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"Maybe Later?"-- Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Sihanoukville is a beach town complete with restaurants and bars all along the beach.  Days are spent lounging on the beach, drinking and eating the food ordered and served to you right on the sand, and laughing at the fun mis-translations on the menus and signs (my favorite being the Chicken CONDOM blue).  Only time you have to move is to use the toilette.  The only complaint some people had was the constant stream of vendors approaching you all day and night.  Children selling bracelets, men with sunglasses and tour packages, and women with fruit.  The kids are smart and befriend you with a free bracelet.  When you say you don’t want to buy one, they ask you if you will “maybe later.”  When “later” comes around and you still say no, they sometimes get angry and call you a liar.  Didn’t happen to me but I witnessed it. 

$5 beach massage

my lil bracelet charmer

Other vendors included women selling $1 lobsters (they peel it fresh for you when ordered), and nails and massages.  I tried all of these and they were fabulous! For a few dollars, I had a good hour massage (so good, I had one two days in a row), mani and pedi…on the beach! I got to know the woman, Lynn, and met her cousin-in-law, DANI! They were both half Vietnamese, half Cambodian and really sweet women to meet.  I’ve come to justify these self-indulgent spa splurges on account of the fact that they afford me authentic local and cultural interactions.  Who says beauty can’t help spread world understanding?!

Some of my days started with morning runs, but every day started with breakfast with Jay at a beach café where we quickly became regulars and made friends with the staff.  Again, my self-indulgent eating ways affording me local interactions. The guys here were really friendly, especially with Jay—sorry for abandoning you that day J

Nights in Sihanoukville were spent watching sunsets and eating cheap, delicious food.  Our favorites were a fancy restaurant that offered two course meals for $5 and the beach bbqs.  For $3 you had your pick of seafood accompanied by garlic bread, fries or potatoes and salad.  I chose grilled barracuda each time and LOVED it! After dinner, we would all meet up at whichever bar had handed us flyers that day for free drinks.  Usually ended up at JJs and Dolphin bar where we could watch fire dancers and Jay’s infamous tractor dance, my favorite. 

$1 lobster and (terrible) sunset mojitos

The beach area is small enough that we ran into several friends without even trying and it was nice to catch up with everyone.  Most of our days were in Serendipity beach (the backpackers area) but one day we took a tuk tuk to Otres beach (stopping at the Canadian ATM first, of course).   It was much more relaxing there--fewer restaurants and vendors.  Enjoyed an afternoon there with Hilde, Jorien, and Jay playing paddle ball, eating, and doing what we enjoy most…nothing!

Cambodia--Journey to Cambodia and a "Sleeper" Bus

JOURNEY  TO  CAMBODIA

The journey to get to Cambodia was LONG!  I made the trek with my friends Jeroen, Jorien, and Hilde (Dutch, of course!) We left Don Det, Laos at 8 am and were taken to the main land in a boat.  Once there, we waited about an hour to get on a bus.  While waiting, we handed over our passports and money to a man who collected them in a plastic grocery bag.  No one told us who he was or what was going on, but this is common here in Asia.  Just hand over your passport to a complete stranger and wait.  So far so good. 

When it came time to get on the bus, there was confusion as to which bus we were to be on.  Long story short, everyone was called to get on a bus except us so we were last on.  Luckily, it was only the bus to the border and the shortest leg of the journey so the crappy seats didn’t matter much.  Once at the “border” (it’s really just a toll-booth style bar in the road), we sat for another hour and a half.  Just waiting.  We found shade and cold drinks and passed the time chatting, playing Yahtzee, and walking back and forth between the two countries to go to the bathroom. The last 30 minutes or so of our wait (we never knew how long it would be by the way) I cherry-picked the hell out of the bus to make sure we got decent seats.  My stalking paid off and I was able to grab the first row for Jeroen to stretch out his long Dutch legs.  It was a good thing because this turned out to be a LONG ride!  And, they packed that bus full---complete with tiny stools in the aisles for extra people.

I forget how long the ride was actually supposed to take.  All I remember was the part that was NOT planned.  After several unnecessarily long rest stops that put us into the wee hours of the morning, our bus decided to break down on the side of the road.  After several minutes of confusion, we followed some locals to a house on the side of the road.  Climbed the stairs into the house (homes are built on stilts here), found a mat on the floor, and plopped down for a few hours sleep until another bus came to get us (a bus full of cranky Koreans, lights that didn’t turn off, and a driver that was permanently glued to his horn).  Didn’t ask questions about who the house belonged to or if we were even supposed to be there, but I thank the Cambodian who let a bus full of strangers sleep in his living room for a few hours---I’ve never been so grateful to see a floor and a mat!

After a seemingly never-ending ride, we arrived in Siem Reap around 6 am the next day.  Needless to say, we promptly slept a few hours and then relaxed most of that first day by the hotel pool.  Met some fellas, Johnny (Portugal), Hywell (aka “Jimmy” from England) and Peter (Hungary) who were on the second bus from Don Det that had arrived, on time, about 7 hours before us with no bus problems---boring! : )

Siem Reap is a nice northern town that is most famous for Angkor Wat, a HUGE complex of ancient temples and one of the only things not destroyed by the Khmer Rouge during Pol Pot’s reign.  Really spectacular, check out my photos. The girls and I (Jeroen, aka “:Jay”,  had already been) went to see the sunset and ran into the 3 guys there.  Had fun exploring parts we were (and weren’t) allowed to see. That night, we all went out to eat Mexican and dancing at a local bar.  Turns out Siem Reap has a decent night life.

Angkor Wat temple

I had fun but my friends had TOO much fun seeing as I was the only one who showed up for our 4:30 am meeting time to see the sunrise at the temples. (Thanks, guys! J ) We had rented bikes for $1 but I didn’t want to go alone.  Instead, I waited for a tuk tuk until 7:30 am, watching the sunrise from the hotel reception instead of the temples.  I think my driver thought I was the laziest tourist ever because I was so beat from two nights of no sleep in a row that I barely made it through a few hours of him driving me to temples.  I would walk around, take photos, and then hurry to the next one.  All the while, all I wanted was to make it back with time to sleep before check out.    

In the end, it all worked out and I had a lovely time seeing all I wanted to see (yes, I saw the Tomb Raider temple) and learning from my local driver.  I was back before the super intense heat and able to rest before lounging at the pool the rest of the day with Jay.  When the girls got back, we got dressed in the dark (power was out, again) and left on a night “sleeper bus” to Sihanoukville.

Ain’t No Sleepin on  a Sleeper Bus!

The term “sleeper bus” is an oxymoron.  You see, there is no chance you could possibly sleep on that thing.  When we first boarded the bus and saw 4 lounge seats in the back of the bus, complete with blankets and a bathroom below, we thought we had won the lottery.  What they don’t tell you in the advertisement though is that the temperature is either so hot you can’t breathe, or so cold that the air conditioning fluid drips on you the entire time.  No really, I was drenched wet.  That had to be good for my skin.  Additionally, the back of the bus was so bumpy, we could barely hold on.  Above all, the most frustrating part of the bus ride is the CONSTANT honking of the horn that Cambodian bus drivers LOVE.  And I don’t mean every once in a while when it’s actually necessary.  The horn is Asia is equivalent to a blinker, braking, steering, etc.  You don’t actually have to drive. You can just set the bus on auto-[ilot, honk, and expect everyone to move out of your way (they do).  The constant honking  almost makes you crave the karaoke videos on full volume.  I said almost.  Luckily, I was sharing the ride with good friends who were able to make it fun(ish) and now that we’ve had some sleep, we can look back at it and chalk it up to another adventurous Asian bus ride.  We can add this one to the FB page, Austin.

Cozy on the "sleeper" bus

Our mantra the entire ride was “the beach will make it all worth it”….and it did! 

Smiles All Around

Cambodia

February 28, 2012

It’s 8 am and I’m sitting at the restaurant/bar on Koh Ru (“Bamboo Island”) awaiting my breakfast.  I was awakened today, as every day, by the sound of crashing waves.  I do not mind this alarm clock at all.

Well, it’s now March 9^th, and I never finished that one. You can see how much the island life took over and I haven’t done much except relax and enjoy life.  Not complaining! I’m actually sitting in a hotel room in Vietnam now so I realize I’ve missed an entire country in my blogging. I’ll try to catch up now.

KAMPUCHEA, land of the Khmer.

 That’s Cambodia for all ya’ll who don’t speak Khmer, the language and name of the people of Cambodia.  If you read anything about Cambodia or ask anyone who has ever been, they will all tell you the same thing- - - Cambodians love to SMILE! What amazes me the most is that they are not only some of the friendliest, smile-ready people I’ve ever met (I mean they’d give me and Jen a run for our money for our “oh a camera’s in my face” flashy grin), but they have such a haunting past.--a very recent past, that it inspires me to think how much they’ve overcome and yet how happy they are.  Let me explain.

From 1976-1979, Pol Pot lead Cambodia and carried out his own version of the Holocaust. While seeking to create a new country from “Year Zero,” he, and his child soldiers, the Khmer Rouge, systematically killed over 3 million people from a country of roughly 7 million.  I’ll spare you the details here, but please check out my photo album to learn more about the “killing fields” as it is called.  Other sources of good information are the movie, “The Killing Fields” and the book “First they killed my father.” To be honest, I didn’t like the perspective of the movie much but I did enjoy the book and found it very informative. 

Again, we’re talking 1979 when this all went down.  That means that anyone I met from age 31 and over lived through this terror.  And yet, they love to smile, love to have fun, and love Americans.  Inspiring to me.  So, as you can tell, I found Cambodia to be very friendly.  I was also impressed with how widely, and well-spoken English was throughout the country.  I can honestly say that of all the countries I’ve visited on this trip, I found Cambodia to have the most English speakers (well, Australia and New Zealand might be close runners ups). 

Other impressions on Cambodia—

*The electricity goes out—a lot (but usually comes back within a few minutes or hours)

*They like to wear pajamas as clothes.  Yup, that’s it. Not sure how to explain that one either.

*It’s cheap (not Thailand cheap but nothing has been so far) but still cheap (like 25 cent beer cheap). 

*They mostly use US dollars (although some border towns use Thailand baht but change is sometimes given back in Cambodian Riel.  Like Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, there are no coins, which makes carrying the money much more convenient. 

It was both nice and not so nice to know what I was spending on things.  I have to admit that using foreign currency, it sometimes feels like play money and doesn’t really have the same impact as when I know for certain what I’m spending.  Oh well, good thing it’s only money.   Speaking of money, I have to thank Canada for investing there because your ATMs all over the country saved me a $6 fee every time I needed money.  This is something that all foreigners and tuk tuk drivers know and it was common practice for a tuk tuk to drive you to a Canadian ATM on the way to anywhere else (all the drivers knew where they were).

4,000 islands SUCK!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

I’m sitting in my lounge chair outside my bungalow on Don Det after a hard day at playing at the beach with friends.  Don Det is one of a few inhabited islands in the area of Laos known as 4,000 islands. It’s a quiet, tiny island bordering Cambodia and is the jumping point for people continuing their travels there. I had heard the stories of how much people love it here.  Most people plan to spend a few nights and end up at least a week because it’s so nice.   To be honest, I’ve seen more beautiful places (like the tropics), but the island is so small and has such a laid-back atmosphere that you can’t help but love.  There are no cars on the island, its small enough to rent a bike and see the entirety of the TWO islands (Don Det and Don Khonge) in a few hours.  There are no ATMs on the islands (they do boat runs back to the mainland to get money) and I’ve yet to find any place with hot water.  Up until 3 years ago, there was no electricity and 2 months ago, no internet.  You can see the rapid growth and it leaves me conflicted to know that I’m a part of this.  I’m almost tempted to lie and say it sucks so that people will stop coming and it can retain its small-town ways of life and charm.  So, yeah, don’t come. It sucks here.

Enjoying a sunset from Little Eden restaurant

No, but really.  To get here was quite the journey.  The last day of biking the loop ended in Tha Khaek around 6:30pm.  We grabbed dinner and then the twins decided they would head to Don Det that night.  I tossed around the idea of heading back to Burma with Joe and Steven but we couldn’t seem to coordinate schedules.  So, instead, I decided to join the boys and head off that night.  With an hour or so to spare, we all borrowed Steven and Joe’s shower, had a sad goodbye (I miss my Dutch brother-lovers already!), and then set off for the bus station.  I wasn’t crazy about the idea of another trip having JUST ended a 3 day SORE one, but I figured even an overnight bus ride would be more comfortable than a bike.  It’s amazing how quickly perspectives can change!

We arrived at the station just in time to catch a local bus (as opposed to the more expensive, nicer tourist ones).  I was skeptical at first, but loved it more than the VIP buses.  First of all, it came with loud Laos karaoke music all night long.  But the best was that it was not full so I had an entire row to myself and could actually sleep some.  This was necessary since the bus left at 10pm, we arrived to Pakse around 6am.  From there, we still had another 4 hour ride (although we had no idea how long it would be) in the back of a pick-up truck with two benches along the sides and one along the middle. We were crammed in like sardines and I was just thankful for the open air or my claustrophobia would have set in.  I immersed myself in a book and, apart from bladder and hunger issues, one flat tire, and fish juice from a little old lady’s market bags that spilled all over everyone, wasn’t too bad. I smelled it half-way through but chalked it up to the kid peeing next to me.  Sorry kid.  Speaking of kids, the two next to me sat quietly and content the entire journey.  Amazing.

crammed in here for over 4 hours

Once there, we hopped onto a boat that shuttled us over to the island.  By 11:30 am the day after leaving Tha Khaek, we made it! We arrived at the beach and weren’t sure how we were going to contact our friends who had arrived a few days earlier.  We should have known not to worry since as we pulled into port we looked up and spotted Elmer and Jeroen walking towards us! I did mention how small the island is, right? We grabbed some breakfast with them and then checked into our rooms, which we were lucky reserved for us since the island is so small and can’t accommodate the numbers coming these days.

We spent the rest of day 1 laying on the beach, reuniting with our other friends, Hilde, Jorien, and Maarten.  It was lovely weather and I had fun playing paddle ball and playing in an inner tube with Maarten and two little Russian boys living in Thailand.  At night, we watched the sunset at Eden Restaurant (owned by a Belgian and great food) and then danced at our favorite little beach bar. Everything on the island closes at 11pm so every night at that time, everyone goes to the beach for a relaxing bon fire.  This week, there happened to be a guy with a clarinet and a few with guitars who supplied nightly music.  No one went night swimming as a girl had drowned there and floated up only the day prior to our arrival.  Our friends, along with others we met saw her pop up and, as you can imagine, were a bit traumatized.

Day two on the island, I awoke early (thanks to the chickens outside my room) and decide to rent a bike for a day and explore the other island.  It cost me less than $1 and I had a blast! I had been told to just follow the ONE road on the island to a bridge.  Well, anyone who knows me knows that if there’s a way to get lost, I will find it.  I did.  Well, actually I didn’t, but I did find a unique way to get there. It was through the rice fields and it was silent and really peaceful so I was grateful for my lack of direction that day.

I eventually made it to the bridge to Don Khonge, paid my 20,000 kip toll and crossed over to search for the waterfall.  It wasn’t the swimming kind I had hoped for, but still big and impressive.  As I was searching for a beach near it, I met an Austrian girl, Gurdi (sp?—sorry) and we spent the day together enjoying coconuts on a deserted beach, swapping life stories, watching dolphins, and biking around the islands.  We also ran into Christian (an Engineer to be from Norway) and David (a train driver from Belgium) who I had met the night before. 

Enjoying a private beach, coconut, and fun with Gurdi.

The dolphin boat ride was….interesting! : )  After getting a quote on a boat price, we recruiting several others to join so we’d lower the cost.  We returned with everyone, only to discover that the price had now changed to be per person so it was actually going to cost more.  Sneaky.  After several minutes of bargaining (it was a matter of dollars, but still), we agreed on a price (25,000 kip per person, about $3) for an hour tour on the river to see the famous river dolphins. 

We split into two groups.  The first canoe took off and mine proceeded to follow right behind.  We, however, made it about 5 minutes out and the engine died.  With no radio or method to contact anyone, our 16 year oldish captain promptly removed his pants, jumped in, and swam , towing the boat with him back to shore.  It took 35 minutes, he had to dislodge us from rocks several times, and he didn’t give up.  Now that’s initiative!

We swapped canoes and drivers and tried the trip again.  This time, we were lucky and we made it out to the river spot to see the dolphins.  Upon arriving, we could spot some about 100 meters away.  We asked to get closer but were turned down since apparently it was Cambodian waters and we couldn’t approach.  So, there I sat, a few feet away from Cambodia, watching endangered dolphins (threatened from fishing techniques that include grenades) from atop a rock in the middle of the Mekhong, for $3.  Loved it. 

After the trip, I rode back to the island, grabbed coconut ice-cream on the way, and ran into some other Dutch friends of Joe and Steven.  Grabbed a bite to eat and finally found a place with working internet so got some photos uploaded and read some emails---thanks for the song list, Joe…you’re the best!!!! After a quick nap, I met up with everyone around 9:30pm at our “usual” bar and played pool and sat a bit until heading to the bonfire.  I only stayed about 30 minutes since it began to rain and I had plans to see the sunrise the next day (today).

I met up with Gurdi and Dutch "Falereo" to see the sunrise at 5:45 am today.  It was tough getting out of bed but since I promised I’d be there, I dragged myself there.  Turns out we were all hoping the other would not show too but we all did.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy so we didn’t see much.  By that point though, I was up so decided to go for a run.  It was nice a quiet through the farm fields and a great way to start the day.  Afterwards, I grabbed breakfast and worked on my blog, running into Gurdi and Eddie as well.  Jeroen soon joined and we moved to Adam’s bar (where you can buy dvd, music, etc. downloads for your electronics) for his meal (internet didn’t work there either) so we then moved to Little Eden and hung there a bit since there internet did work. I downloaded lots of new music (THANKS for the playlists, DJs Joe and Jeroen!)

After some good internet time, a nice salad, and dropping my laundry at reception, we made it to the beach by 12:30 and spent the rest of the day relaxing there.  It was perfectly overcast just enough not to be too hot but enough to stay out all day.  I had a nice afternoon nap and then a very civilized dinner with my Dutch gang: Eddie, Ronnie, Jeroen, Hilde, and Jorien.  We ate at Little Eden, the Belgian-owned restaurant overlooking the water.  I had a white-wine sauced FILET (this is rare to come by, you usually have to eat around bones) of fish and REALL white wine.  PLUS, a chocolate-banana dessert.  It was SO good! I even got to SKYPE my family while there! It was supposed to be the last dinner with everyone together but everyone decided not to leave just yet : ) After dinner, we tried to go to our favorite spot but the electricity was out (this happens frequently here) so we hopped across the street and hung out, meeting up with other Slow-Boat friends who had arrived on the island today (Natalie and Graham). GREAT night!

I’m set for one more relaxing beach day today before I head to Cambodia tomorrow.  I guess I’ll buy my ticket tonight so I have to go, otherwise, I may never leave this terrible place.

The Loop!-Tha Khaek to Kong Lor cave, Laos

Friday, February 17, 2012

Okay, so I know I may be a little late in the game, but I think that is the first time this year that I’ve typed 2012.  When you’re not in a steady job and day to day routine, there’s no need for retaining such trivial information as dates. 

Anywho, I’m sitting on a deserted beach in Don Det, Laos. The world is still sleeping here, and I should be as well—it’s 7:30am.  Not sure why I’m up, but I am.  Actually, I take that back.  I do know why---there was a jungle of assorted birds outside my hotel room that kept me up.  At night, they took on a human form and in the morning, the actual kind. So, decided to be productive and begin the day with my blog before the masses arise.  I’m not I n a hurry since the day doesn’t start here until 12, at best.  It’s a college student’s dream place.

Last I left you, I was setting of for a 3 day adventure simply called “The Loop” in Laos.  It’s literally a loop (go figure) in the south-central part of the country from the small town of Tha Khaek, north to Thalang, and back.  It’s not a journey that many people take, and can only be done by renting motorbikes (no buses go there) which is what makes it so much fun.  There are only a handful of other travelers taking the same path.  This made for amazing memories since the locals are GENUINELY happy just to spot you.  I’m talking, driving down the road, kids and other motorists would wave, shouting “Sabaidee!” (“hi” in Laos) with a smile so sincere on their faces you’d think they just won the lottery.  And this didn’t happen one or two times; it happened a lot.  Like every 10 minutes, a lot.  It was great!  My friends and I all agreed that this was one of the highlights of the trip and one of the driving forces supplying the extra energy boost needed to continue on our way at some of the seemingly endless parts of the ride.

See, taking a long motorcycle journey seems quite romantic and fun.  What they don’t tell you is that it’s not that comfortable.  Like, not at all.  It also didn’t help that the “roads” were non-existent for at least half of the journey.   Sitting on the back was quite bumpy and there’s no room to shift your position, sleep, or get comfortable.  It’s just you and your little bum trying to chafe as little as possible.  But, if that’s the most of my worries on this trip, I’ll take it!

I have to admit, I’ve never really been comfortable around motorbikes.  Quite frankly, I’m terrified of them.  Always have been.  And this fear has only been heightened on my travels as I think I’ve only met a handful of people who have NOT had an accident on rented bikes.  One story even included a man who was flying in to visit his son in the hospital after he crashed on a bike.  The girlfriend died and he is now without a spleen.  Good times.  So let’s just say that to even consider doing a trip like this was overcoming a personal challenge for me. 

That said, I still wasn’t brave enough to drive my own bike.   Fortunately for me, I my friends were kind enough to agree to let the girl tag along on the back of the bike and were patient throughout the ride with me.  A HUGE thank you goes out to Steven for being my chauffeur for the 3 days.  He did a FANTASTIC time driving (and singing Whitney Houston tributes) and I can honestly say I wasn’t scared, even once.  Thanks, Ebbers!

So, enough background on the trip. Let me tell you the nitty gritty details of all the fun on “The Loop”!

Day 1: Tha Khaek to Thalang 10 am- 6:30pm, 139 km, 3 flat tires

On the first day of our trip, we all met up for breakfast and then hit the road.  The gang was me, Steven, Joe, Ronnie, and Eddie—my Dutch boys! On day 1, we had to cover 139 km before nightfall.  We weren’t sure what road conditions or other obstacles we might run into so after a few quick circles around the plaza to get the feel for the bikes, we left with plenty of time…so we thought! Turns out, we had THREE flat tires in the first 30 km! Just to clarify, the “we” was actually Joe.  He was the only one who had 3 flat tires in a row.  Poor guy!

I was traveling with such a fun bunch of friends though, and we all agreed that we were grateful for the flat tires because they made for great stories and authentic interactions with the locals. 

Flat Tire #1: About 25 km from the start.  We pulled over near a school and what we thought     was a tire shop.  They had tires but apparently didn’t repair them—this is what we concluded from the pointing and grunts since we don’t speak Laos and no one spoke English.  Ronnie decided to head off on his bike and search for a tire shop.  While he did that, I noticed another motorcyclist coming towards us and could tell it was a traveler as well.  I decided to flag them down and as soon as I did, realized that it was none other than our Belgian friend, Maarten---small world! A minute later, Ronnie showed up with a pickup truck to take Joe back to the shop.  We all rode along and they had some beers while we waited for the repair.  For 7,000 kip (less than $1), we set off with a patched tire.

Flat Tire #2: Fortunately for us, that patch didn’t last too long….about 5 minutes to be precise so we were off for adventure #2 of the day! Tire #2 happened near a little “town” so we were able to spot a tire hanging outside a hut that indicated they did repairs.  This time, we decided to get a whole new inner tube instead of a patch.  WE splurged and spent 30,000 kip (~$3.70) They were quite diligent and had 3 guys work on it at the same time so we just had enough time for a quick snack before heading off to await flat tire #3.

Flat Tire #3:  The new inner tube held off longer than the patch but still not long enough.  This tire happened as we were going up a deserted mountain so we were lucky that the first (and one of the only vehicles) that passed was a minivan who pulled over and helped us out.  Through pointing we communicated the problem and Joe and the bike piled into the back of the van to head to a repair shop.  This time, we bought a new inner tube and tire.  We didn’t want to take any more chances.  So for 110,000 kip ($13) we finally had the problem solved.  Although personally, I think it worked this time because it was a girl who changed the tire!    : )

Besides these unplanned excursions, we did have a few planned stops as well (all pre-flat tires).  On day

one, we saw a cave where we paid a local guide to walk us through with a light.  We also stopped at a lagoon (but didn’t stop to swim since we weren’t sure about time), and a Buddha Cave.  At the cave, they wanted to charge for parking the bikes.  Some of us didn’t want to pay and as we were discussing, the woman threatened to slash our tires.  That made our decision easy so we drove off and parked right near the entrance for free (we later speculated if Joe’s flat tires weren’t so coincidental).  At the cave, we each paid an entrance fee and then I was handed a skirt from a woman and asked for another 2,000 kip.  Luckily, I had a dress with me and I put that on as a skirt instead.  Granted, 2,000 kip is only around $.20 but sometimes you have to have principles and its tiring feeling like you are constantly being ripped off.   The cave was not that spectacular but I’m glad we did it anyway.  Afterwards, we had lunch at the stands outside. We had a nice feast and a fun time trying to order and gave the local ladies a good laugh as they watched 4 gigantically tall Dutch boys and one mini American girl devour their food.  The best part, by far, was Steven traumatizing the youth.  There was a tiny girl (about 1 or years old) who wandered over with her brother to watch us eat.  Steven decided to touch her hand to say hello and as soon as she did, she burst into tears.  Real, dripping, scared for her life tears.  She was so terrified, her own mother couldn’t console her.  Only my coconut juice did the trick and she finally relaxed.   

By the time we finally reached our guest house, it was dark and we were a bit nervous we weren’t going to make it.  It was interesting driving in the dark, with sunglasses to protect our eyes from the bugs and dust.  The only guidance we had in finding the places was that it would be near a bridge.  Maarten had recommended the place he stayed and it did not disappoint.  Sabaidee guesthouse is run by a really friendly man who could not have been more accommodating. Since we arrived late, there was only one room left with 2 beds.  Since we were 5 people, he set up a tent, hammock, and chicken coop all for free.  In the end, we didn’t use them but it was a nice gesture. The place even had internet and a guitar to use for free! At dinner, we ran into Graham, another guy from the slow boat, and two other couples we had met at various points in Laos.  We tried to settle in for an early night but the boys did a great job entertaining me with card tricks and acting out Eurotrip scenes ‘til later night instead.  It was good fun!

Day 2: Thalang to Kong Lor, 9am-6:00 pm, 120 km

After the start to day 1, we decided to have an even earlier start on day 2.  It was Valentine’s Day and I was surprised by 2 roses! We had all joked about not having a Valentine so Steven was nice enough to surprise me with a rose, and then the owner of the guesthouse gave me one and some candy.  Plus, we awoke to discover there was a beautiful river next to the hotel.  Since we arrived at night, we had no idea. I think it was my best V-day ever! ---Sad, I know : )

I was SO sore from day 1 that I really didn’t know how I could last all day on the bike again.  On top of that, we had been warned that the “road” on day 2 was not really a road at all and would be bumpy…it sure was! 

Okay, this is getting really long so I’m just going to list the highlights from day 2:

-Roads were really dusty and we had to keep on glasses and cover our mouths

-Getting lost and taking a few different “’short cuts” by hydro-electric damns

-Being really excited about my new headphones that ended up not working : (

-Watching two tanker trucks miss my watch in the road by inches and retrieving it unharmed!

-Singing Whitney Houston tribute and various other songs with Steven all day

-Somehow missing a waterfall

-Becoming a spectacle for the locals that came just to watch us snack on chips and watermelon

-Finding “gas” stations that were no more than a canister with fuel or a bottle of fuel poured by the owner with a tube or funnel

-Feeling and listening to the whistling wind and taking in the enormous mountains surrounding us

-Utilizing my new Laos language skills acquired from the one-page word list on the back of our “map”

-Riding through a local village in search of a hotel

-Waving back at smiling kids shouting “Sabaidee” as we rode by

-“Re-meeting” people from previous bus rides at dinner

-Singing in the shower with the boys through the “walls” of our bungalows and later learning that everyone in the hotel heard us

-Trying to ignore the snoring of Ron and Eddie in the room next to us

-Falling asleep to Joe reading me “Three Weeks with My Brother” –Nicholas Sparks

We spent the night in Kong Lor, a tiny village of mostly guesthouses, surrounded by huge rocks.  Our guesthouse was nothing to write home about but it was 80,000 kip ($10) split three ways, the owners were sweet, and were only 1 km from the cave.

 

Day 3: Kong Lor cave to Tha Khaek, 11:30 am-6:00 pm, 160 km

We rose early and set off for Kong Lor cave, a 7km long cave with a river through it.  It was AMAZING!  For a few dollars (2,000 kip to park the bike, 3,000 entry, and 115,000 split 3 ways for the boat), we were given a head lamp, a life jacket, and a prayer as we were driven in a wooden canoe with a motor on the back.  It was a real adventure! We had two guides on our boat.  The one in front had a headlamp and a paddle.  His job was to constantly scan the cave for rocks and help guide the man steering the boat from the back, in the dark.  We all commented on how much fun it was that even though it’s a heavily visited spot in Laos, it is far from feeling touristy.  In fact, the “guides” speak no English (the only words our guide knew was “you” and that worked quite effectively to tell us when we should get out of the boat or not), there are no long lines of tourists or signs explaining anything.  You have no idea what to expect on anything and you get to make up your own explanations for everything which is pretty exciting!

At several points during the trip, we had to get out of the boat while they pushed it over the rocks and rapids.  The water was surprisingly warm and clear. It was fun! There is also one part with stalagtites and stalagmites and it is the only part that is lit up (and the lights are only on as you walk through it).  The cave is 7km long and almost 75 meters high at points. It’s huge! Once you reach the other end, you stop and have a chance to see the village and buy snacks before heading back.

Outside the cave, I tried driving the motor bike.  Steven was patient and taught me what to do and the other boys were happy to sit back and laugh at my attempts.  For the first time ever, it wasn’t too bad (if you forget about narrowly missing a tree).  I was concentrating so hard on everything else: placing my feet, keeping balance, turning the throttle, etc. that I forgot one minor detail…look up and steer…oops!

 After the cave, we set off to end our journey back in Tha Khaek.  Even though it was a long day for km, it was the best paved roads so we made it fine.  The highlight of the drive back was stopping for lunch at a random roadside house where I used the vocabulary sheet to order lunch for everyone…and it worked! The lady was as sweet as could be and was so impressed by the amount of food we ate. I think she will be talking about us for years to come!