Slow Boat down the Mekong River: Laos

October 7 - October 16th

Our Thailand visa was expiring so we headed to Laos for 10 days before heading back to Thailand. We both wanted to experience the Mekong so we signed up for a 2 1/2 day trip on the Slow Boat through northern Laos.

Our route was to cross at Chaing Kong to Luang Prabang, Vang Ving and then to Veintiene. We were loaded like sardines in our Slow boat. The benches were tiny and painfully uncomfortable. But the scenery more than made up for the discomfort. Northern Laos is absolutely breathtaking. We passed tiny river villages. The first night we stayed at a small village that just received electricity a few months ago.


Our visit to Laos was brief. We were not able to get off the tourist path. However, we did meet an awesome group of people we traveled with during our time in Laos. It was very entertaining trying to pay for dinner. One USD is equal to about 8,000 Kip. Laos accepts Kip, Thai Bhat and the good ole' USD. Since we all just came from Thailand we were all paying with both Kip and Bhat and trying to convert that to Euros and USD. Meals were about 30,000 Kip. Parker and I went all out for our anniversary. We got a beautiful room with massages and room service. We paid a cool half a million Kip for our two nights which was all of $60.




Laos is the the most laid back country we have ever visited. It was a nice change from Thailand. In Thailand we were bombarded by vendors. We visited the quietest night market in Luang Prabang. Some of the merchants were napping and most did not speak to us until we asked for prices. With it's French influence, we sometimes felt like we were in Europe instead of Asia.

Travel through this little communist country was very slow and often frustrating. We had about two weeks left before flying to Kathmandu. We knew we wouldn't make it to Vietnam but we really wanted to visit Cambodia. So we thought it would be faster to take the train to Bangkok and go to Cambodia through Thailand. It was a solid plan. Until we found out we were caught in the middle of a huge flood in NE Thailand. We were eventually shuttled by bus to another train. Our 12 hour train ride turned into a 27 hour ordeal. No more Cambodia for us. We instead went to Ko Samet. A very busy, overpriced island close to Bangkok. We lost a little weight in our last month of traveling. We at least got to spend a week on the beach soaking up the rays and gaining back a little weight for Nepal.

Trekking and Whitewater in Chaing Mai

September 30 - October 6

With only a week left before our 30 day visa ran out, we headed back north towards towards Laos via Chang Mai. Having spent all of our time so far in Bangkok and Koh Phangan, we were ready to see more of Thailand. Chaing Mai was refreshing. It's the mountains in northern Thailand. The ancient capital is a good mix of the old and new city.

We stayed at a lovely guesthouse with hot showers, our first in four months. Absolute luxury. Our guesthouse even had a pool. It was a nice place to recover from our epic 36 hour journey from the islands via: ferry, multiple buses and train.

Northern Thailand is great for outdoor adventures. Our main goal was to find some white water. We signed up for and elephant trek with a 10km whitewater rafting trip. The elephant trekking was fun but the 10 km of solid class 3s and class 4s was the big event of the day. It was fantastic.

We were completely drenched. At one point we were pinned between two rocks and going backwards down a giant rapid. Our guide had to bail out in order to squeeze us through. What a rush. Between rapids we jumped out of our raft for a quick swim in the warm river water.

17 Days in Paradise: Koh Phangan

September 14th-30th

For 17 days we were in paradise. There is so much more to Koh Phangan than it's moon parties. Most of the island is still undeveloped. September to mid-October is still considered low season due to the monsoon. It rained maybe once a day but only briefly. To us low season means less expensive and less crowded. The beaches on Koh Phangan are numerous, the snorkling is great and there is even trekking. Innitially we thought we might stay a week then head to another island. But we kept saying, oh just a couple more days.

Our weathered blue bunglow was right on the beach. There were two hammocks on our tiny porch where we could watch the sunrise and the sunset. It was perfect. I love warm sea water. There was no difference in the air temperature and the water temperature which I perfer.

Island life is bliss. Parker and I woke up sometime between 10am and noon. We ate at any number of the small Thai restaurants on the beach. Sometime in the afternoon, in between naps and swimming, we would take our motor bike and cruise around the island and check out other beaches. After dinner and make it to our favorite beach bar sometime around 9pm or 10pm. We met travelers from all over the world and hung out until 4am or 5pm.


Our first night on the beach we discovered a cute shack reggae bar called the 3 Monkeys Bar. Inside had three stools and a few seats on the outside. When all the seats were taken everyone sat on the beach. This is were we ended up every night. The 3 Monkeys are three Thai brothers who run the bar. They had a free bbq every night and two of the three brothers were fire dancers. This is where I discovered my love for dancing with fire.

We had planned on going to another island but we had already found what we were looking for. Instead of wasting our time island hopping we chilled and made some really great friends.

Fullmoon Party, Koh Phangan

September 15-23rd

We decide to first head south from Bangkok to the island of Koh Phangan. Two buses, one ferry, one taxi and only 18 hours later, were on the beach.

Sometime between the two buses, we were approached by a man who showed us pictures of a set of bungalows. Of course we didn't have anything booked in advance. So for a free taxi and based on some pictures we booked our first bungalow. A group of 13 of us were dropped off at paradise. Much to our surprise the beach was amazing, the water beautiful, the view was stunning and our bungalows for $8 a night was perfect.

Koh Phangan is famous for the the biggest beach party in the world, the Full Moon Party. The full moon party is held once a month. We were soon to find out that one can always find a reason to party and there is always a moon to party to: full moon, half moon, moon set, black moon, you get the picture.

The Fullmoon party was still a week away. The next day, the whole group we booked with went to the Jungle Half Moon party together. We were taken by taxi into the jungle where 4,000 party goers, trance music and glow in the dark paint was awaiting us. This was the night Parker and I were introduced to the "buckets". For about 300 THB ($10) you can buy a lethal mixture of: cheap vodka, red bull and sprite or cheap whisky, red bull and coke. There are many mixtures and all served in a bucket with a hand full of straws to share with your friends. Even though you might go to the party with no intention of painting yourself and acting like a fool, all that changes after your first bucket. It was a good night with new friends.

We had a week to get ready for the big party. Haad Rin is actually a beautiful bay and a stunning beach but has just been trashed by all the partying. Since it's still considered low season, there were only 10,000 party-goers expected. At high season there at as many as 30,000.

By this time we had found another group of friends to go to the party with. We had a pre-party and showed up at the beach at 11pm. The beach party was in full swing. Haad Rin is a massive. There were 12 major sound stages with different genres of music. The many fire dancers added to the party atmosphere. Our group stuck together all night and we partied together. This is not usually our kind of thing. The Full Moon Party is what it is. You make it what you want it. We were with friends and we made it fun. It was a memorable night for all of us.

At dusk we surveyed the damage and there were still people dancing and partying like it was midnight. The sunrise was unbelievable. When you are still partying at sunrise, you know it's been a good night.

Hello Family, Friends and Blog Followers!

Hello All! My apologies to readers for my inconsistent blogging.

It is more difficult than I thought to keep up with the updates. The pictures take the most time. This has been one of the reasons that has kept me from updating. Moving forward, I will update then post pictures later when I can. We are over a month behind. We are either recovering from our travels or on the move with no access. 24-36 hours travel times are a normal part of our lives in S.E. Asia.

Since Singapore, we have explored one of the southern islands of Thailand and visited the beautiful northern region of the country. We had a short week and a half visit to neighboring Laos.

All is well in the world of the Nomads. Thanks for checking in once in a while. I'll do my best to update more often.

Cheers!

Oh, Bangkok

Thailand is the original backpacker's beat in SE Asia. For the last 3 months in the Philippines, we have chilled and have not been around other travelers. We were ready to mingle and be in the mix once again.

We knew enough to not stay on Khao San Rd. We stayed a street over at Rambuttri Village. It was close enough. Khao San Rd. is the farthest thing from Thailand as you can get. It can be anywhere in the world with where travelers from all over the world out number the locals. Khao Sarn is full of cheap guesthouses, ample booze and street vendors and your typical souvenir shopping. Modern and trashy bars and restaurants line the streets with live acoustic and jazz and the like.

The only reminder that we were in Thailand is all the delicious Thai vendors. Thailand can be cheap. The exchange rate is 30 THB (Thai Baht) for $1.

-$20, 600 THB for our room with air-con and a non-working "hot shower".
-$3, 100 THB for a meal and only a couple of dollars from vendors.
-$2-3, 50-100THB for beverages which is where they always get you.
-$4- 100 THB:for a 1/2 hour Thai massage or foot massage.

So yes, it can be cheap but when you wander around all day eating and drinking and getting messages, it adds up. After 4 days of the madness we were ready for some island time.

Singapore Short and Sweet

Singapore was a short 4 days for us. It's an expensive city compared to everywhere else in SE Asia and with our budget it was more than enough time. When we say expensive we mean, close to US prices. We found a great guesthouse with a double room for $50. Cheap for two weeks but not for two years.

The Botanical Gardens were impressive. We spend a good amount of time there and did our best to stay hydrated in the heat. On the same day we went to the Singapore Zoo. The best Rain Forest Zoo and one of the best Zoos in the world. It was awesome and we highly recommend to anyone visiting the country.

We left Singapore with full bellies and ready to tackle Bangkok.