As some of you may know, I'm back in the States right now...I arrived home on Sunday (my dad couldn't have been happier that both of his daughters arrived home on Fathers Day). I actually wasn't supposed to get in until Monday but I talked my way on to the plane and was literally sprinting through the airport to get to the plane on time, I was the last passenger on, as soon as I got on they slammed the door shut and we headed out. I was in the air for about 24hrs from Bangkok to Portland and it only took me about 32hrs to get home, which for me isn't that bad and I traveled all across Asia, Europe and the US.
I suppose it might help if I backed up a bit. Possibly all the way to Nepal. I left Nepal about a month ago (my last week or so there was wonderful I'll tell you about it a bit later), and headed to Thailand with my sister (we had planned months ago to travel in Thailand together when her Indian trek was over, never expecting that she would end up with me in Nepal). So, Thailand, a place that neither of us really knew much about traveling through, armed with all sorts of tips and suggestions from friends we embarked on an adventure on all levels. I managed to get sick upon arrival in the country (I think it was actually from the food on the airplane, still don't trust a lot of the food prepared in Nepal), I hardly made it the the guesthouse where my sister and I were staying and spent my first three days in Bangkok in bed. I know it was pretty crap, but don't worry I promise it got better.
My good friend Haley (who I worked with in Seattle) has been traveling through SE Asia for about 8 months now and so my sister and I had decided to meet up and spend some time traveling with her. As soon as I was better we were going to head up to Chiang Mai to meet her, well then my sisters BF decided to come to Thailand so of course she wanted to stay with him. Fine by me, and off I went. After a LONG night bus from Bangkok, I arrived early in the morning in the northern Thai town of Chiang Mai, which is well known for trekking in the region. A cute and quite place after Bangkok it was a welcome and refreshing change. Meeting Haley was exactly what I needed. Before I left Nepal I was a bit stressed and well a bit lonely so having a good friend to pour my heart out to was incredible. We spent the first three days pretty much just talking...for about 18hrs a day. I know it sounds overwhelming but we've both been all over the world and had some of the most incredible, and life changing experiences in that time and no one to really share it with in the way that you can with someone that you know.
My good friend Haley (who I worked with in Seattle) has been traveling through SE Asia for about 8 months now and so my sister and I had decided to meet up and spend some time traveling with her. As soon as I was better we were going to head up to Chiang Mai to meet her, well then my sisters BF decided to come to Thailand so of course she wanted to stay with him. Fine by me, and off I went. After a LONG night bus from Bangkok, I arrived early in the morning in the northern Thai town of Chiang Mai, which is well known for trekking in the region. A cute and quite place after Bangkok it was a welcome and refreshing change. Meeting Haley was exactly what I needed. Before I left Nepal I was a bit stressed and well a bit lonely so having a good friend to pour my heart out to was incredible. We spent the first three days pretty much just talking...for about 18hrs a day. I know it sounds overwhelming but we've both been all over the world and had some of the most incredible, and life changing experiences in that time and no one to really share it with in the way that you can with someone that you know.
In Chiang Mai we indulged in western food (Haley was craving pizza) and relaxed in a way that neither of us had had a chance in a long time. We stayed in a tiny little guest house (only three rooms above a little restaurant), that upon leaving I learned served a complimentary dinner every night (oh well, I guess I'll have to try that next time), as it were, we were pretty much the only guests. From our relaxation in Chiang Mai we moved even further north to a town called Pai. I should mention the it is currently the low season in SE Asia as well as the Monsoon season in much of the region (gee maybe theirs a correlation there??). Due to the fact that it was/is the low season we managed to find the most incredible bungalow for only about $6.00 a night TOTAL!! It was beautiful, in the middle of the jungle but it had a tile bathroom and electricity and 24hr Internet. In addition to a hammock on our front porch. We only stayed in Pai for two nights and while I would have enjoyed longer....the rest of the trip was such a great adventure that it didn't matter. We spent most of our time in Pai still catching up and reading etc. On our first night in town we found the most wonderful restaurant Sugarcane which is owned by a Thai woman and her American Ex-pat husband (although she does all the work because he doesn't have a work visa and can't technically work in the country). They were a really sweet couple. We had amazing Mexican food (not as good as here, but awesome for Thailand). Not only was the food great, but the atmosphere was even better...mostly because we spent over an hour talking with the owners and we learned a lot about Pai and the drama that surrounds the restaurant (I don't mean at the restaurant, in the surrounding buildings), in the apartment next door to where we were eating a woman was breaking up with her boyfriend (and the entire neighborhood knew it), even the dogs were trying to bark to compete with her....it sounds a bit sad, but it was quite interesting to learn about the dynamics of the town.
After returning to our glorious bungalow with chocolate and beer we settled in for the night, later to be joined by our neighbors from both sides of our hut, a young woman from Luxembourg and then a young guy from England. The English guy was a lot of fun (and we even ran into him a few days later in Laos), and I think he got a kick of out me and Haley and our random conversations that had us bursting out laughing while he had no idea what is going on. We were planning on heading out the next day, but as it turns out we missed the bus we wanted to take so we stayed one more night, of which we spent a nice portion in the ER because Haley was having chest pain (no worries though, she was just fun). She somehow managed to find a French ex-pat to take us to the ER (as we had NO IDEA where it was) and then we even managed to get a ride home as well...and that was only for our personal safety. There are A LOT of feral dogs that really enjoy lurking on the streets in the middle of the night and Haley is afraid of them (she had a bad experience with dogs as a child) so when we arrived at the crossroads we were pretty much surrounded by these dogs and weren't sure what to do, but some random Thai guy gave us a ride on his scooter, as it turns out it was only about three min away, but we still did't want to piss off the dogs.
The next day we headed out for Laos, which took us a good day or so. We had to return to Chiang Mai in order to get to Vientiane (Laos) by bus. Had we wanted to spend about twice as much on travel then we could have taken the slow boat (which would have been incredible) but we decided that the bus was more economical. So we took a local (non-tourist bus) to Chiang Mai....it was a good 4-5hr ride and Haley and I were the only foreigners on the bus, we were sandwiched in pretty tight (Haley with a sick old woman on her shoulder, and me shoved up at the front with bags and the engine under my legs. I was seated just across the aisle from the door, which of course was never closed throughout the entire trip which meant I not only had to hold our packs in so they wouldn't fall out, but I also had to have something for me to hold onto so that I wouldn't go sliding out on sharp turns...but as you can see I survived just fine (this was one of the tamest of our local bus trips). When we finally arrived back in Chiang Mai we booked tickets for a night bus to the border of Thailand and Laos...it was an all night trip. Thankfully we were on an air conditioned bus. The buses both "tourist" and otherwise are actually quite nice in Thailand, most of them are air conditioned and have reclining seats, some of them even give out snacks or meals...which is really nice.
We arrived at the border with Laos early the next morning and made our transition into another of SE Asia's most heavily bombed/mined countries (during the Vietnam war...figured I would just throw in a few facts as well as my stories). While Laos is a heavily traveled country by some backpackers Thailand has become a huge tourist destination...Laos is still less developed which I appreciated. While your still approached by Taxi and Tuk Tuk drivers there is less pressure and almost aggression than there is in Thailand. The country seems more relaxed and as though it will still function alright even without the backpackers and travelers. Laos is an experience entirely different to that of Thailand and I liked it a lot better. I greatly enjoyed being in Thailand, but there was something about Laos that just spoke to me. We only stayed one night in Vientiane, which was plenty. Our guest house looked like an old Manor, and was this rambling run-down building with to many rooms. I met some odd/possibly interesting guests. The middle aged French man who was hitting on me and then decided it was appropriate to address Haley by blatantly staring at her chest. He was an odd duck, who we tried to avoid. Or the bizarre Aussie, who I managed to run into in the SMALL guest house that we stayed in upon arrival in our next city. (As I was brushing my teeth in the sink in front of the bathroom, he just popped out of the toilet stall behind me, it was weird). We mostly stayed in Vientiane as a stopover point. We wanted to take the slow boat from Vientiane to a small town Pak Lai as a way to spend some time on the Mekong and not on buses in addition to the fact that it is supposed to be a beautiful trip.
We left our guest house at the crack of dawn and arrived at the port only to learn that the boats don't run on Sundays, so we had to resort to the bus as we weren't excited to spend another day in the city. Again we were quite lucky with our bus, a "tourist" bus is what we managed to take from Vientiane to Luang Prabang (we decided to make a big circle around Northern Laos and start in Luang Prabang and not Pak Lai). And it was air conditioned and relatively comfortable. Although its just a pain in the butt to spend all day on a bus anyway. Once we arrived in Laung Prabang we found a nice little guest house (Haley had been there previously) it was right in the center of the night market which may have been a bad idea with respect to our wallets. Of course after spending all day on a bus we had to walk some, so why not wander through the beautiful market buzzing with people (ok that might be an exaggeration there weren't that many people there, and it was pretty much only tourists, there may have actually been more vendors than people shopping). Then we hit up the pub, which sounded as though it was rockin' but really there wasn't much going on there, after a beer and some seriously awkward conversation with a French banker we decided to call it a night. We had big plans and wanted to start our next day early anyway.
On our first and only full day in Luang Prabang we headed for the waterfall Tat Kuang Si, we hiked to the top which was beautiful and straight up hill (but thankfully not too long) and then right back down again. Once we got to the bottom we went for a swim, which was rather refreshing as we didn't make it to the falls until early afternoon and by that point it was rather warm out. While relaxing in the waterfall pools we randomly ran into the English guy we met in Pai (who sat and chatted with us on the deck of our glorious bungalow). After our waterfall and swimming adventure we headed back to town. We had split the cost of a Tuk Tuk with two Australian guys and two Canadian girls on our way out to the falls, so we had to find them in order to return to town and as soon as we got in it started pouring. We were quite lucky as our English friend had rented a motor bike and was soaked on his ride home.
In Thailand there is a much larger nightlife than in Laos, as we experienced when we were kicked out the bar that was closing at midnight. Haley and I had met up with Alex our English friend for dinner and then headed out to the bar, where we sat for at least 4 hrs before being being booted out. After wandering around for a while we managed to find our way back to our guest house, with Alex in tow, it was quite funny actually, he was a really sweet guy who I think was really desperate for some good conversation. I know your probably shaking your head and saying ya right, he just wanted to be with two American girls, but it wasn't like that at all. He spent all evening with us, and we talked about everything under the sun, I don't think any subject was off limits which was quite refreshing after having spent enough time in places where its hard to have a good flowing conversation with no boundaries. And while that might seem odd, it was nice. The next morning Haley and I woke up a little bit earlier than we would have liked to head out to Sainybuli small town in the Sainybuli province, which is in the western part of Laos. It is quite rural in comparison to Luang Prabang, we didn't see any other foreigners the entire time we were there...We had to take a local bus which while it was crowded and uncomfortable was not the most terrible thing I've ever been on, although neither of us were feeling all that well so being on a hot, dusty bus was not quite how we wanted to spend our day. We had to cross the Mekong and in order to do so, we were driven to a boat ramp thing, it was a dirt road that just ended in the water. From there we (meaning the bus) got on a ferry/barge contraption and we were taken across the river, in one piece. It was an odd experience, especially since it is quite a short trip, maybe 5 min total from one side of the river to the other where we were spit out onto a similar patch of dirt and headed on our merry way. At least for a bit, until we were stopped by some sort of passport control, my guess is looking for refugees, but after a "thorough" investigation of the bus we kept on.
Upon our arrival in Sainybuli we were prepared to be accosted by Tuk Tuk drivers, but as it is a very small town we were delighted to find that only one person a old Laotian man (who spoke incredible English) approached us and asked us where we wanted to go, or needed to be. He made sure that we got on the correct vehicle that took us into the center of town (most of the bus stations in the country are about 3km from the actual town). Once there we wandered around for quite some time before actually finding a guest house, it was a beautiful house with some of the most incredible heavy woodwork I've ever seen. The railings on the stairs were probably 6 inches thick and 4 inches wide of solid wood, absolutely incredible. But back to the town, so it was mostly contained on one main street which ran from about where our guesthouse was to the next large main road where the airport and bus station were. We decided to venture into the market on our first afternoon in town, which proved to be quite a sensation. As I mentioned before we were the only foreigners to be seen and I don't think that a whole lot of people travel through. We were followed and talked about the entire time we were out. But it wasn't in a malicious or uncomfortable way, just out of curiosity. We paused at quite a few different vendors trying to figure out what certain fruits or foods were and while we were mostly unsuccessful and actually figuring out what some things were, we had a good time. Although people stared at us the entire time, it has almost become one of those things that you don't even notice. They love to watch and see what we think is interesting. I took all sorts of photos of the food and such and they just laughed at me as though I was totally nuts for taking pictures of fruits that to them are as common as apples and oranges are to us.
As we suspected but didn't really plan for, the town shuts down quite early and we ended up having to eat dinner in the hotel (there was one large hotel in town) that night since we couldn't find anything else. Then of course after we had finished dinner, we found a couple of small Pho (soup) which had become a staple in our diet as it was quick, cheap and generally quite tasty. The next morning, we had one and only one mission (which took us most of the day to complete), we needed to find the bus station, which was supposed to be a mere 2km from where we were staying well 3hrs and a really bad sunburn later we finally arrived at the station, we had somehow managed to get entirely lost and turned around in what we thought was a tiny town, but what was a collection of tiny towns all sandwiched together. Once we arrived we realized that it was going to be a bit difficult for us to figure out when the bus that we wanted was actually leaving, by the time we left the station, all we knew was that if we arrived sometime between 6 and 9am the next morning we would most likely be able to take a sawngthaew modified truck/jeep thing to our next destination. It wasn't so much that we were having trouble communicating with the people at the station, but just that there aren't really set times. There are times when things generally start and end, or leave and arrive, but not really set times. After our semi-successful venture to the station we decided to take a sawngthaew back to town and not risk an even worse sunburn or getting lost again (although by that point we knew where we were).
Upon our arrival back into town we headed straight for the market again, and this time it was even more of an experience, we were given fruits and vegetables that we'd never seen before and while I found the blueberry looking things to be the most awkward I quite liked them. Imagine something about three times the size of an average blueberry, but its a vegetable and not a fruit, it must be peeled and then boiled, the inner part then becomes soft and edible. But it tastes a bit like a pumpkin, and there is a large pit in the middle, which you do not eat. I still have no idea what it is, but it was quite tasty. While we were standing there trying to figure out what we were eating, this young Thai man came up and started speaking to us in English, it was such a surprise as we hadn't really heard any English let alone been addressed by any one in nearly two days. He was trying to explain to us that this vegetable comes from a tree that takes something like 60 years before it first bares fruit (although I am not sure we understood him correctly). He wandered around the market with us for a while explaining different fruits, vegetables and meats to us which was fun, while I took all sorts of photos of random things I'd never seen before.
We had an early night as there isn't much going on in Laos past about 10pm and that might even be pushing it in this town. Plus we were so excited to have a TV in our guest house that we spent the evening catching up on bad movies and shows, some of which neither of us had ever even heard of. The next morning we had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the "bus" to Pak Lai...but as I said before we weren't really sure when it was set to leave, sometime between 6-9am. So we arrived at the station around 6am, after taking a "taxi" (broken down van), and none other than the older Laotian man who had welcomed us into the village, saw us out...he was our driver. A sweet man, who had lived in Kentucky in the 60's his English was still very good. He was telling me about the poverty and illiteracy in his province and how it is the poorest province in all of Laos because of number of people living in the jungle who have nothing. It was an interesting ride, his age alludes me, as he could be anywhere from 50-80, young people often look quiet weathered while the older people take on a distinguished and refined look of hardships overcome. He was articulate and helpful and loved having someone to talk to, he hardly let me respond or get a word in edgewise, he had so much he wanted to share with me in such a short ride to the station.
Of course when we arrived we had a bit to wait, but I think we were on the road by 7:30 or 8am, which isn't so bad, when you've no idea if your even going to get to leave. We were on a sawngthaew, for about 4 hrs and it was one of the dustiest rides I've ever been on, we're talking it felt as though I had used dust for hairspray, but not in a good way. Our clothes were probably the dirtiest they had been in a long time, as we were on an open backed vehicle with bars to keep us in, but nothing to keep the dust out. It was an interesting ride, with many stops along the way, it was a not only a "bus" but almost a taxi taking people long and short distances along the way. We had one guy get on the bus with a giant gun (although it was wrapped in a potato sack I think so we wouldn't know what it was, but it was kind of hard to miss. When we first got on, we were sitting across from a beautiful young girl and her mother, while waiting to leave we had offered them some of our breakfast (fruit and such) so once we got on and moving they offered us some of their food. No one could say more than "yes" or "thank you" but sometimes all you need is a good smile and it doesn't really matter. The Provinces that we were traveling through are well known for their work animals being elephants and along the way (which was an INCREDIBLY gorgeous ride) we passed work elephants which was such a shock to me. Knowing that they are there, is quite different than actually seeing them working, just moseying along down the road in their own little world. It was quite amazing.
When we arrived in Pak Lai (which was an even smaller town than Sainybuli) and found that there was not much going on. We were mostly passing through, but hoping to find something to do while we were there, and we met a couple of Elephant vveterinarians and it was quite an interesting experience sitting in a little restaurant on the Mekong learning about how elephants are used and poached and not as well protected as they should be in Laos. A little bit of reading after the fact taught me that there are only about 1500 Asian Elephants left in Laos and at least 500 of these are used for domesticated purposes. We also met a very unusual Australian man who spent the evening chatting with us and sharing his opinions on just about everything.
The next morning we were stoked to be taking the boat from Pak Lai to Vientiane (the reverse of the boat we weren't able to take at the beginning of our trip), and of course after we had boarded and were ready to rock, we were informed that there weren't enough passengers to make the trip. Thankfully the bus for the day hadn't left, but that also meant we still had to get to the station and get a ticket. We were quite lucky in that we managed to get a seat on the bus, but lets just say it was not the most comfortable ride ever. I was in the back row (5 seats across) with 7 passengers, 2 of which were children, and then two more children were sitting at my feet, not to mention the baby bird. Haley was sitting in the seat in front of me with a man who wouldn't stop talking the entire ride. As for the bus itself, I am not sure how it managed to stay together, it moaned at every turn, just waiting to rip apart, with nearly 80 passengers for most of the trip and an entirely full luggage rack complete with motor bike on the roof it was a shear miracle. Not to mention when the driver was SPEEDING down dirt roads and nearly lost control and almost flipped the bus, or when the bus broke down (which happened a minimum of 4 times) and we would be going up a hill and all of the sudden the bus would start sliding backwards towards the Mekong River. All in all it was quite eventful and I honestly don't know how we made it back to Vientiane in one piece, there were times where I was debating whether or not getting off the bus and trying to hitch a ride was a safer option. But we did make it, and although it was a terrifying ride, I know that I can get through it.
After we got back to Vientiane, I had to race to get to the bus on time to make ot back to Bangkok to meet my sister. I thought her boyfriend had already left for the states and I didn't think she wanted to wait around in Bangkok much longer. I managed to make to to the bus (with about 5 min to spare) and headed across the border and settled in for a LONG ride back. We arrived in Bangkok about 4:30am where I was very quickly propositioned, not by prostitutes but by tourists, I polity declined and headed on my way to a grimy but fairly clean little guest house, where I passed out before venturing out to try and find my sister and her boyfriend. Who had managed to get put up in a nice hotel (Lily's boyfriend had gotten VERY sick) and so it was better that way. I crashed there for the next night (using the pool and gym, which were both incredible) before Lily and I headed out to Koh Samui (which was also a long trip, buses, vans and boats).
Once we arrived we found that the guest house we wanted to stay at was closed just for the week, so we found another place...they were remodeling, so only about 3 of the bungalows were inhabited by guests the rest, were in pieces. It was a small place, but it was about 30 feet from the ocean, we were pretty much on the beach so it was perfect. We spent the next four nights there, soaking up the sun and relaxing. I managed to read two books and I know that it was good for my sister and I to spend some time together without and outside forces, no parents or boyfriends, just us. Although we did visit a good friend of my dads from college who happened to be in Thailand at the same time. Him and his wife took my sister and I for a really nice dinner and we had a great afternoon with them. After a few days on the island we were done, and it was time for us to head back to Bangkok so we could catch our flights to the states. Another epic trip home, vans, buses, ferries and then more buses and we finally arrived in Bangkok about 6am, where we crashed until we headed to the airport around 3pm. We departed Bangkok around 6:30pm Saturday (Bangkok time) and I managed to arrive home around 10am (Portland time) Sunday morning. All in all I was in the air almost exactly 24hrs, but in only about a 32hr period, which really isn't that bad considering security, customs and all the lovely airport shenanigans. I wasn't even supposed to be home until Monday, but I talked the airline (in Delhi) into letting me on the plane, and it was a close call, as I was sprinting through the airport they had finished boarding and were about to close the door. I was not only the last passenger, but they slammed the door shut right after I got on. I actually even managed to get home before Lily (as we were on separate flights).
And so after exactly 6 months since the last time I was home, I arrived in Portland. To be greeted at the airport by both of my parents (so excited to see me) and my dad ecstatic that I managed to make it home on Father's Day.
Its been a long journey and over the next couple of weeks you'll be hearing more about what I am doing now (I'm only in the states until early August) and where I am going next.
I hope this post wasn't tooo long.
I love you all,
Ellen
On our first and only full day in Luang Prabang we headed for the waterfall Tat Kuang Si, we hiked to the top which was beautiful and straight up hill (but thankfully not too long) and then right back down again. Once we got to the bottom we went for a swim, which was rather refreshing as we didn't make it to the falls until early afternoon and by that point it was rather warm out. While relaxing in the waterfall pools we randomly ran into the English guy we met in Pai (who sat and chatted with us on the deck of our glorious bungalow). After our waterfall and swimming adventure we headed back to town. We had split the cost of a Tuk Tuk with two Australian guys and two Canadian girls on our way out to the falls, so we had to find them in order to return to town and as soon as we got in it started pouring. We were quite lucky as our English friend had rented a motor bike and was soaked on his ride home.
In Thailand there is a much larger nightlife than in Laos, as we experienced when we were kicked out the bar that was closing at midnight. Haley and I had met up with Alex our English friend for dinner and then headed out to the bar, where we sat for at least 4 hrs before being being booted out. After wandering around for a while we managed to find our way back to our guest house, with Alex in tow, it was quite funny actually, he was a really sweet guy who I think was really desperate for some good conversation. I know your probably shaking your head and saying ya right, he just wanted to be with two American girls, but it wasn't like that at all. He spent all evening with us, and we talked about everything under the sun, I don't think any subject was off limits which was quite refreshing after having spent enough time in places where its hard to have a good flowing conversation with no boundaries. And while that might seem odd, it was nice. The next morning Haley and I woke up a little bit earlier than we would have liked to head out to Sainybuli small town in the Sainybuli province, which is in the western part of Laos. It is quite rural in comparison to Luang Prabang, we didn't see any other foreigners the entire time we were there...We had to take a local bus which while it was crowded and uncomfortable was not the most terrible thing I've ever been on, although neither of us were feeling all that well so being on a hot, dusty bus was not quite how we wanted to spend our day. We had to cross the Mekong and in order to do so, we were driven to a boat ramp thing, it was a dirt road that just ended in the water. From there we (meaning the bus) got on a ferry/barge contraption and we were taken across the river, in one piece. It was an odd experience, especially since it is quite a short trip, maybe 5 min total from one side of the river to the other where we were spit out onto a similar patch of dirt and headed on our merry way. At least for a bit, until we were stopped by some sort of passport control, my guess is looking for refugees, but after a "thorough" investigation of the bus we kept on.
Upon our arrival in Sainybuli we were prepared to be accosted by Tuk Tuk drivers, but as it is a very small town we were delighted to find that only one person a old Laotian man (who spoke incredible English) approached us and asked us where we wanted to go, or needed to be. He made sure that we got on the correct vehicle that took us into the center of town (most of the bus stations in the country are about 3km from the actual town). Once there we wandered around for quite some time before actually finding a guest house, it was a beautiful house with some of the most incredible heavy woodwork I've ever seen. The railings on the stairs were probably 6 inches thick and 4 inches wide of solid wood, absolutely incredible. But back to the town, so it was mostly contained on one main street which ran from about where our guesthouse was to the next large main road where the airport and bus station were. We decided to venture into the market on our first afternoon in town, which proved to be quite a sensation. As I mentioned before we were the only foreigners to be seen and I don't think that a whole lot of people travel through. We were followed and talked about the entire time we were out. But it wasn't in a malicious or uncomfortable way, just out of curiosity. We paused at quite a few different vendors trying to figure out what certain fruits or foods were and while we were mostly unsuccessful and actually figuring out what some things were, we had a good time. Although people stared at us the entire time, it has almost become one of those things that you don't even notice. They love to watch and see what we think is interesting. I took all sorts of photos of the food and such and they just laughed at me as though I was totally nuts for taking pictures of fruits that to them are as common as apples and oranges are to us.
As we suspected but didn't really plan for, the town shuts down quite early and we ended up having to eat dinner in the hotel (there was one large hotel in town) that night since we couldn't find anything else. Then of course after we had finished dinner, we found a couple of small Pho (soup) which had become a staple in our diet as it was quick, cheap and generally quite tasty. The next morning, we had one and only one mission (which took us most of the day to complete), we needed to find the bus station, which was supposed to be a mere 2km from where we were staying well 3hrs and a really bad sunburn later we finally arrived at the station, we had somehow managed to get entirely lost and turned around in what we thought was a tiny town, but what was a collection of tiny towns all sandwiched together. Once we arrived we realized that it was going to be a bit difficult for us to figure out when the bus that we wanted was actually leaving, by the time we left the station, all we knew was that if we arrived sometime between 6 and 9am the next morning we would most likely be able to take a sawngthaew modified truck/jeep thing to our next destination. It wasn't so much that we were having trouble communicating with the people at the station, but just that there aren't really set times. There are times when things generally start and end, or leave and arrive, but not really set times. After our semi-successful venture to the station we decided to take a sawngthaew back to town and not risk an even worse sunburn or getting lost again (although by that point we knew where we were).
Upon our arrival back into town we headed straight for the market again, and this time it was even more of an experience, we were given fruits and vegetables that we'd never seen before and while I found the blueberry looking things to be the most awkward I quite liked them. Imagine something about three times the size of an average blueberry, but its a vegetable and not a fruit, it must be peeled and then boiled, the inner part then becomes soft and edible. But it tastes a bit like a pumpkin, and there is a large pit in the middle, which you do not eat. I still have no idea what it is, but it was quite tasty. While we were standing there trying to figure out what we were eating, this young Thai man came up and started speaking to us in English, it was such a surprise as we hadn't really heard any English let alone been addressed by any one in nearly two days. He was trying to explain to us that this vegetable comes from a tree that takes something like 60 years before it first bares fruit (although I am not sure we understood him correctly). He wandered around the market with us for a while explaining different fruits, vegetables and meats to us which was fun, while I took all sorts of photos of random things I'd never seen before.
We had an early night as there isn't much going on in Laos past about 10pm and that might even be pushing it in this town. Plus we were so excited to have a TV in our guest house that we spent the evening catching up on bad movies and shows, some of which neither of us had ever even heard of. The next morning we had to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the "bus" to Pak Lai...but as I said before we weren't really sure when it was set to leave, sometime between 6-9am. So we arrived at the station around 6am, after taking a "taxi" (broken down van), and none other than the older Laotian man who had welcomed us into the village, saw us out...he was our driver. A sweet man, who had lived in Kentucky in the 60's his English was still very good. He was telling me about the poverty and illiteracy in his province and how it is the poorest province in all of Laos because of number of people living in the jungle who have nothing. It was an interesting ride, his age alludes me, as he could be anywhere from 50-80, young people often look quiet weathered while the older people take on a distinguished and refined look of hardships overcome. He was articulate and helpful and loved having someone to talk to, he hardly let me respond or get a word in edgewise, he had so much he wanted to share with me in such a short ride to the station.
Of course when we arrived we had a bit to wait, but I think we were on the road by 7:30 or 8am, which isn't so bad, when you've no idea if your even going to get to leave. We were on a sawngthaew, for about 4 hrs and it was one of the dustiest rides I've ever been on, we're talking it felt as though I had used dust for hairspray, but not in a good way. Our clothes were probably the dirtiest they had been in a long time, as we were on an open backed vehicle with bars to keep us in, but nothing to keep the dust out. It was an interesting ride, with many stops along the way, it was a not only a "bus" but almost a taxi taking people long and short distances along the way. We had one guy get on the bus with a giant gun (although it was wrapped in a potato sack I think so we wouldn't know what it was, but it was kind of hard to miss. When we first got on, we were sitting across from a beautiful young girl and her mother, while waiting to leave we had offered them some of our breakfast (fruit and such) so once we got on and moving they offered us some of their food. No one could say more than "yes" or "thank you" but sometimes all you need is a good smile and it doesn't really matter. The Provinces that we were traveling through are well known for their work animals being elephants and along the way (which was an INCREDIBLY gorgeous ride) we passed work elephants which was such a shock to me. Knowing that they are there, is quite different than actually seeing them working, just moseying along down the road in their own little world. It was quite amazing.
When we arrived in Pak Lai (which was an even smaller town than Sainybuli) and found that there was not much going on. We were mostly passing through, but hoping to find something to do while we were there, and we met a couple of Elephant vveterinarians and it was quite an interesting experience sitting in a little restaurant on the Mekong learning about how elephants are used and poached and not as well protected as they should be in Laos. A little bit of reading after the fact taught me that there are only about 1500 Asian Elephants left in Laos and at least 500 of these are used for domesticated purposes. We also met a very unusual Australian man who spent the evening chatting with us and sharing his opinions on just about everything.
The next morning we were stoked to be taking the boat from Pak Lai to Vientiane (the reverse of the boat we weren't able to take at the beginning of our trip), and of course after we had boarded and were ready to rock, we were informed that there weren't enough passengers to make the trip. Thankfully the bus for the day hadn't left, but that also meant we still had to get to the station and get a ticket. We were quite lucky in that we managed to get a seat on the bus, but lets just say it was not the most comfortable ride ever. I was in the back row (5 seats across) with 7 passengers, 2 of which were children, and then two more children were sitting at my feet, not to mention the baby bird. Haley was sitting in the seat in front of me with a man who wouldn't stop talking the entire ride. As for the bus itself, I am not sure how it managed to stay together, it moaned at every turn, just waiting to rip apart, with nearly 80 passengers for most of the trip and an entirely full luggage rack complete with motor bike on the roof it was a shear miracle. Not to mention when the driver was SPEEDING down dirt roads and nearly lost control and almost flipped the bus, or when the bus broke down (which happened a minimum of 4 times) and we would be going up a hill and all of the sudden the bus would start sliding backwards towards the Mekong River. All in all it was quite eventful and I honestly don't know how we made it back to Vientiane in one piece, there were times where I was debating whether or not getting off the bus and trying to hitch a ride was a safer option. But we did make it, and although it was a terrifying ride, I know that I can get through it.
After we got back to Vientiane, I had to race to get to the bus on time to make ot back to Bangkok to meet my sister. I thought her boyfriend had already left for the states and I didn't think she wanted to wait around in Bangkok much longer. I managed to make to to the bus (with about 5 min to spare) and headed across the border and settled in for a LONG ride back. We arrived in Bangkok about 4:30am where I was very quickly propositioned, not by prostitutes but by tourists, I polity declined and headed on my way to a grimy but fairly clean little guest house, where I passed out before venturing out to try and find my sister and her boyfriend. Who had managed to get put up in a nice hotel (Lily's boyfriend had gotten VERY sick) and so it was better that way. I crashed there for the next night (using the pool and gym, which were both incredible) before Lily and I headed out to Koh Samui (which was also a long trip, buses, vans and boats).
Once we arrived we found that the guest house we wanted to stay at was closed just for the week, so we found another place...they were remodeling, so only about 3 of the bungalows were inhabited by guests the rest, were in pieces. It was a small place, but it was about 30 feet from the ocean, we were pretty much on the beach so it was perfect. We spent the next four nights there, soaking up the sun and relaxing. I managed to read two books and I know that it was good for my sister and I to spend some time together without and outside forces, no parents or boyfriends, just us. Although we did visit a good friend of my dads from college who happened to be in Thailand at the same time. Him and his wife took my sister and I for a really nice dinner and we had a great afternoon with them. After a few days on the island we were done, and it was time for us to head back to Bangkok so we could catch our flights to the states. Another epic trip home, vans, buses, ferries and then more buses and we finally arrived in Bangkok about 6am, where we crashed until we headed to the airport around 3pm. We departed Bangkok around 6:30pm Saturday (Bangkok time) and I managed to arrive home around 10am (Portland time) Sunday morning. All in all I was in the air almost exactly 24hrs, but in only about a 32hr period, which really isn't that bad considering security, customs and all the lovely airport shenanigans. I wasn't even supposed to be home until Monday, but I talked the airline (in Delhi) into letting me on the plane, and it was a close call, as I was sprinting through the airport they had finished boarding and were about to close the door. I was not only the last passenger, but they slammed the door shut right after I got on. I actually even managed to get home before Lily (as we were on separate flights).
And so after exactly 6 months since the last time I was home, I arrived in Portland. To be greeted at the airport by both of my parents (so excited to see me) and my dad ecstatic that I managed to make it home on Father's Day.
Its been a long journey and over the next couple of weeks you'll be hearing more about what I am doing now (I'm only in the states until early August) and where I am going next.
I hope this post wasn't tooo long.
I love you all,
Ellen
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