we can't gain access to the blog right now, we won't even know if this posts, but merry christmas, and happy new year to all!
gavin and emily
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
fast at typing slow at posting
thanks for crediting my sweet bus-station locating skills Gav. Anyways the true story is if I ever leave you lost and wandering at the bus station, I better steal your guide book, because your book definitely tromps mine when it comes to info on Laos (For those who keep track, it's an LP....i'm burning my Rough Guide book tomorrow)....which is fine, except that now Gavin likes to make up ways to compare our 2 books....which naturally reminds us of a little Mickey Avalon number we used to sing back at home. MY BOOK....
Last week when we ferried across the river to Laos, we were a little sad to leave mother Thailand. She has been good to us, especially the last few days in the town of Nan, where there are a few less tourists (excepting female German Mick Jagger), tasty treats like papaya salad, beautiful mountains, and a scooter to explore on. I think we've become pretty comfortable in Thailand, and being there feels friendly. Even the dogs are friendly in Thailand; they hardly ever bark at you, even though somebody put a sweater on them in 80-degree weather. In the first week or so of our trip, I started to have the feeling that everything in Thailand was about tourism. Of course there's so much beyond the tourist industry here, but everyone we came in contact with made their living from tourism, or had some connection with it. When we finally got out to Umpang (where we "trekked" from on the Burmese border), I definitely started feeling more like a person and less like a walking ATM. aaah, I like that.
Something else I liked - while were were our riding bikes in northern Laos, a 20-year-old kid from one of the villages in the area drove by us on his motor scooter and invited us to lunch at his house. It is amazing the lengths people go to to practice their English - at the same time it was also so cool for us to be able to visit his house. We sat on the floor and shared bowls of soup with lots of unidentified meats, and what may or may not have been raw pork. It was magenta. Hopefully the homemade booze that accompanied the meal killed off all parasites. Gavs and I learned a few words of Lao, which we promptly forgot.
Travelling on and along the Mekong in Laos has been amazing. The towns and river banks are crawling with people, but the Mekong is so immense that once out on the water you feel free of it all. I will probably have to start my own geology blog after all the pictures I have taken of river banks, limestone cliffs and the mountains that form this rolling, mellowed-out end of the Himalayas.
Okay, pictures now. And for those of you who have asked, I know it is Christmastime, but I do not take requests for Filson socks while in SE Asia, and it far too hot for me to think about these things.
Last week when we ferried across the river to Laos, we were a little sad to leave mother Thailand. She has been good to us, especially the last few days in the town of Nan, where there are a few less tourists (excepting female German Mick Jagger), tasty treats like papaya salad, beautiful mountains, and a scooter to explore on. I think we've become pretty comfortable in Thailand, and being there feels friendly. Even the dogs are friendly in Thailand; they hardly ever bark at you, even though somebody put a sweater on them in 80-degree weather. In the first week or so of our trip, I started to have the feeling that everything in Thailand was about tourism. Of course there's so much beyond the tourist industry here, but everyone we came in contact with made their living from tourism, or had some connection with it. When we finally got out to Umpang (where we "trekked" from on the Burmese border), I definitely started feeling more like a person and less like a walking ATM. aaah, I like that.
Something else I liked - while were were our riding bikes in northern Laos, a 20-year-old kid from one of the villages in the area drove by us on his motor scooter and invited us to lunch at his house. It is amazing the lengths people go to to practice their English - at the same time it was also so cool for us to be able to visit his house. We sat on the floor and shared bowls of soup with lots of unidentified meats, and what may or may not have been raw pork. It was magenta. Hopefully the homemade booze that accompanied the meal killed off all parasites. Gavs and I learned a few words of Lao, which we promptly forgot.
Travelling on and along the Mekong in Laos has been amazing. The towns and river banks are crawling with people, but the Mekong is so immense that once out on the water you feel free of it all. I will probably have to start my own geology blog after all the pictures I have taken of river banks, limestone cliffs and the mountains that form this rolling, mellowed-out end of the Himalayas.
Okay, pictures now. And for those of you who have asked, I know it is Christmastime, but I do not take requests for Filson socks while in SE Asia, and it far too hot for me to think about these things.
service
There are many examples but i just had to take this picture. I feel bad posting this because these folks are flippin nice. they are willing to do anything for you, even your raundry. The one thing that the lao have not done for either of us is give us spicy enough food. like every honky before us has almost keeled over when some flavor smacked their lips. last night the waiter seemed to understand when we asked for spicy, but then just gave us a small bowl of hot sauce each which we both finished. I only know how to say chili, and not spicy, so I took the empty bowl to the cook, pointed at it and said chili, she looked at me gave me a worried look, then dumped some chili peppers into the bowl. I finished off that allowance of spice without a bead of sweat forming, all the while emily and I watched the suspicious pairings of hot lao ladies with dorky white guys. To be continued...
ready, set, stop
the two bloggers sit side-by-side.
on your marks, get set, blog!
emily is in the lead with faster typing skills, but here's gavin! he's got his own stategy! he'll write a short one!
Emily and I have been following the mekong river from the north to luang nam tha (which is a bit away from the river if you are checking your facts, which you should, because we are really in nebraska at my favorite 2-month-long swap meat) then down to laos' jewel, luang prabang, and nowhave put ourselves up in a room in vinetiene (pronounced vin-chen) that has it's own toilet that flushes and hot water.
travlelling is not my favorite part of travelling. emily always makes it easier by actually knowing where the bus station is and which one we need to go to, which, i guess, actually makes travel possible.
our first venture from the border to luang nam tha was much as the travel book suggested. we were supposed to take the normal big bus but got hurried onto a mini-bus aka van, which left earlier. after traveling next to a bag of rice, sleeping with my head against the seat in front of me, comparing the lao lady wearing a hat, sweater, and puffy jacket to the anorexic german who had o a tank top, and watching the bamboo huts pass by. The Hi-way which has been greatly improved, still has patches that are unpaved so our driver would swerve deftly to remain on as much pavement as possible with out hitting any livestock.
here's a picture of what happens when your masterful driver doesnt change his timing belt at 100,000 km and drives till 147,000km. note the lady in the hat and puffy coat? yeah,it's about 70 in the shade at this moment.
word
gavin
Sunday, December 9, 2007
we are alive
If anyone has seen the rolling stones in the last week, you had better go down and strangle the guy you scalped the ticket from because for the last couple of days we have seen mick in all his glory, hiding out in the same town as us. with blonde hair. and a german accent. dressed as a complaining german woman. but it's him.
last update we were about to embark on a trip to umphang which is right by the burmese border. The 4.5 hour took us through dense green mountainous landscapes in the back of a truck. The truck has two benches that run allong the inside of the payload area and have a metal cage with a roof. We got on first and as e drove down the street and out on the highway, we would stop and pick locals up or drop them off. Sometimes there isn't enough room inside the songtaew-literaly translates to two rows- so they ride on top with the luggage, and their kids. but this is thailand, and that makes it safe.
after a very rural journey, we met up witha nice guy named victor who knew more english than anyone around and wanted to take us on a tour. we were more focussed on finding a good deal and just wanted to rent a motorbike for the next day. Victor graciously helped us with this errand. As there were no real places that rent scooters un umphang, he just rented it for us from the local crossdresser which he called a "ladyboy". Emily and I went up to the top o a peak on our trusty 100cc honda scooter then emily drove us down. then we travelled out to some caves which were cool too.
on our way back into town we met up with a couple from portland who were enterested in trekking, and they decided to stay where we were staying and come on the same tour.
let me tell you something I have figured out. I slightly more than emily, am a magnet for friendly , but totally WASTED dudes. they smile, they speak enough english to invite me over for a drink, then I realize that they are shaking my hand because they're too wasted to be around anyone other than some goofy forigner.
another thing: to try and make you understand how much these folks love their king is very hard. On mondays, because the king was born on a monday, they wear yellow shirts, with the royal emblem. There are pictures of this guy, at all ages- he just turned 80- everywhere. there are shrines with his full body image, there are calendars, there are framed pictures in almost every business, he's on bridges, welcoming you into towns, next to the pin-up girl in the local scooter garage. He's evrywhere. emily and I started saying "king me" when we saw him, but it actually grew old, even when we were on the bus to nan from mae sot. remember the flag waving after 9/11? it's like that, but more.
so we have walked in the woods, floated town the tamest river either of us have been on, seen the most enchanting waterfall ever, figured out the bus schedule, which can only be found on the wall of the bus station, ridden on said bus, and now we prepare to leave our beloved thailand for laos tomorrow am. probably won't be able to use the interweb for a week or so.
gavin
last update we were about to embark on a trip to umphang which is right by the burmese border. The 4.5 hour took us through dense green mountainous landscapes in the back of a truck. The truck has two benches that run allong the inside of the payload area and have a metal cage with a roof. We got on first and as e drove down the street and out on the highway, we would stop and pick locals up or drop them off. Sometimes there isn't enough room inside the songtaew-literaly translates to two rows- so they ride on top with the luggage, and their kids. but this is thailand, and that makes it safe.
after a very rural journey, we met up witha nice guy named victor who knew more english than anyone around and wanted to take us on a tour. we were more focussed on finding a good deal and just wanted to rent a motorbike for the next day. Victor graciously helped us with this errand. As there were no real places that rent scooters un umphang, he just rented it for us from the local crossdresser which he called a "ladyboy". Emily and I went up to the top o a peak on our trusty 100cc honda scooter then emily drove us down. then we travelled out to some caves which were cool too.
on our way back into town we met up with a couple from portland who were enterested in trekking, and they decided to stay where we were staying and come on the same tour.
let me tell you something I have figured out. I slightly more than emily, am a magnet for friendly , but totally WASTED dudes. they smile, they speak enough english to invite me over for a drink, then I realize that they are shaking my hand because they're too wasted to be around anyone other than some goofy forigner.
another thing: to try and make you understand how much these folks love their king is very hard. On mondays, because the king was born on a monday, they wear yellow shirts, with the royal emblem. There are pictures of this guy, at all ages- he just turned 80- everywhere. there are shrines with his full body image, there are calendars, there are framed pictures in almost every business, he's on bridges, welcoming you into towns, next to the pin-up girl in the local scooter garage. He's evrywhere. emily and I started saying "king me" when we saw him, but it actually grew old, even when we were on the bus to nan from mae sot. remember the flag waving after 9/11? it's like that, but more.
so we have walked in the woods, floated town the tamest river either of us have been on, seen the most enchanting waterfall ever, figured out the bus schedule, which can only be found on the wall of the bus station, ridden on said bus, and now we prepare to leave our beloved thailand for laos tomorrow am. probably won't be able to use the interweb for a week or so.
gavin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
