Friday, November 28, 2008
Gobble Gobble Fat Turkey!!
Im sure everyone is enjoying left over turkey sandos slathered in cranberry, mayo and cheese-maybe a little stuffing or mashed mixes in for good measure-and if not please do and enjoy one for me! So im a day or two late on the Happy Turkey Day shout out, but im a busy lady! So we left fun times in Vang Vieng and south to the capital. We (there is now 5 in the group-Me And Dan, Andy & Jenn, and Luke), hired some kayaks and headed down the river. After a very bumpy 1.5 hour, we got to the river, cruised down about an hour or so stopped for a river side lunch-cooked on the rocks and all! Then another hour to the drop where we caught a glamorous ride in another comfy Tuk-Tuk, then a 2 hour ride into town. Its funny how every time frame we have been given, you can just add another 1-2 hours on to it :) So checked into a hotel, unfortunately with moldy walls-then after a good nights sleep, and an actual HOT shower, we checked out into another this morning. Today the plan is to get some chores done-email, visa for Vietnam, and another drop at the post. Then happy hour tonight to celebrate a hard days work, than play again manana! Sooo, I think in Laos hot water means tepid, and Fast Internet means, not that slow....so no pictures yet :)-m
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tubing Fun!
I so wish this town had faster internet! Sorry, but you are going to be soo jealous when you see the pictures and videos from the tubing adventure down the river here in Vang Vieng. You can You Tube it I guess to get an idea, but really, soo much fun. So you rent your tube, hop in a tuk-tuk, get carted up the road like 15 minuets than dropped off at this organic farm next to the river. You can indulge in a mulberry mojhito or a big bottle of Beer-Lao( who would have guessed Id be drinking soo much damn lager!(but dad said!)). Then you jump in the river with beer in hand. But wait, you didnt need to do that b/c like 40 feet away is your first beer stop! They throw out a rope and pull you in. Then if your not a scaredy pants, you climb up this big tower than jump off with a 'trapeze' rode in your hands, swinging across the water, than dropping into the refreshing river. So picture doing this rotation of events down the river for 4-6 hours! HAHAHAHAAHA!!! Heaven!
We have been here 3 days, done it twice, and plan to do it again manana. Our first time 8 of our ten (2 down with tummy issues) headed out right after we checked in. I couldn't do the swing the first day, only the massive slide into the river, but day 2 I was brave and did the 2 tallest ones! But so first day..we go along and decide to float the whole way back, about an hour after the last bar. So we all beer up, a head out together. So silly. And we are floating, and what happens, but a total downpour. So there I was floating down the river foot in foot, chatting with a guy from England, beer in hand, floating down one of the most beautiful places I've seen yet-in a total monsoon! Ahhh..I love life :)
So this Town we are staying in has this really weird obsession with friends. Like ALL day they just play back to back friends. And there is a least 6 places Ive seen so far. Really annoying. ( ill be there for you...) But thankful we found a place that does the same thing with Family Guy-Stewie! Okay, more soon my frinds :)-m
We have been here 3 days, done it twice, and plan to do it again manana. Our first time 8 of our ten (2 down with tummy issues) headed out right after we checked in. I couldn't do the swing the first day, only the massive slide into the river, but day 2 I was brave and did the 2 tallest ones! But so first day..we go along and decide to float the whole way back, about an hour after the last bar. So we all beer up, a head out together. So silly. And we are floating, and what happens, but a total downpour. So there I was floating down the river foot in foot, chatting with a guy from England, beer in hand, floating down one of the most beautiful places I've seen yet-in a total monsoon! Ahhh..I love life :)
So this Town we are staying in has this really weird obsession with friends. Like ALL day they just play back to back friends. And there is a least 6 places Ive seen so far. Really annoying. ( ill be there for you...) But thankful we found a place that does the same thing with Family Guy-Stewie! Okay, more soon my frinds :)-m
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Waterfalll!
So we headed out to a beautiful waterfall yesterday, I forget the name, but it was too cool for school. I would love to show you the pictures, but the connection is redicliously slow here and I dont have any pacience. But the water was crystal clear, and scaredy pants mandy jumped off a tree and the waterfall! You could hike to the very top, and let me tell the view was fantastic.
Dan doing a little tree jumping. So much fun! The water was truly beautiful...
Today I went to these caves that have like million old Buddah statues in it, pretty unreal. Tonight we head to the pub to watch the 'match' with all our new English friends. Tomorrow MOrning the 10 of us, we now have another Brit and and Aussie in the crew, will pile into a mini van off to the place(sorry Im really hungry and my head really isnt working so well, I cant remeber any names) where we float down the river. :) It should be lots of debochary. Loving Laos. I spent WAY too much money on pressys for everyone, but it is all too tempting! Love and mIss you all-m
Well, its now February, and there's the pictures! :)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Laos baby!!
Hello!! We have arrived in Laos after a long and really comfy ride down the Mehkong River.
We left had a nice 6 hour float, not to crowded-bout 60 or so people,
and with a lil rum quite enjoyable. Stayed the night in a stop over place and left the next morning. THENNN yesterday we had about 125 on the first couple of hours. Than we stopped and picked up about 15 locals, chickens and all. So I didn't really move for the next 7 hours. Leg cramps anyone? We now are traveling with a group of 8. @ from our trek, Jen and Andy, 2 from a bus ride, Simon and Tash, and 2 Swiss folks Michelle and Alex.
We arrived in Luang Prabuang (sp) and are here for a few days. LOVE this place. So many monks, so little time. Its funny all the Americans we meet are from the Bay. a guy from Woodacre, Santa Cruz, and Walnut Creek so far! But I got everyone waiting on me, so again soon :)-m
We left had a nice 6 hour float, not to crowded-bout 60 or so people,
and with a lil rum quite enjoyable. Stayed the night in a stop over place and left the next morning. THENNN yesterday we had about 125 on the first couple of hours. Than we stopped and picked up about 15 locals, chickens and all. So I didn't really move for the next 7 hours. Leg cramps anyone? We now are traveling with a group of 8. @ from our trek, Jen and Andy, 2 from a bus ride, Simon and Tash, and 2 Swiss folks Michelle and Alex.
We arrived in Luang Prabuang (sp) and are here for a few days. LOVE this place. So many monks, so little time. Its funny all the Americans we meet are from the Bay. a guy from Woodacre, Santa Cruz, and Walnut Creek so far! But I got everyone waiting on me, so again soon :)-m
Im now a vegetarian again...Ness-dont show Conner
and this is why...
Yes folks, that a freaking human hand. It was in this nice little pile of trash down the street from our guest house in Chang Mai. I almost threw up. And Im sorry if you are right now. But come on, I had to share it!!
** I took out the pic, I dont everyone puking on their keyboards :) Dont worry, I still have it though. Meeta, I will get it blown up for you to put on your wall.
Yes folks, that a freaking human hand. It was in this nice little pile of trash down the street from our guest house in Chang Mai. I almost threw up. And Im sorry if you are right now. But come on, I had to share it!!
** I took out the pic, I dont everyone puking on their keyboards :) Dont worry, I still have it though. Meeta, I will get it blown up for you to put on your wall.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Im getting better at this huh?!
Today I started my day with a lil yoga. Than a light breakfest. Walked downtown, sent some packages, got some passport photos for my visas, got a little money exchanged, now Im blogging. Ohh the horrors of life. I think I will go have some beers now and then rest before another stressful day in Thailand. Ohh wait Im leaving Thailand to take a slow boat into Laos where I will play for the next 2 weeks or so...poor me. :)
Dont hate me, Love me, especially you Brian :) Ohhkayy-till then my friends :)-m
Dont hate me, Love me, especially you Brian :) Ohhkayy-till then my friends :)-m
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Not so much a Trek, as a hike...
So We DID catch the last night of festivities from the full moon Festival in Chang Mai. So flippin cool. There were tons of people out celebrating with fireworks and setting out those boat things into the river. I guess by doing that you absolve yourself from worries and bad things. I set one in the river, yeah, so I got that going for me (daluna dalung gunga, Hey Lama!).
We hung out with this guy we met from New Castle that night, he was also coming on the first night of our 'trek' with us.
Matt-he will be visiting SF in March :). Everyone was letting off the hot air balloon things and craziness everywhere. So we went out had some fun then headed home to get sleep for the big trek..
So we headed out and had 14 people in our group. All really nice. A couple from Australia, A couple from England-Jenny and Andy, Finnish couple, German couple, a guy from LA (weirdo), Italian guy, A guy from Mexico City, Matt, me and Dan. We started out on our bamboo raft ride. It was awesome, there I was hip deep, sitting on the raft with a guy leading, Dan steering, and a couple more guys floating down the river. We got to one point on the river where the was a bit of a rapid, we went for it. I almost feel off, the dude behind me fell foward, cracked his eye open , and Dan and Matt almost fell off as well!Then, we got stuck in between rocks! The guide did a little rocky rock back and forth, then we were free. Ends up we were the ONLY ones who stayed on at that point, everyone else got off , and walked around it! Wimps! We got a picture talken, but it is a photo, so you no see. So, we walked for a while longer than 
got to a beautiful waterfall, which you could under and walk right through! 
(mark that off my list of things to do) So after that on to our home for the night. We didn't really stay with 'a hill tribe' per say. Yes the live on a hill, and I guess could be considered a 'tribe'. but whatever. We all slept in a dorm style hut. We had a delicious dinner made by our wonderful guide Tu, and ate family style, on the floor of a open air hut-overlooking the valleys below. Very cool. Than we had many a Chang beer, some rum, and a little local tobacco-literally-wrapped in a banana leaf and all....:) Than set in for a cold sleep for the night.
got to a beautiful waterfall, which you could under and walk right through! (mark that off my list of things to do) So after that on to our home for the night. We didn't really stay with 'a hill tribe' per say. Yes the live on a hill, and I guess could be considered a 'tribe'. but whatever. We all slept in a dorm style hut. We had a delicious dinner made by our wonderful guide Tu, and ate family style, on the floor of a open air hut-overlooking the valleys below. Very cool. Than we had many a Chang beer, some rum, and a little local tobacco-literally-wrapped in a banana leaf and all....:) Than set in for a cold sleep for the night.Day 2
We all got up a little stiff and cold from the night. We separated into our groups and the one nighters headed back down to do an 'elephant trek' and we headed on up the mountain. We hiked for about 2 hours ( i thought my heart would explode at one point, and my lungs implode-thanks Marlboro!) Than stopped for lunch at a 'village' and rested for a bit. Than onward to our next camp. It was located next to a rice paddy on a hillside, just steps from another waterfall, which we all gladly (even Dan) too a wash in and headed back to the camp fire for another night of rum, Chang and tabacy. So clear! We saw so many stars. Call me an idiot, but I wasn't sure Id be able to the Orion, Cassiopeia etc here, but I could, and it made me happy.
Day 3
Up again early, breaky than off for our trip down the mountain. we cruised until we got to a swimming hole. There we jumped in and to our surprise there was a little waterfall/rapid/waterslide. A few people went down. Than Dan. And hell, even though I was scared, me too. Holy crap talk about a nose douche! I got stuck under the water for a minute, and got pretty scared. But i made it out alive and when i came up Dan and another guy were coming over to get me. But I made it, and it was really fun. But I was done after that :) So we headed onward still, to the infamous 'Elephant trek'...So, let me tell you, had to be the saddest experience ever. They were all scared up, had chains on them and looked just sad. I know I'm smiling in these pictures, but only because that's what they train us to do from a young age-camera=smile. The only cool part of this loop around the park, while the guide hits and yells at these poor beautiful creatures was that you could buy bags of bamboo and banana's and feed them. That was kinda cool. At least you could do for the poor guys..
SO once home we headed to the showers, than to the night market for some shopping, a thai massage (10$ for and hour with tip) than sleepy on another hard mattress. Nothing but good times..
