4th and Goal

Wendy Guesthouse, Bangkok, 1pm

So close, yet so far. I almost made it through a month in a foreign land without any maladies...no stomach flu, no broken limbs, no decompression sickness. Until this morning that is, when I had to take a trip to the hospital. Before you panic Mom and Dad, I'm just fine...and if I were in the States it would be no big deal. Unfortunately, I got a scratch on my face a few days ago that has gotten infected and turned into elephantitis. Well, I don't really have elephantitis, but the left side of my face is the size of a bowling ball, and I certainly feel like I could costar with Cher in that terrible 80s movie. I've contemplated becoming Muslim for a short time, and wearing a wrap around my head, but it's too damn hot. Don't worry, I've taken pictures so that all of you can laugh at me.

I woke up this morning (yesterday came in from the islands to Bangkok, arrived around 10pm) with a swollen, throbbing face. I looked in the mirror and pulled a McCauley Calkin in 'Home Alone'...AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I calmly got out my trusty Lonely Planet guide and found a US accredited hospital nearby my guesthouse. Took a taxi there, and went to the skin disorders clinic. It was amazing how clean the hospital is...more like a hotel than a hospital. There were bellhops, receptionists, guides, and translators. I was quickly bustled to the skin clinic (no one looked at me and screamed, although I'm sure they wanted to) where I was very efficiently signed in and asked 'what seems to be the problem'. Thai people are too polite...what seems to be the problem? My extremely swollen face, that's all. No big deal.

I saw the doctor, and although I think she overprescribed, she was sharp and spoke English incredibly well. Very good experience in general...the only thing that was a bit of a pain in the butt was the penicillin shot I had to get (hahaha, very bad pun). The whole thing ended up costing me about $75 - for two prescriptions, the office visit, and the shot. Not bad, not bad at all.

The funniest part of the whole thing was that I was taller sitting down than the little nurse that weighed me, took my height and blood pressure. She had to stand on a chair to measure my height, and was still on her tiptoes. Would have been funny if I wasn't elephantlady.

Spent the rest of the morning jumping up from behind garbage cans and street signs and scaring the kiddies (just kidding!). I really spent my morning shopping for presents and found lots of good stuff. Wedding presents, family presents, Christmas presents....I love shopping, especially when it's for other people! Good day.

Tonight I think I'll cap off my last night in Bangkok in true style - maybe shrink into the shadows of a movie with English subtitles and have a righteous Thai feast. Leaving tomorrow for home and the real world! What an amazing month. Can't wait to see all of you, thanks for keeping up with my travels and sending me emails along the way.

Lots of love!
Cheers -
Genevieve

10 Things...

......I'll Miss About Thailand

1) Thai Food - I love it. All of it.
2) Beaches - White sand, blue and turquoise water, sunny hot weather...definitely will miss it.
3) Being tan
4) Really weird bugs. There are cicadas here ... at sunrise and sunset, they make crazy loud noises...so loud that you can't even really hold a conversation if you're outside. I like them.
5) Geckos - They're everywhere here. There's one in my room right now, in fact. I've named him Gerry. I actually saw a mother gecko in Koh Tao - it was laying it's eggs in a rafter. They also make these really weird sounds...it sounds like they're saying "Geck-ooooooooo". Neat little buggers.
6) Smiling people who don't get angry in traffic.
7) Lemon shakes and fresh fruit.
8) Cheap transportation - 20 mile cab rides for $2, cross country flights for $30.
9) Being temporarily unemployed and in vacation mode.
10) Thai radio (ok, totally kidding, but if you've heard Thai radio, you know how funny that is)

...I'm looking forward to back at home
1) Sheets on my bed. In 90% of the places I've stayed here, there are no sheets or blankets.
2) Toilet paper and real toilets. I know, you don't need details, but such a small thing truly is a luxury.
3) Driving my own car.
3a) Driving on the right side of the road.
4) Talking to my family and friends.
5) Speaking English instead of in sign language.
6) Hot water showers
7) Cooking
8) Clean clothes
9) Drinking water out of the tap.
10) Eating pizza, drinking wine, and knowing every ingredient in the food that I'm eating.

Muay Tall White American Girl

11:50pm Koh Phi Phi Don

So....i've debated all day about posting this post. But I think I will anyway. My parents will not be proud, but my gramps - the boxer - will be. Last night I had just the right mix of Heinekken (vacation spelling rules rule) and guts...and I decided to do an organized fight. In Thailand, the fighting is called muay thai. It involves kicking, punching, and generally doing anything you can to win. Since I'm a tall white chick, I've decided to dub it Muay Tall White American Girl.

I went to a bar last night that allowed me to exercise my right to a fist fight. I've alwasy wanted to get into boxing...and I've always thought that I would be quite good at it. There have only been two or three people in my life that I've wanted to fight....both of them being blonde chicks that have IQs of about 12. anyway, beyond the girls, i've always thought i'd be a good fighter. so last night i decided to check it out Thai style.

i was in a bar that does muay thai,and the ring guy (technical term) was very convincing. he offerred two free drinks to anyone that wanted to fight. i would have done it for posterity or something like that...so i said - yes sir, sign me up. it took about 45 minutes to find another girl that would fight me, but he did after a while. we changed into the pads and head gear, and got riled up. the other girl (she was about 16 feet tall) was very angry...but i couldn't stop laughing. we started into the fight and she cracked me pretty good...bloody nose good. i quickly adjusted, and knocked her on her behind. three rounds later (three knockdowns scored for me, plus a few punches that left her stumbling and lots of laughs...) we were finished. sweaty, tired, worn out, and ready to drop. the annoucer (ref? ump?) called it a tie...but i think i really won (don't we all!) truly a fun and worthy experience, but hopefully next time i win fair and square....

That girl was tall and scary. I think she's been the scariest part of my trip so far, which is hilarious. Anyway, ready to take the next adventure as it comes!

Cheers, and can't wait to see you all.
XXXOOO,
Genevieve

Phi Phi Islands

Phi Phi Don, 4:20pm, internet corner

Arrived in Phi Phi Don this morning. I decided it was time to leave Koh Tao, even though I could stay there forever. The people are amazing, the diving is excellent, and it's someplace that I hope to come back to many times in the future. That said, I wanted to get to the Andamen (remember, I don't have to spell things right, I'm on vacation) side of the world...and I'm still holding out a small hope that I'll somehow be able to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia. That's fading by the day though.

So, yesterday I left Koh Tao on the morning boat; arrived in Samui and flew from Samui to Phuket. I met some Thai dude at the airport (this is about the third time this has happened to me) that took me into Phuket town, helped me find accommodation, a boat ticket, information about diving on Phi Phi, and information about flights from Krabi to Bangkok...all at separate places. It's amazing that these people are so helpful, especially when tipping isn't a common practice here! I stayed at a place in Phuket town that's very very very similar to the place Leonardo DiCaprio stayed in in the movie The Beach. Old rundown room, fan, random people walking all over the place...but there was no map to a secert island, and there was no cleaning lady water washing the electrical outlets. Didn't do much last night - the night before I left Koh Tao I got a migraine and thus was still not feeling great last night. Once again, I digress.

Koh Phi Phi is spectacular. I'm really glad I made it to this coast - the views are definitely much more magnificent than those on the other side; however, that's not to say I like this side better. Just different I suppose. Picture limestone cliffs rising out of the ocean; colorful longtail boats skimming the turqouise water; islands covered with green jungles...that's this area. All the pictures you've probably seen are right on the money. It's amazing.

I spent the day napping and reading on the beach (I just finished book number 9 of the trip. Whoa). Tomorrow I'm going on a snorkeling tour of the island ($20, includes gear, lunch, and an 8 hour adventure). I hope to find some dives to do the following day...there's a boat wreck in this area that I could dive - that would be pretty cool! I also saw a guy wakeboarding in the ocean - definitely will hit that up if I can afford it! So much to do, so little time.

One thing about Phi Phi that's much more tangible than I thought it would be...the tsunami. It's everywhere. People talk about it consistently (which I would totally expect), but the Thai people talk about it with laughter. I don't know how they do it. Always similing, always laughing. I was talking to a woman that works at my guesthouse and she said that she had her own guesthouse, until the tsunami swept it away...and she said all of that with a smile and laughter. I don't know if it's just a way of covering up the loss, but I've seen it with several people. Amazing how resilient a people can be.

The beaches here are amazingly clean, probably because of the tsunami. No rocks, no garbage...just pure clean sand and turquoise water. There is still much rebuilding going on, and from what I've read Phi Phi is supposed to be the next Phuket when they're finished (didn't much like Phuket by the way)...but hopefully it stays like it is now, relatively calm and quiet, for a while. So much nicer with bungalows and palm trees than huge resorts and swimming pools.

One last note - a favor to ask of all of you...found out yesterday that a good friend of mine's mom passed away very unexpectedly and very young (my friend is my age). If you could please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers in the next few weeks, I'd appreciate it.

Love to you all!
Genevieve

Attack of the Killer Trigger Fish

Yet another random internet cafe, Koh Tao, 11am

Man it's hot here. I thought I was doing really well yesterday and the day before, but then I realized that I spent most of the day in the water, and you can't really be hot in the water. Although I finally took the time to translate the water temperature into Fareinheit (how do you spell that?!). 31 degrees centigrade translates to high 80s!!! Can you believe that? It's bath water! The air temperature here has been 36ish...which is high 90s. And it's HUMID. Please note that these aren't complaints whatsoever...more observations. I wish I could bring a month or two of this weather back to Seattle!

The last few days have been spent diving. I love it and am totally addicted. I think, as a bonus, I may have talked one of the dive instructors into giving me a few free dives (not that they're super expensive here...like 700 baht, which is around $20 each, but still...). I'm hoping he'll take me on a deep dive (up to 30 meters, my lowest dive thus far is 1. Also cool would be night dive...I guess there's bioluminescence (I don't have to look the spelling of that up, I'm on vacation) in the water, so when you move your hands, it disturbs the plankton or organisms in the water or whatever, and you can see their glow without a torch. Pretty cool stuff. I don't have anymore dives planned, but like I said, hopefully I can get this guy Vimon to take me down. He's been diving for 10 years and is apparently a legend...he said he stopped counting his dives at 3000. I have 4 so far and feel pretty cool.

Yesterday we finished our certification. We ended up picking up a couple of other people in the class, so it wasn't just me and the English girl anymore, which complicated things a bit. The two other girls we had were German, and they were trying to finish their certification (had to postpone due to ear infections). Our last dive of the day was by far the best and most eventful dive we've had. We saw all sorts of cool fish and organisms that I guess many people don't get to see here, even the experienced divers. We saw a stingray, and Harlequin Flipperfin something or others (you can tell I know what I'm talking about, eh?), some trigger fish (more about those in a second), and an Indian Ocean Walkman, that I nearly stepped on. Those are the fish that submerse themselves in the sand so that you can't see them, and just hang out waiting for prey. I'm pretty big prey, so I was safe, but it was funny to see him riled up. He basically opened his mouth really wide several times and flapped his fins at about half the normal speed of all the other fish (which is about 3 times faster than they normal move). My instructor was laughing too, after pointing him out and after I'd moved away. It was almost like watching an elephant try to walk quickly. Yes, they can run crazy fast, but walking quickly is not one of their skills. Same thing with this random fish.

So, about the last dive...we were just finishing with our skills (PADI requires that you are able to demonstrate certain skills in the water before becoming a certified diver, so we had a couple of more basic things to do like hovering or establishing neutral bouyancy, fin pivots, and emergency ascents). We were diving at a place called White Rock, notorious for a beautiful coral garden and some pinnacles, but also notorious for Trigger Fish nests. Right now is especially dangerous because the fish are nesting, so they're very territorial. Trigger fish actually look quite nonthreatening, but they certainly don't act it. They range in size, but those that I've seen are only a few feet long. They have territory in a v shape (the bottom of the v is their nest, and the terriroty extends upward in a V until it hits the surface). They lay their eggs in the sand, and protect them until they've hatched. Trigger fish are thus named because they have a fin on their back that stands up like a trigger on a gun when they're riled up and ready to attack. (Insert Jaws music here).

So, picture the five of us descending. My buddy and I were relatively fast on the uptake, and didn't have any problems equalizing, so we were following closely with our instructor. The German girls, however, were very slow on the descent, and couldn't equalize, so they were about 4 meters above us. Enter the Trigger Fish. There were two of them, and they both went for my buddy and our instructor (about 1 m in front of me). The way they attack is very similar to the way a shark attack looks on TV - swimming around you in menacing circles, then swimming very quickly at your fin, or your face, or your neck and trying to take a bite. They're not poisonous, and usually don't even break through your wetsuit, but everyone around here is crazy afraid of them...thus the newbie divers are also crazy afraid.

So, the three of us are descending (which has to be done relatively slowly so that you can equalize). The trigger fish attack our group of three. We're about 10 m from the rock aka safe zone (no nests in the rocks), but apparently we're right in the middle of there territory. We all flip over on our backs and kick with our fins to protect our faces. For me, this means propulsion backward; for my 90 pound buddy it means a few bubbles and not much movement. The instructor and my buddy were frantically trying to descend, swim toward the pinnacle (I know, my spelling is atrocious, but I can't be bothered to fix it today), and equalize at the same time. I'm watching all of this happen, trying to swim backward toward the rock, equalize, and hoping to hell that there's no trigger fish behind me. It's almost like when you're a kid and don't want to look under the bed at night. Not knowing you're going to be attacked is almost better than knowing and thinking about it...

So, we're descending, my buddy is panicking and trying to shoot for the surface (not a viable option unless you want to spend days in a decompression chamber) and I'm watching it all occur thinking holy shit, these little bastards are mean! I look up and see the German girls still tooling around, just below the surface...the trigger fish kept attacking and attacking and attacking my instructor and buddy. My instructor is trying to shield her student from the fish attack; she's looking around for the three of us; and she's trying not to get attacked herself. Finally I reach the bottom and back up toward the pinnacle, taking care not to step on anything or run into an anenome, or generally foul things up. The other two are still on their backs, kicking their fins at the trigger fish that are still attacking. Finally the fish swim away after one last attack, and we're safe. I can't remember the last time I was afraid of something, but yesterday - I was definitely afraid. So much fun though, I'd totally do it again.

We lost the German girls (they ended up ascending because they couldn't equalize). My instructor, buddy and I finished the course and did some diving...them came up about 40 minutes later. I've heard the story of the attack of the killer trigger fish about 15 times now, and I've told it about 5...definitely the most exciting thing that's happened on my trip! No one was hurt or bitten, so it all worked out a-ok. Good lesson in not panicking underwater, though - you can't really go anywhere, so you have to stay there and deal with it. I'm sure there's some symbolism in there somewhere, but my brain is in vacation mode, and thus all I can think about is what's for lunch.

Tonight we'll be celebrating the rest of the group passing their diving certification. My buddy and I started two days after the other group of 6 and were certified yesterday, a day before them. So we've had to put off the celebration until tonight, which should be fun! Lots of great people, and I'm sure many more tales of giant trigger fish to come. (Did you see that trigger fish? He was THIS big!!!!)

I'll keep you posted on my next dive (hopefully it will be soon)!

Hope everyone is well!
Genevieve

Self-contained, Underwater...

Same random internet cafe as last time, 8:45pm, Koh Tao

Learning to scuba. As my British friends would say 'it's quite nice actually'. I was sure that I would like it, but wasn't sure that it would be just as much fun as I've found it to be. I'm in a class of two - one girl, early 20s from London area. The instructor is 24 from Germany, and has racked up almost 500 dives on this island alone. Needless to say she has a great tan.

My days have been spent in the dive shop (called the Cartoon Club, for some reason that's totally normal here)...working on lessons, hanging out with the local legends, working on getting rid of some pretty stupid tan lines that I've picked up along the way. Oh yes - we also spent about 6 hours a day on the water, in the water, on the boat on the water, talking about the water, thinking about the water, getting water out of our ears....you get the point. I'm loving learning this new hobby! Today we took two dives - one in a place called Mango Bay and the other one in a place that I can't remember. Saw lots of cool fish...none of which I know the names of, but I think I saw Nemo a time or two and maybe even some of his buddies.

The only problem with SCUBA is that you can't have any drinks within several hours of diving, and you have to be very careful what you eat, that you're hydrated, and that you pay close attention to the places in your body that can trap air. Never thought the filling in my tooth could stress me out so much! Also - I can't tell you how good a cold beer or 3 sounds after a long day in the sun...but alas, I'll have to put it off until I'm not diving the next day!

Today we dove to about 13 meters...(man the US needs to work on getting with meters, Celsius, kilometers, kilos, etc...I have a hell of a time translating!). I haven't had any panics yet, and our instructor is great so I've felt very safe the whole time. The only worry that I have is that...if something does go wrong when I'm at my maximum depth (18 meters)...I can't just pop up to the surface. I mean, I could - but I like being able to walk, move my arms, and generally being alive. But - that's a risk you run I suppose! Definitely worth the fun at this point.

I love this little island...the bungalow I'm staying in leaves a bit to be desired, but the island - top notch. My friend from Canada has a pet momma lizard living above her, sitting on 5-6 lizard eggs. Luckily she chose just left of the bed to lay her eggs so that Bailee doesn't have to worry about the repurcussions of having an animal above her for hours at a time (think about it...).

My friendly roommates are cockroaches and rats. I keep telling myself that the rats can't get into my mosquito netting (even though there's a nice sized chew hole near my head). The cockroaches at this point, although incredibly dirty, aren't any big deal...but rats I've never much cared for. I keep flashing back to a made for tv movie that involved a 12 year old girl waking up with rats in her bed. Other than the rats (basically the size of cats, fyi) and the cockroaches, I've only a few milipedes, some geckos, and the crazy birds that come in and out of the ceiling. But I've been away in the day, so the birds aren't any impact either.

I've just had a very filling Mexican meal (restaurant called El Gringo - perfect!) and I think it's about time to hit the sack. I'm not sure yet how long I'm going to stay here...if I could move all of you guys over here with me, it might just be forever! Just about half of my trip left and I'm sure many more adventures. It's great to spend a month not knowing who/what is around the next corner! Tata for now.

Cheers-
Genevieve

From Sunrise Beach to Turtle Island

Koh Tao, Random internet cafe, 5:40pm

Arrived in Koh Tao this afternoon. Koh Tao is the 20th (i think i read that soemwhere) biggest island in Thailand and is home to about a zillion divers. I've signed up for certification, so will begin a four day scuba course tomorrow. My accommodation for 4 nights, breakfast, lunch, and PADI certification are all included - for a grand total of 9000 baht (around $230).

I've spent the last few days in Koh Phangan. I'm trying to remember what I did, but it was a whole bunch of reading, relaxing, sitting in the sun, and eating Thai food. I arrived on Thursday and went from Haad Rin (the main pier for boats coming from Koh Samui) to Haad Yao, about 40 mintues away by taxi. Everyone on the island was in a festive mood it seemed, as the whole place was overrun with tourists and Thai visitors, come to celebrate the full moon party and visit family for the Thai new year.

We stayed at a place called Overbay in Haad Rin. For three nights, my total food and accommodations bill was aroun $30...including drinks! Not everything is that cheap here, but if you look for it, you can find it. Overbay is set up on the hill by the ocean. The bungalows are very simple, but with some of the most amazing views I've ever seen. I met up with my friend Lisa from S Africa that I met in Chiang Mai. We in turn met a couple of Canadians, and spent a few days lazing around and partying with them. There's not much to do when it's as hot as it is here, but sit on the beach, or under a fan, and relax. My kind of travel!

The full moon party - well, it was quite the experience. Safe to say I'll never go again, but it was definitely a blast. It basically doubles the islands population, and almost all of those that attend are foreigners. There was fire dancing, skin painting, fireworks, live music, street vendors selling everything imaginable...generally drunken debauchery. We arrived early (Lisa, the two Canadians, and myself) and found some dinner and drinks to watch the sunset. Then we set out for the evening, fully expecting to not make it home until the sun came up as our accommodations were so far away. I was the first one home at around 4:30 (I'm getting old) - the rest of the crew stayed around to watch the sunrise, and then came back to our bungalow after that. Needless to say the next day (yesterday) was a wash - really nothing can be done with a headache in 100 degree heat but lots of reading and sleeping!

I spent 3 nights in Koh Phangan in total and caught the boat this morning after saying goodbye to my S African friend. I'm now staying at a place on a private beach and plan to see some of the local color (aka a cold Singha and hopefully meeting new people) this evening. Should be yet another adventure!

Still undecided about what to do with the rest of my time here. Would love to see Cambodia, but it may be too much of a trek for this month...not ruling anything out at this point! Looking forward to starting the dive certification course tomorrow...and also looking forward to a shower. I shower about 3 times a day here, but really never feel clean. Nice to be away from some of the comforts of home, but will definitely look forward to flushing toilets (toilets at all, actually), round the clock electricity, a washing machine, my car, and work! (Ok that last one was to see if you were paying attention). Soon enough I suppose!

Happy weekend!
Cheers -
Genevieve

Beerlao and Bananas

Random internet cafe, Koh Samui

I have had quite the realization over the last few days...that is that a solo traveler never really travels alone. I've met so many people over the last week and change. I've only met one other American, if you can believe that! Mostly Brits and Aussies, and a few Germans here and there. So..what of the last few days? Feels like I've lived a lifetime in the last week...

First - about Laos. Amazing. I would highly recommend the small area that I saw to anyone willing to live the simple life for a few days. I took a slow boat (note to self: when Lao people say slow boat, they really mean slow boat) down the Mekong river. The Mekong ranks (I think) as one of the 10 biggest rivers in the world. I caught the boat at Chiang Khong, an entry point into Laos. We crossed the water by ferry (my first border crossing by boat) and went through immigration to get into Lao. There were about 80 people on the slow boat and it was definitely not the most comfortable 14 hours of my life. However, there were people getting on the boat at various points selling Beerlao and bananas.....'Hello, Madame, you want Banana? Why you buy her Beerlao and not my banana? My banana good, you like. Only 2000 kip' I wish they exported Beerlao because it is fantastic. I'm glad they don't export Lao whisky, though - not quite as fantastic!

Most of the travelers on the boat were foreigners, and most of those were British or other European. I met several groups of travelers...a few young guys from Sweden (and by young I mean 19, 20 years old). I also met a French guy who was entirely unpleasant and asked me with a snigger how I liked George Bush. I have to say that I've come to expect a negative reaction when I tell people I'm American. It seems the world these days hates Americans, which is a shame, but altogether true based on my experience. I've gotten into several political discussions with Brits, Canadians. the Frenchy I'll call Pissy Pilar...even some Germans on the state of affairs in America today, and they've ended with me being entirely frustrated and more often than not wanting to dish out a nasty word or two. The most interesting conversation was with a Canadian, who claimed that the US was "a shit country fully of stupid people". Interesting, especially since Canada is our little brother (I would like to slap that particular little brother upside his rapidly balding head). If I didn't like Vancouver BC so much and hadn't met so many nice people from there, I would certainly have written it off. Anyway, not to dwell on the negative, but regardless of one's political affiliation or voting history, I'd say that most everyone I know who's American is proud of our country in at least some fashion...and thus it's hard to face constant bad looks and ridicule for the decisions of our government. I'll enjoy talking to those of you more politically inclined when I get back!

Back to Laos...the slow boat ride consisted of a very primitive boat, lots of people, and beautiful scenery. There are very few villages on the shores of the Mekong, and of those, I'd say 1% have electricity and hot water. We were constantly seeing people fishing, monks washing their robes in the water, children playing...but I didn't see any other signs of civilization, other than some primitive huts on the water and an occasional fishing pole stuck in the rocky shore. The weather in Laos was great...sunny, yet not too hot. The sunsets and sunrises were beautiful as the whole country is on fire now (the burning season) - so lots of pinks and purples, but also a lot of ash. Definitely worth the trip, even in the burning season.

We anchored the first night at a place called Pak Beng. Very primitive town. My friend Stella from Germany and I shared a room (Stella is on month 6 of a 7 month journey around the world). We ate with about 20 other travelers from our boat at this amazing Indian restaurant...and then had a few beers before the town shut down at 9:30. There was a concert going on when we were there, so people were in the street (not streets, street - only one) until 1ish or so, but I was long asleep in my hot little room by that time. I'm getting old. I figure when the electricity shuts down, it's time for me to shut down too!

Next day we finished the journey at Luang Prabang, where I spent two nights. Luang Prabang is one of my favorite places on earth (although honestly I've loved everywhere I've been). It's a very small town with around 7-10 thousand people I believe. Not much to do there, as once again the restaurants and bars close at 11:30...but, there were lots of travelers to share a beer with on the veranda of the guesthouse in which we stayed. Luang Prabang is amazing. The people are so nice, the town itself is beautiful, quiet, generally mellow...and the scenery is top notch. The prices are incredibly cheap as well! Here's an example - my friend Jane (28 from England, on month 12 of a 12 month journey), Stella and I had dinner at a local restaurant. We each had three cocktails, a soda, bottles of water (can't drink any of the water in Laos or Thailand), full entrees, and an appetizer. For the three of us, it was less than $10!!! Laos takes kip, baht, and dollars, so I left a generous tip and still came out paying about $3 for my meal. Amazing.

Jane and I explored Luang Prabang during that day...we went up to a local waterfall and hiked around, waded, generally played. We saw a pretty bad motorcycle accident on the way back, but other than that it was the perfect day. When we were driving up there (we hired a tuk tuk for the day, about $15 total), we were getting splashed by the local children. It's Lao/Thai newyear in the next week, and the custom is to have water fights, splash people with water, and generally keep a festive spirit of debauchery for the weeks around the new year itself. Lots of fun, but I wasn't dry once the whole time I was in Lao.

I parted with my German and Brittish traveling companions yesterday morning, and flew from Laos to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Koh Samui. It's somewhat sad to leave people you've traveled with for a few days...you know that chances are you'll fall out of touch, not see each other again...but I guess that's the lifecycle of a traveler, always meeting new people, taking away a few friends, and generally enjoying the moment and the company you have while you have it.

Koh Samui...so far not much of an impression. I'm staying in an area called Big Buddha beach, which is the third or 4th most popular beach on the island. I did it on purpose - don't want the crowds of grumpy tourists, the high prices, the hustle and bustle of a crowded beach. Would much rather have a beer with a new friend and get to bed early, to make the most of my day tomorrow. Once again, I guess I'm getting old.

I'm staying in a place called Shambala...it's wonderful. I have my own bungalow, a hundred yards or so from the beach. It's run by an English couple, and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting a bit of a respite from tourists and crowds. I awoke to the sound of firecrackers this morning (the pop pop pop of the black cats brought me back to Pyro-Gabe days)...and decided to start my day by catching up, having breakfast, and generally relaxing. The glory of travel - not much to do but what you want!

The plan is to stay another night on Samui, and take a ferry up to Koh Phagnan tomorrow for a few days of celebration (Thai new year, and the full moon party). Thais take every occassion they can to celebrate, but this party is renowned the world over. I'm meeting up with a South African girl I met in Chiang Mai to share accomodations - should be fun!

A note about traveling alone - I love it. I don't know that I'd plan an extended vacation any other way. I have the ability to change my plans (aka Laos); have the ability to stay somewhere for as long as I want, and generally can make my trip everything that I want it to be! I would definitely recommend that everyone does this at least once in their life (as most of you have, so I'm preaching to the choir). I just hope to be able to take a more extended trip in the future...now I just have to figure out how to save up and be able to take 6 months or a year off of work!

Hope you all are well. Thanks for your emails! XOXOXOX

Cheers!
Genevieve

On the Shores of the Mekong

Arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos this evening. Beautiful float down the Mekong river, stopping in Pak Beng for the evening. We were offerred drugs by about 15 people...well, at least the men in the group were offered them. Had the best Indian food I've ever had in my life and watched the hillsides burn. Beautiful trip! Internet is costing me 200 kip a minute, so not too much time to write...but will be leaving Laos on the 10th and flying to the islands. Excited to finally get some beach time in!

Laos is beautiful! I'd love to come back here some day when I have more than 4 days.

Cheers!

Genevieve

5 Hours in the Short Bus

Safe house, chiang mai, 9;20 am

leaving this morning for laos. the plan is to catch a short bus (aka hell on wheels) from our guesthouse through chiang rai to chiang khong, the border crossing closest to chiang mai with laos. we'll stay the night there, then head through immigration and into laos the following morning, to take a two day float terminating in luang prabang. if i can make it through the 5 hours of short bus time, i think it will be a grand adventure. i'm traveling there with a friend i've met who is likely to be very hungover this morning, so it should make for a good laugh at the least.

the last few days in chiang mai have been fantastic. i would highly recommend this city over bangkok any day...not that one should skip bangkok altogether, but a city is a city is a city - and bangkok really isn't much of an exception. yesterday i did the touristy single day trek, which was terrible and great at the same time. my hate of zoos has now extended to a hate of the idea of riding elephants. it seems like a fun theory, but when you realize that the elephants are there just to haul your lazy butt around - loses some of it's flavor. we did do a great hike into the mountains to see a couple of the hill tribes. the hike was the first thing in the morning, and was all up hill on the way there. funny how the tour group took it - everyone was complaining, and huffing and puffing...i got a good laugh. some people even had to stop because it was too steep and too hot! really wasn't that difficult - maybe american's truly aren't the most out of shape people in the world! (thanks tony!)

my favorite part of the day was swimming in the mae wuang waterfall (spelling is iffy on that one and the shift key is spotty on this computer, thus the lack of caps). our tour guide, noi, took me up the side of a cliff and we jumped off in order to get close enough to the waterfall to climb behind it. it was only about 25 feet (and he went first) so i felt pretty safe. the waterfall was amazingly powerful. i swam against it at the base as hard as i could and made no headway whatsoever. anyway, we climbed up the rocks and sat behind the waterfall and watched the tourists dangle their toes in the water. definitely more my style than sitting on the sidelines!

from there we took bamboo rafts down the mae wong river. it's close to the thai new year hear (songkran festival around the 13th of april) and the tradition is to splash people (tourists and women especially) with water. it was great actually - we were floating down the river, two to a raft, with our very adept 14 year old raftman. we'd turn corners in the river and see groups of thai kids just waiting to attack with buckets and hands filled with water. we found the trick was not to make eye contact. any eye contact made for a little splash...and a hello (sounds like kap koon ka in thai) was a death wish! we ended the day very soaked and very tired, but it was generally a worthwhile experience. met some folks from germany, some aussies, and a gal from LA (the first american i've met since i've been here).

time to have some breakfast...then get on the death trap for the 5 hour journey. should prove to be another beautiful day!

cheers -
genevieve

Going to Laos

So, as I expected, my lack of planning has really been a blessing. I've decided to go to Laos on Thursday and take a two day float trip down the Mekong river. I booked a tour, so will be with at least 20 other people on the slow boat...A guy that I've met who's taking a year off to travel the world is going as well...he's from Liverpool and thus I can't understand a word he says, but he's been a fun and easy going traveling companion for the last day or so.

So - new itinerary: staying in Chiang Mai until Thursday. Tomorrow I am taking a one day trek...elephant rides, waterfall, bamboo rafting, hill tribes (such the classic American way - pack everything you can in in a day!). Thursday I leave in the morning from Chiang Mai. I take a bus up to Chiang Khong (the border crossing with Laos). I stay the night there, then leave the next morning to cross the Mekong and meet up with the slow boat. From there we float south, 7 hours per day for the next two days. The first night we stop in Pak Beng, and then second day we end up in Luang Prabang. The only other thing I know for sure is that I have a flight from BKK to Koh Samui on April 10, so I have to figure out how to get from Laos to Thailand in those two days. I usually work well with deadlines, so I'm hopeful that I'll make it!

Very excited to get to Laos. I've heard it's unbelievably beautiful and I cannot wait to be out of a city and into the wilderness. What sounds better on a hot day than foating a lazy river in Laos?!?!?! Such fun.

Much love -

Genevieve

Chang Mai in the Morning

Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for your funny, sweet, and inspiring emails. I really hate mass emails, but I had 40 some emails to read through this morning and there's no way I can get back to each of you individually and still be alive in this HOT internet cafe! I really appreciate hearing from you and definitely will keep you posted. Keep sending me emails too!

Sidenote - The election in Thailand created some interesting side effects. When I was out and about in BKK the days previous to Sunday (election day), I saw and heard many protestors and activists...many times driving around in cars with loudspeakers. I know enough about the state of affairs just to sound ignorant and be dangerous, so I won't regail you with stories of the tales that I've heard...but it will be interesting to see how and if Thailand changes based on the results!

So...I'm now in Chiang Mai, the second biggest city in Thailand. To give you some perspective on the current state of affairs - BKK is around 8 million people, then comes Chiang Mai, weighing in at an astouding 800,000 or so. WOW, what a difference 7 million make! This is definitely a great city and so much more easily navigated than BKK!

I arrived yesterday morning. I took a night train from BKK, that departed at 6pm. Turns out I got the last ticket on the train (apparently you cannot arrive at 4:30 and expect to get a first class air con ticket). I slept in an upper bunk (read child sized), but shared a few beers with an English girl who lives in Chiang Mai and works as a teacher. We spent a couple hours chatting, and then realized that everyone around us was asleep at 8pm...so we took the universal Option B: the bar car. Met several travelers from around the world, and took a shot of Thai whiskey (OUCH) with a Thai porter who knew two English phrases: "Coffe or Tea", and "You're so beautiful". I'm an easy sell.

So much I could say about the filth of the train, but I'll leave it to your imaginations as I'm sure you all have seen more toilets around the world than I. I have to say though that men have the clear advantage when it comes to Thai facilities!

Anyway, I digress. Met some folks on the train that I ended up taking a cooking class with yesterday ... met more English speakers in the class, which by the way was amazing. I've never known that Thai cooking was so easy! (Keep in mind that the course faciliators did most of the work, so I'm being quite facetious here...) Proceeded from the class to an American style bar to chat over cold beers, then walked through the night market and onto a place called the Roof Top Bar, where we sat in the semi darkness, drank Singhas, sweated, and watched the geckos run up and down the walls. A couple of cousins from Vancouver BC, a gal from South Africa via Sydney Austraila, and another Brit from Liverpool.

Now I'm off on a free day in Chiang Mai....going to sign up for a one day trek tomorrow, and do the elephant ride, waterfall, rafting gig of which everyone speaks so highly. After that it's up in the air...the pull of Laos is great at this point, as I'm only a bus ride and a visa away from a three day float down the Mekong River...

Cheers to you all! Hope all is well wherever you may be.
Genevieve

A Lazy Bangkok Afternoon

Wendy Guesthouse, Bangkok, 1:40pm Sunday

10 Things I've learned in Bangkok:

1) Applying sunscreen and then spending 20 minutes in 90+ degree heat and unbelievable humidity is almost like not applying sunscreen at all.
2)Sunburn + 17 kilo backpack = no fun
2a)17 kilos is too much. Not sure if the Thai staff at the Wendy Guesthouse will enjoy the tshirts and other various items I've left behind; however, I know I will enjoy my lighter backpack.
3) Thai traditional massage is much more painful than Western massage. Yes, it is only $10 for an hour; however, that is $10 worth of pain and suffering - damn that little Thai lady is STRONG! My neck crick is gone because of it though...and, in retrospect, it was quite refreshing. Also, see number 1a above, but subsitute 'Thai massage" for '17 kilo backpack''.
3a) Guesthouse bed = neck crick
4) Tuk tuk drivers are some of the most annoying people of all time; however, they forced me to start talking to the English speaker next to me, which scored me a day companion through what feels like all of the Wats (temples) in BKK.
5) Heaven is sharing a couple of tall Singha beers next to the Chao Praya river on a 90 degree day and having conversations about the differences between Montana and London with someone you've known for less than 2 hours.
5a) The River Bar (on the banks of said river) is not open for lunch. Consult guide book that clearly states open at 5pm before adding the extra 5 stops to your journey.
5b) A Singha beer and random conversation are definitely worth the extra 5 stops.
5c) Singha beer isn't sold on Sundays.
6) Chatuckuck Market is like all the Pier 1s of the world combined. Only better, and serving more Thai food.
6a) Chances of running into random traveling companion from yesterday at Chatuchuck Market: 1 in a million (literally). Luck's in my favor, apparently...
7) Ko Shan road, although famous, is some sort of traveler's hell. So many backpacks, dreadlocks, and grumpy tourists all packed into a couple block area. One meander through is enough for me! 8) In Thailand, "spicy noodle" really means spicy noodle.
9) There are definite advantages to being almost 6 feet tall in a sea of little people.
9a) There are definite disadvantages to being almost 6 feet tall in a sea of little people.
10) Will be glad to get out of the mayhem and noise of the city this evening...excited for what's around the next corner! Taking a night train to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, and hoping to set out on a trek of the hills of Thailand. I'll keep you all posted.

Until next time ...
Cheers -
Genevieve

I've arrived...sort of...

Wendy Guesthouse, Saturday 6 am, Bangkok

Yesterday I arrived in Bangkok. What a smelly, dirty, busy, and wonderful city this is! I had to wait for about an hour in line at the immigration booth...and then down to claim my bag (which I had to check, apparently the limit is 7 kilos and mine weighed in at a laughable 17. I don't know how many pounds that is (maybe 35?) and think I'm glad that I don't actually know how much weight I'm carrying around...). I took a taxi from the airport into the city, and am staying in an area called Siam Square. It's very close to the train station that I will be using to head up to northern Thailand on Sunday. It's also very close to the skytrain station that I'll be using today to head off to catch the river boat to then take the typical tourist temple tour.

The first thing I noticed about Bangkok was the traffic - WOW. I am convinced that every Thai person, especially those on motorbikes, has a death wish. I quickly got used to the driving on the wrong (well, left I guess) side of the road...but, when my driver was attempting to get on the highway from what appeared to me to be another highway, we had to actually back up in the middle of two lanes or crazy traffic because a truck decided that they didn't want to take the highway. I was in the back of the cab (seatbelt on Mom) wondering if I was giong do die before I actually set foot into somewhere other than that airport in Thailand! Alas, I am alive and well.

Yesterday I walked around BKK for about 5 hours. I went to Siam Square, MBK (both big shopping areas), ate food from a street vendor..about the food - it was only 15 baht (less than 50 cents US) and I got some skewers with an unknown meat - good thing I'm not squeamish - and a big bag of white or jasmine-type rice, I couldn't tell. I walked around eating my skewer (beef maybe?) and trying to avoid the tuk tuk drivers, all the while breathing car and motorbike fumes. Tuktuk drivers are definitely a pain in the arse. A tuk tuk is basically a three wheeled motorized bicycle, made for carrying tourists. I'm happy to walk, thanks. Oh - I also happened upon Jim Thompson's house (that makes me laugh because I'm picturing you racking your brain for some friend or person we know from the US named Jim Thompson)...JT as I like to call him was an American that came to Thailand and was big into the silk trade. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but what I took away was that I love the Thai style design. Very minimalist, lots of plants, dark wood, noncluttered, very beautiful. I got used to wai-ing (placing your hands in front of your face facing each other and bowing slightly, to show respect), although I must say my first attempts were pitiful. The Thais do it like pros (well, I guess they are pros) - whether they have things in their hands or not! I still haven't mastered how to wai with a waterbottle in one hand and a camera in another, but that is on my list of things to do. I'm proud to be a tourist.

Last night I hit the hay early (7pm) in expectation for getting up today and trying not to be jet lagged. I think I succeeded! It's 6:10 am here, and I'm ready to eat the complimentary Thai breakfast that comes with my room (1000 baht, about 25 dollars for two beds, air con, my own shower, and breakfast. The two bed thing is a story in itself...but this is definitely the most expensive place I'll stay.)

The people here are amazingly nice. I met my first friend, who's name I can't spell but was something like Pharashada in Taipei. She is a natural born Thai, lives in AZ with her husband, and was coming back for three months to visit her family. She volunteered to put me in a taxi and negotiate with the driver so I didn't get ripped off, but we had to split up at immigration and I'll probably never see her again. And I probably got ripped off. But, for some reason it feels ok when it's a matter of $10 versus $9. Anyway, very nice, sweet people - willing to help in anyway, even for a tall, very pale farang (Thail version of white chick) like myself!

Tomorrow I'm goign to a weekend market during the day, and then taking a night train up to Chiang Mai. I hope to hop off the train and find a trekking company immediately ... set off in the Thai wilderness four three or four days and hopefully not meet up with too many crazy bugs.

Off to eat some breakfast and try to get used to the heat...it's not that hot (only high 80s, low 90s) but the humidity means that my clothes are in a consistent state of dampness. Attractive, I"m sure.

One last thing - even in Thailand, you can't escape the Backstreet Boys. Breakfast and boy bands. What could be better?!

Love you guys -
Genevieve