forgotten past. Going to a concentration camp in Germany, the Killing Fields in Cambodia, and even now New York to stare at the remains of the World Trade Center. On a whole this phenomena makes sense, these events were so horrific, so unthinkable, so un-human that people need to travel to them to try and understand how they could happen. We are opening the door to the worst humanity has done in order to try and take some good from it, to learn some lesson in hopes of never repeating it again. This idea starts to become a very gray area in my mind however when the monuments start charging admission and turns the area into an amusement park were people take funny pictures of themselves. I understand the need for people to get closure and move on, and see that by demystifying the past it loses its power, but I am beginning to question some of the motives behind it. I loathe the day where people will show up to a Holocaust museum and get their picture taken as Hitler kicking a Jewish person. If acceptance is the last stage of grieving however maybe that is how we will know we have truly moved on in our perverse world.

There is a new, possibly disturbing trend of disaster tourism emerging however, and I will admit that I am currently right in the thick of it. It seems like the new ‘in’ thing to do is to try and be a tourist in a war zone. Clearly at its best this idea can expose what is actually going on to the whole world and provide some much needed perspective. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that part of the reason some people do it is for the adrenaline kick and because it will make a great story when they get back home. It is easy to point fingers at video games and the news and say that we have all become desensitized to any real sort of violence and we feel invincible, but I think that is the easy answer.

Maybe this is the current generation's quest for a deeper meaning. The mysticism of the east has been explored and debunked and so we are turning to a new frontier to try and find ourselves in order to understand our place in the world.

I would like to think it is because we care, because we need to get beyond what we are being told by the mass media. We need to create our global community not just online but in person as well, and our global community really does include everyone. We need to try and touch the far corners of the globe not to steal mysticism or knowledge, or even to impose our own culture on others, but instead to connect with a living breathing human and their emotions. We not only want to talk of a better, united, global tomorrow, but to go out with action and seek it.

If this is the case then our Facebook friends become digital doorways into a massive commonwealth of the ideas and feelings of people all striving to make the world better in their own ways. We are willing to have conversations about taboo ideas and explore and explode their deeper meanings. We want nothing more than friendship as friendship is created out of understanding and trust.

I truly hope this is our reasoning behind our new form of exploration: war zone travel. There is nothing wrong with wanting to seek out new adventures and experiences, as long the reason isn’t entirely simply that of a self-serving adrenaline junkie looking for the next cool fix.

Ending on a positive note, at least for the large majority people I have met this is not the case. People traveling around are engaged and open and culturally sensitive. They want to observe, love, and help whenever they can. Still, it is important to reflect once in a while to make sure we don’t go too far off track. There is too much at stake to continue to make the mistakes of the past.

Blogspot is blocked in Syria so my girlfriend is posting this for me

2009-09-01T21:16:00.001-07:00

It's official, I'm now in my 14th country of this trip: Syria. The border cross was surprisingly fast and easy for a crossing that on paper is supposed to be impossible and I am now sitting happily in a cafe in Damascus. Traveling around Turkey, Lebanon, and now Syria during Ramadan has been both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it has been a wonderfully eye opening experience to be in Muslim countries during their holy month. I'm sure I have learned much more about their cultures as a result of this and certainly have a new found respect for them. Fasting is not an easy feat and it shows a very impressive dedication to their faith. It has also had some very interesting side effects however, for example, I also wind up fasting for far larger parts of the day than I would ordinarily. Because so many people are fasting a good deal of the shops, especially food stalls, are closed, and this makes it quite hard to find food during the day. While this is a little easier on my budget, my body, having gotten used to eating big meals after biking large distances, is protesting to the stark change in diet. It also has the effect of turning what are supposed to be very busy Souqs into almost ghost towns during the day so part of me feels like I'm missing out on an experience. Still, I'm sure it is offset by the privilege of getting to observe all of the Ramadan festivities.

Yesterday I was in Baalbeck, Lebanon and for those of you who were like me prior to this trip, Baalbeck is home to huge set of Roman ruins, arguably the most important in the Middle East. Now I've never been to Athens or really seen other Roman or Greek temples so I don't have anything else to compare with but the ruins were incredible. The two major areas are the Temple of Jupiter and the Temple of Baachus. The Temple of Jupiter is over 90m long and its 6 remaining columns, reaching 22.9m high with a girth of 2.2m, are the largest in the world. Archeologists are still not entirely sure how they moved them into position. The Temple of Baachus was completed around 150AD and is extremely well preserved. It is referred to as the smaller of the two temples but in actuality it is larger than the Parthenon in Athens. The sheer scope of the temple is mind blowing and it is hard to believe that it sits as intact as it still is today. Clearly this is an indication of how well it was built almost two thousand years ago. Another more peculiar site in Baalbeck is a huge stone that is located in what once was the city's dump. Measuring 21.5m by 4m by 4.5m, it is the world's largest cut stone and was rescued from the sands of time by a retired army Sargent who cleaned up the area and convinced the government to make it a historical site.

That's all I have for now, tomorrow begins the full scale exploration of all that Damascus has to offer!

Why Travel?

2009-08-29T10:28:00.001-07:00

I am currently sitting on beach chair by myself under a well-worn rock formation watching the waves of the Mediterranean Sea crash in front of me as I look back down the shoreline towards Beirut in Lebanon. How the hell did I wind up here? Life is a very strange mistress.

Eight years ago I was just finishing high school and I’d never been east of Edmonton except for one trip to Yellowstone National Park and a trip to Disney World in Florida. I had also been to Mexico. It’s true that I’d always dreamed of traveling the world, but what starry eyed overly ambitious teenager hasn’t?

Perhaps I did have one slightly different feature of my travel dreams than most, I actually didn’t want to go to Europe. Or at least not in the traditional drunken euro-trash eight-clubs-in-five days sense. I did want to see all of Europe, in fact I still do, but I figured that Europe wasn’t going to change anytime soon and I could go visit it when I was old in my 40s (hey I was 18 at the time) and get just as much if not more out of it then.

For me, travel – not holidays or vacations - is about opening your mind, body, and stomach to new ideas, people and culture. You need to get lost, be misunderstood, order something you thought you’d never eat and love every minute of it.

There is an inherent fear of the unknown in our society just as there is a natural fear of the dark. This isn’t a bad thing, it is one of the major reasons we have survived as a species for as long as we have, but it is also why many of us don’t even know our neighbours anymore.

If traveling and this trip in particular, has taught me anything, it is that humans individually are universally kind. It has also shown me that North Americans have a lot of catching up to do on this kindness.

I have been asked by a couple people recently why I chose to go to Lebanon and Syria in the Middle East instead of say Greece or even staying in Turkey to finish off my trip. They are also quick to point out that Lebanon is on a watch list that recommends no non-essential travel to the country.

My best answer is that like Croatia and Serbia, which I have already been through on this trip, the only thing I really knew about Lebanon and Syria were the 30-second clips that were shown sensationalized on the evening news. In my mind that is a sorry state of affairs to be in for someone who likes to regard himself as a global citizen and wants to change the world. I wanted to give these countries and people a chance to speak for themselves, and hopefully to help them find a small voice through me out into the larger world.

This may be a bold, brazen, or even arrogant approach, but I simply refused to believe what I’d seen on TV. It just didn’t make sense, especially after having been through Serbia, which is regarded as the black sheep of Europe, and was my favorite country on the bike trip.

Everything I’ve seen in Lebanon so far, and every person I’ve met have completely dismantled any sort of preconceived notions I may have had. Everyone has been beyond kind and caring and as helpful as possible. It’s true that the political situation still exists on a razor's edge; walking down the street it is not uncommon to see a full armored tank quietly sitting on the street corner. If you pull out a map to get your bearings however, the soldiers will be the first people to try and help you along your way.

Beirut is a wonderful melting pot of a city that has mosques sitting right next to churches, across the street from ancient ruins, and kiddy corner to a building full of bullet holes and tank shells. Because Lebanon is so small every culture that has come here has been forced to live beside another and it has created an amazing blend of food and ideas.

Today I took a bus 40km up the coast to a town called Byblos, a town I’d never heard of before. It turns out that Byblos is one of the oldest continually used towns on earth dating back to around 6000 BCE. It also is considered the birthplace of the modern alphabet. They actually have an unbelievable problem with their archeological excavations: they have too many ruins. Because it has been a town for so many years every civilization built on top of the last, so in order to get down to the truly ancient ruins they’ve had to remove the “more recent” ones, excavate, and then replace them for people to see. How have I never heard of this town before?!

You’ll notice that when I travel I refer to it as travel and not as tourism or vacation. For me there is an important difference. Sometimes you need vacations from the everyday, you need to relax, and you need to unwind. That’s totally fine. The result of this is often tourism, you go somewhere new and you see some sights and take pictures. Being a traveler, to me, means something more; it’s trying to engage with people and cultures to gain a better understanding of the unknowns of the world. It’s a belief that knowledge leads to understanding, leads to friendship, leads to peace and a better tomorrow. I hope that I’ve been able to impart some of that to the people who have read my blog, and will continue to try to do so as I travel around an area of the world that we all need to know more about.

Insanity even by my standards

2009-08-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

As most people know, I have very high standards for what I consider crazy or absurd especially after having just ridden 4000km across Europe on a bicycle. The previous 36 hours however might just be the most random set of events and spur of the moment decisions I’ve ever made. Oddly enough, even amidst all of the craziness I was never overly concerned or stressed, everything was just, well, chaotic.

It started with what seemed like a simple enough decision, I was trying to figure out what to do after the trip ended. I opened up google maps and took at look at where I currently was in the world and noticed that Lebanon and Syria were right below Turkey and thought to myself, I bet those are amazing places to visit, I’ve always wanted to see Beirut and Damascus. The next step was also fairly simple, find a cheap plane ticket and a place to stay for the first night in Beirut and then hit the ground running. Shawn and Eileen also thought this seemed like an excellent idea so they also got tickets on the same flight.

There were a couple minor hitches to the plan however, we still didn’t know where we were going to store our bikes for the next 2.5 weeks, and needed to get rid of our panniers and buy backpacks to make it all work out. Luckily, a small bazaar had randomly set up shop right outside our campsite and had backpacks for sale; I also bought a watch so I would stop having to rely on the sun to tell time. Shawn and Eileen arranged with a woman who owned a bakery for us to store our bikes in her basement and it seemed like the universe fully approved of our plan. That was until the next morning.

Waking up at 6am after about 5 hours of sleep we started to take down camp and change from panniers into backpacks. We were supposed to meet the woman who owned the bakery at 8am to store our bikes, and then head off to the airport where Mark would take mine and Shawn’s panniers back to Vancouver with him as he was leaving that day.

We arrived at the bakery at 8:30am and the woman was not there. After a very charade-filled conversation with two people who did happen to be there, we ascertained that the woman we were seeking was still sleeping, would not be in until 10am, and the

y had no idea what to do with our bikes as she had the key. We had of course forgotten the piece of paper with the phone number for Benjamin (the owner of the shop next door who spoke English and arranged our storage with the bakery woman) and had to bike back to camp to get it from Keely.

Once we finally got through to Benjamin with our rapidly declining phone card, he called a couple friends and found a new place for us to store our bikes. Unfortunately, it was now 9:45am and we had no idea if Mark had already checked his bags at the airport so we had to leave our panniers locked to our bikes and quickly find ourselves a cab to take us to the airport for our 11:20am international flight.

Check-in at the airport actually went very smoothly and after clearing two different securities and passport control we were boarding our plane at 10:50am. We even ran into Mark at the bookstore in the airport and found out that he had also had an adventure of a morning so it was a good thing we’d not brought our panniers. Boarding the plane with Shawn and Eileen provided me with my favorite moment from the morning as Shawn turned to me as we were walking and asked, “so what’s the deal with Canadian visas in Lebanon”? The answer for those interested is that you can get them at the airport upon arrival and they are free.

The plane ride itself was a short one hour forty minutes and I wound up sitting next to a pair of guys who had spent about 7 years in Montreal. We each asked the flight attendant for an extra meal and shared our feast with each other. It was quite the sight to behold and drew some interesting stares from people sitting in nearby seats.

When Shawn, Eileen, and I arrived in Beirut it is safe to say we were a little drained. We had had a pretty crazy morning and all we really wanted to do was get to the bed and breakfast and nap. Well, I wanted to get to my reserved bed and breakfast and nap, Shawn and Eileen hadn’t actually booked a room anywhere yet and were hoping that something would either work out at my place or somewhere near by. The only tricky thing was figuring out how to get there, but this situation soon solved itself. We struck up a conversation with an airport employee working at a bank based there about the cost of the Lebanese visa and exchange rate and he offered to give us a ride to our accommodation as it was near his house and he was getting off work in 30 minutes. I’m sure this would set off warning bells in some people’s heads, but we have had so many gracious hosts over the last two months that we have come to believe in people’s best intentions, plus he seemed very nice so we agreed. I also found out later that Lebanese and Syrian hospitality is supposed to be phenomenal.

True to his word, and actually ten minutes early Jad met us and took us out to his BMW SUV. He then offered to take us back to his parents' place for a quick bite to eat and drink and we of course agreed. With that settled we then set off rolling down the streets of Beirut in an air-conditioned SUV listing to the Smiths and Radiohead.

When we arrived at his parent’s house we were warmly greeted and quickly brought a delicious salad and a rice and chicken dish. We stayed only for about 45 minutes before it was time to leave as our new friend was getting his wisdom teeth removed later and wanted to leave plenty of time to find our accommodation.

Here is an interesting note about Beirut streets: they are super tight, no one obeys the traffic lights, and there are no real street signs. There are signs occasionally on the buildings that have names, but they tend to be the district or route number and don’t actually help you find where you are going. Apparently the thing to do is just to stop and ask someone in the area where the place you are looking for is. This works out great if it is a well-known building or landmark, but far less so if it is a small unsigned bed and breakfast that isn’t answering their telephone.

After an hour of looking it was getting close to the dentist appointment time so Jad dropped us off at a popular local café with wireless internet and said he’d come back in a couple hours to make sure we found it. This actually provided a nice break from our car tour of the city and allowed for Eileen to do some shoe shopping.

True once again to his word Jad came back to resume the search. By this point Shawn and Eileen had decided they wanted somewhere else to stay so after dropping them off at a different hotel we set off once again for where I was staying. Finally, after borrowing a cell phone from a passerby on the street (the cell we had ran out of batteries) we got ahold of someone, arranged a meeting point, and I got to where I was going to sleep. It was now 7pm, my new best friend had been with me since 2pm, and he convinced me (it wasn’t very hard) to come to a bar his brother was spinning at for a drink after I had showered and relaxed a bit.

An hour and a half later he picked me up and we went out to this cool new underground bar for beer. He of course did not let me pay for a single drink, his or mine, despite my insistence, and then dropped me back off around midnight to finally get some sleep. What a crazy day.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

2009-08-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

It’s official: Global Agents for Change’s Europe tour 2009 is now over. WE ALL MADE IT TO ISTANBUL! Looking back at the last two months is really just a blur of memories that haven’t even begun to make sense yet. I am willing to bet that most of us will still be figuring out exactly what we have gained from the tour for a long time to come yet. The fact that every rider made is really testament our teamwork and ability to overcome any challenges. Not every rider got to ride everyday, or every kilometer – in fact only two of us did, Robbie and I –

but as a team we all accomplished our crazy goal: to bike ride 4000km across a continent in order to raise money and awareness for micro finance projects.

In the end of course it became much more than just the $70 000 we collectively raised. We all get to come away with the knowledge that we have accomplished a goal that many people thought was outlandish. In reality however, it was actually quite easy. Yes, we biked 4000km, but it wasn’t all in one day. Every day we had a manageable task of biking around 70km. That isn’t to say there weren’t daily challenges around directions, language, hills, weather and a whole host of other problems, but together none of them were all that daunting.

I know personally one of the biggest things I will come away with is a sense of unified global caring. Every day we put ourselves out into the world and everyday we were helped by total strangers. Many times they did not know who we were, what country we were from, or what we were doing, they just knew that we needed help and opened up their hearts to do what they could. How I view guests and helping strangers has been totally changed.

There are so many great stories to tell, and I’ve tried to do my best to share as many as I can, but in the end all of our words can never do justice to just how special this trip was to everyone. I had bad moments, and bad hours, but not once did I ever have an entirely bad day where I wished I was somewhere else. I would just like to take one last chance to say thank you to everyone that helped play a role in making this happen for everyone: All of our friends and family back home that supported us, all of our wonderful

hosts along the way, and especially all of the strangers who helped guide us here. We are all better people because of your support.

That’s about all I have for now, riding into Istanbul down a four lane highway going 60km/hr with 15 bikes behind me was one of the craziest things I’ve done, but I feel like that story is best saved for another post or over conversations when I get home. I will say however that we are also extremely lucky as it is Ramadan right now so Istanbul is even more spectacular than it would otherwise be. The sheer number of people around the blue mosque at sundown is mind-boggling.

As for what’s next, many of riders are sticking it

out in Istanbul for another week or so and a few are continuing their travels for several months. Personally I’m headed off to Beirut, Lebanon and then hopefully into Syria before I have to make it back here to fly out on the 14^th of September. It is sad to see this amazing experience end, but I am excited for all of the new adventures on the horizon.

Nothing but headwind until Istanbul

2009-08-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Bulgaria was a wonderful experience. Upon arriving in Svilengrad we were met by the mayor of the city and about 20 other cyclists and they rode us out to where we were staying. Along the way we were given some very tasty bread to eat and each given pins as a lasting reminder of our visit. It was a lovely send-off from a country we have very much enjoyed being in and has far surpassed our expectations. I would certainly recommend coming and checking it out if you get the chance.

Yesterday morning we woke up and did something a little different in the morning: we totally changed the route. Instead of going right from Bulgaria into Turkey we thought, hey, why not ride through Greece? Wouldn’t it be cool to say that we rode through three different countries in one day on our bikes? It seemed like a logical enough choice - aside from crossing an extra set borders - it was about the same distance and this way we got to tack another country visited onto our itinerary and passports.

It also graced us with a wonderful stretch of highway and a huge shoulder that made the first 20km of our day a breeze. We then got to visit a very famous and beautiful mosque in Edime, Turkey, and everything was shaping up to be one of the more memorable days on the trip. We then realized however that it was 4pm and we still had 60km to go and unbeknownst to us, all of it was on not very bike friendly chip-sealed road into a very strong headwind. To make matters worse we did not have any accommodation planned.

Luckily, our group is very good at turning obstacles into challenges and overcoming them. Because we did not have accommodation planned in the town that we were supposed to stop in, we were able to simply cut the ride day 20km shorter and add it to the next day. While this meant that pods would still be getting in long after dark it meant it was far safer and everyone would be in a good mood not having to ride as far as they thought.

As it turned out the town we chose to camp in, Ürünlü, was an incredible choice. When we arrived the people from across the street volunteered to cook our pasta for us and even gave us a watermelon to eat. The hospitality continued when I went up to the store to buy some juice and an ice cream bar, and the owner of the store charged me less than he should have and even shoved a couple more bars into my bag as I left. Even as we walked around the town later everyone was inviting us in for tea and refusing to let us pay for anything.

I can honestly barely even begin to describe what a humbling experience it has been, and how grateful we all are for the generosity of everyone we have met. We have truly and genuinely appreciated everything we have been offered so much, and at this point in our trip it really does mean the world to us. What makes it even more special is the people who have been helping us don’t speak English, they haven’t heard why we are riding through their country, they just see that we have been biking in the sun all day and need a little water and a smile and open up their houses and homes to us. It really is just from the goodness of their hearts that they are helping us and it is extremely moving. It will be very interesting to see how we all treat strangers when we return home.

One more sleep till turkey!

2009-08-18T21:27:00.001-07:00

Our stay in Kostenets a couple nights ago was probably one of the most memorable days for me. On a personal level I was quite sick for most of it so there is that memory, but there is also so much more. The ride itself finished with 15km downhill right into the town we were staying in which is absolutely the best way to end any riding day. You cannot help but to be in good spirits after that. Then we were greeted by some extremely amazing hosts who not only graciously let us stay in their kindergarten, but also brought us a local food dish to sample and a bunch of raspberries for dinner. I should also mention that our dinner was likely one of the best we have made for ourselves on the trip: grilled Panini! There was then a great 2 hour internal discussion about development that followed and I think everyone slept very well after such a great day.

The next day into Plovdiv I joined together with three others to form a 'medium to slow' pod. I still wasn’t feeling 100% and everyone else just wasn’t really ready to ride fast, we all just wanted to take it easy and it was an 80km day so it seemed to make sense. Now back home whenever I say I’m going to ‘take it easy’ almost the exact opposite happens, and apparently even when in Europe the same thing occurs. Instead of ‘taking it easy’ our pod rode the entire 80km in about 2 hours and 45 minutes without taking our feet off the pedals once. We didn’t have to stop for a traffic light, there were no nature or snack breaks, we just rode directly from Kostenets to Plovdiv. It wasn’t even close to intentional, but the day just started off with a big downhill and we never stopped rolling after that. Really I think the lesson here is that I need to come up with a better expression for not wanting to do something as hard and fast as possible.

Yesterday in Kirklareli was our day off and I think I am in a similar boat to many people on the trip in that I didn’t want to do much of anything. Most nights we arrive in a town between 4pm-9pm and have either that night or an hour or two the next morning to see its sights and then move on and it gets exhausting. Every now and again you just need some time to do nothing and yesterday was one of those days, for the most part. We did have a very productive meeting about what we want to get out of the last week of the trip and had a lovely traditional Bulgarian dinner with our host (complete with dancing) but even that ended quite early for the most part. I know I’m really looking forward to being in Istanbul for a couple days and not actually moving before I set off on the rest of my travels post trip.

As sad as it is for the trip to be winding down it is also very exciting to be reaching the end of this great adventure. Tonight is our last night in Bulgaria and then it’s on to Turkey. What should be especially interesting is that we will be hitting it right as Ramadan starts. A pretty cool time to be visiting.

The hills are very much alive here in Bulgaria

2009-08-15T08:19:00.000-07:00

Just in case anyone thought we were just riding through the flat European countries, let me assure you, Bulgaria is not flat. Many of our last few days have included stretches where we have done at least 30km of linked hills and we have even traversed a couple mountains. By now most of us are in very good cycling shape, but no one likes to finish their day with a mountain 6km straight up.

Bulgaria has also been interesting in that no one really had any idea what to expect. For some reason it was just a cultural black spot in most of our minds. I can happily report however that it has been beautiful here – when you get to the top of the mountains – and the people have been extremely welcoming and nice. Even the capital Sofia, which we were told to avoid because it is ugly and horrible to cycle through, had its own charm and the roads weren’t any worse there than we have experienced elsewhere.

We also had one of our first and only real tests of group unity the other night. After climbing the previously mentioned mountain we had to wait at the top for directions about where to go next. What we didn’t know was that the lead group that was supposed to return with directions had been put to work hauling wood and various other camp tasks: this was part of our deal for getting to stay at the accommodation for the night. The group at the top of the hill was starting to get worried however as it was getting dark and then some strangers appeared to give us directions to the camp. Unfortunately, the directions were about as clear as mud and the group got lost on the side of the hill with the sun quickly setting. Feeling exhausted from the climb and with tummies grumbling we phoned the car for help. The only problem was that the car hadn’t found camp either and was in fact stuck in the mud on the far side of the valley. Naturally tempers then began to flare as people began to worry about where we were going to sleep for the night and about our stuck friends. We began to think of a few plans, and a search party managed to find the camp down one of the other paths and the crises was averted. The car also managed to get unstuck and in the end we were treated to a lovely meteor shower in the middle of a field on the side of a mountain in Bulgaria. On a whole I think most people in the trip will chalk this up to one of their fondest memories. We had all expected this sort of craziness, it just took us until now to find it.

On a whole it seems crazy to think that the ride is almost over. To only have a week of actual ride days left seems absurd as it really feels like we just started. Even today we saw our first sign counting down the kilometers to Istanbul (492). There was a huge cheer that went through the group as we saw it followed by small pang of regret that this journey will soon be over. All we can hope for at the moment is to continue to try and get the most out of every kilometer we ride and savor the last few daze. It will all be over far too fast.

Video Highlights from Week 5-6

2009-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Cruising through the countries: We’re already in Bulgaria!

2009-08-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe but we flew through Romania and are now into our second to last country, Bulgaria. Romania flew by so fast it seems like a blur, but it was far from forgettable. Romania may have been the most beautiful country we have visited so far. Our rides alongside the Danube were stunning and everyone moved a little slower as we all kept stopping to take pictures. I didn’t get quite as many as I wanted as I had an issue with some exploding cheese and my camera but I think everything is operational again.

Romania was also probably the most culture shock we have experienced on the trip thus far. The instant we crossed from Serbia to Romania it felt like we had stepped back in time. Romania was much poorer than most of us had expected and everything just seemed more run down. We also had many encounters with horse drawn buggies and cows on the road. One morning we even woke up to a herd of wandering horses standing outside of our tents!

It’s also been interesting to notice the group slide into a much more relaxed state about our travel. The first time we didn’t have accommodation in a town we all rushed ahead and had very specific meeting spots. The last time we didn’t have accommodation – we didn’t have it for four days in a row – we forget to even set a meeting place and didn’t leave our previous town until well into the afternoon. We have also become much more relaxed about things like showers. I think several group members – myself included – haven’t had a proper shower in over a week. I think it is fairly safe to say that whoever picks us all up from our respective airports may need to drive home with the windows open.

There have been many surreal experiences on this trip, but our entrance into Bulgaria may take the cake. After waiting an extra two hours for a 1pm ferry that didn’t leave until after 3pm we were greeted on the other side of the river by a police escort that took us right to our camping area which just happened to be a fortress from the 5BCE. We then had 24 hour security by the local police who proceeded to tape off our camping area with caution tape. Once again I have nothing but wonderful things to say about all of our hosts who continue to blow away any expectations that we have about hospitality.

We now thankfully have a day off, and for once it isn’t in a capital city. As much fun as it is to get to explore a bustling city it never really feels like downtime. There are so many sights to see that we actually wind up sleeping less. Today we all can actually just take it easy and read.

Time marches on as the wheels keep spinning

2009-08-06T06:05:00.000-07:00

Preconceptions are an interesting thing. While I know that most people in our group were very eager to visit Serbia many were also very wary of the "horror stories" that seem to be around. Even neighboring countries and past residents had given us tips and warnings about it, but almost none of them have been true. It seems like the further east we go the nicer, friendlier, and more welcoming people become; and Serbia thus far has been the nicest.

In North America if someone honks at you on the road it is probably to tell you to get off it, here almost all of the honks were followed by friendly smiles and waves. If we stopped at the side of the road for a break multiple cars would stop to make sure we were alright or to confirm our directions. On one occasion we stopped to change a tire and the owner of the house came out and offered us water and food, all without speaking a word of English. Really pretty much every country we've been through has made North Americans seem like uncaring arrogant asses. Many of us of course are not, and I'm sure smaller towns maybe can also claim to be just as welcoming but there is just a different feeling here when you interact with people and it can't just be because of the language barrier.

Croatia and Serbia certainly have a recent past and signs of it are everywhere. Gunshot holes in buildings, some craters in the ground, and even a pair buildings in downtown Belgrade that have been bombed by NATO. It certainly gives the expression "your tax dollars at work" a whole new meaning. It is a very humbling moment to visually see in person the kind of destruction you are linked to by the nature of your citizenship.

Another extreme reminder of where we are came in Croatia. In our bike map book one day it said, "Do not stray too far from the trail as there are undetonated landmines around". This is not to worry people back home, in fact there was a minor discussion as to whether to mention it or not, but I think it is an extremely important reminder to people about what went on. I also think it is important not to shy away from traveling to places with a past such as this. It helps everyone understand the world better and is nowhere near an indicator of what the people are actually like. Which, again, was extremely caring, open, and warm.

It seems hard to believe that it is already August and that even that is beginning to slip away from us. In many ways it feels that we are just hitting our riding stride and our group is really starting to figure out what it is. Last night for instance, we had a discussion about what it means to be an "Agent for Change" which quickly spun off into a 3 hour conversation. This group is so diverse in many ways and yet we are all united by the feeling that there is something wrong with the world that we are all determined to figure out and fix. That is a conversation that I never want to stop.

Serbia is now finished, up next is Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. I'm sure it will all be too much too fast but in the mean time we will continue to ride, explore, and have our hearts touched and lives changed by everyone we meet.

Some much needed rest before the craziness starts

2009-07-31T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, really it just came down to the fact that we were all having too much fun in Budapest. The 3 days of not riding was very much needed as it helped heal some of the riding wounds. Assuming wounds can heal if you don’t really sleep. Budapest is a lively town that doesn’t really like to sleep and we had very few problems fitting right in. We are all beginning to master the mid afternoon nap. It seems that if you get 6(ish) hours of sleep a night and get a good hour in the afternoon you will be more than ready to face the rest of the day. We of course were not aided in this cause by the fact that the place we were staying had a huge courtyard party every single night that lasted until 4am.

Our Budapest experience was hardly confined to the evening hours. Most of us took the days off to actually play tourist in the city. We hit up various museums and churches around the city. My favorite attraction by far was the underground military hospital. A large tunnel system was converted into an underground hospital / nuclear bunker and has just recently been opened up to the public. Almost all of the equipment including the medical supplies and tools are original and date back to the 1960s. It didn’t hurt that the average temperature of the bunker was 14C and also provided a break from the heat.

Another part of the tour I don’t speak about nearly enough is our external and internal engagements. In Budapest we met with the local chapter of the Young Greens as well as members of Green Bikes. Most of the Green Bikers had just finished a tour of their own so it was great to swap stories. The Green Bikes tour is also pretty unique as they do a workshop in the towns they go through so they have an extremely interesting take on external engagements. Who knows, you may even see a Global Agents for Change / Green Bikes world tour coming soon!

After three days it was time to get back on the road again, and this time we were met by our host in Solt in Budapest and he and a friend rode with us all of the way to the soccer field we were staying at. It was also the first time all 20 of us attempted to ride together as a group. Needless to say things took a long time and I think our host may now be selling his bike but at the end of the day all was forgiven and forgotten as we ate an amazing egg goulash and chatted the night away.

That brings us up to today and the town of Mohacs which is our last night in Hungary. We didn’t actually have accommodation here so we sent a fast pod ahead to try and sort it out before the rest arrived. As has been the experience thus far with our trip we rolled into town, found the town hall and put on our best Canadian accents and polite smiles. Within about 10 minutes we had located a place to sleep that was not only on the Danube but also had toilets and running water. It really is a testament to the kindness of everyone that we have met so far that this trip continues to be possible. The amount of times daily that we get lost and need help with directions when most of us can only speak English is hard to put a number on. It really does give you hope for this global community that we live in.

Up next we have a quick stop in Croatia tomorrow and then we will be heading out to Serbia for four days. Serbia is going to be particularly interesting as we can’t bring our car there as no one would insure it. This is simply yet another challenge we are going to have to face but none of us are overly worried. Really it is just the state of being that we have been living in for the last few weeks. When the going gets tough the agents get going. But really, it’s been a lovely summer breeze so far.

Video Highlights from Week 3 and 4

2009-07-28T00:18:00.001-07:00

A full blog will happen soon, for now enjoy the video!

Food, Wine, and Much Merriment

2009-07-25T00:39:00.000-07:00

We are being spoiled far too much here. Our last two dinners have been with incredible hosts in Vienna and Bratislava and it may be the first time on the trip that everyone has been stuffed. In Vienna we were staying in a church and connected with the Green Party who not only arranged a great dinner but also arranged photo sessions, radio interviews and a spot on at least two tv news stations. People in North America may not know who we are but it almost feels like we are becoming rock stars in Europe.

The town of Vienna itself was lovely and wandering the streets was probably my favorite part. All of the old builds were quite awesome and blasting around the city with the bike paths was a breeze. I was also chatting with one of our hosts and he informed me that Vienna has 170 theatres for a city of about 2 million people. Clearly there is a major focus on the arts there so I think another trip back is a must.

Vienna will also go down as a highlight of the trip I’m sure due to the storm that hit us as we were wandering the city at night. We were sitting at a fountain watching a lighting storm roll towards the city for about an hour when all of a sudden the thunder clapped and the wind started. Suddenly the friendly fountain we were sitting beside turned into a wall of water coming straight at us. Not to be outdone, the rain also started and quickly changed direction to sideways. Tree branches started to fall and we ran for shelter by a bank. Thankfully the security guard took pity on us and allowed us to watch the worst of the storm from the inside. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a storm come up so fast in my life. We heard the next day that 8 people had died across Europe as a result of it. Luckily for us we were staying inside that night--I don’t think any of our tents would have survived the night.

The next day the only reminders of the storm were the downed branches and trees. It was bright, hot, and sunny again, and we set off for Bratislava. We accidentally wound up forming a pod of 8, all of whom happened to be guys, and rocketed off the 75km to town. I must admit after spending two days in Vienna I didn’t find Bratislava nearly as impressive but it wasn’t without its charm. Anything the city itself lacked in appeal was more than made up for by the generosity of our hosts however. We were then met by a cyclist who rode us out the extra 25km to our host’s house for the night. Upon arriving we were met by balloons, food, wine, song and smiles and I’m fairly certain most people want to bring them along for the rest of our trip.

The only slight downside was it rained very heavily last night and my tent turned into a series of rivers and streams. Not wanting to upset the natural order of the new ecosystem being created I fled and wound up sleeping out under the picnic table. It actually wasn't that bad though, I felt much closer to all of the slugs that chose to co-habituate next to me.

It is with heavy hearts that we leave Slovakia, but new adventures now await in Hungary and we must move on.

Back on track

2009-07-22T22:25:00.001-07:00

The last few days have just flown by. It’s amazing how fast we went from barely knowing each other into our tight knit family unit. I have caught a little flack from some people for making it seem like we are having too much fun. Well, I’m sorry, but we really are. When it comes down to it we are on this wild and crazy adventure that is totally different each day and there isn’t a group of people I’d rather be doing it with. Sure we have tough days and rough patches but whenever anything gets bad we just have to think, is there anywhere else we would rather be right now? The answer is almost always no.

I also feel like most of the group has reached a point where the mileage we are doing each day doesn’t really matter. This has been a great break through as it means we can focus more on the internal conversations. For example my pod going into Linz did 155km and I wasn’t actually that tired afterwards. We also have really started to try and work on our internal program to get into the various interests that everyone has.

On the host note, they’ve stayed as amazing as ever. We’ve slept at international artist communes, sustainable farms, kindergartens, and all sorts of fields, and each has had something totally unexpected about it. I find it very amusing how easily everyone in the group reverts into a seven year old whenever we get the chance. Staying in a kindergarten means playing with as many toys as possible every time. While this is a very amusing character trait that we all share I think it also says something about the way we all think about the world. We are all very in touch with our inner children. I think this is great as children always seem to have the best ideas. Whenever you tell them that they can’t do something their answer is always simply ‘why not?’ I feel like a little more of this would go a long way to solving many of the world’s problems.

We are also now out of the Czech Republic and into Austria. I think for many people the Czech Republic has been their favorite place so far. We may just always see where we are going as better than the last place but there did seem to be something special about the Czech Republic.

Riding into Linz yesterday was also a crazy experience as we went from 700m to sea level in 10km of downhill. I just want to say that I wouldn’t want to be riding this trip the other way around. Although we have had some crazy headwinds, so having them at our backs would be nice.

That’s about all I have for now. We are now in Vienna and saying goodbye to our documentary crew today so it is a bit of a sad day. It is almost hard to believe everything I keep writing about has actually happened as half the trip seems like a dream at this point.

The only real downside so far has been that it has been raining crazy hard and overall been very cool. We actually saw our breath as we were riding the other morning. It was smoking hot today though so things are looking warm and sunny again. Maybe our stuff will finally get a chance to dry.

Week 2 Video Highlights

2009-07-17T00:37:00.000-07:00

A quick video update with some highlights from the last week or so.

Hello again world: recollections of repeated epic fails

2009-07-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Today I will be broadcasting from the tempestuous city of Prague in the Czech Republic, and it has been a crazy last few days. I almost don’t know where to begin so I’ll jump back to the start and work my way forward.

The craziness all started on our ride into Zahna which is just east of Wittenberg in Germany. There seemed to be some sort of force out to get as that day as we had several flat tires, a broken back rack, a broken front rack, a totaled biked, and a slightly concussed rider. I wasn’t riding with the group that had the accident, but from what I was told there was an ill-placed pole right in the middle of a bike path that was struck at 25km/hr by David. He promptly flew over his handlebars and Sabrina who was following behind him then crashed into his trailer and got a bit of a knock to the head as she fell.

David’s bike was totaled and had to be carried out of forest, and Sabrina received a minor concussion. Luckily they flagged down some passing Germans and got a hold of the documentary crew to come pick them up. It was a pretty hectic day for most of the group (especially for Miriam and Riel who had to drive for 5 hours to rescue everyone) but our hosts managed to lift our sprits right back up with the wonderful dinner that they had prepared for us. Zahna hadn’t originally been a town we were planning to visit, but they were the closet accommodation we could find to Wittenberg. I am so pleased we did stay there though because everyone there was incredibly nice to us. They had prepared a wonderful food spread for dinner, bought us wine especially from Istanbul, and gave as a wonderful tour of their local church which was over 1000 years old. Upon hearing about our event filled day the mayor even insisted a bike shop open up on the weekend and give us a special discount on repairs. Unfortunately David couldn’t find a bike that suited him there so he had to head off to Berlin to purchase one, but I don’t think he was overly heartbroken as it was covered by insurance.

I should also say that both Sabrina and David are doing fine now.

The next few days went much more smoothly although we still had a bunch of flat tires, broken spokes and racks. We also accidentally wound up sleeping next to a Rave in Riesa. Dresden was also a great city with another amazing host who gave an excellent tour of the city. Dresden has the distinction of having every last stone bombed by the Allies in the Second World War in retaliation for the

German’s bombing London. It was a strange walking around the downtown core and seeing all of these restored old buildings that were actually quite new. Their fronts had been rebuilt but behind a foot or two of stone was concrete. In many ways it felt a bit like a theme park but I think most people really enjoyed the city.

Looking back on Germany I was surprised by how much I loved it. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it was a wonderful country with great people. I enjoyed it far more than the Netherlands which I though I would love.

Sadly however we had to leave Germany and head into the Czech Republic and Uste nad Labem. We did have a lovely parting gift though as the bike trail wrapped along the river and I think for most people it was one of their most scenic days on the tour so far. I had a slightly different day from most of the group however, as myself and 3 others decided to go over the mountains instead of around them as it was 30km shorter. Up until this point on the trip I feel like I hadn’t really worked my body all that hard but the mountains leaving

Germany were a solid climb. I’m guessing we did at least an hour and a half of climbing. The views from the top were spectacular as were the downhill stretches so I think it was worth it. It also got us into the town by 11am and we didn’t have any accommodation prearranged so that certainly helped. It actually wasn’t that hard to find a place to stay though, in fact we found two. One was a farm just outside of the city and another was at a pool that was a little closer to Prague. Shawn and Charles found it by heading into town hall and speaking with the mayor. He then got on the phone and found us a place in no time.

Then there was Prague. Today is a day of rest (thankfully) but yesterday was probably the toughest yet on the trip for me. It didn’t help that I was still sore from climbing mountains from the day before but the trip to Prague was slated to be our biggest mileage total yet, 130km, and we didn’t have accommodation for either of the two days we were going to stay. What made the day so difficult was the bike trails. We crossed rivers, had sand, mud, cobble stone and pretty much anything else that you wouldn’t ever want to ride a fully loaded touring bike through. I actually enjoyed a good deal of it as it reminded me of being on my mountain bike but doing it all day was exhausting. There was also one stretch of path that was about 6 inches wide (our panniers make our bikes much larger than that) and on the right side was a 3m-drop right into the river. Some people walked their bikes through it but my pod managed to ride it out. We were then greeted with another 5km of cobblestone and pretty worn out by the time we hit the city at 4pm. In many ways we were the lucky ones though. We happened to run into the car on our way which told us we had a place to sleep so we just had to chill out at the meeting point until the next pod showed up.

Unfortunately it was another 3 hours before a group came in and the last group didn’t make it to where we were staying until around midnight. Still, we had a place to stay and a day off to sleep in so things seemed to be looking up. That was until a 3-hour thunderstorm rolled through at 8am and drenched absolutely everything. Most people have pretty good tents, but 3 hours of heavy downpour was just too much to handle and most started to leak. At least it is sunny now though so things are starting to dry out again.

So that’s everything that has been going on for the last few days. We have another big ride day tomorrow (125km) and then a couple short ones so that should help rest some weary bodies. Overall though spirits are still very high and most people have been able to laugh at our various mishaps.

The Reality Check

2009-07-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

I am currently sitting in my tent in Staßfurt, Germany, after riding another 100km day and I have to say this last day was my favorite day of the tour. I had fun start to finish riding today and my body felt great despite putting it through all the the rigors of the ‘pod rocketship’ yesterday.

An interesting thing occurred today, we crossed into Eastern Germany. Now to me this means very little, as I was very little when the Berlin wall came down so I didn’t even think there would be a difference, we are after all in the country. The difference however very much exists. The buildings are different, more humble, and most have had some renovations done to them in the last 20 years. The age demographic is different as well, apparently a lot of the youth have left for the west and it has left a strange void in the population.

Today when we arrived in the town we were asked to speak at a town meeting of sorts on our cause and the organization. About 12 of us and 12 Germans attempted to communicate through broken English and German as we both tried to teach each other about our world views. Once again I was struck by just how kind and caring everyone was and how they too were very concerned about the state of the world. Continually running into motivated people really does keep us going through some of the tough stretches.

I was also struck by the fact that the unemployment rate here is about 20% and that many don’t have enough money for electricity or extra water. It makes me appreciate our hosts and their generosity even more and I feel like that feeling will only continue to grow throughout the trip. This experience really has left me a bit shocked though because there is a very real possibility that some of the money we have raised for microcredit could be used by people right here. I understand that there are poor people back home that could use it as well but for some reason because it is Germany in my mind I just wasn’t expecting it. I never expected to be experiencing the anthropological ‘other’ syndrome here. It makes me feel very spoiled getting to ride through their country on a new bike with 20 other new friends for two months.

In many ways this experience makes me think that the honeymoon period of our trip is over. Our bodies finally seem to be getting used to the grind we are putting them through and now it is time to start getting around to some of our lofty goals that we started this trip with. We needed time to goof around and learn about each other as a team but now it is time to get back down to the task at had. I am certainly not saying we aren’t still going to have fun, but I feel like our fun will have greater social implications now. Luckily I feel like others are picking up on the same vibe as well as we had a vibrant 4 hour discussion on the death of protests and green-washing. Many of us were so absorbed in the conversation that we actually had to be told twice that dinner was ready!

So our first 8 days were fun, but now it’s time for some serious fun.

The physics just don't feel right

2009-07-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

I swear the gravity works differently in Germany. There have been large stretches of road that appear to be downhill and yet we almost seem to be moving backwards. Conversely there have been stretches that seem to be up hill and we've gotten over 40km/hr so it's clear the universe doesn't hate us yet. Actually that should be very clear from the fact we all keep managing to find our end destinations and the fact there haven't been any major injuries.

For those keeping track at home I am currently writing this from the city of Goslar in Germany. Today's ride was supposed to be our first 100km day and as per usual our mapping was off by at least 10-20km. My pod, pod rocket ship, only had to do 120km and we arrived here in about 6 hours. As I am currently writing this at 6pm we haven't seen another pod yet and it's been 3 hours.

Once again I have nothing but amazing things to say about the hosts we have had. They really are making our trip so much more special and incredible. Last night we got to head down to the fire hall in Hoxter and try on fire gear and play around on the trucks. I think it is safe to say that no one in our group has any trouble accessing their inner child!

We also had a wonderful experience in Gutersloh the night before. We were staying with a family who had what can best be described as an amazingly cool campground. It backed onto a river, had beach volleyball courts, and even a band playing when we all rolled in. Keeping with one of our values of inclusivity we very quickly managed to coax some somewhat shy Germans off their blankets and up to their feet to make a rocking dance party. We also learned the German version of the game 31 which they call Kanuck. I thought it was rather appropriate as it was Canada Day that the Canadians won, so score one for our country.

Of course no story is all rainbows and candy and we are no exception. The last couple days have been hard on some of our group with riders arriving quite late into the evening. Luckily those of us that have been there for longer welcome them with lots of hugs, smiles, and food and we've been able to cheer everyone up in seconds.

I also had a rather unfortunate experience the other night. I really have no one to blame but myself but I was running on 2 hours of sleep so I didn't properly put up the fly on my tent. Mother Nature then took it upon herself to flood my tent at 3am and I had to do some very quick thinking to save my stuff from getting totally soaked. The net result was that I wound up sleeping the rest of the night with my rain pants on inside of my sleeping bag and wearing a hoody for upper body warmth. It clearly wasn't the ideal situation but it was totally my fault.

We have another 100(ish) km to ride tomorrow so it will likely be an another attempted early night and 6:30am wakeup call. After that we get a day off though so our bodies can rest up for the rest of Germany.

Hello from Germany

2009-07-04T05:05:00.000-07:00

The last few days have been a bit of a blur as most of them have involved 4-6 hours of sleep and 70-110km of riding. Yes, we have finally hit our first couple of big days. The first of the two big days I was part of pod “speed racer” and we literally rocketed off the mileage. Before lunch – which was about the 60km marker for us –we were averaging around 28km an hour. After lunch we took it a little easier and dropped down to 25km/hr. The net result was that we arrived at our destination around 3:45pm, and had time to go for a swim and a waterslide, get interviewed by a local TV crew, and play soccer against (and beat) some 16 year olds. All before the next group arrived at around 5pm.

Yesterday was a slightly different story however, as I was in pod “scenic route”, and while most people did 70km we did 110km. We did get to see some great little towns and ride right next to a bunch of giant windmills which was nice, but being a little lost, did take its toll mentally for a while. At one point we arrived at a roundabout to discover the towns from two of the exit routes we had already visited and they were only 5-10km away and we had been riding for 2 hours. We also learned that the bike paths tend to like to meander along the hills and are nowhere near the most direct route. They also sometimes like to turn into dirt roads and bisect farmers' fields. All and all though we got to our destination and even though we were drenched by a thunderstorm, we had loads of fun and memories from our excursion.

I can’t say enough good things about all of the people and hosts we have encountered so far. They have far surpassed anything we could have asked for in their kindness and humor and we would not be in as nearly as good of spirits without them. Our hosts have opened up their homes, army barracks, organic farms, and camps, given us free food, beer, and shared stories and conversations that have made our trip so much more special and it is still only days old. The people we have met while riding have been just as helpful and kind. On several occasions they have given us maps they happen to have, or even gone out of their way to escort us to streets to make sure we arrive safely. I think it is very safe to say we would not all be here without them. All of this positive energy really does make the difference when you have a difficult day or have to ride 15km uphill into a head wind.

Today we get our first day off on the trip and I think everyone is excited to get to play tourist in Munster for a change. It will also be a nice rest for our bodies and a chance to heal some of the cuts and bruises that are around.

The very first ride day!

2009-06-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

We have just arrived in Utrecht and we are staying in the coolest building ever. It is actually my dream place to live: a huge semi abandoned office space that has been reclaimed by 4 people to keep others from squatting. It is massive and spacious and likely going to get knocked down in a year. Seeing everyone’s expression when they walk in the door after doing our first 40km of the trip is awesome.

The first real ride of the trip was pretty picturesque. We rolled through plenty of small towns all while having our own separated bike paths from the cars. I think the distance was also the perfect amount to get started with. It allowed us to get our feet wet without anyone worrying about not being able to do it. It also, at least for the first couple groups, meant we were at our destination by just after 2pm.

Our trip has not been all peaches and cream so far though. We were unable to get a couple more tents yesterday so some people got very cozy last night. Really it is just more team bonding though. Gene also had a pretty spectacular wipe out today where he wound up going over his handlebars, down a small embankment, and into a ditch. Luckily he is fine and other than being a little smelly and wet nothing was damaged.

I’m also not alone in the flat department! Three other people blew out their tires pumping up them up. Luckily all of them had seen me change mine earlier in the day so they had a pretty good idea of how to do it when the time came. I guess we are all too strong for our own good.

That’s all for now, I think we are going to be a very happy bunch tonight.

The tour has officially started, almost

2009-06-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

The trip is officially underway! Well, at the very least we are now midway through orienting oursevles to one another; the city on the other hand is still proving a little difficult to navigate for a few people. Day one was a nice mix of time to chat about our concerns and feelings towards the ride and practical riding tips. We also had a great picnic lunch with the local Bahi group who came to wish us well on our trip. I think they really managed to inspire some of the group and it was the perfect way to start the adventure we are getting ready to fully embark on tomorrow.

I would also like to say that I become the first person to get a flat tire. Yes, that's right, I actually managed to get a flat tire BEFORE the tour even started. Apparently I was a little over zealous with my pumping and I ripped the valve right off. I then had to change it another time because I put in the wrong tube, so I think that means I get to help lead the tire changing session we are doing tonight.

As for the last couple days they have been a blur. I finally managed to get a full night's sleep for the first time - previous to that I got 2, 6, and 4 hours respectively. I actually didn't get out to do many of the "tourist" activities in the city. Instead I spent most of my days meandering the streets on foot or by bike. It really was a nice city to just wander around in, taking in the way of life.

I will say that I love that bikes are the dominant method of transportation here. They say there are more bikes than people in the Netherlands and I think in Amsterdam specifically the ratio must be 4 or 5 to 1. It makes me wish that Vancouver was more bike friendly, and I thought we were doing pretty well before I got here.

I think that's about all I've got for now, Internet is short and I'm a little sunburned - it's been smoking hot - so my brain feels like mush. I'll try and upload more pictures at a later date when we get more than a 20 minute bursts.

Day 1 - I'm in Amsterdam!

2009-06-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

I’m currently holed up in a room that I swear if it had a ceiling fan could be straight out of Apocalypse Now, although that could just be the heat or lack of sleep playing tricks on me. Holy crap I am in Amsterdam. How the hell did that happen? I think I had a minor panic attack on the plane – judging by the very worried expression of the kind British women next to me when I woke up – the gravity of this trip is actually starting to set in. But I am getting ahead of myself so lets back track a little.
I woke up June 24th PST at around 9am. Before I would wind up in the state I am currently in I would make it until June 25th 9pm CEST before really getting any sleep. Not a bad start to the trip. The 24th started out uneventful enough: it had to; we still had no power so there was nothing to make any noise. After waking to yell at the landlords to try and rectify the situation I decided there was nothing I could do at home without the internet so I wound up going to Starbucks to find theirs broken as well. By this time I was feeling akin to a street addict shaking so I drove up to SFU to sit in the parking lot and borrow their internet access. I justify all of this by claiming the need to have checked my e-mail to confirm very important things about my trip. Going to SFU also had the added bonus of getting to give Lauren another hug and kiss goodbye.

I then finally got a call from my would-be ride to the airport, and was thankful that he would still be able to deliver me. He would have to take me there 2.5 hours earlier than the 3.5 I was planning on being there before my international flight but worry not, this time would not be wasted. Once the KLM (Dutch Airlines) desk finally opened I was informed that my bike needed a box to get on the plane, the handle bars needed to be spun and the pedals needed to come off. I will deal with each of these issues in order of prevalence.

The bike box: I had phoned YVR last week and asked to speak to the KLM representative who informed me that although a box was recommended that I would be fine if I showed up with my bike as is and they would give me a bag to stick it in. Upon arriving at the terminal I was informed that this is NEVER the case and I couldn’t possibly have spoken to a KLM representative unless I phoned the Netherlands. I of course am a Capricorn and very stubborn so I calmly explained my plight and a rather kind flight attendant scoured the airport for any extra bags she count find of any size and after about an hour and a half produced three midsized ones that would partially cover my bike and some tape.

The handle bars: Now this I think is just silly. Due to the way my bike is designed when you spin the handlebars it actually makes the bike wider and much harder to fit into various places. If I took them off it may be easier and almost make sense, but I was only told to spin them. I tried to explain the laws of physics to the flight attendant but I think she could sense my fine arts degree and insisted I spin

them.

The pedals: I felt that these became somewhat of a moot point once the handlebars made the bike bigger but again it was insisted that I take them off. I explained that I actually couldn’t, it was too difficult with the tools I had on me, but this didn’t seem to register. Apparently she assumed that if I was going to do this crazy bike trip I was claiming to be on that I would have all of the correct tools to break down my bike, including the special wrench for pedals. At this point a very nice German cyclist came to my help and ran all over YVR trying to find a construction worker who happened to have a larger wrench that would fit. He did manage to find a big wrench and larger construction worker but neither worked. I just padded my pedals and put more tape around them. So I suppose I kind of won that point. On the upside I made a new German friend, and although he doesn’t live on our route we did have a lovely dinner together.

The actual plane ride itself was probably the bumpiest ascent that I had ever experienced but the rest of the flight went rather smoothly. I arrived at the airport to find all of my bags intact and bike pretty much fine. Somehow they managed to pull the seat apart but they didn’t break it so that shouldn’t be a big issue. Oddly enough though, Amsterdam doesn’t have a special pickup window for sporting goods and bikes like Vancouver. I found my bike randomly sitting next to a door guarded by no one so I just took it and carried it on my way to the train, which whisked me directly down to the city centre.
From there I got only minorly lost trying to find my Hotel but checked in no problem. The most amusing part of that story is that a very kind Dutch woman came to my aid while I was looking at my map and attempted to help me find my Hotel. The only problem was that I was actually standing right in front of it and hadn’t realized it but she didn’t lead me too far afield before we found our way back.

I then met up with another one of the riders, Gala, and we set off to explore the city. I was wearing my Global AFC shirt and Gala had her Elan bike and we were almost instantly recognized by two other riders on the trip, Charles and Jake, so we located some food and a bottle of wine and did what all tourists should do: sit in the middle of “The Dam” on the steps and people-watch.

So I think that is pretty much what has happened in the last 29 hours. I am going to attempt to get to sleep now and hopefully be able to make it through the night. I’m in Amsterdam… wow.

Video Blog 1 - Pre-Packing

2009-06-09T22:41:00.001-07:00

Click to Play

This is the first video with the Kodak Zx1 that Kodak graciously donated for the trip. It's a great little camera and I'm very excited to see how this is going to allow for some video blogging on this trip. This video is just a short clip showing my bike and the various items that I'll be taking along with me. Enjoy :)

Formats available: MPEG-4 Video (.m4v)

Countdown to adventure

2009-05-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

The voice in my head--cleverly disguised as a little birdie--recently gave me a swift reality check: I am now leaving for Europe in under a month. Yes, that’s right, I have four weekends left to get everything accomplished that needs to get done before I take off on this epic adventure. Where the heck did all of the time go?

Some of you will remember that I had all of these lofty expectations to blog all throughout my training and have everything done months in advance and while that sounded very well and good on paper, in reality… I have under a month left until I leave.

So, lets assess the situation: fundraising goals met? No, although I am very close to the minimum requirement (Click here to help me out). Body fully trained up and in shape? No, I’ve been on a few runs, played some soccer and volleyball, but I didn’t actually get my bike until yesterday so that was somewhat prohibitive to the training goals. Yes, I know I could have gone up to a gym and ridden a stationary bike or done other things, but it really isn’t the same thing, and besides, I had tons of time. Accommodation all sorted out? No, I think I’ve got one place locked down in Germany but I just can’t seem to make any headway in the Czech Republic. I do however have a plane ticket, travel insurance, and a passport, so I don’t think I’m a total lost cause.

I’m sure some people would be going into panic mode right about now, and maybe I should be as well, but I’ve just been too busy with everything else I’ve been doing. Podcasts, TV Pilots, Girlfriends, Social Media, and other organizational issues have been much more at the forefront than this trip. Despite all of this however I am not nervous at all. It could be that the scope of what I am trying to attempt is so crazy that my brain has simply chosen not to process the information, but I would like to think it is because this sort of pure absurdity is what I signed onto this trip for.

I knew this trip could wind up going to hell in a split second, and that actually made me want to go more. This is a great adventure to be had and the people involved are incredible. I’d have to be crazy not to go.

Still, crunch time is now so I had better start shifting things into gear - bike pun intended. I tried out clipless pedals for the first time today and managed to promptly fall off bringing the bike down on top of me. I’m sure it will become second nature soon enough but it was a good reminder of the work that still needs to be done. So with that in mind I figured I’d fire up the blog and get back in this saddle as well. This will be updated as long as I can find internet access so don’t worry about that. I have had to read those horrible e-mails at work and at school for too many years from friends telling me how much fun they are having off gallivanting around the world. It’s about time I get to write some myself.

So, if you need a little break from the daily grind check back here and clip in for the ride. I promise it will be an adventure, and the worst pain you will suffer is having to deal with my comma splices.

My First Rider Blog

2009-05-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

Writing the first blog of many is always an interesting thing. You have to figure out how to introduce yourself in such a way that is interesting enough to make people come back and read more without totally embarrassing yourself.

So without further adieu I will pull back the red curtain and introduce myself. My name is Chris and I am one of the riders on the Europe Riding to Break the Cycle. I also do some of the video work for Global Agents for Change and am currently spamming everyone on twitter on behalf of GlobalAFC. I currently live, work, and play, in Vancouver, and I am super stoked to be involved with Riding to Break the Cycle. There, now that wasn’t so bad was it?

So perhaps I should explain what I envision this blog becoming. Leading up to the ride I will talk about my training and just how scary it is to suddenly decide you are going to ride 4000km across Europe from Amsterdam to Istanbul. For those that want a Canadian equivalent it is basically like riding from Vancouver to Toronto. Once the ride is underway there will be hopefully weekly updates (ideally with videos as well) to let everyone know just how we are making out on this journey. And as for afterwards, well I’ll figure that out once we actually manage to complete the ride.

That thought actually pretty much sums up my thought process about the trip. What the heck have I actually gotten myself into? I mean I’m in pretty good shape, I play soccer twice a week and have to walk up big frigging hill to get home from work everyday, but am I really up for riding 100km each day? Then of courses there are the logistical elements. I have to raise $3000, which is no small task. Lauren pointed out to me that if I have 500 friends on facebook all I need to do is get $10 from half of them and I’d be fine, but it still seems like a lot of money. I also need to find a bike that I won’t hate riding by day 2, buy a plane ticket, and then of course actually ride a bike across Europe. Or did I mention that already?

Honestly though, despite all of those though crazy thoughts I am way more excited than I am nervous. I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge and an adventure and the idea of doing something crazy for an amazing cause is simply to incredible an opportunity not to ride. I was at Shawn’s house the other day and we were talking about possible routes and the excitement hasn’t worn off yet.

I think the thing I am looking forward to most is sharing this experience with everyone we met along the way. I love the idea of being an ambassador for a cause, and really there isn’t a better one I can think of than to change the world for the better. Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now as I think I’m starting to ramble, but if you want to stay in the loop follow myself and Global Agents for Change on twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/globalafc
http://www.twitter.com/chriswalts

Until next time!

Chris Walts

Riding to Break the Cycle Europe 2009

Welcome Home

2008-07-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

So my last “travel blog” is going to be a bit of a cheat: I’m actually back at home now. I’m allowing myself this concession because I figured some people might want to know that I made it home safe and sound, and because I had always planned on writing one more blog from the road, events just happen to conspired against me and in the end it came down to writing a blog or making my plane on time, and well, I opted for the plane.

My last leg of the journey was the bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok. This bus ride is supposed to be the second worst one you can do in South East Asia (the worst being the bus from Vientiane to Hanoi). In the end the bus trip actually wasn’t THAT bad. I think it took something like twelve hours and it certainly was a washboard road for most of the journey, but I actually think the trip from Don Det to Phnom Penh was worse for me. The Phnom Penh trip was about the same length, the road wasn’t as bad for as long, but where it was bad it was horrible, and the bus I had from Don Det was way worse than the one from Siem Reap. That being said I did have to depart the Siem Reap bus via the window because the bags were clogging up the aisle and I was jammed with knees up to my chin the entire way so maybe I should call them even. I think the big difference was that the air conditioning actually worked on the Siem Reap bus and it still had some shocks left so the bumps weren’t quite as bad. Many things could have conspired to make that trip much much worse than it was. I also didn’t have any issues at the Cambodian border as I was leaving the country so maybe the trip is particularly bad if you do it from Bangkok to Siem Reap. Strangely the visa also seems to cost more if you enter that way but I’ll leave why up to your speculation.

Arriving back in Bangkok for the fifth time on the trip was actually quite a pleasant experience. I think because I started my trip there and because I now know the city decently well it almost felt like I was coming home. Yes it’s Bangkok, it’s loud, smelly, the air quality sucks, and a good chunk of people are trying to scam you, but that is really just part of the charm of the city. It gives it character and I think I actually appreciate that now. I didn’t stay in Bangkok very long however as I got the mini bus driver (I wound up on a mini bus from the Cambodian border to Bangkok) to drop me off at the main train station and then immediately jump a train north to Ayutthava where I was planning on spending two of my last three nights.

The train ride up was a pleasant experience. I wound up sitting across from an Ex-Pat who told me a decent amount of history about the area and where I should go in Ayutthava. Leaving the train I stole a ride into town with a couple of other back packers and set out to find a place to stay for the next couple nights. I should point out that the Lonely Plant map of Ayutthava isn’t quite right so finding the main ‘back packer street’ (which should be used very loosely as it really only had about 4 guesthouses on it and almost no other back packer amenities) was a little trickier but after asking for directions, and in turn making some friends with whom I’d spend the next day with, I was able to drop off my bag, grab some dinner, and turn in for the night.

The town of Ayutthava itself is not particularly exceptional. It’s quite small and quiet and was perfect for winding down for the last couple days of my trip. It also has some decent ruins to see around the city so I rented a bike and went out exploring with my new friends the next day. The ruins were probably some of the best ones I’d seen in Thailand but I had just been to Angkor Wat the day before so I was a little biased and didn’t spend as much time with them as I would have earlier on the trip. Still, it was fun to bike around the city and quite a lovely afternoon on a whole.

The next day I took the train back to Bangkok. I should mention that the train ride was about two hours long and only 15 Baht (about 50 cents) each way. Once in Bangkok I found a decent guesthouse on Rambuttri (just off of Khao San Road), went out to MBK to do some shopping and then set out to make some new friends and for my last night on the town. How much fun was my last night you may be asking? Well, let’s just say that the reason I didn’t write my last blog in Bangkok as because I woke up at 12:05pm the next day and checkout was at noon. I quickly had to shower, pack, eat breakfast and then catch a cab to the airport to catch my flight.

The flight back wasn’t actually that bad at all. After taking so many 10+ hour bus rides it was incredibly easy to do a 5 hour flight and then an 11 hour one where I got to watch movies on demand. The strangest thing was that I left Bangkok at around 5pm and then flew all night to arrive at Seattle at 7pm where it was thankfully sunny for another 2 hours before getting dark again. Essentially because I then had to take a bus up to Vancouver that didn’t get me in until 4am I had been in the dark for almost 24 hours. After my 4am arrival I got a few hours of sleep and then headed out for a much deserved welcome back to the country Canada Day celebration.

I think that’s where the story of this trip ends. Over the next couple of weeks I plan on going back over the blogs, fixing some spelling and maybe adding a little more and then doing a best of trip reflection. I am also going to put up some pictures from Siem Reap and Ayuttaya but at the moment my camera isn’t speaking to my computer so I need to go find a decent shrink to solve the problem. Thanks to everyone who read along, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. Really now all that’s left is for people to take me out for a beer in order to get the stories that never made it into the blog for various reasons. :)

If a picture is worth a thousand words is a thousand pictures worth an Angkor Wat?

2008-06-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

Before I start talking about Siem Reap and Angkor Wat I realized that I didn’t actually talk much about Phenom Penh, which is unfair because I actually quite liked it as a city. I think it has been actually my favorite South East Asian city. The city is a bit on the dirty site, but it has a fun sort of vibe about it with a slight ‘I can still kill you whenever I want’ mixed in for good measure. This isn’t to say I ever felt unsafe in the city, but I was aware that the possibility did exist. The city also isn’t all that large so I was able to walk a good chunk of it my first day. The major tourist sites aside from the killing fields and S-21 weren’t amazing, the grand palace is overpriced and not impressive, and the museum is ok if you want to see a lot of statues, but the food was great and the people were very friendly. All and all I really liked the city.

So if Phenom Penh is great and I’ve really enjoyed Cambodia (although not as much as Laos) what about Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. When I was laying in a hammock on Don Dhet I was debating skipping Angkor Wat and if I was going to do that I figured I’d just skip Cambodia in general. I figured I had seen hundreds of temples on the trip and I knew it was going to be expensive so why not just hit a beach again for my last week. Well, I am very glad I didn’t. The town itself isn’t that great, although it has probably my favorite night market of the trip, but Angkor Wat makes up for it in spades. I decided to go for sunrise my first morning which meant meeting my tuk tuk driver at 5am. This was pretty crazy early even for me on this trip, but if I was going to do Angkor I might as well start off with a bang. Pulling up to Angkor Wat I started thinking to myself, ok, this is pretty impressive. There’s a man made moat and the temple is quite large. As I walked across the bridge and through the first door I then realized that I wasn’t entering the temple but just the front gate. The actually temple is another massive complex inside with another lake and is flanked by other smaller buildings. It’s more than a little impressive, it’s simply stunning. Then I began to realize that Angkor Wat is just the common name used to describe over 50 huge temples in the area. My mind then proceeded to blow out the side of my head. I know I was tough on people taking photos before, but that was a specific type of photo. My first day I took 1178 pictures. And no, that is not a typo, 1178 pictures. I think my tuk tuk driver thought I was a little crazy because apparently I did what most people do at Angkor Wat in three days in one: the mini loop, the grand loop, and then out to a couple of temples further away. They were simply incredible and most of them totally different and I wanted to see as many as I could. I also managed to stop by the landmine museum which was another gentle reminder of Cambodia’s past, and although it isn’t large, or something you don’t probably already know, it was a nice stop. My second Angkor day wasn’t quite as good as I had hoped though. I had hoped to split a guide with a couple of people to get a little more history but that never materialized. Instead I went out to a less visited set of temples which was nice but I wound up cutting my day short as it was simply going to cost too much money to do the rest of the things I wanted to see. I did manage another 150 pictures though.

One thing I’ve noticed about traveling around here is that gas is just as expensive as back home. This I’m sure cuts directly into the profit margin of all of the moto / tuk tuk / taxi drivers because although prices for transportation have gone up, you can only put them up so far before tourists simply won’t go. We want to feel like we aren’t being taken advantage of and the drivers are trying to make a living. It’s a very hard line to walk and understand. I know for example that I used $8 in gas my first day at Angkor to get around. That may be minimum wage back home but it could be a daily wage here. In the end I wound up paying $25 for transportation for the whole day. Did I pay too much? Maybe, maybe not, I’m not really sure. I do know that the driver was really nice and that he did drive me around for 13 hours, so in the end I felt comfortable paying that price. That being said, $25 is a huge amount of money for me relative to my daily spending on the rest of the trip. This is one of the few areas that it has hurt me traveling alone but I suppose it’s just one of the trade offs. Had I been traveling with a group I’m sure I wouldn’t have taken as many photos and probably wouldn’t have seen as many sites but it would have been cheaper.

Tomorrow I’ve decided to forgo my third day at Angkor and head back to Bangkok. I’m not sure yet if I’m just going to chill there for the last couple days or try and hit up one more place before I head out. Luckily I’ve got a long bus ride tomorrow to figure it out.

Moving onwards

2008-06-24T03:56:00.000-07:00

I keep trying to start writing something about the killing fields and S-21 but how do you begin to explain genocide. How can you try and put into words what so many have done before you, most probably better. Still, because I think I should, and in order for me to try and process it better I will try.

Before I get fully into it however, I would like to comment on people taking pictures at the killing fields and S-21. Maybe people take pictures because a picture is worth a thousand words and many have difficulty finding their own. I can maybe get behind this idea as the only way to share the experience with others and to enlighten those that have no idea about the tragedy. I on the other hand have only one picture from both places: a shot of the walls as I was approaching it from the side. This will serve as the only direct visual trigger to the memory. It isn't that I want to forget what I say, it's quite the opposite. I have no need to have pictures of death on my camera, and the idea of taking them makes me sick. I fell that in order for the tragedy to find closure it needs to find peace and that just doesn't feel like it can happen on a bunch of tourist’s cameras. Clearly we must not forget what happened, but that there has to be a better way to remember.

The killing fields are one of many mass graves utilized by Khmer Rouge. At this site the remains of almost 9000 bodies have been found. All of the skulls and the remaining tatters of clothing have been assembled into a large monument stacked up around 40 feet high. I visited this monument twice, once at the start of my walk about, and once at the end. After I had walked around the area I wanted to return to look into the eyes of the skulls. I was hoping to find the human lose in what is now an otherwise quite tranquil area. Several things struck a chord with me on my walk. First, I was struck by the origins of the area. The field of course was not evil by birth; originally it was simply an orchard before it was turned into a mass grave. Secondly I was shocked by how small the actual mass graves were. Once grave that held over 450 bodies was only slightly larger than an average sized kitchen. I couldn't fathom how 450 people could have been dumped on top of one another there; the pile must have been massive. The last major thing that struck me was how peaceful it now seems. Thankfully it felt like the area could come to some sort of peace and people could be allowed to move on. I was a bit sickened however by the fact that many of the benches that you could sit on were sponsored by Angkor beer. Is there no depth that advertising won't stoop?

In contrast to the killing fields S-21 was still heavy and raw. S-21 was one of the main prisons / torture centers for the Khmer Rouge and has basically been left in the exact state it was found when it was shut down. This includes large photographs of the bodies found in many of the cells and blood still stained on the walls and floor. Walking around S-21 is sickingly haunting. I didn't want to touch anything, I didn't want to talk to anyone, and it felt like I could barely even begin to scrape the surface of understanding of the atrocities that occurred there. Like most torture prisons meticulous records were kept and photos taken seemingly almost to boast at what happened. It almost made me want to throw up. You could wander around from cell to cell and some of them were so small I wouldn't have even been able to lay down in them because of my height. One particularly interesting part of the museum had the stories of some of the guards at S-21, many of them who started as children. They then proceeded to tell their version of the vents that occurred. It is easy to have blatant hatred for anyone that causes harm to another human, but what would you do if you would be killed if you did not kill? What if your family would be killed instead? Could you find a kindness in your torture? There are questions that I wish no one ever needs to try and answer honestly, but clearly it was a real situation for some people. In these situations blind hatred just can't be applied. I am in no way condoning their actions, but it is not a matter of basic right or wrong but instead a complicated spectrum of grey no doubt created at the amusement of the Khmer Rouge leaders.

After two days of genocide I needed something uplifting and what better place to find it then with children. I decided to go out to an orphanage, Save the Children in Asia, and play with the kids for an afternoon and then donate my soccer ball, frisbee, and ball pump. There is honestly no way to feel better than to have two kids glued to your legs and another asking for an airplane ride. SOCA is an orphanage that also runs English classes for the kids throughout the day and I had arrived right before one of the lessons started. I actually wound up teaching half of it as the main English teacher (Canadian of course) was sick for the afternoon. I'm not sure the kids were quite as big of a fan of me after I had to administer an exam, but as soon as a guitar was brought out and I started to play all was forgiven. I wish I could have stayed longer or helped more but sadly I had to move on. I don't have any pictures of this afternoon either as these memories are purely and selfishly only mine and I have no need to show them off. Besides, it feels wrong to include any sort of pictures with this blog.

As I finish writing this I am now about half way to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. I really can't believe I have to come home in a few days; this trip has gone way to fast.

Leaving Laos for Cambodia

2008-06-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

I’ve left my happy chilled-to-the max hammock island for a new country and a big city: I’ve moved on to Phnom Penh. It’s tough to leave somewhere that you really like, but alas, it was time to move on. My last couple of daze on the island were a mixture of easy days and late nights and it was actually nice to be out past midnight for a change.

I joined up with a group one other single travelers that had been together for a couple days now and we went out to see the Khon Phapheg falls singing any song we knew at least a verse to. I’m actually surprised our driver didn’t just stop the car and get out, but I suppose at the very least it would have been amusing. The falls themselves were not overly impressive as it is the rainy season so there wasn’t much of a drop but the sheer volume of the water power was a bit humbling. Apparently over a million liters crash over the rocks every second. It is almost a strange concept to think that that much water can flow down a river continuously every day all year round. After we got back we were feeling a little lively so we went for some drinks and a swim in the Mekong. I swear by this point I’ve drank so much of the river that I’m immune to every disease imaginable. The natural progression of the night then lead of course to us wanting to dance but there wasn’t really any dance clubs on the island. For most people this might be a problem but I noticed that the bungalow next to the girls was not occupied and in fact open so we turn the bed up on its side, lit up some candles, and presto we had a disco. This actually lasted for a fair amount of time until a very confused Lao guy asked us quite politely to stop, which of course we did. The night then wound down with a slightly heated debate between me and Agnes, a PhD candidate at U of T in philosophy, over the merits of contemporary religion and post modern theory.

The following day my dance party conspirators left and I rented a bike to explore both Don Dhet and Don Khon (the two islands are connected by a bridge). The ride itself was nice, if not a little bumpy, but I did run into a little trouble with the bike. Most bikes on the island were single speed cruisers with no shocks but I had managed to find a mountain bike. Great I thought, shocks will come in very handy on all of the bumps. The only problem was that the mountain bike had been partially converted into a single speed: the back gears were gone but the ones on the front remained sans shifter. The net result was that the chain liked to fall off, which normally isn’t a problem except that without a derailer it is much harder to put it back on. I did of course have it down to a fine art after about the 20^th time but then the chain decided it had had enough of me and broke so I had to walk the bike back the rest of the way. Still, I didn’t let this get me down and floated the rest of the day away on the river in a tube relaxing.

The next morning I jumped on a bus and headed off for Cambodia. Like most bus trips I had no real idea of how long the ride was supposed to take, this one being about 13 hours. To be fair it might have taken 12 had our bus not broken down for about 45 minutes. None of us were really sure why, but we suspect it had something to do with the horn which is an essential device in this country. The one nice thing about the bus breaking down was that it happened right outside of a school so while most of the bus patrons went off in search of food that wasn’t chips and biscuits I went got out my frisbee and went to pay with the kids. I always love how at first you only play with one kid, the brave one who tries to throw the frisbee back to you. Then instantly everyone joins in and wants a turn.

I should also mention that this bus ride was probably the worst I’ve been on. Actually there is no probably about it, it was by far the bumpiest, I’m pretty sure the bus didn’t have any shocks. It was the first time I wasn’t able to read in transit, although not because I was sick, my whole body was simply bouncing around too much for my eyes to focus on anything small. This of course was on the paved parts of the road, the unpaved, well I’ll leave that up to your imagination. The upside I suppose is I spent a lot of time looking out the window and the geography of Cambodia is quite different than it’s surrounding countries. It is actually quite flat and reminded me of the Prairies except that instead of growing wheat there was rice. The plants also looked much more scraggly and tattered.

I think that’s it for now, I’m sure I’ll have something interesting to say soon though as I am going to the killing fields and S-21 tomorrow.

Leap froging cities in search of the islands

2008-06-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

I am currently writing this sitting in a hammock outside my bungalow right on the edge of the Mekong river. I'm not going to lie, I didn't see the sunrise, that's on the other side of the island, I get the sunsets. The small island that I am on is called Don Dhet and it is in the far south of Laos known as the 4000 islands. The hardest decision I've had to make so far today is which of my two hammocks to lay in: one is a little more tatter but it's closer to the river. Alright, I'll wipe the smug grin off my face; I'm going to be returning relatively soon and can directly feel the consequences by perturbed parties.

The last few days have been a fairly fevered leap frog of destinations. The first two nights were spent in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, and I really don’t have much good to say about the city. It didn't have much vibe, it was expensive, the Wats weren't that interesting, and even the Patuyai - a Laos take on the arc de triumph - and that Luang - the national monument - were a little run down with even less character. As someone who has loved almost everywhere else in Laos I don't think I would go back if it could be avoided. The Buddha park and big lake outside of the city are supposed to be nice but they are quite far and the city doesn't leave you with much desire to see them.

From Vientiane we jumped a night bus to Savannkhet. I saw we because I was traveling with my minimum traveling requirement: two Canadian girls. The VIP bus down to Savannkhet was another rough ride. I may have said this before but do not take the VIP busses if you can avoid it, especially if there are lower seats. Once again Karaoke played at ear piercing levels most of the night only this time we were crammed on the lower level where if I sat up straight my head touched the ceiling. The VIP buses being slightly faster also tend to get in to their destinations at 5am which means you have between 1-3 hour before you can get food and a guesthouse. The only possible advantage of a VIP bus is that you MIGHT get a toilet and the seats are a little more comfy, but it isn't worth the trade off in my eyes.

Anyway, I digress, we arrived in Savannakhet at 5am and because we were so early opted to walk into town to find a guesthouse. The tricky thing of course when you first get into town is you don't really know which direction is which. Luckily, the sun was starting to rise so with lonely planet ‘objects-on-this-map-are-much-further-away-than-they-appear’ in hard we set out on our way. Much to the girls disbelief I was actually able to find the guesthouse we were looking for. This was made more difficult by the total lack of sleep and the fact that none of the streets were labeled so we did overshoot by a couple blocks the first attempt but hey, we had all of the time in the world to get it right. After finally finding a suitable guesthouse - the first was full - we all collapsed for a good little nap. After I woke the dead we set out for the tourist office and the dinosaur museum. Sadly the trek we really wanted to do was closed for the rainy season and the dino museum was one room with some fossils. I suppose if you had never seen real bones before it could be neat, you did get to actually touch a fossil, but on a whole it is skippable. Then came the big decision, to head out later that night for Champasak or in the morning. Much debate was had, but in the end the need for some sleep won out and we jumped on the bus the next morning.

Getting on the local bus I slept like a baby for a good hour. I really can't tell you why I sleep better on 3rd class busses and trains but apparently I do. By the end of the trip though my back was quite sore and patience was worn a little thin by the arms jabbing me from both sides: one from a person on a stool in the isle and the other from a twitchy sleeper to my right. After the bus we then took a tuk tuk to a ferry to take us over the river to Champasak. The first thing we all noticed upon getting off (our party now included two English girls as well) was that no one was waiting for us when get got off the boat. No hawkers, no tuk tuks, no nothing. This must be a laid back town. The one problem with this lovely reprieve was that we didn't actually know where to go now. We of course took out our trusted lonely planet but as it turns out the map in it was wrong. For whatever reason the ferry dock been moved further out of town. The result is when we came to the first guesthouse we thought we were totally lost as it was supposed to be on the other side of town. Luckily better slept minds prevailed and we came to the conclusion that the map must be wrong and plodded bravely onwards towards what we hoped was town. Finally, we wound up getting picked up by a guesthouse owner on a motor bike and stayed there to chill by the river. The major draw to Champasak is wat phou and we rented bikes the net day to head out to it. It is very much worth the stop. Basically it is a smaller barely touristed Angkor Wat. Perhaps it isn't as nice, I haven't been to Angkor yet but it is breathtaking in its own ways and I'd recommend the trip.

Sadly after visiting the Wat our party had to split ways. The English girls just wanted to dip their toes on a closer island and the Canadians wanted to head off to Vietnam so that was the end of our journeying together. After a quick goodbye I tore off on the bike on my way to try and catch a bus which would hopefully allow me to catch one of the last ferries to Don Det. After a speedy bike ride, a very kind lift from the guesthouse owner to the river, ferry ride, a motor bike taxi back to the road, I was able to catch a Sawngthaw (a bigger tuk tuk) stuffed full of 26 other people which took me to the ferry allowing me to get to where I am now.

Now I've come full circle back to me sitting in a hammock chilling out for a few days. I've got some more to say but I'll save the heartbroken Norwegian for later, it's breakfast time.

Heading South

2008-06-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

After four days in Vang Vieng it was time to move onwards. I can defiantly see how people could get waylaid there for weeks though. In a lot of ways it is just a continual frat party although much more laid back and lao style than the south of Thailand. The main thing to do in the town is tubing down the river. Basically you get taken upstream and then float down past bars sporting all kinds of activities from giant swings and slides to volleyball nets. Even for someone not interested in the free shots of lao whiskey and other beverages I’d recommend it. It is a 40 minute ride down the river past some stunning scenery. There is very little actual Lao in this town though and one has to wonder how the locals feel about the constant stream of drunken college students flowing through the streets after curfew (everything in Laos needs to be closed by midnight).

As fun as tubing was I did need a little more out of the town and made it down to play volleyball and a variant of lawn bowling with the locals. I also rented a mountain bike to get out to some of the caves and local villages. Lonely Planet provided a very rough map which said the trip was about 43km but I think mine was closer to 50km as I wound up taking a couple of detours. I am hesitant to say I was lost because I didn’t know where I was going in the first place. It was great fun to be out on the roads as the only falang. Tons of little kids would come up and give me high fives as I went around. It was lucky that I did my little adventure on a mountain bike though because I had to wade through several streams carrying it over my shoulders to complete my journey.

Yesterday I decided to leave Vang Vieng but I opted for a little more style than the bus. Kayaking is clearly way more fun! We took a bus for a couple hours, then kayaked for about 4 hours then finished it off with another 2 hour tuk tuk ride. The rapids weren’t too crazy but we had a great group of people who formed raiding parties to knock each other in instead. I did actually get turfed during one set of rapids but overall they were pretty small. The only downside to this adventure was the tuk tuk ride to Vientiane. At one point there were 18 people crammed into the truck as the driver decided to pick up locals despite the fact the customers who paid for the ride couldn’t even all fit. The net result was people hanging off the back and at one point a crazy American got fed up and went on the roof. There was also a very sad incident were the driver ran over a dog. Luckily karma came to the rescue and the driver got fined by the police for having too many people in his car.
Today I think I’m just going to do another walking tour of the city and then I’m going to blast south which might put me out of contact for a while. I’m not sure if they have ATMs let alone internet down there.

The rain in Laos falls main on the plain... of jars

2008-06-07T02:59:00.000-07:00

I am now kicking it in Vang Vieng: the fabled backpacker watering hole midway between Luang Prabang and Vientaine. At this point I’ve pretty much decided to scrap going to Vietnam and spend an extra week and a half in Laos, I’m just loving to too much to leave.

After leaving Luang Prabang I made a quick two night stopover in Phonsavan to see the plain of the jars. The road between these two towns is cut right along the mountainside and goes from the Mekong base up to about 1200m (where apparently in the winter it actually gets down to zero). I swear the bus driver along the way was playing a very unsuccessful game of operation as he honked around every corner to warm of our passage. The views however were great and most of the 8 hours was taken up by me just looking out the window.

The town of Phonsavan, which is spelt differently every which way you look, was quiet small and basically geared to bring in travelers: show them the jars and some bomb craters and then stick them back on a bus. The people were still on a whole extremely nice and welcoming though. Basically everyone I’ve meet from Laos is kind and has a smile, that of course could be because I look like an ATM machine to them but I’d prefer not to be that cynical, it does actually seem genuine. After out tour I was playing soccer with some of the local kids and the owner of the guesthouse brought me over to have some shots of rice whiskey with him and our guide and driver from the day to celebrate our new friendship. It was quite amusing to hear him talk about all of the foreigners and the ones he liked and didn’t. After about 3 hours and around 15 shots later the owner and guide had to retire for the night after attempting to drink me under the table. I on the other hand set out with the girls to search for some more food. Good times had by all!

Perhaps a little history lesson is needed in describing the plain of jars. The jars themselves are scattered across several plains around the area. The site I visited was one of the larger clusters and had about 250 of them I believe. What they are is large jars made out of stone ranging from quite small to 3.5 meters in width and a couple tons in weight. As for why the jars are, no one really knows for sure although the Laotians joke that their ancestors used them to make large vats of rice whiskey. We were actually supposed to go see another two sites but it was raining too hard and our minivan couldn’t make it up the mud road. It actually blew out a tire attempting to do so. Instead we went to several bomb craters and a local village. The other major history behind the area has to do with the bomb craters. Laos, as it turns out, is the most bombed country in history and much of it occurred around the plain of jars as it was a major supply route during the Vietnam war. Official figures say that the US dropped 2 093 100 tons of bombs on 580 944 sorties or, 2 million dollars worth of bombs a day for 9 years. Many of these bombs didn’t explode on impact so many people still die each year s they unearth live bombs. This war was fought in secret by the CIA and the Vietnamese with Laos just stuck in the middle. One upside is the local villages have adapted to their surroundings using pieces of the bombs to hold out their houses and gardens. The downside being that some f the bombs they try and use explode, and I’m not actually sure what they bombs are made out of but it probably isn’t the best thing to be handling in general. Needless to say I didn’t wander far off the beaten track in this area.

On a lighter note, one of the British girls made an astute and rather cynical comment about nothing on our travels ever being quiet. There’s the hum of the bus or boat motor, the sounds of frogs, crickets, roosters, and geckos, and if you are really lucky only the sound of the fan or AC. It’s a bit strange to think about as you’d think a smaller town would be less noise but it actually seems to have more. It’s weird what a city drowns out, or maybe it’s just the sounds we are used to filtering.

That’s all for now, it’s time to find some dinner. I’m sure I’ll run into everyone I know in this town again. It’s always fun to see the bastardized family gets created as the travels wear on, complete, of course, with sibling spats.

Chilling French Colonial Style

2008-06-03T21:08:00.000-07:00

It's now day four in Luang Prabang. Originally I had been planning on heading out to Phonsavan today but I decided to chill with Emma and Maria for an extra day as they wait for their Vietnam Visas so we can all go up together. It's actually kind of funny; most people from my slow boat seem to still be in town. Perhaps it simply takes a full 3 days before anyone wants to sit on transit again, but the town also does also have a great vibe. The French Colonial roots seem to have infused it with a relaxed culture that includes some very taste non-asian foods. My only dislike as I expressed before is that you do pay for that vibe in dollars. I figure that so far Laos has been two to four times more expensive than northern Thailand with less infrastructure. Even this isn't a breaking point, but it does irk me a little to be paying four times as much to get to see their temples which thus far have not been as nice. I guess clearly people pay for it, so good on the Laos people for getting that price, but something still feels wrong about it.

On that wave length, I've found that one thing us Frang / Flang love to argue about is cultural respect. There are clearly some people who have done some research on the subject and other who show up to a temple in super short shorts and a bikini top which is a little more clear cut on the rudeness scale, but many other things are simply a big grey void. Because of this foreigners seem to want to try and one up each other to prove they are the most respectful traveler. One of my favorite examples was a couple of comments on foreigners taking slightly silly pictures in and around temples or next to monuments. The argument seems to be that you wouldn't do it in a church in Europe so why do it here? Personally I think I'm actually more likely to do something like that in Europe as I have a bit better understanding of the culture and don't take it all that seriously. The 'far east' however still seems to have a small cloud of oriental mysticism attached to it. The question is, I think, should it? I'm not really so sure. Clearly I'm not going to go out of my way to offend anyone, and yet as I say that I think I'd make a Christian joke without a second thought. Yesterday as I was walking through one of the temples I ran into a monk talking on a cell phone who was proudly displaying a sponge bob square pants towel outside his house. For 30 seconds I thought to myself, a monk on a cellphone, that doesn't seem right. Then common sense kicked in and said monks of course are people as well, and everything, including the mystic eastern religions evolve over time. I can't help but think that we are almost taking other religions more serious than the people that are actually practicing them. It's like we are hoping to create this frozen-in-time anthropological other that we see as true enlightenment that for some reason we cannot find in our own modern culture. It is our safety net if capitalism doesn't work. Overall it is just a silly thought, but one that many people seem to have. That being said, I'm still not going to go give Buddha a noogie.

Totally changing gears, yesterday was a nice chilled walking tour of some of the local temples. It was neat to talk to some monks and eat some great food from places alongside the river. I think it's safe to say that the rainy season is in full swing though as it's rained every day I've been here. I suppose being from Vancouver is actually an advantage here as I'm used to it. At least the rain here happens at 26C.

On a sad note I've noticed that here seems to be more beggars and small children selling stuff on the streets. I have yet to buy anything, and odds are I won't, but you do hope that the ones trying to sell stuff are too young to be in school. I did happen to have my Frisbee on me the other day though so instead of buying something I played with some of the boys for about 30 minutes. I keep hoping I'm going to stumble across a soccer game as well that I can join into. It was great to see the kids having fun, of course once it was over the went right back to trying to sell me something again which breaks your heart.

Another sad side note, and thankfully not about me, one of the couple's I had been traveling with had their wallet stolen yesterday. We had just been talking about how so far it had seemed pretty safe and it makes you want to let your guard down, and then later that day something gets stolen. On the upside, which is how they are both trying to look at it, it was only money and credit cards that they lost so they still have their passport and camera. It was kind of their own fault as Chris left his wallet on a table in plain view, but you always like to think people are better than that. Morgan for example got really lucky in Bangkok when he accidentally left his backpack in a store. I've also noticed here that vendors like to try and short change you when you pay. I've had it happen to me four times now and I've got my full change each time but you have to get into this argument about how much you actually gave them and it is just no fun. Overall though everyone has been very friendly and these have been quite isolated experiences.

Alright, this is getting far to long so I'll finish up on a positive note. It's raining again which makes me think of home. Not that I am anywhere near ready to come home or really miss it - in fact if anyone wants to send me money so I can stay longer I'll gleefully accept it - but it does bring a smile to my face. :)

It's laos time

2008-06-02T04:24:00.000-07:00

Hello from Laos! After a very long slow journey I am now happily sitting in an internet café in Luang Prabang. It was a rather unique experience to get here. Actually, I suppose it wasn’t that unique at all as most people who come into Laos via Chang Mai come this way, but I didn’t want to say interesting again. The mini bus ride from Chang Mai to Chang Klong took about 7 hours. The minivan was supposed to be air conditioned, and well I suppose the air was conditioned, it just wasn’t conditioned cold. It actually wasn’t that bad though as I was sitting at a window and with all of the windows open it was actually quite pleasant. I couldn’t help but to think back to family trips when I was little and 5 of us were all pilled into the 5 person sunbird. I seem to recall my dad joking at the time that the car had AC, you just had to roll down the windows. Well, it was a very similar experience again although with a little less sibling squabbling.

The border crossing itself was pretty painless. The one thing I found odd was that a Canadian visa for Laos was $43 US (42 during the week) making it the most expensive visas out of all of the countries. I’m really not sure why this is as we didn’t try and blow the country back to the Stone Age… Someone told me that it is expensive to get a Canadian visa so other countries are getting us back, but being that I will never have to pay for a Canadian visa that’s a little difficult to confirm at this point in time.

The slow boat itself was boat very nice and very trying. The first day was about 7 hours long most of the time spent sitting on a wooden bench, and the following day was another 7 hours on an even more cramped boat before we finally got to our destination. One of the disadvantages to the slow boat is that you have to spend a night in a super sketchy town that the power goes out in at 11pm. I’ll just say I slept with one eye open and was a little more tired and cranky the next day on the boat. Luckily I met more friendly Canadians and we passed a good chunk of the time playing cards, including of course Euchre. We did however get reprimanded by an older New Zealand women and a younger Auzzie couple for having too much fun. I guess we got a little too into our cards (we also partook in some guitar playing and singing the day before) and they had simply had enough and told us. What really got me about the situation wasn’t so much that we were bothering them but the way in which they informed us about it. Had they said they were trying to sleep could we please try and be quieter things would have been fine. I know everyone was tired and worn out from the long journey and we were probably a bit noisy. Instead however, we were basically told to shut-up followed by some whispering amongst themselves as to how poorly Canadian’s behave. Oh well, you can’t please everyone I suppose.

The city of Luang Prabang is a really neat little place, the entire town has been classified a world heritage site. It is a weird cross of old French architecture and newer Laotian. The food also has a very French influence and they even have some decent wine, bread, and cheese! Ok, not quite as much good cheese as I had hoped for but I’ll take some good cheese over none at all. The only downside to this town is it does seem to know what sort of tourist destination it is. Almost every item you could buy or place you could stay at is a uniformed price across town. Prices are also a little over inflated, although not as bad as the south of Thailand, so being here on a shoestring is a bit tricky. Still, I think I’ll wind up spending at least 3 nights here before heading up to the plane of jars with a group of people.

As for today itself we (my fellow countrymen and I) decided to head out of the Kuang Si Waterfall. I wish the internet here was fast enough for me to upload some of the pictures because it was stunning. This time we actually got to swim around in the pools at the base of the waterfall and in behind and then hike up the top and look out over the falls and into the valley. An overall great way to spend the afternoon!

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I think it’s time to venture out back into the thunderstorm that has just started in search of some dinner.

Scooters and Self Guided Treks

2008-05-29T03:04:00.000-07:00

Where to begin... Well, I think my last two days in Chang Mai have been the best on the trip so far. I know I keep saying everything is amazing and incredible and everyone is probably thinking that I need to get a good thesaurus but at least allow me to explain before you jump down my throat. The last two days the pan-american trio, myself and Sam and Megan, rent 115cc scooters to travel around with. Megan actually opted out of the scooter today, but for the sake of simplicity in the previous sentence I'll leave it as is. I'm sure most people are thinking, Chris, do you even know how to ride a scooter, and don't they drive on the wrong side of the road there? Well, I've had limited previous experience with a scooter, and yes, they do. After being here this long though I've gotten pretty used to the other side of the road thing and as for the scooter bit, well I've done a ton of mountain biking so really it's just a matter of understanding the balance thing. Basically I figure after the first 20 minutes you are golden. Sadly the first 20 minutes are often in the city, but we were in a pretty quiet area of town so those we took it easy to start with. I had no problems whatsoever driving the scooter. Megan on the other hand managed to run into Sam right in front of the rent place with the first rev of her engine which did make the day seem a bit ominous at first. Let me back track a bit though, the main reason we actually decided to rent the scooters is because they came with insurance and even if you totaled the thing you only had to pay 1500 baht. As clearly I am currently writing this I did no damage whatsoever to it or myself and had a wonderful time that could not have been experienced otherwise.

Yesterday Sam had printed off a badly made google map of a round trip route up into the mountains, past an interesting cave, and then back to Chang Mai. I don't actually no how long it was or what it was called but we estimate it was about 250km in total. Setting off at about 10am we left the city and basically had the road to ourselves for the next 8 hours. The scenery was breathtaking and getting to rip around on what was basically a mountain bike that you didn't have to peddle through twisty mountain roads was a great. The cave that we came across was also really cool. It was probably around 2km of tunnels underground with lots of bats and other cool 'cavey' things. There was even some neat Buddha's carved out of the rocks. Sadly, for everyone else maybe, I didn't get to take many pictures as we were pretty much going full tilt the whole day to make sure we made it back before sunset: none of us really wanted to be riding at night. We did have to ride through a bit of a down pour which was interesting but surprisingly manageable.

Today Sam and I jumped back on the bikes and powered up to Doi Suthep and Doi Suthep-Pui National Park. These were some more twisty roads to head up and once again almost worth the ride on its own. Doi Suthep was a neat Wat up on top of the hill, but after having already seen so many it was nothing really special. Some people I've been told like the fact you can take a cable car up instead of the steps, but really its only about 500m so why bother. Had we taking a taxi up it probably would have been disappointing as the views were obscured by the fact we were in a cloud, but with the scooters we could stop wherever we felt like and managed to find some good pictures. It was nice to get some pictures of the country side today after not really getting a chance to yesterday. I've actually been a bit surprised by the typography of the area. It looks like Vietnam is supposed to in my mind. As for the national park, I found it far more interesting than the Wat. Aside from the fact that it cost a foreigner fee of 200 baht to get in and the trails were poorly marked, when you found where to go it was always worth the while. We basically followed waterfall after waterfall up the side of the mountain about 2km straight up. On the way down we also came across this neat and rather large spider. You'll have to excuse the slightly blurry picture as I didn't really want to get to close to it.

So maybe now you can believe why these have been the best couple of days thus far. Beaches are nice but I'd rather be trekking and both days (minus the trip to the Wat) we were basically the only people on the road or even in the general area. It was great to feel like we were getting to see the stuff that we wanted to at our own pace. Did we possibly miss out on some stuff, maybe, but somehow it feels more fulfilling not being on a tour.

One other amusing thing happened last night over some drinks. A self proclaimed hippy Buddhist American girl got into a heated argument with an Irish guy over the political state of Venezuela and Chavez. The Irish guy had actually lived there for a couple years and the girl had not. They of course were essentially arguing the same point but the American girl kept cutting the Irish guy off and telling him he was wrong because of what she had read.

Added amusement for me came from the fact that I'm pretty sure I've read everything the girl had read and I wouldn't go telling someone who had actually lived there they were wrong based on a book.
Tomorrow afternoon I'm off to Laos so I'm not entirely sure when I'll be blogging next. I expect it will still be in 2-3 days but one can't be entirely sure

Wats and wats of Wats and Wats

2008-05-27T04:25:00.001-07:00

It feels like ages since I've last blogged as so much has happened! The reality of course is that it has only been a couple days but when you go from Kanchanaburi to Bangkok to Chang Mai all in the course of a day time sort of skews. That is the end of the story though so let me start at the beginning.

After a night with some new found friends, more 4 more Canadians of course, we all split up for another day of adventures. Cory and Anthony went on a tour that took them atop elephants, down bamboo rafts, into a village, up to some waterfalls, along hellfire pass, and then over the bridge. Morgan and Mike did more or less what I had the day before, and I decided to just do hellfire pass. The trek did seem interesting but I just didn't feel like it was going to give me enough time to wander around the pass which is what I really wanted to do. It also meant that I was going to have to get up 2 hours earlier which I wasn't so keen given my late night. Instead, after breakfast I set out to locate the public bus depot and then jumped on what I was hoping was a bus that would take me to hellfire pass. The disadvantage to not going on a tour is you are never exactly sure where you are going to get dropped off and then how far the walk is going to be afterwards, but really that's all part of the fun. I was also the only non-thai on the bus which was kind of neat. The bus ride took around 2 hours as it was 80km out of town. This left me with less time than I would have liked to explore but I still got a decent amount. Perhaps I should explain what hellfire pass is. Hellfire pass was part of the death-railway line along with the bridge over the River Kawi. The pass itself was a horrific section of track (the section in the museum / park is 4km long) where the POWs were forced to chisel the railway bed out of stone using tools akin to that of cavemen. Large amounts of them of course died. What is left is just the railway bed which you can walk down and to witness their work. At 4km the walk doesn't seem that daunting but given that it is not a circle you have to walk 4km back as well and there is the heat which was probably at least 34 degrees. All told I walked about 6km of the pass (there and back) and then made it back to the road with just enough time to jump on one of the last buses back to town with my shirt turned see through with sweat.

Later that night me and the boys then met up with our kindred countrymen and headed out to one of the night markets. I picked myself up another cell phone (this one used and cheaper) and we also made our first foray into eating insects. As the pictures will prove I tried some form of worm and then either a cricket or a grasshopper. I would have been up for the giant cockroach but I couldn't convince anyone else to try it with me as they thought it would be too juicy inside. I wasn't the biggest fan of the cricket as it didn't have that much taste but the worms or maggots were actually quite yummy. For those interested they tasted like roasted pumpkin seeds and I ate probably15-20 of them.

The next morning I awoke to find out that all of the guys had decided to take a thai cooking class. I didn't want to do this because I needed to be back in Bangkok earlier to catch a bus. The night before we had talked about it and I decided that I wanted to head north up to Chang Mai and then into Laos and the rest of the guys (minus Cory who is leaving in a day or two) wanted to do Cambodia first. The reason for the difference of opinion is that I really want to have time to spend in Laos and as such am willing to skip Vietnam. They don't want to miss Vietnam so we went our separate ways. It's a little sad as we had all grown used to traveling together but it did make the most sense. There is a chance we might meet up again at some point but at the moment I have my doubts. What this means for people reading my blog for updates on everyone is that I'll no longer be able to tell you of their adventures as well. You are of course more than welcome to keep reading, but you'll have to convince them to start writing e-mails :)

The result of this sadly was we didn't actually get to meet up in Bangkok to say goodbye and good luck. The boys had though they could be back in the city by 6pm but I needed to be out at the bus station by 7:30 so when they hadn't made it by 6:30 I had to take off. Also, Cory if you are reading this I'm sorry that I inadvertently stole your Lonely Planet. I had borrowed it a couple days ago and had always planned on returning it I just never really saw you again! I'll keep it though and give it back to you at a later date if you like. One amusing thing about missing the boys on Koh San Road in Bangkok was that I ran into pretty much everyone else I had met on the trip. The group of Canadians we had be partying with at the full moon were there (Grant, Katie, and Krista), the other Canadians from Kanchanaburi were there (although this was less of a fluke as we were supposed to meet at 5pm I just happened to run into them earlier), one of the German guys from our Villa stay was there, I got to see everyone except the people I'd been traveling with for almost four weeks. Figure that one out.

Anyway, I then jumped the night bus to Chang Mai and got into the city around 6am. This is a bit of a tricky time as nothing is actually open. The bus ride itself was pretty uneventful as I managed to sleep through most of it but I will offer one piece of advice for anyone riding air conditioned buses overnight. Bring warmer clothing! They gave me a blanket / towel to cover myself with as a sheet but as it was meant for thai people it was a little short. By the end of the night I was absolutely frozen solid. I suppose that might have been good after all of the sun but I won't be happy if I wind up with a cold.

As for Chang Mai itself what I did for 5 hours this afternoon was go on a walking tour of probably 15 Wats. After running into 2 Brits that we had met on Railay beach at the beginning of our trip I befriended yet another Canadian and we set out to explore the city on foot. After about 20 minutes we were joined by the 2nd American I've met on the trip and our trio explored the city for the rest of the afternoon. The Wats here were interesting because many of them were in a more dilapidated state which is the first of this kind I've seen. All and all it was another good day full of tons of walking and likely too much sun. I think I'm going to try and take it easy tonight and maybe see if I can find a movie theatre to watch the Indiana Jones movie.

Here is a little fun rap I've come up with. I can't take credit for the original idea, that was Mike and Anthony, but here's my version of it. Warning, some coarse language is used. Not suitable for anyone over 14.

The Bangkok Rap
Fuck you I won't ride in your tuk tuk,
Hassle me and you're out of luck luck,

I know you're just tryna make a buck buck,
But fuck you I won't get in that tuk tuk.
I don't want no suit please,
Don't care if you're on your knees,
Don't try and shoot the breeze,
I don't want you suit please.
Don't need no ping pong show,

Oiled up andlubed hell no,
objects flying, crowds, don't go,
Don't want no ping pong show.
So fuck you I won't ride in your tuk tuk,
Armi, Gucci, not my buck buck,

Ping pong shows are the suck suck,
Fuck you I won't get in a tuk tuk.
I think that's all I've got. As you can see it's been a busy last couple daze!

The vacation is over, it's time for the trip to start

2008-05-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

I think that I don’t sleep well in transit because I don’t want to miss out on the any of the experience. So much of life’s importance for me comes out of the journey that often the destination is an afterthought. The natural result of this is a general lack of sleep when there is anything else that could be done, which more often than not is always.

As I currently write this I am sitting on a sleeper car on a train from Surat Thani to Bangkok. The current time is 2:41am and the temperature in my bunk is 28C. Our train left around 5pm and will arrive (assuming it’s on time) in Bangkok at 5:15am. My total sleep thus far has been maybe an hour. That’s enough with the stats.

This is the first time I will be writing a blog out by hand first. It is a somewhat different experience and one I think that I will try to do more often as I like the subtle difference in the way I think.

Being on a train now it almost feels like my trip has finally started. This may seem like an odd concept three weeks into the adventure but for some reason knowing that at the end of the day you are still staying on a beach changes the general feel of the trip. It makes you feel lazier, and although I’ll be the first person to admit it was needed, I can only be lazy for so long before I start to go crazy.

It’s interesting how your perspective of normal changes depending on where you are. Along with this of courses is what you consider ‘safe’. We had a rather amusing taxi ride the other day for example. I think because we were from a country that drives on the right side of the road he wanted to make us feel at home thus did the same. If something like that happened in Canada we would have all been scared witless. Riding on a dirt road in the back of a covered pickup truck? Yeah right! In Thailand though this is simply how you get around. There really isn’t another choice. There are of course people that take this idea to the extreme and ride around on scooters without a helmet while passing the taxi on blind corners. While I firmly believe that if you didn’t take any risks you’d never get out of bed in the morning, that’s a level of crazy that just seems suicidal.

One of the challenges of this trip thus far has been trying to negotiate the best trip for everyone. I for example didn’t mind sleeping on the saw dust mattress sans sheet in Ko Tao: the other boy’s objective with varying degrees of dislike. The debate of trains, planes, or automobiles also continues to come up, and I’m sure will continue to for the rest of the trip. It naturally leads to some tension but also has the advantage of forcing each of us to have a slightly different trip than we’d expected at the onset and I think that will make it better in the end. That doesn’t mean however that we aren’t going to split up for a while along the way.

Adding more to the story as I am now in Kanchanaburi I stayed at a different guest house last night. I’ve got no problem sleeping with just a fan (most of the time I find the air conditioning to cold actually) and 70 baht a night seemed like a way better deal than 300. We’ll see how far this goes but I’ve never been one who is afraid to go off on my own. Along the same lines, when we are traveling together on say a bus or ferry boat I like to sit with people I don’t know. My take on the situation is the people you meet along the way become the scope through which your trip is shaped so why not make it as broad as possible.

I’m going to finish off my pre-written section with what I had originally written on the train and then continue with where we are now so don’t mind the discontinuity of the next little bit. “I am actually starting to get sleepy now so I’ll finish. My final though will simple be to call attention to the fact that the boys are actually also reading the blogs as I write them. So, just for a fun little meta-mindfuck, ‘Hey guys, how’s the trip?”

For those of you wondering we opted to go up to Kanchanaburi before we head on to Angkor Wat. It just seemed like a place we would kick ourselves for not going to if we skipped it. It also allowed for us to hang out with Cory for a couple of more days.

After arriving in Bangkok we jumped in a taxi and took off to a different train station to catch another train up to Kanchanaburi. This time around we were on a 3rd class train which was, well quite 3rd class. They somewhat reminded me of cattle cars except with hard wooden seats. Oddly enough we all probably managed an hour nap on the train which is about what we had on the sleeper car so the trip wasn’t that bad. It was actually also really nice to see the country side.

Once we arrived in Kanchanaburi we decided to split up. The guys went to the tiger sanctuary to pet the beats but it just didn’t seem right to me. I’ve seen tigers before so it wasn’t something I had to do, and getting to pet a doped up tiger just so I can take a picture just seems wrong. I mean it’s cool, but I just couldn’t do it. Instead I checked out a couple of the museums in town. For those of you that don’t know Kanchanaburi is the home of the Bridge over the River Kawi. This is a famous train line that was made during the Second World War by Allied POWs to connect Burma to Thailand. If I remember correctly something like 100 000 POWs died during its construction. The museum about the bridge construction was quite well done and the actual war museum is skipable but it was still good to see. I of course also had to walk over the bridge but it was nothing special other than to say I’ve done it and seen the bridge. It’s more of the same today I think.

The last of the thai islands

2008-05-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

If it is actually Friday like I’ve been told that means we are officially 3 weeks into the trip and it’s time to get our lazy butts of the islands and start actually traveling around. Tonight is the last night in our villa and then we are on a boat then train tomorrow as we quickly skip through Bangkok into before heading off to Cambodia. The islands have been a great experience but it does feel like it’s time to leave. I can only laze around on a beach for so long before I start to go a little crazy. We actually didn’t do all of that much lazing around, but you get the general idea.

I am happy to report that we all survived the full moon party. The old adage holds true, play hard, party smart, and aside from me having my cell phone pick pocketed the night went off without a hitch. It was one crazy experience though. As we approached the beach via longtail at night I could have sworn we had entered into Apocalypse Now when the guys were heading up the river. You could hear the music from way out in the water and the beach was just packed with people (and we were arriving at 8pm).

I’ve been told during the off season full moon parties attract around 10 000 people and that number seems about right. There was fire twirling, any kind of dance music you could ever want and drinks galore. The major drink at the party though is something called a bucket. This is basically a small children’s plastic pail that you buy that comes with ice, a Mickey of whatever alcohol you want, some red bull, and a can of pop. Needless to say it doesn’t take much of that mix to get you going for the night so on a whole the night actually was surprisingly cheap. I will say that there is a major downside to buckets though and that’s that they are difficult to dance with. Because of the amount of alcohol in them they aren’t exactly something you want to drink fast so you have this bucket in your hand for a long time which makes dancing difficult. Still, they are the way to experience the party. We got there at 8pm as I mentioned and I arrived back at our villa at 2pm the next day. I did have a bit of a side adventure that led me to the other side of the island with some friends which is where I wound up sleeping but I did still see the sun come up before a couple hours of sleep. All and all just a really fun night.

Another major highlight of this trip was the boat tour we went on today. After several points of hurry up and wait in the morning we finally boarded the speed boat and took off for Ao Phang Nga National Marine Park. Once there we got to go snorkeling, which wasn’t great, but the rest of the day more than made up for it. After lunch on a great beach we got to hike around an emerald salt water lake and then go kayaking to round out the day. Seeing all of the rock formations around the marine park was amazing and getting to get right up close in a kayak was pretty incredible. It also meant we got to race around in kayaks which is always just a fun time. I will say though I seemed to do more of the paddling than Mike who decided to be nature photographer on the trip. He even had my camera: I’m really not sure how that deal got worked out. I guess he did get some nice photos though, and managed to not drop my camera in the water which is always an added bonus.

There's a full moon on the rise

2008-05-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

It’s official: we are now actually divers. Despite the best efforts of several fish to distract us we managed to complete all of the requirements for our open water dive course. Diving was an overall strange and surreal experience and although it was very cool to do until my 3rd dive I wasn’t sure how much I actually enjoyed it. It’s not that the experience wasn’t great, it was just something I wasn’t sure if I would ever do again. Some sports, like snowboarding for example, as soon as I jumped on the board I was hooked and had to do more of it. Diving, I think because it is so slow and laid back really didn’t grab me the same way. The our 3rd open water dive though we got to go down to 18m deep and the world was so different and majestic that it is something I am going to have to do again. Perhaps it was fueled by the fact that there was a whale shark in the area – not that we got to see it – but it was the first time I was actually a bit nervous to get in the water. As we descended down my fears went away and a new world opened up. We were swimming though lots of large colourful fish and at one point we were so close to a huge school of them you could have sworn it was raining fish. That was also the first time my mind and body really just slowed down and enjoyed just floating along at a super slow pace and just breathing. It was quite meditative. I am not sure how well I would fair in the cold waters back home, but I think I’ll at least give it a shot.

Sadly however we had to leave Ko Tao as we made our way over to Ko Phangan. I know the other boys were very happy to be out of the fan room that was probably 38 degrees at night with no sheets on the bed and mattresses that felt like they were made of sawdust but it actually didn’t bother me that much. Still, we all knew Ko Phangan would be the best accommodation we will have all trip as we booked a villa for 5 nights here and it did not disappoint. Our villa here is incredible. Not only did we get it at a steal of a price but it is spacious, the beds are huge and comfy, the entire place is air conditioned, and we have our own private pool. The one, possible downside is we aren’t right on the beach, you have to walk up a hill about 5 minutes to get to it, but it is almost more interesting to be almost in the middle of the jungle for a change. The only thing I’m not sure about now is how we are going to manage after this when we go back to the fan rooms with no AC for $2 a night. I think we’ll make out ok though. Or at least I will; Mike and Morgan might have something else to say.

I can also happily say we have had nothing but sun for the last 3 days and it’s been great. Aside from Morgan starting to resemble a bit of a cooked lobster the rest of us haven’t been burned too badly yet. Who ever invented sun screen was a brilliant person. Yesterday we pretty much just chilled on the beach all day and swam around in the water. Tonight is going to be quite a bit livelier and perhaps an eye opening experience as we head over to another beach for the full moon party. Let’s just say we couldn’t have come to Thailand without at least checking it out for if no other reason than car crash appeal but I think it’s going to be a ton of fun. I mean how can you go wrong dancing to cheesy trace till 6am on a beach with 10 000 other people. Actually it is pretty easy to go wrong but I don’t think any of us are looking for that sort of full moon experience.

Fish Food

2008-05-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

So we are almost now fully certified PADI open water divers. We made it through our written test with flying colours and have done all of contained dives and the first two open water dives today. The overall experience has been a little surreal. I figured it would be scarier to get used to breathing underwater but, at least for me, it wasn’t actually that bad. The hardest thing of the scuba experience has been the fact that I have basically been fish bait the entire time. I have a couple of cuts on my legs and the fish have decided to be good global citizens making sure that the cuts are all good and clean of any dead skin. Although this may be healthy it does sting a little bit when they bite and it’s rather distracting. There really is nothing worse than trying to do emergency procedures underwater while getting nipped by fish. The upside, not necessarily for me but for everyone else, is we got to see a ton of fish as they ate away at me. I think by far my most memorable moment for the whole diving experience happened during the first dive about 5 minutes in. We were sitting on the bottom getting used to actually breathing underwater when a school of 10 brightly coloured orange fish swam right in front of my mask and scared the crap out of me. After that everything has just been gravy.

The one downside to all of this diving has been that although we are on this awesome island we haven’t really had any time to go around and explore it. We’ve started our last couple days at 8am (tomorrow starts at 7) and they’ve been finishing at 5pm leaving us very hungry and ready for early beds. I would love at least a day to actually go around and explore but sadly we need to catch the 3pm ferry out of here tomorrow. Oh well, this is one of the downsides of traveling I suppose sooner or later you just have to move on. It’s a tough life.

We are now officially two weeks into the trip and although it doesn’t feel like time has flown by it also doesn’t feel like it’s been that long; perhaps it has something to do with all of the rain. I will say though today was a full day of sun and it was absolutely wonderful. To actually be sitting on a bar at the beach during sunset was unforgettable.

The country breakdown of people we have run into thus far has been rather amusing. The largest group of people by far has been Canadians (easily over 200 thus far). We have actually even managed to run into 4 people we know from home on this journey. The second major group of people I would say is probably English. This is always interesting for Mike and me as we have determined that we watch more British TV than the Brits we’ve met. After that we’ve had a random smattering of Scandinavians, Irish, and Iranian. My biggest surprise thus far is that we have actually only run into one American and just yesterday. It has also been great because no one has automatically assumed we are American by our accents, they think Canadian first by far. The downside to all of the English though is that I’ve started to accidentally develop a bit of a bad accent from hanging out with so many of them.

That’s all I have for now, nothing really exciting as we have been diving for the last 2 days and haven’t had time for much else. That isn’t to say that diving hasn’t been exciting, today was crazy cool as we went down to 12m deep and swam around for 34 and then 40 minutes respectively, but it is just hard to find words for an experience this new. After a couple days of reflection I might be able to properly frame it.

Time for some diving, screw the weather!

2008-05-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hello from almost sunny Koh Tao. Actually, just as I say that I can see the sun popping out from behind a cloud. Our travel from one side of the southern tip of Thailand to the other was actually remarkably easy. We caught a bus from Krabi to Surat Thani and then jumped a 1.5 hour ferry to Ko Samui where we spent a night. Then we took another ferry from Ko Samui to Ko Tao which is where we are now.

Ko Samui was probably the busiest town we’ve seen since Bangkok. The one main strip on Ko Samui, Haad Chaweng beach, puts Koh San Road to shame: it is way longer with more shops and people. Basically it is what I expected Ko San Road to be. Haad Chaweng also gave us our first dining on the beach experience. Sadly we got into town a bit late so we wound up hiking around with our full backpacks for well over an hour before we could find a place to say. In the end it was a little more than we wanted to pay but our spirits slightly broken after traveling all day and not having eaten made us acquiesce.

The bus ride from Krabi was about 3 and a half hours long, which isn’t that bad at all, except for the small detail that it didn’t have any toilet on it. I know some people are going to start accusing me of stooping purely to bathroom humour sooner or later, but these things are rather important while traveling. It seems that while on a normal bus ride 3 hours isn’t a horrible amount of time to hold your blatted, the bumpy roads jostle things around a bit more. It made the ending of the trip an interesting little dash.

As for the island of Ko Tao itself, it is one of the smaller islands in the area and it is amazing. We are all super stoked to be doing our diving courses here. The beach is great, the bars are right on the beach, it’s pretty quiet, the only downside is that being an island things are a little more expensive but we’ve been making do. Our accommodation on the other hand is defiantly the most spare we’ve had thus far. With the diving course we are taking it’s free so I suppose we can’t complain too much, but the mattresses feel like they are made of sand and lack of sheets on the beds. Still, we wanted to dive here because the instructors are meant to be good, and have English as a first language, so that clearly is the most important thing. We are all reeling a little bit of the moment though as we got in last night and they gave us a big text book and said have the first 3 chapters (178 pages) read by 2pm today. School work, on vacation? Boo! I suppose it does have the advantage of actually teaching you how to dive though.

Another little interesting thing that deserves mention (and I will try and show via pictures if the computer will behave properly) is that Anthony has an odd habit of picking up insects to show the rest of us. It started with a rather large cockroach in Bangkok, moved on to an even larger beetle in Krabi and has made it up to a huge snail in Ko Samui. I’m really not sure what to make of this, but mike slammed the door on Anthony the last time he tried to present one of his finds.

I think that’s all I’ve got for now. It’s time to get ready for our first class room sessions. Hopefully we’ll get some sun soon. Heck I’d take even two hours at this point. Really it’s what I get for wanting some rain in Bangkok.

Back in Krabi

2008-05-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

If piracy is so rampant in Asia, and it does appear to be as you can pick up any movie you want off the street, then why doesn't everyone have MS Word on their computer? At the very least they could have Open Office. Oh well, I suppose everyone is just going to have to be subjected to my horrible spelling for another blog.

We are now back in the sleepy town of Krabi. We decided that since we weren't getting sun and the accommodation was cheaper and food far better that it really just made more sense to return here. This time around our boat ride was a little more interesting. As it had been raining earlier the sea swells were a quite large and the trip took almost twice as long. It never really felt like we were in trouble, but it was an interesting experience to be in swells bigger than our little boat.

Our driver though handled everything with ease and appear calm the entire time.

I don't have a ton of stuff to talk about as I just blogged yesterday and we really just traveled today so I'm going to add a couple observations about the trip so far. Before that though, Anthony, Mike and Morgan did have a neat experience this afternoon. I sadly had to skip out on it as I am still not fully recovered (which made the boat ride additionally interesting for me). The boys went out to the Tiger Temple today and apparently it was one of the craziest things they've seen on the trip. From what I gather there is this temple on top of this mountain that you have to climb up 1300 stairs to get to (600m in height). Once up top there is a cool golden Buddha and some amazing views of the area. I on the other hand took a nap and read some of my book. I am feeling considerable better this evening however, so hopefully I will be back up to speed by tomorrow when we are looking at doing a boat trip to the Phi Phi islands.

One thing in Thailand that none of us have gotten used to yet is the fact that many of the doorways are shorter. I can't even count how many times I have hit my head because I forget to duc k going through a door. What makes it worse is that I always tend to hit my head in the same spot which is just right at the top of my head. It almost feels like I am skinning myself every time I do it. I've been a little better today, but my head still very much smarts from all of its previous encounters with doors.

Another interesting thing, and something I kind of expected having been humid places before but had forgotten about is always feeling wet. It is very weird to never feel dry except if you happen to be i n your air conditioned hotel room. You come out of the water and you are wet, you walk out of the room and you are wet, you are in a hotel without AC (which is cheaper) and you are wet. It does keep your skin nice and soft but I'm not sure that I like the trade off of always feeling damp.

My last note is that one side effect of having to use the washroom as much as I have during the last two days is I'v

e gotten pretty good at using the 'butt-sprayers' that is the main cle aning device here. At first I wasn't sure that I liked this as this too contributes to the feeling of overall dampness but it does have a rather interesting upside. You use far less toilet paper, and as a result you cut down on possible chaffage. This has been a rather pleasant surprise and has made my bathroom experiences much more kind.

Finally some beach!

2008-05-10T04:01:00.000-07:00

Hello from the sandy beaches of southern Thailand. At the moment I am writing you from Railay beach in the Krabi province and let me tell you it is pretty wonderful. The cliffs risings straight out of the sea and the super warm water for swimming makes for a very welcome break from the city. It hasn't been a sun and surf though as it has rained pretty much everyday we have been here. The trend has been sun in the morning till about lunch and then rain for the rest of the day. "Rain" is a bit of an interesting descriptor. There is the more drizzle rain that we are used to out on the west coast and then there are monsoon storms. These are just crazy downpours of water that with the wind has the rain going almost fully horizontal and makes it sting. We've had one or two of these a day. Still, playing in the rain when it's like this is kind of fun. I love swimming in the water in the rain, and of course here the water is actually warmer than the rain so you get the double bonus. Plus the rain storms clear everyone else off the beach which is kind of nice. I wouldn't say it has been super busy, but less people is always better.

Two days ago we were in Krabi town in Krabi. This was a great sleepy little town that had probably the best guest house we had stayed at for the cheapest price. It also had by far the best food. We ate at this one restaurant just by our hotel and it might have been some of the most flavorful food I've ever tasted. It would be a great town if there was more to do but as there isn't really we only stayed the night.

Last night was also interesting as we had our first experience with the drink buckets. You can get different kinds but we went with a whisky, coke and red bull mix. I must say I have never experienced the effects of this drink. There was so much caffeine (or perhaps something else?) in it we were all bouncing off the wall and giddy. Sadly despite lots of fun dancing and what was an overall excellent evening everything it did not end all that well for me. I'm not sure if it was the bucket or if it was the food, but I had my first really good stint of traveler’s diarrhea. I have never before experienced both ends of my body working at the same time for a couple hours. Let’s just say it is an experience that I hope I don't have to repeat later in the trip. I mean clearly I've built up immunity now right? Either way I'll take being sick on beach in Thailand over being sick at home any day. I do think tonight will be an easier night though.

I think that's about all I have to write today. It has been a lovely couple days here thus far but a full day of sun would be nice. Still, being from the wet coast I think we have a bit of an advantage. If it is raining we don't go and hide like most people, we just shrug and do whatever we want to do anyway.

Water and Walking and Wat's oh my

2008-05-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Today is our last day in Bangkok, and I think we are all pretty much ready to leave. Actually scratch that, I know we are all ready to leave, we talked about. We were going to kick up to Kanchanburi to do a little more sightseeing, but after all of the hustle and bustle we decided that a beach was more in order so we are heading south later today. Originally we had hoped to take the train but everything was booked up for the next couple days so we found a plane flight for $58 CDN and are off by 5pm today. Overall I think the Bangkok experience has been mixed. The tourist stuff has been super interesting but the bad air quality and just overall pulsing amount of people just wears on you.

Yesterday we managed to take a boat ride on the river and canals which was a nice different way to see the city. It is pretty amazing how mansions can be right next to slums, and that there are a lot of slums right along the canals. It wasn't anything I wasn't expecting, but it still can be a little tough to see. We also did Jim Thompson's house which was surprisingly good. It was a nice little guided tour around a neo-traditional Thai house with lots of interesting artifacts.

We also experienced our first attempted taxi scam yesterday. I say attempted because after being in the city for 4 days now we are starting to learn our way around so we got out before it got crazy. Basically what happened is that we jumped in the taxi near the grand palace and got on the meter like we always had. The taxi driver then just started driving. After about 20 minutes I started to compare where we were going against the map I had and realized we were basically going the wrong direction. Interestingly though the taxi driver was driving by another site we were going to go to later so we just got him to stop and we went their first instead. I'm sure it would have been an interesting experience to find out exactly where he was going to take us, but we’ll save that experience for next time. I must say though, the free map that you can get at the airport has been extremely useful in bouncing around all over the city. I think we have used it way beyond its expected capacity but hey, whatever works.

Morgan and I also decided to make things a little more interesting last night. Mike and Anthony had turned in to bed and we were sitting around talking and decided that you really can't come to Bangkok without seeing a Ping Pong show. Yes this is perhaps a bit of a bizarre attraction, almost like watching a car crash, but in the end curiosity just got the best of us. So, we did like any white twenty-something tourist on Koh San Road does and jumped in a tuk tuk and said ‘take us to a show’! Eager to please our tuk tuk driver quickly blasted us off into the city taking us further and further away from our happy little comfort area and landmarks we knew. I kept watching streets though just in case we needed to find our way back on our own. I should also mention that before we undertook this endeavor Morgan and I got rid of most of our cash and brought a map just in case. I mean just because you want to be a little bit crazy doesn't mean you have to be stupid. Anyway our tuk tuk driver finally took us to this non-discript complex and told us we had arrived. We were then quickly ushered into the building and greeted by a man all too happy to take our money. $600 baht ($20 CDN) was the quoted price (with a free drink of course). We quickly said no, we didn't want to see it THAT much. We then got a free 1 minute taster of the show. The room was like your typical seedy strip club except it probably had 20 seats and a rather unattractive Thai girl on stage. Ushered back out of the room we were then told that he would give us a deal and $1000 baht for both. We didn't want to pay more than $500 total, he came back with $800 and we said no thanks, 500 was our final offer. We were then told if we didn't like it would could leave, I think he was trying to call our bluff, but being the stubborn people that we are Morgan and I said, ok, fine, and left. We decided then that our one minute experience was enough and set out to walk back. I ball parked the walk at around 1:30am. Our tuk tuk driver came chasing after us at first offer cheaper clubs and more thrills, but we declined and kept walking. It was only later that we realized we hadn't paid him anything. Reverse scam! Score one point for the boys. So then for the next hour and a bit we walked back to our guesthouse. For those of you thinking we must have been very crazy or totally drunk let me assure you we were neither. I never felt unsafe once the entire walk back. It was actually very nice and relaxing to be wandering around the city without all of the hustle and bustle; it actually made me like it more. I certainly wouldn't recommend it for most people but it was one of the nice walks I've had here. It isn't something we are necessarily looking to repeat later in the trip though.

I think that's all for now, time to back to the guest house and pack up in preparation for our plane.
PS - for those of you wondering about the cyclone that hit Myanmar we haven't experienced any effects from that in Bangkok but that's a pretty fair distance away. Things might be different when we head down to Krabi later today as that is on the same coast.

I think we walked 5000 miles...

2008-05-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today is our last full day in Bangkok and I think the plan is to take it a little easier than yesterday. Basically we were on our feet walking around from 9am till 6pm, and my little clock / temp-gage said it was 34C by noon. The reason we were walking around so much was because we wanted to see a good chunk of the Wats that seemed interesting. The Grand Palace / whatever Wat (temple) was attached to it was simply breathtaking. We wandered through the currency museum first and were all kind of like, ok, this is interesting but not nothing we couldn't really see back home at an exhibit, and then we walked into the courtyard for the Wat. I think we probably snapped about 200 pictures each as we walked around. Our cameras couldn't even do it justice as our lenses simply weren't wide enough to give you any real idea of just how incredible it was. It was stuffed full of people but it didn't matter, it for sure is a must see. We also really enjoyed Wat Pho which is a giant Buddha on his side. And when I say giant think a couple hundred feet long and maybe 50 feet high. The rest of the grounds were also great because after the Buddha no one else seemed to be around. Everyone it seemed to go for their one snap shot 'seen-it' picture and then got back on their bus. This meant we could pretty much check out all of the other cool temples and architecture by ourselves and really just take it in. I think we are going to try and stay on the self guided tour as much as possible for this trip.

After we left Wat Pho we got suckered by our first scam. We wanted to jump across the water another Wat but were told that it was closed for a 2 hours for a religious ceremony. Now everyone of us had read that this was almost always a scam but the guy that came and talked to us did so for about 20 minutes talking about culture, and Canada and everything else under the sun. He also claimed to be going to work and was just walking down the street. There is some debate amongst the guys as to whether this is where the scam occurred or what followed, but I feel like we were suckered from the start. The guy brought over a couple of tuk tuks and got us a deal of 10 baht each for a ride to other temples. Now this was way cheaper than we had seen before so it seemed ok. We had been somewhat warned about tuk tuks but it we figured it was something to be experienced once so we jumped on. We were sure right about the experience, the tuk tuks are crazy. For those that don't know tuk tuks are kind of like motorized rickshaws that just fly around the city in and out of traffic. It is like being on a car amusement park ride without the safety regulations. Still, it was super fun to be blasting around the city with the wind in your hair when it is smoking hot. Anyway, we got to the first temple fine and had a great little chat with a local guy (we think this guys was legit) for about half an hour. He tried to teach us a bit of Thai and talked to us about the culture and the city. After that we jumped back on the tuk tuk and they took us to a clothing place where they the tuk tuk drivers get free gas in exchange for bringing customers. Apparently we didn't stay in it long because the driver had to take us to 2 other ones before he finally took us to the second Wat we wanted to see. After this though we had had enough and simple jumped off and paid the drivers the 10 baht each and walked off. So did we really get scammed? Well we figure we got a pretty decent view of the city for 2 hours when it was super hot out and we were tired of walking for about 30 cents each. So at least in that respect it seems we came out on top as the tuk tuk drivers probably spent more than that on gas.

Another random event from yesterday, we ran into someone we knew. Well, it wasn't someone I knew, odd I know, but someone the rest of the guys did. Devon, a friend of Anthony's girlfriend spotted us while we were walking around at the Grand Palace. So once again it's proved that even half way around the world you can't get away from people you know. Maybe we are all just too damn popular.

I think that's about all I've got for today, I think we want to jump out on the river and take in some of the city from that side. I'm going to see if I can upload and youtube some of the videos Anthony has taken with his camera as well as some more pics, so once again I'd say check out the blog at traveldom.blogspot.com

Oh PS - Thai foot massages, so so so good after a full day of walking.

Still haven't slept

2008-05-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hello from muggy Bangkok. The local time is currently 6:42am and I've been up and wandering around the city since about 5:45. They say the best way to learn about a city is to get lost in it. Well I wouldn't exactly call myself lost at the moment, although I'm sure I'll never find this funky internet cafe again, I'm just currently on a street that doesn't exist on the free map provided by the airport. It's just all part of the fun!

Naturally none of us are really sleeping well yet. Both days we have woken up at around 5am, tried to pretend we are sleeping for about half an hour and then started up a conversation. Today I took it a step further and said screw it, I'm leaving the room and going to explore the city before anyone who could want to sell me anything is up.

You may be wondering how I am going to reconnect with the other boys later. Well, I managed to get a cell phone so in theory they can call me. We didn't actually test to see if they worked yet, but I figured it was worth the try. Buying a cell phone was a crazy and overwhelming experience. We went to this huge mall MBK, which is basically metrotown on crack and maybe a shroom or two for good measure. The entire 4th floor of the mall is full of small little vendors wanting to sell you phones. Great you think supply and demand! I'll find a super cheap phone and a super cheap plan and bob is your uncle. Well, first off it is pure information overload. There are so many people and so many sounds it's like being in a casino. We probably walked around for about 30 minutes before we even built up the courage to talk to anyone. Once we did actually talk to someone the situation didn't really get any better. After a few smiles and acknowledgments that I did in fact speak English and they didn’t we were pretty frazzled. Fleeing the floor with our tail between our legs we regrouped and tried again. This time we went for a slightly larger shop and found someone who was very nice and friendly and spoke English and he set everything up. So now, in theory, as again this has not been tested, I have a phone. So if you get a text from a crazy ass number at some point that could be me!

Another interesting experience thus far has been the traffic. Now clearly we had been warned about this before but until you experience it you really don't understand. We have bravely gotten into several taxis now and made it out fine each time although we have yet to try the tuk tuks. What I really want someone to explain to me, preferably in English, is what the rules of the road actually are. I mean I have experience crazy driving before. Montreal, or Mexican public transit come to mind, but here it really seems like you just drive where you fit, regardless of what direction traffic is flowing. For example, we can be on a street that I am sure is a one way coming at us when suddenly two full lanes of traffic coming from the opposite direction come flying by. It is a little unnerving.

Other than the crazy cell phone experience at the mall and the traffic I think the adventure has actually been pretty tame. We are staying Koh San Road which is famous for being crazy but it seems ok. You get accosted all of the time by people selling you stuff but I wouldn't say it has been “eye opening”. Maybe it was just built up so much that it could never live up, but really it’s just one city block long and aside from foreign people actually being in the majority it’s totally fine. I could also seriously get used to the 25 cent beers though. We haven't really been out to go crazy at night that much, or done the ping pong shows etc however, so it is just possible we are sheltering ourselves as we settle in.

On the food and drink note, the food has been great! I think I could get very used to eating Thai all the time. Mind you this is only after 3 days so I could get very sick of it, but the curries and everything else, even the plane food, was been delectable. We even ate at the rather interesting restaurant yesterday called cabbage and condoms. Yes you read that right. They had carvings fully anointed with condoms, maps of the abortion laws from around the world, and a guarantee that their food would not get you pregnant. I believe some of the funds from the place went to a women’s shelter. So there you go, we got fed, Mike and I had some mountain chicken, and helped people out. We are so noble.

I think the plan for today is to do the more touristy, and interesting things, around town. The temples (Wats), grand palace etc. Up to now it really has just been getting used to the weather, trying to sleep (HA!) and picking up the stuff we need for here. Oh we also watched Iron Man in a theatre last night. AWESOME! Both the experience and the film. You do have to remember to stand up in tribute to the king before the film but everyone else around you does so that’s a pretty easy memory jog.

If you check out the blog: traveldom.blogspot.com as well as the e-mails you can see some pictures. I'll try and keep doing both as we go along. Because even though I like to write a lot, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Ta ta for now. I'm off to see if I can relocate the “guesthouse” and the boys.

Arrived Safe and Sound and Narotic

2008-05-04T04:35:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! So after something like 34 hours straight of traveling on basically no sleep I have arrived safely into Bangkok! Truth be told, I don’t think it has actually sunk in yet that I am here. Until I go to sleep, which isn’t for a couple more hours yet if I am to try and pull a crash course in bodily reset functions, my mind is still all a blur. Anthony and I were sitting at a restaurant on Koh San Road eating dinner (it was 4pm local time, 1am PST) and we just kept looking across the table at each other saying, what the heck have we gotten ourselves into. Are we really actually here? I think after sleep and a couple of days the actual craziness of this trip will actually start to set in. Mike and Morgan actually arriving will help as well (they are 12 hours behind us). They got an actual sleep in Seattle where as we got get all of the traveling over with.

I had all of these grandiose ideas of how amazing this first e-mail would be, complete with the necessary slights that finally, after reading everyone else’s travel e-mails for years, I get to write my own and it is you suckers who get to be jealous for a change, but really I am far too tired to be witty. I’m sure some people might argue that calling myself a wit is rather questionable at the best of times, but that is up for debate another day.

Because I can’t really think of much interesting to say I’ll give you a little rundown of the trip thus far. I bussed to Seattle with the 3 boys; this took us from 3-7pm on Friday (PST). We then had dinner and Anthony and I headed to the airport. We then killed a few hours till our plane left at 1am. Our plane then arrived in Taipei at 5am whatever time zone Taipei is on. I believe it is a 16 hour time difference and a day from Vancouver. Then we had a 5 hour layover in which Anthony and I walked the entire course of the airport a couple times, befriended an ex-film producer from seattle (go figure), all while battling to stay awake and sane. Then it was simply a 3 hour flight to Bangkok and an hour cab ride downtown. That ride, while interesting wasn’t nearly as hair raising as I had expected.

So now I am sitting here writing an e-mail waiting for my spot to open up for a thai massage for an hour before we head to the bar for our free drink for checking in before heading to bed around 9pm Bangkok time. Keep in mind it is currently Sunday and I haven’t slept a good sleep since Wednesday night, although there was an attempt at sleep on Thursday night.

Anyway I think this is getting a bit long winded and not all that amusing so I’ll sign off. For those of you reading this on facebook this will be the last time I post on here during my trip. Either e-mail me to get the mass e-mail or check out the running blog at traveldom.blogspot.com

Let the adventures begin!