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Please join me on my new blog...Just continuing on with my writing! Stories, thoughts, pictures, and more...

Drunk In Canada

Hope its as fun for you as it is for me!

MB

The end is near...But First!

The countdown is on. And not in a good way. In a very bad ‘Back-to-reality’ way. And it always happens – on every trip. You end up getting to the end of the trip, and dreading the ‘Real World’, and try to plan ways to make this heaven last just a little bit longer. The end always comes, and it gets harder with every trip to accept it. But it happens, and you have to deal with it.

I know what happens when you get home. You spend a week or two just dreading life..Just day dreaming of the places you have been, and the places you still want to see. A week or 2 after that, you are back in the groove of things, still cleaning up the loose ends of the trip…Pictures, presents, story telling. Then, it happens about a month after you get home…its gone. No more stories, no more leftovers to deal with, no more people to meet. Just gone. All that is left is the memories and the pictures.

…And you can never take those away from me.

It’s those memories that I look back on and cherish. It is those memories that make me want to go to new places on new continents and meet new people and see new things. It’s those memories that put the smile on my face when I am most depressed, or most lonely. Those memories are worth more than the dollars I have spent to be here, and like I said…You cannot take those away from me.

Sorry about the soliloquy to start the post, but that is just the mood I am in right now. I decided to go experience the Laos countryside on my own, and have found myself at the foot of a mountain. ½-way up the mountain lies the Proukan Cave, and right in front of me is a topaz lagoon, filled with locals basking in the cool fresh water. I expected to see some sights on my solo journey today, but the extent of its beauty was a shock to me.

Memories…This is another one that I will file away…

Going back a couple days, I have to tell about the night out in Luang Prabang. We met up with some guys that Julia (the American we are traveling with at the moment) had met in Vietnam, and these English/Irish/Israeli’s were ready to tie one on. So we fell in line, heading out to the local pub for a couple pints of Beerlao, the beer of choice in Laos, and one of the best beers I have had in SE Asia. By 11:30, the bar was closing. You see, there is a national curfew in Laos for all residence. They have to be in by 12-midnight, or they will suffer grave consequences…That means the only place that sells booze past midnight is the….BOWLING ALLEY.

So there we were…2 Canadians, partying it up in Luang Prabang, Laos at a goddamned bowling alley! Just for the record, I bowled a 119, and won!

SIDEBAR STORY: During the tuk-tuk ride to the alley, our driver got in a little bit of trouble. While loading into the tuk-tuk, the driver wanted as many people as possible to make for a good fare. ‘Get on the roof!’ And up the girls went. Midnight, full of beer, and in a speeding tuk-tuk towards a goddamned bowling alley. The police frown upon this behavior, and immediately placed a fine on the driver, which was then put on us to pay. After a lengthy discussion on where this money would be coming from, we all forked over the 5000 kip ($0.70) and got a free ride. I was under the impression that the driver was REALLY stressing about it, with the fear of him losing his job a real possibility.

Back to the fun of the night…Heading out, I knew I wanted to see the monks morning ritual which occurs every morning at about 5:30am, so therefore I was smart enough to head in early for a good night sleep before seeing this…right? Wrong. In bed at 3am, out at 5:30. As for the ritual, every morning at 5:30, the monks walk the streets of town asking the towns people for food and money. This is all they can eat and spend during the day, so they basically live off of others donations. Anyways, seeing hundreds of monks, all covered in their orange sashes, walking in formation down the road was as interesting as I expected it to be. But the sleep was going to be much more important, so it was back to bed to catch another hour’s worth of sleep.

You see….

We left Luang Prabang at 8am. Little did the 4 of us realize that this bus would be a loooong, weaving, bumping, tiring journey that at times would have us staring down the side of a canyon. What made it even better for me is the young monk (probably 15 years old) I was sitting beside decided to catch some Z’s, and also decided that ¾ of the seat belonged to him. I guess Buddha says it’s ok to take another man’s seat.

After what felt like eternity on that bus, we arrived at our destination: Vang Vieng, Laos. The town is known by all backpackers in Asia, and leading up to the trip, I had probably 100 people tell me that I had to come to Vang Vieng. Why? Tubing.

Lets cut to the chase…Yesterday, we paid our $7 CAD to get our tube, and a tuk-tuk ride up river - 4km north of town. Before we even got our tubes wet, we had beerlao in our hand. You see, the entire river is lined with bars. Each bar has its own way of luring the tubers in, whether it is with a 10m swing, a zipline into the depths, or a massive waterslide ending with an upward turn that will rocket you into the air before you hit the clear water like a rock.

At ever bar, tourists gather to cheer and jeer at the spectacle in front of them. Some people do a graceful jump into the water, while others smack the water, leaving bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Some people are even more unlucky. As you walk around town, you see people on crutches, and with casts on arms. And just 16 days ago, a girl died while taking the massive slide into the water. The story goes that the smack of her head against the water knocked her unconscious, and no one was paying attention at the time, and she drowned. Very sad tale, but times go on in Vang Vieng, and we knew we had to be safe.

Yes, I swung. Yes, I zip lined. Yes, I slid. Yes, I drank beer while I did it all. It was just another day on this trip that the afternoon beers did me wonders! J

At night, all the tubers that are still standing (tons of people are too drunk to continue on) take to the island in town which has been converted into a number of outdoor nightclubs. We met some tubers we met on the river and started a big drinking game (basically sociables). We had Canadians, Americans, Dutch, French, English, and Swedish all playing along. Did I mention that I love the memories made while traveling?

So that is kinda Vang Vieng in a nutshell. Tubing, caves, lagoons, drinking, and backpackers. It’s a ton of fun, but 2 or 3 days is good. Plus, we have to be on our way, Bangkok is calling.

…And that means back to the bad part…Just 4 days until we hop on a plane for the journey home. Please go back and read the first couple paragraphs again to understand how I feel about that.

You and Me
We’ve seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary,
And the soles of your shoes
Are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
There is nothing to cry about.

Starting the last leg of our tour...Boo!

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Pictures for this post can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96693629@N00/
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Another couple of days have come and gone, and there have been more new, unbelievable experiences than I can count on all my fingers. It’s been a pretty exciting last 72 hrs, to say the least. It all started on a train heading to Sapa, and concluded here in Luang Prabang, Laos.

If you have never taken an overnight train, you really can’t truly appreciate the sights and sounds on it. And taking one in Asia is so much different that those in Europe.

Here in Asia, they are broken into 3 classes; the first is obviously the first class…The upper echelon of train travelers, with teak lined cabins, and comfortable sleeping compartments, made for the fortunate of Asia, and those travelers wishing to dole out the extra $15 a piece. 2nd class is where we lie (no pun intended). These are just your average cabins, built to ‘store’ 4 people for the night. Nothing special, but still including AC, and a blanket to cover yourself when the chill hits in the middle of the night. Lastly, 3rd class is made for the average Vietnamese person…People are piled into the car, as many people as the tickets they sell. The whole car reeks of cigarette smoke, and bodies are stored and strewn everywhere. People are sleeping on top of one another, under the wood plank benches. It’s really a sight that is unforgettable, but somehow the idea of pulling out the camera and snapping shots would just be an insult to these common people of the area. Instead I am the spectacle as I walk through the maze of bodies. Most of the people on these cars have only seen the white devil a handful of times in their life, let alone one that carries a spare tire around his waist at all times. I could feel the icy glare of all eyes in my direction, from the youth, the elderly, and everyone else in between. It’s not rare to catch an Asian staring in my direction, but all of them at once was a little, well, surreal.

Before we even had the opportunity to board our train, we had a difficulty navigating through the human maze on the platform made up of one train’s inhabitants leaving, and another 2 trains future dwellers attempting to make their way on board. A platform made for possibly 6 across was crammed 10-12 across. It was a human traffic jam the proportions of which I had never been privy to. The entire crowd made me a little nervous, enough so that I refused to take my hand of my wallet that was deep within my pocket. Who knows what these little poverty stricken devils would do to get their hand on my mastercard.

In our cozy 2nd class cabin laid our heroes: Michele, Trevor and I. The fourth person to share our night quarters was a young Vietnamese man, probably about 20 years old, who by the way did not speak a lick of English. Just as the train was about to leave its platform, a middle aged women entered our cabin, and began unloading her goods, including a young infant. An argument broke out between our cabin-compadre and the aggressive woman. The three of us had no idea what was taking place, but we knew we were the only ones that spoke English…So Trevor and I started to use our imagination on what was going on. First thing we had to do was create nicknames for the characters involved in the altercation. ‘Homeboy’ was our bunkmate. ‘Junior’ was he child that was seemingly a pawn in the whole scheme of things, and ‘Biznitch’ would be the loudmouth, pushy woman that seemed to have all the answers. What we could figure out was that Biznitch knew Homeboy had a 2nd class cabin for the night, and didn’t want Junior spending the night among the riff-raff in the 3rd class car. Homeboy denied Biznitch the trade of bunks, knowing that he had paid more for the ticket just to get a comfortable sleep. Many arguments ensued, and in the end (about 30 minutes after the whole disagreement began), Biznitch angrily dragged Junior and her 4 pieces of luggage out of the car and placed a curse on Homeboy. That is how we saw it, anyway. To us, it was a solid 30 minutes of entertainment, and something that you just don’t experience outside of Asia.

We arrived in Sapa at 5:30am, ready to see what the day had in store for us. All we knew is that we were to be trekking in Sapa, which is an area of Vietnam wildly known for their rice terraces, and breathtaking scenery. After a quick stop in a hotel to prepare, we met the rest of our group (9 people in all), and our tour guide, a 19 year old named Sue, who’s house we would be staying at, along with her husband and 8 month old son named Hi.

Like I mentioned about the train, these people rarely see a man of my size trekking down the side of a mountain, so as usual with my times in Asia, it turned into an ongoing joke about me being the ‘Buddha’ of the group. Many jokes were made by Sue (who was about 4-foot-4, 85 lbs) about how I needed to eat the skinny foods of the valley. I kept telling her that I have been eating the skinny foods of all of Asia: Beer.

All said, Sue was an absolute sweetheart as she lead our way thorough the vividly green mountains of the region.

I should mention that it was our group that made this one of the most enjoyable treks of my life. After the 3 of us, there was another Canadian, Hannah from Victoria. There was also 3 Japanese travelers, Ko (who was the comic relief of the trip, and an awesome guy), Chack, and Yoshi. There was Louise, a 17 year old Belgium who was living the dream of traveling at a young age, and 2 Russian women, Tanya and Paulina. Together, the 2 days was filled with many hearty laughs, and even more memories.

The terrain itself lived up to expectations. Imagine mountains like the interior of BC all covered with rice terraces, extending as far as the eye could see. Every kilometer or 2 you would run across a water buffalo playing in the water of the paddy’s, or even a local merchant selling her goods.

Speaking of the local merchants, I should mention a little about how they operate…

As our group gathered at the hotel, preparing to leave on our journey, we noticed a crowd of Vietnamese mountain women gathering outside the door, all dressed in the traditional mountain garb: dyed dark blue dresses, hair done up to the nines, black leg warmers, etc. After spending the last 2 weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam, the last thing we wanted to see was more women peddling their useless goods in our face, claiming a ‘good price’, or a ‘good product’. But little did we know that these women would be joining us on our trek, asking all of the important questions: ‘What is your name?’, ‘Where are you from’, ‘Do you have any brothers or sisters’, ‘How long have you been in Sapa?’. These women, ranging in age from 10 to 45, some even carrying babies as young as 4 months on their back, ended up being a massive source of entertainment, and amazing women, to boot. Not one of them I talked to have ever…EVER left the area of Sapa, let alone Vietnam in general. I did not talk to one that had even taken the train to Ha Noi for a weekend away. These people were born in their village, and were bred into a simple lifestyle of rice harvesting and clothe making.

Their life was truly as simple as it gets.

Back to the trek, Sue led us down the mountain, through villages that seemed to be nearly 100 years behind the times of Canada. Running water was a real privilege, and an electricity drop into the house meant they would have a treat of lights at night, possibly even a TV for the more fortunate families. It made me think that this is the way things were in Justice, Manitoba at the turn of the 19th century…Farmers doing their best to make ends meet with what they had been blessed with. A year of bad crops, or a real shitty winter mean the livestock was going to die, and the people as a whole would suffer as a community.

Finally we arrived at our destination for the night, Sue’s house in the village of Lao Chai. She and her husband had added on a guesthouse to their dirt floor home that would house the 9 of us for the night.

We spent the early evening playing with the children of the town. Michele, smart enough to plan in advance, pulled out some super balls, which I don’t believe had ever been seen in this village. We had a group of about 15 children gathered around as we bounced the ball from child to child. The group laughed joyously as the ball would go bouncing down the dirt street. At times, it would take an errant bounce into a rice paddy (or even into a piece of ‘Buffalo Chocolate’) where one of the girls would peel off her leg warmers off, and jump in, eager to have the next toss. It was an amazing site to see the village children having so much fun.

The evening was spent eating a home cooked meal made by Sue, and her extended family who all lived in the same house. After the round of Rice Wine that was used to wash things down, the cards came out, and we taught everyone the game of ‘Shit Head’. The Japanese took to it immediately, while others had a little trouble picking it up. In the end, it really didn’t matter as we were all winners knowing that we were experiencing something that our friends back home would have idea how cool it really was.

Bed time came, and we each got our own mattress, neatly dressed with mosquito netting to keep us from being drained of blood. Yes, Malaria is a problem up here, and I understood why when I killed a mosquito on my leg that was the size of a hummingbird. This thing put the bastards in northern Manitoba to shame.

Morning came early on day 2. You see, roosters really do like to welcome the morning by doing their thing over and over again, and when you have a village full of the little peckers, it becomes very difficult to sleep.

Breakfast was downed, and we were on our way to discover more of what the area had in store for us. First up was a pretty neat waterfall that made a great backdrop for group photos, and even the odd facebook profile picture. A few hours more trekking through the rice paddy’s, lunch, and eventually to a minibus that would take us back to the town of Sapa, giving us plenty of time to shower, email, eat supper, and be on our way back to Ha Noi on another overnight train.

For those of you keeping score at home, that means that the last 4 nights, I have slept on a boat, a train, a village in sapa, and another train. Damn, its time for a proper bed!

The morning in Ha Noi was pretty uneventful, other than the fact we had the locals attempt to rip us off 3 times in an hour. We would have nothing of it, and got to the airport unscathed.

By 11am, we arrived in Laung Prabang, ready to start the last leg of our tour. Laos!

We picked up a new 4th for our party…this time a New Yorker named Julia. Once we found a place to stay, we new our time in this quaint town was limited, so we got right into tourist mode. First thing first: The Tian Koung Si Waterfalls.

I know I keep saying this over and over again, but I really mean it this time: Pictures just cannot do it justice. These cascading falls started at the top of the mountain, and created turquoise pools all the way down the mountains, some of which were big enough to swim in, and many even deep enough to dive into. With a little off road searching you could find pools off the beaten path only accessible by walking UP a goddamned waterfall.

I can’t even start to tell you how amazing our time at the falls was. More pictures were snapped here than in Ha Long bay. It also made me wonder what this place will be like 5 years down the road…I assume it will be inundated with tourists, all looking for their own little slice of paradise. I am very thankful to have seen this site before that time hits, and its only a matter of years before that happens. Something this good is not kept hidden for this long.

Just take a look at some of the shots, and I hope you can appreciate just what Laos has in store for the world.

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With just over 7 days of travel left, our options are limited. We can either rush through the quiet mountain country of Laos, seeing and doing what we can, or extend our trip by another couple weeks. I voted for the extension, or even just escaping to the Chinese side of the boarder that was only 30km from Sapa, falling off the grid, and staying for an extended period of time. Reality got the best of me, though, and we are being forced to see a country in 7 days that I think I could spend another 6 weeks in alone.

7 days. Wow. That sucks. It really blows ass. This is really the life I love to live. I need to figure out how to do this more often. Sorry Dad. This might not be the last trip!

Ha Long Done - Next up? Sapa!

Lets start this by saying I am writing this post from the top of a junk boat in Ha long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Northern Vietnam, located on the shore, 180 kms from Hanoi. There are very few places more relaxing than this to be writing this blog. It seems like I am writing 5 words, then lifting my head from the computer to admire the sandstone cliffs that dominate the sky. They come in all shapes, all sizes, and most rock formations are covered with a thin layer of vegetation, adding to the beauty and mystic.

Ha Long bay is currently in the running to become on of the 7 new NATURAL wonders of the world, and judging by the sights, it has to be considered one of the favorites to make the final cut. With These sites I am currently laying my eyes upon, I know it will get my vote as a top 7.

The last post I made was a little short winded (which is strange for me, I know), so I thought I should go back and tell a little more about Hoi An and Ha Noi…Half because I want to, and half because I have the time to do it between glances at the cliffs.

Oh look….a Vietnamese fishing boat, and we are passing Skull island…

In Hoi An, I mentioned that we had some clothes made, but I should explain the process in which it is done. First thing that happens is that your hotel reccomends a tailer shop to go to, so you head that way only to find it is the most expensive one, and owned by the hotel, so you proceed to another of the over 400 tailor shops to get a good price. At that time, it basically turns into a carnival of cloth design. Anything you can imagine, whether it is in your mind, in one of their many books, the internet, or even a picture on your camera, they will take the design, and recreate it in your size using whichever fabric style you decide on. Trevor saw a fellow traveler in our hotel with a neat design, took a picture, and a day later, he had it in his hands, fitted to him in just the way he prefers.

The suit and shirts I bought were great, and Michele loved the tanktops, dresses, and shirts she had, but the real jem of the bunch was having shoes made for my fred flinstone style feet, built to fit. For those readers that don’t know, I have abnormally large and akward feet (size 13, extra wide), and have never been the benefactor of shoes that fit properly on the first try, so having sandals made for me that fit like a glove, in a design that I chose was like something out of a fairytale. I actually went as far as to hug the man that made them for me. All for the low low price of $15 USD. In retrospect, I should have really had 3 or 4 pair made.

Oh look…Fighting Cock Island. It’s a rock formation in the middle of the water that looks like two chicken

fighting, and is also the symbol for Ha Long Bay.

Other than the tailors, we also experienced a couple of nice beaches. The frist we found was the locals beach, which, at the time was completely empty. It was overcast, but the temperature was just right to play in the good sized waves that were crashing in from the South China Sea. Trevor, always the adrenaline junkie, even asked the locals to take a fishing boat out in the surf, only to have it topple on top of him. Thankfully, Michele, the photographer of the day, caught the memory on film at JUUST the right moment.

I am looking at an island formation right now that is on the Vietnamese 200,000 dong bill (about $14 CAD).

The evenings in Hoi An would have been quiet if it wasn’t for the King Kong bar, which tempted the tourists with free rum and coke’s between 10:30-11:00pm. 2 nights out of 3, you could find me there putting back as many as possible, and for both of those nights, it was officially the ‘Turning Point’. Lets just say that I joined the large crowd on the dancefloor (read: Pooltable) on multiple occasions.

Neat…A Floating Village!

One of the mornings after indulging at King Kong Bar, we were up at 5:30am to get ready to hop on a plane to come to Ha Noi. Good times.

Due to time constraints, we have had to pack extra things in to very few days, and that included seeing Ha Noi in a day, and I think we did a pretty good job. And thankfully, we were there on a national holiday, as well, to see some traditional Vietnamese entertainment, and partying. Although, we didn’t really participate in the partying. What we did do was go to the Snake Village to drinks snakes blood, and eat snake. It was another one of those ‘experience’ moments that I really love.

So that brings us to Ha Long bay. Yesterday morning at 8am, we were back on a mini-bus, heading to Ha Long for a 2 day journey out into the bay to see the cliffs and water I have described. We were fortunate enough to hop on a boat with a number of fellow travelers that were, simply, a good time, A few Americans, a few English, a few Isreli, even a Spaniard. We spent the day on a junkboat, touring the sites of the bay, the evening diving off the boat into the emerald water, and the night singing karaoke until our lungs were exhausted. The evening also included some liquid courage that was needed for the karaoke to be a success. Dad, you will be happy to know that I sang a version of Suspicious Minds that brought down the house!

So with all of these fun times, amazing experiences, and great times, there has to be some bad news. Mine came just as we were hopping on the boat to see the bay, and came in the form of my big camera not turning on. We have changed batteries many times, and there is still not a drop of power getting to the camera. I spent the first hour of the boat ride fuming, but since have mellowed a bit. For 2 travelers that came to asia with 3 cameras, we are down now to one ole reliable Sony powershot camera. I hope to hell this one lasts the rest of the journey.

Once we disembark the boat, we will be hopping back in a minibus for the 3 ½ hr. drive back to Hanoi. Once there, We have a 3 hr. turn around to get onto a train to head up to Sapa, known for its mountainous region, picturesque rice terraces, and treks through the Vietnamese countryside. It also includes a homestay, meaning we will be crashing at a local’s house. Right now, it sounds really cool, and I am pretty excited for it…Sounds like I will have another experience to write about.

During the 3 hr. layover, I am going to try to find a camera shop to take a look at my camera. If I could get it up and running again, I would be one happy camper!

So its off to Sapa! Should be some good times.

MB

PS – I have no idea what is going on in the playoffs, but someone please tell me the Canucks are losing!!!

Lots to report, but....

I lack the time to report them. We are now in Ha Noi, Vietnam, arriving here this morning after a nice, relaxing stay in Hoi An. Upon arriving in Ha Noi, we have made plans through to Laos on the 6^th.

There is only one small problem…

I am basically going to have no internet (or laptop) between now and then. You see, tomorrow, our heroes embark in a 2 day, 1 night tour of Ha Long Bay, where we will be spending the 1 night on a boat, in the bay. We arrive back in Ha Noi at 4:30 on the 3^rd just to hop on a train, and book it up to a town in Northern Vietnam called Sapa. This is a town nestled right in the mountains, only 30 kms from the Chinese boarder.

That will be a 2 day, 3 night trip, getting back to Ha Noi at 5:30am on the 6^th. Less than 4 hrs after that, we will be hopping on a plane en route to Louan Praubang, Laos. So you see, internet and posting time may be limited for the next 5-6 days. But I promise a monster post once we reach Laos.

As you can see, our time in HaNoi was limited, so we had to do everything we wanted to do here in one day. Really, we only had one MUST to do here, and we completed it tonight.

I drank snakes blood tonight. I actually drank the entire snake heart. I also indulged in 5 dishes, all made from the meat, skin, and bone of the snake that we had just killed and drank just moments sooner.

Oh, I also drank the snake bile, which, when mixed with Vodka turns green.

Trevor drank the blood, and ate the snake with me. Michele took a little coaxing, but eventually had some snake to eat as well, but couldn’t be bothered to take the shot.

Anyways, I know it was a quick post, but I have to be up nice and early to head out to Ha Long Bay. Sorry about the promptness of this post, and it should be known there are a couple good stories to tell from Hoi An, but most of it revolves around the clothes we all had made, and free rum at a bar we found. There was plenty of dancing on pool tables, plenty of beach time, and plenty of rain in between.

Hope all is well in Canada! Talk to you in just less than a weeks time (at the latest!)…

MB

Saigon Kicked!

Howdy, my faithful Audience (mom and dad!)…

First off, I just lost 1 hr worth of writing, so most of this I am writing will be the 2^nd time I have written it. If it seems a little quick, and glossed over, it’s because I am angry that I have to write it again.

Lets start the tales of our journey by mentioning that we are in a town in central Vietnam called Hoi An, known for its ancient town, sunny beaches, and tailors. Yes, the streets are lined with tailor after tailor, all wanting our business…and a couple have succeeded.

But more on that later. Let’s head back in time to a few days ago, and chat about Saigon a little, shall we?

The morning I left off on, we awoke bright and early to hit up a mini bus that would take us out to an area of Vietnam called Chu Chi, known for their system of underground tunnels that stretch for over 100kms. This tunnel system was the largest of any in Vietnam, and was used by the Viet Cong to defeat the Americans during the Vietnam war. Some highlights of the tunnel tour was seeing a propaganda video used by

the Viet Cong to recruit new soldiers in the 60s. Now, as expected, it did not do any favors for the reputation of the Americans, but at times, it was almost laughable. This would become a running theme later in the day, as well. Keep reading, that will all make sense in a bit.

Another interesting point of the tour was that guide, Hi, actually fought for the South Army during the war, and had now realized that he fought on the wrong side. He realized this after 3 years in a ‘Re-Education Camp’ (read: Labor Camp). His stories about helping the American soldiers with the questioning of the Viet Cong were very interesting, and he tried his best to not avoid any question we asked.

Lastly, we all got on our hands and knees, and got to crawl through a portion of the still-existing tunnels, although they had been widened for tourists (like me) to almost double the original size. Back in the 60s and 70s, these tunnels had dimensions of 60cm by 80cm, barely large enough for one of my thighs, let alone my entire body.

With the completion of the tour, we headed back into the hustle bustle of Saigon to catch up on a little sightseeing before we skipped town the following day. First stop was the War Remnants Museum, formally known as the War Atrocities Museum. This was basically Vietnam’s way of publicly giving the Americans the finger without getting in shit for it. The who place was a graveyard to old American planes/tanks/missiles, and commentary on how the Americans were basically a re-incarnation of Lucifer himself. Now, in no way am I condoning what the Americans did, but

I left that place almost feeling sorry for them. It was just TOO over the top…at one point, I called it a Michael Moore ‘documentary’ of the Vietnam war.

There were a couple of other things that had to be taken care of before we left town. The Post office, which was built during French occupation in the old Colonialism style, and even a miniature Notre Dame…basically the same design as its ‘papa’ in Paris, just smaller in size, and made of brick. Also, the Reunification Palace, the place where the Vietnam war ended on April 30, 1975 (remember that date…) when NVA tanks crashed the gates, toppling the Saigon government. Interesting, but nothing that would blow us away. So with even a little more time to kill, we decided we would be a little bit of masochists, and head back into the market in search of the best deals in town. Plus, I wanted another bottle of $5 cologne.

That evening, while chatting long distance with my brother, Michele caught my eye. I leaned out of the make-shift phone booth to have her say ‘We have some SERIOUS travel decisions to make, and we have 30 minutes to make them!’

Cya Bro!

You see, this is where that date comes into play. April 30^th seems to be Vietnams national holiday, called Reunification day. May 1^st also is a holiday, called Labor day. So, the citizens of the country tend to take off days all around these 2 holidays, and make a pilgrimage back to the smaller villages and towns, cause major disruptions in bus and air traffic. It is basically impossible to get anywhere from the 29^th of April to may 3^rd. So we went into damage control in the travel agency, figuring which direction to go, and which days to go there.

We decided on a flight on the 28^th to Da Nang, with is basically just an airport for a town called Hoi An, the real tourist destination. We also decided on a flight from there on May 1^st to Ha Noi.

Cool.

Problem Solved.

But now we had an extra day. What should we do with the unexpected, spare day? After a short discussion with the agent, Michele had us booked into a day tour of the Mekong Delta…So once again, 8am struck, and the 3 of us were right back on a bus, this time heading south to the Mekong! But I was a little hazier in the head from a terrible experience from the prior night.

You see….

The night before….

We were sitting down to have some drinks with a couple Americans and Canadians we had met during the Tunnels tour. Greg, the American guy, and I were drinking beer for beer, having a good time.

Sidebar: I should set the local. We are on a small, outdoor bar on a side street in Saigon. The place is about 30 sq. ft inside, and has 4 small tables outside. The 6 of us are taking up 1/3 of the place, blending in with the locals in a way that only Borotsik’s can!

Back to the story…Greg and I are going toe to toe, just hittin’ beer, enjoying the night. We decide we should take a dip into the local brew, a large vat of beer (called Saigon 66) in the back of the store, in which the locals are drinking in mini-kegs – Basically small, plastic cider jugs. Greg and I split one, and poured our glasses to the brim, cheers’d one another, and raised the glass to our parched lips. Glug. Glug.

We put the glasses down and looked at one another.

M: ‘That was awful!’

G: ‘It tastes like Vinegar. Mixed with vomit.’

M: ‘Holy shit, that is the worst beer I have ever had. I don’t know if I can drink it.’

G: ‘If you don’t finish it, I will call you a pussy!’

So we each choked down 2 glasses of this swill. There are not enough negative verbs in the English language for me to explain how F’ing bad those glasses of beer were. It was a vile, disgusting excuse for a beer.

So that brings us to the Mekong tour…Honestly, I wrote about it once, and am getting a little bored with it, so I am going to skim.

It was a nice day. It was super relaxing compared to the 5 million motorbikes you have to deal with in Saigon. It was quiet, the people were nice, and the sights were very cool, but there was nothing that sticks out in my mind as mind blowing. I wore a snake again, we canoed down a very Amazon-like river…Good times, and a good escape, but all and all, nothing special.

Again, it was back to Saigon for the evening, this time minus the horse piss I drank the night prior. Just a quiet night, as the next day, we would be leaving on a jet plane to get to Da Nang, and our final destination of Hoi An.

…and that is where I am today.

This is a pretty relaxing little town that is dominated, like I said before, by tailors. And it has rained since we got here. We’ve had enough time to pick out fabric, get measured for clothes, and get loaded on free Vietnamese rum since we arrived. We had about 3 hrs today of rain free sky, so we booked it to the beach, where I FINALLY got to play in some big waves.

…But back to the tailors. I called it like Disneyland for fashion. You walk into a tailor, tell them what you want, whether it is a suit, shorts, t-shirt, dress shirt, sandals, dress shoes, runners, etc., come back a day later, and try it one. BAM! Vietnamese suit for $80.

In all, I got a suit, 5 shirts, a pair of shorts, and sandals made for UNDER $250. Don’t ask about Michele….I think she’s at 10 articles already, and we still have a day to go.

So that is where we stand. We fly out of here the day after tomorrow to head to Ha Noi where we plan to go to Sapa, and Ha Long, and also drink snakes blood.

Stay tuned!

Marty

PS – I was sad to hear the flames lost. Be happy to know that I comforted myself with about 8 tiger beer, and 8 free rum and cokes.

Go Hawks!

Fields, Floods, and ... Puking?!?!

Another couple of days, another city conquered by our heroes.

This time, Phnom Phen was taken to trial, and we showed it who was boss. Actually, we really only spent 2 days there, and we have moved on to Saigon (Ho Chi Mein City) in Vietnam. And so follows the story of Phnom Phen.

We arrived in PP on Thursday afternoon, a good time to get a lay of the land, and find a place to stay. The girls took a load off of their feet while myself and Trevor ran up and down Sisawath Quay (the main street in PP) looking for the best deal we could. Eventually, $20 a night for the 4 of us was the rate we found…The girls had already spent that in Diet Coke!

The rest of the evening was kinda fun. Trevor and I went for a long walk around PP, just getting lost. We found a Buddhist Ceremony taking place at a small temple across from the Royal Palace. Trevor took place in the ceremony by buying 2 birds ($0.25), and releasing them into the air. He also purchased some incense, and flowers as an offering to Buddha, and fought the crowd to get into the tiny temple. I sat on the sideline and acted as photographer.

The rest of the walk was filled with a full education in the Cambodian Culture:
- We watched some street dancers, some as young as about 7 years old.
- We were in attendance for some Cambodian line dancing. This group of people were enjoying some Traditional Cambodian dance music while grooving in formation. Trev and I laughed quietly, making sure we wouldn’t offend the locals.
- Just across the square, a few of the local teens were playing a game of kick ball with a wicker ball, a little smaller than the size of a volleyball. Watching those kids accurately swat the ball back and forth like a hacky-sack was impressive in its own right.
- A short walk through a PP Mall left us wondering if we were the only white people within BLOCKS! No English was to be found, and we felt a little out of our element. It was awesome.

Upon arriving back at the hotel, I discovered that the travel partners were a little tuckered out, so I headed out on the town solo. 6 Angkor Beers later, I had made new friends including a German, 3 Irish, and 3 Cambodian waitresses at the restaurant I was at.

That brings us to day 2 in PP, and plans were to see something that I have wanted to see for a long time…The Killing Fields of Cambodia. I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the fields, and the equivalent S.21, which is a school that Pol Pot turned into an internment camp and torture buildings. I had been to Aschwitz 4 years ago, so I really wanted to compare the 2 horrible events.

S.21 was just downright chilling, in my eyes. You had a chance to walk through the cells that the Khumer Rouge held their prisoners captive for days and days, only removing them for interrogations, and torture. Paintings and pictures depict the brutality of said events, from pulling out finger nails, and pouring alcohol on the wounds, to lashes and electrocution, to just plain beatings with iron pipes. When the Khmer were finished with the prisoners they would load them, 20-30 at a time onto trucks, haul them the 15 kms out to the killing fields, and kill them there, as soon as they got there, dumping their body into the mass graves.

The Khmer Rouge killed over 2 million of their own people. Lawyers, Politicians, doctors, Monks, and anyone else with enough brain cells to rub together to know what was going on was an atrocity. As the sign at the killing fields said, ‘The Pol Pot regime sent Cambodia back to the stone age.’

Overall, I was fascinated with S.21, and slightly unimpressed with the killing fields, but all and all, learning about the genocide of an entire nation was interesting, yet sobering. Everyone in Canada should have to understand what exactly goes on in the world outside of our boarder. …And the strange part about this one is that it was only 30 years ago. 1 generation ago. Scary.

On return from the killing fields, it was time to take a look at the National Museum of Cambodia, which happened to be only a couple blocks from our Guesthouse. As we made our way though the busy streets, we started to feel a few sprinkles on our head…The clouds were darkening, and the heavens were about to open up. So we sprinted into the Natl. museum just as the heavens burst open, soaking everything in its path.

We cruised the museum, half out of interest in the statues and carvings from Angkor, and half out of necessity since it was raining cats and dogs. When our touring was complete, the rain wasn’t. We walked onto the veranda to see an amazing sight. The water was 2/3 the way up the tires of the cars in the lot. It had risen over knee deep in front of the museum. Once the rain had stopped, we had no choice but to pull up the socks, and trek through the merky water to get back to the hotel.

It was actually pretty fun. Kids were swimming in the flash flood. Cars would drive by, creating waves, motorbikes would haul through the water, muffler submerged, bubbling for life. The locals loved seeing some white folk slopping around with them. Many giggles were thrown our way, and more smiles were tossed in our direction. Every kid wanted to have their snapshot taken with the camera that Michele was wielding.

It was almost sad to see the higher ground nearing. Who knew that playing in the muddy water on the PP streets could be so fun? After all, it’s all about experiences. This was just another one to remember.

That night, we went back, and hung out with the Cambodian girls at the bar I was at the previous night. This time, though, Bec and Michele joined me. I mean, we only had to be up at 5am to catch a bus. Why not have beer after beer, with shots mixed in between.

Needless to say, 5am came early. Some of us were feeling it more than others…I will preface this story by saying now, at 10pm at night, my stomach is still giving my troubles, and it wasn’t the booze! …As you have already guessed, I had a slight ‘reversal’ in the morning time as we were packing to leave the room. I left the hotel chugging O.J…Bad decision. When we arrived at the bus station, oops, reversal #2 in front of the other patrons that were going to embarking on a 6 hr. journey with me.

The ride from Phnom Phen was uneventful, other than the fact I had to try my damndest not to puke again for the first 2 hrs of the trip. Oh, and that the bus hit a cow on the road, killing it instantly, and causing the bus to come to a screeching halt, awaking the snoozing travelers. I found it pretty funny, other than the fact the cow died.

We are now in Saigon (officially known as Ho Chi Mein City…Locals still prefer to call it Saigon, as do I). We arrived at 2pm this afternoon, just enough time to be baffled by the amount of motorcycles on the street, and to be abused by the women in the local market. Their sales tactics seem to be a little more aggressive than anywhere else I have ever seen. I was actually punched twice, slapped on the arm twice, and whipped with a t-shirt once. But I did also buy a new bottle of cologne for under $5, so I consider it a win.

Tomorrow, we are off to the Cu Chi Tunnels. These are the tunnels the Viet Cong used to defeat the Americans in the ‘American War’. After that, its heading to the ‘War Remnants Museum’ which shows old American tanks, helicopters, bombs, etc. Should be a good education in the war that tore this country in two.

After Saigon, we’re not really sure where we are heading, but we are leaning towards a beach town called Mui Ne (Moo-Nee). Its been more than 2 weeks since Michele has seen a beach, so she is getting her wish.

I am really digging Saigon so far. Its got a very cool vibe to it. Let me see it for another 2 days, and I will go into more detail about what I mean.

In the meantime, and in between time, GO FLAMES!!!!! Seems like I am going to be missing a lot in the next 20 hrs…NFL Draft (Seahawks draft #4), and Flames-Blackhawks game 5. This is one day I really wish I was back home.

Just this one day…That’s it.

Good Times from Saigon,
MB

Angkor'd Out!

As what has become the norm, there has been a good 3 days since last post. This time, my excuse isn’t just lack of time, but the fact that internet here in Siem Reap is sub par, at best. The term ‘Wireless’ is responded with blank looks, and the computers in the Internet shops are no more then relics of the past. I have yet to see a computer with a USB port on it to copy over my writings and pics. My first home computer was a faster machine than the rusty, burned out boxes that we have been using.

So anyway, on to some stories….or synopsis…or whatever you want to call it.

Going back to the travels from Chiang Mai because, well, that is where I left the story hanging…Michele and I were to board a train at 2:50pm on Sunday to travel 15 hrs on 3^rd class to Bangkok. We got to the train station with hopes of upgrading, but to no avail, but to our dismay, they gave us the option of upgrading to a 2^nd class train at 6pm. We weighted the pros and cons, but the last straw was looking into the c

ar that we were to sit in, and the bench seats with no AC were none to appealing…so needless to say, we paid the extra $12 for the 2^nd class car.

With time to kill, I called Dave, and made plans to meet at a small American restaurant that we found to have the best chicken wings in Thailand. 3 hrs later we left the restaurant well fed, well watered (beer’d), and well educated on the difficulties on preparing American food in Chiang Mai. It was a pretty entertaining talking to Dirk, the Floridian proprietor of Pinky’s restaurant.

The travels were pretty non-eventful, other than a busy change over from train to bus in Bangkok, and meeting a nice Aussie girl on the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap. We are now staying and traveling with this girl, Bec. I will mention that the final leg of the trip is a 3 hr. bus ride from Bangkok to the boarder, a 10 minute tuk-tuk ride from the bus depot to the boarder, then a 2K walk over the boarder. Once you get over to Cambodia, you then catch a cab (yes, a CAB) for the final 3 hrs to Siem Reap.

We arrived in Siem Reap late on Monday night. Before we even arrived in Siem Reap, we had been the victims of 2 attempted scheister schemes:
A) The Tuk-Tuk going to the boarder stopped at a travel agency trying to charge us mony for visas and transportations. Having read u

p on this particular scheme, we said ‘NO!’, and were eventually dropped off at the boarder.

B) The waitress at the restaurant we stopped at en route to Siem Reap charged us an extra $5 on the bill compared to the menu prices. It was thanks to Michele and Bec’s sharp eyes that we were able to foil this one.

With those two schemes behind us, we already were weary of anyone that wanted our business. In the last 2 days, we have learned that everyone in Cambodia wants your money, and will do anything they can to get it from you. Really, it is a 3^rd world Vegas in that regard.

A little more about Siem Reap (and Cambodia in general):

A) It makes me think this is what India would look like. The streets are dusty and filled with motorbikes, carrying everything from 3-4-or-5 people, to live hogs, to racks of chickens, to large propane tanks, to queen sized mattresses, and even large bedframes.

B) Like I said before, everyone and anyone wants your money. They will rip the white man off around every corner, so you have to keep your wallet close, and your wits closer.

C) Every kid has something to sell you, whether it is postcards, trinkets, collectables, tshirts, or just plain shit.

D) It is HOT! Like, heat I have never seen before! And there is no water in sight. We are all sweating,

E) Did I mention that they all want your money, and will rip you off around every corner. We met an American that was tossing around dollar

bills like he was Pacman Jones at a strip club. Every kid that asked for a dollar, he would ablige. Eventually, they were selling him goods for double what we would get them for. He also was paying more for his room, his water, his beer, his transportation, etc. They could see him coming a mile away. I laughed about it, he didn’t.

F) The currency in Cambodia? American Dollar. They have their own currency, called the Riel, but at 4000R to $1, it is basically used as change under a dollar. There are absolutely NO coins here. Also, the Cambodian people will take any currency at all…Thai Baht, Vietnam Dong, American Dollar, Cambodian Riel…Everything except the Canadian Dollar.

G) The babies in Cambodia are adorable! I understand why people want to adopt them, cause they are the cutest kids. That is saying a lot, too, cause I thought Thai kids were adorable! Some of the pics I have of the kids here would make even the coldest heart melt. Also, Michele made one little girl’s day by giving her some toys that she had brought from Canada. The girl’s eyes lit up as she discovered just what a ‘Super-Ball’ was.

Tuesday morning, we woke up nice and early (8am) and made our way to meet our pre-arranged driver. We had decided the evening before that we would prefer a car with AC over a Tuk-Tuk due to the sweltering heat. It ended up costing us $8 each for the day’s driving, and tour guiding by a young Cambodian named Barang. (Sidebar: The American I spoke of earlier spent $20 on a Tuk-Tuk. Once again, he felt that he got ripped. More Laughter from your humble narrator!)

So off our heroes went, in search of the Temples of Angkor, a true relic from the past, and one of the most amazing areas of South East Asia…Also one of the main reasons I am here in Asia to begin with.

The first stop was the big temple of Angkor Wat. For those of you that don’t know (My Mother) The Angkor Archeological Area is 400 sq. Kms just north of Siem Reap that consists of hundreds of temples, pagodas, carvings, monks, and Cambodians looking for cash. There are basically 3 large temples (Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Pohem), each being known for something of their own. For instance:

- The Big Temple, Angkor Wat, is a stunning view. The 5 towers dominate the sky, and the beautiful pools in front act as giant mirrors, making remarkable images early in the morning as the sun rises. But with that said, I could enjoy the sight of Angkor Wat any time of day.

- Bayon is much smaller, but is protected by dozens of faces carved into the walls throughout the temple. Each face is approx. 8 feet high, and 6 feet across. Around every corner, there is a new face staring holes through you. This was probably my favorite temple in the region, as it made for the best close up shots.

- Ta Pohem is known for the movie ‘Tomb Raider’ with Angelina Jolie. Just knowing she walked in the same places I did was enough to want to go there, but there was a reason they chose that location for the movie. It’s a good sized ancient temple that has since been overtaken by the roots of the Karok Tree. As you walk through the archeological treasure, you are in awe of the shear size of the trees, and the 1100 years it has taken then to shape the character of the temple.

Those are the big 3 temples, but for archeology buffs, you could easily spend a week at Angkor exploring the hundreds of sights there are to see. Here are a few more observations and stories about Angkor:
A) Throughout every temple, every statue or carving has been beheaded. We heard multiple stories as to why this was:

a. The temples were originally hindu temples, so when the Buddists took over, this was their was of flexing their muscles, 1400’s style!

b. Same story (ish), but it was the Siam’s (Thia’s), and they couldn’t take the whole statue back to Thailand, as it would be too heavy, so they just took the heads.

c. The Kumar Rouge chopped the heads off in 1975 when they took power to show the people that this was their land now.

d. Theives throughout the years wanted their place in history, so they swipped the heads for their own tresures.

Either one or all of those stories are true, but regardless, looking at a huge statue of Vishnu (The Hindu god of destruction) seems a little strange when there is no eyes looking back at you.
B) It’s best not to delete any pictures you have taken while at the site, but if you do manage to do so, do it on a day where you can go back, and re-create the pics you deleted. That is what happened to me. With my mind in a state of retardedness, I managed to wipe 1G of my memory card free, containing all my shots from Those 3 temples, along with a couple other smaller ones. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but was salvageable with the fact we were going back the next day, thank god. If we had been in Phnom Phen already, I might not be alive now to tell this anticdote. Michele would have beheaded me like an ancient hindu statue.

C) AC was the way to go. This chubby Canadian can only take so much of the heat, so being able to jump into a Toyota Camry with the Air Con cranked was a beautiful release from the grasps of the Cambodian summer heat. Plus, our driver, Barang, was a friendly guy that loved looking after us, whether it was by playing tour guide, or with a story of his own in his Cambodian-English.

D) I had confirmed what I already knew: Monkeys are hilarious. We saw a pack on the side of the road while driving between Bayon and Angkor Wat, so we stopped, and fed them some bananas and lotus seeds…Michele, while attempting to pose for a picture, was holding onto a lotus seed a little to long, and the largest of the monkeys took a swipe at her. Once again, we had ‘the’ classic Borotsik-Smith conversation: ‘Are you ok?’ ‘yup’ ‘BHAHAHAHA!’

E) Sunset at Angkor Wat is stunning. The three of us awoke at 4:40am on Wednesday morning to get Barang to haul our asses out to the Site once again. The pics I got of the Temple refelceting of the water as the sun rose in the background were some that I am sure I will get blown up, and framed. For me, it was right up there with the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, and the Alp Valley from the top of the castle in Salzburg. All three are muse like sights for me that pictures do it no justice.

For sunset on the first night, Barang took us through the Cambodian country side (which is a story all on its own) to a pier that would take us out to the floating village. Another thing about Cambodia is that everything is negotiable, so when they told us it would cost $20 to get to the village for sunset, we scoffed, and walked away. By the time we got them down to $13, Michele was in, and I was tempted. Finally, I decided to make the trip, thankfully. (Sidebar: They ripped us off on change, so it actually cost us $15 each).

We hopped in a boat driven by a 19 year old, Thong, and his 14 year old brother, Chen, who was the talkative one of the two. He pretty much entertained Michele and I as the modified longtail navigated its way through the tributary to the main lake. What we saw when we got there was something out of a National Geographic Magazine. There are 5000 people that live on the floating village, and what I didn’t expect is that every house, shop, restaurant, etc was separate, so you need a boat to get from one house to the next. Out of the 5000 residence (made up of 380 separate floating residences), there are 3 different communites: 1 Cambodian, 1 Vietnamees, and 1 Muslim. They all live in harmony as the lake rises and falls with the seasons. Chen, Who lives in the village, mentioned that most people live there because they cannot afford places on the mainland. He also told us what his average day was like:

3:00am – Up with the birds so he can cast his net into the water in attempts to catch the daily need of fish, and maybe sell a few more to the market for a couple spare American dollars.

7:00am – Off to school, where he also attends in the village. The morning studies are from 7-11, with a two hour lunch break. At 1pm he returns for his afternoon studies, until 4.

5:00pm – Off to the pier to drive the boat for tourists like Michele and I. He got home at about 9pm, just in time to put his head down on a pillow, and start all over the next day.

When heading back to the shore, Michele asked Chen if she could take the wheel of the boat, and sure enough, she was driving a boat for the first time ever while on lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia. Not many Canadians can say that.

That basically describes the 2 ½ days we had in Siem Reap. We are now on a bus on our way to Phnom Phen. Our party has grown by 1, as the American, Trevor, has decided to join us. I have told him that I can negotiate for him form now on if he would like me to.

But all is well, all is good. As I write these words, It should be the 3^rd period in game 4 of the Flames-Blackhawks series. I am assuming the Flames have a comfortable lead (4-1?), so the series will be deadlocked at 2 heading back to Chicago.

I hope.

I hope all well back in Canada, or wherever you are reading this! I am pretty excited to say that we will be in Vietnam in a matter of days.

This trip is more than ½ over now, and I am starting to dread coming home….

MB

PS - Sorry bout the formatting...Computers in Phnom Phen suck as well. And Go Flames! I saw they won! What is the injury update?