Salvation

Day 393
I woke up very sore, I couldn't believe that 4:30 am came so early. I was glad to say goodbye to a terrible bed and to Bangkok. It was way past the time to move on. I had worried about a cab ripping me off, but the first price that he offered was less than at the prepaid places so I just went for it. I managed to be one of the first people in line for check in and nabbed a window seat.

One through immigration I grabbed some breakfast and picked up a few magazines. My flight to Mumbai was only 3.5 hours long. I passed the time sleeping and watching Slumdog Millionaire. It somehow seemed appropriate. Once we landed I had no problem getting through immigration. It was just a bit confusing to get a cab because the ATM didn't work and I had to beg my way to get back into the building to change some more money.

I could just tell from the traffic that Mumbai was a crazy place. Whenever we would stop several people would come to the car trying to sell me magazines. I just started telling them that I couldn't read English. Traffic here makes the Saigon traffic look like a walk in the park, it was shocking! What in the world am I doing here?

When I was dropped off at my hotel of choice a tout actually told me the truth, it was closed, and the next one I wanted was actually under renovation. This is a first, well, a tout telling the truth is a first. I then set out with 3 guys following me trying to find my own place. They wanted me to go to their hotels, but I had no interest in that. Eventually I found the Salvation Army Hostel. There wasn't anyone at the front desk and the guy following me tried to tell me that it was full. I didn't listen and soon someone came down. There was room for me in an 8 bed all female dorm.

I was pretty tired, but after over a week of travel atrophy I really wanted to get out and do something. I headed straight out to the Mumbai harbor and the Gateway to India. The colonial style arch was disappointingly under construction, but I bet it looks nice when its not. I sat for a bit to people watch and figure out where I was headed next. A few people came up and asked for money, but left me alone quickly. The most annoying were some guys selling balloons that were just as long as I am tall. What the hell would I do with that?

I wanted to go to a clothing market to pick up a few things but I couldn't seem to find it. I seemed to have either sent home or thrown out more clothes than I had realized. Before heading back I stopped at an internet cafe to tell everyone that I was alive.

It was so hot that I had to peel my clothing off to take a shower, but the cold water felt amazing. I then hung out at the hostel for a bit waiting for the sun to go down so that I could go out for dinner.

For dinner I went to a place called Leopold's. Four months ago this was the restaurant that 10 people were killed at during the terrorist attack on Mumbai. You can still see the bullet holes. The place was packed and the food was good. I had a murgh malai kabab and some cheese naan. I'm going to try and do a better job of eating local food here than I did in SEA.

After dinner I headed back to the hostel and was out like a light.

Things To Do

Day 392

Today was my last day in Thailand, finally. I wanted to leave with only good memories and decided to slowly take care of the chores that I had to do.

First I hauled 4 bags to the post office in a tuk tuk. Once there I packed up a box, it weighed 13 kilos, absolutely massive. It felt good to get rid of so many things. My load would definitely be lighter for a while at least.When that was through I decided to not get a tuk tuk because I didn't want to haggle and I began to walk to the Indian Embassy. On the way I stopped at a mall and picked up the things I had run out of like band aids and safety pins. The latter were especially hard to find.

At 4pm I was waiting for my passport. There was a huge number of people here. I guess a lot of people got stuck like me. After about an hour I had my passport back with a shinny new Indian visa in it. On the way back it began to rain and I killed some time in an internet cafe before walking back to my room. After showering and packing I went out for one more drink on Kao San and said goodbye to Thailand. Back in my room I quickly fell asleep.

The End is Near

Day 391

Today was the least productive day I have had during my stay in Bangkok. I slept in but woke up when it was too hot to sleep. By the time I had showered a thunderstorm had rolled in and cooled down the air. After my usual internet stint (I'm caught up no) I bought a book called Beyond Ugly. It was the sequal to a book I had read in Malaysia and I had been wanting ot read it. I read for the rest of the night.

Travel

Day 389

I've been having flashbacks to the places I have been. I'm just not always sure just where those places are. Sometimes I don't know if they are from this trip or another one. Most of them are from the past year. Most of them are from Europe. It all seems very long ago but really isn't. Funny how memories become shadows so quickly. Thank goodness I have written everything down!


After 4 months in South East Asia I've grown used to the travel style here. I no longer have a heart attack when crossing the street. I've learned to not even bother looking, just to go and hope that noone hits me. I also haven't booked anything in advance here. It will be weird doing that again in Europe.I do like traveling here, but am sick of the tourist price. I'm tired of being stared at funny and haggling for everything. Perhaps this is an area best traveled in moderation for me. Perhaps I should just go to India where it will all be ten times worse.

Nothing Much

Day 388

I got up early so that I could time chatting with my Dad. Afterwards I went to the coffee shop and then back to the internet cafe to type some more. I practically live here, they must all think that I am crazy.I'm finding it funny that even though I can come up with nothing to write about I'm finding that the days pass quite quickly. Perhaps it's just too hot to be awake and I spend all of my time sleeping. I have been doing quite a bit of shopping though. I'm going to have a massive package to send home ina day or two.

Nothing Witty

Day 387
It seems that the weather has calmed down a bit, but it has also been raining nearly every day. I've found a coffee shop that has good prices and that I can write in. They have also near arctic air conditioning. When I can write no more I head to the internet cafe to type up what I had just finished.

I'm sitting here trying to come up with something witty to say, but find that I have nothing. I don't think that anyone will be surprized.

I've been doing some research on India all week and now have a nice looking intinerary. I'm sure that it will change as time goes by. I'm getting very excited about this new chapter in my trip, but also a bit nervous. This could be a very challenging part of my trip. If I can get thru all the stares and badgering and still enjoy India I think that this will be a very rewarding part of my trip. If not I will have to change my outward ticket.

Run Around

Day 386
I was starting to make some progress and decided that I would treat myself to some aircon mall time and maybe a movie. I wanted a cab but none of them would use their meter so I decided to walk. Then I was offered a tuk tuk. The way this works is that you pay a very small amount if you agree to visit and spend 10 minutes in a few different stores that give drivers commission just for bringing you.

The first place was a jewelry show. I never knew how boring this could be when you have 10 minutes to kill and several sales people following you around. The next place was a tailor shop. Around 4 minutes in the woman realized that I wasn't going to buy anything and tried to rush me out. I stayed and she got pretty irritated with me. My driver then said that if I stayed for 10 minutes in a travel shop that I could have the ride for free. This was awful. I tried to ask as many questions about Thailand that I could come up with, even ones that I knew the answers too. At one point the guy started demanding a 200 baht deposit for I don't know what. I tried to tell him that I couldn't buy anything until I chatted with my friend who couldn't come this time because she was sick and I asked for his card. He told me that they didn't do that and then threw me out!

I was miserable when I left and then the tuk tuk driver further irritated me when he tried to take me to a market instead of the mall I wanted. He then tried to get me on a motorbike but I refused. I wanted him to be just as miserable as I felt at the moment. Eventually he paid anther tuk tuk driver to take me to the mall. Once I was there I saw Knowing, it was really bad.

Getting back was bit of a problem as it was raining and there weren't any cabs. In the end I had to bargain hard with a tuk tuk driver to get back. This was when I ran into Amy and Julie and got the rest of the camera story. After calling home for a bit I tried to meet them for a drink but they were confused about the bar (I found out later) and after having one alone I went home.

No Fooling

Day 385
I slept in and the headed out to do some writing and blogging. Today I think I will write about each of the countries I've been to in Asia.

Singapore - This was too western and I was only there for 3 days. I think that I will skip it.

Malaysia - Also very western. Despite the high level of diversity I was stared at constantly and followed once. Not very nice. I wasn't there for even two weeks though so my opinion could be wrong.

Indonesia - This was my favorite country in Asia. I was starred at constantly but people were friendly about it. When I chatted with the locals they were seemed to be very curious about me and would ask all sorts of questions about the States ranging from Obama to elementary school. They were also willing to answer any questions I may have had. I was a bit nervous when I started but the only problem I had (besides hurting myself trekking) was when my trekking guide tried to sleep with me, but after getting a no for the second time he stopped bothering me.

Thailand - There is a reason this is called the land of smiles. Thailand is large and diverse and I only just scratched the surface. I've felt safe and welcome everywhere I went here. The only real drawback is the huge amount of travelers.

Lao - I loved it here. It was so laid back it was hard not to become laid back myself.

Vietnam - I spent a lot of time here and it was quite different from the other countries. Perhaps it is more Chinese, I will have to decide that later. People are more business here and less friendly. Compared to the rest of SE Asia people seem down right rude here.

Cambodia - I wasn't here very long. However, the people seemed very friendly and happy go lucky. I would like to spend more time here and am interested in seeing what the future holds for the country.

That night I met Julie and Amy from Redding. I had been really dehydrated for the past few days and even though I wanted to be out I stuck mainly to water. Julie and Amy were jet lagged from having just arrived as well as several buckets in when I met them. At the last bar Amy handed me her camera to take a picture, I did so and then handed it back to her and forgot about it. A few minutes later we went to get drinks and a local guy, Matt, bought the round for us. Julie and I then realized that Amy had dissapeared. We eventually found her outside accusing Matt of stealing her camera. Matt was offended by trying to be nice and offered to go to the police station with her. He had his friends help us look around the bar for the camera as well. Eventually Julie and Amy gave up and left. I spent a few more minutes chatting with Matt before the bar closed and I headed home.

The next day I ran into Amy and Julie and asked about the camera. Amy had fallen asleep in her clothes and then found it in her bra the next morning. No joke!

Tuesday

Day 384
If I had to be stuck I wanted to use my time wisly. I had a huge amount of journal writing to do, photos to organize and blog entries to create. I spent the majority of the next several days doing this. I also did some shopping and spent time planning India.

None of these chores make for very interesting blog entrires. I thought that I would write down some of my imppresions about travel in Asia. These will of course be witty and laugh out loud funny. Today I thought I would write about the other people who travel in this area and how annoying they can be.

The most annoying would be those who walk around barefoot. Now, you have to take your shoes off at various temples, this isn't a problem. For some reason some dumbass westerners walk around barefoot all the time. I've seen people in bars and even outside in Bangkok barefoot! (yuck) This can't be good for you or safe. The only reason I can come up with is that people want to do this to be like the locals. The thing is the only locals who don't have shoes are the poorest of the poor or children. I remember running around barefoot by choice as a kid, so perhaps that is why they don't have shoes in some cases. All flip flopless westerners should buy some asap and put them on, you look beyond stupid.

Also, time and again I've run into people who seem to think that they are god's gift to travel. These people are often reconized by their baggy pants, unshaven faces (they tend to be men), dirty shirts, and severe penny pinching ways. If you can't reconize one of these people by sight then it should only take a minute or two of talking to them to root them out. They will try to talk to you in the language of the boardering country instead of in English. If your nice about it they will then launch into how during their two weeks they really connected with the Thai people, much more so than you could have, no arguments will be listened two. This will be then be followed with a description of how they found God during their week doing opium in Vang Vien. Advoid these people at all costs. They should all be sent to live in a country together so they can only annoy each other.

For all my complaints most people I've met have been quite nice and normal. Many of them are also a bit closer to my age and better traveled than the average person traveling in Europe. It's been a nice change of pace. People here also to tend to be more patient, a requirement for travel here.

While I was in the internet cafe typing it started to rain. After about 2 hours of it the raint was letting up and I wanted to go back to my room. The walk back was flooded up to my mid calf. It was really gross too with garbage and dead roaches floating in it. On the way back to my hotel I picked up some food at the 7-11 and decided to stay inside and dry for the evening.

Stuck

Day 383
I was up early and had problems getting a cab that would actually use his meter to take me to the Indian Embassy. The one I found drove me the long way so I guess that it didn't matter one way or another. When I got to the embassy I had to get a motorbike around the corner to where they actually issue the visas. Getting my application in was a breeze. The only problem was that I had brought dollars as requested in Vietnam and they wanted me to pay in baht. Half way through I had to run downstairs and change money. Getting my visa here also cost more than it would have cost in Vietnam. To make matters worse due to two days of holidays I wouldn't be able to pick up my passport until the following Tuesday. I was stuck in Bangkok for over a week.

Instead of heading straight back I went to one of the malls thinking I would see a movie. Nothing looked appealing and I ended up getting a pretzel and enjoying the aircon while I read. Before heading out I picked up the 2nd book in the Twilight series and the only one I hadn't read yet. I then grabbed a cab and headed back to the Kao San Road area. When I got back my room was like a sauna and there was no way that I could sit there. Instead I went to the very airconditioned Subway and bought a soda so that I could sit in there.

After dark I headed back to my room and picked up some things from the 7-11. I planed on spending a very nice evening reading and eating junk food. The time I'm wasting here is a pain, but at least I can catch up on sleep and my reading list!

Goodbye

Day 382

I got up early to try and get a single room in the hotel I was already staying at. They put my name on a list and then I went off to find an India guidebook. All of the used book stands were selling them for almost the same price as a new book. In the end I just went to a bookstore and bought a new copy along with the third book in the Twilight series. I had already read numbers 1 and 4. I had decided to not worry about the order but rather read them as I found them.

I then went back to the hotel and hung out in the restaurant eating breakfast and working on my India itinerary as I waited for it to be 11am. When 11 came there were no new rooms and I headed out to find a different place to stay. I picked the same place I had stayed at before. It was cheep anyways. After I moved my things I waited for Nicole to come down so that I could show her where I was. She was going to leave her bags in my room for the day, she had a night bus later on.

Once Nicole's things were moved she went out to meet up with a friend from the UK while I went back to my room to read. Later on Nicole came back for dinner and the three of us went out for some street food. The guy who joined us used to work at the sports center with Nicole and I listened while they chatted about the other people they worked with. There wasn't much time though and soon we were headed back so that Nicole could grab her things and be on her way.

We said a quick but sad goodbye. Traveling with Nicole had been really wonderful and I know that we will be friends for life. However, we both agreed that 2 months of togetherness is too much, no matter how much fun you have with each other. I'm going to miss being part of a group, but I am also looking forward to being on my own again.

That evening I stayed in with my books.

Shopping

Day 381
We had wanted to get up to go to the weekend market and we did make it up after a few hours of sleep. It just wasn't so much fun to be out in a hot crowded mess so I don't think we shopped for more than an hour before calling it a day and heading back.

When we got back to our hotel I took a nap while Nicole met up with some people she knew. After dinner she went out with them while I decided to call it a night. I was exhausted from the day before and had to move to another hotel in the morning.

Wow, this must be the most boring entry yet. Sorry.

Full Circle

Day 380
We were picked up at 8:30 am and by 9 we were on the bus and on our way to the boarder. We didn't have aircon, but there was a nice breeze and I slept for most of it anyway. After a few hours we were at the boarder. Getting out of Cambodia wasn't a problem. Ignoring all the children that were begging was harder. We then walked for about 10 minutes and past a casino to the Thai boarder. Here immigration was also easy and we each received the standard 15 days.

It was very very hot out and we were both overloaded with all the things we had collected in Asia. The walk to the minibus was long and I thought I would never make it. Luckily the aicon was very strong and in no time I was almost cold. I soon fell asleep. Around 5 pm we pulled into Bangkok and by 6 we had a hotel. My time in SE Asia was officially over. Now all I needed was an Indian visa and then I could be on my way.

Once we had both showered we headed out for some street food and then to have a crazy night in Bangkok, our last. We ended up meeting Mr. Bangkok at a street bar. Mr. Bangkok is a bit of a legend, he drives up and down Kao Sahn Road in a very decorated cyclo. He is also very touchy feely and even when I told him to stop he carried on. I was glad when we left that bar. Nicole and I didn't make it back to our room until the sun was up.

Next!

Day 328

I was up early and got the 7:45 am bus to Vientiane, Laos. I slept through most of the ride. Crossing the boarder was really easy. I'm really glad that I got that visa in advance, the lines were crazy long! Luckily it is a requirement to have an advance visa to take the bus so everyone else got through quickly as well.

When I got to Vientiane I met an English girl riding around on a bike who told me that everything was full. A few minutes later I found out that she was right. I managed to get a room for about 3 times what I had been paying in Thailand. I did have air con and a tv though with channels in English! I think it's good to treat myself on occasion.

I then had to get some kip. This took some time as none of the ATM's wanted to take my card. Eventually I figured out that I was hitting current account when I should pick checking account. I had wandered around for nothing.

Laos was a French colony. The language seems to be gone (although I think Laosions over 40 might still speak French) but baggetts and cafe culture has stayed. I had a lovely bagget sandwich for lurch. While I ate I checked out my guidebook. There wasn't anything I wanted to do here. I had know that from the beginning, I was really just here for a Vietnamese visa anyway.

When lunch was done I headed to the Internet cafe to check out my visa options and to let Nicole know that I was in Laos. We were planning on meeting up in the next day or two. I couldn't find anything online that guaranteed my ability to get a visa anywhere else in Laos, and none of my friends seemed to know either. I had to get it here to ensure I would have it. I then had to figure out if paying an extra $15 for expedited service would be worth it, if I didn't I would have to sit around for 5 or 6 more days as it was coming near the weekend to get it. In the end I decided on expatiated service. It was expensive to stay here and I would save money in the long run.

That evening I sat in my air con room watching movies. It was really quite a bit of a treat, I hadn't done this for ages.

One Way or Another

Day 328

Indecision had me up early. I had lots of options and no ides of what to do with myself. I could go ot a border town in Thailand, but I was a bit tired of being in the herd. I was up early so that I could go to the Laos embassy and get a visa. This would give me added options and get me across the border much faster.

It took me about 20 minutes to walk to the embassy. I couldn't quite find it, the sign was in Thai, but a nice woman walked me there when I passed it a bit. In just about 10 minutes I walked out with a new visa. It cost about $3 more than getting it at the border. From what I've heard it can take up to two hours to get a visa there, so I definitely made out.

The the hard part, a decision. I spent some time chatting with the Australian who owned the hotel. He said that the border town I was considering wasn't all that much more interesting than where I already was. I could also take a bus directly from Khan Kaen to Vientiane. I headed to the bus station to find out times and settled on leaving first thing in the morning.

Now I had to figure out what to do with myself for the day. There isn't much to do here. After some internet time and lunch at McDonalds (first time in Thailand) I walked to the museum. It was a very hot and sweaty walk. On the way I found a market with pig heads on offer. It was pretty gross.

The Khan Kaen Museum was just as good as all the others I have been to in Asia, meaning it was crap. I did have my own guide though. I learned that the Thais believe in evil spirits and many of their rituals are meant to get rid of them. There were a lot of ceramic displays of these rituals. One of the characters looked shockingly like Hitler. There was also a small section with frightening manikins about diversity in the market.

With not much left to do I simply headed back to the internet cafe. It's so strange. I'm either so busy I'm running around like a chicken with it's head cut off or I can't figure out what to do with myself!

I was back at the hotel before dinner and just ate there. After reading a bit I went to my room and called it a night. A rather boring and early night.

Thai Transportation

Day 327
It was 8 am when I got to Khan Kaen. I came here with the hope of seeing Austin, who I met in Java. We had been in touch but hadn't made any concrete plans. Khan Kaen is in the direction I was headed though, so I felt that showing up wouldn't hurt.

The tuk-tuk driver I got to my hotel really ripped me off. It was very annoying. But when you don't have a map and no idea about how far away things are it's really hard to bargain hard.

After I checked in I had breakfast and then took a nap. I only woke up when my stomach was growling again for lunch. I found a food stall with pad thai and people watched as I ate.

I then popped into and internet cafe to see if Austin was going to be around. It turned out that he wasn't so after watching some tv I headed back to my hotel. The food stalls were really out in full force at this point and I indulged on several things from different stalls. Oddly there were elepahants parked in front of the 7-11.

That night I chatted with some of the other people at the hotel before calling it an early night.

Blogging Away

Day 326
I was up early and got myself packed up before breakfast. I then grabbed a tuk-tuk to the bus station to find out bus times and buy a ticket. I don't like just showing up for night buses. They are either full or empty, there never seems to be an in between. Once my chores were done I went back to my hotel to put my things in storage.

Before getting back to the blog I went to get a massage. This one was a lot more fun than the first one a few weeks ago.

When this was done I realized that I could call my parents. I hadn't spoken to them since my birthday and it was really good to hear their voices. I was highly annoyed with the internet went out and we were disconnected.

By this time I was ready for lunch and sat there writing for a very long time. I then went back to the internet cafe for some more typing. I left very caught up with both my journal and the blog. I really hope that it stays that way, but somehow I think not.

By the time I finished on the blog it was time to grab my things and head for the bus station. The ride was beyond uncomfortable. The guy next to me was huge and I was wedged in between him and the window. He also snored. The only good thing was that once the Thai dubbed movie was over I asked if they would mind putting in one of the bootlegs that I had picked up in Bali, they said yes.

I think that I eventually got some sleep, but not much.

Consumer Culture

Day 325
There are so many treks and day trips to take in Chang Mai that I could be busy for ages. I could also run out of money. The only reason I had stuck around for today was for the Sunday Market. I was also way behind in the blog and with my journal and I needed a couple of days to get caught up.

I wrote over lunch and then in a cafe for so long that I got hungry again. Once I had 6 entries written I headed off the the internet cafe to type. This took a while because I watched tv online as I went. Once I was as up to date as I could be for the day

When I came out of the internet cafe night had fallen and the market was in full swing. I am very good at not buying things, but this place was just too much. I ended up with a couple of new shirts and a purse.

The best part of the market was the food. I could hardly finish something at one stall before I found something else that I wanted. I had a spring roll, grilled bananas, crab and and some coconut pastry. I washed it all down with some fresh oj. The market was so crowded that I had walked past the street that I lived on 3 times before finding it. Back in my room I wrote some more and read a bit before falling asleep.

Incredibly True

Day 324
When I was in college there were two cooking incidents, I set off the fire alarm cooking bratwurst and once set a fire using grilled cheese. During the 4 years I lived in Manhattan if I used my oven at all it was just once to make brownies. I am simply not a cook

.

One of the most popular things to do in Thailand is to take a cooking course. I had wanted to do this because I really like Thai food and wanted to see just how difficult it was. The cooking school that I picked was right across the street from my hotel so I was able to leave pretty much at the same time it started.

After a brief lecture on different types of rice and how to cook them we headed to a local market. There were all sorts of fruits and veggies, some I had seen, some that I had not. Some were a variation of things that we have at home. The oranges are much smaller, but there are about 6 different types of ginger. As our instructor discuessed each item he through some into each of the baskets that we were carrying. We had a few minutes on our own and I made sure to take pictures of everything.

Back at the cooking school we sat down for a short break. There were three dining rooms where we would eat what we cooked in the scattered classrooms. While the ingredients from the market were being sorted we were given plates of veggies and candies to try. It was a really good breakfast.

We were then off to our first lessons. I was learning how to make pad thai. After cutting up the ingredients we took them to the skillet. Everything was going fine until it came time to break the egg. A large part of the shell fell into the pan. I wasn't able to find it to take it out. When I ate the food I tried to look for it, but it never reappeared. It was really good.

Next up was more of a group effort. Together we cut and mixed the ingredients for spring rolls. The individual part was the rolling of the rolls. I did a pretty good job if I must say so. Some people had some really weird looking rolls. We didn't eat these right away though, instead we moved onto soup. This meant another cutting board and another big knife. There were a few things that were added for taste and not for eating, it was weird picking them out of the soup later on, but it was still good.

After a bit of a break it was time to make dessert. I had picked fried bananas. This didn't take long to prepare, but it did take some time to fry, so we quickly split off into our last groups of the day. I was making green curry paste. A group of about 8 of us spent a really long time cutting up veggies as small as possible. We then were given a mortar and pestle and had to smash everything into a paste. This wasn't a lot of fun. I think I will stick to store bought curry paste.

It did feel really nice to eat a meal that I had prepared that didn't taste bad. I was pretty impressed with myself. The best part was not having to clean anything up! I don't think I'll make a habit out of this cooking thing, but perhaps I will give it a try on occasion.

I got back to the hotel just in time to say goodbye to Nicole. She's headed to Laos and we are going to try and meet up in a few days time.

I was so full from the food I had eaten all day that I didn't feel hungry until the next morning. I spent some time in an internet cafe and then wrote in my room until I fell asleep.

Lie In

Day 323
The last several days had been really exhausting with all the late nights and early mornings. I really needed a day to sleep in and take it easy.

Dezzi knocked around noon to say goodbye and I then went back to sleep. Around 2 I got up and went out to eat. Afterwards I spent a while at an internet café. I had about 500 pictures to organize!

I grabbed some take away and took it back to my room to read for a bit. Around 9 Nicole came by and asked it I wanted to grab a drink. A short while later we were at a place with live regge music. We ended up meeting some other local girls and hanging out with them until the bar closed. Neither of us felt like a club so we found a camper van bar and chatted to the other people around us before calling it a night.