February 2012
18 posts
3 tags
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Woke up earlier than I expected, at about 8:30 a.m. Read my Laos guidebook about the northern area to plan where to go next. Decided to go to the Plain of Jars next, and then to the wild debauchery of Vang Vieng. Walked around town with my guidebook and saw all the temples that I had missed the day before. Met a couple novice monks, Joy and Sing, and talked with them for about an hour. Sing was 19...
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Friday, February 10, 2012
My birthday! Let myself sleep in. Tried to call my parents, but the wifi wasn’t working. Walked into downtown and rented a bicycle for 10,000 kip. Rode around town looking at some temples. Stopped at a cafe for a Coke to cool off and use their wifi to call my parents and Tess. Continued riding around town and saw a a couple more temples. Returned the bicycle and ran into Matteo. Walked with...
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Thursday, February 9, 2012
Rode a minibus with Aimee, Glenn, Nic, Sara, Dan, Sylvia, Michelle, and Ingo to the gorgeous Kuang Si waterfalls. Took lots of pictures, swam, swung on a rope and jumped off a small cliff into the icy blue water. Hiked up to all the different pools and falls. Got lost coming down the other side of the falls and ended up taking the long way back to the bottom of the falls. Returned to the hostel....
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Ate another American breakfast and got a sandwich to go for lunch on the slow boat. Boarded at 8:30 a.m. and sat and waited for the stragglers to arrive. Departed around 9:30 a.m. Sat with Aimee (from Austin, Texas) and we chatted for a while. I also read and listened to a couple podcasts and some music. The scenery was again very beautiful. This time my seat was much more cramped, but still the...
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
No hot water for my shower, and there was a breeze from a fan when I turned on the shower light, so I skipped the shower except for a light rinse. Ate an American breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. Shared a tuk tuk to the river boat pier at 9:30 a.m. Boarded around 10 a.m. and sat waiting to depart for an hour or two as others trickled on board. Listened to podcasts the whole time and...
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Monday, February 6, 2012
Awoke still sick with a bad back. Ate a cheap lunch at a local restaurant. Rode the bus to Chiang Khong at the Thailand–Laos border. Shared a tuk tuk with a guy to the Mekong river shore and exited Thailand. Bought passage across the river and landed on the Laos shore. Paid the fee and entered the town of Huay Xai in Laos. Walked up the hill and looked at a few places and chose to stay at a nice...
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Sunday, February 5, 2012
Woke up still feeling sick, and also felt like I had thrown my back out (the “mattresses” were really stiff). Showered, ate lunch, stayed in all day watching BSG, bought a bus ticket to Chiang Khong at the Thailand–Laos border, went out again for dinner, then returned to the hostel.
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
Still sick and miserable. Slept in, showered, ate lunch, returned to my hostel and stayed inside all day, lying on my back watching Battlestar Galactica with my head angled up to reduce the running of my nose. Ate an expensive dinner at a pizza place nearby to try to cheer myself up.
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Friday, February 3, 2012
Awoke feeling sick again. Returned the scooter I had rented the day before. Checked out and rode a taxi truck to the Arcade bus terminal. Rode the bus to Chiang Rai for a few hours and listened to podcasts. Arrived and wandered around for ten minutes looking for my hostel. Checked in, ate lunch, then returned to my hostel and stayed inside on my bed the rest of the day feeling too sick to do...
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
Rented a scooter and rode it to Doi Suthep. On my way back, I came across a scooter accident that had just happened. The driver was a man from Nebraska named Paul. He was in really bad shape. All the skin on his right knee cap had been scraped off and he was bleeding heavily from his right arm. He took an antibacterial wipe and a clotting pad from my first aid kit and some toilet paper I had to...
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Went to the Elephant Nature Park and fed and washed elephants all day. I didn’t realize the way elephants are trained to be ridden and do tricks is so brutal and inhumane. Returned to the hostel and planned my next few days. Craved McDonalds, so I ate dinner there. Watched some Battlestar Galactica.
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Rented a bicycle and headed for the interior of the old quarter. Stopped to east some street food for lunch. Saw several temples. Rode to a neighborhood outside the old quarter that supposedly was a nice place to shop, but was sorely disappointed. Returned to the hostel for a couple hours. Ate dinner nearby. Rode my bicycle to the night market a few blocks away and browsed the stalls there for an...
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Ate an American breakfast at a restaurant across the street. Rode the minibus to the Ko Phuket airport and arrived at 1:30 p.m. Ate lunch at Burger King and then had four or so hours to kill. Drank some beers in a bar to use their free wifi. Flew to Chiang Mai at about 7:30 p.m. and arrived at about 9:30 p.m. Rode a taxi to my hostel, A Little Bird Guesthouse, in the old quarter of the city....
4 tags
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Bought some lunch to go and put it in my day pack. Rode a long tail boat from Krabi to Railay East. Climbed to the vista point overlooking the Railay area. Ate my lunch while admiring the view. Tried to hike to a nearby lagoon, but it was too muddy. Walked to Railay West and went for a quick dip in the ocean and then laid on the sand and read for an hour or so. Got up and walked along the entire...
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
Rode the ferry in the morning to Krabi. Met a girl my age from England named Louisa who had been teaching English in South Korea. We were both going to the same hostel. Checked in. Planned what to do the next day. Walked to see a nearby temple. Walked from the temple to a nearby night street market for a delicious dinner of street food. Returned to the hostel for some quality computer time.
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Friday, January 27, 2012
Got up early and had the showers to myself. Walked to the travel agency where I’d booked the boat tour and bought some bananas on the way. Was led to the boat tour company office, then to the pier, then to the boat itself and boarded. The tour wasn’t organized as well as the Angthong Marine Park one, so we didn’t really know where the next stop was, or how they would signal us...
4 tags
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Rode a minibus to a nearby pier and boarded a ferry bound for Ko Phi Phi. Was a little worried about my pack — as I usually am — after I stowed it on the deck like everyone else, but it was soon buried under a bunch of packs. Safety in numbers. Got off the boat without trouble a couple hours later. Wandered the streets of Tonsai Village for over an hour in the burning sun, sweat running down to my...
1 tag
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo →
A really well-written review of the 2011 American movie by James Berardinelli.
January 2012
21 posts
3 tags
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Arrived in Hanoi by sleeper bus feeling disheveled, greasy, and tired. The weather was gray and a tiny bit rainy. Wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. A motorbike taxi driver offered to take me to the Old Quarter, so I went with him. He took me to a travel agency there. Spoke with the agent inside and decided to go to Ha Long Bay first to ensure I had enough time to see it.
Booked...
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Hue, Vietnam
After Hoi An, I went to Hue. At this point, I was worried about running out of time, since I could only stay in Vietnam for thirty days. I stayed in Hue for two days. It was lightly raining the entire time, so I wore my poncho and gritted my teeth.
The first day, after I checked into my hotel, I walked to the Imperial Citadel and spent all afternoon exploring the ruins (bombed by the Americans)...
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Hoi An, Vietnam
After Dalat and the six-day Easy Rider motorbike ride with Hien, I went to Hoi An. Hien dropped me off at one side of Hoi An and we parted ways. Stayed in a cheap hotel for $9 per night for several days.
Browsed several shops and bought five paper lanterns in assorted colors, a dirty metal gong, a couple dirty coins, a few small paintings on scraps of paper, a marble tea box, and a marble candle...
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Decided to stay in Ko Phuket one more day to see a beach or two and get a feel for the place.
Got up at 9 a.m., ate toast for breakfast, got ready, and was out the door by 11 a.m. Walked twenty minutes to the bus spot in Phuket Town and rode a bus to Hat Kata. Got off and followed a woman to the beach.
Beheld the beach, took some snaps, then walked along the surf for a little ways. Decided to...
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Woke up and felt much better.
Went on a boat and kayak tour of the Phang Nga islands to the north of Ko Phuket. A minibus picked me up around 8 a.m. and took me to Ao Por Pier in the northern part of the island. The boat was large and had two stories. There were about forty to fifty customers on board.
Visited the famous island that was in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.
...
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Taiwan pictures →
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Movies from my journey
When I travel to places that remind me of movies that I’ve seen, I feel an urge to watch them again, like George Costanza was with food. So far, I’ve only watched Lost in Translation. But being in the south of Thailand among the tropical islands, I now plan to also watch again The Beach and The Man with the Golden Gun. Watch along with me!
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Monday, January 23, 2012
Woke up still sick. Went downstairs for a breakfast of cereal and toast. Took a while getting ready. Called Tess. Wanted to talk to the hostel staff about getting a map of Ko Phuket, where to get lunch, and where to rent a scooter, but I couldn’t find anyone. It was already past 1 p.m., so I left on my own.
Found a small place for lunch and had pork fried rice. Kept going and found a...
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Sunday, January 22, 2012
Woke up still sick. Decided to skip the dive class so I wouldn’t miss the west coast. Packed my gear and bought a ticket for Phuket. Quickly reserved a bed at a hostel before I left the hostel. Walked to the ferry pier and bought some snacks at the 7-11 along the way. Arrived at the boat just in time, sweat pouring down my face.
Fortunately, the boat had air con. Read my guidebook about Ko...
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Saturday, January 21, 2012
Woke up still sick. Had planned to take a dive class on the nearby island Ko Tao, but didn’t want to do it while sick. Decided to wait here an extra day to see if I felt better the next day.
Took a while getting ready. Ate a delicious lunch again at the small restaurant nearby. Chose a spicy and delicious green curry to open my sinuses. Returned my beloved scooter.
Grabbed my Treasure...
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Friday, January 20, 2012
Woke up sick with a cold. No sore throat, but my nose was really runny. Took a long time getting ready. Rented a scooter from a nearby shop and rode to the 7-11 to buy lots of water and orange juice. Ate lunch at the same small restaurant nearby. Rode to a pharmacy to buy some medicine to alleviate my symptoms and bought a nose spray.
Feeling more composed, I set out to see Ko Ma at the...
4 tags
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Rode a minibus early in the morning to the Big Buddha pier on the north side of Ko Samui. Rode a ferry to the island Ko Phangan for about forty-five minutes. Rode a songthaew taxi truck for 100 baht to Baan Tai beach. There was some confusion about where to find my hostel, and I walked around in the searing heat for twenty minutes before slogging into the place to check in.
Ate lunch at the...
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Woke up at 7 a.m. Got ready for the Angthong Marine Park island tour. The bus was late picking me up, but I got to the dock in time to eat the tiny breakfast and hot chocolate they served me. We started a little late, but they made up for it later. About forty people plus five or so staff. Lots of cold Cokes to go around throughout the day to slake our thirst.
Snorkeled for an hour off one of...
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Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Beach day! Slept in until 9:30 a.m. Showered and got ready. The hostel bathrooms were disgusting, so it took me about an hour to finish. Called Tess. Got lunch.
Headed to the beach with a used copy of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson that I had picked up the night before. Swam in the surf and baked in the sand and read about buried treasure all afternoon until the light fell and it felt...
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Arrived at the bus station in Surat Thani feeling greasy and exhausted. Found my pack and turned around to approach the ticket office, then, feeling somewhat dazed, tottered into the waiting area. Found a seat and set my packs down.
Saw the Vietnamese English guy board another bus soon afterward, and was sorry I hadn’t said goodbye to him. Wish I could remember his name.
Another bus took...
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Sunday, January 15, 2012
Spent the whole day killing time at my hostel, waiting for my sleeper bus to depart from the train station at 7 p.m. for Ko Samui. Chatted in the common room with a Canadian who had been in Thailand for three months. He recommended seeing Ko Chang, a small island to the east, and skipping Pattaya, in his words a place where old white men go to get native girls. Got some insight from his stories...
I’m so glad that my mom took me to get a good watch the day before I left home for this trip. It’s been invaluable. Thanks, Mom!
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Saturday, January 14, 2012
Rode the BTS and MRT to Hua Lamphong station to arrange transportation to Ko Samui. Bought a sleeper bus ticket to Surat Thani that would depart at 7 p.m. on Sunday and a ferry ticket from Surat Thani to Ko Samui. The bus company would get me from the bus station to the ferry pier.
Then I rode the MRT and BTS to Mo Chit station and explored the JJ weekend market for several hours. This thing is...
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Rode a minibus to Ayuthaya and rented a bicycle to see the ruins. Returned to Bangkok by minibus and then rode a taxi and the BTS to the Patpong night market to buy a couple t-shirts. Returned to my hostel to plan my trip to Ko Samui.
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Bangkok, Thailand
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Arrived in Bangkok around 10:45 p.m. Checked into my hostel just after midnight. No problems finding the place, thankfully.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Let myself sleep in. Rode the BTS to Saphan Taksin station and then rode the Chao Phraya Express boat to Chang station to see Wat Pho. Backtracked to the BTS and rode it to Udom Suk station to meet the Thai girls that I...
December 2011
11 posts
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From Dalat to Hoi An, Vietnam
For six days, I rode on the back of Hien’s motorcycle as we wound our way through the back country from Dalat to Hoi An. My pack was wrapped in a plastic bag and tied to the back of the bike, Hien sat in front with his pack, and I was sandwiched between them.
The weather was nice and warm for several days, but then grew cool and rainy toward the end. The cool wind blowing on your face and...
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Vietnam pictures →
Warning: Some are graphic.
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I’ve found the holy grail of Dropbox upload speeds, and it’s at Flip Flop Hostel in Taipei! Yes!
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Dalat, Vietnam
I rode an open tour bus from Saigon to Dalat. It took about six or seven hours, and we arrived in the evening. I passed the time listening to podcasts, watching My Cousin Vinnie on my laptop, and chatting with a Thai girl, Pla, sitting next to me. She was going to Dalat for a weekend vacation with her two friends. She was really friendly and invited me to join her and her friends in their taxi...
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Running out of space
I’ve accumulated 26.19 GB of pictures and videos on my travels so far. Soon their size will exceed the capacity of the 32 GB flash drive that I use to back them up. When that happens, all of my picture and video eggs will be in my laptop basket. Dropbox upload speeds are too slow to keep pace. At that point, I don’t know what I can do, other than find a wifi connection with a...
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Japan notes
My notes of Japan:
Japanese wear masks if they’re sick to prevent spreading disease in public.
There are sometimes different slippers for around the house and inside the bathroom.
Koreans in Seoul tend to dress sharper.
The Tokyo subway is similar to that in Seoul, although more complicated and extensive.
Most people are silent on the subway. It’s taboo to talk, eat, or drink.
...
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Mekong Delta, Vietnam
I headed south from Saigon to the Mekong Delta to see some floating markets and river life.
I met some volunteers from England and Australia on the bus from the Ben Thanh market to the bus terminal and decided to follow them to My Tho. I took a taxi with them to their hotel, got a room, and joined them for dinner. Afterward, I arranged for a four-hour private boat tour of the nearby river the...
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Travel pictures
Here are my pictures from South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore:
South Korea
Japan
Hong Kong
Singapore
I tried using Flickr and Facebook to share them, but both failed me. Uploading to Flickr was too slow in Vietnam. Uploading to Facebook with iPhoto produced duplicates and limited albums to 200 pictures.
Dropbox came to my rescue. I exported 1,232 pictures from iPhoto to the...
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Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon for the lazy…or stubborn) and took a taxi to my hostel, Long Guesthouse, in the Phạm Ngũ Lão backpacker area of District 1. The staff were very friendly and helpful, but there wasn’t a common room, so it was difficult to meet people, which I didn’t like. After a couple days, I chose to switch to another hostel, Saigon Backpackers, that was...
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Singapore
I got laid over in Singapore on my way from Hong Kong to Vietnam. The passengers were delayed boarding the plane because there was a problem with a smoke detector. The delay caused me to miss my connecting flight in Singapore.
The airline, Jetstar, put me up in a decent hotel (Riverview) for the night and paid for the taxis and meals. As you might guess, the hotel was on the shore of a small...
Hong Kong
I was in Hong Kong for a week. It’s a mix of old and new, touristy and authentic, cheap and pricey.
Real estate must cost through the roof, because the hostels there were the dirtiest I’ve ever seen. Granted, all I’d seen before that were the ones in South Korea and Japan, which are very clean and tidy places. But still: I’m talking about taking a shower while staring at...