Crossing Many Borders

Hello blog readers and welcome to our Lovely Luscious Illustrious Log of Location: Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

After our short time in Nong Khai we took a leap for Lao. After buying our visas at the border we crossed into this new and wonderful land and were immediately bombarded by hoards of eager tuk tuk drivers. We caught a cab to Vientiane and spent a few nights at the Mixay guesthouse. While in Vientiane we experienced many things, from a history museum to a battle of the bands (Lao style). One thing we immediately noticed about Lao was the currency. Here, they use the Kip. The exchange rate for 1 USD is about 7000 kip! We'll sometimes find ourselves handing over a wrong bill to pay for something. You can get lost in all those zeroes. 

After our stint in Vientiane we took a minibus to a town called Vang Vieng. This place has acquired quite a name for itself amongst backpackers and for good reason. It is located on the nam song river, which is nestled in between some beautiful mountains. We took a trip down the river in some inner tubes which was both relaxing and a great way to absorb some of the excellent scenery. Another day we rented some bicycles and took a very bumpy 7km ride to a couple of caves. One of the caves we saw was so big you could spend hours exploring inside. 

It rained for a couple of days and we realized that this had been our first real encounter with rain! We sought some shelter amongst some of the various tv bars playing and replaying episodes of Friends which was fun... For a little while... We also enjoyed our share of sandwiches and fruit shakes which were available on every single street corner!

We took a slightly sketchy night bus from vang vieng to Danang,(Vietnam!) where Macaila and Emily had a close encounter with a Vietnamese police officer over an innocent game of cards. After a long few days of travelling, it was nice to settle into our place in Hoi An. Feeling ambitious, we decided to wake up at 5 am the next morning to experience the sunrise over the 'My Son' Hindu temple ruins. We got our first taste of the ocean in Hoi An, and unfortunately our first taste of sunburn.. After Hoi An, we headed down to Saigon and were overwhelmed by the excessive and unnecessary amount of honking! We met some fellow travellers who brought us to their friend's VIP karaoke bar- studded pillows, doormen, and even somebody to dry our hands after the washroom! Vietnam also gave us a different perspective of the Vietnam War, entertained us with an authentic 'water puppet' show, and the locals taught us how to eat pho bowls and spring rolls the right way! 

Our next stop was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It was nice to experience the 'up and coming' feel of flourishing tourism in this country. The people made a point of making sure we were comfortable and were eager to assist in our travels. We experienced the disturbing sight of The Killing Fields, where thousands of the 2.2 million civilians were brutally slaughtered and murdered during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. On a happier note, we headed to Siem Reap and enjoyed touring the night market and the beautiful Angkor Wat ruins! We've been trying many different foods and one lesson Luke learned the hard way was 'thou shall not touch a chilli pepper and proceed to rub both eyes.'

After a lengthy bus ride and border crossing, we made it back into Thailand and headed straight to the South! We have spent the last few days residing in a beach bungalow filling our days with sand, sun, swimming, snorkelling, sun screen, sun glasses, squid, swagger, shakes, shrimp, sea shells, squiters and smiles! 

Enjoy the snow at home folks! It's been über gut blöggin with yä! Talk to you again soon!

Northern Jaunt

Don't worry everybody, we are still alive and did not get eaten by tigers! However, we did go to the Tiger Kingdom while we were in Chiang Mai. We got to pet and lie with the biggest cats we've ever seen! Some other things we enjoyed in Chiang Mai were taking a swim in the Maesi waterfalls, learning to cook authentic Thai dishes from our cooking class and walking through the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. At the Night Bazaar you could find everything from calligraphy pens to mangoes. Luke was marvelling over all of the illegal items for sale right on the street. Taser anyone?! One of our last days in Chiang Mai, we got the opportunity to go to the University with Marjorie and be "special guests" in her English class. Even though they were second year English Majors, they seemed more like young Highschool students, or even Elementary students. We played a role in the class by introducing ourselves, and answering questions that the students asked us about being young adults in Canada. We ended the class by eating brownies and making Valentines to give to each other! Who knew we would go to a University and do crafts?! After our full day of classes, we went out with Marjorie and Graham to an Italian restaurant, and then stayed the night at their house. It was a nice change to stay in a home, rather than another guesthouse. The next morning, we took a bus to Chiang Rai. We were in Chiang Rai for three days, and thoroughly enjoyed it. We rented motorbikes for a couple of days, and used them to go to the White Temple, and to the Khun Kon waterfall, which is probably 3 or 4 stories high. We stumbled upon a Thai beauty pageant, featuring some beautifully ordained Thai women... Or so we thought... Since we could not understand the announcer, we were slightly confused when we realized that these "women" had extremely low voices. When they removed their wigs, it was confirmed that they were in fact, "ladyboys". It was then that we realized that we were not at a regular festival, but a transvestival! We also enjoyed a Thai Jazz Band while we were there, and almost ended up buying a puppy to take along with us. We also took a long 2 hour trek on our motorbikes to the Golden Triangle, where we visited the Opium Museum and had a peek of Burma and Laos at the same time! After Chiang Rai, we took a long bus trip to Udon Thani, where we arrived at 12:30 a.m. and were the only "falang's" in sight! For those of you who do not know, "falang" is a word for "white person".

            In the morning, we made the jaunt to the tiny village of Ban Khon Fa Kang, where we had previously organized to WWOOF. When the directions we had to the farm led us to a deserted red dirt road and we were on the verge of finding shelter under an orchard of apples, a little Thai girl on a motorbike came to the rescue. After an unintended game of charades, Emily hopped on the motorbike with her and was brought to the house of Hajjar and Lumyai Gibran. As for Luke and Macaila, welllllll they didn't make it... Just kiddin. We all enjoyed a week on the farm of working, meditating, yoga-ing, planting, concreting, building domes-ing, eating, steaming, swimming, laughing, cards-ing, socializing, sweeping, blistering...... I think you get the point-ing. We loved the rural setting and the noises of the jungle! But most of all, the food was to die for- exquisite, juicy, flavorful, scrumptious, healthy, delicious, amazing, out of this world, .... yeah i guess it alright. :P But seriously, some of the best meals we will have eaten on this trip were probably eaten around that table. Leaving the farm felt like leaving our second family, Lumyai had resorted to calling us all her 'babies' and we felt like we had known our fellow wwoofers for much longer then just a week! We flagged down a bus that took us to a neighbouring village called Nakha, where we flagged down another bus to Nong Khai. We are staying at the Mut Mee Garden Guesthouse, which overlooks the beautiful Mae Kong River. We're all healthy and happy and looking forward to what's in store for us on the next leg of our journey! 

#tigers#doming#thailand#curry#motorcycles#meditating#sore back#hashtag 

Sawadee ka!

We spent our last day in Bangkok at a water park called Siam park, even after this many days, the theme song is still stuck in our heads! That evening we took a night bus and arrived in chiang mai in the morning, surrounded by lush, green mountains and blue skies rather than cement and smog. We stayed at the "Smile Guesthouse", which happened to be in the centre of the city. For the afternoon, we rented bicycles and toured the city with frequent stops for cold refreshments. And of course, we had to end the day with a Thai massage for just a mere 150 Baht! 

The next day we continued to use our bicycles as transportation, and after many detours and breaks to check the map, we visited two temples. One of the temples is made of all silver, and is currently being restored by monks. The other temple does not have any original dates but the earliest known date is in the 3rd century. 

We woke up the next morning in a very cozy guest house called Moon in June where we have had our most inexpensive night so far - about three dollars each! We spent the day on a trek about 30 minutes out of chiang mai. Our super friendly and enthusiastic tour guide took us elephant riding, bamboo rafting, hiking, swimming in a waterfall, and to an orchid/butterfly farm. It was a full and exciting day, and what a perfect way to end the night with a Nutella roti!

Within the next two days, we fit in a visit to the chiang mai arts and cultural center, to Chinatown on Chinese new years, to the zoo, and to an English-speaking community church. We met a contact we have in chiang mai along with another Menno couple from good ole Outlook Saskatchewan...look out! We enjoyed a nice dinner with both couples, and found many connections! Right at the end of our street is a Sunday night market, which we enjoyed after supper. The market was miles long with food, crafts, souvenirs, loud music and anything you would ever need - and this morning when we got up, it looks as if it never happened! 

Happy valentines day to all and to all a good night! <3

Well, there is never a dull moment in this city! Since our last check-in we have experienced even more. Our modes of transportation list is coming along: airplane, foot, taxi, tuk tuk, water taxi/ boat shuttle, pick up truck, bus, sky train and underground train! On the 2nd, we took our local transportation (with the help of a new friend named Lynn) to Bangkok's Chinatown. We explored the endless streets of markets and wholesale but didn't end up buying much as we had a hard time understanding why anybody would need 200 rubber chickens. After Chinatown, we took the sky train to National Stadium where we found a ginormous mall. We enjoyed lunch and a one hour thai massage- for 300 baht :) we also found a beautiful art and culture centre. In the evening, we took a free boat to a riverside market/ entertainment venue called 'Asiatique'. Here we rode a gondoliswheel (Ferris wheel with gondolas) and enjoyed Thai ice- different flavours! We also lounged on some very very fake grass.. The next day we went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This is a 35 acre market with stalls spanning from pets (monkeys, turtles, bunnies, bugs, fish, puppies....) to papayas. It was said that around 200,000 people visit this market on an average day. We continued on to Lumphini Park where there was a free admission Bangkok Symphony Orchestra concert in the park. If you ever  find yourself in this neighbourhood and are in need of a romantic date this would've been ideal. Swan paddle boats, lucious green palm trees, cobble stone streets and a walking path.... Plus it's free- an ideal Menno date! We have now checked out of our apartment and into an East Indian guesthouse. Today, we learned the hard way how big Bangkok is. I dire need of a swim, we ventured to a "nearby waterpark." By the time we got there, three hours later, the park was just shutting down.. We were told we could look around for twenty minutes- so we b-lined it to the pool and stealthily took a quick dip! We are planning to go to Chiang Mai tomorrow so see you there faithful followers!

So far we have loved exploring Bangkok! It is such a diverse and bustling city. We spent our first in Bangkok in the "convenient grand hotel" which was both grand and convenient! We woke up to a continental breakfast and an outdoor pool all to ourselves. :) The initial culture shock was fully received when we took a taxi into the heart of Bangkok. We are staying in a neighbourhood not occupied by tourism, and although we enjoyed khao sarn road, we feel safe and comfortable in our little neighbourhood where we are the only "gringos." Today we caught our local bus (a pickup truck with a canopy over the bed) and transferred onto a water taxi which took us to the famous wat pho temple. This temple is the home to the largest reclining buddha in the world. Or at least the largest reclining Buddha we've ever seen... :P 

7/11 is a handy best friend for all our basic needs, and air conditioning. We took a tuk tuk to a tuk tuk to a huge mall and experienced some of bollywood's best on the big screen. Talk about haiiiigh rollers! 

Looking forward to the rest of our stay here in the Bangkok. 

Crushed it. 

Ta for now. 

Travel so far = great successes! We have sailed smoothly all the way to Tokyo yo. It's not uncommon to see these three amigos roaming the airport halls either practicing our Thai numbers or chanting Asia Asia Asia! We spent a restless night in San Fran but now know every single announcement by heart. On our 10 hour flight Mac and Em were not so conveniently placed between two huuuuge men- inked and pierced from head to toe. They offered us candy and told us it wasn't laced- don't worry mom we didn't take it... Looking forward to Bangkok and conquering jet lag!