Jeffrey and Rachel in Southeast Asia - 2005

As the time for our departure neared, the reality of the trip started to settle in. Our backpacks were nearly finalized, filled with supplies to support us for five weeks in the tropical jungles, beautiful beaches, and bustling cities of Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Lightweight clothing, daily toiletries, various medications, cameras, film, and a Lonely Planet guidebook waited patiently in our packs for the adventue to begin.

From Chicago to Bangkok, Thailand, with a layover in Seoul, South Korea, the flight time is slightly over 20 hours. We estimate our total travel time from our departure in Sussex, WI to our hotel in Bangkok to be about 30-32 hours. Both of us have only one backpack, at around a capacity of 3000 cubic inches.

Thank you to all the people that have helped us prepare for this trip...especially Derek, Sherry, and Chris. Also, we want to thank our parents for their support, despite their fears and concerns for us in this exotic part of the world. We will do our best to travel safely and stick together.

-Jeffrey [Minneapolis, June 8]

I'm jealous!!! Have a nice trip :)

You write well, I hope you do a blog for the trip. Let us know.

OH !,your one of those 3000 cu inch people.Have a good trip.

Have fun and stay safe.

Time to check the response processing at this site.
Have a great trip and as other parents say - Be safe and secure!

Have a wonderful trip! Stay safe and healthy and take lots of pictures. I am looking forward to reading about your experiences.
LT

On the eve of our departure, we double-checked our backpacks, counted our stack of one-dollar bills (very useful for inexpensive purchases), and enjoyed our last hours in the United States. Our plans continued to finalize as we browsed through the various web-sites and travel guides. We booked the first night in Bangkok at a reasonable price of 1500 baht (about $35 USD) for a nice room at the Majestic Suites. It should be interesting arriving in the city at midnight...

On a different note, we are attempting to acclimate to Thailand time (13 hours ahead of CST) by pulling an all-nighter. Hopefully our plan works and we can avoid any serious jet lag. Tomorrow, if for some reason we cannot stay awake all night, the alarm is set for 5:45am. My parents are dropping us off at a bus station in Brookfield (Milwaukee suburb) where we will hop on a bus to O'Hare International Airport [Chicago, IL].

We're flying out on a Boeing-777, which has the 2-5-2 seating arrangement. Hopefully, we can snag one of the ever-coveted "exit" aisles. To keep ourselves entertained on the long, long, long flight, we have a couple of novels ("The Darwin Awards" and "Bringing Down the House"), Connect-4, Video Poker, and plenty of candy (Twizzlers, Tootsie Pops, & Lifesavers).

Goodnight to those of you going to bed. Our next post will come from Bangkok, Thailand, on the other side of the world.

-Jeffrey [Sussex, June 12]

"Layover in Seoul"

About 9,000 miles and 15 hours later, we arrived in Seoul, South Korea. The flight went by relatively quickly...with great service and fairly good food on Korean Air. The flight path took us much further north than either of us had anticipated. The plane flew over the Canadian Rockies, then over the mountains of Alaska (just south of McKinley)...and the view was amazing! The snow-capped mountains were beautiful. It's crazy to think people live down there! Brrrrr....

From Alaska, we headed across the Bering Straight, then over Japan, and finally onto South Korea. The airport is a nice temporary "home" for the next four hours as we wait to board the final leg of our journey. We found a neat tour, ranging from 2 to 6 hours, that offers individuals the opportunity to gain a quick snapshot of Korean life in Seoul. It's about $30 for the 2-hour tour...which we may consider doing on the return flight.

We're off to rest on the couches provided in the Transfer Lounge at this modern-style airport. The architecture is sleek...accompanied by flat-screen TV's, internet cafe's, and juice bars.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Seoul, June 14 - 5:45pm ICN time]

Glad to hear the flight went well and that you arrived safely at your first stop!

"First Day in Bangkok"

The flight from ICN to BKK went very quickly. We both slept most of the way (about 5 hours). Upon our arrival, we made our way through "immigration" without much fuss. Customs was basically non-existent, and before we knew it, we were in the crazy world of Bangkok. Thanks to Derek, we avoided the over-priced "Airport" taxi service, and used the "Public Taxi" stand outside the airport. After about a twenty-minute drive from the airport, we arrived safely (although somewhat freaked out after our taxi driver raced through the city streets) at Majestic Suites in Central Bangkok.

The hotel was very nice, although slightly above our budget at 1500 baht. The hotel room had this neat central control unit near the bed, which controlled the A/C, lights, and TV. Breafkast was included in the price, and this morning we enjoyed a traditional American meal of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast. Hopefully, no Avian Flu for us. haha

We're currently en-route to Khao San Road, the primary backpacker area of Bangkok. This area also contains the popular tourist destinations, such as the temples. The weather is very hot & steamy, but not a lot of sun at the moment. We found some cool sunglasses for about 400 baht (about $10 USD) for two pair. There's tons of street vendors, selling almost anything you can imagine.

Until our next post, "good-bye".

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Central Bangkok - June 15; 11:00am (BKK time)]

"A day in Bangkok"

Well, it was not as splendid as we would have hoped for. If you thought traffic in Minneapolis or Chicago was bad, try hopping in a tuk-tuk (3-wheeled motorbike with a "carriage" on the back) in Bangkok! haha And on top of that, these tuk-tuk drivers have arrangements with multiple local services & shops. They receive "gas cards" or some other type of commission for bringing tourists there. Despite our simple request to go across town, we ended up at a tailor, travel agent, and long-tail boat tour. haha

To make matters worse, the long-tail boat was coasting along through typhoid-invested water which continually splashed us. haha We're joking...somewhat. It wasn't that bad, however, we wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. It did give us a chance to observe some of the local housing, which was actually quite sad. As Westerners, we are very, very lucky people to have as much as we do. The saddest part was these young children playing in this heavily polluted river, while sewage pumped into the river upstream.

We did have some delicious green curry chicken w/rice in the Kho San Road area, even though it took us most of the day to finally arrive there. haha We had to eat quickly, because we had to head back to the tailor to have my suit fitted. The tailors were very kind people from India, living & working in Thailand for the last 30 years. The price seemed fair, and the material & craftsmanship was amazing. We're picking it up today at 3pm.

By the late evening, we ended up back at the Majestic Suites hotel...and passed out around 9pm. We were completely exhausted. Between the heat and the culture shock, it was a lot to take in for one day. Our plans are to fly out to Siem Reap tonight or early tomorrow morning, depending on the timing after the tailor.

Not all the people were as keen on selling us various services & good. We met some very kind people that helped us by going out of their way. One man in particular helped us find the tailor, whom was nearly impossible to find (remember, the tuk-tuk driver dropped us off there earlier). The shop was tucked back in a small corner of a side-street, and the address they gave us didn't provide much guidance. This kind man used his cell phone to call the store, gather directions, and then proceeded to walk us all the way to the store! It was probably a 10-15 minute walk, clearly out of his way. We were lucky to find such a kind stranger in a time of need.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Bangkok - June 16 - 11:15am]

This message comes from Siem Reap, Cambodia...next door to the Red Piano Bar. For anyone concerned about the situation here in Siem Reap, all seems to be well. We flew into the small city with a bunch of photographers & reporters scurrying to find the "story." Despite the sadness of the event, we felt a little excited to be in the "rush" of it all.

Anyway, our second day in Bangkok went very well. Especially compared to yesterday. I guess you could call it a learning curve...the tuk-tuk drivers were avoided like the plague. haha And as a result, we were free to do what we pleased. We also found a much cheaper internet cafe, charging only 1 baht per minute (about $1.50 per hour), compared to 3 baht per hour yesterday. The shop also served us complimentary tea...and offered inexpensive bottled water (10 baht).

We picked up the suit from the tailor this afternoon. It looked amazing! The suit fit perfectly, and the proud tailors showed me the craftsmanship & quality of their stiching in the suit. They are holding it for me during our time outside of Bangkok, until I pick it up the day prior to departure for the States.

We flew into Cambodia at 7pm, after an hour flight from Bangkok. We flew on a two-engine plane, holding about 50-60 passengers. Surprisingly, they served us a meal (although not spectacular). The charges & costs to fly to Siem Reap hurt our budget a bit, but we figured avoiding the 8 hour bus ride filled with various "stops" at restaurants and shops was worth it. The flight was about $145, plus a $12 "airport departure" tax. Oh well. That's life.

Upon our arrival, we had a driver from the Red Piano Hotel pick us up. He had a sign with Rachel's name, and we double-checked his authenticity by asking him to call the hotel. These were the instructions from the hotel...and as planned, it all checked out. He also had very good English, so we booked him for the day tomorrow to show us around the temples.

The hotel seems nice...but we could only get into a room designed for 3-4 people, so we had to pay a little extra ($28 per night). The other rooms are full...and possibly the entire hotel is full tomorrow. We may have to relocate for the next two-three days.

From here, we plan on stopping at the bar for a drink or two, then heading back to go to bed. Siem Reap is very different from Bangkok. It's a small rural town in the countryside, while Bangkok is a major metropolitan area (6 million people). We'll see what we think of Siem Reap after we've been here for a few days.

Goodnight,
-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Siem Reap, Cambodia - June 16th - 9:34pm]

As we walked across the stone bridge that crosses the moat surrounding Angkor Wat, the unyielding sun beat down on us. The heat was incredible. It felt like entering your car for that first minute on a hot, humid day...except there was no relief. However, the heat could not take away from the pure magnitude of the incredible temples that stood before us. Built nearly a thousand years ago, the ancient temples of Angkor Wat (the primary temple within the Siem Reap area) showed the meticulous craftsmanship of the stone cutters. Countless intricate carvings adorned the walls, although many of them had become worn over the centuries.

About a half-hour later, we stood atop one of the towers. The view over the surrounding jungle & other temples was breath-taking. It's hard to imagine building something this massive so long ago. Not to mention in this incredible heat! An unofficial guide (aka - a young man looking for a quick tip) told us that elephants carried the cut stone 53 km from a nearby mountain. On a side note, it turned out that only "official" guides are allowed in the temples area. As we were standing by one of the temples, our supposed guide spotted men armed with M16's, and immediately took off in mid-sentence. We were confused and somewhat startled. Thankfully, it was the police...and not some random bandits or something.

We're exhausted from the day in the sun, heat, and hiking around the temples. So goodnight. We'll be in Siem Reap another two days, then on to Phnom Penh (capital city of Cambodia). It feels like we've already enjoyed a week or so over here...but in reality, it's only been 3 full days! How cool is that? :)

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Siem Reap - June 17; 11:31pm]

"Last day in Siem Reap"

The last three days, we've explored the countless temples that surround the town of Siem Reap. From the massive temples of Angkor Wat & Bayon, to the much smaller ancient temples far from the town, each has a uniqueness that is simply amazing. To think that the dominant Khmer Empire had built such intricate, beautiful structures so long ago is very interesting.

At night, we enjoyed a variety of restaurants in town. The "Famous Siem Reap Restaurant", a Chinese/Cambodian eatery, offered delicious hot-chili-pepper chicken ($2) & cinnamon-flavored fried spring rolls ($2). The "Kappachino", recommended by our driver, had incredible wood-oven baked pizza for about $6. At the "Soup Dragon", a Vietnamese restaurant, we had some great fried rice and a fruit "shake". The "shake" had mango, papaya, orange, and pinneaple juices. Mmmmm!

This afternoon, we're relaxing before we head out tomorrow morning for Phnom Penh. The bus leaves at 6:30am, so we'll be getting up very early! It's about a 6-hour drive, and costs $6/each. The ride is air-conditioned, and the road was recently built with Japenese and American donations to the country. Many have told us it's the smoothest road in Cambodia.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Siem Reap - June 19; 1:30pm]

Hey finally got this thing running. Hope you two are having fun. I just got back to the cities and have been working since. Gotta work tommorow morning so I am going to keep this short this time. Again have fun.

~Mike Buss

This will be quick. We arrived in Phnom Penh safely, and found a good place to stay just off the river by the National Museum. Tomorrow, we'll see the Killing Fields & a few other places related to the Khmer Rouge. It will be a tough day, emotionally, to see all of the horrors that took place only about 30 years ago. For anyone that's been to the concentration camps in Germany, these sites should be very similar...yet even more graphic.

Have a good night from PP, Cambodia,

Jeffrey & Rachel
[Phnom Penh, Cambodia - June 20; 4:55pm]

"Horrors of the Khmer Rouge"

After a day of studying the horrible events of the Khmer Rouge regime, Rachel & I would like to share a brief summary of what occured during this time. This is a summary from Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. Please read this entry to gain a better understanding of the atrocities of the world's very recent history in Cambodia.



During the Vietnam War, the Nixon-led US began to bomb the border of South Vietnam and Cambodia, targeting secret Vietcong camps and supply routes. The Vietcong sought refuge in nearby villages, and the United States began to bomb these villages as well. The neutralist government of Prince Sihanouk could do nothing, and when Sihanouk began to send supplies to North Vietnam, a civil war began.

In 1970, while Prince Sihanouk was away in Beijing, General Lon Nol seized power in a military coup d'état and declared the Khmer Republic. Immediately a civil war began between this military regime and the xenophobic and communist Khmer Rouge, which had gathered much strength because of support by the communist North Vietnamese and the Vietcong.

Led by Pol Pot, who later became the Prime Minister of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge captured the capital Phnom Penh in 1975 and renamed the country to Democratic Kampuchea. The Khmer Rouge ideology included:

closing schools and hospitals;
abolishing banking and currency;
outlawing religion;
confiscating private property; and
relocating people from urban areas to collective farms where they were subject to forced labor

The Khmer Rouge justified its actions by claiming that Cambodia was on the brink of major famine due to the American bombing campaigns, and that this required the evacuation of the cities to the countryside so that people could become self-sufficient. It had the effect of converting the entire country into a re-education/labor camp. During the rule of the Khmer Rouge, about 1.7 million people were killed, or one-fifth of the country's population of the time. The Killing Fields and the S-21 prison at Tuol Sleng shocked the entire world as the government committed brutal autogenocide. In addition to death from work starvation and exhaustion, the regime killed anyone suspected with connections with either the defeated Khmer Republic government or the previous Sihanouk government, as well as intellectuals (Pol Pot defined anyone who wore glasses as automatically an intellectual), professionals, and also ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams, Laotians, and Thai. If this wasn't enough, Cambodia broke into Vietnamese, Lao, and Thai territory and massacred entire villages of border provinces. Even the royal family was brutalized. Prince Sihanouk was put under house arrest and many of the Sisowath branch of the family were massacred. The Tuol Sleng museum is a good authority on this period.

In 1978, a newly-unified Vietnam invaded Cambodia after repeated Khmer Rouge raids into Vietnamese territory and drove the Khmer Rouge to the western border with Thailand. A civil war between the Vietnamese-sponsored government of Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge continued until United Nations sponsored elections in 1993 restored stability. Prince Sihanouk became King again, and a coalition government between the conservative-royalist Funcinpec party and the pro-Vietnamese Cambodian People's Party was formed in 1998. That year also saw the surrender of the remaining Khmer Rouge troops and the death of Pol Pot. Nonetheless, none of the Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried for their war crimes. Cambodia now attempts to rebuild itself after years of horror.

*

Our driver, nicknamed "Black" by his friends for his dark skin, was very cool. He helped us a lot, guiding us through the chaos of Phnom Penh. His English was very good, perhaps even better than our driver in Siem Reap. He was an intelligent, friendly 29-year-old man from a village near the Cambodia-Vietnam border. Coincidentally, he'll be traveling on holiday in Thailand during the same time as us. We exchanged emails, and maybe we'll meet up for a drink in Koh Samui.

We have our bus tickets to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam for tomorrow. Over the next 10 days or so, we plan on visiting HCMC, Mue Nei (a nice beach just outside HCMC), Dalat (a popular mountain retreat), and Nha Trang (another nice beach in Cam Ranh Bay). Should be fun!

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Phnom Penh, Cambodia - June 21; 6:20pm]

"Arrival in HCMC, Vietnam"

After a pleasant dinner at Happy Herb Pizza on the Riverfront, we strolled back to the hotel. It was about a 5-10 minute walk. To our surprise, the clothes we had turned over to the hotel laundry service were apparently missing. For the next few hours, the hotel staff searched frantically for the missing clothes.

Meanwhile, in our room, we watched "When We Were Soldiers," with Mel Gibson on a TV channel that was connected to a DVD player within the hotel. We were fairly certain that most of these movies, if not all, were probably purchased on the black market (commonly referred to in Phnom Penh as the Russian Market). At this market, you can find nearly anything you are looking for...from recently released movies pirated onto DVDs to GAP clothes to name brand shoes to Prada purses to fresh snake meat.

Anyway, we finally received our laundry at around 11pm. Thank goodness...considering most of Rachel's clothes were in that load.

The next day, we left early for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The bus was older and hotter than the one we road to Phnom Penh. To make matters worse, the road was also in need of repair. It took about 4 hours to get to the border. Crossing the border itself was a very, very slow and trying process.

Although there was only about 30 people in front of us, it somehow managed to take us nearly an hour to pass through into Vietnam. Strangely, there seemed to be a dozen workers, but only 5 were working. In addition, there was a fair amount of "corruption" within the process itself. For one reason or another, groups of 3-10 people (mostly of Asian decent), would hand all of their documents to one individual. This individual took the stack of documents to the front of the line. All of these papers were put through before those of us waiting in a hot and steamy line. Oh well, we got through without incident. At least we had ice cream bars waiting for us on the other side.

Currently, we write to you from the Empress Hotel in HCMC, District 1. It's a very interesting city from what we have seen so far. For example, we recently returned from the supermarket. The brightly lit building was full of energy...pumping out dance-like music as hundreds of Vietnamese were bustling about purchasing goods. As we walked through the aisles searching for a bottle of wine and some M&Ms, many people indiscretely looked at us with curiosity. It felt like we were movie stars or something...as they monitored our actions, goods in hand, and conversation. Very interesting.

HCMC also does not have the same level of people hoping to provide various goods and services. Meaning, there were no tuk-tuk drivers outside of our hotel, there were no children selling little trinkets, and no beggars hoping for a donation. Although we have not spent a great deal of time in Vietnam, it will be interesting to see if this is the exception, not the rule. Perhaps we are staying off the main tourist path.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - June 22; 9:20pm]

"From the Cool Mountains of Central Vietnam"

Last night, during our search for a place to eat, a very kind Vietnamese man approached us with a few friendly words. Shortly thereafter, we found ourselves walking to a restaurant as he eagerly spoke with us about our thoughts & experiences. He was very interested in practicing his English, mainly because he was an English teacher, and also to learn more about the US. We learned that many Vietnamese in the South generally like Americans. Our new "friend" told us that this was primarily due to the strong ties with the US for so many years. However, the North is apparently a bit different...with a fair amount of dislike for us.

Anyway, dinner was good - a bit intersting though. Our friend ordered us a "traditional" Vietnamese dish of steamed fish, various veggies & spices, and noodles...all wrapped in rice paper (much like a fajita...but Asian style). They were fairly good, although nothing we'd probably order a second time. Another dish was grilled sesame venison. This dish was very tasty with a good amount of kick to it.

After dinner, he insisted we stop at his favorite massage parlor. This place was unknown to tourists, usually only serving locals. For $10 each, we received about a 45 minute full-body traditional Vietnamese massage. Some intersting notes...they were fascinated by Rachel's appearance, from her blonde hair to her blue eyes to her ghetto booty. Both massage girls were giggling at her...which we found amusing as well. We have to say, this was the best $10 spent so far!

***

We left for Dalat around lunch today, arriving around 6pm or so. Compared to the balmy, hot tempetures of Cambodia & HCMC, Dalat was refreshing 65 degrees when we arrived this evening. For the first time on this trip, we were a little cold as we rode on the back of a couple motobikes to our hotel.

Dalat, a relatively small city (130,000) in south-central Vietnam is a mountainous tourist destination. Unlike many of the other places we've visited thus far, Dalat is primarily filled with domestic travelers...not Westerners. As we walked the streets, most people turned to look at us...intrigued & curious (much like our experience in the supermarket @HCMC). The area offers beautiful hills covered with lush jungle vegetation, majestic waterfalls, and a variety of places to dine & shop. There's also a world-class golf course, which we've been told is the best in the country. It's no wonder Dalat is Vietnam's #1 honeymoon location.

We plan on spending about 3 days relaxing in the mountains. On Monday, we'll head off to the beaches of Nha Trang. That'll be nice too...some good "sun" time.

Goodnight,
-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Dalat, Vietnam - June 24; 9:45pm]

"Another day in the Mountains"

We're spending our second day in Dalat, enjoying the temporary break from the heat. Yesterday, we enjoyed a few of the most popular sights around the area. First, we walked around the streets of Dalat, checking out the various shops, tailors, and eateries. Unfortunately, it started to downpour...and we had to head for cover. The rain continued for the next hour, so we decided to grab some lunch in the town center.

The rain died down, and we headed off to find a couple motobikes to take us to the Flower Gardens. This is a major attraction opposite the lake, and adjacent to the golf course. Thousands of flowers & other vegetation is spread out across a fairly large area. We walked around, enjoying the pleasant weather & the interesting plant life.

Again, we ran into an interesting situation regarding the Vietnamese. A few teenage girls were visiting the gardens & taking pictures of each other when they saw us walking around. Rachel offered to take a picture of all of them & did so...but afterwards, one of the girls walked up to her to request a picture with Rachel. Once the first girl had her picture, a second girl requested the same thing. It was almost like Rachel was some famous celebrity...crazy, eh?

From the Gardens, we hopped on a couple motobikes and visited the Dalanta (spelling??) Falls just outside of Dalat. The ride was nice because it gave us the opportunity to see some of the beautiful mountains that cover the area. Plus, it was pleasant to get outside of the city for a while. Even though Dalat is very small compared to HCMC or Bangkok, it's still a very active place. Motobikes, trucks, construction, and people fill the streets with different sounds...making a peaceful moment hard to come by. The Falls itself was about a 15-20 minute walk down a steep path, which took us through a rain forest & eventually led to the roaring of the waterfall.

By the time we arrived back in Dalat, it was about 5pm...so we decided to head back to hotel to relax before dinner (note - the sun sets around 6:30pm or so). Dinner was great...venison with chiles & lemongrass and pork in a caramelized sauce. We also enjoyed some local Dalat wine, which was alse pretty good.

Today, we'll check out some more of the attractions...including a famous architect's creation, called "Crazy House", and the last Vietnamese King's palace. If the weather isn't as rainy as yesterday, we might check out the golf course as well...possibly play a little too.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Dalat, Vietnam - June 26; 10:15am]

"The Sunny (sort of) Beaches of Nha Trang, Vietnam"

Greetings from the beach. It's nice to have a day to completely veg out, enjoying the warm air & the cool water. We arrived in Nha Trang yesterday afternoon via bus from Dalat (5-hour trip; $4 each). The ride wasn't too bad...a little bumpy at times, and coming down the mountains was slightly nauseating. We were dissapointed that the two nice hotels (about $30/night) we picked out were full, but everything had a way of working out. There's no pool or fancy rooms, nor an elevator to take us up 4 flights of stairs, but the room is across the street from the ocean and is only $10.

There's also a really nice "resort" like restaurant/bar/beach area about 1-2 blocks from the hotel, which is predominately filled with Westerners. The prices are a bit higher than Dalat, but the food & drinks are amazingly good. For a late lunch, we had some delicious chicken fajitas & pepporoni pizza that really hit the spot. Not quite the McDonald's Big Mac we were craving for most of the bus ride, but it was close enough.

Just as we were sitting down at the restaurant, a huge storm came through and it poured like mad for a half-hour or so. It was actually really cool to watch from the restaurant, which was sort of like a large hut, with only one main wall and posts supporting the roof, giving us a view of the sea. The roof itself was covered with straw (mainly for effect) and the water rushed off each individual piece, creating almost a wall of water. Very cool!

Last night, after cleaning up, we walked around on the beach a little. Later that night, we found a restaurant that looked appealing, but unfortunately, wasn't that good. Mainly, our server must have been having a rough day, or she's just naturally unfriendly, but she looked almost angry most of the time she served us. Plus, the food we ordered was not very good. Oh well...that'll happen from time to time. And maybe that's what we get for not ordering seafood at a seafood restaurant.

Today, we woke up early to watch the sunrise...although after about 5 minutes, we both were too tired to stay awake, so we decided to go back to bed. When we did wake up (around 8:30am), we headed off for a day in the sun. However, the sun wasn't really out most of the day. We rented a couple chairs & a tiki-hut from the same restaurant we ate at yesterday (less than $3 for both). For breakfast, we had a pancake, omelette, and hash browns (about $3).

There were some interesting sites from our chairs. A woman came by, carrying a large stick over her shoulders with two pot-like things on each side. It turns out that one side was a cooler filled with water & live lobsters, while the other was a pot of boiling water atop a charcoal grill. We overheard it was about $7-$10 for a lobster, depending on the size. Simply amazing. We may even try one before we leave Nha Trang.

Also, despite the lack of direct sun, we managed to get a decent tan for our first day out on the beach (only another 15 days or so left...haha). Another woman sold us a bunch of fresh fruit for $3, which consisted of about 6 small bananas, 1 pinneapple, and 12 spiky, red & green plum-sized fruits (which are very sweet & tasty in the inside - also they are clear). The taste of this unique fruit is something of a cross between a grape & tangerine.

There's live music & drink specials at the same place we've mentioned twice already (it's become our favorite place for basically everything). We'll probably head there for a bit, and then off to bed. We need our sleep for another day at the beach. haha

We fly to HCMC on Thursday, and plan on arriving in Ko Samui, Thailand by Friday afternoon/evening. The remainder of the trip will be in the soutern islands of Thailand (Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngen, & Phuket).

Hope all is well back in the US.
-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Nha Trang, Vietnam - June 28; 5:30pm]

"Ko Samui - Island Paradise"

After another beautiful day on the beach of Nha Trang, Vietnam, we spent yesterday traveling across the region. We at least wanted to arrive in HCMC by last night, if not Bangkok...which would allow us to fly into Ko Samui this morning. Without any advanced reservations, we were not sure how easy it would be to book the 2 additional flights (HCMC-BKK, BKK-Samui).

To our amazement, we were actually able to arrive in Samui late last night (around 9pm) on the last flight available out of Bangkok. However, after the 3 flights and traveling from 5:30am until 9:00pm, we were exhausted. With only a slight idea of where we wanted to stay in Ko Samui, we just wanted to find a place to crash. To make matters more interesting, a couple storms were moving across the island last night during our arrival.

The rains were intense, flooding many of the streets...our taxi was driving through areas with at least 1 foot of standing water! About 20 minutes after leaving the airport, we arrived in Lamai beach, which is on the southeast coast of the island. The rains stopped for a bit, allowing us some escape from the downpours. The first place we checked out was okay, but for the money, we thought it wasn't worth it. About a block up the road, we found another place, which was recommended to us, that was pretty nice. Again, a little more than we wanted to spend, but the rains were intensifying and we were tired. So we checked in & relaxed. The lightning was really cool though...lighting up the ocean & the briefly offering a glimpse of the island. We were excited to see it during the daylight.

This morning, we woke up to a partially-cloudy sky, and very comfortable temp's. It feels about 80 degrees & there's a nice breeze. It's supposed to be in the low-90's by mid-day, but for the time being, it's lovely. We plan on staying at our place for one more night, then maybe up to Ko Toa to do our diving class. We both want to get certified & do some open water dives before leaving the Gulf side of Thailand. Then we'll be off to Phuket, where if it all works out, we'd like to do 1-3 more open water dives around Phuket and/or Ko Phi-Phi. We might also do some snorkeling, take a Thai cooking class, and/or do some rock-climbing.

We're doing great...we're both very excited to be on the peak of the trip. Cambodia & Vietnam were awesome, and quite the adventure. However, we've both been looking forward to the beautiful islands of southern Thailand for months.

Cheers,
-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Ko Samui, Thailand - July 1; 10:15am]

"Live and Let Dive"

Hello from Ko Tao! As one of the greatest dive sites in Southeast Asia, if not the world, the small island of Ko Tao is filled with dive schools, small bundles of bungalows, and people from all over the world. The beautiful turqouise water is crystal clear, filled with a wide variety of fish & other sea life.

We're staying on the west side of "Turtle Island" (although it doesn't look like a turtle) at a diving school/hotel called "Big Blue Divers". It seems like a reputable company...the equipment is relatively new, the staff speaks fluent English (mostly Aussies, Brits, etc.), and offers proper training. So far, we've completed 2 of the 4 days of the Open Water Certification course. At about $200 for the diving & accomadations (except food), we feel like we're definetly getting our money's worth. In Florida or Mexico, I'm sure it would cost a lot more. Everyone is really nice...both locals & other tourists. We're paired up with an Aussie couple in our dive group, and our dive instructor is Swiss.

The islands are great. Temperatures are much more temperate than the mainland (in the low 90s), obviously because of the cool ocean breeze that continually blows off the Gulf of Thailand. Our hotel room isn't great...no hot water, no A/C, and no TV. But after a day out at the beach, a cool shower feels nice. And there's enough of a breeze coming through our second-story room to make sleeping managable. As for TV, we still caught the Wimbleton Finals at the local bar.

If we don't post tomorrow, Happy 4th of July to everyone back home! We'll celebrate in our little way over here...maybe a couple other Americans will surface at the bar & join us.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Ko Tao, Thailand - July 3; 8:00pm]

"Done & Double Done - Open Water Diver Certified"

We are proud to report that we have successfully completed our Open Water Diving certification course. After 5 dives (which included 1 skin dive) in the warm, clear waters of Koh Tao, we are technically experienced enough to dive on our own. It was an amazing experience!! There were tons of fish & other sea life all around us: moray eels, parrotfish, angel fish, trigger fish, puffer fish, butterfly fish, Christmas tree worms, sea urchins, bannerfish, and many more!

Our maximum depth was 18 meters (about 55 feet or so), which was achieved on our 4th dive. The other dives were from 10-12 meters. Each dive was about 40 minutes in duration, which gave us plenty of time to descend, explore, and ascend.

If weather & money permit, we plan on doing some more diving in Phuket and/or Koh Phi Phi (the island where "The Beach" was filmed). Perhaps we'll earn our 'Advanced Diver' certification, which requires 5 more dives...but with some specific skill sets. These include skills such as deep diving (30-40 meters), night diving, navigation, etc. Not sure yet...we'll see.

On the second day, we both got sea sick...relatively big waves. It hit the hardest when we were preparing all our equipment on the boat while en route to the dive site. It was sort of like reading in the car...concentrating on something while everything is moving was very nauseating. :( We learned from the first day out, and took Dramamine (motion sickness pill). It worked fairly well, and today was much better.

Tomorrow, we head back to Ko Samui to bum around for a few days. We might take a Thai cooking class, do some rock-climbing, and/or do some shopping. Then on Saturday, we're off to a beautiful resort in Phuket for our last week in Southeast Asia. We'll be sad to leave such a beautiful part of the world, especially because our lives are so easy over here. However, at the same time, it will be nice to be back in the familar US, with our modern day comforts of Western life. Plus, we miss our friends & family.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Ko Tao, Thailand - July 5; 5:00pm]

"Sun, sand, and seafood in Samui"

Returning to Lamai Beach in Koh Samui, we checked back into the Mira Mare and negotiated a better rate with an agreement to stay for 3 nights. It's a nice place, good location, and right on the beach...hard to beat. Plus the price is considerably less than some the places surrounding it. We were all set by early afternoon, and we went to eat at one of the many restaurants in Lamai.

At a recently opened "Irish" pub, we had some incredible Pad Thai & Red Chicken Curry (about $2-$3 each). A friendly Irishman, whome we later learned was the owner, came out to ask us what we thought of our food. It was a nicely decorated place, with dark wood furniture, Irish sports posters & jerseys, and green & white table cloths.

Realizing how tired we were from the last few days of diving plus the day of traveling, we returned to the hotel for a well deserved nap. A couple hours later, we relaxed a bit on our porch area, reading & enjoying the rythmic crashing of the waves. By 8pm, we were on our way out to a restaurant recommended to us by Derek (via email) called "Samui Jasmine Resort", located on the northern end of Lamai. Although it took a little effort to find the place, we walked through the beautiful resort reception area to the restaurant.

A well maintained garden led into a gorgeous tiled pool area, complete with flowing water soothingly dropping off one end of the pool. Candle-lit tables with white linens were situated on the soft, sandy beach, and a few other couples were also enjoying a late evening meal. A Thai gentleman was quietly playing on his acoustic guitar, adding the last piece to the incredibly romantic ambience. Sitting down at one of the tables nearest the ocean, we carefully perused through the hand-made menu's. We ordered baked crab and stir-fried shrimp, as we were in the mood for some great fresh seafood.

After paying the bill, which was only about $12 or so, we returned to the main street of Lamai beach, walking back towards our hotel. We stopped at several of the countless shops, picking up a few trinkets here & there. Rachel also tried on the dress that she is having made at one of the local tailors. A black, halter-top dress that stops slightly below the knees, it looks like it could be very beautiful. However, it's hard to tell until it's complete. Dresses, according to Rachel, are a bit more touchy than suits, with both the design & fit being very important for each woman.

Today, we enjoyed the sunny, hot beach...laying out in the sun and having a couple cocktails. However, by about 1pm, the clouds moved in, and we were doused with a quick rain shower. Over the next few hours, we had lunch, read a little, and relaxed on our porch. After the day at the beach, we went back to that Irish restaurant again, enjoying some more great Thai food. Now we're about to go back for a second fitting at the tailor, maybe play some darts at one of the bars, and watch a movie back at the hotel.

Oh, we also heard about the bombings in London. This is another sad result of the spite & hatred in a few people of the world, causing so many others to suffer. We have seen so many poor & less fortunate people throughout our travels in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand, and despite their hardships, the vast majority seem content with the world...smiling & laughing, enjoying life with friends & family. There's a sort of general happiness over here...something that is desperately lacking in the hearts of those men carrying out such horrible acts against humanity.

Goodnight,
-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Koh Samui, Thailand - July 7; 8:25pm]

"Still Alive - Enjoying Phuket"

We arrived in Phuket mid-morning this past Saturday, via a 40-minute flight from Samui. It sure beat taking the ferry to the mainland, and a 6-8 hour bus-ride. Thailand's largest island is beautiful...white, sandy beaches and beautiful, clear water. For the first time this trip, we're staying in top-notch accomadations, thanks to Randy & Anne Behm (Jeff's parents) who graciously gave us a week at a condo here in Phuket that is part of their travel club.

The resort is wonderful...a large two-room living quarters, with a king-size bed, living room, dining area, kitchenette, and a nice bathroom (for once). It's a nice change. Our pool-side room is part of the Allamanda Resort, which is part of a 5-hotel resort group. They're all connected by lagoons...and small boats come & go, taking guests to different parts of the massive resort area. The beach is very nice...however, due to the weather patterns this time of year, the water is quite dangerous to swim in. Consequently, guests are strongly advised to stay out of the water. For us, we've never seen waves this big before. Amazing!

Sorry for those of you who have worried about our safety, considering our last post was a few days ago. The opportunity to post is not as prevelant as it has been throughout the previous 4 weeks. We're sort of on an island within an island, so to speak. The resort world is one that is substantially overpriced, charging ridiculous amounts for food, drink, and internet service. In other places, beer has been about $1.50, internet $1 per hour, and a good Thai meal $3. Here on our "island", it's more like $4, $5, and $6...respectively.

Anyway, all is well here in Phuket. The weather has been great...we're spending most of our time laying in the sun, reading, and enjoying the pool. We went to Patong last night to do some shopping. We ate this incredible 'Latino' restaurant, serving tasty fajitas and near perfect mojito's (Ben...this are some of the best I've tasted) and margarita's.

Until next time...good-bye.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Phuket, Thailand - July 11; 9:45am]

"Diving in Ko Racha Yai (near Phuket)"

Our trip is winding down, with only two more days in Thailand. It's been an incredible adventure, filled with unforgetable memories. We added a few more in the last couple days, including a great dive experience off the small island of Ko Racha Yai, about 1 1/2 hours south of Phuket (by boat).

We dove twice today, both of which were purely "fun" dives...meaning they were not part of any courses nor any skills lessons. The water was very clear, allowing us to see all the beautiful & interesting fish & coral. Not too different than Ko Tao (on the Gulf side), the sea offered a variety of sealife; moray eels, bannerfish, butterflyfish, snapper, and others. There was a school of baracuda, plus a solitary great baracuda in the water today. Very cool. We also spotted a couple lionfish (very poisonous, but also very lovely fish), and tons of starfish. Both dives were slightly deeper than 20 meters (nearly 70 feet).

Not much else to report...we've enjoyed some tasty Thai meals at the Black Cat, and had a more "fancy" meal at one of the many Sheraton restaurants. We also ordered some food "to go", allowing us to eat for considerably cheaper in our room.

Tomorrow, we'll spend our last day near the pool and/or ocean, enjoying the last hours of gorgeous sun & sea breeze. We also have a lagoon tour schedule for the late afternoon. Then we fly back to Bangkok early Saturday morning, and depart for home late Saturday night, around midnight.

-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Phuket, Thailand - July 14; 3:50pm]

"We've Come Full Circle..."

At 10:30am this morning, we arrived in Bangkok...the city where all of the crazy adventures began 5 weeks ago. It's been a crazy, fun, sometimes stressful ride, and it's an experience neither of us will ever forget. Last night, we both recalled the first day in Southeast Asia, overwhelmed with culture shock and worried about how things would go the rest of the trip. However, we lived & learned...and by this morning, we have adjusted to life over here. The tuk-tuk drivers fail to grab our attention, the heat doesn't affect us (as much), and the communication barrier barely presents a problem.

We've enjoyed it all...the busy streets in Bangkok, the ancient temples of Siem Reap, the crazy capital city of Cambodia (Phnom Penh), the "interesting" bus-rides into & throughout Vietnam, the absolutely insane moto-bike filled streets of Ho Chi Minh City, the cool mountain village of Dalat, the sunny beaches of Nha Trang, the island living of Ko Samui, the diving classes in Ko Tao, and the fancy resort life of Phuket. Each place has offered a unique experience...some good, some not as good...and we've met some wonderful people along the way.

We send our love to our friends & family back in the States. Thank you for your patience & support throughout our adventures. We know some of you were a little worried about our safety (i.e. our parents), and we did our best to watch out for each other & remain safe. Also, greetings to the people that made our trip that much better. Pravit in Bangkok...without you, we'd still be searching for the tailor. Kim in Siem Reap...you enriched our experience at Angkor Wat & kept us cool with the air-conditioned car. "Black" in Phnom Penh, we enjoyed your crazy stories and we hope you're enjoying Phuket. Hai in HCMC, you gave us the priceless opportunity to experience authentic Vietnamese culture (and a great massage). The Nha Trang Beach Crew...our differences & similarities made for some great hang time over some great drinks at the Sailing Club...hope you all are enjoying your travels. Mike in Ko Tao...thank you for introducing us to the world of diving, we love it and hope to continue the sport in the future. And to all the randoms that guided us here and there, you truly made the difference in our travels.

Thank you all. We'll be home tomorrow night...for better or for worse.

Our last post,
-Jeffrey & Rachel
[Bangkok, Thailand - July 16; 1:45pm]

This is a good story - it deserves to be at the top of the list, so I am going to bump it up!

In all frankness, you've made a real ass of yourself today. Sure the new TT has some flaws and you're trying to demonstrate one of them by bringing up all these ancient threads, but you're doing so at the expense of your fellow posters. We'd like to avoid plowing through all the crap you've stirred up today.

{quote:title=Just_Bob wrote:}{quote}
In all frankness, you've made a real ass of yourself today. Sure the new TT has some flaws and you're trying to demonstrate one of them by bringing up all these ancient threads, but you're doing so at the expense of your fellow posters. We'd like to avoid plowing through all the crap you've stirred up today.

I actually did enjoy reading a lot of the posts! Not to worry, I am leaving in a couple of minutes. Glad the point was taken. A few others actually commented on them as well. An some of the posts actually helped some people, so I don't see the harm. I might as well look at old posts! At least it is functional for me. If the point of getting on an online forum is to enjoy reading and responding to posts, then what is the problem? Chancao's post about driving was pretty good! I hadn't read it before. I really did like the poem. I laughed with I was the connect 4 post. I actually advised some of the people that I asked how their trip went. What is wrong with following up with them?