To Cambodia

(11:30pm Guest House in Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Shortly after our lunch break the bus pulled over. A Cambodian man, who I assumed worked for the bus company, gave the following to us: “The road to Siem Reap is VERY bad, it is dirt and there is no A/C on the next bus. So if it is not raining it will be very dusty, if it is raining the windows will be up and it will be very hot. You can take a cab and it will be much quicker and more enjoyable. Second we will now walk a quarter mile to get to the border, there will be many kids coming up to you. Some will try to hold an umbrella for you; others will simply beg for money, they are all pick pockets. Make sure all your valuables are in your bag and carry it in front of you. Ok now grab your belongings and make sure you leave nothing behind on the bus” This is how we were welcomed to Cambodia. We stepped off the bus into a dusty roadside market area. The guide took the first five of us to the border. The others came with other guides in small groups as well. On the other side we waited for a free bus which took us a few hundred yards down the road to a bus station/taxi zone. The Israeli girls were told a cab should be 800-1000b ($25-30 usd). I had heard $25-50 and our guide insisted that it would be $60 or 2000b. They use Thai Baht and USD in Cambodia. They have their own currency as well but like Laos it is very unstable. I learned after Laos that I didn’t need to exchange money for the local currency there nor Cambodia. As a matter of fact I got stuck with 668b worth or Kip (Laos money) because no money exchangers outside of Laos will take it. I eventually found someone in Bangkok that was heading to Laos and sold it to him for 600b. Ok so back to Cambodia. We walked inside to the window that said “TAXI” on it and asked how much. “2000b”, “no way, too much” we replied. “ok how much” he inquired. “800b” said Hila (one of the two Israeli girls, the other is Nita) “you’ll never find for this price.” He said, and we walked away. We decided to walk up the road and see what we could find. No keep in mind it’s raining, the streets are made of dirt and I’m wearing “locals” (for those not from Hawaii, locals are cheap rubber flip flops). As we walked I slung mud all over the back of my legs, shorts, shirt and bags. The guy from the Taxi zone chased us down. “OK 1500b”. “no thank you, 800b” we stood firm. “you’re crazy; you’ll never find this price. Gas cost more than that” he explained. We moved to 1000b. but still no luck. We told him we’d look around and he said good luck. He got on the back of a motorbike and followed us down the road. Every time we spoke to a taxi driver he came up and spoke in Cambodian to them and they raised their price to 1500b after several times of this happening over a quarter mile thru the mud we realized we were fucked. I told the girls we should sit and have food so he would leave. Only problem there was no restaurants. We got water and I left the girls and bags to find a driver. After several attempts I finally scored one for 1200b. I jumped in and told him to pick the girls up. When the girls and walked to the street with our bags the Stalker and a cop were talking to our driver. We were told he wasn’t a licensed cab and he couldn’t take us. The stalker then slipped the cop some money. Now we were being followed by the stalker on a motorbike and a second taxi with the cop sitting shotgun. I began to worry. Here we are in a poor, third world country being stalked by a mad taxi pimp and now the police. When we stopped at a corner the cop and stalker approached us. The cop explained we could not take an unlicensed cab. The stalker dropped to 1300b and I snapped back “For YOU, 1100b!!!! no more” “Ok I’m sorry, I’m sorry. 1200b, I’m sorry I’m sorry” as he dropped his head. After we got in the car he told us we had to go back to the Taxi station to do paper work. The cop got in the front seat and tried to assure us “It’s ok, I am police” in broken English as he pointed to the POLICE embroidered on his hat. The fact that he was trying to make me feel secure actually made me even more uneasy. The girls were afraid as well. The cab headed back the wrong direction and I pictured us being taken to a dark grimy room to be beaten, rapped and robbed. However, we did go back to the station and in 5 minutes were headed to Siem Reap. Our cab driver didn’t speak any English and listened to loud, whinny (Cambodian?) music the whole way. I reflected on the fact that we just spent 20 minutes walking in the mud haggling over a few dollars. The girls weren’t ready to laugh and said they’d feel ok once we got to siem reap. About 1 mile out of town the mud turned to nice fresh pavement. I felt cheated. If it stayed this nice I was going to be really upset that I didn’t take my bus. A few miles later it was back to dirt however and I was happy to be sitting shotgun in an A/C cab. About 30 minutes into the ride it began raining again, harder and harder. Soon we came to stop. Apparently a truck had gotten stuck in the mud and as cars tried to make their way around him, they were getting stuck too. The cars backed up and as renegade cab drivers tried to be hero’s they got stuck as well. It was a complete mess, and stand off situation as cars opposite directions blocked each other in. I asked if we should get out to help, using hand signs. He shook his head no. A few minutes later, seeing him roll his pants up, I took my shirt off and went to take a look. There were about 10 large supply trucks, 15 cars and 1 bus in front of us going the same direction. Cambodia truck drivers stood looking and a few cab drivers as well. One man was using a shovel. The rest watched. Off to the side a cab tried again to go but got stuck. Four Cambodian men and I tried to push it thru. He gained a few hundred feet, but was eventually blocked by stopped cars from the other direction. Seeing this another cab went for the same route. We again pushed, however there were two many people inside. I opened the door and told the 4 Japanese kids to get out if they wanted to get to siem reap. They listened. I then made my way to other cars and began open back doors “If you don’t want to spend the night here, get out and start helping” The Cambodian cabbies got a kick out of this. I don’t think they would have been able to tell their clients to get out, into shin high red clay/mud and push their own cab. More and more westerners began to get out. Soon we had about 40 people, Cambodian and foreigners working together. “Teem, Teem (Tim), this one, this one” one Cambodian man kept saying as he pulled me from cab to cab to push. I’m by no means a big man, but I was twice the size of most the Cambodians. There were three men, dress in designer jeans and dress shirts, standing on the floor board of their cabs, leaning out with the door open. “how’s it look” one asked as I walked back to my cab to check on the girls. I told him it was fucked but if more people would get out and help we might actually go somewhere. He responded something about me asking nicely and not using threats, as one of the others whined about the fact that he had expensive shoes on. “So take them off” as I walked to check on the girls and tell our cabbie to stay in the car so he could drive when we got things going instead of all the cars passing ours like they had been doing already. Making my way back to help one of the three men asked again, “do you think we’ll get through” angry that they were still sitting like sissy’s in their cars I fired back “not if you sit in your fucking car all night. If you get out and help like the rest of the men here, maybe. Look there are even women out here helping” now mind you, all three of these guys were 200+ and only one was fat. After working for 20 minutes I went to check on the girls and give them an update. This time, puzzled that the three men were STILL in their cars, I asked them where they were from. They hesitated and finally answered “Australia, why where are you from?” I cut him off “that’s funny I thought they had men in Australia, I’m from Hawaii, USA, where we work together as a family, as a group, as people for the better of all. Not selfishly sitting in our cars while everyone else does all the work” it just came out that way and I now realize that most Americans would probably sit in their cars too. I think we just truly are a lil different in Hawaii, or Maui at least. I kept walking because I realized that if stopped I was probably going to end up fighting one, or all three of these guys. When we got a few cars all the way thru, cars from the other side began coming our way. This just created another stalemate. Very frustrated that all our work had just been spoiled by the selfish of a few cabbies again, I began soliciting the help of some of the Cambodians. I used hand signals to explain that we need to be organized and allow three cars from one side, then three from the other. Eventually we got things going smoothly and created a lane for each way. Everyone was excited and many westerners and Cambodians alike thanked me for being the “sergeant” as one of them said. At this point I’d like to give a plug to the JAPANESE, French, Germans and Finland MEN that helped. Oh, ya and the two NYC women as well. Ok and I guess the one lone Australian (not part of the three, sissy’s) And of course the many Cambodians that finally started helping once they saw all the westerners getting dirty. After our car made it through we stopped and the cabbie and I ran back to help a cabbie whose car was stuck on the side. I saw the Japanese kids car and thanked them for helping. We took pictures and got back on the road. About 4 miles down the road 8 cabs pulled over in a small town so we could wash up and rinse the cars off. It was mini celebration and again people thanked me for organizing the effort. Now by this time my ego had taken over and I began to dream up stories of the Cambodians talking about “Teem” for years to come and the story of “Tim from Maui: saved the day” being passed from traveler to traveler across southeast Asia. To be fair, we probably would have spent the night there had I not got out and started making others help as well, but I don’t think any monuments will be built soon! Ok so back on the road this going well, but every once in a while hitting very slick muddy sections where cabs, including ours, spun out of control as if on ice. Soon we were stopped again. There was another truck off to the side and cars being stuck in the mud. No gridlock yet so we quickly pushed the cars thru and as our car made it, a few cars began to back up from the other direction. As we drove away I wondered how long before complete mayhem at this spot as well? 6 hours after we left we completed what was suppose to be a 3-4 hour journey. Our cabbie dropped us with the rest of westerners way outside of town where there were Tuk Tuk drivers waiting to take advantage of us. I called Phansy, a Cambodian man from CS (couchsurfing.com), who said he would pick us up and have dinner with us. It was 10pm and we were suppose to be in at 7:30ish. He said he would come get us so I handed the phone to our driver so he could explain where we were. The driver handed the phone to tuk tuk driver, and after a short conversation in Cambodia he hung up. The tuk tuk told me Phansy said he was busy and wouldn’t be able to make it. The girls gave him three names of guest houses they read about in lonely planet and he told them they were full and offered to take us to another house. They get commissions from the guest houses. He also wanted to charge us $1 per person, when it was only suppose to be $1 all together. As I offered to give him $2 to take us to our guest house, Phansy pulled up on a motorbike. He explained that the Tuk Tuk told him the wrong location. Phansy thought I was alone which is why he came by bike but he told us to wait and he called a car. When the car arrived he took us to our guest house, free of charge and we made plans for lunch the following day. We checked into Popular Guest House, one recommend by Lonely Planet and suggested by the girls. Mandalay Inn was across the street and was what Phansy suggested. Popular was 17$ a night for three of us, one single and one double bed, while across the street it was 18$ with free internet and wifi, but they were booked full. I put our name down for a room for the following day. Next morning we moved across the street and met phansy for lunch. He answered all our questions about Ankor wat and the surrounding temples, how to get around, what to do in town…everything we needed! He was great. Again I am going to RAVE about how amazing www.couchsurfing.com is. I paid for his lunch and we went to buy our bus tickets from Siem Reap to Phnom Phen. Phansy said we needed to go ahead and get them before the busses were full. We decided we would make a full day of temples the following morning, sunrise to sunset and then leave first thing Sunday morning. The girls bought tickets all the way thru to a lil beach area while I decided to stay in Phnom Phen for a night to see the “Killing Fields” and then continue to Vietnam the following day. We returned to our guest house and played on the very very slow internet and the girls left for smoothies while I worked out our transportation for the temples. Rin, another CSer, is a tuk tuk driver so I called him to see if would drive us. He met me at the guest house and we discussed our itinerary. We were to be picked up at 4:30 and stay til sunset, with transportation to 5 different temples. The cost was 15 USD, the same that the guest house had quoted us. The returned at 7pm and we left for the Night Market. I stopped for food at a street vendor that was full of Cambodian people eating. I told the girls to go to the market and I’d see them there or at back at the hotel later. The food ended up being _________, a Cambodian dessert that was AMAZING. Bread, fruit, that clear jello stuff, shaved ice, milk and some kind of white syrup on top! It was only .50 USD. On my way into the market I ran into the Japanese kids and the asked to take pictures with me, again I dreamed of the stories they would tell! I asked them to write in my book of people I’ve met. I have everyone I spend any significant time with write in this book. I explain that later down the road I’ll read it and remember our time together and that I won’t be reading for at least a few weeks or month to come. So far I’ve only read Andy’s, Natalies, Akes, Ploy’s and Alicia’s. There are still a lot to read. I saw for girls sitting at the “Island Bar” a gazebo bar in the middle of the market and I asked if I could join them for a bite. They were from England and leaving the next day for Thailand on a bus. I told them they might want to consider hiring a taxi instead and told them about our adventures. Behind the bar a young Cambodian man was doing some amazing bar flaring and I walked over to give it a go. He was happy to have someone to play with and showed me some new moves. My flaring skills were nothing compared to his. I walked around the market a full lap and then went back a second time to make my purchases. Now I’m back at the guest house, where I found the girls fast asleep in bed. Its now 1 am so I should be sleeping too! Good night

Bangkok Nights

(9.10.08 1:11 am Lunch break Somewhere in Thailand)
I’m currently at our rest stop/lunch break on the first of two legs to Cambodia from Bangkok. First thing Monday(9.8.08) morning we stopped by the Cambodian embassy to get my visa and then headed to Khoa San Rd so I could book my ticket and grab my battery charger. I also printed and mailed post cards. PLEASE send me an email if you get a postcard so I will know you got it. I didn’t put USA on it so I don’t know if it will make it. On Khoa San I walked around and did a little shopping. We then met some of Mimi’s CS friends for dinner and headed back to Khoa San for drinks. They sat at street side place and drank buckets of mixed drinks while I shopped some more. I showed back up and found them sitting with two beautiful girls from Sweden, so I decided to stick around. We began taking “Facebook Pictures”, which quickly turned into a way for us guys to get the girls to make out with us for photo sake. The Swedish girls wanted to dance so we made our way down Khoa San to the Lava Bar, a hip hop joint that was nearly empty. We danced, made out and they drank. The Swedish girls were staying right across the street so one of them took me over to show me their room. On the way to her room we came across a baby elephant walking down Khoa San. I couldn’t resist buying the sugar cane for 50b to feed him and take pictures. The details of the next hours won’t be discussed here but you can feel free to individually ask for pics and the story. We ended up staying out til 3am and then Mimi and I headed back to her house. Next morning I woke up at noon to meet Gayani, the CS’er I met in Bangkok my first night, to get my backpack that she was holding for me. We met at an upscale shopping mall close to her house, where the merchandise was more expensive than in American malls! She treated me to a very expensive lunch and I met her friend from the Dominican Republic who will be in Vietnam same time as me. I met Mimi back at her house and we took a subway to meet one of CS friends. I went to a meeting while she had dinner with him. After the meeting I went out with the boys, Dave and JD, both in Bangkok from Chiang Mai after their recent 10 trip to Cambodia. Went to the Absolute bar to play some pool. There was a Thai girl who had been running the table and she continued right through the boys. Of course when I came up her rein ended. There was western guy and his “Thai GF” that showed up and were on the list for pool next. I took him down and then his, drugged up crazy thai friend, placed bet with me on her game. She wanted to bet 500b but I told her 100. Then JD put 200b on me. She ended scratching on the eight ball but in Thailand they play by “Thai Rules” and there was much confusion, mainly by her, on whether or not I won. JD ended up giving her, her money back and we left the bar. The boys insisted that I would go to the Red Light district with them. This turned into the Red Light district(S). We bounced from bar to bar, drinking soda water for 120b a glass. Again the rest of the details from this night won’t be discussed here. Well except that there was a mechanical bull at one of the bars that I rode, very well I might add. (See www.youtube.com/timlara for video) Around 3:30 I finally made it home and had to wake up at 6am to catch my bus. I arrived at Khoa San and sat with three girls, who turned out to be from the Big Island, for breakfast. At 7:30 I made my way to the travel agents shop to be picked up. At 8am they finally arrived and I escorted, by foot, to two different waiting areas for more passengers. Finally making it to the bus we found that the A/C was broken and the driver was trying to fix it. Now 9am we finally got on the road. I would love to say that the A/C continued to work on our 60 passenger bus with no windows, but that would be a lie. We are now at our lunch stop about 1 hour away from the boarder of Cambodia. My ticket allows me transport all the way to Siem Reap, changing to a smaller bus at the boarder for another 6-8 hour bus ride. Apparently the road on the Cambodia side is crap and it was suggested that I dig out on my bus ride and take a cab. It will be half the time, however I will have to pay 30-60 us. There are two Israeli girls that are down to share the fare. I plan to spend the entire day tomorrow, sun up til sunrise, exploring the Angkor Wat Temples and the head to Vietnam the following day, if there isn’t anything else to do in Cambodia. I have CS hosts’ lined up for three cities in Vietnam but was unable to find one for Cambodia. A hui ho

1 day in Laos

(Sunday 9.7.08 11pm Bus from Chiang Rai to Bangkok)
Thursday morning when I woke up Pa-pa took the motorbike to get the registration renewed. Upon his return I met Paw in the city for lunch. I pretty much wasted the morning away with the exception of getting my teeth cleaned and going to the travel agent to book my bus ride to Chiang Khong for Saturday. I also had them get my visa for Vietnam. In the afternoon I met Andy at A Taste from Heaven, we rode the motorbike to the Tiger Kingdom. It was about 15-20 ride out of Chiang Mai. I found an ad for Tiger Kingdom in the tourist magazine I’ve been using a map out of. We arrived at about 7pm to be informed that the ad, which stated they were open til 9pm, was outdated and that now the tiger visits close at 6pm but the restaurant remains open til 9pm. I didn’t let it go and was able to work my way into seeing the tigers! They have three different groups: Big Tigers, Small Tigers and Newborns. At first I was told I could only see the small tigers since the others were eating. The price was 300 b for 15 min and you actually go right in their cage and can pet them and play with them. Right before we went in, they informed me that now the only tigers available were the newborns (500b), which I was actually hoping to see anyways. They don’t allow flash photography, which made challenging photos in the low light room, and, is why they stopped tours after sunset (6pm). However I did manage to get a few good shots of one cub that had fallen asleep. I got several good video clips! www.youtube.com/timlara It was really neat there was a 20 by 20 room with a small cage inside. I was the only person in there with the exception of the worker. She opened the cage door and three lil cubs came tumbling out. Two remained asleep inside. I sat on the floor and they began to climb all over me. They did bite, sometimes hard, and the trainer would give them a light slap. It was definitely a cool experience! When we returned to the city we met the two CA girls who were meeting two English girls to go to the markets. We persuaded them to join us at a Mui Thai fight first then hit the market. The fight was 400b “ringside”, all the seats are “ringside” and there were 8 fights, followed by a Cabaret (Lady Boy) show. The fights started with a two kids that looked about 8 years old and they got older as the night went on. There was even a girl fight and a four way blindfolded fight. The girls left at 10:30pm for the market and I pulled 4 other girls to our table to replace them. Two from England and two from Germany. I had met them earlier in the night while walking around the gym. Around 11:30 the first 4 girls returned which left Andy and I sitting with 8 girls. To be fair only 6 of them were good looking. After the fight we stayed for about 3 minutes of the Lady Boy show, enough time for me to get a couple of pics, then Andy forced me to go barhopping in the “red light” district. He said it’s something I had to do while in Thailand. Girl hollered and pleaded with us to come inside as we walked along a stretch of bars. My theory is, that the guys who enough these bars are the guys that don’t normally get much attention from ladies. Andy bought me a water while he drank a beer and 4 ladies kept us company. I was dead tired and decided to go home while Andy tried to convince me to check out one more stretch of bars. It was 2:30 and I insisted on going home. The next morning (Friday) I woke up at 11am and met Paw for lunch, I had a really hard time finding her and got really irritated with her directions over the phone. I finally met her and apologized for being rude, I NEED my coffee and food before I can operate in the morning. After lunch we went to a temple and I sat in the courtyard speaking to Keo, a student monk. I wasted the rest of day at A Taste of Heaven on the internet. I did manage to meet a girl there from Oregon and pick her brain on travel. OH, and I went to the local market to buy a pair of traditional northern Thai pants, like the ones I wore when I got my massage in Phrao. Friday night was “Family Dinner” and Paw said I should attend. Ake suggested I buy a bottle of wine or some flowers for her parents. So I bought three “ring flowers” (flower lei’s). We went to a upscale modern Thai restaurant and the food was amazing. They also had tradition northern Thai music and dance at the restaurant while we ate. After dinner I drug Paw out to meet Ploy, from Phrao, and her friends out for drinks. We started at Bombay, trendy bar by the university and then headed to Warm Up night club, another university hot spot. Andy joined us but Ake said it wasn’t his scene. The night club was huge, with one room for hip-hop, one for live music, one for electronic and one for just cruising. We started in the hip hop room and it was packed FULL. Alicia, a New Yorker volunteering with Ploy at Warm Hearts, noticed that we were the only ones dancing and suggested that since that were the case we should dance “hard”. I instantly fell in love with Alicia, I was drawn to her in Phrao after seeing her dance I knew she would have to be my wife. I convinced the girls to jump on the stage with me and quickly became the life of the party until we were made to get down by the bouncers. I hadn’t danced that hard since my ATL trip! (Now it’s 1pm 9.8.08; Bangkok, Mimi’s house)Next morning, Saturday, I awoke at 9am and ate breakfast at Paw’s parents’ house before she gave me a ride to the city to catch my 10am bus for the border of Laos. A five hour, 11 passenger, van ride took us to the border and I took a water taxi to the Laos side of the boarder: Hoi Xiao (spelling?). It was a small one road town and not many westerners, I did notice two girls down the street, so I made my way to stalk them. When I walked in the internet café I was surprised by the fact that there were actually 6 girls there!! They were part of a tour group consisting of 8 girls; 24-27 yrs old. They invited me to dinner and suggested I could get a room where they were staying. I followed three of the girls to their guest house and checked prices of other guest houses on the way. They were all about 70,000 kip, Laos’s currency, or about 260 b. When we arrived I asked the manager how much for a room and he said 80.000 kip, “too much” I responded. “My bungalows 150,000 kip! 80,000 kip very cheap!!!” he snapped back as I made my way out the door. I told the girls I didn’t like the manager and I would stay at Saybadee guest house across from the internet café. The girls went to Riverside Restaurant while I checked into my room. On my way to meet the girls I noticed a lone backpacker girl looking for room, I offered her to split my room and she agreed. I continued on to the restaurant to meet the girls and she joined after dropping her bags at our room. Our table got some looks, as there were 9 girls and two guys: Blaire their guide and myself. After dinner we went for drinks and stayed past our welcome, the owners began shutting down the bar and giving us stink eye. Next morning I went to check the price of a speed boat to Luang Prapang (1,440 b), ate breakfast, checked out of room and went back to catch my boat. When I arrived a boat was on it way out with 6 passengers and I was told to wait for the next boat. There were two Laos women waiting and they said they needed 6 for a trip. An hour and half later they tried to charge me 1400 b to get to Pek Peng, which is not even half way to Luang Prapang! I told him it was too much and he said I could pay 4,700 to Luang Prapang today or 1400 to Pek Peng, or wait til tomorrow for a full boat. About this time i realized i should have taken the package deal for 1300b all the way from Chiang Mai to Luang Prapang! I was frustrated and sick of dealing with the Laos people and language barrier, so I decided to head back to Thailand where the people are nice. I crossed back over the river and caught a bus local bus, with no A/C, to Chiang Rai 70b 2 ½ hours. It stopped nearly 100 times to pick up more people. At Chiang Rai I caught a 1st class A/c bus back to Bangkok 668b 12hours. When I got in at 6am I took a cab to Mimi’s house, couch surf host, and took a nap for a few hours. Now it’s about 1pm and I am going to Khoa San rd to pick up my battery charger I left at the travel agents and do some shopping. I think I will go to Cambodia from here and then make my way to South Vietnam and make my way north?

Chiang Mai

(Wednesday 10:30pm Chiang Mai)
It’s currently about 10:30 and I’m sitting in (my) two bedroom house in Chiang Mai. Paw (pronounced: Pau) is my current couch surfing host. Except instead of letting me “surf her couch”, she has arrange for me to stay at friend of her family’s house in her neighborhood. The families’ house I’m staying at lives in the states and is only in Thailand a few weeks out of the year so I have the house to myself!! It has A/C, HOT water and (Thai) cable TV. Paw’s parents and herself both have their own cars so they are allowing me to use their motorbike. To rent a motorbike is anywhere from 150b-300b a day. I got in yesterday around 3pm and met Andy and Natalie at our meeting place, Taste of Heaven. Hitch hiking turned out to be really simple; I got picked up in 5 min and jumped in the back of a pick up truck heading for Chiang Mai. A woman on a motorbike stopped to pick me up first but when I told her I was heading to Chiang Mai she said no. The truck dropped me off in the city and it was just a quick cab ride to meet Andy and Nat. We talked, played on the internet and got a quick bite. I called Paw and arranged to meet her after her Yoga class, at 8pm for dinner, which gave me plenty of time to catch the 6:30 mtg at McCormick Hospital. This was my second mtg of my travels, the first was in Bangkok my first day there. There weren’t any mtgs in Pai or Phroa. Paw took me to a really cute lil veggie restaurant in an upscale part of town and we walked for dessert afterwards. Arriving home I met “maa-maa” and she gathered linens for me and walked us over to my house. This morning Paw woke me up and introduced me to “Paa-paa”, who gave me a quick motorbike riding test to insure his bike would be ok. Paw had a full day of Yoga classes and English certification test, so I called Nat and Andy to see what their day looked like. I stopped by a Mui Tai (Thai Kickboxing) gym to see if I could train with them. For 300 b a day I can train twice, 630-930am and again from 4-7pm. I met Nat for cup of coffee before her all day Thai cooking class and said goodbye. I stopped by a temple, Wat Chedi Luang, to see if I could find out when/where “monk chat” is. I heard they have time set aside in the day where you can go and speak with the monks about Buddhism, life, love, philosophy… whatever. It was a beautiful temple and I got lost in taking pictures. In the temple there was a monk sitting on a platform who appeared to be meditating. There were many flowers and ornaments around him. I carefully took pictures, no flash, trying not to disturb him. There was a Thai man taking pictures of the temple as well. I asked to see some of his photos and gladly showed me, and then he offered me his tripod to use. The Thai people are such friendly people. I went to ask the people at the entrance of the temple who the meditating monk was. His name was --------------- and this was actually his funeral!!!!! He was a highly regarded monk and he passed away a few days ago. The whole time I thought he was meditating and he is really dead. It’s just a wax figure!! Look at the pics and you’ll see how real he looks, even knowing its fake I still have a hard time believing it. Now knowing I would disturb the monk, I got a lil more liberal with my photos. Before I knew it I had been in the temple over an hour and was late for meeting Paw and Andy for lunch at, Taste from Heaven. We ate lunch and I remained by myself to upload pics, checking emails and couch searching (looking for new hosts’) in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Realizing I was wasting the day away I left to find a travel agent so I could weigh my options on getting to Laos. For 2300b I can take a 5 hour bus ride to the border, and then take a 6 hour speed boat or two day 11 hour slow boat ride to Luang Phabang, Laos. Another option is 400b 5 hour bus ride to the border. I think I’m gonna hitch hike for the experience again! Then when I get to the river, try to hitch hike on a supply boat or something? I went back to the temple to see about Monk Chat, since I never got around to asking before and I was again side tracked by Chanting Time; for about 30 min straight all the young monks filled the temple and chanted out loud. I met two girls from California and all three of us jumped on the motorbike and headed to another temple. It was almost dark and the temple was closed so we jumped on the bike and I took them across town to their guest house. After using the wifi there I left to meet Paw for dinner at an artsy lil Japanese restaurant in the same neighborhood as the night before. The food was out of this world!!! We again walked for ice cream and then returned home for bed. Tomorrow morning I am either waking up for Mui Thai or I am going to Yoga with Paw, then at 2pm I have a dentist appointment to have a cleaning, check up and teeth whitening. Andy got a cleaning, check up and two cavities filled for 90$ us!! I haven’t had insurance for about a year now and I’m past due for a cleaning. A Hui Ho!!

Pai and Phrao, Thailand

1:30 am Monday morning.

I’m currently sitting in a bungalow in Phrao, a small farming village in Northern Thailand about 2 hours out of Chiang Mai.
We met Ake (pronounced Ek), a Thai real estate investor, shortly after I posted the last update and headed North to a small mellow town called Pai. The road to Pai is very windy, similar to the road to Hana except it’s wider and up thru the mountains. Oh ya there aren’t waterfalls everywhere either. We arrived at Akes vacation house took showers and left for dinner. Ake took us to a hidden lil restaurant called Farmers House; it’s a guest house and restaurant. We would have never found it without Ake. We sat right on a pond in a gazebo like setting. Tradition table with no chairs, sitting on the ground with shoes off. The food was amazing traditional Thai which ake ordered for us. After dinner we walked through the streets of Pai, however most of the shops were closed and those that were open were trying to close. Arriving home about 11pm I quickly jumped in bed and was fast asleep. Next morning I awoke first at 8:30am and waited for the rest of the group to awaken. We had coffee and hung out at the house while Ake helped his workers do some projects around the property. We stopped in town for breakfast and then walked around the town center. On the way out of town we stopped at another of Akes friends’ houses for lunch, Crazy Kitchen, which again we would have never had the opportunity to eat at had it not been for Ake. Again we ate very traditional Thai food ordered by ake: Red curry, coconut soup, pad Thai. Crazy’s husband is an artist and woodworker so we walked back to see his work. Natalie had been wanting to buy a Salor, traditional Thai instrument similar to a violin. The husband just so happened to make them. He played it for us and then showed her how to play it (see video). Natalie ended up ordering one to be handmade for her, 2000b, and delivered back to Chiang Mai. The trip to Pai was beautiful and I’m most grateful to Ake for driving us up and hosting us at his vacay house, however I wish we could have spent a lil more time exploring the town, people and going on excursions. They have day trips for elephant treks, white water rafting, kayaking and trekking. On the road back home Natalie and I both got car sick, as we did on the way to Pai, however we didn’t throw up. We arrived back in Chiang Mai at 6ish pm and were dropped off in the center of town by the market. Andy, Nat and I parted ways as I went to meet Ploy, a Thai couch surfing girl who lives in Phrao but happened to be in the city. She was had just finished dinner in the Temple with Jan a elderly couch surfer from England and the three of us walked around the Sunday Night Market for an hour together. Ploy and I then headed to Riverside Bar and Restaurant for some drinks and live music. (Tuesday 11:33pm at Internet Café in Phrao)Around midnight we took off for Phrao a small farming village about two hours away. Ploy is currently working with the Warm Hearts Foundation up here. Yesterday morning we woke up at 8:30 and I dropped Ploy off at work, she allowed me to use here truck during the day. I went for breakfast and coffee and then got trapped at the internet café uploading pictures and playing on the internet. I pick her up for lunch and we went to “secret noodle place” for the most amazing noodles ever!!! After lunch she took me to some hot springs just outside of Phrao. The outside pools were too hot since it had just rained the night before so we soaked in one of the private bath houses. I felt soo sedated. It was nice to feel warm water again and especially nice to be able to soak in it. We then went into town for traditional Thai Massage. Ploy told me this that it was special massage, they use acupuncture points in the massage to heal your body. We were both going to get an hour massage for 120 b but by the time it was over I ended up getting a 2 hour massage with herbal healing. The lady was amazing and found damaged nerves on both my shoulders and both thighs. I thought I was going to die; the massage definitely was NOT relaxing. I was squirming the whole time and she made me ‘tap out’ twice. She worked awhile on each damaged nerve and the pain was excruciating! We then met some co-workers of Ploy’s for Thai BBQ. There is a clay pot of coals on the table with a medal basin sitting on top, similar to fondue. They bring raw meat and you cook it in the soup or on the hot medal dome sticking out of the middle. This morning I took Ploy to work again then went driving in the country to take pictures of the rice fields. It’s almost time for me to pick Ploy up for lunch, after which I’m going to hitch hike back into Chiang Mai, 90 Kilometers away. They have a bus for 85b, a lil less than 3$, but I want to hitch hike for the experience  A Hui Ho.

The first 24

(8.26.08 9am) As i write this from my phone, i'm sitting in the honolulu airport waiting to board a plane for taipei, taiwan. its currently 9am (hawaiian time) on tuesday morning, at 1am (bangkok time) thursday i will step off a plane in thailand; the first leg of a solo 3 1/2 month trip to southeast asia. many have asked me in the past week "r u nervous" i would reply "not yet, it will probably hit me when i get to the airport" well i'm still not nervous. now i'm just trying to figure out if its the trust and reliance i have in g.o.d..or if its just my oversized ego that assures me everything is going to be ok?

(8.28.08)i'm in Thailand, its 4:30 am, i've met a friend: Irish Brian, he helped me find a room, we walked around Khao San Road, he pointed out some Lady Boys (they were the hotter of the thai girls) i still can't tell the difference but he swears they were boys. I managed to leave my passport laying the Tokyo airport unattended while getting a bottle of water, then i went back to get it the clerk hunted me down and gave me my american express that i left at the cashiers counter!! i've gotta get better at keeping track of my stuff:) K, it's bed time now.
love ya all!

Aloha
(8.29.08 11am) It’s currently 8pm Bangkok time. I’m sitting in the back of a 40 passenger tour bus, listening to Israeli music in Hebrew, heading from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. It will be a 12 hour bus ride which departed at 6pm and we will stop once at 11pm for food. There are 23 people on board, 8 Israeli’s, Two from Turkey, two from Japan, 5 from Korea, 1 from Whales, Andy from England and myself. I know this because before the bus departed I befriended two cute Israeli girls and then proceeded to draw Andy, sitting across the isle into the conversation. Then, about 15 minutes into the bus ride I walked to the front of the bus and met everyone on my way back to my seat in the back row. Andy said he really appreciated me uniting the bus because otherwise we would have all spent the next 12 hours not talking to each other. Those of you that know me know that I’m not one to keep to myself, especially when there are, foreign, hot girls around. About half the people on the bus have just purchased a ticket for the bus, as have I, for 350-550 baht (32 baht= 1$). The remainder have purchased a tour package, around 5,500 baht, which will take them by bus to chiang mai, then trekking for 3 nights including food, lodging and tours. I’ve opted to keep my “let the spirit move me” idea going and just figure it out once I get to chiang mai.
I arrived in Bangkok at 1:30 am on Thursday 8.28.08, after leaving Honolulu at 9:30am on Tuesday 8.26.08. My route was 71/2 hours to Tokyo, Japan where I had an hour layover followed by a 3 ½ hour plane ride to Taipei, Taiwan. During my 5 hour layover I took a bus into Taipei City, about an hour bus ride. Upon reaching the city I took a subway to the Night Market, where there were lots of food stands and shopping in an almost carnival like atmosphere. As a matter of fact there were several carnival games to play. I walked around for 30min before heading back to the airport to catch my flight to Bangkok, Thailand. From the airport I took an hour Taxi (metered) ride to Khoa San Road, which ran me close to 500 b. On the cab ride I was required to pay the tolls on the highway, and give a (forced) 40 b tip. There was a light ran when I stepped out of the cab and began walking down Khoa San Rd. There were people scattered about, eating talking and stumbling drunk. Almost instantly an Irish lad, Brian, cracked a joke asking if my bags were heavy. I let him know I had just arrived and it was my first trip. He was on his 6 trip to Khoa San Rd and offered to show me around. He led me to the guest house, Sawasdee; he was staying at and helped negotiate me a room down from 800 b to 650 b. They showed me a sign which stated “The hotel reserves the right to check ID of any non foreign guests. Lady boys are not permitted in the rooms. If you require a guest, the hotel is not liable for any loss or damaged property” I dropped my bags and off went headed for the bars! On the way Brian pointed out some Lady boys for me. Honestly they were the more beautiful of the girls I saw that night. Each time I commented, “she’s cute” he would reply “lady boy” followed by “Mate, look at the size of her shoulders, if she’s taller than you she’s a lady boy” Our destination became Go Zibo nightclub which carried a 300 b cover charge. Luckily for us a drunken 19 year old Thai girl asked Brian to pretend to be her boyfriend in exchange for her paying his cover and buying him a drink. He then in turn paid my cover. Apparently they would allow her in the club, under-aged, if she was with a foreigner but not without. I met a cute Australia girl in the club and then headed back to my room. It was about 4:30 am before I made it to bed.
I awoke at 10:30 the following morning and made my way out to Khoa San Rd which had transformed to a bustling market place full of Thai’s trying to get money from you for anything possible. Clothes, Jewelry, Electronics, Food, Massage, Cabs and of course Tuk Tuk’s!! Tuk Tuk’s are motorized bikes with covered seating for 3 on the back. These are non-metered and the price in negotiable. Also regular cabs will try to leave the meter off so you have to specify that you want “meter”. I walked by a lady making omelets in a wok and asked “How much?” “20 b” she replied. “Includes rice?” inquired, she nodded. When I went to pay she said “30b…30b” “No, 20b” I insisted “30 b w/rice” we went back and forth and finally gave the food back and walked away. Now its not that 10b is a big deal, it’s about $.30us it was just the principle. I eventually found another stand and got an omelet w/rice for 25b which was overcooked and a lot smaller than my first purchase. While eating Gayani, a girl I met on couchsurfing.com, called and told me to meet her. She was hosting a girl from Germany. We went to a lil India place for lunch and then walked Khoa San Rd. Gayani suggested we check out the temples so we waited for a Tuk Tuk driver to approach and she negotiated 5b per person for him to take us on a tour of temples. The catch was we would have to stop by a suit shop as well. The Tuk Tuk drivers have an arrangement with the shop owners to bring travelers by their shops in exchange for gas coupons. Our driver was very upfront about his being the reason our tour was so cheap and told us we didn’t have to buy anything, just look interested. We took pictures at the first temple and released birds for good luck at the second. Then we stopped at a suit shop. We looked around for a few minutes and then left. Our driver told us we had to stay longer, “we go another shop, this time 5-10 min, sit down, look at catalogs, talk to sales person, so I get coupon” When we left the Tuk Tuk sputtered and soon ran out of gas. We were informed we’d have to take another tuk tuk back to Khoa San Rd. Gayani argued with the driver that he must pay for our new tuk tuk since we had already paid him. I took over and after few he finally conceded, at which point Gayani refused to let him pay. She said she just wanted to make the point that he was wrong, but the 15 b wasn’t a bid deal. Later night Gayani took us out to a night club on Khoa San rd. and after about an hour she suggested. We leave to meet a friend of hers at another night club. A 20 min cab ride later, dressed in shorts and slippahs, we showed up at the club which ended up being a very swanky nightclub with a dress code. They wouldn’t allow me in but her friend was in a private party in the back of the club for models. She told me to just walk in and if anyone asked just say I was a model. It worked, however they did give me shit about my slippahs, I just explained I was a model and no one told me about the dress code. Not only did I get free cover but they gave me 5 free drinks as well. The next morning I met Nin, a Thai girl I met on Couchsurfing.com, for lunch and we visited some more temples. She lives in N.E. Thailand and was in Bangkok the funeral of her aunt. She found me a bus ticket to Chiang Mai for 850 b on a bus. I took it upon myself to look around and I found one for 350 b thru a travel agency suggested by Kamera, a girl I met from Couchsurfing.com in Maui. The bus departed at 6pm so I spent the rest of the day playing on the internet and walking Khoa San Road taking pictures and playing “Thai hacky sack”. I ate at the same Pad Thai food stand each day, 20 b for pad Thai and 10 b for spring roll. I convinced him to allow me to make my own food my final day and he filmed it for me (www.youtube.com/timlara).
(8.30.08) We arrived in Chiang Mai this morning at 7am and at breakfast at a guest house, then walked to the main road where we found vegetarian restaurant in Chiang Mai, Taste from Heaven, where they have free wifi. Roy, from England, who owns the place is sitting with us talking story and answering questions. He also owns a Elephant rescue camp where they save abused elephants. It’s currently 10:14am. Andy from England, Natalie from Israel and myself are killing time until noon when a Thai friend of Andy is picking us up for a day trip to Pai. Apparently they are rioting in Bangkok currently and they are telling travels to head out of the city. Andy and Natalie both have about a week left for their travels and I will probably hang with them until they leave. I’m going to post this so we can check out the city before we head out to Pai. A hui ho!

One Month Down

So yesterday made one month of van life! And in 15 more days i take off for my travels. So far everything is going good. I get my shots next week, tuesday, which is the last thing in the list of things i need to do. I haven't made an arrangements for places to stay or things to do when i get to thailand, the first stop on my trip. I figure i'll just play it by ear. I do have two friends that spend 3-6 months a year in thailand so i'll probably talk to them before i go. A friend of mine just got back from Bali and said she had an amazing time :) I have ALOT of contacts for Australia, friends of friend, and my friend Carolyn and Elle just got back from Australia and N. Zealand. As far as Fiji goes i don't even know what to expect. The Gen. Manager from the resort i use to work at is a GM of a resort over there so maybe i'll try to get ahold of him?
I can no longer park in the area i've been parking my van and jeep. Appearantly someone called the police and made a report that i was living in my van. I have friend that lives right up the road and thats where i said i live. Last night i slept at a friends house and tonight i'll try another spot out.