there is always another cab..and another train
ppl here are stupid with that shit...
running for their lives
its like..chill out...another one is coming...i promise
Thursday, June 14, 2012
New York Living
there is always another cab..and another train
ppl here are stupid with that shit...
running for their lives
its like..chill out...another one is coming...i promise
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Excuse me...I'm Pai
So we walk into a bookstore and Rachel asks what time they close, the girl says "at 9 or 10." A bunch of Thai hippie kids are jammin Bob Marley songs and Oasis on the side of the street sharing whiskey and cigs. Pai lifers teaching yoga and bamboo tattoo artists at every other corner, 2 street lights, and beautiful mountains, sunsets, waterfalls and hot springs = Π (pie, or PAI). If I lived here I'd turn into a pot smoking hippie - probably selling ice cream in street made waffles, just like the ones we ate before going to the pool (where I wrote this from).
Our first day in Pai we ate some amazing curry from a man who was running the tiny little shack all on his own - doing it all - and all so well. That night we decided to go out to some bars and ended up in a all reggae music place with strong whiskey buckets. We tried to bargain prices - the dreadlock Thai Rasta was not havin it. We proceeded to the next bar, Don't Cry, for free shots. We bought 2 and got 2 free...and 2 more..and 2 more..and so on...We met some cool ppl and by the end of the night Rachel and I talked with English accents and repeated the infamous "you sound like your from London," where ppl responded "I am." Which made us laugh bc we don't think they understood our reference to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Regardless, we had a great time drinkin, minglin, and chillin by the bonfire which has become a regular routine for us. I have also concluded that fire and water are my favorite elements.
The next morning (a big hungover) we headed to the hotsprings with our new friends from Bend, Oregon and Australia..Logan and Harly. They were so goofy and made us laugh. Logan says some off the wall shit. The kinda stuff that you have to be there to hear and think its funny. The hot springs were SOOO hott that they were BOILING and smelled like sulfur. We caught the sunset on the drive back.
At night we were walking on the street and saw some Thai hippies jammin out. We joined their circle, where they shared their whiskey and had a cool jam session. Singing bob marley and oasis...thought of JULIA :). Just chillin in the middle of the street, in Pai, with alcohol and music - why not this where I come from? Later that night we relocated to one of the dudes houses - but who really knows..who or how many ppl lived there. They made LOTS of instand Ramen noodle in a big community bowl for everyone to share, more whiskey and 4 french dreadlock hippies jammin french reggae.
Next morning I went to a 2 hour yoga session where the "yoga hut" i called it, was just like you'd picture...a light breeze, mellow music, and slow yoga with 30 minutes of meditation....tmrw we are going to another yoga place and then off to Phuket Island in the South!
Our first day in Pai we ate some amazing curry from a man who was running the tiny little shack all on his own - doing it all - and all so well. That night we decided to go out to some bars and ended up in a all reggae music place with strong whiskey buckets. We tried to bargain prices - the dreadlock Thai Rasta was not havin it. We proceeded to the next bar, Don't Cry, for free shots. We bought 2 and got 2 free...and 2 more..and 2 more..and so on...We met some cool ppl and by the end of the night Rachel and I talked with English accents and repeated the infamous "you sound like your from London," where ppl responded "I am." Which made us laugh bc we don't think they understood our reference to Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Regardless, we had a great time drinkin, minglin, and chillin by the bonfire which has become a regular routine for us. I have also concluded that fire and water are my favorite elements.
The next morning (a big hungover) we headed to the hotsprings with our new friends from Bend, Oregon and Australia..Logan and Harly. They were so goofy and made us laugh. Logan says some off the wall shit. The kinda stuff that you have to be there to hear and think its funny. The hot springs were SOOO hott that they were BOILING and smelled like sulfur. We caught the sunset on the drive back.
At night we were walking on the street and saw some Thai hippies jammin out. We joined their circle, where they shared their whiskey and had a cool jam session. Singing bob marley and oasis...thought of JULIA :). Just chillin in the middle of the street, in Pai, with alcohol and music - why not this where I come from? Later that night we relocated to one of the dudes houses - but who really knows..who or how many ppl lived there. They made LOTS of instand Ramen noodle in a big community bowl for everyone to share, more whiskey and 4 french dreadlock hippies jammin french reggae.
Next morning I went to a 2 hour yoga session where the "yoga hut" i called it, was just like you'd picture...a light breeze, mellow music, and slow yoga with 30 minutes of meditation....tmrw we are going to another yoga place and then off to Phuket Island in the South!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Falling into Lao
Human beings are very adaptable creatures. Just when you think you can't endure a 20 hour bus ride ~ you do, and then take 5 more. When you couldn't imagine going #2 in a public squatter toliet ~ you actual prefer it and just when you thought motion sickness only happened to you when you were younger ~ you freak out during a mini van bus ride. Traveling is a great way to get to know yourself (not necessarily find yourself..but u can do that too) and has a funny way of surprising you and what you are willing to do.
Somewhere in between Laos and Thailand I have fallin "into Lao" with Lao. You know when you hate something and it irritates you and you think you could never like this or that and then one day you prefer it, you miss it, and then realize you are in love with it...well this is how I felt about Laos. I had come to this conclusion when we got into Thailand and we stopped at a bathroom and I asked one of the guys how the bathrooms were and he said, "very nice, western toliets," and I thought...that's too bad, I'd rather it be a squatter!!!!
Before we get into Thailand, I have to tell you about "our Lao." After Vientiene we went tubing in Vang Vieng where Joni had a new mastercard commercial:
"Renting tubes 50,000 Kip.
Magic Shakes 100,000 Kip.
Tubing down the Nam Song River in Lao time, priceless"
Rachel has the pics of our awesome Tubing experience.
Then we headed to Luang Prabang and ate a HUUGE plate of food, buffet style at the night market for a little over $1. From there we headed to an river village called Muang Ngoi. In the middle of the boat ride we had to get out and hike for over 20 minutes because the river was to low to carry us over (not included in the explanation when we booked our ticket). Finally got over and it was very chill. We got a place in the garden and relaxed. The village only had electricity that was powered by generators from 6pm to 10pm everyday.
We went on an all day excursion to caves and villages. We got to the top of a hill and saw an amazing view from above of the river and the village we stayed at.
We got back to Luang Prabang and decided to book a 20 hour bus into Thailand that left a few hours after we got back to the city.
We got to Chiang Mai and booked a 3 day trek where we hiked, rode elephants, checked out waterfalls and rode a bamboo raft. We are on our way to PAI!
Somewhere in between Laos and Thailand I have fallin "into Lao" with Lao. You know when you hate something and it irritates you and you think you could never like this or that and then one day you prefer it, you miss it, and then realize you are in love with it...well this is how I felt about Laos. I had come to this conclusion when we got into Thailand and we stopped at a bathroom and I asked one of the guys how the bathrooms were and he said, "very nice, western toliets," and I thought...that's too bad, I'd rather it be a squatter!!!!
Before we get into Thailand, I have to tell you about "our Lao." After Vientiene we went tubing in Vang Vieng where Joni had a new mastercard commercial:
"Renting tubes 50,000 Kip.
Magic Shakes 100,000 Kip.
Tubing down the Nam Song River in Lao time, priceless"
Rachel has the pics of our awesome Tubing experience.
Then we headed to Luang Prabang and ate a HUUGE plate of food, buffet style at the night market for a little over $1. From there we headed to an river village called Muang Ngoi. In the middle of the boat ride we had to get out and hike for over 20 minutes because the river was to low to carry us over (not included in the explanation when we booked our ticket). Finally got over and it was very chill. We got a place in the garden and relaxed. The village only had electricity that was powered by generators from 6pm to 10pm everyday.
We went on an all day excursion to caves and villages. We got to the top of a hill and saw an amazing view from above of the river and the village we stayed at.
We got back to Luang Prabang and decided to book a 20 hour bus into Thailand that left a few hours after we got back to the city.
We got to Chiang Mai and booked a 3 day trek where we hiked, rode elephants, checked out waterfalls and rode a bamboo raft. We are on our way to PAI!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Aisle seat
I have officially acquired a new meaning for aisle seat. From Pakse we got a bus to Tha Khek. The bus ride was supposed to take 7/8 hours and ended up taking 11!!! We barely made the first bus, which was full, except for 2 seats for us all the way in the back - no air con - very run down bus. The second bus was ridiculous, it was completely full - every seat was taken, I thought there was no way we were all gona fit - and then they pulled out the stools. The aisle was lined with stools - for all of us without a seat. So Rachel and I sit down and I couldn't help but laugh. Are we really riding on this bus in the middle of the aisle in stools? Not to mention the pink decor inside. Rachel was in front of me, a guy trying to speak english was to my right, 2 lao guys drinking beer and having their own party with snacks and lao lao (a liquor that is technically illegal) to my left, and a french couple behind me. AND NO AIR CON!
During one of our many unnecessary stops (I mean we would stop for 30 minutes drive 40km and stop again for another 30 min not knowing why) Rachel and I ended up getting some seats. I sat next to a cech man who told me his life story and Rachel ended up getting kicked out of her eat and back into the aisle.
Some things to mention about Laos:
They do not like feet! You can't touch with your feet and you can't show your feet - it's all inappropriate. ON the bus - I forgot this concept and decided to put my feet up on the headrest in front of me because I was worried about my ankles getting swollen - mind you - no one was sitting there and I had every intention of moving my feet if they did. But this lady beat me to it and yelled at me in Lao which I translated to "get your feet off there, if your gona do that go to the back of the bus!" (i felt like my mother just yelled at me for coming home past my curfew...stomach sank, almost peed my pants) I said sorry bc i realized it was disrespectful.
BUT ~ you can pick your nose in public (like it's no big deal, not even trying to be inconspicuous) and hack up lugies (sp?) all day and night.
Also, in Lao, people go at their own pace - a real test of patience for me. By the end of this bus trip I was so frustrated - we were on this bus forever with no air con, unnecessary stops and i just wanted a bed. But what I realized is that it was not up t me - we get there when we get there and in the meantime...breatttheeeeee. I guess I didn't have anywhere to be really - just taking in the experience.
ANYWAY, finally got to the guesthouse - slept on floormats in Brian and Jenni's room and headed for the Konglor Cave in the early morning. We took a jumbo tuk tuk stuffed with people - including a grandma with a newborn and a woman who (we think) just gave birth to it. By we I now mean Rachel and a girl named Jane we met at the bus stop. Jane is from Ireland and speaks really fast with funny Irish-isms. It took us 3 hours to get to the cave. The 3 of us got into a boat and entered a pitch black tall dark cave - no lights at all! We stopped along the way to check out the stalactites and mites and also to move the boat along the shallow water. Jane headed back to Tha khek and Rachel and I stayed at a homestay. This is when you sleep in a village at someone elses home. Dinner and breakfast were included.
At first I was very hesitant and cranky bc I was hungry, and i told Rachel we could only stay there if this man we were following, lived with a family. So we get there and he def had family!!! Wife, children, grandma, grandpa and maybe an uncle? As we got situated, they set up our "room" and we went outside to play with the kids. Everyone gave us a really warm welcome, along with the pigs, chickens and roosters. WE played baseball with them and then we got called for dinner. They fed us SOOO much - we couldn't even finish it, which is unsual for Rachel and I. We were laying around with the family, eating dinner on the floor and watching tv. It was really nice actually and I got a real sense of family being with them - like they were taking care of us. Then the kids took us for a walk in the dark to an office where we helped an Australian girl teach english. The kids were so excited and eager to learn and their energy was so intoxicating and made me really happy! Talk about "the simple life." They were so happy and had nothing...a house they shared with everyone and chores, and maybe an english class or two.
The next morning we woke up to roosters and lugies getting hacked up and had breakfast (HUGE!), got blessed by the grandparents and headed to Veintiene - the capital of Laos.
We caught a bus that didn't have a seat for me (surprise) and I ended up sitting on 3 hard bags of pig feed with 2 other Lao men. It was no so bad and theer was air con. Eventually I got a seat. Jane was on that bus also so we ended up rooming with her in the city. We finally got to wash our hair and kind of watch tv. At night we indulged in $7 pizzas (cheap in US, expensive in Laos) and couldn't be happier!
The next day we had an amazing breakfast at a bakery and Rachel and I went to the bookstore and bought some second hand books. We went to the local swimming pool and swam laps and just relaxed. We also got amazing oil massages - finally! The two extremes we experienced overnight were so mind boggling to me. I couldn't help but think how lucky we are and I wondered if the villagers thought about massages or ever crave pizza and it made me sad to think the happy little girls will never experience what we sometimes take for granted.
During one of our many unnecessary stops (I mean we would stop for 30 minutes drive 40km and stop again for another 30 min not knowing why) Rachel and I ended up getting some seats. I sat next to a cech man who told me his life story and Rachel ended up getting kicked out of her eat and back into the aisle.
Some things to mention about Laos:
They do not like feet! You can't touch with your feet and you can't show your feet - it's all inappropriate. ON the bus - I forgot this concept and decided to put my feet up on the headrest in front of me because I was worried about my ankles getting swollen - mind you - no one was sitting there and I had every intention of moving my feet if they did. But this lady beat me to it and yelled at me in Lao which I translated to "get your feet off there, if your gona do that go to the back of the bus!" (i felt like my mother just yelled at me for coming home past my curfew...stomach sank, almost peed my pants) I said sorry bc i realized it was disrespectful.
BUT ~ you can pick your nose in public (like it's no big deal, not even trying to be inconspicuous) and hack up lugies (sp?) all day and night.
Also, in Lao, people go at their own pace - a real test of patience for me. By the end of this bus trip I was so frustrated - we were on this bus forever with no air con, unnecessary stops and i just wanted a bed. But what I realized is that it was not up t me - we get there when we get there and in the meantime...breatttheeeeee. I guess I didn't have anywhere to be really - just taking in the experience.
ANYWAY, finally got to the guesthouse - slept on floormats in Brian and Jenni's room and headed for the Konglor Cave in the early morning. We took a jumbo tuk tuk stuffed with people - including a grandma with a newborn and a woman who (we think) just gave birth to it. By we I now mean Rachel and a girl named Jane we met at the bus stop. Jane is from Ireland and speaks really fast with funny Irish-isms. It took us 3 hours to get to the cave. The 3 of us got into a boat and entered a pitch black tall dark cave - no lights at all! We stopped along the way to check out the stalactites and mites and also to move the boat along the shallow water. Jane headed back to Tha khek and Rachel and I stayed at a homestay. This is when you sleep in a village at someone elses home. Dinner and breakfast were included.
At first I was very hesitant and cranky bc I was hungry, and i told Rachel we could only stay there if this man we were following, lived with a family. So we get there and he def had family!!! Wife, children, grandma, grandpa and maybe an uncle? As we got situated, they set up our "room" and we went outside to play with the kids. Everyone gave us a really warm welcome, along with the pigs, chickens and roosters. WE played baseball with them and then we got called for dinner. They fed us SOOO much - we couldn't even finish it, which is unsual for Rachel and I. We were laying around with the family, eating dinner on the floor and watching tv. It was really nice actually and I got a real sense of family being with them - like they were taking care of us. Then the kids took us for a walk in the dark to an office where we helped an Australian girl teach english. The kids were so excited and eager to learn and their energy was so intoxicating and made me really happy! Talk about "the simple life." They were so happy and had nothing...a house they shared with everyone and chores, and maybe an english class or two.
The next morning we woke up to roosters and lugies getting hacked up and had breakfast (HUGE!), got blessed by the grandparents and headed to Veintiene - the capital of Laos.
We caught a bus that didn't have a seat for me (surprise) and I ended up sitting on 3 hard bags of pig feed with 2 other Lao men. It was no so bad and theer was air con. Eventually I got a seat. Jane was on that bus also so we ended up rooming with her in the city. We finally got to wash our hair and kind of watch tv. At night we indulged in $7 pizzas (cheap in US, expensive in Laos) and couldn't be happier!
The next day we had an amazing breakfast at a bakery and Rachel and I went to the bookstore and bought some second hand books. We went to the local swimming pool and swam laps and just relaxed. We also got amazing oil massages - finally! The two extremes we experienced overnight were so mind boggling to me. I couldn't help but think how lucky we are and I wondered if the villagers thought about massages or ever crave pizza and it made me sad to think the happy little girls will never experience what we sometimes take for granted.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Laos: Pakse
After Been There, Don Det Island we went to Pakse. We got tehre jut in time for the Wat Phu Festival. We took a local jumbo tuk tuk with a bunch of girls laughing at us (of course). It took about 2 hours to get there. Once we were there, it was a really cool cultural experience. There were TONS of people and we were the only white people there which meant a lot of people laughing at us and taking pictures of us and kids doing triple takes looking at us. We are used to this though and when they laugh we laugh back, and when they take pics and do triple takes we smile.
We walked up this Buddhist temple lighting incense all the way up. As we were going back down we saw another white guy and ran up to him to ask him about the potential lighting ceremony, which he knew nothing about. BUT interestingly enough, he was there with a monk. So we asked our new friend from Austria if we can ask his monk friend some questions. He said sure and for about half hour the four of us chilled on the rocks of the temple during this festival talking about Buddhism.
Later in the evening the people were setting up for concerts and it seemed like it was going to get crazy at night, but Rachel and I left to get an early start the next day. Our trip back was more local style - crammed into a jumbo tuk tuk next to a nun and a few monks.
The next day we got a motorbike and drove from 8am - 6pm all around the Boulaven Plateau - full of waterfalls and a coffee plantation. On our way back we got caught in a rain storm, Rachel (luckily) pulled over into this village of about 6 bamboo houses and they let us chill there till the rain let up. All of the villagers came where we were to see us and a few little girls remained - who all laughed at us and kept us company till we could ride back to the guesthouse.
We walked up this Buddhist temple lighting incense all the way up. As we were going back down we saw another white guy and ran up to him to ask him about the potential lighting ceremony, which he knew nothing about. BUT interestingly enough, he was there with a monk. So we asked our new friend from Austria if we can ask his monk friend some questions. He said sure and for about half hour the four of us chilled on the rocks of the temple during this festival talking about Buddhism.
Later in the evening the people were setting up for concerts and it seemed like it was going to get crazy at night, but Rachel and I left to get an early start the next day. Our trip back was more local style - crammed into a jumbo tuk tuk next to a nun and a few monks.
The next day we got a motorbike and drove from 8am - 6pm all around the Boulaven Plateau - full of waterfalls and a coffee plantation. On our way back we got caught in a rain storm, Rachel (luckily) pulled over into this village of about 6 bamboo houses and they let us chill there till the rain let up. All of the villagers came where we were to see us and a few little girls remained - who all laughed at us and kept us company till we could ride back to the guesthouse.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A short story from Laos
IT EXISTS!!!! what does, you may ask - please infer from this story.
This morning Rachel and I are leaving our little paradise at Don Det. To leave this island you have to take a boat back to the mainland. At 11am there are about 4 boats all going to the same bus station area. As we all load up, a girl (I think from Australia or England...I can't tell the accents apart) gets into a bicker with one of the locals. He comes up to her and says, "you owe me money, I book ticket for you..you owe me money." She says, "I didn't book with you, I booked with the other guy." He says, "No you come back from kayak trip and say you want to book but had no money with you, so I book and you were supposed to bring me money." She said, "I didn't book with you, when I came back to book with my money you were not there, so I booked with a different guy. Aren't you all the same company?" He says, "No we are not the same and you owe me money, I book ticket for you." She says, "No I already paid and I'm not paying agian."
At this point EVERYONE is listening and watching because she is getting frustrated and he is becoming very aggressive. He tells her he will call the police and starts taking her bag off her shoulder. She tells him to let go of her bag and that she paid the money and refuses to pay twice. The by standers (included Rachel and I) load up in the boats to head back and catch their bus to the next city. At this point she is trying to get on the boat but he won't let her and NONE of the boats leave because we are all waiting on this girl.
In my opinion, she was right. Why did that guy book a ticket for her if he never got any money from her? (laid back Laos is my conclusion) She paid the other guy and he gave her a ticket and that's it. Makes sense.
In the meantime, she met a guy on the island (I assume) and they have known each other for a couple days and are going to different cities from this Island. He offers to pay for her (the ticket was about $30...which is expensive in Laos and for a bus ride in general). She refuses the money and tells him that she does not want to pay twice! This is all happening while all of us sit in these little boats that feel like they will tip over at any minute with all of our backpacks, some without sun coverings, and it's HOT!
FINALLY, this guy friend of hers jumps out of the boat he was in and pays off the asshole who booked the ticket for this girl. The girl gets in the boat...all 4 boats take off.
So it does exist, chivalry. Maybe this new boy friend of hers is just a good person or maybe she had the voodoo p***y, or maybe they never even kissed. But, regardless this is a great example of a few things:
Comradery - this is what you experience when you travel. Many people travel alone but all in all your all in the same boat (literally) and people do look out for each other and care about one another.
Unfairness - the asshole just hasseled more money out of this tourist, because they probably are the same company and it was his fault for booking the ticket without her paying first and he used the locals against her when they all ganged up on her and the guy she did pay didn't help her out of it. This is a great example of being taken advantage of and ripped off, but there is no one you can call bc the local police will always side with the locals.
Chivalry - balanced out by the unfairness. It was nice to see that that guy helped her out, they weren't even going to the same town! They JUST met, but he cared about her and if it wasn't for him we would have all been stuck their waiting, missing our buses, and she could have possibly ended up in jail!
It's all a part of traveling, the ups and the downs only to come back up again!
This morning Rachel and I are leaving our little paradise at Don Det. To leave this island you have to take a boat back to the mainland. At 11am there are about 4 boats all going to the same bus station area. As we all load up, a girl (I think from Australia or England...I can't tell the accents apart) gets into a bicker with one of the locals. He comes up to her and says, "you owe me money, I book ticket for you..you owe me money." She says, "I didn't book with you, I booked with the other guy." He says, "No you come back from kayak trip and say you want to book but had no money with you, so I book and you were supposed to bring me money." She said, "I didn't book with you, when I came back to book with my money you were not there, so I booked with a different guy. Aren't you all the same company?" He says, "No we are not the same and you owe me money, I book ticket for you." She says, "No I already paid and I'm not paying agian."
At this point EVERYONE is listening and watching because she is getting frustrated and he is becoming very aggressive. He tells her he will call the police and starts taking her bag off her shoulder. She tells him to let go of her bag and that she paid the money and refuses to pay twice. The by standers (included Rachel and I) load up in the boats to head back and catch their bus to the next city. At this point she is trying to get on the boat but he won't let her and NONE of the boats leave because we are all waiting on this girl.
In my opinion, she was right. Why did that guy book a ticket for her if he never got any money from her? (laid back Laos is my conclusion) She paid the other guy and he gave her a ticket and that's it. Makes sense.
In the meantime, she met a guy on the island (I assume) and they have known each other for a couple days and are going to different cities from this Island. He offers to pay for her (the ticket was about $30...which is expensive in Laos and for a bus ride in general). She refuses the money and tells him that she does not want to pay twice! This is all happening while all of us sit in these little boats that feel like they will tip over at any minute with all of our backpacks, some without sun coverings, and it's HOT!
FINALLY, this guy friend of hers jumps out of the boat he was in and pays off the asshole who booked the ticket for this girl. The girl gets in the boat...all 4 boats take off.
So it does exist, chivalry. Maybe this new boy friend of hers is just a good person or maybe she had the voodoo p***y, or maybe they never even kissed. But, regardless this is a great example of a few things:
Comradery - this is what you experience when you travel. Many people travel alone but all in all your all in the same boat (literally) and people do look out for each other and care about one another.
Unfairness - the asshole just hasseled more money out of this tourist, because they probably are the same company and it was his fault for booking the ticket without her paying first and he used the locals against her when they all ganged up on her and the guy she did pay didn't help her out of it. This is a great example of being taken advantage of and ripped off, but there is no one you can call bc the local police will always side with the locals.
Chivalry - balanced out by the unfairness. It was nice to see that that guy helped her out, they weren't even going to the same town! They JUST met, but he cared about her and if it wasn't for him we would have all been stuck their waiting, missing our buses, and she could have possibly ended up in jail!
It's all a part of traveling, the ups and the downs only to come back up again!
Lazy Laos...Literally
Laos is the kind of place you want to go to in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of travelling. A place where the locals don't hassel you to "buy from me," they are friendly, hospitable and extremely laidback. They food takes longer because everyone is straight chillin...HARD.
The bungalows have a fan and a mosquito net and apparently only recently has the island that we are on, Don Det, acquired 24 hour electricity. Did I mention the hammock outside the bungalow where you can lay in or sleep for however long you please? And also, all bungalows come accompained with your very own rat. Surprisingly since I didn't see the rat, I wasn't bothered by it. He got to my sesame seeds and made a hole in my water bottle holder on the side of my daypack, no biggie. Anyway, you can do absolutely nothing, feel like you have nowhere to go and just escape - whether it's your life at home,the constant 'on the go mentality' as a nomad, or just the nusiance of Cambodian beggars and even your own head.
Our bungalow overlooks the water (which had a dead cow floating in it at 6am one morning) and is on the sunset side of the island. So missing a sunset is impossible and it is also a bit cooler than the sunrise side. There is a sand bar in the middle of the Mekong River which you can swim to and sit around on and, you guessed it...CHILLLLL. It looks so cool from far away, like you are sitting on water in the middle of the river. To me this seems unreal. We are living among the locals, sharing bathrooms, eating and sleeping at their restaurants, borrowing their laundry pan to wash our clothes...TRUST and a sense of community. This is just what I thought it would be in my head but 4566132 times better. It's like I'm in a movie...and I hope no one yells cut, end scene.
The next day we met a great group of people at breakfast. They were all traveling alone and met on another island in Laos. Rachel wasn't feeling too hot, so I ended up hanging out with them all day and night. During the day we swam out to the sand bar and I taught a yoga session!!!! Nothing fancy, probably 15 minutes and everyone loved it! ..or so they said. I know I loved it!!! I've never done something like this before and it was a really cool experience. The sun was shining, the sand was in our toes, and yoga...what could be better? I met a French social worker who was excited about doing yoga his first time and told me he will always remember me as his first yoga teacher :). That night we all met at the "Happy Bar" and had a guitar and a harmonica and the guys jammed out to the blues. Everything closes down at 11pm in Laos so we headed to the beach where there was a "Valentine's Day Party." There were people sitting around on the beach, swimming, watching the bonfire, listening/dancing to electronic/house music and I was just taking it all in. Seemed unreal.
No matter how far away I get from home, I become nostalgic when I travel. As I'm dancing around the bonfire with my new friends, I met a Russian guy from NYC who now lives in Thailand. After the music died down the guys got the guitar and harmonica and jammed out. I asked the Russian guy to play my favorite russian song, GOP STOP by Rozenbaum (Russians know this one) and all of the sudden I'm taken back to listening to my dad singing this song except for I'm in Laos, on a beach, and it's 2am and I'm the one singing gopstop.
The next day we went out and did more yoga in the morning, this time drawing a bigger crowd!!! As we all layed in shavasana (corpse pose) without a sound, I was in disbelief. Am I really in the middle of a river, on the sand, practicing/teaching yoga? As we all layed there, the French girl next to me says, "wow, this is so nice." I concurred.
We continued the day by renting bikes and going out to see a waterfall. Again, on the ride there and back I get taken back to when my dad taught me how to ride a bike to which I'm so thankful for. Then I think to the present and remember watching him with my nephew and teaching him the same thing that is allowing me to have these experiences on this trip. We ended our last night at the Happy Bar and after 11pm we migrated over to the bungalows and sat around a circle talking and laughing..and I thought, this is my life.
The bungalows have a fan and a mosquito net and apparently only recently has the island that we are on, Don Det, acquired 24 hour electricity. Did I mention the hammock outside the bungalow where you can lay in or sleep for however long you please? And also, all bungalows come accompained with your very own rat. Surprisingly since I didn't see the rat, I wasn't bothered by it. He got to my sesame seeds and made a hole in my water bottle holder on the side of my daypack, no biggie. Anyway, you can do absolutely nothing, feel like you have nowhere to go and just escape - whether it's your life at home,the constant 'on the go mentality' as a nomad, or just the nusiance of Cambodian beggars and even your own head.
Our bungalow overlooks the water (which had a dead cow floating in it at 6am one morning) and is on the sunset side of the island. So missing a sunset is impossible and it is also a bit cooler than the sunrise side. There is a sand bar in the middle of the Mekong River which you can swim to and sit around on and, you guessed it...CHILLLLL. It looks so cool from far away, like you are sitting on water in the middle of the river. To me this seems unreal. We are living among the locals, sharing bathrooms, eating and sleeping at their restaurants, borrowing their laundry pan to wash our clothes...TRUST and a sense of community. This is just what I thought it would be in my head but 4566132 times better. It's like I'm in a movie...and I hope no one yells cut, end scene.
The next day we met a great group of people at breakfast. They were all traveling alone and met on another island in Laos. Rachel wasn't feeling too hot, so I ended up hanging out with them all day and night. During the day we swam out to the sand bar and I taught a yoga session!!!! Nothing fancy, probably 15 minutes and everyone loved it! ..or so they said. I know I loved it!!! I've never done something like this before and it was a really cool experience. The sun was shining, the sand was in our toes, and yoga...what could be better? I met a French social worker who was excited about doing yoga his first time and told me he will always remember me as his first yoga teacher :). That night we all met at the "Happy Bar" and had a guitar and a harmonica and the guys jammed out to the blues. Everything closes down at 11pm in Laos so we headed to the beach where there was a "Valentine's Day Party." There were people sitting around on the beach, swimming, watching the bonfire, listening/dancing to electronic/house music and I was just taking it all in. Seemed unreal.
No matter how far away I get from home, I become nostalgic when I travel. As I'm dancing around the bonfire with my new friends, I met a Russian guy from NYC who now lives in Thailand. After the music died down the guys got the guitar and harmonica and jammed out. I asked the Russian guy to play my favorite russian song, GOP STOP by Rozenbaum (Russians know this one) and all of the sudden I'm taken back to listening to my dad singing this song except for I'm in Laos, on a beach, and it's 2am and I'm the one singing gopstop.
The next day we went out and did more yoga in the morning, this time drawing a bigger crowd!!! As we all layed in shavasana (corpse pose) without a sound, I was in disbelief. Am I really in the middle of a river, on the sand, practicing/teaching yoga? As we all layed there, the French girl next to me says, "wow, this is so nice." I concurred.
We continued the day by renting bikes and going out to see a waterfall. Again, on the ride there and back I get taken back to when my dad taught me how to ride a bike to which I'm so thankful for. Then I think to the present and remember watching him with my nephew and teaching him the same thing that is allowing me to have these experiences on this trip. We ended our last night at the Happy Bar and after 11pm we migrated over to the bungalows and sat around a circle talking and laughing..and I thought, this is my life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)