Guess where now?

I guess I kind of left my blog hanging since I left Bangkok last and I felt I should bring it up to date for those who don't know.

At 12:30 AM on Tuesday (24 April) morning I rang the doorbell of my parents house in Austin, Texas, USA. Not accustomed to visitors at this hour, they were at first a bit confused, and then shocked when they saw me at the door. I had led them - and everyone else that reads my blog for that matter - to believe that I would be traveling for another month at least. But I had actually booked my flight home when I was in Bangkok at the begining of April. I didn't tell anyone from back home when I was coming home. Its not every day that you get to surprise someone that thinks you are on the other side of the world! So I couldn't pass up the chance.

I had been feeling a bit tired of traveling since around the end of February. And after my wonderful but difficult 3 weeks in Myanmar that kind of sealed my fate. I simply wasn't motivated to travel any longer on this trip. Although I was really bummed for my trip to be ending and there are so many countries I want to visit, there is no other country that I would rather be in right now than home.

From 7 June 2006 to 23 April 2007 - nearly 11 months, and plenty long enough for me for this trip.

Guess where?

I'll give you one guess.....

Yes, I'm back in Bangkok, my home-sweet-home in southeast Asia. Since I wasn't sure where I wanted to go from Krabi, I decided Bangkok was a good place to reassess my options and plan the last 4 to 6 weeks of my trip. So here I am, again. In a few days I'll decide what to do with myself. One option is to go back to Laos, another option is to head down to Malaysia. We'll see how I feel in a couple of days after some research and reflection.

Ko Tao to Krabi

Saturday (14 April) in Ko Tao - my last day - I hit the beach one last time before meeting up with Nile and Jill for dinner and then catching the night ferry from Ko Tao to Suratthani, Thailand on the mainland. I've met some really strange people on my trip and some really cool people too; many I'll forget, some I won't. I met another weird one on the boat ride Saturday night. Saskia, 19, from Belgium. Strange one. For the past ~11 months so many people have come and gone from my life its really a strange way to live now that I think about it. No familiar faces in a long, long time.

I didn't sleep that well on the ferry surprisingly - since I've learned to sleep anywhere, anyhow - as there was even a mat and pillow to sleep horizontally on. After several buses, transfers, and stops, eventually I made it to Ton Sai Beach near Krabi on Sunday (15 April) morning and found some cheap-ish accommodation. Accommodation was the only value on Ton Sai, every thing else was really over priced considering the beaches aren't technically islands, although you do have to take a boat to get there. Ton Sai, the beach where all the climbers hang out, was fairly dead compared to the last time I was there (on my previous trip). I spent the day watching climbers and re-exploring the beaches, and ever so passively, searching for a climbing partner. That amounted to lounging at a crag side restaurant watching climbers and talking to some one if they happened to sit down next to me. It was a slow process.

Monday (16 April) morning I did the bungalow shuffle again, and again went on my passive search of climbing partners. Some time during the afternoon it actually worked out and I lined up a partner for the following day. Toval, from Israel, had only climbed once before but was keen to climb again. A beginner was fine with me as I hadn't climbed in a year and wasn't looking to impress any hard core climbing chicks - of which there were plenty of - on overhanging limestone.....

Tuesday (17 April) after another bungalow shuffle, we had to wait until early afternoon for the tide to go out before we could make our way to the beginner crag. We had another friend of Toval's join us. It was hot and crowded so we climbed only a few routes before going for lunch and then calling it a short day. Not a very eventful climbing trip to Krabi, but honestly I just wasn't in the mood to climb overhanging limestone in the hot, humid, sweating-my-ass-off heat. We all went for dinner that evening along with a few other people we had met. It was a fun night.

Wednesday (18 April) I was getting a little fed up with the stagnant, hot, humid weather, mossies, ants, and over priced everything. So I booked my way out of Krabi for the following afternoon and spent the remainder of the day on the beach but in the shade.That evening we all went out for dinner again and then played "drinking Jinga" long into the night where the stakes increased with alcohol consumption.... Fools were made but embarrassing moments soon forgotten. Fun times.

Thursday (19 April) I just lounged around and read until it was time to catch the boat out of Krabi around 2 PM. Krabi didn't have the same drawl for me this time as it did the first time I was there. I met some cool, fun people and enjoyed the vibe of Ton Sai beach, but I really enjoyed Ko Tao more. The beaches really aren't as nice as I remember. But I didn't go there for the beach I remind myself. Finally I was north bound from Suratthani on a nice bus around 8 PM heading for my home in southeast Asia, Bangkok, to plan my next move.

Last days in Ko Tao :-(

Thursday (12 April) night I went out again with some people I met on the beach before it started raining. Ko Tao really has a party atmosphere so its pretty easy to get caught up in it. I didn't drink too much though and walked back to my bungalow in the rain around 4 AM. The rain was a nice change of pace actually and I didn't mind it.

Friday (13 April) I woke up to the Thai water festival called Songkran which celebrates the start of the Thai New Year. It is basically a huge, friendly water fight in the streets. Everyone gets drenched, everyone, no exceptions. It was madness, but a lot of fun. Both the Thais and the foreigners really get into it. Then the party moved down to the beach, where it got a bit hectic. It rained for most of the day but that didn't stop the festivities. While I was standing on the beach, watching the melee, I heard someone call my name behind me. It was an unfamiliar voice and I turned around to see two unfamiliar people and for a couple of seconds I couldn't for the life of me figure out how these strangers could know my name. Then slowly the memory gears started cranking and it hit me. It was a couple I met on my Trans-Siberian railway journey between Tomsk and Irkutsk, Russia (back in August) - Jill and Nile from Ireland and Australia!! What a strange, crazy place to meet! They had just arrived on Ko Tao to this madness and we hung out for the rest of the afternoon in the ocean in the rain enjoying the party and having water fights with strangers. We met again later for dinner where we caught on our respective trips and shared memories of Russia. We had followed very similar paths through Mongolia, China, Tibet, and Nepal once we parted ways in Russia and figured out that we were in Nepal at the same time, but never saw each other there. Then they had gone on to India and Bangladesh while I stayed longer in Nepal and went on to southeast Asia. What makes the meeting so strange is that not 3 weeks prior to this I ran into a guy I met in Moscow! Insane. Plus we shouldn't have even met here since they weren't planning to come to Thailand at all and I wasn't planning to stay on Ko Tao for so long. I really didn't think I met that many people in Russia.....

Tonight (Saturday, 14 April) I leave Ko Tao for Krabi on the western coast of Thailand. The ferry leaves Ko Tao at 9 PM and arrives in Suratthani - on the mainland - at 6 AM, then its a 2 hour bus ride to Krabi town where I have to catch a boat to the main beaches. I'm a bit sad to leave Ko Tao, but I'm looking forward to Krabi as I think some of my friends that I met in Vietnam will be there. I'm meeting Jill and Nile for dinner before I leave.

Ko Tao update

I finally have some down time - its raining now - and thought I should bring my blog up to date so I'll start off filling in the gaps since I last left Bangkok.

On Monday (2 April) evening I took the luxurious bus from Bangkok arriving in Chumphon, Thailand about 3 AM. Chumphon is a city on the Gulf of Thailand where you catch the ferry to Ko Tao. After a few hours sleep in the waiting area we boarded the ferry for Ko Tao around 7 AM on Tuesday (3 April).

The dive operator that was recommended to me - New Way Diving - picked me up at the pier on Ko Tao. At their office I signed up for the PADI Open Water Diver course which I could start the next afternoon. Then I checked into a not so great, overpriced bungalow that - thankfully - was included in the price of the PADI course. That afternoon I explored Sairee Beach, the main beach on Ko Tao where all the travelers - most of them Swedish - stay. That evening I met up with a group of travelers that I met on the boat ride for a fun dinner and evening. I think we had at least 8 people - from England, Australia, and Spain.

Wednesday (4 April) I hit the beach in the morning since I didn't start the PADI course until the afternoon. Around 2:30 PM we met at the dive shop to fill out a bunch of paper work, had a course introduction, and watched some videos. We were given our course textbooks and homework! I had a quite night, as the next few nights would be.

Thursday (5 April) we started at 9 AM with some class room stuff and then after lunch we boarded the dive boat and went to a shallow bay to get our feet wet. It was a pretty mellow day just practicing some basic skills underwater and getting familiar with the scuba equipment.

Friday (6 April) we started at 9 AM again with some more class room stuff. After lunch it was time for our first real dive. We had 2 dives that afternoon and they were fantastic. Really good fun. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be.

Saturday (7 April) was our final day of the PADI course. We had our 'final exam' around 11 AM before boarding the dive boat for our 2 afternoon dives. Those dives were great too. Each of the 4 dives over the 2 days was better than the previous. Before the exam that morning I had to switch bungalows since my accommodation was no longer paid for and it was too expensive to stay there. I found a nicer, cheaper bungalow closer to the center of the beach. That evening the 3 Canadian guys and British couple that were in my class all met up for some drinks and dinner. Then we met our instructors and others from the dive shop at a restaurant to watch a video of our last day of diving. An underwater videographer had joined us on the days dives to film us. He put together an awesome video which we watched and then had the option to buy but it was way too expensive for me. The Canadian guys bought one so hopefully I can get a copy from them. The video was really cool. Then we celebrated pretty hard all night until some ungodly hour.

Sunday (8 April) I slept in until after noon. After a late lunch - or really late breakfast - I detoxed on the beach. I followed that with another late night out. The great thing about having a bungalow close to the beach and all the bars and restaurants on the beach is that I can leave my sandals at my bungalow when I go out. Thats a nice change of pace from the 'big city'. Most nights I go out 'island style' sans footwear.

Monday (9 April) morning I was woken up by one of my instructors knocking on my bungalow around 10 AM asking if I wanted to join the British couple - from my PADI course - who were starting the Advanced Open Water Diver course in a couple of hours. I really hadn't given it much thought yet and I was too hung over to even consider it at that point so I turned down the offer. But later that afternoon I went by the dive operator and signed up for the Advanced course. Although I would be a day behind the British couple it really wasn't a big deal as the 5 dives that make up the AOWD course don't have to be in any particular order.
So I negotiated hard for a good price on the course and was signed up to start the course early the following morning. I had a mellow night of reading and doing homework.

Tuesday (10 April) morning we met at 6 AM to go diving. The first dive was our Deep Dive, where we went down to 30 meters/100 feet. That is a lot of water to have above your head!! The thought of it was a bit scary to me from the surface, but once in the water it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. 30 meters really didn't feel to much different than 15 meters. We did a little test at the bottom to check and see if any of us were experiencing nitrogen narcosis (harmless) - none of us were. The second dive of the morning was our 'Underwater Naturalist' dive where we took some identification plates (pictures of fish and coral) down on a dive with us and tried to identify fish and coral. We saw so many beautiful tropical fish, a sting ray, an eel, and a bunch of other stuff. Really cool. That afternoon I went to the beach for a few hours before meeting back up at the dive shop at 5 PM for our night dive. Our group of 5 (3 students/2 instructors) were the only ones on the boat and the only ones at the dive site. We geared up and entered the water after the sun had set but while it was still light out. We all had under water torches - obviously. Slowly it got darker and darker. We swam around for a while checking stuff out before stopping on the bottom where we turned off the lights and played with the bioluminescent plankton. That was really cool. I was glad that we had a group of 5 because I may have been a bit freaked out if we had only been a group of 2!! Very freaky and very cool. It definitely didn't feel like a place humans should be..... We surfaced to a dark, star filled sky, with the lights of Ko Tao flickering in the distance. That was one of the coolest experiences of my trip. I did more reading and homework that night.

Wednesday (11 April) I had 2 more morning dives so once again we met at the dive shop at 6 AM. It was only my instructor and I for these two dives - other groups were on the boat - as the British couple had done these dives the day I was hungover. My instructor for both the OW and AOW courses happened to be an attractive German girl..... but she wasn't single. The first dive was a navigation dive which was really quite difficult. I had to follow a bearing (the easy part), count my fin stokes (to measure distance), breath, regulate my buoyancy, and try not to ascend or descend, all in the open water without many visual references. I tried semi-successful to navigate a square. On the way to the second dive site we raided some fisherman's traps (which were illegal anyways) to find 3 strange fish and a squid. I jokingly told some one that was her lunch. The second dive was a dive strictly to work on my buoyancy control which is the most important aspect of diving (other than continuous breathing). You control your buoyancy by regulating your breathing. I tried to swim slowly through a square hoop without a whole lot of success. It was really good practice though. We also saw a school of squid ironically which were about the size of a hand! We got back on the boat to find the captain had cooked up the fish and squid we had taken from the traps. It was delicious and the freshest seafood I've ever eaten. Guess I wasn't joking about 'lunch'. Upon returning to the dive shop and having our homework checked I was officially an 'Advanced Open Water Diver'. The two early mornings of dives had made me quite tired so that afternoon I took a long nap, before going out for a little while that evening.

Today, Thursday (12 April), I got to sleep in. Then I went to the beach for a few hours before the rain sent me scurrying for cover. I'm not sure if I'll do any more dives or not. I would like too, but the 2 diving courses have really blown the budget.

Diving in Ko Tao, Thailand

Today (Saturday, 7 April) I finished my 3-day PADI Open Water Diver course here on Ko Tao. It was amazing and I wish I would have taken the course sooner. The last dive today was the best yet with really beautiful coral and fish (and a moray eel). I think I'm also going to take the next course, Advanced Open Water diver, in a few days. Or at least do some more dives outside of a course setting. So I'll be here on Ko Tao a little while longer.

As far as Ko Tao itself goes, there are a lot more tourists here than I was expecting and every thing on the island is significantly more expensive than elsewhere in central and northern Thailand. But its a beautiful island with fantastic sunsets. Thats all I have time to write now.

Bangkok

Friday (30 March) after arriving back in Bangkok I went to stay with my friend, Nicole, for a night. She was leaving the next morning to go to Nepal for a few weeks with some friends from work, so she was busy packing.

Saturday (31 March) morning I headed back to my old stomping grounds of Khao San Road. I spent Saturday and Sunday (1 April) doing some errands, recuperating, planning where to go next, and how much longer to travel for.

I leave this evening (Monday, 2 April) for Ko Tao, an island in southern gulf of Thailand. I'm planning to take a 4-day PADI diving course starting on Wednesday which I am really looking forward to. Ko Tao is apparently the place in southeast asia to take a PADI course.

I have officially given up on visiting Indonesia on this trip. Although I really, really want to visit, I don't have the excitement and motivation in me to visit on this trip, like I had when I arrived in southeast Asia back in December. So Indonesia will have to wait for now.

Back to the start - Yangon, Myanmar

When I arrived at my guesthouse in Yangon early Wednesday (28 March) morning fortunately there was a dorm bed empty and I crashed for a several hours. Then I spent the day walking around Yangon, relaxing, checking email, and reading.

Thursday (29 March), my last day in Myanmar, I didn't have any plans so it was again another lazy day. It was too hot in the afternoons to enjoy being outside in Yangon, so I tired to stay under the shade. I felt like I had seen enough of Yangon when I was there at the begining so I didn't have any problems lazing around.

Friday (30 March) morning several other travelers from the guesthouse were all on my flight to Bangkok so we shared some taxis to the airport. A few hours later I was back in my most familiar city in Asia.....

Myanmar really is a special place and I look forward to going back some day. It is the least touristed country in southeast Asia and it shows in the friendliness and curiousity of the Burmese people. The Burmese have to be the nicest, friendliness, most curious, and most helpful people of any country I have visited. I recieved so many waves and smiles every where I visited and people would always come up to me and want to talk and practice their english. Too many of the countries in southeast asia have lost that.

Bagan, Myanmar

On Friday (23 March) my extremely uncomfortable bus from Mandalay arrived in Bagan after dark, 10 hours after we left. Right before we entered the town we stopped at the admission ticket office where foreigners are required to pay the $10 fee for the Bagan sites which again goes directly to the government. I somehow - through many shenanigans - managed to avoid paying this fee as well, although all the other foreigners on the bus had to pay it - about half tried really hard not to pay it. It was the most difficult government fee for me to avoid in Myanmar. After checking into my guesthouse - which asked to see my non-existant admission ticket - I had dinner close by and then called it a night.

Saturday (24 March) began my 3 day temple seeing blitz of Bagan. Bagan, the most famous site in Myanmar, is famous for its approximately 2700 still entacted temples built between roughly 800 - 1200 A.D., many of which have been reconstructed or refurbished. The temples of Bagan are suppose to rival the temple complex of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I rented a bike and just road off down the main paved road, ducking off on little side dirt roads whenever I saw a temple in the distance that looked interesting. Many of the temples have tight little stairwells inside that lead to a viewing platform on the roof and nice views. It was quite hot in the afternoon, probably around 40 C although it was a dry heat. I had a late lunch and then went back to my guesthouse to rest a bit before heading out again to watch the sunset from atop one of the temples - a very popular pasttime in Bagan. In the village of Nyaung U where I was staying, there are a couple of streets with a fair amount of restuarants geared towards the masses of tourists ('masses' by Myanmar standards). I was eating dinner that night at one of those restaurant and I had just ordered my food when I looked across to another table and saw a vaguely familiar face. I went up to confront the familiar face and it turned out to be an Australian guy, Paul, whom I shared a dorm room with in Moscow over 7 months ago!! We had chatted a fair bit during our stay together in Moscow and I had remembered his name and where he had gone next. Paul had headed west after Moscow into eastern Europe, and of course I headed in the opposite direction. He had long since finished that trip, returned to Australia, and was now out on another short trip (1 month). Paul was quite the character - which is one of the reasons I remembered his name and face 7 months latter - very boisterious, around 50 years old, with a thick Australian accent. Of all the places to run into someone you've met before, this happened in Bagan, Myanmar, albeit it was a popular restaurant. Saying "what a small world" seems a bit cliche since when you are traveling the world seems quite big. I joined Paul, his brother (who was working in Myanmar), and another friend (a girl also working in Myanmar but from Seattle.....) at their table for dinner and we reminisced about our times in Moscow. Really strange.

Sunday (25 March) I rented a bike again and rode around all day seeing temples. I had lunch at the same restuarant as the day before because its run by the nicest family and has good, cheap food. Their 10 year old son speaks nearly perfect english and was eager to chat. I watched the sunset from the top of a crowded temple - but with nice views - and quite preferred the sunset from the night before where I was alone. Due to the haze in the distance the sunsets in Bagan where not that great, but the views of the temples were.

Monday (26 March) I rented my trusty bike for a third day of temple exploration. I got a flat at one point and had to ride back into the village to have it repaired. Although it was another hot day, I plowed on through the day without much of a rest as it was my last there. I had a quick rest late in the afternoon at my local lunch stop where the owner presented me with a small painting - for my loyal patronage?? I had found a great - and I thought at the time, unknown - temple to watch the sunset earlier in the day, but the hordes showed up when I returned at dusk! That was a disappointment as I thought I would be alone.

Tuesday (27 March) my bus back to Yangon wasn't leaving until the afternoon so I just wandered around the village during the morning as I was a bit templed-out at this point. Although the temples of Bagan were amazing and they rivaled the temples of Angkor Wat in scope, in my opinion they didn't rival the temples of Angkor on an individual temple level. The Temples of Angkor Wat are much larger and more stunning - and also more crowded. My last bus ride in Myanmar left Bagan at 3 PM and was extremely uncomfortable again, although not the most uncomfortable. It was an over night bus but I got not a wink of sleep and arrived exhausted in Yangon around 5 AM, 15 hours later. I slept in the taxi on the way to my guesthouse.

Mandalay, Myanmar

I arrived in Mandalay around 3:30 PM on Wednesday (21 March) afternoon. Again the bus station was located well out of town - not sure why that is such a reoccuring them here - so I took a tri-shaw (bike powered taxi transport) into town. I was amazed that even in this large town - ~5 million people and Myanmar's second largest - a few people still waved at me with curiousity. Thailand and a lot of countries in southeast Asia have definitely lost that. It was too late by the time I checked in to see any sights, plus I was tired from waking up so early and the long, uncomfortable bus ride. So I didn't do much besides eat dinner that evening.

Thursday (22 March) I hired a tri-shaw driver to take me around the city for the day as the city is too spread out for walking. My first stop was Mandalay Hill. From the pagoda on top - ~250 meters up - you have some fine - if hazy - views of Mandalay and its surroundings. I spent a while there relaxing and watching people and sights. We drove around the huge Mandalay Palace but the unavoidable $10 admission which goes straight to the government was too much to bare so I didn't go in. It was an impressive structure however. My next stop was Mahamuni Paya which, while nice, was also just another pagoda, and I've seen my share of over the past 6 months. It was late afternoon by the time I was finished there so I decided to call it a day. Back at the guesthouse I booked my bus ticket to Bagan leaving the next day. There really isn't a whole lot to do in Mandalay and a lot of people don't care for it much. I however enjoyed it, but thought that a day and a half there was enough.

Friday (23 March) I took the bus to Bagan, Myanmar. This was the first bus that there had actually been other foreigners on and there were several on this one. Which is strange because there is a popular boat ride down from Mandalay to Bagan that many people take. I would have taken it but it was 5 times the price of the bus ride! Fortunately the most crowded and most uncomfortable bus ride to date was only 10 hours long....

Kalaw to Inle Lake, Myanmar

I arrived in Kalaw, Myanmar around 4 AM on Thursday (15 March) morning after a 15-hour bus ride from Yangon. The small town was understandably dead but fortunately someone helped me find a guesthouse close by and I didn't even get charged for a partial night even though I snoozed for about 5 hours after checking in. I really liked Kalaw. It was small, laid back town with really friendly people (actually everyone in Myanmar is really friendly). Just hung out there in Kalaw for a couple of days, enjoying the vibe. Because Kalaw is a 'hill station' town at an altitude of 1320-m (~5000-ft) the temperature was really nice and at night it was actually cool. I loved the weather there!

Friday (16 March) in Kalaw I tried to organize a trek. I had been planning to do a trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake, the next destination on my 'itinerary'. It typically takes 3 days and 2 nights to get there. I hadn't thought about the difficulty of finding others to do the trek with though, as there really weren't that many travelers in Kalaw, or at least I couldn't find them. I was begining to think I would have to nix the trek plan as it didn't sound much fun - not to mention more expensive - to go with just me and the guide. Fortunately I found a really good - and apparently popular - travel agent whom 2 other travelers were using for a trek to Inle Lake leaving the following morning and I could join them. Perfect. The price was $8/day which included all food, accomodation, and the guides. Not bad!

On Saturday (17 March) morning Laurent (France), Lieven (Belgium), Laurence (France), and myself headed off with our two guides, Gii and Soe, for the 3 day, ~45-km trek to Inle Lake. One more person had joined the group since I signed on so that made 4 of us. It was an amazing time. We passed through several villages filled with smiling people and lots of energetic, curious kids before staying for the night in a village home. The kids all along the trek absolutely loved seeing themselves on the screen of my digital cameras. Sometimes they would scream loudly with excitement over seeing their image (although I can't image they hadn't seen their image before like that). The village and homes were definitely not as rustic as some of the villages I stayed in Laos. Our guides cooked us up some fine meals along the way. It was a bit cold that night, and in fact I'm the only one who got any sleep I later found out, but I enjoyed the weather.

Sunday (18 March) we headed off early for a long day of hiking, passing through several more villages and absolutely beautiful landscapes with people tending their fields and animals as they probably have for centuries. Amazing! That evening we stayed at a monastery and there were a couple of other small groups of trekkers there. It was another fun night and our group really got along great. That is the first time I've slept in a monastery.

Monday (19 March) was really only a half day of hiking and we arrived at a village on the southwest corner of Inle Lake around lunch time. After lunch we took a small, canoe-like, motorized boat for about 1 hour to the northeast corner of Inle Lake and the village of Nyaung Shwe. The scenery would have been amazing had it not been for the thick haze hiding the mountains surrounding the lake. Nyaung Shwe was a nice little town too, although larger and busier than Kalaw and with a few more travelers. I decided to wait until the next day though before leaving the guesthouse to explore the town. The guesthouse was located right on the main canal that connects the town with the lake so the boat dropped us off literally right on the doorstep. We all stayed at the same guesthouse (less the guides who returned to Kalaw) and ate a fantastic dinner there that evening. Then we played some cards to cap off another fun night.

Tuesday (20 March) I went to go explore the town. There were a few more foriegners about - mostly package tourists - but I was still entertainment to a group of kids who found me sitting at the top of a small hill enjoying the view of the town. They really enjoyed seeing themselves on my digital camera screen. I found out this day that by arriving into town via boat from the hike avoided the entrance ticket counter to the Inle Lake area so I didn't have to pay the $3 fee that goes straight to the government. Score 1 more for me! Another dinner at the guesthouse followed that night less one of our trekking members who left earlier that day.

Wednesday (21 March) morning I woke up early (~4 AM) to catch my bus to Mandalay, Myanmar. Conveniently the bus stop was 11 km from town - which is located off the main road - so I had to catch a taxi there. 5000 kyats for the taxi, 6000 kyats for the fairly long bus ride!! The bus to Madalay was fairly uncomfortable, but at least it was only 10 hours long......

Yangon, Myanmar

On Thursday (8 March) I flew from Bangkok to the capital of Myanmar, Yangon - 'Yan-gone', not 'Yan-goon' as I had been pronouncing it - early in the morning. I was so tired from the early flight that once I checked into my guesthouse I slept for a good part of the day.

The next day, Friday (9 March), I got out to explore Yangon. First I went to Sula Paya (Paya = Pagoda) right smack in the middle of downtown. And it was here that I talked to a local who convinced me that coming to Myanmar was the right thing to do, despite the international travel boycott that is being encouraged. From that point on, every local I talked to - which turned out to be quite a lot - reconfirmed this feeling. It actually made me sad that such a travel boycott exists because it really hurts the locals without having much affect on the ruling military junta government. I wandered around exploring downtown Yangon for a while and later in the afternoon I went to the world-famous Shwedagon Paya, the site to see in Yangon. It was a large, stunningly beautiful pagoda and I spent several hours there walking around and then talking to monks and locals (all of whom approached me). I stayed there until well after sunset talking to my new Burmese friends. I also managed to avoid paying the entrance fee which goes straight to the government by using the rear entrance.

Saturday (10 March) I tried to book a bus to Kalaw, Myanmar up north, but couldn't leave for several days which at first was a bummer, but then turned out okay as I made other plans. My alternate plans for the following couple of days where to go to Golden Rock pagoda - also know as Kyaikto which is the mountain where it is located - which is a large, gold covered, balancing rock on the top of a mountain that is a sacred Buddist pilgramige site.

Sunday (11 March) I took the bus to Kinpun, Myanmar about 5 hours east of Yangon. Conveniently the bus station in Yangon is located 45 minutes by taxi from the city center with no direct local buses going there. So my 5000 kyat (~$4) taxi ride to the bus station was rewared with a 4000 kyat bus ride to Kinpun!! Kinpun is the town used to visit Golden Rock pagoda and has a couple of foreigner oriented guesthouses. I was the only foreigner on the bus and arrived in Kinpun to late to visit Golden Rock that afternoon.

Monday (12 March) I hiked the 12 km pilgrimage trail up to Golden Rock. Most people take buses to the top. I didn't see any foreigners on the trail and all the locals where really happy to see me. Lots of smiles and "Mingalaba's" (hello in Burmese) were exchanged. 3 hours later and 1000 meters higher I arrived at Golden Rock. I tried to avoid paying the entrance fee there, but couldn't. I was walking through the large pavillion nearing Golden Rock and got flagged down by a group of locals who wanted me to join them. They bought me food, asked me to take pictures of them and show them the pictures on my digital camera, and then they got some pictures taken with me on film cameras. At one point there where about 25 locals sitting around me watching and looking. It was strange to be the center of attention like that. I spent a few hours sitting there trying to communicate with the locals before heading down. I took the bus back down with the hordes and masses.

Tuesday (13 March) I took the bus from Kinpun back to Yangon. Once again there were no foreingers on the bus which makes for a special ride with a little bit of preferred treatment.

Wednesday ( 14 March) I left Yangon bound for Kalaw early in the afternoon. The seats were comfortable enough except for the lack of leg room. That would prove to be my last semi-comfortable bus ride in Myanmar.

**All the entrance fees go directly to the government so whereever possible I tried to get around this. Not because I am cheap and didn't want to pay the money, but because responsible travelers to Myanmar try to minimize the amount of money that goes into the governments hands and maximize money going to the locals.

Home-Sweet-Bangkok

I arrived back in Bangkok yesterday (Friday, 30 March) morning after 3 weeks in Myanmar. I have a lot of blogging to do regarding Myanmar that I will hopefully start later today. For now, I'm back on Khao San Road trying to decide where - in the world - to go next. For the first time in a while, I really have no idea what to do now. I had been planning to go to Indonesia next but I don't really have enough time now (and possibly not the energy or motivation). I wanted to dedicate two months to Indonesia, but at this point I'd really only have about a month there and not sure its worth the effort to get down there (since I refuse to fly) and since traveling by land in Indonesia is a little time consuming.

So what I think I will do for now is head down to Ko Tao (an island in the gulf of Thailand down south) in a few days and take a diving course.

Different side of Bangkok

On Monday (5 March) afternoon I sent another 3.5-lbs worth of stuff home from Bangkok. My pack if feeling pretty light right now. I had some left over warm clothes that I didn't actually use in northern Thailand or Laos even though it was quite chilly there. I had also accumulated some clothes that I didn't really need. So along with that stuff, some CDs with pictures on them, and a few other odds and ends, I figured I had enough to make it worth sending some stuff home.

Then I finally got ahold of my friend Nicole, whom I met in Laos and lives in Bangkok, and went to meet her and stay with her for a couple of nights. She lives fairly far from Khao San Road but it was a free place to stay in an expensive city and it was good to see a friend. Plus I didn't have a reason to stay near Khao San anymore. Her apartment complex is full of ex-patriots. I had no idea there were so many foreigners living and working in Bangkok. I was amazed. The whole area where she lives is packed with ex-pats. We went to eat with a couple of her friends that evening and then went back to her apartment to look at our pictures of Laos where we met. Yvo, Helen, and I - who were traveling together at the time - met Nicole and 2 Israeli girls on the boat ride down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. We had all shared one big room in Luang Prabang for New Year's Eve and had blast. Yvo and Helen had stayed with Nicole a few weeks ago and raved about her hospitality which I can now attest too.

On Tuesday (6 March) Nicole had to go to work and I got to pretend like I was staying at a resort. Her apartment is huge, clean, and nice and it feels like an apartment in the West (first time with AC in a long while!). I haven't stayed in such luxery my entire trip. The apartment complex is also amazing, with multiple swimming pools, workout centers, the works. However I did spend a good part of the day away from her apartment. Between using the internet to book my flight to Myanmar, eating, and finding a bank to get US dollars at (which I need for Myanmar since there are no banks or ATMs in Myanmar), I used up a good portion of the day. I did manage to spend some time by the pool that afternoon though. I figured I couldn't pass it up, even though it wasn't like being at the beach. That evening I tagged along with Nicole to a birthday dinner for a friend at a Mexican restaurant.

Today (Wednesday, 7 March) is my last day in Bangkok on this round. I fly to Yangon, Myanmar tomorrow (Thursday, 8 March) morning at 7:15 AM on Air Asia. My visa is good for 4 weeks, but I may only stay 3 weeks there before flying back to Bangkok. Internet is heavily censored in Myanmar by the government, including web-based email sites like hotmail, so it will be difficult for me to email or blog from Myanmar.

Back in Bangkok

It seems like I've been 'back in Bangkok' many times during my 2 trips to southeast Asia. And it won't end with this stop. I'll be 'back in Bangkok' at least 2 more times during this trip. It really is the travel hub of southeast Asia and hard to avoid.

The 5-hour bus ride from the mainland opposite Koh Chang turned into more of a 8 or 9-hour bus ride and we arrived in Bangkok around 8 PM on Friday (2 March) night. Bangkok, and more specifically the tourist district around Khao San Road (KSR), is about the only place where it doesn't matter if you arrive after dark. Its still fairly easy to find a place to stay. Mianne and I checked into a guesthouse near Khao San Road (but not too near) and then I went to use the internet, get money, and eat some street food.

Saturday (3 March) I began to attack the list of things I had been saving to do - or could only do - in Bangkok. Not very exciting stuff, but necessary (haircut, shopping for books, doing my taxes, etc.).

Sunday (4 March) I'm not sure where the day went. Actually I'm not sure where either of those past 2 days went as I was stuck in some sort of 'Khao San Road daze' (can't really explain it if you haven't seen KSR). Khao San Road is the area where most travelers stay and all the businesses really cater to budget travelers' needs so you can find basically anything here so its very convenient.

Monday (5 March), today, now. So now I'm finally all caught with my blog. Mianne left this morning for Holland and I'm waiting to hear from a friend I met in Laos to see if I have a free place to sleep tonight, although it wouldn't be near KSR. So right now I'm homeless. I still have a few things to do before I can fly to Myanmar. First and foremost is to actually book the flight to Myanmar..... The prices are fluctuating at the moment so I'm waiting for prices to drop again. Hopefully I can fly out Wednesday of Thursday to the capital, Yangon, Myanmar. I'm not as excited about it as I should be for some reason but hopefully that will change once I board the flight.