Almost time to come home...

After leaving Siem Reap, we took a long bus ride to Bangkok. It was like a tale of two opposites, the Cambodian side and the Thailand side. The Cambodian side was horrible. It was in driving rain and an unpaved road that was full of potholes, etc. It literally felt like I was a human bobblehead doll bouncing around for four hours. Not to mention the hour we had to wait while the driver went to fix our flat tire. It's amazing they all didn't go flat. Than we get to the Thai border and it's like a whole different world. Nice minivan coach and well paved road. Smooth sailing on the way to Bangkok.

Than we cleaned up and went out for dinner and some drinks for the last night with the group. The guy was proud to show us that he was the number 5 bar in the world. The bar literally consisted of a wheeled bar with pull up chairs and tables and some blues music. It was good fun with a great group of people.

Today, I just hung around with Dan and Jo, an Aussie couple who was on the tour. We just did some shopping and than had an amazing feast of seafood.

Tomorrow starts early and will be long. My flight leaves at 6am. So, a wakeup call at 3 and off to the airport. My flight goes like this. Bangkok-Tokyo, Tokyo-Detroit, Detroit-Atlanta. At the end of all this, it will be nice to be home.

Looking forward to seeing everybody soon.

Great few days

It has been an eventful and interesting past few days since leaving Phnom Penh. After taking a short flight to Siem Reap, we had an afternoon to explore the city before big days the following two. Siem Reap is a pretty small, basic city with not much to see. Honestly, it is just a good base to see the temples of Angkor. Angkor is a group of temples that served as the center of the Khmer empire. They date back all the way to the 9th century.

Now for Angkor, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor, we got off to an early start getting out at 5am so we could see the sunrise. It was well worth it as we were near Angkor Wat when the sun came up. We got an incredible view and the reflection of Angkor Wat on the water in front of it was sensational. I hope the pictures do it justice. After that, we spent the entire day exploring a number of the most famous temples. They are remarkable and the detail of the work is amazing. It is terribly difficult to explain without seeing pictures. But, it was an amazing day.

This place is still relatively untapped and is growing remarkably fast. Hotels are being built at a rapid rate and I can only imagine what it will look like in 10 years. They are still doing a great deal of restoration work on the temples. That being said, they still estimate that 1.2 million people come to visit Angkor every year. I was extremely excited about this part of the trip. It was the main reason that I chose to come through Cambodia. It didn't disappoint. It was more impressive than I thought it would be.

As for today, we headed out for visits to the floating village and a regular Cambodian village. The floating village is exactly how it sounds. It is a village on the water. Everything is on the water; shops, boats, temples, churches, etc. Very interesting to see people living in this manner. Much different than any of us can imagine. It is pretty unique. Amazing to think that people are living this way in the 21st century.

Tomorrow, we leave Cambodia. I have really enjoyed my time here. The Cambodian or Khmer people are extremely friendly. They have truly been very welcoming and very enjoyable to get to know. Cambodia is a country that has been filled with strife and poverty for many years. And despite all of that, they are very warm people. It is almost scary how non-threatening they are. It is so different to back home. It just puts a different perspective on things. Definitely makes me appreciate a lot more what I have.

We head to Bangkok tomorrow by bus on what is supposed to be a very rocky ride. Than it is just one more day before heading home.

Great Inspiration, Great Tragedy

The last 24 hours have been filled with first a look at something that provided me with great inspiration followed by witnessing something truly horrific. Much worse that any word can describe. I can't tell you how many times in the last day that I have thought about how lucky and fortunate I am.

After leaving Saigon, we went to Chau Doc and had a quiet evening with the highlight being the motorbike ride up a large hill that displayed some great views of the surrounding area. After that, just a quiet night playing some poker before getting on a boat very early the following morning to head to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Surprisingly, Phnom Penh is a very cosmopolitan city situated along the river. The riverfront area is very scenic with many restaurants, etc. The Cambodian people have been extremely friendly. In general, they are very eager to interact, and not because they want to sell you something. It comes across as very genuine. After a day of just walking around town, our group headed out for some drinks for our tour leaders birthday. Matt had mentioned how happy he was to celebrate in Phnom Penh because it was his favorite place in SE Asia. I can understand why. He than brought us for dinner to a place that was purely inspirational.

We went to a restaurant, Veiyo Tonle. It was started by a man Neth, who has dedicated his life to rescuing Cambodian children and giving them hope. He has adopted 26 Cambodian children from bad situations and fed, clothed, and educated them. The restaurant is completely non-profit with all of the money being used to carry out his mission of supporting the children. Some of the older children work at the restaurant. It is amazing to see the big smiles and how grateful they are for what they have. And they still have significantly less than any of us. The average Cambodian earns about $1 per day. Your salary isn't so bad, huh? One girl, 14 years old was rescued by Neth for the sum of $50 just before her parents were about to sell her off for prostitution. Neth started his mission 3 years ago and Matt has been very involved in volunteering to help. These kids are truly a treat to be around. I even went back today to make a donation, eat lunch and recover from what I witnessed earlier in the day.

I would suggest that you take a look at the website for the organization, The New Cambodian Children's Life Association (NCCLA) The web address is www.ncclaorphanage.org. You can even make a donation, a little money goes a long way as they estimate it costs roughly $700 per year for one child.

As for today, a whole different story. Between 1975 and 1979, Cambodia underwent a mass genocide led by their leader Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. During that time, it is estimated that roughly 3 million Cambodians died either by execution, starvation or other diseases. There were only 7 million people in the entire nation. This mass genocide is the reason why over 50% of the population in Cambodia are under 18 years old. First stop was the Tuol Sleng Prison (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuol_Sleng_Genocide_Museum). The Tuol Sleng prison is a converted high school that was used as one of the many prisons during this mass genocide. Prisoners were held here and tortured before being brought to the killing fields for execution. The torture tactics were used to gather information to round up other people. Mostly, they were looking for educated people. It was horribly disturbing to witness. After that, we went to the Killing Fields where the people were executed. There was one building that had the skulls from people that were executed. I was speechless and stunned.

Our tour guide was fantastic and had personal experience from the period. He lost family members, including his brother. He was also from the same hometown as Pol Pot. He was born during the regime. What a different way to grow up.

Overall, my experience in Cambodia has been fantastic. The tour leader and the group have been great. I have truly enjoyed my experience. Did I mention the kids at the restaurant/orphanage?

Tomorrow, we leave early for a short flight to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, where we will spend a few days. I am truly excited about this as I was most excited about this part of the trip.

Bye for now. Hope all is well back home.

Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc

Yesterday, I went to the Cu Chi tunnels. They are an expansive tunnel system that was used during the Vietnam War. It was extremely disturbing on several different levels. First, to see the actual tactics that were used during the war. Second, to hear the strong anti-american sentiment. I was somewhat suprised considering I was in South Vietnam. They were portraying this in heroic fashion and spoke in glowing terms about the brilliance and the many Americans that were killed. It was really difficult to hear. At first, I got pretty upset about this display. However, it is interesting sometimes to hear things from a completely different perspective. The realization that people just don't view things the same. I would say however that this isn't the sentiment from most Vietnamese I have met. The guides at the tunnels were obviously hired to spread Vietnamese propaganda. Very disturbing and sobering experience. I refused to spend any money there, despite my strong desire for a drink.

Later that evening I met up with my tour group and went out for dinner and drinks. Very interesting group made up mostly of Australians. Also, a couple from Denmark/ Sweden and England. So far, everyone seems really nice.

Today, we left Ho Chi Minh City. Not before waking up to the Yankees on TV at 5:30AM. I really would have no desire to go back there again. Although, it was very interesting and I enjoyed the experience. From Ho Chi Minh City, we took a 6 hour bus ride to Chau Doc. Chau Doc is a small fishing village about an hour from Cambodia. The drive along the countryside displayed the poverty and simple way of life in Vietnam. You still see women with bamboo hats all over the place. Tonight, we are going to ride motorbikes, before heading over to Phnom Penh, Cambodia tomorrow.

Hope all is well back home.

What a difference a day makes

I am now in the chaotic shithole that is called Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon.) This place couldn't be any more different than Bangkok. And it started from the word go.

Yesterday was my last day in Chiang Mai and it was a nice and relaxing day. I headed to the buddhist temple for a monk chat. On the way there, I saw this little restaurant that was packed with all Thai people. So, I decided to stop in for a bite to eat. The food has been so phenomenal that I haven't passed up many opportunities. This little place had basically one thing on the menu, chicken soup with 2 choices, thin or thick noodles, spicy or not spicy. No english spoken there so I pointed and nodded my way to the thick noodles spicy and it was absolutely delicious. I was ready to pay, and she said 20 Baht (60 cents!!!!)

The monk chat is an open forum where you can sit down and talk to the monks about anything. I went there and talked with Em, a 21 year-old-monk. He taught me a lot about the buddhist religion, what it takes to be a monk, Thai culture, and many other subjects. I spent a couple hours talking with him and others. Very interesting and time well spent.

I than flew back on one of the worst flights of my life. It was on Air Asia, a discount carrier. The plane literally took two huge drops in the air, prompting the guy next to me to scream OH SHIT. And me to scream some obscenity that I can't recall. The flight was so bad that literally the passengers started clapping when we landed.

Now for Saigon. Literally the place is so different than Bangkok. No buddhist temples, back to driving on the same side of the street as home, no tourists everywhere, dirty, and the pace is absolutely frenetic. Things started differently from the airport. The taxi drivers were literally trying to rip me off. I had read about the tactics, so it didn't catch me off guard. Than the taxi that I got in tried to trick me and play games with giving me the wrong change. The exchange rate is 16,000 Dong- $1. Than when arriving at the hotel, he tried again. Than tried to charge me more than it said on the meter. I told him no and threatened to get the guy from the hotel. All of a sudden the right change came back.

After that, I washed my face and headed out to walk and see some of the sites of Ho Chi Minh City. Headed to the reunification palace and saw some history from the Vietnam War and just checked out the city. It isn't all that impressive. Not to mention that I feel like my life is in danger every time I cross the street. There are a zillion motorbikes everywhere and they don't look like they are going to stop. Literally, I had to dodge some on the sidewalk!!! They will hit the sidewalk if that can provide a shortcut. I did manage to grab a delicious bowl of Pho (noodle soup) and had another experience where they will nickel and dime you to death. At my place setting was a cold towel, which I used. When I got my bill, there was a charge of 1000 Dong (about a nickel). I asked what it was for and he said using the towel. I just laughed and paid.

Needless to say, Ho Chi Minh City isn't the most relaxing of travel destinations. But, part of the experience. It is very interesting.

Tomorrow, I am going to take a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cu_Chi_Tunnels . The underground system that the Viet Kong built and used as hiding places and to launch attacks. They served many purposes and very instrumental in the war. Should be really fascinating. Than in the evening, I meet up with my tour group for the rest of the trip.

Bye for now.

PS- GO BUCKS!!!

Chiang Mai- About to head to Vietnam

Today is my last day in Chiang Mai. I fly back to Bangkok for one night, before flying to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam tomorrow. Today, I am going to just lounge around and check out some of the sights as I have been keeping myself very busy. After I arrive in Vietnam, I will join a tour for the final 9 days of my trip.

After coming back from the day hiking, I went and had a very interesting experience. Upon arrival, I was suggested to go and try the Massage by the Blind. It is right across the street from my guesthouse, so I figured I would give it a try. This isn't a joke. I walked in to this very plain place with 5 beds next to each other. Nobody even saw me enter (bad joke) I than had one of the best massages I have ever had. It was VERY STRONG and I almost screamed on several occassions. But, afterwards my body felt so relaxed and much of the tightness was gone. It was very nice. Gave me a good nights sleep.

As for yesterday, I took a cooking course. Because it is the low tourist season, there were only four of us in the class. It made it so much better as we had a lot more individual attention. They can have up to 18 in a class during high tourist season. That would be way too much. The full day course taught us how to prepare many Thai dishes and gave us a tour of the local food market to pick out ingredients. All kinds of stuff I have seen at the markets back home, but never knew what to do with them. We learned how to make Tom Yam soup, Coconut soup, Papaya Salad (not what it sounds like, but delicious) Pad Thai, Green and Red curry, and Sticky Rice with Mango (dessert, absolutely sensational). We literally ate all day and I was so full when I left. He also gave us a cookbook with all of our recipes. Now, I hope I can replicate this when he isn't standing over me.

Than, last night I took a long walk to the famoust Chiang Mai Night Market. Needed the walk to burn off some of the food. The Night Market was highly unimpressive as it was just a bunch of cheap, tourist junk. I didn't see anything nice or authentic that I really liked. It was literally the same crap you can see in Chinatown, NY. I didn't buy a thing as I am really looking to bring back some authentic stuff. But, it was interesting to see anyways.

Bye for now.

PS-
I forgot to post about the "Sunscreen Incident" that has affected Todd's backpack. More details to follow. The UN was being called in for resolution, but had to be diverted to Burma. Sorry Todd.

Chiang Mai- Today is what travelling is all about

Today was one of those unbelievable experiences that make travelling special. Except for hanging on to a tree for dear life while bamboo rafting. I will explain more later.

Last night, I left Bangkok for Chiang Mai. About an hour flight to Northern Thailand. After arriving pretty late, I just went to get some rest as I had a big day planned for today. A part of the trip I have been really excited about. And it was everything I expected, and more. I feel like I am high from the experience. So culturally enriching.

It started as I was "fortunate" enough to have breakfast with Christopher from Marquette, Michigan, the Upper Peninsula. A middle-aged pony tail wearing man. He basically shit all over my little 2 1/2 week vacation. Saying that he was here for two months to study massage. I swear he answered every question with "Dude. It's all about massage." I thought, "Dude. It's all about me drinking my coffee really quick to get away from you." Enough about that, but it was very funny.

I went back to the hotel and waited for the tour bus to arrive. It finally did, as I was the last person of 11 to be picked up. People from all over the world, China, Sweden, The Marshall Islands (go look that one up, I had never heard of them before), and Israel by way of Argentina. I sat next to a very nice couple from China, Ban and Jade. After a few minutes talking, I learned that Jade works for IBM in Beijing. She was in a sales role similar to me before moving over to HR.

Our tour guide was May, a very funny, friendly and knowledgable guide. She was phenomenal. Enhanced the experience so much.

First stop on the tour was an elephant ride. Quite an interesting experience, highlighted by the baby elephant getting stuck in a puddle of mud. Not sure how it comes across, but it was hillarious. I couldn't believe what I was watching. You will have to see the pictures. We rode up into the mountains with great scenic views, feeding the elephants bananas along the way. Although, the baby kept tugging at my shoe the whole time.

After the elephant ride, we than took a long hike through mountainous terrain and some rice fields to see the highlight for me. Visits to two hilltribe villages.

The second hilltribe village was absolutely fascinating. It was the Karen tribe. The Karen tribe has slowly migrated from Tibet, than to Burma and now primarily reside in Northern Thailand. There are estimated to be around 350,000 members. They speak there own language and have there only little village. It was a sight to see the conditions that these people live in. The women were outside hand weaving very elaborate clothing, scarves, etc. There tribal way of life fulfills them and they don't aspire for more. I am struggling to write about this experience as it is vey difficult to show without pictures. Let's just say it was one of the most unique, memorable experiences of my life. Sensational.

After that, we had some lunch and than went bamboo rafting on the river. Here is where my harrowing experience took place. I was on the back of the raft with two other people and one guide. I was volunteered to paddle from the back, so I was standing. We were rolling along when the back of the raft veered right towards a tree. It wasn't turning so I was headed directly for the tree. Nothing was going to change this. After slamming into the tree, I dropped my paddle (a bamboo stick) and held on to the tree and yelled to a non-english speaking guide. While I was hanging on the tree, he backed up the raft so I could get back on. I told him, "You almost fucking killed me." He looked at me and smiled, obviously having no idea what I said to him. So, I laughed and we went about our way for the rest of our peaceful rafting trip.

What a day. Absolutely amazing. The reason I travel. Experiences like this just don't happen every day.

Tonight, it is dinner, massage, and sleep as I am exhausted from this full day. Not to mention the 90 plus degree heat. Tomorrow, I am taking a Thai cooking class. I have literally tried to make Thai food at home many times and it never tastes that good. Let's see if this will help.

Bye for now. Hope all is well for everybody back home.

Last Day in Bangkok for Now..

At the end of the first day, I headed around the corner to one of the many Thai massage parlours. Thai's view massage as an important part of health and not a special treatment. There are literally massage places everywhere (and yes even the shady places.) After the long flight and a full day, the massage was a perfect ending. One hour oil massage cost roughly $8. And boy was it good.

As for yesterday, my main objective was to go to a tailor and get some custom fitted suits and shirts. I have been holding off buying work clothes for some time and I am sure glad I did. I headed to Sukhumvit, where much of the international business, big hotels and best tailors are. I did considerable research prior to coming and had chosen three to go to. I found the first two no problem, but than had a considerable difficult time finding Raja's Fashions. This was highly recommended. Raja's is a father and son owned shop that has been there 45 years. Raja and Bobby Gulati, two Indian guys run the place. On my way to find the shop, I saw many imposters. Gulati's, Raja's International, Mr. Bobby and Raja's, etc, etc, etc. Considering imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this was a good sign to me. I finally found the shop and was greeted by Bobby with a cold drink and wet towel. It is hot as hell, so the wet towel was nice and refreshing. Bobby is a smooth operator.

On his wall of fame, he had pictures of John Kerry, Tom Ridge, and many other famous people. Everybody that walked into his shop seemingly knew Bobby. Another good sign, repeat customers. Having already been to the other two, I knew this was where I was going to do business and his prices were right in line. Ended up buying way too much, but still wanted more. Had to go back in last night for a second fitting and I was pumped. I have never had anything custom made. Too expensive back home and I just am not that stylish. Going back for one more fitting today before leaving town. Can't wait to see how it turns out.

As for today, I am heading out of Bangkok to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. I have enjoyed Bangkok, but am ready to leave and get a more chill atmosphere and some outdoor activity. While there, I am going to go hiking into the mountains and visit some hilltribe villages. Maybe even take a Thai cooking class or head to some national parks. A nice change from Bangkok.

Sights, Sounds and Smells From Bangkok-

• Street vendors cooking up all kinds of delicious food.
• Tuk-tuk taxis (3 wheeled motorbikes) with bad exhaust offering to take you everywhere.
• Thai hookers with old, sketchy looking white men. Bangkok has earned its reputation in this area. It is really sad to see.
• Massage parlors.
• Motorbikes.
• Monks in orange robes.
• Friendly Thai people being very helpful. The Thai people are truly delightful and very warm.
• Americans. (YEAH RIGHT) Except the ones with the Thai hookers.
• Aussies and Kiwis everywhere.
• Junk, junk and more junk for sale on the streets.
• Markets, night markets, markets, night markets.
• Buddhist temples in large numbers.
• Sweat pouring down my body from the heat.

GO YANKS!!!!! Beat Cleveland.