The trip is flying by so far - we're already on day 9! I think it's running well. I've had a few days where I've had to really wing it, and I definitely bought my entire group breakfast one morning because I thought it was included with the guesthouse and it wasn't (it was about 15 bucks, so it's not a problem - ha!) but everyone's really nice and laid back and go-with-the-flow, so they either haven't noticed or, thankfully, don't seem to care. I did have one night were I probably drank too many beers and felt awful the next day, and I was crabby and tired and not at all productive, so I think I'll keep the beer drinking with the passengers to a minimum. At least when I actually have to do things the next day. Ha!
We're in Vang Vieng now. It's a crazy little town where many a backpacker has come and not left for many, many days or even months. The "tubing" is famous (which I believe I touched on in a post during my training trip - whiplash, anyone?) and since then Gap has actually instructed us not to recommend it to our group and we are no longer allowed to tube ourselves. It's really that dangerous, and kids have recently died doing it. Beer + Mushrooms + Lao Lao + Shoddily Rigged Ziplines+ River Rocks in Shallow Water = A Really Bad Idea. Just sayin'. Anyway, a few of my group are going because, let's be honest, it's also really freaking fun, but I've made them promise not to trip on mushrooms or do the zipline.
I, on the other hand, skipped the tubing but went on a great Kayaking trip this morning! It wasn't very long - maybe 10KM? But it was so much fun. Another passenger, Anne, went with me and we had a great guide named Lam who pointed out all of the interesting things and told us all about the town beforre it was a backpacker ghetto. The countryside is breathtaking - the river butts up against massive limestone mountains which, in the summer when the fruit is ripe, are apparently full of monkeys. Can't wait for that! We also saw water buffalo literally chillin' (ha!) in the water and we were SO close! when I saw them hanging out so peacefully, I almost felt bad about eating that buffalo skewer the other day. Also, the dragonflies are fuchsia! Bright, hot pink fuchsia! Anyway, the trip was just long enough not to be too difficult (or hot), we navigated the rapids well and managed to stay in our kayak, and got back in time for lunch and a nap.
Tomorrow we leave for Laos' capital city, Vientiane. Last time I was there I was recovering from tubing, so I didn't explore much and I'm looking forward to going back and actually doing something. Of course I will keep you all posted!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monks on a Train
I'm on day three of my first trip and things are going really well so far! My group is really nice and easygoing, and so far everything has gone pretty smoothly! We took the overnight train last night up to Chiang Mai, which is one of my favorite places. The train is nice, too. We were in a car FULL of monks, though. It was really funny! There were probably 20 of them! There's a huge monastery here called Doi Suthep (we're going tonight) so it's not surprising, but I felt nervous around so many of them in such close proximity.
The monks here are so beautiful - they wear bright orange robes, their heads are shaved, and they just pop no matter what scenery surrounds them. Seeing them chant at Doi Suthep is really a beautiful, moving experience. But there are so many rules, especially for women (because they are celibate and we are all temptresses - it's true!) Don't touch them, don't look them in the eye, don't speak to them, don't sit next to them on a bus, you must be lower than them at all times, cover your shoulders and knees, etc., etc., etc. I take these rules very seriously, of course, and I think it's what makes them so mysterious and beautiful. It's mostly for politeness and respect, but really also has to do with the fact that they are only human and ladies are way distracting....ha.
Anyway, on the train, I was literally sat next to two monks. Young guys, probably early 20s, and I was so nervous! I didn't know how not to be taller than them, or not brush against them in the aisle or look at them. After sitting back with my group for a big Singha beer and some cards, I came back to my seat and just tried to read and sit primly with my knees covered. But the the train steward came around to set up my bed and then I wasn't just SITTING next to them, I was laying in bed! With an aisle between us of course, but still, it all seemed incredibly potentially scandalous, for sure. So I just shut my curtain and went to sleep.
This morning, though, we were all up bright and early for coffee and I was sitting, watching the sun come up along the countryside, and the monk across the aisle started to talk to me! This was a first. Then he offered me his leftover breakfast sandwich - and I said no thank you! I was so stunned that he was talking to me, I refused a blessed sandwich. Then, I was just incredibly embarrassed and really hoped I hadn't offended him. Ha. And another woman in our group said that the night before one monk came up to her berth and chanted for a while, then struck up a conversation with her to practice his English. So I guess these were just young, progressive modern monks? I dunno. In any event, they were very friendly and apparently able to handle sitting in a train cabin with the ladies.
Ok, I think I can finally check into my room now, and I am in desperate need of shower and some MTV Asia.
xxx
E
The monks here are so beautiful - they wear bright orange robes, their heads are shaved, and they just pop no matter what scenery surrounds them. Seeing them chant at Doi Suthep is really a beautiful, moving experience. But there are so many rules, especially for women (because they are celibate and we are all temptresses - it's true!) Don't touch them, don't look them in the eye, don't speak to them, don't sit next to them on a bus, you must be lower than them at all times, cover your shoulders and knees, etc., etc., etc. I take these rules very seriously, of course, and I think it's what makes them so mysterious and beautiful. It's mostly for politeness and respect, but really also has to do with the fact that they are only human and ladies are way distracting....ha.
Anyway, on the train, I was literally sat next to two monks. Young guys, probably early 20s, and I was so nervous! I didn't know how not to be taller than them, or not brush against them in the aisle or look at them. After sitting back with my group for a big Singha beer and some cards, I came back to my seat and just tried to read and sit primly with my knees covered. But the the train steward came around to set up my bed and then I wasn't just SITTING next to them, I was laying in bed! With an aisle between us of course, but still, it all seemed incredibly potentially scandalous, for sure. So I just shut my curtain and went to sleep.
This morning, though, we were all up bright and early for coffee and I was sitting, watching the sun come up along the countryside, and the monk across the aisle started to talk to me! This was a first. Then he offered me his leftover breakfast sandwich - and I said no thank you! I was so stunned that he was talking to me, I refused a blessed sandwich. Then, I was just incredibly embarrassed and really hoped I hadn't offended him. Ha. And another woman in our group said that the night before one monk came up to her berth and chanted for a while, then struck up a conversation with her to practice his English. So I guess these were just young, progressive modern monks? I dunno. In any event, they were very friendly and apparently able to handle sitting in a train cabin with the ladies.
Ok, I think I can finally check into my room now, and I am in desperate need of shower and some MTV Asia.
xxx
E
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Goin' Solo
So the training is over, I've had some days to relax, and now I FINALLY start my own trip today - yikes!
I meet my group (all 14 of them) this evening at 6pm for a welcome meeting at the hotel, then dinner nearby. I barely slept last night and woke up in the middle of the night with one of those gasping, panicky dreams. But I woke up early and I'm all prepped now with my booklets and handouts and budget confirmation and booking sheets. All of my "pax" are checked into the hotel and I have my snazzy GAP Adventures tee shirt on, all ready to greet them later on. I'm still nervous, but I'm really excited, and I feel organized and ready to go. I just hope they're nice people and easy going, most of all!
My friend and fellow trainee, Karis, who was on my training trip with me, started her trip last week and everything has gone really smoothly, so I'm sure my trip will be fine, too. Thankfully I think I have time for a little nap this afternoon before it all begins! We have a day here in Bangkok tomorrow before getting on the overnight train to Chiang Mai.
So wish me luck! I'll keep you posted along the way!
xx
Erin
I meet my group (all 14 of them) this evening at 6pm for a welcome meeting at the hotel, then dinner nearby. I barely slept last night and woke up in the middle of the night with one of those gasping, panicky dreams. But I woke up early and I'm all prepped now with my booklets and handouts and budget confirmation and booking sheets. All of my "pax" are checked into the hotel and I have my snazzy GAP Adventures tee shirt on, all ready to greet them later on. I'm still nervous, but I'm really excited, and I feel organized and ready to go. I just hope they're nice people and easy going, most of all!
My friend and fellow trainee, Karis, who was on my training trip with me, started her trip last week and everything has gone really smoothly, so I'm sure my trip will be fine, too. Thankfully I think I have time for a little nap this afternoon before it all begins! We have a day here in Bangkok tomorrow before getting on the overnight train to Chiang Mai.
So wish me luck! I'll keep you posted along the way!
xx
Erin
Back in Bangkok part 2!
Finally! Back on the ball to finish the previous post. My excuses are many: I had office training for a week which involved power points and many after-training-session-drinking-sessions, then I left for a week for the beach where the internet was few, far between and expensive. And then I was just lazy the last few days. But I'm back now, and ready to start where I left off!
Cambodia!!
What can I say. Sigh. I love Cambodia. My heart broke a little bit, but I desperately want to go back (and will do in just a few weeks!). After a tough couple of days in Vietnam (Cu Chi Tunnels, etc.), we boarded a bus to head down toward the Mekong Delta and to Phnom Penh. Along the way from Saigon to PP, I read a great book called A River of Time by Jon Swain, a British journalist who was living in Cambodia during the VM war and was in Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge overtook the city. Needless to say by the time I got there, I was captivated and humbled by how ignorant I have been on the whole history of the area.
Without going into a huge history lesson, it was and is still to a great degree, a mess there. In the 70's the Khmer Rouge, a stringent communist party hell bent on decimating Cambodia and wiping it clean of all it's culture, history, educated class, morale, etc., came into power, emptied all of the cities, sent the people into the country to be rice farmers (in matching uniforms, and a tiny ration of rice per day), and killed anyone in their way. If you had any sort of schooling or were related to anyone one educated at all, you were likely tortured and then send to The Killing Fields. Babies included. It was a bleak time, it lasted over 4 years and really wiped their entire society clean. Of course it's much more complex than that, and there's so much more to tell and to learn, but I leave it to you to read up if you're interested. We, however, spent a fun-filled day at Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields on our first day in Phnom Penh and let's just say afterwards, I really needed to lay in the fetal position in my hotel room for a while. Pretty sure I did that after Cu Chi tunnels, too.
I've never been to Auschwitz, but I imagine Tuol Sleng is similar. It's hard to go into much detail, mostly because I don't really want to, but also because you just can't believe the things that went on there. To children, too. Lots of children. The Killing Fields is the same thing. It's where most of the prisoners were sent and summarily executed and thrown into mass open graves, just outside of town. They used to play music on loudspeakers so that neighboring villages couldn't hear people screaming. And as you walk around the graves, which are mostly excavated but still there, when you look down all you see are remnants of bone and bits of leftover clothing. That's really all I have left to say about it. Except one thing: incredibly, the entire place was full - FULL - of butterflies. Everywhere. I hope that means something good, at least.
Happily, the rest of our time in Phnom Penh was great - I love the city. After all I saw that day, I couldn't help looking around, again, in amazement that a people can rebound so quickly and be so friendly and beautiful. I know I can be a bit gushy, but it was actually hard for me to walk down the street and not start weeping for these people. That said, there is so much that needs work in the government, especially. It's incredibly corrupt and the party in charge is a faction of the original Khmer Rouge, which is frightening. Also, one of the biggest problems, as you may already know, is the huge population of street kids. It's one of the first things you'll encounter in Cambodia - getting off a bus, walking down the street, getting in a tuk tuk, kids will surround you, asking for money, selling you books. And they are simply the most adorable kids ever. But so sad, and, obviously, not in school - very SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. But they have some sort of spark in their eyes and your heart just breaks for them. I'm not an Angelina fan, but I do see why she brought one home with her.
There's a great NGO that I became familiar with in Cambodia called Friends International, and I was actually required by my boss to be trained by them to recognize issues with kids on the street. The training is called is called Child Safe, and I spent two hours one day learning how to recognize when a child on the street is in trouble (going into a hotel with an older man, for example) or simply what to do when they ask for money (not give them any, but encourage them to go to the child safe center). Anyway, they basically provide a shelter, give them a job and a trade, reintegrate them back into school and provide family counseling, if necessary. I got really into it, and can't wait to go back and support them and hopefully volunteer at some point. They also own two restaurants in town both run entirely by former street kids - the waitstaff, the chefs, etc. And the food and service are spectacular - two of the best meals I had (besides the tarantula - only had a leg, but that was enough. Eek!). This is the site, if you're interested: http://childsafe-international.org/CAMBODIA/CSCambodia.asp
Next we flew to Siem Reap, our last stop. It's much prettier than Phnom Pehn, but tourism has really boomed there because of the main tourist attraction, The Temples of Angkor. If you've seen TOMB RAIDER, you've seen the temples. They are massive, span several square miles surrounded by moat, and Angkor Wat at sunrise (despite being entirely too early for my liking) is one of the most spectacular things I've seen. I actually managed to get away from the tour groups and masses of people and just sat, meditatively, for an hour as the sky turned purple behind this spectacular temple. It truly was a spiritual, beautiful experience. And the Tomb Raider temple was pretty cool, too. Ha!
Other than that, we just bounced around the markets, and I got my 11th massage of the trip, and also donated blood at the Children's Hospital (it's safe - don't worry!) which is another amazing organization that I would love to support. If I were a nurse (hint hint, Katie!!) I would totally volunteer there for a while. In fact, if any of you medical people are interested, let me know!!
Then we were back to BKK and the trip was over. I trained, as I said, then sat my butt on a beach for 5 days and played soccer on the beach with my English friends I made on the way, tried not to drink too much Sangsom (Thai Whiskey, Red Bull and Coke - it's brutal, and very popular), and got a wicked tan.
Tomorrow I start my first actual trip that I lead on my own. I'm nervous but mostly really excited. I've gotten to really like Bangkok, too, but I'm itching to get back on the road and revisit all the places I didn't get enough of (all of them - ha!).
I'll try to keep the posts more regular from now on - thanks for reading!!
Love,
Erin
Cambodia!!
What can I say. Sigh. I love Cambodia. My heart broke a little bit, but I desperately want to go back (and will do in just a few weeks!). After a tough couple of days in Vietnam (Cu Chi Tunnels, etc.), we boarded a bus to head down toward the Mekong Delta and to Phnom Penh. Along the way from Saigon to PP, I read a great book called A River of Time by Jon Swain, a British journalist who was living in Cambodia during the VM war and was in Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge overtook the city. Needless to say by the time I got there, I was captivated and humbled by how ignorant I have been on the whole history of the area.
Without going into a huge history lesson, it was and is still to a great degree, a mess there. In the 70's the Khmer Rouge, a stringent communist party hell bent on decimating Cambodia and wiping it clean of all it's culture, history, educated class, morale, etc., came into power, emptied all of the cities, sent the people into the country to be rice farmers (in matching uniforms, and a tiny ration of rice per day), and killed anyone in their way. If you had any sort of schooling or were related to anyone one educated at all, you were likely tortured and then send to The Killing Fields. Babies included. It was a bleak time, it lasted over 4 years and really wiped their entire society clean. Of course it's much more complex than that, and there's so much more to tell and to learn, but I leave it to you to read up if you're interested. We, however, spent a fun-filled day at Tuol Sleng and The Killing Fields on our first day in Phnom Penh and let's just say afterwards, I really needed to lay in the fetal position in my hotel room for a while. Pretty sure I did that after Cu Chi tunnels, too.
I've never been to Auschwitz, but I imagine Tuol Sleng is similar. It's hard to go into much detail, mostly because I don't really want to, but also because you just can't believe the things that went on there. To children, too. Lots of children. The Killing Fields is the same thing. It's where most of the prisoners were sent and summarily executed and thrown into mass open graves, just outside of town. They used to play music on loudspeakers so that neighboring villages couldn't hear people screaming. And as you walk around the graves, which are mostly excavated but still there, when you look down all you see are remnants of bone and bits of leftover clothing. That's really all I have left to say about it. Except one thing: incredibly, the entire place was full - FULL - of butterflies. Everywhere. I hope that means something good, at least.
Happily, the rest of our time in Phnom Penh was great - I love the city. After all I saw that day, I couldn't help looking around, again, in amazement that a people can rebound so quickly and be so friendly and beautiful. I know I can be a bit gushy, but it was actually hard for me to walk down the street and not start weeping for these people. That said, there is so much that needs work in the government, especially. It's incredibly corrupt and the party in charge is a faction of the original Khmer Rouge, which is frightening. Also, one of the biggest problems, as you may already know, is the huge population of street kids. It's one of the first things you'll encounter in Cambodia - getting off a bus, walking down the street, getting in a tuk tuk, kids will surround you, asking for money, selling you books. And they are simply the most adorable kids ever. But so sad, and, obviously, not in school - very SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE. But they have some sort of spark in their eyes and your heart just breaks for them. I'm not an Angelina fan, but I do see why she brought one home with her.
There's a great NGO that I became familiar with in Cambodia called Friends International, and I was actually required by my boss to be trained by them to recognize issues with kids on the street. The training is called is called Child Safe, and I spent two hours one day learning how to recognize when a child on the street is in trouble (going into a hotel with an older man, for example) or simply what to do when they ask for money (not give them any, but encourage them to go to the child safe center). Anyway, they basically provide a shelter, give them a job and a trade, reintegrate them back into school and provide family counseling, if necessary. I got really into it, and can't wait to go back and support them and hopefully volunteer at some point. They also own two restaurants in town both run entirely by former street kids - the waitstaff, the chefs, etc. And the food and service are spectacular - two of the best meals I had (besides the tarantula - only had a leg, but that was enough. Eek!). This is the site, if you're interested: http://childsafe-international.org/CAMBODIA/CSCambodia.asp
Next we flew to Siem Reap, our last stop. It's much prettier than Phnom Pehn, but tourism has really boomed there because of the main tourist attraction, The Temples of Angkor. If you've seen TOMB RAIDER, you've seen the temples. They are massive, span several square miles surrounded by moat, and Angkor Wat at sunrise (despite being entirely too early for my liking) is one of the most spectacular things I've seen. I actually managed to get away from the tour groups and masses of people and just sat, meditatively, for an hour as the sky turned purple behind this spectacular temple. It truly was a spiritual, beautiful experience. And the Tomb Raider temple was pretty cool, too. Ha!
Other than that, we just bounced around the markets, and I got my 11th massage of the trip, and also donated blood at the Children's Hospital (it's safe - don't worry!) which is another amazing organization that I would love to support. If I were a nurse (hint hint, Katie!!) I would totally volunteer there for a while. In fact, if any of you medical people are interested, let me know!!
Then we were back to BKK and the trip was over. I trained, as I said, then sat my butt on a beach for 5 days and played soccer on the beach with my English friends I made on the way, tried not to drink too much Sangsom (Thai Whiskey, Red Bull and Coke - it's brutal, and very popular), and got a wicked tan.
Tomorrow I start my first actual trip that I lead on my own. I'm nervous but mostly really excited. I've gotten to really like Bangkok, too, but I'm itching to get back on the road and revisit all the places I didn't get enough of (all of them - ha!).
I'll try to keep the posts more regular from now on - thanks for reading!!
Love,
Erin
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