Beyond Borders.....

The 7Am tuk-tuk ride was surprisingly refreshing, the cool air that would soon turn blistering hitting our faces as we cruised through town to the outskirts where the the bus station was. It was more like one of those weird Greyhound stops in the middle of nowhere, but with a ton of people surrounding it selling everything from food to toys to watches. As soon as we stepped off a random man, who appeared to be a ticket vendor, sold us our ticket to Kompong Cham and led us to our bus. Seeing as our bus wasn't leaving anytime soon we ditched the bags and found a sandwich, which wasn't half bad seeing as all it was was bread, lettuce, chili sauce and tomato. As more and more people crammed on to the bus we began what would be the beginning of our journey into Laos and the shorter leg of our loop.

The scenery throughout Cambodia is very similar, depending on the time of year you have green rice fields or brown fields surrounded by greenery. This time of year they tend to be brown. Wooden houses with grass or tin roofs stand on stilts and line the dirt or gravel roads, while water buffalo and cattle trample or stand in the middle of them. Happy children run around naked having little or no perception of a war in Iraq or the horrors Pol Pot inflicted on their country some 30 years ago. Happy little kids indeed. Whole families of 5 cram onto mopeds that could barely push one fat American down a hill. Pickups are filled with countless people both inside and out, while long tractors with make shift trailers seem to be the slower, local transport. Every few kilometers a family is sitting next to their shop selling the same things the last shop was selling: M-150, Sodas, Water, Shampoo, and Petrol in a Johnnie Walker bottle. This is the closest thing you'll find to a 7-11 in rural Cambodia. All of these images become commonplace throughout Southeast Asia and are burned into your memory as you drift between wakefulness and sleep on the countless buses you have no choice but encountering.

Kompong Cham: The bus rolls into a small town and drops us at another "bus station". It was only upon arrival that we were informed that no bus would take us to Kratie, only taxis. Seeing as we had no other option we got the first taxi driver to give us the back seat for 25$. It was only a 4 hour ride but when they fill a car, they really fill it. We found this out later. Naively thinking we might be the only passenger on our ride, we settled in for the long haul only to drive right around the corner to a gas station. The driver looked around, yelled a little at some people and drove off. We did this numerous times in addition getting him some food, picking up laundry and paying his cell phone bill. The last stop we actually got some takers. Four takers actually, and seeing as they paid about a quarter of what we did we weren't giving up our backseat. He shuffled two ladies in the front seat of his Toyota Camry and opened up the back door smiling to put the others in back. UnnUhh. Unnuhhh. Heads madly shaking no. Since we were going to get fucked anyway we figured one was better then two and negotiated him down to 20$ plus one more in the back seat. Peeved and distresses he obliged. On lucky male got to sit with us in the back, while the other shared the drivers seat. Really, two people in the drivers seat of a manual Toyota Camry for 4 hours on a fucked up dirt road. Good shit. We did drop two of the passengers off about three hours into it giving our driver full control of the automobile again but for the most part it was a strange trip. Especially when your driver is sitting in the middle and your wondering if he can really reach the pedals.


Kratie: We roll into town around 3:30, starving. Really, really hungry. Seeing as this is just an overnight stop on our way into Laos we stay the guest house where our driver dropped us. We drop our stuff and run to find food only to be accosted by the owner telling us to go see the dolphins, now. Really, right now. He allowed us to eat a sandwich and some rice before pushing us onto moto for a 20 minute trip through beautiful country. As if my ass didn't already hurt enough, the moto ride was icing on the cake. Stepping of the bike, my legs were shaky and ass numb. The sun was slowly making its way to the other side of the earth as we stepped onto the boat. An English couple and a guide accompanied us and the conversation was anything but dull as we pushed out and in 2 minutes saw a pack of the rare Irrawaddy River Dolphins. A dolphin is just a dolphin, but is not everyday you get to ride in a boat on the Mekong at sunset, unless your a fisherman.

We meandered back as the sun was setting and the rain was falling afte getting our share of dolphin sightings. Since we were leaving early and there really wasn't much to do in Kratie we found some real food and called it a night. Well actually we had TV and a bag to finish, I made it through the bag but only about half of Independence Day. You know th eone where the Fresh Prince punches an alien.

Yeah! Another day on Buses! Although this trip was to be a relatively short one compared to the next leg.... We were picked up in a extremely nice A/C Mercedes mini bus only to be driven around the corner and dropped at the gas station where the real mini buses were waiting. No A/C and certainly no Mercedes. The old bait and switch. We finally left after a few more farang found themselves in the same predicament. The ride was relatively short up to the border town of Stung Treng where we were forced to wait a few hours at Mr.T's guest house by the river until we were told to walk down to the river and get on a boat. Boats are a whole different experience in Southeast Asia. This is not a Catalina Ferry or a Havasu speedboat, these are sketchy floating wooden objects with any type of motor attached to them. At least 30 people piled on for the short river crossing ride. At the other side, Matt conjured up some drama by saying the bus driver wasn't going to take us and something about the police. Nothing unfolded, although we did end up waiting around for a while as usual. On to another mini bus and we were off, a gravel road with logs in the middle acting as a center divider that our driver swerved in and out of. After an hour our driver reached what seemed like a border only to get back in the car and turn around. Hmmm. Then he turns down a really fucked up dirt road. Hmmmm. "End of the earth" was Matts description and while it was no Volcano National Park it was pretty out there. "Maybe he's taking us out here to kill us" was probably the general consensus of the van which consisted of Matt, myself, a Australian named Daniel and a very strange French guy named Thomas or "Frenchie" as I dubbed him. After 20 minutes of impending doom we reached signs of civilization (ie. houses) and finally the border.

Sketchiest border crossing ever. The Cambodian side was a gate at someones house and a shack. The uniformed guard stamped our passport and collected our dollars as his stamping fee, which is complete bullshit. Frenchie waited till he got his passport stamped and then refused to pay. The guard didn't like that too much, but there was nothing he could do, Frenchie kept pointing to the "paid" stamp on his visa and walked away. We got back in the bus and drove 15 more minutes along the river to Laos. The Laos border wasn't much better. A bunch of guys playing what looked like boccie ball wearing shirts that said "Police" in small letters with little race cars on them. They didn't seem to happy about our interrupting their game. The officer (?) begrudgingly dropped his balls and came over to the shack. "Passport, Visas, and 2$". We all made our attempt at not paying but to no avail; he wouldn't give your passport back without the money. Frenchie tried a bit harder and even tried asking for a receipt. If anybody was getting shot or detained today it was him. We all made it and jumped in the back of a truck to our final destination: 4,000 Islands. We all smiled knowing we had made it into Laos and not the easy way either. We even applauded Frenchie for his not paying the dollar; unfortunately, while we assumed it was political he was really just a cheap bastard and wanted to save the dollar, not fight corruption.

Twenty minutes later we arrived at the rivers edge and jumped on a boat to Don Det the main island in the "4000". Another interesting yet blissful boat ride brought us to the islands edge and we stepped on the beach free of touts. We had been recommend a place but it turned out to be shit so we took the next decent spot and jumped straight into the river. Enter the 15 year old with down syndrome, funny guy throwing water and pissing all over the place, Matt was convinced he was going to sneak into our bungalow and kill me.

The river was bliss and the sun was setting fast so we headed to the sunset side of the island for my first Beer Lao actually in Laos. Bliss. The crowd was a jovial one, drunken and friendly. I asked the owner were to get a bag since rolling papers were listed on the menu. But he only sold papers. " The Reggae Bar will get you what you need" was al one needed to hear. Duh. To the Reggae Bar!! It was quick and easy, he even rolled one for us as we rolled continuously for the rest of the evening. Food happened at some point as did a few more Beer Lao's. Of course since they turn off the lights when the bar/restaurants close around 11:oo the walk back was very, very dark. No electricity means no fan, so as you can imagine it was a hot night and even hotter morning.

The next morning was bliss, a cup of coffee and some potatoes followed by a long period on the hammock reading and smoking. At some point we came to the consensus that we should take a bike ride so we got our lazy asses up, rented some bikes and headed over to the waterfall. A nice ride on a sunny dirt path through dry rice paddies lead us to the falls which were wide and rapid. No swimming here. A short lunch and detour to the beach and we headed back, this time on the shady path along the river. Hammocks called once again and the only thing that got us going later was the prospect of food and drinks. We found food and drinks followed. It is/was the low season so very few tourists were out and about making the "nightlife" very dull. But you don't go to 4000 islands for the night life, you go for the river ......... and the hammocks. So ended our last day in the islands. Fueled by promises of brilliance in Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng we deiced to leave the next morning. - Peace and Love - Z

Favorite Phobia Ever......

Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia: Ooooo Scary

Siam Defeated

Tuk-Tuk? Moto? I'll be hearing these words long after I leave Asia. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and stare at the stains on the wall. "We gotta get the fuck outta here" is my first waking thought. Matt rises soon after, probably thinking the same thing. Showers are cold and refreshing compared with the stale moist air that permeates our dank room. Off we go up the street and around the corner to a much cleaner room for the same price. Smart move on Matt's part. What to do, what to do ? Tangent: Since Matt's been in Asia he's been teaching English, but most importantly working for the ILO at the U.N in Bangkok. His particular project was to take an Australians field notes and turn them from abstract rants into a tangible coherent pamphlet/reader. The project dealt with organic farms in Siem Riep to supply the booming hotel industry . A fascinating project that tried to create sustainable agriculture in a town that's industry is dependent on outside agriculture. Putting the people back in power. We won't mention the the Australian ran off with the Cambodian dudes wife though..... End Tangent: Anyways, so we decide it would be cool to see this farm. After a shitty breakfast and the usual dialogue with the street kids we tried to find the Department of Agriculture to see if they could shed some light on this project. A few departments later (Dept of Cults & Religion) we found it and they led us to the Hurredo office. Unfortunately the head guy was busy getting funding but agreed to meet us around 5:00. Its 11:00 now. Bikes!!! We quickly rented bikes and booked it to the temples.

Ahh to be back on a bicycle, a Japaneses single speed that most Japaneses girls would call a Mama-Chan. Granted it was built for a Japanese woman but it got the job done. We took the long way by accident and entered the park without getting our passes. As we road up the main entrance of Angkor Wat we, of course, were asked for our passes which we didn't have. Back to the main gate and $40 later we parked our bikes, fended off the children and ascended the main steps to one of my favorite places in the world.

Nothing can prepare one for the experience of stepping into ruins a thousand years old and made in a country that in recent times had destroyed itself through civil war. The craftsman ship, time and collective energy put into such a magical place is astounding. Each piece carefully carved and chiseled without the aide our modern technologies. We passed the endless groups of Korean and Japanese package tourists and went straight to the top to make merit. Contemplation and meditation were in order for such a powerful place. Of course while it was heavenly it was hot as hell, my magical dew rag couldn't even keep the heat and humidity from the blistering sun. As we were descending i couldn't help but notice something lame and humorous as well( See picture, not up yet! ) . People can be extremely stupid and disrespectful. Descending the temple is an ordeal, more so then going the ascent, because you can see the ground 15 meters below. Steep would be an understatement. Back to the roads through gates and trees is bliss on a bicycle, the moving air and shade making the extreme heat somewhat bearable. We went to the Bayon temple next and made more merit before heading back to the town for our meeting with Hurredo. The Bayon is actually one of the larger complexes in Angkor surrounded by other temples 5 gates and waterways, although most people see it as a cool temple "at " Angkor Wat. Amazing.

The ride back was blissful, probably 30 km overall as we rolled up to Hurredo. The man was semi polite, constantly jibing me about my hair in comparison to types of lettuce and also questioning my gender. He wasn't as helpful as we planned but did enlighten us as to the status of the project: funding for the initial project was done but they were finding new resources and hopefully on their way to sustainability. Good deal. A short ride to drop off the bikes we made a detour at the rooftop bar. Beer Lao. The best beer in Southeast Asia. Ordered one and meet the owner, who happened to be American. He enlightened us as to his situation and where we could find the green. "Try one of the happy pizza places, all the guys got it." Check and Check. Another cold shower and we made our way to the little of row of happy pizza shops eventually stopping at Ecstatic Pizza because of its extremely chic design and setting. Tangent: Siem Reap has changed dramatically since my last visit, from no ATMs (5 in all of Cambodia) and relatively few fancy hotels and and street kids. Now there are at least 5 ATMSs in Siem Riep alone, countless hotels and the street kids don't even bother with games most of the time.

We settled down and order a pizza; not a happy pizza, we want the happy on the side. No problem. Pizza was delicious combined with a Beer Lao. We got our check and had to wait for the happy side. Bammer, straight bammer. Seeds, stems, but not compressed and relatively green. Off to the Rootop Bar where the owner Scott assured us we could enjoy ourselves any way we liked. He also assured us it was a happening spot (Not). It was still early as we climbed the four flight of stairs to the excellent outdoor lounge. Drinks and spliffs help to fend off the painted ladies and Scott's horrible musical taste (people really still listen to Creed??) while the bartenders and waitresses got to know us quite well over the next few days. One named Pali even kinda had a thing for Matt. Times moves quickly and 2:00AM came very quick that night, and our hopes of catching the sunrise were fading further and further from view. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Tomorrow. Groggily we wake and find our way to coffee and a decent meal. We ended up having more dialogue, but these kids ended up being really cool so we took a few out for breakfast. Good deed for the day I guess. We decide to assault a tuk-tuk driver to take us around, and when we did he wasn't prepared. Normally they assault you, constantly in fact. He offered to take us around for the day at a decent rate. Off we went, a brief stop at Angkor Wat and we went to Ta Prhom, the jungle temple. Sadly, if you've seen Tomb Raider you've seen this temple. The ruins have been overtaken by massive trees, while workers have been gradually fixing the imminent destruction.

"Hey are you from Guadalajara?"

"Uhhhh.. No Why?"

Your shirt stupid. Ccause your shirt says Guadalajara" Oh yeah. This is where we meet one of the stranger groups traveling together. About 5 students, all studying in Bangkok. The one who called out my shirt was Amie, a Laotian girl from Hawaii via Delaware, the other was a Mexican girl actually from Guadalajara, who kinda got mad when i didn't know the song "Guadalajara, Guadalajara". The crew was completed by two guys from Sweden and this really mean German girl. They all seemed to hate each other. We roamed around for a while and then split paths as we headed back to the murals at Angkor Wat, had to check out the many levels of hell. At the top we meet another American from San Diego who looked like my moms friend Alan and had the same personality. Anytime you meet another American while traveling there is a mutual hanging of heads in shame. The "I didn't vote for the guy!" mentality. As I'm sure you are all aware while our stuff, be it cultural or material, is wanted our politics and presence are not. You can see any other type of flag hanging proudly but it's far and few between when you see the presence of old glory. Damn tangents. After Angkor we were attacked as usual and saw the same unhappy crew from before, their tuk-tuk driver was nowhere to be found so we let one come with us and assumed that would be the last of the unhappy campers.

The top of sunset hill in the park is the best place to be for people watching, not so much for the sunset. The hazy sky prevents a real show and just about every tourist in the Siem Reip area flocks here around sundown. Nonetheless we had the opportunity to chill with some monks and watch the masses. Back down and into town after showers we grabbed some Pizza and this awesome potato dip for substance. Bar St. Once again, this is a small area that strictly caters to tourists and their habits or venues for their habits. Eating, drinking and overall consumption. "Jesse" we hear from a rooftop, turns out is was Amie and the crew. We walk up assuming they are all cheerful and happy after a stunning day at Angkor. Nope. Amie is the only happy one while the rest are all arguing over the bill. The Mexican girl perks up when I mention her impending date with a Brazilian but that was the high point. For some reason we actually decided to have a drink with them hoping they would perk up. It didn't as we headed over to Angkor What? and had a drink while the rest their crew looked extremely bored, angry etc. One beer down and Matt and I had enough of the alcohol, we wanted to catch the sunrise anyways. Back to the rooftop for a nightcap and to bed for the sunrise in the morning.

Sunrise. Came quicker than expected and we were off. Biking passed countless other locals on their own bikes heading to work made me wonder why more people don't do this everyday back home. Oh yeah, they have cars. We were headed into the park when I suddenly remember I forgot my pass, hoping they wouldn't ask me I tried to walk up the steps, but no dice. Oh well. I hung around until the colors left and hopped a moto back to town for the pass. All was well as I meet Matt for breakfast and we rolled out for our leisurely bike ride through the park. More temples and ruins and tourists and kids as we spent most of the day cruising through random side roads and trails. "Gonna go home and sleep after this" At least that was the idea. After we returned and napped.

There was advertising all over town for a Children's Concert every Saturday @ 7:15 having our bikes and time to kill we decided to take it easy and listen to some Bach. As we arrived in the coldest most refreshing room in Siem Reip, we noticed not a Children's Orchestra but a old Man with a Cello. Children's Concert? Not really, maybe a few songs cut short with him ranting about his hospital. Really an excellent and informative adventure but not a concert. Hes been in Cambodia as a doctor since before Pol Pot came to power and is doing a righteous thing providing free health care to the children of Cambodia. All the time asking for blood or money. Hes set up 4 hospitals in Camboida since 1992. Check him out for more info Beatocello.com. As we exited Matt and I both looked at each other and said "Lets take it easy tonight i don't feel like being sociable" a Belgium girl named Elle walks up and asks "you boys going for a drink or food". Rather than deny we oblige with this insane Marketing Psychologist from Belgium and become increasingly uncomfortable as the night rolls on. Luckily our depression gang actually saves the day and gives us a fleeting moment from the non-stop Elle. The night ends later than we expected.

Next Day: we had to get our shit together to leave Siem Reap. Visa? Bus? Thailand? Laos? We made the rounds of travel agencies and all lead us to the conclusion that a visa was needed prior to the border and that we could go north into Laos from Cambodia with little or no problem. Sweet. We made one day visa arrangements that would return our passports by the next evening for fairly cheap. Back to Bar street for a mellow meal and mildentertainment minus the depression gang. An old Australian decide to become our friend and gave us more drunken conversation than either of us would have liked. Luckily Primavera saved the day. She ended up sitting with us and telling her story. A Mexican girl Living in Australia, who was on her way back to Bangkok earlier that day but didn't have a visa, in other words she had to do the road to hell twice in one day. She ended up requesting salsa music and making both Matt and myself look like asses on the dance floor. Well, we probably still looked better then the fat guy with the bucket dancing by himself. Time got the best of us as we walked home around 3AM. Longer day then expected.

With a day to kill and no temple pass the following morning found us rolling to the War Museum and Land Mine Museum for a dose of depression and forced entertainment. The War museum was enlightening to say the least, our guide knew the history well and all the interesting information regarding the countless discarded war machines and weapons. He made us hold most of them and be Rambo, but i wasn't touching the gun he said the Khmer would throw babies into the air and impale them on. This was the overall highlight of the day because the Land Mine Museum was in the middle of nowhere and had no real revealing information. Our last stop was the Children's Hospital to donate blood. I hate needles but felt bad having all this extra blood when the children are in dire need.

Hopefully our passports are ready!!! We do the obligatory shower and food and make our way back to the lady. She gives us a look of disdain as soon as we enter the room. "Do you have our visa's"? ...... "Umm.... well not today, tomorrow, traffic to Phnom Phen" Excuses flow and were fucked and a tad irritated. Even if we wanted to leave we couldn't because she had our passportts. One more day. Having finished off our refreshment and most of the entertaining things to do in town that don't cost alot of money we went back to the happy strip. Our friend Scott just happened to be in the same restaurant with the same idea. Works out good when you know someone. We drank some beers with him and got what has been the best ganja I've had in Southeast Asia. We grabbed some food and headed back to the Roof Top bar for yet another night of bad music. We heard the saddest story ever form one of the waitresses,in short: her ex-boyfriend, a Danish 20year old, impregnated her and his parents came and took him back home, leaving her with his bastard child. Talk about a buzz kill, but shes strong and she'll get through.

Our last day we found a pool, it was green but it was a place to chill. Ants had been bothering Matt the whole time at the pool but not really bothering me. As we went to leave Matt started to really freak out. They were everywhere. His whole stomach became enveloped in big red mounds. He figured out the source was his backpack, and the cookies that lie in it. Everywhere, it was like the whole mound was in his bag. The funny thing is, is that the only reason we had the cookies was to give them to kids when the asked us for money or to buy something, most were stoked other just wanted money. Sometimes even the best intentions can have negative consequences, so says Matt and so ends the day, as we ride back to pick up our passports. Hopefully that is.

She gives us the same look as last time as we walk in..... But quickly smiles and hands them to us. Whew, relief and happiness overcome us as we begin asking about ticket to get the hell out of Siem Riep. She isn't as much help as we hoped so we do it ourselves. We arrange a Tuk-Tuk driver to take us to the bus station and return to the Roof Top for our real last night in Siem Riep. The morning arrives not quick enough as we head to the bus station at 7:00AM. .................- Ive already said too much ... Peace and Love- Z

I love markets...

Gay Marriage in Nigeria

"..that if the women were found guilty of lesbianism they faced one of two punishments.

For a married woman the offence would be considered adultery for which the punishment is death by stoning. A single woman would be caned."

22 Hours

Waterpostcardsbraclettshirtcolddrinkmototuktukjointladysunset. Another mantra. So I left the last Internet cafe in Bangkok with the notion of going somewhere, Cambodia or Laos, but another night in the city was in order. We left, bags packed, to the bus station only to find that the bus would put us there well after the border closed leaving us in a border town guest house. Border towns are never really nice, its seems instead of the best of both worlds you get the worst. Think T.J., but throw in AK-47s, Casinos, and land mine victims. You sure as hell don't go for the fish tacos and buckets of beer. Sad Shit. So we headed back for one last night of debauchery, venturing into places no one should be forced to go or to work. We went to NANA plaza for a happy hour beer at the only outside bar and gawked at the constant stream of dirty old men flowing in. By far the best part were the completely transsexual corners of the 3 story plaza. They love Matt to the point where they follow him around whispering dirty things in his ears. They just smile at me. Even better was the shrine at the entrance that all the bar girls pray to before entering. I wonder just what the thought in their heads are. "Let this be my last day of work" or "I hope i get many customers tonight" or worse "I hope I find my husband tonight". Exiting past the shrine and the even greater flow of men and the crazy guy preaching about about Buddhists and sinners going to hell we ascend to the Skytrain as the sun quickly set beyond the skyscrapers and the smog. Soi Cowboy isn't much better, in fact it's worse. Nuff said, we left shortly after we arrived.

The next morning 4 am didn't happen as planned, in fact it hasn't yet. Maybe staying up till four but sure as hell not waking up by then. We arrived at the bus station around 9:00 after sitting in Bangkok traffic for a good amount of time. The plan was to take the "Ä\C" V.I.P. bus to the border and catch a taxi to Siem Riep, Cambodia, home of the Angkor Wat complex. The A/C didn't work and the ride was long but we arrived and made it through customs and into Cambodia quick and easy. A taxi was found and so was another seat filler. Jin, a small Korean girl who had been around the world in the last 7 months. We agreed on 45$ for the A/C Camry that was to be our ride on the road from hell. Last time I did this ride on the dirt road it took 10+ hours in a bus with no A/C and open windows. This time its took 5, in comfort and we got to choose our guest house. It would have been shorter but 2 things happened:

1) As we were driving through a small Village the kids were still celebrating Songkran by throwing water in plastic bags at each other and cars, as mentioned before you are supposed to stop when they tell you to. Our driver kept on driving, slower obviously, but kept moving as one teenager started banging on our window, harder and harder harder. Then it broke. Now our driver did stop. Car still running he jumped out and disappeared chasing the kid into the wilderness. We suddenly become surrounded with stares of curiosity, smiles and water bags in hand. I quickly locked the door cause i was over getting wet. Around 15 or 20 minutes later our driver emerged emptied handed, but cell phone in hand. A truck full of police pulled up quicker than anytime Ive called them in the states with bigger guns ta'boot. There is discussion as we sit waiting and waiting, while a dance party is ensuing outside of our car. After an essentially meaningless hour we continue only to stop, turn around and go back to the spot to take pictures for the driver. Finally we continue.

2) After another hour or so our driver pulled off to the side of the road. We all look at each other with slight grins all wondering the same thing: WTF. I wonder what that sounds like in Korean.
He mumbles something about a low tire, we all look at it and wonder what else could happen. Instead of driving on it to the next little house/place he proceeds to take the tire off and pull out the nail.Psssssssssssssss. All the air rapidly exits through the gaping whole as he tosses the nail back into the middle of the road. Before he notices my glance of discontent at that he realizes his folly and picks it up smiling tossing it off into the abandoned rice fields. Ummm so now we are stuck in the middle of nowhere. Nothing left to do but smile, smile,smile. He makes a call as we sit in the middle of a beautiful dust storm. A seemingly random car show up and offers him a spare and we head off towards a tire shop quite aways away.




The rest of the ride was mellow, no more issues but after we asked Jin if she had been stuck like that before, she nodded and said "Yes, in Peru, Chile and Egypt". We kinda wonder if she didn't bring the luck. We arrive in town just in time for dinner after searching for Jin's non existent Korean guesthouse. We parted ways with Jin at a shitty guesthouse and after a decent meal the night was quickly coming to a satisfying close. We found a nicer guesthouse for the next day and called it a night. I'll save the next days for the next blog .... Peace and Love - Z

Dialogue.....

"Where you from Mister?"

"Umm... USA"

"What state?"

"California."

"Capitol of USA Washington D.C. Capitol of California Sacramento. Population 40 million people. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger."

"You buy postcard Mister?"

"No, I already have"

"C'mon send to your girlfriend"

"Uhh...I don't have a girlfriend"

"You know why you have no girlfriend?"

"Why?"

"Cause you not send postcard!""

"You buy bracelet."

"No thanks you, i already have 10."

"Why you not buy!"

"Cause i already have."

"Give money for school!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry get no nothing...."

"I'm sorry."

"Leave my country!"

Saturation......

Hmmm, Where was I? I think I was about to get wet last time. That ended up not happening, instead Matt and Aomi lagged a little and we got some food before heading over to meet the crew for our weekend "holiday". First we had to cross the river, and since some people can be too lazy to walk across a bridge we took a boat for mere pennies. This was to be our first rendezvous with Carolyn, a french girl doing volunteer work with impoverished neighborhoods in Bangkok. A fairly righteous girl, but smokes like a chimney. After a little confusion we hopped a cab through the water filled streets over to Janna's place. Janna is a tiny girl from Singapore, who sounds Indian in her accent and always wears a big smile. A beautiful view from her rooftop abode and a monster spliff were waiting as we reached the 6th story. At first i was wondering why we should leave her house, but I was traveling people who live and work here everyday and have for the last 2+ years. So after a round of gin and tonics we caught a cab and headed to the bus station, where as soon as we got off the cab a man said ,"Kannachaburi ?" as if he knew exactly where we were going. We ended up having the whole bus to ourselves most of the way, while Thai TV blared in the foreground with images of Songkran.

We arrive at our guesthouse VN after the 2+hour ride and a 5 minute truck ride to smiling faces and the river glistening with the lights of the river boats. Our rooms were on the water and the guesthouse restaurant had a killer view, too bad it was closed. This first night started mellow with the usual gargantuan spliffs Janna could roll, and a few Singha's until we took a walk to the bar. We ended up at the Jungle Bar where everyone got one of the absurd mixed drinks with names like "Typhoid", "Gonorrhea", "Diarrhea" etc. They actually tasted great and had a kick too. I stuck with the beer. We ended up breaking the Foosball table, although not for the first time I'm sure. Hunger began to set in as we headed past the P.O.W. cemetery. Explanation/Tangent : This is the town of "The Bridge over River Kwai". You know, the one immortalized in some movie by some guy about the 16,000 people that died during the making of the bridge and railroad. Of course that's only if you count white people, 100,000's of thousands of Asian workers died as a result of the Burmese (Death) Railroad as well. I read somewhere that the first train to cross was a Japanese brothel train. This would seem extremely merciless if it is true. Damn Tangents. Anyways, we grabbed some food, beer, and more beer for the walk back to the guesthouse, and all crammed on the little patios for more of the usual. Peaceful way to end the day.

A lawnmower. A chainsaw. A tuk-tuk. A air compressor. A pocket bike. One of those annoying Honda's in high gear. No, an unmuffeled engine driving a long tail boat screeched into my dreams and lifted the haze so I could realize just how freakin' hot it really was. "I should have turned the fan on last night", was my thought as i stepped out side to enjoy the view, I look down the river and see Janna already in the midst of rolling. It going to be one of those days.... All except for Carolyn convene on the deck as the haze forms againn. Coffee! We head up to the restaurant and to find Carolyn sipping coffee and smoking. We order coffee while staring at the river and listening to insects do there thing with interruptions by those boats. Juice is cheap and unbelievably tasty here and everywhere in Thailand. In fact I'm drinking fresh squeezed O.J as i write this and it only costs 50 cents. Rice and panang curry and we were set to go. We all reconvened on my balcony after a refreshingly cold shower and went for number 2 or 3 ....or 4 of the morning. As we were staring off into the distance a long tail boat decide he want to say hi, he pulled right up to our deck and we negotiated a little tour, some cave and the Bridge. Sweet deal with front door service. We hop in the boat and head down stream alongside the countless river boat shacks and floating discos. The boats just as loud on the inside, but it's fun because your hauling ass downstream in little more than a few sticks of wood and an old car engine with a makeshift propeller attached to it. You know how they turn it off? Put you hand over the intake valve. Anyways, the guy drops us off at this cave/ temple. It was a short hike to the top and worth it. The view was stellar, the main attraction, the cave, was not. Smelly, ill preserved and filled with a group of kids and elderly folks it took along time to get in and out. Back to the boat we head up to the Bridge, once again the ride was the best part. The bridge was completely filled with Chinese tourists and took forever to walk across. My question is when did people decide to visit such a place, after the movie comes out? How many years after something horrific happens is it OK to start taking pictures of/on it and selling cigarettes, coca cola, and commemerative t-shirts? After Sept 11th it didn't take too long. C.ash R.ules E.verything A.round M.e. No matter where I am.

Back to the story. Back to the guest house for more of what we came to do. Chill. The patio/balconies are small but accommodating. We finally moseyed enough energy to leave and found the Buddha Bar with cheap a beer and free hookah. After abusing Homer and a few rounds hunger set in and we all stumbled down the road while someone was mentioning massage.. We found the food first and it was excellent. I haven't had a bad meal yet but then again its only been a few days and Aomi's been helping me out with ordering. The notion of massage was not forgotten as we stepped into the a few parlors. Being my first massage ever i had no real idea of what to do/expect. Now i can see why people get them all the time. Shit feels Good! Well that is if someone does it right and you don't have people switch and awnser their cell phones with halfway through. Oh and they actually do both sides of your body evenly. We all agreed it wasn't the best but nonetheless it was relaxing. Matt even complained about getting molested. Strange because we were all right next to each other in the same room.

A night cap was in order so we ducked into a small bar to play pool and have a gin and tonic. The Thai owner served us drinks in a thick Australian accent but when we asked for pool a few minutes later he informed us that the cops had just told him to close. The bars technically close at 12:00 but the local cops say 1:00. Turns out the Bangkok police we cracking down in full effect all over. Of course if you go to the bars owned by the cops you can stay all night. As we walked back I reminded Matt of the bottle of Chivas I bought him from the Duty Free. Since a 7-11 was in sight we stopped for refreshment and mixers. Someone bought a bucket. Back to the patio and we all crammed onto the floor and had about as much fun as five people can have with a bottle of Chivas a few big beers and Janna's rolling capabilities. I swore I'd never drink a bucket again but i didn't have far to walk home and it was Chivas not Sangsom. By the time we all parted ways the sun was coming up and birds were starting to sing.

Sunday. This was the day I was waiting for. I woke fairly early and quite refreshed considering the torment I'd put my body through earlier. My initial plan was to write on of these blogs but i saw the Carolyn was alive too and we chatted about poverty, the world and how superior Americans are to French or was it French to Americans..... either way after coffee, juice, and fruit the rest of the zombies arose way passed checkout time. We ate and tossed our stuff into one room and got ready for the real Songkran. As we walked up the dirt road from the guesthouse you could hear the madness, kids screaming, loud music, water hoses, etc. Shit was on, water in hand we began dousing each other and everyone else in sight. We eventually settled back at the Buddha bar where they had a hose and buckets of water not to mention 20 little kids armed with guns and buckets. I felt like i was 10 as we threw water at everyone and everything, then came the clay. You gather the clay and touch people on the cheeks ever so lightly. Once again its hard to be mad when everyone is smiling, although you could tell the disdain in some faces hidden be smiles. We settled for some more beers but most of the day was spent with water and clay. Those poor kids on motorbikes and in cars, a virtual traffic jam where if someone stopped you you had to stop and get the water or clay no choice. Completely soaked we all were and kinda drunk again. We had a bus to catch because Carolyn had to work today at 8:30AM. Back to the guesthouse where we all showered and enjoyed to view for a while. A little to long in fact, because we ended up missing our bus. Determined that we would have to stay open more night, I reminded them of the minibus option and soon we were on our way back to Bangkok. Our final bill was somewhere around 20 bucks each for the two nights with the food and drinks. Try doing that in the states. So now I'm in Bangkok waiting , once again for Matt to sort his shit out with Aomi and then were off to Cambodia or Laos. Somewhere. - Ive already rambled way too much. - Peace and Love - Z

Happy New Year!

Arrival was swift and the day was long, seemingly never ending even. I was riding my bike home from work and now I'm in Bangkok. After my short flight from Taipei, where i did manage to find some veggie ramen, Matt was waiting at customs and we jumped on a few buses leading us into the city. It's a strange feeling actually knowing where your going, instead of being completely unsure as my last experience was. After a short sojourn into the ether compliments of some green stuff stashed discretely in my bag we made our way outside into the madness.

Bangkok is not a clean city but it has its own lovely charm. Dogs, and trash litter the streets, the sound and smell of the tuk-tuks, cars, and motorbikes becomes hypnotic, yet you can turn on to a small street and find yourself at a park listening to the sounds of silence. There's still trash on the ground though. This weekend in particular the streets will be cleaned, with massive amounts of water in celebration of the Thai New Year Songkran. To describe the events that will take place this weekend would do them no justice, but ill attempt. You walk out side and notice thousands of water bottles lining the streets, children covered in what is either plaster or talc and guns of the water kind pointed at you constantly. Don't make eye contact and maybe you'll stay dry. Staying dry is not an option when you enter certain areas, particularly anywhere kids are about, with their evil little smiles and buckets of cold, cold water.

Now this is only the first day, so people seem to be holding back, you can make through some areas without massive amounts of water being poured over your head, but as for today and the rest of the weekend, well, that will be another story. You have no choice but to smile as the little kid douses you with ice cold water and runs away laughing, unfortunately you have to do the same when some drunken farang shoots you in the eye with a high pressured water gun. It seems that it's not only a daytime event, for last night after the numerous outings to friends houses/bars and so many run ins with bamboo utensils, volcano's and Singha beer we ended up at a the local Blues Bar where i witnessed more than one person become wet when they would have rather been dry. As for today we will be ditching Bangkok for a tad mellower place a few hours north next to waterfalls and greenery. I'm looking forward to getting wet. Until next time - Z

En Route

Coffeeteamilkjuice.Coffeeteamilkjuice. That's been the mantra of the last fourteen hours en route. I'm in Taipei and it still hasn't hit yet, maybe the ganja candy is to blame. The last 96 hours have been most excellent but as mentioned before super busy. San Francisco was stellar, as predicted, with most of my waking hours spent on my bike and ill'in with Naomi and the boys. We arrived at six in the morning drank a shitload of coffee and headed over to the city from Oaktown for what turned into a 25 + mile ride around the city. I've yet to figure out what's scarier, riding fixed in LA with the evil cars or battling the hills and stop signs in S.F. Time will only tell that one, either way not being on the bike for a month will be strange. Well time to read Chinese and find some vegan food, hopefully better than the slop on the plane. Until Thailand - Peace and Love - Z


So not vegan...

LBC to SFO to LAX to BKK

Hectic. Life is right now, but all worth it. Ive been teaching way too many classes, doing way to many extracurricular activities and bitching/stressing way too much. Alas it will all be over soon, after a stellar (hopefully) weekend in the Bay Area, riding bikes with the crew, and eating way too much vegan food I'll finish my last couple of days until at SJVC. Sad as ill be to leave a good bunch of students mid class, my sanity is more important. Next Tuesday I'll eat some "candy" and head down to LAX to jump ship to Taipei for a few hours until my final destination of Bangkok.

Upon arrival Matt should be waiting, gear in hand, as we hop a bus to the north awaiting what should be an interesting festival involving water and lots of it. I plan on drenching myself in the water and washing off the sins of the States to begin a new set in the South. This trip has no order much like the classes I teach. Controlled chaos, an environment in which I thrive. I plan on stepping in and crawling out. Until next time - Z

Ahh Onions..

Each layer of bullshit brings us closer to the truth.....

Burger King Going Cageless

Burger King announced that it would begin buying pork and eggs from farms that do not cage or crate their animals. What do you think?