I'm back at Chicago-O'Hare waiting on my flight to Philly. I swear I spend more time in this airport than the people who work here. The trip over from Dubuque wasn't bad. On time — a little early even.
Dubuque is still Dubuque. Like a lot of other small towns, there's not a lot going on there. But the people are friendly and the weather's been nice. I put a couple more pictures on my Web site.
Next week I'll be in Burr Ridge, Ill. through Wednesday then in New York City for the rest of the week. After that, it sounds like I'm headed to Winter Park, Fla. in early October. I'll keep y'all posted.
Enjoy.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Dubuque
I know, I know. I promised posts from Dubuque. I have a good reason, but I'll get to that later. For now, I have a few pictures from my last couple Dubuque trips.
Dubuque, IA - Dubuque Regional Airport.
Dubuque, IA - Downtown Scenes, Shot Tower and Old Star Brewery.
Dubuque, IA - The Mississippi River.
So the reason I haven't posted it yet is because I've been busy prepping photos from the SEA trip for public viewing. They're online now at my Web site.
So the reason I haven't posted it yet is because I've been busy prepping photos from the SEA trip for public viewing. They're online now at my Web site.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
ORD
O'Hare isn't the worst airport in the country, though I might have told you different Friday. At the moment, I'm sitting at one of the courtesy charging stations in Terminal 3 plugged in and WiFi'd up, waiting for my flight back to Dubuque. I just finished a pair of char dogs from the Gold Coast in the little food court around the corner. Tasty, but the guy forgot the sport peppers. Life's about as good as it gets in an airport terminal with another hour of layover ahead.
Chicago-style hot dog from Gold Coast Dogs.
Friday, I was returning to Philly from Dubuque. As usual, I started checking airport delays around noon to see what the evening had in store. The FAA site was already showing delays into O'Hare of close to an hour because of the winds. Thankfully, they didn't grow through the day.
At the airport, the board showed delay. The woman behind the American Eagle counter checking me into my flight (she's also half of both the baggage and ground crews) assured me that the flight out would go and wouldn't even be that late departing. They started boarding at the alloted time, but as we loaded up, the pilot came over the loud speaker, "Well folks, the good news is the ground stop has been canceled ... The bad news is traffic is backed up into Chicago. Dubuque's a small town, so we're pretty far down on the priority list." He went on to explain that we were going to be delayed taking off by an hour and a half, but the time was sliding slowly our direction, so we were going to sit in the plane on the runway ready to go at the drop of a hat.
Thankfully, the delay only lasted 50 minutes in the end and we made to ORD in one piece. We had to swing out over the lake and come in from the east to so the little plane could land in the wind. We had a nice, dancing landing — one of those where the plane waves back and forth on the way in and skips around a bit once it hits the ground — but alls well that ends well, right?
And I lucked out, my flight to Philly was delayed just like the flight from DBQ, so I got to experience the full two hours of layover. I think I've spent more time sitting in O'Hare this year than I have at at the office.
I'll try to put up some photos of Dubuque this week. I fully intended to last week, but the first week on the road after the time off left me a little less than energetic in the evenings.
Enjoy.
Friday, I was returning to Philly from Dubuque. As usual, I started checking airport delays around noon to see what the evening had in store. The FAA site was already showing delays into O'Hare of close to an hour because of the winds. Thankfully, they didn't grow through the day.
At the airport, the board showed delay. The woman behind the American Eagle counter checking me into my flight (she's also half of both the baggage and ground crews) assured me that the flight out would go and wouldn't even be that late departing. They started boarding at the alloted time, but as we loaded up, the pilot came over the loud speaker, "Well folks, the good news is the ground stop has been canceled ... The bad news is traffic is backed up into Chicago. Dubuque's a small town, so we're pretty far down on the priority list." He went on to explain that we were going to be delayed taking off by an hour and a half, but the time was sliding slowly our direction, so we were going to sit in the plane on the runway ready to go at the drop of a hat.
Thankfully, the delay only lasted 50 minutes in the end and we made to ORD in one piece. We had to swing out over the lake and come in from the east to so the little plane could land in the wind. We had a nice, dancing landing — one of those where the plane waves back and forth on the way in and skips around a bit once it hits the ground — but alls well that ends well, right?
And I lucked out, my flight to Philly was delayed just like the flight from DBQ, so I got to experience the full two hours of layover. I think I've spent more time sitting in O'Hare this year than I have at at the office.
I'll try to put up some photos of Dubuque this week. I fully intended to last week, but the first week on the road after the time off left me a little less than energetic in the evenings.
Enjoy.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Home again, home again ...
We've made it safely back to Philly. After an awesome breakfast at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, we said goodbye to Lucie and Richie and hopped our flight back home. The trip was uneventful, but we did have a bit of a scare in the PHL baggage claim (What, baggage problems at the philly airport? Never ...). They had to shut our carousel down for a while because a bag was caught in the conveyor down below. Of course we assumed it was one of our strappy backpacks gumming up the works. We managed to travel all over Southeast Asia without a baggage hitch, but, you know, it's PHL. Turned out someone else's bag was causing the problems, and after a bit of standing around our bags made it out intact.
We got home to find that Garrett, our renter, left the house significantly cleaner than we left it on the way out. Thank you, Garrett. Unfortunately, it seems our house has developed some sort of wiring issue where the circuit serving most of the upstairs trips its breaker at random intervals, so Meg will get to have fun dealing with that before she starts work next week.
I'm in Philly this week, but head to Dubuque next week for work. There's not much to do in Dubuque, so maybe I'll continue the blog there. Not quite as exotic and exciting as Asia, but it'd keep me entertained. We'll see.
Enjoy.
We got home to find that Garrett, our renter, left the house significantly cleaner than we left it on the way out. Thank you, Garrett. Unfortunately, it seems our house has developed some sort of wiring issue where the circuit serving most of the upstairs trips its breaker at random intervals, so Meg will get to have fun dealing with that before she starts work next week.
I'm in Philly this week, but head to Dubuque next week for work. There's not much to do in Dubuque, so maybe I'll continue the blog there. Not quite as exotic and exciting as Asia, but it'd keep me entertained. We'll see.
Enjoy.
Back in the USA
Eric and I made it back to the States and through customs with no issues tonight. Richie was nice enough to pick us up from LAX, and we are having a lovely (though too short) visit with him and Lucie -- and their fuzzy pooch Brando. We're heading back to Philly tomorrow at noon and should arrive about 8pm...assuming that the travel gods continue giving us good luck. Back to work for Eric on Tuesday...so sad.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Heading home
We're to the point now where we're counting down the hours until our flight leaves Bangkok for the LA, at which point we'll see if Phuket and Bangkok have served their purposes of easing us back into Western culture.
The Reclining Buddha, Wat Pho.
We spent yesterday seeing the sites of Bangkok. We started with Wat Pho, home of the giant (15m tall and 45m long) reclining Buddha sculpture. The sculpture is beautiful -- the entire thing is plated in gold with mother-of-pearl detailing, including more than 108 scenes from the life of Buddha depicted on the soles of its feet. The wat itself is pretty wonderful as well. The buildings are all blindingly white with gilded roofs of brightly colored tile.
After the wat, we went next door to the Grand Palace complex, a wonder in it's own right. After seeing the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and the Presidential Mansion in Vientiane, I must say the Thais got it right, managing to go completely over the top in almost every way. There's even a building that's sole purpose is to provide a place for members of the royal family to lay in state.
The Throne Hall of the Thai Royal Palace.
From there, we hiked up to the infamous backpacker haven, Khao San Road. The place was packed with Western tourists and locals trying to sell them things. We had lunch ata decent little restaurant on the road while the bar across the way serenaded us with a driving techno beat.
We ended the day at the Weekend Market, a massive labyrinth of stalls selling just about everything under the sun. Meg found a few dresses and I got some crappy t-shirts.
Today we've been sort of mellow. We took the Skytrain a couple of stops over to visit the consumerist mecca that is Siam Center and the Siam Paragon. Gotta love a mall with an entire floor dedicated to ultra-high-end auto dealers. Now we're just killing some time before we need to hop in a cab to the airport. The next time you hear from us we'll be back in the States. We spend the night in LA before heading back to Philly Monday. Here's to hoping we have a enough time to hit an In-N-Out Burger in LA.
Enjoy.
BTW, Meg added a couple of posts below and I threw some pictures up as well.
We spent yesterday seeing the sites of Bangkok. We started with Wat Pho, home of the giant (15m tall and 45m long) reclining Buddha sculpture. The sculpture is beautiful -- the entire thing is plated in gold with mother-of-pearl detailing, including more than 108 scenes from the life of Buddha depicted on the soles of its feet. The wat itself is pretty wonderful as well. The buildings are all blindingly white with gilded roofs of brightly colored tile.
After the wat, we went next door to the Grand Palace complex, a wonder in it's own right. After seeing the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh and the Presidential Mansion in Vientiane, I must say the Thais got it right, managing to go completely over the top in almost every way. There's even a building that's sole purpose is to provide a place for members of the royal family to lay in state.
From there, we hiked up to the infamous backpacker haven, Khao San Road. The place was packed with Western tourists and locals trying to sell them things. We had lunch ata decent little restaurant on the road while the bar across the way serenaded us with a driving techno beat.
We ended the day at the Weekend Market, a massive labyrinth of stalls selling just about everything under the sun. Meg found a few dresses and I got some crappy t-shirts.
Today we've been sort of mellow. We took the Skytrain a couple of stops over to visit the consumerist mecca that is Siam Center and the Siam Paragon. Gotta love a mall with an entire floor dedicated to ultra-high-end auto dealers. Now we're just killing some time before we need to hop in a cab to the airport. The next time you hear from us we'll be back in the States. We spend the night in LA before heading back to Philly Monday. Here's to hoping we have a enough time to hit an In-N-Out Burger in LA.
Enjoy.
BTW, Meg added a couple of posts below and I threw some pictures up as well.
Egg-plosion
In my continuing quest to convince everyone in my near vicinity that Americans really are crazy, I made a giant mess at breakfast yesterday morning.
Let me preface this story by saying that since we arrived in SEA I have been on an unsuccessful quest to locate the perfect soft-boiled egg. Other times I have been here, I ate many lovely soft-boiled eggs, but this time, such eggs have been elusive. I have found fried eggs, omelettes, and scrambled eggs -- and even the occasional hard-boiled egg...but alas, no soft-boiled eggs to sop up with toast.
Thus, when I opened the menu at the Atlanta Hotel and saw "boiled eggs" under the breakfast options, I jumped with glee. I was certain that the Atlanta could deliver my fabulous eggs! I carefully ordered two eggs -- specifying repeatedly that they should be soft-boiled, not hard-boiled. And out they came -- two shining globes in metal eggcups patiently awaiting my toast.
And that's where the problem arose. I had no spoon, and I wasn't sure the proper protocol for opening an egg sitting casually in an egg cup. In Laos, I always peeled the whole egg and dropped it into a baguette. At home, I smush the eggs in a bowl.
I tapped on the top of the first egg with my knife. It refused to give. I tapped on it with my fork. No luck. So I decided to do what I would do at home and peel the whole egg. Fine idea -- poor execution. I tapped the egg a little too hard on my plate and crushed it, sending runny yolk shooting all over my plate and my hand just as the waitress walked past and the French ladies at the next table glanced my way.
The waitress dashed to our table and told me to wait for a spoon. By now most of the restaurant patrons were staring unabashedly at me.
The waitress then returned with a spoon, replaced the crushed egg in its eggcup and proceeded to remove the top herself...and give me a long explanation on eating soft-boiled eggs...most of which I knew, but none of which I could ignore at that point. As if all of this wasn't embarrassing enough, once I finished my first egg and picked up the spoon to break into the second one, over dashed the waitress again. She took the spoon for me and opened the top of the egg, all the while muttering about me being her "baby." Oh dear... I'm surprised she didn't feed me every bite of the darn egg.
So today I order muesli. I'll eat eggs at home in the future. The cats don't mind when I make a mess.
Let me preface this story by saying that since we arrived in SEA I have been on an unsuccessful quest to locate the perfect soft-boiled egg. Other times I have been here, I ate many lovely soft-boiled eggs, but this time, such eggs have been elusive. I have found fried eggs, omelettes, and scrambled eggs -- and even the occasional hard-boiled egg...but alas, no soft-boiled eggs to sop up with toast.
Thus, when I opened the menu at the Atlanta Hotel and saw "boiled eggs" under the breakfast options, I jumped with glee. I was certain that the Atlanta could deliver my fabulous eggs! I carefully ordered two eggs -- specifying repeatedly that they should be soft-boiled, not hard-boiled. And out they came -- two shining globes in metal eggcups patiently awaiting my toast.
And that's where the problem arose. I had no spoon, and I wasn't sure the proper protocol for opening an egg sitting casually in an egg cup. In Laos, I always peeled the whole egg and dropped it into a baguette. At home, I smush the eggs in a bowl.
I tapped on the top of the first egg with my knife. It refused to give. I tapped on it with my fork. No luck. So I decided to do what I would do at home and peel the whole egg. Fine idea -- poor execution. I tapped the egg a little too hard on my plate and crushed it, sending runny yolk shooting all over my plate and my hand just as the waitress walked past and the French ladies at the next table glanced my way.
The waitress dashed to our table and told me to wait for a spoon. By now most of the restaurant patrons were staring unabashedly at me.
The waitress then returned with a spoon, replaced the crushed egg in its eggcup and proceeded to remove the top herself...and give me a long explanation on eating soft-boiled eggs...most of which I knew, but none of which I could ignore at that point. As if all of this wasn't embarrassing enough, once I finished my first egg and picked up the spoon to break into the second one, over dashed the waitress again. She took the spoon for me and opened the top of the egg, all the while muttering about me being her "baby." Oh dear... I'm surprised she didn't feed me every bite of the darn egg.
So today I order muesli. I'll eat eggs at home in the future. The cats don't mind when I make a mess.
Then Eric got punched by a ladyboy...
First off, I must admit that all of this was my idea, not Eric's. Anyone who knows me knows that I am always a little too inclined to do things "for the story" (ask Kathryn about our visit to Patpong if you're in doubt about that one). So "for the story" I decided that Eric and I really should go to a ladyboy cabaret on Phuket -- and conveniently enough, in the packet of tourist information I collected at the airport, there was an ad for "Katoys R Us" -- a cabaret in Patong Beach with nightly shows starting at 9:30.
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting Phuket, let me just say that it's tourist hell -- and Patong Beach is sex tourist hell. Yep, go-go bars and ping-pong shows from one end of the main drag to the other (with some random tailors mixed in here and there -- oddly enough -- and a variety of chain restaurants near the beach ... yippee for Starbucks and strippers all in one local!). There are ladyboys prancing about ready to hop into your photos, and men carrying iguanas and monkeys about for the same reason. (And here & there are families wandering wide-eyed about with their children -- some people really ought not procreate...but I digress)
Back to the point...
Soi Eric in TH Bangla, Patong Beach, Phuket.
Eric and I wandered around in Patong Beach for a bit looking at the generalized nastiness and wondering what is becoming of the world. I got a good picture of Soi Eric (Eric Street), a side lane lined on both sides with go-go bars, and Eric took a photo of me in front of a for sale sign hanging on one of the bars (who needs to be a lawyer when you can run off to manage your very own go-go bar?!).
Finally 9:20 rolled around, and we headed to the show. Well, we headed to the bar -- which was completely empty of patrons, but full of ladyboys. As soon as we peaked inside, out came a gaggle of ladyboys to drag us to the nearest table and explain that the show would be starting soon. Eric and I ordered beers since one needs liquor for these sorts of excursions. And two lovely ladyboys joined us at our table. You guessed it -- like trashy strip clubs in the US, the show might be free at the cabaret, but you're supposed to buy the ladies drinks in exchange for their company. We probably could have sent them away, but when you're the only patron, you feel at least a little obligation to help pay the ladies' salaries. As a result, we had two ladyboys join our party.
Meg and the (lady)boys.
About then an older Australian man and his wife entered the bar. The man looked like a jolly, non-winking, Aussie version of Popeye. His wife looked, well, wifely (grandmotherly, even) and less than amused by the situation. They plopped down at the table beside ours, and before I could say "boo," there were four ladyboys swarming around them. I think that they too decided that two was enough and sent the others away to dance on the bar and frolic outside.
All the while there were ladyboys dancing on poles in the middle of the room and shedding clothing in the bar window. (Apparently one of the less clothed ones kept making very obscene gestures at Eric every time I turned my back) The ladyboys at our table decided that what would liven up the place was some audience participation...unfortunately that translated into "Meg" participation. Yep, men don't get to participate, and there was no way in hell anyone was getting the grandmotherly Australian to do anything more than control her anger long enough not to kill her husband in public. Go figure that this was one of the occasions in life when being drunk would have assisted, and when I wasn't. Bother.
An investment opportunity.
Thus sober me was dragged onto the bar to dance and pose with the ladyboys. That lasted all of five minutes before I decided that I had participated more than enough. Eric got a good laugh off that one!
Thankfully the cabaret was finally ready to start, so I was left alone for a bit. Poor Katoys R Us! It's a bit low-rent, I must admit -- nothing like Christie's on Samui. The costumes didn't quite fit, and about half of the backup dancers looked anything but excited.
I do believe the highlight of the show was a fat drag queen who belly danced to Hava Negila. Yes, I am well aware of the many, many things wrong with that performance. Let's see -- ere, there are a million middle easterners wandering the streets of Phuket, and I really doubt they would be happy to see a tranny belly dancing. Then there's the issue with the song being a JEWISH folk song, not a belly dancing fave. Then there's the problem in general with short, fat, somewhat hairy men belly dancing in public arenas ... But hey, it was funny in that sad, inappropriate way.
There were several other performances that were more, ere, traditional and thus more appropriately enjoyable (if anything at a ladyboy cabaret can really be defined as "appropriate"). Lucky me was again dragged into the spotlight after the Australian wife angrily refused to dance with the first "singer." And again my participation lasted exactly as long as it took for me to politely escape back to my bar stool.
While the show as going on, some of the other ladyboys were wandering around the bar. The world's foremost ladyboy body builder (imagine a stocky, ripped man with large fake boobies) came over and began punching said bosoms with great force for some reason (I kept wanting to issue a warning about the dangers of exploding implants -- just ask one of those WWE lady wrestlers) -- but couldn't find the appropriate words. The little body builder was hassling the Australian -- and may have punched him in the arm -- I'm not sure what was going on. Then it was our turn. The ladyboy came to our table with some little packages of damp towels (which they had in large supply at the bar for some reason). She handed one to me, then turned to Eric and punched him right in the chest with the other one -- it exploded with a great boom, and Eric nearly fell off his stool. Odd really. (I'm not sure that was necessary in the name of damp towelettes, but hey, I'm not sure any of this was really necessary in the traditional sense of the word.)
About the time I was thinking I was ready to flee the scene (but wondering how to duck out when we were two of four in the audience), the show ended. We snapped a couple more pictures then ran from Patong Beach. Oh my...
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of visiting Phuket, let me just say that it's tourist hell -- and Patong Beach is sex tourist hell. Yep, go-go bars and ping-pong shows from one end of the main drag to the other (with some random tailors mixed in here and there -- oddly enough -- and a variety of chain restaurants near the beach ... yippee for Starbucks and strippers all in one local!). There are ladyboys prancing about ready to hop into your photos, and men carrying iguanas and monkeys about for the same reason. (And here & there are families wandering wide-eyed about with their children -- some people really ought not procreate...but I digress)
Back to the point...
Eric and I wandered around in Patong Beach for a bit looking at the generalized nastiness and wondering what is becoming of the world. I got a good picture of Soi Eric (Eric Street), a side lane lined on both sides with go-go bars, and Eric took a photo of me in front of a for sale sign hanging on one of the bars (who needs to be a lawyer when you can run off to manage your very own go-go bar?!).
Finally 9:20 rolled around, and we headed to the show. Well, we headed to the bar -- which was completely empty of patrons, but full of ladyboys. As soon as we peaked inside, out came a gaggle of ladyboys to drag us to the nearest table and explain that the show would be starting soon. Eric and I ordered beers since one needs liquor for these sorts of excursions. And two lovely ladyboys joined us at our table. You guessed it -- like trashy strip clubs in the US, the show might be free at the cabaret, but you're supposed to buy the ladies drinks in exchange for their company. We probably could have sent them away, but when you're the only patron, you feel at least a little obligation to help pay the ladies' salaries. As a result, we had two ladyboys join our party.
About then an older Australian man and his wife entered the bar. The man looked like a jolly, non-winking, Aussie version of Popeye. His wife looked, well, wifely (grandmotherly, even) and less than amused by the situation. They plopped down at the table beside ours, and before I could say "boo," there were four ladyboys swarming around them. I think that they too decided that two was enough and sent the others away to dance on the bar and frolic outside.
All the while there were ladyboys dancing on poles in the middle of the room and shedding clothing in the bar window. (Apparently one of the less clothed ones kept making very obscene gestures at Eric every time I turned my back) The ladyboys at our table decided that what would liven up the place was some audience participation...unfortunately that translated into "Meg" participation. Yep, men don't get to participate, and there was no way in hell anyone was getting the grandmotherly Australian to do anything more than control her anger long enough not to kill her husband in public. Go figure that this was one of the occasions in life when being drunk would have assisted, and when I wasn't. Bother.
Thus sober me was dragged onto the bar to dance and pose with the ladyboys. That lasted all of five minutes before I decided that I had participated more than enough. Eric got a good laugh off that one!
Thankfully the cabaret was finally ready to start, so I was left alone for a bit. Poor Katoys R Us! It's a bit low-rent, I must admit -- nothing like Christie's on Samui. The costumes didn't quite fit, and about half of the backup dancers looked anything but excited.
I do believe the highlight of the show was a fat drag queen who belly danced to Hava Negila. Yes, I am well aware of the many, many things wrong with that performance. Let's see -- ere, there are a million middle easterners wandering the streets of Phuket, and I really doubt they would be happy to see a tranny belly dancing. Then there's the issue with the song being a JEWISH folk song, not a belly dancing fave. Then there's the problem in general with short, fat, somewhat hairy men belly dancing in public arenas ... But hey, it was funny in that sad, inappropriate way.
There were several other performances that were more, ere, traditional and thus more appropriately enjoyable (if anything at a ladyboy cabaret can really be defined as "appropriate"). Lucky me was again dragged into the spotlight after the Australian wife angrily refused to dance with the first "singer." And again my participation lasted exactly as long as it took for me to politely escape back to my bar stool.
While the show as going on, some of the other ladyboys were wandering around the bar. The world's foremost ladyboy body builder (imagine a stocky, ripped man with large fake boobies) came over and began punching said bosoms with great force for some reason (I kept wanting to issue a warning about the dangers of exploding implants -- just ask one of those WWE lady wrestlers) -- but couldn't find the appropriate words. The little body builder was hassling the Australian -- and may have punched him in the arm -- I'm not sure what was going on. Then it was our turn. The ladyboy came to our table with some little packages of damp towels (which they had in large supply at the bar for some reason). She handed one to me, then turned to Eric and punched him right in the chest with the other one -- it exploded with a great boom, and Eric nearly fell off his stool. Odd really. (I'm not sure that was necessary in the name of damp towelettes, but hey, I'm not sure any of this was really necessary in the traditional sense of the word.)
About the time I was thinking I was ready to flee the scene (but wondering how to duck out when we were two of four in the audience), the show ended. We snapped a couple more pictures then ran from Patong Beach. Oh my...
Friday, August 31, 2007
Bangkok
We've survived Phuket and made our way up to Bangkok, though for a little while it didn't look so good. We'll be seeing the sites here over the next couple days before heading home Sunday.
"We've come to take your culture."
Last night was interesting. We decided to go up to Patong Beach for dinner and a ladyboy cabaret. Meg called dibs on that story, so I'll leave it for her to write. For now, I'll just say that Bangla makes Bourbon St. look like Mayberry.
This morning we opted to check out a different type of wildlife. We hopped on a package tour up to a gibbon preserve on the other side of the island. Very touristy -- the tour included elephant and buffalo cart rides -- thing to do, but in our defense, we were in Phuket, touristy is the only option.
Anyway, we're in Bangkok now, holed up in funky old hotel (The Atlanta), now so all is right(ish) with the world again. Now I just need to go wash the Phuket off of me.
Enjoy.
Last night was interesting. We decided to go up to Patong Beach for dinner and a ladyboy cabaret. Meg called dibs on that story, so I'll leave it for her to write. For now, I'll just say that Bangla makes Bourbon St. look like Mayberry.
This morning we opted to check out a different type of wildlife. We hopped on a package tour up to a gibbon preserve on the other side of the island. Very touristy -- the tour included elephant and buffalo cart rides -- thing to do, but in our defense, we were in Phuket, touristy is the only option.
Anyway, we're in Bangkok now, holed up in funky old hotel (The Atlanta), now so all is right(ish) with the world again. Now I just need to go wash the Phuket off of me.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Phuket
The weather and tides kept us from diving yesterday, so rather than sit on Phi Phi watching the rain we decided to make our way to Phuket a day early to take advantage of the fancy pants resort here. I'd forgotten how nice air conditioning, hot water and toilets that flush when you press a little lever can be. The hotel is across the highway from Karon Beach on the western side of Phuket island. It's one of those fancy places that has big pools with swim-up bars.
Phuket itself is sort of tourist hell. Everything is expensive and covered in neon -- imagine Panama City Beach with Thai hookers and ladyboys. We ate dinner at at a Scandanavian restaurant last night. Their menu consisted of Thai food, pasta and pizza. But they did serve Aquavit, so I guess that makes them Scandanavian. The pizza was tasty.
I'll post some pictures when I can find a computer that's USB ports don't look diseased.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
And then there were two
So it's down to just Meg and and I now. Phil and Maya left for Bangkok a couple days ago. If my calculations are correct they're in the air, a few hours from NYC at the moment.
The night before they left, we all went out to dinner with the folks from the dive shop we've been using (Paradise Diving on Long Beach Koh Phi Phi, if you find yourself in the neighborhood. Ask for Adam.) We had a massive feast of fish of all sorts and prawns and beer. A good time was had by all.
View from the lean-to on "Small Beach."
After an early breakfast to see the others off, Meg and I hiked up on to one of the hills to another resort -- currently closed until high season -- overlooking our beach. A little sign saying "Small Beach" pointed down an overgrown path through the jungle. Not having anything better to do, we decided to see where the path lead. True to the sign, there was a tiny patch of sand nestled among the rocks. Someone (turned out to be an industrious Austrian family) had built a lean-to out of sticks, banana leaves and palm fronds, so we spent most of the morning relaxing in the shade, reading our books and watching hermit crabs race across the sand.
We spent most of yesterday diving. The visibility wasn't quite as good and there were some pretty strong currents but we still managed to have a good time and see some cool fish (including yet another leopard shark).
The mouth of Pi-leh Bay, setting of the movie The Beach
Today we're sort of bumming around. It's been storming a bit -- no good for diving -- so we came into to town to do some exploring. We might dive again tomorrow, depending on how the reports about today sound. We fly to Bangkok from Phuket Friday and then head home from there Sunday so we're nearing the end of our trip. We might head to Phuket a night early and spend a night in one of the fancy places there, but we'll see.
Enjoy.
The night before they left, we all went out to dinner with the folks from the dive shop we've been using (Paradise Diving on Long Beach Koh Phi Phi, if you find yourself in the neighborhood. Ask for Adam.) We had a massive feast of fish of all sorts and prawns and beer. A good time was had by all.
After an early breakfast to see the others off, Meg and I hiked up on to one of the hills to another resort -- currently closed until high season -- overlooking our beach. A little sign saying "Small Beach" pointed down an overgrown path through the jungle. Not having anything better to do, we decided to see where the path lead. True to the sign, there was a tiny patch of sand nestled among the rocks. Someone (turned out to be an industrious Austrian family) had built a lean-to out of sticks, banana leaves and palm fronds, so we spent most of the morning relaxing in the shade, reading our books and watching hermit crabs race across the sand.
We spent most of yesterday diving. The visibility wasn't quite as good and there were some pretty strong currents but we still managed to have a good time and see some cool fish (including yet another leopard shark).
Today we're sort of bumming around. It's been storming a bit -- no good for diving -- so we came into to town to do some exploring. We might dive again tomorrow, depending on how the reports about today sound. We fly to Bangkok from Phuket Friday and then head home from there Sunday so we're nearing the end of our trip. We might head to Phuket a night early and spend a night in one of the fancy places there, but we'll see.
Enjoy.
Hurts so good...
Hiring someone to give you a Thai massage is only steps away from hiring someone to torture you into submission. They're both posted on signs along the good girl's highway to S&M. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration, but still -- there is something a little off about asking a very old, very strong woman to dig her thumbs into your legs and arms until you're quite certain that a) you're really going to scream this time she presses and b) tomorrow you'll be covered in dark blue, thumb-shaped bruises. So why subject yourself to such torture? Well, because afterward you feel darn skippy.
Yep, I got my first Thai massage of the trip on Saturday. The masseuse may have looked old and frail, but whatever she's been up to during her life has left her stronger than the largest WWE wrestler (either prior to steroid use or following!). I spent the first part of the massage lying on my back until the lovely thatched roof beside the sea listening to the waves crash on the shore while trying my hardest not to scrunch up my eyes too tightly when a finger dug a little too deep into a sore muscle. (In these situations, admitting pain is either a) setting yourself up for a weak and unsatisfactory massage or b) asking your sadistic masseuse for a beating -- and there's no way to tell which you'll end up calling forth ... neither is good)
I was thoroughly proud of myself for not squeaking once during the massage and for keeping my face in a largely "oooo, look how relaxed and bendy I am" position for much of the time. I guess the masseuse took this as a challenge because near the end she first stood on my legs (which was actually quite nice once she stepped off of them), then she bent me forward and pretty much sat on my back. Having tight legs, that wasn't going to happen -- at least not to the degree that she had hoped -- so out came my squeak of pain...followed shortly by her laughing.
You never win against your Thai masseuse -- especially if she's old enough to be your grandmother and hiding amazing upper-body strength in those bony hands. You just give in and let her torture your into submission. But really, it's great.
In fact, I'm planning a return trip tomorrow. Perhaps by the end of the week my head will reach my knees when someone sits on me.
Yep, I got my first Thai massage of the trip on Saturday. The masseuse may have looked old and frail, but whatever she's been up to during her life has left her stronger than the largest WWE wrestler (either prior to steroid use or following!). I spent the first part of the massage lying on my back until the lovely thatched roof beside the sea listening to the waves crash on the shore while trying my hardest not to scrunch up my eyes too tightly when a finger dug a little too deep into a sore muscle. (In these situations, admitting pain is either a) setting yourself up for a weak and unsatisfactory massage or b) asking your sadistic masseuse for a beating -- and there's no way to tell which you'll end up calling forth ... neither is good)
I was thoroughly proud of myself for not squeaking once during the massage and for keeping my face in a largely "oooo, look how relaxed and bendy I am" position for much of the time. I guess the masseuse took this as a challenge because near the end she first stood on my legs (which was actually quite nice once she stepped off of them), then she bent me forward and pretty much sat on my back. Having tight legs, that wasn't going to happen -- at least not to the degree that she had hoped -- so out came my squeak of pain...followed shortly by her laughing.
You never win against your Thai masseuse -- especially if she's old enough to be your grandmother and hiding amazing upper-body strength in those bony hands. You just give in and let her torture your into submission. But really, it's great.
In fact, I'm planning a return trip tomorrow. Perhaps by the end of the week my head will reach my knees when someone sits on me.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Still on Phi Phi
We're still on Phi Phi, enjoying the sun and diving. Phil and I have both enjoyed the sun a little too much and are now a bit on the pink side, but tons of aloe are helping with that.
Sunset from the beach on Koh Phi Phi.
Phil and Maya finished their Open Water Diver course, so the four of us went on a couple of dives yesterday. The dives were spectacular, we saw all sorts of marine life -- a leopard shark, turtles, sea snake, eels, lobster, giant shrimp, sea slugs, giant clam. The diving was all around a small just of Phi Phi called Koh Phi Phi Lay. We had lunch on a small beach there in Loh Samah Bay. The islands around here are stunning massive cliffs rise straight up out of the water, giving way occasionally to small white sand beaches.
Loh Samah Bay on Koh Phi Phi Lay.
The only downside is the cost. Both the diving and accomodations are a bit pricey here. So Meg and I are considering heading to the east to Koh Samui and Koh Tao -- her old stomping grounds -- where things are a bit cheaper.
Phil and Maya head to Bangkok early tomorrow to begin their journey home. I think we're going to try snorkeling with the blacktip reef sharks before they leave tommorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes.
Enjoy.
BTW, I went back and added pictures to some of the Laos posts. Check them out, if you want.
Phil and Maya finished their Open Water Diver course, so the four of us went on a couple of dives yesterday. The dives were spectacular, we saw all sorts of marine life -- a leopard shark, turtles, sea snake, eels, lobster, giant shrimp, sea slugs, giant clam. The diving was all around a small just of Phi Phi called Koh Phi Phi Lay. We had lunch on a small beach there in Loh Samah Bay. The islands around here are stunning massive cliffs rise straight up out of the water, giving way occasionally to small white sand beaches.
The only downside is the cost. Both the diving and accomodations are a bit pricey here. So Meg and I are considering heading to the east to Koh Samui and Koh Tao -- her old stomping grounds -- where things are a bit cheaper.
Phil and Maya head to Bangkok early tomorrow to begin their journey home. I think we're going to try snorkeling with the blacktip reef sharks before they leave tommorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes.
Enjoy.
BTW, I went back and added pictures to some of the Laos posts. Check them out, if you want.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Koh Phi Phi
Beaches, bungalows and beers. That's what we've found here on Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee-pee ... huh-huh). We arrived by ferry yesterday afternoon and haven't done much since. A lot of lounging on the beach and some swimming. Today we walked into town to pick up some supplies and walk around. Pretty laid back. Phil and Maya finish their open water course today, so we'll all go diving tomorrow ... and the next day ... repeat.
I'll post more later, but the internet rates are killer here, so they'll be short. I have a couple of backlogged photos to add too -- Vientianne, Tad Fane and Meg the Momma Cow.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Into Thailand
Meg and I have crossed the border into Thailand. We're spending the night in Udon Thani -- not the nicest of places -- before flying to Phuket in the morning. From there we'll take a boat out to Koh Phi Phi and meet up with Phil and Maya for some beach time and diving before they have to leave.
Vientiane was nice. It was the only place we visited in Laos that I would truly call a city. Pakse was close, but didn't quite make it. Of course, Vientiane is crowded with backpackers and ex-pats -- and businesses catering to them -- so it didn't have as much of the exotic feel as sopme other places. We spent yesterday sightseeing around the city and resting after the overnight bus ride from Pakse. This morning we rented a motorbike in a futile effort to find a park full of Buddha sculptures somewhere south of the city. It probably would have been more efective to hire a jumbo -- a vehicle like the Cambodian tuk-tuks crossed with a pick-up truck -- to get out there, but the motorbike was an adventure and we did get to see some of the countryside around Vientiane.
We rode a bus from Vientiane across the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge over the Mekong. The Thai passport control post -- and this is a major crossing mind you -- made the little huts in the jungle at the Cambodia-Laos border seem positively top notch. We spent at least an hour in line because the officer checking passports felt compelled to pull stray staples from old departure slips out of every passport he touched. It was infuriating.
Sorry I don't haven't any pictures up at the moment. The fickle hand of third-world computing has been preventing me from uploading pictures. As soon as I can, I'll get some stuff up so you have something pretty to look at, not just my blathering.
Enjoy.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
On the way to Vientiane
Meg and I are back in Pakse trying to make arrangements to get from here to Vientiane. We've spent the last couple of nights in a bungalow on cliff overlooking the waterfall at Tad Fane.
Tad Fane on the Bolaven Plateau.
On Friday Phil, Maya, Meg and I set out with a French family on a tour of the Bolaven Plateau. The plateau is the home of the Lao coffee and tea industries, a number of absurdly picturesque waterfalls and is the traditional home of a handful of Laos' smaller ethnic groups. Accordingly, our tour stopped at a coffee plantation, a couple of tribal villages and three different waterfalls. It was all quite nice, though it would have been better if our driver/guide had spoken at least a little English or French, or if we spoke Lao. As it was we had to be satisfied with the driver pulling to a stop, pointing at something, then telling us the name. At the end of our tour, the driver dropped Meg and I at our hotel and took the rest of the crew back to Pakse (if all went as planned, Phil and Maya should be waiting for us on the beach on Koh Phi Phi in Thailand).
There's not a lot to tell about the last couple of days (except Meg's story about becoming a mom below). We took a couple of hikes around the hotel, but spent most of our time sitting on the front porch of our bungalow hiding from the rain and watching the mists blow in and out of the valley.
As an aside, Lao coffee is an amazing thing. It's so thick and black that the color doesn't change when you add milk. The flavor is strong but not bitter. We're bringing some home, if you ask nice we might share.
Meg's in the process of arranging our travel from Vientiane to Phuket, Thailand and becoming increasingly frustrated, I better go pay attention to her.
Enjoy.
On Friday Phil, Maya, Meg and I set out with a French family on a tour of the Bolaven Plateau. The plateau is the home of the Lao coffee and tea industries, a number of absurdly picturesque waterfalls and is the traditional home of a handful of Laos' smaller ethnic groups. Accordingly, our tour stopped at a coffee plantation, a couple of tribal villages and three different waterfalls. It was all quite nice, though it would have been better if our driver/guide had spoken at least a little English or French, or if we spoke Lao. As it was we had to be satisfied with the driver pulling to a stop, pointing at something, then telling us the name. At the end of our tour, the driver dropped Meg and I at our hotel and took the rest of the crew back to Pakse (if all went as planned, Phil and Maya should be waiting for us on the beach on Koh Phi Phi in Thailand).
There's not a lot to tell about the last couple of days (except Meg's story about becoming a mom below). We took a couple of hikes around the hotel, but spent most of our time sitting on the front porch of our bungalow hiding from the rain and watching the mists blow in and out of the valley.
As an aside, Lao coffee is an amazing thing. It's so thick and black that the color doesn't change when you add milk. The flavor is strong but not bitter. We're bringing some home, if you ask nice we might share.
Meg's in the process of arranging our travel from Vientiane to Phuket, Thailand and becoming increasingly frustrated, I better go pay attention to her.
Enjoy.
And that's how I became a calf's mommy...
Yesterday Eric and I set off on a a little hike in search of more waterfalls on the Bolaven Plateau (aka: one of the most beautiful areas on earth). We were slip-sliding along the red-dirt road thinking fond thoughts of how we could stain our pants red in Laos just as easily as at home when we heard a terrible noise. It was something between the scream of a tortured sheep and that of a terrified child. BMAAAAAllll! BMAAAAllll!!! When we stepped around the bend in the road we could see a small brown calf standing on the edge of the road screaming its little lungs out. There was no cow in sight.
As we got closer, we could see that not only was it small, but it was brand-spanking new with damp fur and a dangling umbilical cord. Still no cow in sight. Apparently I gave the little creature a friendly look because it stumbled my way bleating and carrying on while slipping in the ridiculously slick muck on the road. Eric and I kept walking, but the calf already was convinced that I must be its mother. Up the road I went, and up the road the little calf followed. Back down the road I returned because I did not wish to lead the poor critter too far astray. And so we were stuck in the road in Laos with a damp calf rubbing against my knees and bleating away.
About then a group of women came from the far end of the road. They didn't seem to understand what our wild hand gestures meant, so I walked up the road with my bovine shadow then returned, shadow still intact. The women finally seemed to comprehend the situation. They yelled to another woman down the road, and she meandered to us, scooped up the calf and tried to poke it back through the hole in the gate. Eric and I took that opportunity to escape.
Now it all would have been fine and well had we not been forced to return down the same stretch of road. Sure enough the little calf was standing out in the middle crying when we came back. Eric told me not to look, but being me, I couldn't help it. Like Lot's wife I just had to turn around, and rather than a pillar of salt, I again transformed into a calf's mommy. Yep, back it came ambling after me and rubbing on my legs. This time the little shadow even went so far as to try to take a bite out of my pant leg. I gave up and bent down to give the little animal a scritch behind the ears as Eric released a sigh of, well, something.
This time around there were no women handy to carry off the little creature, so we were stuck. Eric found a little girl down the road, but the most information he could glean from her was that the calf did not belong to her family. Back and forth he wandered searching for someone to remove my bovine shadow. I had to stay at the gate because if I moved, the calf came with me slipping all over the place in the slick mud and falling in the most tragic of manners.
In the end, I went to the nearest house's gate (where Eric had seen the child) and made some noise. An old woman came outside shouting at me and shooing me away, but I kept pointing at the cow. I'm sure the hand gestures I was using to convey my predicament were probably obscene here, and they were useless. So I marched back and forth in front of the gate demonstrating the problem. After a lot of shouting from the woman and confusion from me, the woman gestured for me to follow her. I followed her, the calf followed me, and the little girl followed the calf. We all wandered into the coffee plants in the general direction from which the calf had come. As soon as the calf was away from me, I turned to run. Then I remembered my manners, and I stopped and bowed to the old lady. THEN I ran back to the road to meet Eric. We dashed (and slipped and slid) around the next bend in the road.
And we wonder why people in other countries think we're crazy.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Pakse
We find ourselves now in Pakse, one of the larger cities in southern Laos. We visited the massive, sprawling market here earlier today and wanered around a bit on foot. Pakse isn't the most exciting place on the planet, but it is a sort of regional hub so we can get to other places from here. Meg and I will be headed out to the Bolaven Plateau tomorrow for a couple of nights in an eco-lodge beside the Tad Fane waterfalls before heading up to northern Laos (Vientiane and possibly Luang Prabang)for a couple of nights. Phil and Maya will be heading to the west coast of Thailand for some beach time. We'll catch up with them there next week.
Rice paddies on Don Det.
We were all sad to leave Don Det. It was a sort of minimalist heaven. In between lounging in our hammocks, we explored the island and it's neighbor, Don Khon. The islands are small, their interiors given over almost entirely to rice paddies, with a handful of bungalows and restaurants along the rivers. We spent a day biking around the islands (they're connected by an old railroad bridge) and another floating down the Mekong in inner tubes.
Sunset over the Mekong.
The sunsets were spectacular as were the pumpkin burgers (really a pumpkin fritter and cucumbers on a toasted baguette) and spring rolls at Mr Noi's. A crazy Aussie ex-pat (whom everyone referred to as Mr. Oi)runs a small bakery on the island, churning out homemade, Western-style pastries including donuts and pouches full of chocolate and banana. It was a tough place to leave.
Between Don Det and Pakse, we spent an evening in Champasak. There we visited the ruins of Wat Phu, an Angkor-era temple built on the side of a mountain near the city. The views from the wat out over the surrounding countryside were stunning. The temple itself was not as well-maintained as those around Siem Reap, but they were less crowded and did have some interesting features.
The view from Wat Phu.
Getting to Champasak was interesting. We took a minibus from Ban Nakasang with a German couple who seemed to be headed to Champasak as well and appeared to speak little or no English. At one point, our bus driver stopped at a crossroads more or less in the middle of nowhere and, pointing down one of the roads, said, "Champasak." This didn't seem right, as we knew for a fact that: 1) the city was on the opposite side of the Mekong; and 2) the road we were traveling on was a couple of miles from the river. After some shouting, we convinced the driver (who also didn't speak English) to take us all the way to the ferry stop. The Germans just smiled and nodded. When we arrived at the ferry, there were a couple of different ferry docks, so we were trying to figure out which one to go to before getting out of van. At this point on of our German friends "When we went to Champasak before, this is where they dropped us off." As it turns out they not only spoke English but weren't headed Champasak, but Pakse. Needless to say, we were a bit cheesed that they hadn't interceded at the crossroads.
Anyway, we eventually got to where we were headed and even met the governor of Champasak Province, but that's a story for another time. Right now, there's a cold Beer Lao waiting for me at the rooftop restaurant in our hotel, so I gotta go.
Enjoy.
We were all sad to leave Don Det. It was a sort of minimalist heaven. In between lounging in our hammocks, we explored the island and it's neighbor, Don Khon. The islands are small, their interiors given over almost entirely to rice paddies, with a handful of bungalows and restaurants along the rivers. We spent a day biking around the islands (they're connected by an old railroad bridge) and another floating down the Mekong in inner tubes.
The sunsets were spectacular as were the pumpkin burgers (really a pumpkin fritter and cucumbers on a toasted baguette) and spring rolls at Mr Noi's. A crazy Aussie ex-pat (whom everyone referred to as Mr. Oi)runs a small bakery on the island, churning out homemade, Western-style pastries including donuts and pouches full of chocolate and banana. It was a tough place to leave.
Between Don Det and Pakse, we spent an evening in Champasak. There we visited the ruins of Wat Phu, an Angkor-era temple built on the side of a mountain near the city. The views from the wat out over the surrounding countryside were stunning. The temple itself was not as well-maintained as those around Siem Reap, but they were less crowded and did have some interesting features.
Getting to Champasak was interesting. We took a minibus from Ban Nakasang with a German couple who seemed to be headed to Champasak as well and appeared to speak little or no English. At one point, our bus driver stopped at a crossroads more or less in the middle of nowhere and, pointing down one of the roads, said, "Champasak." This didn't seem right, as we knew for a fact that: 1) the city was on the opposite side of the Mekong; and 2) the road we were traveling on was a couple of miles from the river. After some shouting, we convinced the driver (who also didn't speak English) to take us all the way to the ferry stop. The Germans just smiled and nodded. When we arrived at the ferry, there were a couple of different ferry docks, so we were trying to figure out which one to go to before getting out of van. At this point on of our German friends "When we went to Champasak before, this is where they dropped us off." As it turns out they not only spoke English but weren't headed Champasak, but Pakse. Needless to say, we were a bit cheesed that they hadn't interceded at the crossroads.
Anyway, we eventually got to where we were headed and even met the governor of Champasak Province, but that's a story for another time. Right now, there's a cold Beer Lao waiting for me at the rooftop restaurant in our hotel, so I gotta go.
Enjoy.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Heaven
We made it to Si Phan Don -- the island of Don Det to be precise -- is southern Laos. It's one of the most amazing places we've been yet. We spent yesterday afternoon wandering around on foot and most of today exploring this and a neighboring island by bicycle. I'll post pictures later -- the kid here had to fire up a generator (there's no power here) for us to get online. It's a little pricier here than other places.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Kratie
So Kratie does have an internet cafe. Two actually -- wasn't sure there would be any here.
We said goodbye to Brad and Jenn this morning (they should be somewhere over the middle of the Pacific right about now), and hopped a bus up here. Thankfully today's ride wasn't as exciting as yesterday's.
We were able to get up here early enough to go on a dolphin tour. We spent a couple hours on the river and spotted a number of dolphins. Sorry, no picutres. The Irrawaddy are not as playful or as sociable as their marine cousins. The surface just long enough to grab a breath of air before the next dive, making photography a giant pain. I think it's because they're a bit funny looking. Sort of like a cross between a porpise and beluga whale, they look like a dolphin or porpise, but have no beak.
On the way back our moto drivers took us to Phnom Sambok, a hill just north of town. It's the only high ground around, so it offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. There are approxiamately 350 steps leading up to a Buddhist temple at the top of the hill. We climbed every last one.
If all goes well tomorrow, tonight will be our last in Cambodia. Tomorrow, we take a minibus from here to Stung Treng, then hop into boat for the ride up to the border with Laos. After getting our passports stamped, we'll take another minibus into Vuen Kham to hop a boat to Don Det.
Don Det is a small island in the middle of the Si Phan Don area of Laos. According to our guidebooks, the island should have been wired for power last year, but I'm not going to count on it. We'll probably spend a couple of days there or on one of the other islands before continuing on to Pakse. We should have a couple of relaxing days ahead.
Enjoy.
We said goodbye to Brad and Jenn this morning (they should be somewhere over the middle of the Pacific right about now), and hopped a bus up here. Thankfully today's ride wasn't as exciting as yesterday's.
We were able to get up here early enough to go on a dolphin tour. We spent a couple hours on the river and spotted a number of dolphins. Sorry, no picutres. The Irrawaddy are not as playful or as sociable as their marine cousins. The surface just long enough to grab a breath of air before the next dive, making photography a giant pain. I think it's because they're a bit funny looking. Sort of like a cross between a porpise and beluga whale, they look like a dolphin or porpise, but have no beak.
On the way back our moto drivers took us to Phnom Sambok, a hill just north of town. It's the only high ground around, so it offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. There are approxiamately 350 steps leading up to a Buddhist temple at the top of the hill. We climbed every last one.
If all goes well tomorrow, tonight will be our last in Cambodia. Tomorrow, we take a minibus from here to Stung Treng, then hop into boat for the ride up to the border with Laos. After getting our passports stamped, we'll take another minibus into Vuen Kham to hop a boat to Don Det.
Don Det is a small island in the middle of the Si Phan Don area of Laos. According to our guidebooks, the island should have been wired for power last year, but I'm not going to count on it. We'll probably spend a couple of days there or on one of the other islands before continuing on to Pakse. We should have a couple of relaxing days ahead.
Enjoy.
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