Thailand, parting is such sweet sorrow

Adios Thailand! We leave tonight on another looonnngg boat+bus+boat trip into Malaysia. These last few days (how many, I have no idea) have been amazing. Back in Bangkok, Mal and I were able to reconnect with old friends from previous travels, which made the city much more enjoyable. I actually donned a non-backpacker outfit and when out on the town with a Bangkok expat (hey Sam!) for some drinks. I saw Bangkok from a whole other angle, high-rise bar overlooking the skyline. New York’s got nothing on Bangkok!

Our reunion was quick, because we had to catch a train down to Ko Phangan for the infamous Full Moon Party. But this time we adopted another traveler…our wonderful friend Alicia from Australia. Ko Phangan has so much more to offer than the full moon, so one day we rented an off-road jeep wrangler and tackled the rough roads around the island. I was able to practice my not-so-bad manual driving skills. I only stalled on a hill once! Haha, we screamed loudly as we rolled backwards until some wonderful Samaritans advised me on the proper way to screech up the hills. From then on, I was so unstoppable, we decided to keep driving around the island and have a good ol’ night on the town driving around with the windows down and the music loud.

Now, I already told you the Full Moon Party was epic, but I promised some dirty details. But, since they aren’t just my dirty details, I’m afraid I will have to leave most of it up to your imagination. Let’s just say it was a CRRAAAZZZYYYY party! I can sum it up with: thousands of partiers covering the entire beach, fire twirlers, fire jump rope, numerous drinking stalls selling buckets and beer galore, raging music of all genres, “mushroom” shakes, sleeping areas designated for those who can’t move an inch further, and doctors @ every corner to bandage the wounded. The night was spent laughing and dancing till the sun came up.

As true full moon partiers, we watched the sunrise and stayed on the beach well into the morning, admiring the few hard-core partiers still dancing among the sea of drunkards passed out on the sand. Haha, you could see the hurt and remorse all over people’s faces as they hung their heads low trying to remember their drunken escapades. Running on zero sleep and still recovering from the night/morning we had to part with our Aussie friend and head to Ko Tao for a 4-day scuba certification. While boarding the boat at 2pm, I was asked, “So, did you enjoy the full moon party?” My reply, “Ask me once I’ve gotten some sleep!” After checking into our guesthouse at 4:00pm (and still no sleep!) I retreated to our room desperate to close my eyes.

Today, as we speak, Mal and I have officially completed our 4-day course and become PADI certified as Open Water Scuba Divers. I have now achieved one of my top 10 goals! Words cannot describe the feeling of looking up 33 feet and seeing the sun glistening through the water. Below the surface, schools of fish I normally only sea in marine museums swam freely all around me. The sights and sounds nearly took my breath away, but then I would have drowned! It was a bit of a hard start for me. I had difficultly equalizing the pressure in my ears and breathing slowly with the tank. But, well worth the persistence! I always knew I was born to be in the water. True to scuba tradition, you can now refer to me as “Leahfish.”

Next step….finding an awesome place to celebrate my 27th birthday in Malaysia!

Cambodia, the Wild West of Asia

10 days is not enough time to travel in 1 country. Already, Mal and I are leaving Cambodia, on our way back to Thailand. We have high hopes for our night bus which leaves at 2am since we paid a whole $14! Cambodia was AMAZING! We didn't have any plans to travel here, but after hearing so many other travelers speak about the country we had to see it. Cambodia has recovered well from the devastating war and mass genocide, however you can't miss the broken down and abandoned buildings around the cities. As we crossed the border we were greeted by guards, half-dressed in their uniforms, drinking beer and eating dinner. They refused to let us in with the standard fee of $25 and insisted we had to pay $35 to get it. After trying to haggle down the price we settled as I'm pretty sure they would have turned us away otherwise. I guess there are some times you shouldn't try to bargain...especially when there are guns involved. Instead of heading as most travelers do, we stayed in the border town, Koh Kong, which is in the heart of the Cardamom Mountains. Two local Khmer guides helped us trek through the unspoiled jungles. As we were searching for local wildlife we were flicking leeches off of us left and right. Those things really hurt when they burrow inside of your shoes and socks!! As we relaxed and ate our lunch by an enormous waterfall, we watched monkeys play and swing from tree to tree across the river. As the sun was setting, we set up camp by a lazy river...well, actually our wonderful guides did all the work (they wouldn't let us help!) We had a camp fire complete with pork and veggie skewers, coffee, fruit hand-picked from the jungle, and local whiskey. Delicious! We slept like babies in the most comfy hammocks I've ever been in and awoke to a campfire breakfast and a brisk swim in the river. Luckily, we made it out alive as we passed by a HUGE snake on the side of the road. That was enough wildlife for us, and we headed back to town.

We then made our way to a really chill town, Kampot. As Mal put it, it was just the right combination between travelers, locals, and expats. We spent a couple lazy days hanging out around the guesthouse eating, reading, and chating with other travelers. One day, we peeled ourselves off the hammocks and set out to explore bat-filled caves with the local kids. With all the hard work we did (just kidding), we treated ourselves to a day at the spa. After a month of traveling, it was nice to be pampered a bit. Sometimes traveling is actually hard work, you know, with long bus rides, sweat and dirt-caked bodies, as we sometimes don't shower for days, and very very very uncomfortable beds. Hard life, I know!!

It would have been easy to spend so much more time in Kampot with our new Swedish, German, Norwegian, English and Aussie friends, but we had to move on to Siem Riep for the Temples. The Temples of Angkor Wat were spectacular. It is right up there with the other world wonders. We were real Lara Croft and Indiana Jones explorers, making our way through structures that were built by the old god-kings of the Khmer Empire. It was truly inspiring.

So, now I am Bangkok bound, and ready for the beautiful beaches of Thailand once again!

Plans are Overrated

Every time Mal and I update our status our plans change. Cambodia, wait, no the beach. Ok, Cambodia today, wait no, another day at the beach. Haha, who knows what will happen next. So, last time I left you, I was in Pai on my way down to Chang Mai for mountain biking. Now, I have already biked down the world's most dangerous road, aka Death Road, in Bolivia. It was crazy difficult, but this biking adventure brought me to another level! Imagine biking during a mud slide...over rocks and tree trunks the size of snow moguls...in a rainstorm. It was crazy, and so much fun! Even falling and getting covered in mud was fun. Our trail ended near a lake at the bottom of the mountain where we took a little swim to get clean and have lunch. Beautiful:)

Next, as Mal put it best, we took a 15 hour train which looked like it belonged in a train junk yard to Bangkok. There is nothing much to say about Bangkok except that it is crap. Ok, ok, I guess it's intricate canal transportation gives it a nice charm, but I can only take traffic, smog,overwhelming pee and fish smells, and men trying to take me to "ping pong" shows for so long. We lasted one night there and then had to get out.

We found ourselves in Ko Samed, a little island off the east coast where many Thais take there vacation. We rented a scooter and set off to explore the island...found this private cove set below a steep cliff where we took a refreshing afternoon swim in our birthday suits:) When in Rome!! It was the perfect place to watch the sunset, so we headed back there with a little Mumford and Sons to set the tone. Traveling is never complete without running into fellow explorers. We met an awesome travel group to party with and with a little luck, we will join them again and 20,000 other travelers for the infamous full moon party in Ko Phanang.

As I write this, I am sitting in a hammock under a blue sky next to the crystal-clear ocean. Before you get too jealous, let me tell you what I am thinking of. No, its not anticipating the ancient world of Cambodia, or rock climbing over the ocean, or being a part of one of the best parties in the world. As I stare out into the ocean, I think of home. All the people I miss in my life...my crazy family, fun roomies, and long-lost friends. I think of how wonderful it is to share the joys and sorrows of day to day life. And as excited as I am to experience the adventures to come, I am even more excited to return home and share my life with those I love the most. So, please don't forget to keep in touch!! Miss you more than you know:)

I Just Went Pai

We are now 12-ish days into our trip...who can count? I lost track of time a long time ago! I am currently in a little town in the mountains of Northern Thailand called Pai. It is a hippie town: lazy days, sipping tea, Thai Chi, massages, reading in a hammock. We were going to leave tomorrow, but this place has a way of sucking you in and keeping you here just a bit longer. We decided to stay another day....I just went Pai. Mal and I have been hanging out with an awesome group of people: 3 people from Sweden, 1 from London, and 2 from Australia. The other night we were 12 people deep searching for a bar and stumbled upon a reggae bar in the middle of nowhere, so we decided to start our own party. Before we knew it people were coming from all directions...Rock on Bob Marley!

Mal and I arrived in Pai after a 3 hour bus ride on the curviest road I have ever been on in my life. If you know me well, you know I have terrible motion sickness. Somehow, by the grace of God (and with the help of my iPod and sleep) I did not get sick. Unlike the 5 other people in our van who puked the whole way. Back in Chang Mai before we left, Mal and I went to an Elephant Park. It was so cool to be among them. We were able to walk with them, touch them, and we even got to draw pictures on them! They showed off their skills by painting, tricks, soccer, etc. The best part...making paper out of elephant poo. Yes, elephant poo. I mixed it with my bare hands:) Smells good. Actually, elephant poo doesn't even smell!

We also went to a cooking class in the middle of the countryside and learned how to make traditional Thai food. I will be sure to make you all something delicious when I get back. The last couple days of Songkran we escaped the water fights by visiting a Tiger park, lounging by a pool, and having little fishes eat the dead skin off our feet (weird I know and ticklish like hell, but awesome!) We sent Songkran off right with dancing in the streets and splashing in the water with locals and foreigners alike. Definitely an unforgettable night!

So, once we can peal ourselves away from Pai, we will travel back down the world's most curvy road to Chang Mai for mountain biking. Then, off to Bankok for a taste of the big city and on the infamous beaches of Thailand.

More to come from the lovely traveling ladies!!

Thailand Vacay...The Beginning

Hey!! The trip has been so amazing!! And we are only on our second day! We arrived exhausted at 10:30pm Monday night after 25+ hours of travel. With a little bit of English and many hand signs, we managed to flag down a tuk tuk, a motor bike with seats attached on the back, to our hostel. Our towls and key were waiting for us on the front table with a note welcoming us to Chiang Mai. We unfortunately woke up bright and early at 7am and went down to the hostel restaurant for breakfast. We enjoyed our hot tea and traditional Thai food ($2 dollars each!) on the "jungle" inspired patio. We started the day off right, as any one should...Thai massages...$5. Relaxing while our Thai masseurs were walking on our backs, pulling and pushing our bodies, and rubbing all the tension out. Jealous yet:)

So, as we mentioned, Mal and I arrived the day before the beginning of the Thai New Year, Songkron. This holiday is best celebrated with a city-wide water fight to inspire rain after the drought season. Words and pictures can not describe how amazing this is! We armed ourselves with buckets and water guns against the hundreds of Thais and Foreigners alike who seek to drench us from head to toe. In about .5 seconds you cannot escape be soaking wet!

After a few hours of water fights, we found our way back to the hostel for a blissful 4 hour nap, because that is what you do on vacation...right? Then, went out for dinner and drinks. Met some awesome girls at a rooftop bar overlooking the main street, without shoes and sitting on mats covering the floor. The night proceed with a bucket....yes a bucket!... of whiskey and coke, outdoor dance bar, and reggae band. We danced with our fellow travelers until 3am. And that is our our perfect first night in Thailand ended.

So, today, our second day, there was a massive rain storm in the morning, which Mal and I enjoyed chatting and recapping our first day from the comfort of our beds. We joined the masses in another day of water fights in the streets. Took another nap, and somehow manged to sleep until 11pm. Unable to sleep any longer we went to explore the town at night. We found a night market full of amazing Thai bags, art, food, clothes, etc. We ate traditional Thai noodle soup for dinner ($1 each!) at a street stall...hoping we don't get sick!!

Luckily, we can bide our time till we are tired again at this 24-hour internet cafe. Tomorrow, it looks like we will visit an elephant park outside the city. Who knows what other adventures await us!! Trekking into indigenous hill tribes, mountain biking, cooking class, hot springs on the agenda.

Cheers. This is everything we were hoping it would be. Miss everyone back home!!