no real news tonight. just thought i'd respond to everyone who has been trying unsuccessfully to call us. we had a load of laundry done a few days ago, and accidentally threw the phone in with the wash. our phone is now clean and smells fantastic, but no longer works. we leave tomorrow morning on a long jaunt into laos. once we make it to luang probang, a city i hope is as fun to see as it is to say, we will look into buying a new phone. until then, we look forward to getting emails, comments on our blog, and facebook messages.
there is no other news. we have done nothing for the past two days. the heat is sweltering. i hope the airconditioning works on our buses tomorrow.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
we're in pai, and pai is great. it's great just saying pai. that's how much we like it.
its very laid back here, very slow, quite small. it was once probably a quaint mountain village that, for better or worse, was discovered by hippies, and is now a place to drink shots of wheatgrass and eat falafel. we rented mountain bikes yesterday and tooled around to see the sights which included, but weren't limited to: a mountaintop temple, a canyon, small villages, rice paddies, elephant camps, and israelis on mopeds. we ended the night at a bar called retox that was celebrating it's last night of business, drawing a rowdy but fun crowd.
we woke up slightly dinged up, but headed to a health food restaurant, and after some wheatgrass, a spirolina smoothy, herbal tea, and some fresh orange juice we felt reenergized. our next move was to rent a motorbike ($3 for 24 hours!) and head to the trailhead that leads to a waterfall. our map said it takes 3 to 5 hours to reach the waterfall, and being overconfident in our speed, we set out later than planned, hoping to make it in under three. the hike was beautiful, always under the canopy, following the river with at least 20 crossings, but after 3 hours of trekking, we still hadn't made the falls, and when the rain started up we decided to turn around and head back. thing is, after only 45 minutes of heavy rain, the river swelled up, and where once we had dainty crossings through a crystal stream, we now had a raging chocolate river. even worse, parts of the trail were now under water, and we had to start using an emergency river crossing system, where i lead the way, poking ahead with a bamboo cane to test the depths, while ashley followed, our arms locked. the water was never above thigh level, so at no point was there ever any danger of being swept away, but with the sun setting, and us losing time on every crossing, there was a fear that we wouldn't make it out of the jungle before dark. ashley totally kept her cool, however, and with some serious running through the jungle, we made it back to the scooter just as the sun was setting on top of the mountains, giving us an amazing sunset for the ride home.
we're now both showered up and ready for a quiet night of falafel, maybe a movie, and a well earned nights sleep.
unless, of course, i find a bar here that stays open late enough to catch either the packers or the brewers.
its very laid back here, very slow, quite small. it was once probably a quaint mountain village that, for better or worse, was discovered by hippies, and is now a place to drink shots of wheatgrass and eat falafel. we rented mountain bikes yesterday and tooled around to see the sights which included, but weren't limited to: a mountaintop temple, a canyon, small villages, rice paddies, elephant camps, and israelis on mopeds. we ended the night at a bar called retox that was celebrating it's last night of business, drawing a rowdy but fun crowd.
we woke up slightly dinged up, but headed to a health food restaurant, and after some wheatgrass, a spirolina smoothy, herbal tea, and some fresh orange juice we felt reenergized. our next move was to rent a motorbike ($3 for 24 hours!) and head to the trailhead that leads to a waterfall. our map said it takes 3 to 5 hours to reach the waterfall, and being overconfident in our speed, we set out later than planned, hoping to make it in under three. the hike was beautiful, always under the canopy, following the river with at least 20 crossings, but after 3 hours of trekking, we still hadn't made the falls, and when the rain started up we decided to turn around and head back. thing is, after only 45 minutes of heavy rain, the river swelled up, and where once we had dainty crossings through a crystal stream, we now had a raging chocolate river. even worse, parts of the trail were now under water, and we had to start using an emergency river crossing system, where i lead the way, poking ahead with a bamboo cane to test the depths, while ashley followed, our arms locked. the water was never above thigh level, so at no point was there ever any danger of being swept away, but with the sun setting, and us losing time on every crossing, there was a fear that we wouldn't make it out of the jungle before dark. ashley totally kept her cool, however, and with some serious running through the jungle, we made it back to the scooter just as the sun was setting on top of the mountains, giving us an amazing sunset for the ride home.
we're now both showered up and ready for a quiet night of falafel, maybe a movie, and a well earned nights sleep.
unless, of course, i find a bar here that stays open late enough to catch either the packers or the brewers.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
still in chiang mai, with a lot of new adventures behind us. last i wrote, i mentioned going to a muay thai kickboxing match. that turned about to be better than we imagined. the fight was held a few blocks from our hotel, in a venue that calls itself a stadium, but which is actually an alleyway, with a corrugated tin roof and a boxing ring in the middle. along the alley walls on either side of the ring are six or so bars, staffed entirely by lady boys, and a set of tables sitting ringside. ash and i sat with an american couple we had met in our cooking class, and were disappointed when we realized that the first few fights were between children. i don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with kids kickboxing, but as a spectator sport, it feels a little dodgy to choose sides and really root for anyone. after four matches of kinderbouts, the real action began with what had been advertised on the program as "special fight." four muay thai fighters enter the ring, put on blindfolds, and for five minutes let loose, in one of the funniest sports debacles i have ever seen in my life. in addition to the four fighters, a non-blindfolded referee tried to maintain some order, but after being punched several times himself, eventually ended up throwing blows, and kicking the other fighters. it was marvelous.
the special fight was followed by four genuine fights, by which point we had struck up conversation with three middle aged australian schoolteachers, who were especially enthusiastic, because they had money riding on each fight. by the last two bouts, one of them had shown me the ins and outs of muay thai gambling and i made my way into the pit, feeling like i was in a jean-claude van damme movie. i lost two hundred baht (US $6)betting on a hometown hero who got pummeled by a giant canadian, but won my money back when, in the last, fight i bet on the guy with the most tattoos. the final fight was followed by a cabaret show put on by the cross-gender waitstaff.
next morning we woke up early to leave on our 2 day trek in a nearby national park. there were fourteen people on the trek, including two guides, one of whom was four foot ten and named willow. those two days have had some of the most amazing moments of the entire trip. it started with another elephant ride, which ashley and i wouldn't have gone out of our way to do again, but it ended up being a good time and different from our first experience. we rode a large female, who had her baby follow along, and whom we got to pet in the end. with the elephant ride done, we set out on a five hour trek through the jungle, in and out of rain, crossing over rushing rivers, and scrambling up muddy hills. our group was filled with great people, and by the time we had reached our destination, we felt like we were amongst old friends. an hour before the sunset we settled into a thatch-roof mountain top hut where we would spend the night, and sat on a bamboo deck, looking down on clouds moving through rice paddies and jungle valleys. the locals made us a delicious dinner and sold us cold beers, and then broke out an acoustic guitar which we passed around singing songs all night. most people stayed up well past midnight, playing games and singing, and looking at the stars. it was, for me, the best night of our trip.
the next morning, after breakfast, we headed back down the mountain, stopping at a gorgeous waterfall for a swim, and then along the river to a rafting outfitter. we went through a 15 mintute safety lesson and then broke up into three rafts to shoot down the rapids. we spent the next half hour flying down the river in our raft, or deliberately flopping over the side to cruise along in just our lifejackets. when there were no more rapids, we switched to bamboo rafts and slowly drifted towards our lunch spot, before heading back to the city.
last night, almost everyone got together on the roof of our hotel and had beers, and said goodbyes, as people are starting to go in different directions from here.
today has been mostly a lazy one, though it started with some adventure. five of us took a taxi to "tiger kingdom," a tiger breeding facility that for 300 baht, lets you go into the tiger's cages for fifteen minutes and pet the tigers. you have the option of what age tigers you want to handle, and we all agreed the 5 month olds seemed harmless enough. while it was a very touristy experience, there's something to be said about petting a tiger.
tonight we'll take it easy, have dinner with some friends, and set off tomorrow for pai, a city three and a half hours northwest of here, about which we know very little, but hear from everyone that it's a worthwhile visit. and that should be it for thailand. after pai, i beilieve we will head intro laos, a country that is beautiful by all accounts, but also a test of one's patience. just to get there will take more than two days, and we're told that trips between cities are always excruciatingly slow and long. but we're excited to see new things, try new food, and meet new people.
that's it for now, hope to hear from everyone soon.
the special fight was followed by four genuine fights, by which point we had struck up conversation with three middle aged australian schoolteachers, who were especially enthusiastic, because they had money riding on each fight. by the last two bouts, one of them had shown me the ins and outs of muay thai gambling and i made my way into the pit, feeling like i was in a jean-claude van damme movie. i lost two hundred baht (US $6)betting on a hometown hero who got pummeled by a giant canadian, but won my money back when, in the last, fight i bet on the guy with the most tattoos. the final fight was followed by a cabaret show put on by the cross-gender waitstaff.
next morning we woke up early to leave on our 2 day trek in a nearby national park. there were fourteen people on the trek, including two guides, one of whom was four foot ten and named willow. those two days have had some of the most amazing moments of the entire trip. it started with another elephant ride, which ashley and i wouldn't have gone out of our way to do again, but it ended up being a good time and different from our first experience. we rode a large female, who had her baby follow along, and whom we got to pet in the end. with the elephant ride done, we set out on a five hour trek through the jungle, in and out of rain, crossing over rushing rivers, and scrambling up muddy hills. our group was filled with great people, and by the time we had reached our destination, we felt like we were amongst old friends. an hour before the sunset we settled into a thatch-roof mountain top hut where we would spend the night, and sat on a bamboo deck, looking down on clouds moving through rice paddies and jungle valleys. the locals made us a delicious dinner and sold us cold beers, and then broke out an acoustic guitar which we passed around singing songs all night. most people stayed up well past midnight, playing games and singing, and looking at the stars. it was, for me, the best night of our trip.
the next morning, after breakfast, we headed back down the mountain, stopping at a gorgeous waterfall for a swim, and then along the river to a rafting outfitter. we went through a 15 mintute safety lesson and then broke up into three rafts to shoot down the rapids. we spent the next half hour flying down the river in our raft, or deliberately flopping over the side to cruise along in just our lifejackets. when there were no more rapids, we switched to bamboo rafts and slowly drifted towards our lunch spot, before heading back to the city.
last night, almost everyone got together on the roof of our hotel and had beers, and said goodbyes, as people are starting to go in different directions from here.
today has been mostly a lazy one, though it started with some adventure. five of us took a taxi to "tiger kingdom," a tiger breeding facility that for 300 baht, lets you go into the tiger's cages for fifteen minutes and pet the tigers. you have the option of what age tigers you want to handle, and we all agreed the 5 month olds seemed harmless enough. while it was a very touristy experience, there's something to be said about petting a tiger.
tonight we'll take it easy, have dinner with some friends, and set off tomorrow for pai, a city three and a half hours northwest of here, about which we know very little, but hear from everyone that it's a worthwhile visit. and that should be it for thailand. after pai, i beilieve we will head intro laos, a country that is beautiful by all accounts, but also a test of one's patience. just to get there will take more than two days, and we're told that trips between cities are always excruciatingly slow and long. but we're excited to see new things, try new food, and meet new people.
that's it for now, hope to hear from everyone soon.
Monday, September 22, 2008
first of all, let me apologize to everyone who has been reading our blog. my fourth entry included a spelling error, in which i used the word "where" instead of "wear." i would also like to thank kay trottier for pointing the error out. it has been corrected.
we're still in chiang mai with no end in sight. we really like this city. yesterday, against the urgings of three separate bike rental merchants, we rented two bikes to ride up a mountain to a temple and the king's winter palace. most tourists take a taxi up, but ashley and i were feeling ambitious and felt that an 18 kilometer ride up the side of a mountain seemed reasonable. perhaps the bike people were right.
we made it most of the way, before my knee started bothering me, so we cheated and hitched a ride for the last 3k. the sites at the top weren't spectacular, but still worth seeing, and the ride down the mountain was fantastic, depite a pesky german biker that wouldn't stop talking to us the whole way down.
today we left the guest house early to head out to an organic farm where we spent the day learning to cook about a dozen thai dishes. ashley made tom kha, a coconut soup that we both love, green curry with tofu, pad thai and i can't remember what else. my favorite dish was a tom yum gung, lemongrass soup with prawns. we'll be happy to cook for anyone that wants it when we make it home. there were about ten people total in the class, so we got to make a few new friends, some of whom will be joining us tonight when we go to a muy thai kickboxing match. it's not exactly something either of us have been dying to do, but it's a very popular sport here, and we figured when in rome...
tomorrow morning we set off on a two day trek/ whitewater rafting trip. then back in a couple of days, maybe one more night in chiang mai, and then we're either off to sukothai or possibly chiang rai. the only real plan is to make it to laos in the first couple days of september.
otherwise...
...oh, i've been sleepwalking quite a bit lately. that keeps ashley on her toes, as she'll wake up in the middle of the night and i'm stumbling out the front door in my underwear, mumbling that there are people waiting for us outside. thank god she keeps catching me before i make it to the lobby. it's not unusual for me to wake up confused when i sleep in a new place, and since we sleep somewhere new about every three days, ash has her work cut out for her, god bless her.
as always we miss everyone and hope to hear from you.
we're still in chiang mai with no end in sight. we really like this city. yesterday, against the urgings of three separate bike rental merchants, we rented two bikes to ride up a mountain to a temple and the king's winter palace. most tourists take a taxi up, but ashley and i were feeling ambitious and felt that an 18 kilometer ride up the side of a mountain seemed reasonable. perhaps the bike people were right.
we made it most of the way, before my knee started bothering me, so we cheated and hitched a ride for the last 3k. the sites at the top weren't spectacular, but still worth seeing, and the ride down the mountain was fantastic, depite a pesky german biker that wouldn't stop talking to us the whole way down.
today we left the guest house early to head out to an organic farm where we spent the day learning to cook about a dozen thai dishes. ashley made tom kha, a coconut soup that we both love, green curry with tofu, pad thai and i can't remember what else. my favorite dish was a tom yum gung, lemongrass soup with prawns. we'll be happy to cook for anyone that wants it when we make it home. there were about ten people total in the class, so we got to make a few new friends, some of whom will be joining us tonight when we go to a muy thai kickboxing match. it's not exactly something either of us have been dying to do, but it's a very popular sport here, and we figured when in rome...
tomorrow morning we set off on a two day trek/ whitewater rafting trip. then back in a couple of days, maybe one more night in chiang mai, and then we're either off to sukothai or possibly chiang rai. the only real plan is to make it to laos in the first couple days of september.
otherwise...
...oh, i've been sleepwalking quite a bit lately. that keeps ashley on her toes, as she'll wake up in the middle of the night and i'm stumbling out the front door in my underwear, mumbling that there are people waiting for us outside. thank god she keeps catching me before i make it to the lobby. it's not unusual for me to wake up confused when i sleep in a new place, and since we sleep somewhere new about every three days, ash has her work cut out for her, god bless her.
as always we miss everyone and hope to hear from you.
Monday, September 15, 2008
again, its been a while, so there's a lot to catch up on. last i wrote we were heading to phuket.
turns out phuket sucks. at least the part of phuket we saw sucks, and maybe we shouldn't have stayed where we stayed or just not stayed for as long as we did, but what's done is done.
here's the scoop on phuket: its filled with whores. and im not talking about loose women, but actual prostitutes, and when i say its filled with them, i mean it. its bursting with hookers, and the fat old white men who rent them. our first night there was actually fascinating and fun. it was like being in a zoo, staring at all the exotic wildlife. they're everywhere. i'm not exaggerating by saying that if you threw a tennis ball down the street, you would more than likely hit a hooker. and the best part is, half of them are ladyboys... very convincing ladyboys. we went to a ladyboy cabaret show, and you can not believe that these girls are not girls. it's wild.
unfortunately the intrigue of the tranny prostitute scene wears off almost immediately, and when it did, we found ourselves anxious to leave phuket. it was disgusting. i guess it was worth seeing, but i wouldn't recommend it.
our next stop was khao sok national park. there were ups and downs to that trip. the down was that immediately after settling into our bungalows, we went for a two hour hike through the park, and on returning, found that someone had broken into our room, stealing ashley's brand new camera and about $100 cash. long story short, we called the police, and after closely examining, in a very csi moment, what they saw as mysterious scuff marks on the floor of our room, they eventually tracked down the culprit, and managed to retrieve the camera but not the cash. my guess would be that they pocketed the money themselves, or that we were set up from the beginning. it was all awfully fishy.
but the ups are that the park was beautiful and we rode an elephant. we both took turns riding bareback on an elephant's neck. we have awesome photos of that.
now we're on ko phangan, an island just north of ko samui. last night was the full moon party, an event that had me skeptical at best. every month, between 10,000 and 15,000 people come get wasted and dance to club music under a full moon. it sounded to me like spring break in cancun, but ended up being a blast. our new friends noah and steve met up with us, along with even newer friend keira, and most of us danced on the beach until the wee hours. noah cashed in his chips a little earlier when he vomited in a bush and then fell asleep with his head on a rock. not a big drinker, that noah. the rest of us remained responsible and safe (hi mom) and ashley and i made it home after the sun had risen. we've got four days total here, though we might extend that by a day. we're staying in these fantastic bungalows on a beach far away from the site of the party, with a great restaurant, beautiful snorkeling, and not too many people. it's perfect. we still don't know where we're headed next. we hope chang mai, but that's a long haul and the weather might not be agreeable. apparently this whole "rainy season" thing isn't just a catchy name. it actually rains a lot. yesterday was the first full day of sunshine we've had since we've been here. not a complaint, because when the sun is out, it is hotter than you can believe, and the rain can be a nice break in the day.
otherwise, everything is still going smoothly. we're excited for those who are planning on joinning us along the way, and for those who aren't planning on it, you should. it's so fun here. and cheap! think about it.
oh. we bought a cell phone, so if anyone wants to call us, maybe pick up a calling card and give us a jingle. its a 12 hr time difference between us and the midwest. our number is 08-6948-4563 and the country code is 66. feel free to call.
and i almost forgot. on our way here (to ko phangan) we were in a minibus for a three hour ride, and ashley probably could have used the bathroom before we got in the car, but she didn't, and after an hour had a determined but panicky look in her eye. i asked if she could make it, that we would be at the next town in about 45 minutes, but she was past the point of no return. full emergency pee mode. so when the minibus pulled over on a city street to drop off a passenger, ashley plowed her way out from the back row and told the driver, who spoke no english, that she needed a bathroom. her crazed look made the situation clear, and this poor guy actually knocked on someone's front door, and asked if she could come in and use their bathroom. it was amazing. the woman who answered was so nice that not only did she let both of us use her bathroom, she gave us her phone number and invited to stay at her house in vietnam. her name is jew.
thats it for now.
call us.
turns out phuket sucks. at least the part of phuket we saw sucks, and maybe we shouldn't have stayed where we stayed or just not stayed for as long as we did, but what's done is done.
here's the scoop on phuket: its filled with whores. and im not talking about loose women, but actual prostitutes, and when i say its filled with them, i mean it. its bursting with hookers, and the fat old white men who rent them. our first night there was actually fascinating and fun. it was like being in a zoo, staring at all the exotic wildlife. they're everywhere. i'm not exaggerating by saying that if you threw a tennis ball down the street, you would more than likely hit a hooker. and the best part is, half of them are ladyboys... very convincing ladyboys. we went to a ladyboy cabaret show, and you can not believe that these girls are not girls. it's wild.
unfortunately the intrigue of the tranny prostitute scene wears off almost immediately, and when it did, we found ourselves anxious to leave phuket. it was disgusting. i guess it was worth seeing, but i wouldn't recommend it.
our next stop was khao sok national park. there were ups and downs to that trip. the down was that immediately after settling into our bungalows, we went for a two hour hike through the park, and on returning, found that someone had broken into our room, stealing ashley's brand new camera and about $100 cash. long story short, we called the police, and after closely examining, in a very csi moment, what they saw as mysterious scuff marks on the floor of our room, they eventually tracked down the culprit, and managed to retrieve the camera but not the cash. my guess would be that they pocketed the money themselves, or that we were set up from the beginning. it was all awfully fishy.
but the ups are that the park was beautiful and we rode an elephant. we both took turns riding bareback on an elephant's neck. we have awesome photos of that.
now we're on ko phangan, an island just north of ko samui. last night was the full moon party, an event that had me skeptical at best. every month, between 10,000 and 15,000 people come get wasted and dance to club music under a full moon. it sounded to me like spring break in cancun, but ended up being a blast. our new friends noah and steve met up with us, along with even newer friend keira, and most of us danced on the beach until the wee hours. noah cashed in his chips a little earlier when he vomited in a bush and then fell asleep with his head on a rock. not a big drinker, that noah. the rest of us remained responsible and safe (hi mom) and ashley and i made it home after the sun had risen. we've got four days total here, though we might extend that by a day. we're staying in these fantastic bungalows on a beach far away from the site of the party, with a great restaurant, beautiful snorkeling, and not too many people. it's perfect. we still don't know where we're headed next. we hope chang mai, but that's a long haul and the weather might not be agreeable. apparently this whole "rainy season" thing isn't just a catchy name. it actually rains a lot. yesterday was the first full day of sunshine we've had since we've been here. not a complaint, because when the sun is out, it is hotter than you can believe, and the rain can be a nice break in the day.
otherwise, everything is still going smoothly. we're excited for those who are planning on joinning us along the way, and for those who aren't planning on it, you should. it's so fun here. and cheap! think about it.
oh. we bought a cell phone, so if anyone wants to call us, maybe pick up a calling card and give us a jingle. its a 12 hr time difference between us and the midwest. our number is 08-6948-4563 and the country code is 66. feel free to call.
and i almost forgot. on our way here (to ko phangan) we were in a minibus for a three hour ride, and ashley probably could have used the bathroom before we got in the car, but she didn't, and after an hour had a determined but panicky look in her eye. i asked if she could make it, that we would be at the next town in about 45 minutes, but she was past the point of no return. full emergency pee mode. so when the minibus pulled over on a city street to drop off a passenger, ashley plowed her way out from the back row and told the driver, who spoke no english, that she needed a bathroom. her crazed look made the situation clear, and this poor guy actually knocked on someone's front door, and asked if she could come in and use their bathroom. it was amazing. the woman who answered was so nice that not only did she let both of us use her bathroom, she gave us her phone number and invited to stay at her house in vietnam. her name is jew.
thats it for now.
call us.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
seth left today to head back to colorado. tina has stayed on with us for another couple days before she has to go home, as has noah, another milwaukee native we met here through seth. it turns out he's one of the few great heterosexual male hula hoopers in the chicago area. you would probably think that's some kind of joke, as i did when he told me that same thing, but after witnessing a demonstartion at a beach bar last night i am a believer. i have a video to prove it.
today the weather didnt let us get much done for the first few hours of the day, but eventually we managed to take a short but comical kayak trip, ending at a shrine built into a cave filled with hundreds of wooden penises. there was a vague explanation posted, but nothing that made it truly understandable... we enjoyed ourselves.
tmorrow we head to phuket where noah has a cousin that we're hoping can show us around. not sure how long we'll stay, but we're planning on staying in the general area until the full moon party on the 14th. after that we plan on heading north and maybe doing some treks in national parks, maybe moving toward some mountains.
today the weather didnt let us get much done for the first few hours of the day, but eventually we managed to take a short but comical kayak trip, ending at a shrine built into a cave filled with hundreds of wooden penises. there was a vague explanation posted, but nothing that made it truly understandable... we enjoyed ourselves.
tmorrow we head to phuket where noah has a cousin that we're hoping can show us around. not sure how long we'll stay, but we're planning on staying in the general area until the full moon party on the 14th. after that we plan on heading north and maybe doing some treks in national parks, maybe moving toward some mountains.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
so... ashley and i made bangkok, but the trip started in california, so i'll start in california.
we made it to santa barbara with our friend jason leupold at about 11 last wednesday night, caught a cab and headed to town to meet sara, who had already been in town for most of the day, and was already buzzed up when we found her. we sat at o'mailey's on state street and drank miller lite with another couple, also in town for the radiohead concert, until we decided it would be better to turn in early, and be fresh for the show the next night.
a cab took us into the hills to the nasgovitz's house, where we were staying... and let me just say: it was ridiculous. we had no business staying in such a nice house for such a long time. their house is beautiful. not only the house, but the property, and the view. it's amazing. i'll post photos. the sight of the house rejuvenated us all and instead of turning in early like we had all planned, we stayed up for a few more hours talking about how lucky we all are, and drank coronas.
our first full day was laid back until the concert, exploring the area, reading and soaking up california. i barely have it in me to try to explain in detail what the concert was like. if you've been to one, you know, and if you haven't, you should go. they are, hands down, the best living band. just ask anyone.
day after the concert, the four of us paid a visit to four wineries, the highlights being foxen, which was basically a shack in the desert, but they had great wine. then demetria, where we serendipitously stumbled onto a private tasting, sampling wine right out of the barrels and all. the experience there was the best, but i think foxen had the better wine. jason disagrees. to decide to yourself, head over to his house on royalle street in october when he has a case from each delivered. we ended that night with a great meal, our heads spinning with what a good time we were having.
sara, sadly, left the next morning to get back to work, so the remaining three drove to santa ynez, rented bikes and jumped back on the wine circuit. there were no wines near as good as the previous day, but the ride was gorgeous, and we had a blast. our lunch in los olivos was so good it made me angry that milwaukee doesnt have anything nearly that good. the remaining day in california was, for the most part, uneventful.
we did see a scorpion in the garage. you can imagine ashley's reaction
and then jason drove ash and i to the airport where we began the 23 hour voyage to asia.
so heres bangkok: its a big city. i think 6 million people, and it feels like it. its loud and its dirty, and everywhere you see fat, old white men drinking beer with attractive young prostitutes. but there are cool parts to the city, as well. we went to two temples: wat pho which has a gigantic reclining buddha statue, alongside which there are 100 pots lined up in which you drop coins and, we think, make a wish or say a prayer. i put a coin in for everyone i could think of, and i think i did a pretty good job of covering all my bases. if youre bothering to read this blog, consider yourself blessed.
we also went to the golden palace where there's another temple whose name i cant remember, but it was insane. it rivaled the taj mahal in how impressive it is.
we got around our first day on the train, which is very modern and clean, and in tuk-tuks, which are motorized rickshaws named for the sound made by the sputtering engine. ashley loved those so much she could barely wipe the smile off her face.
and now, we find ourselves at tonsai beach, with our friend seth and his girlfriend tina.
our first day here we went out on a snorkeling trip that ended early because of bad weather, but was fun while it lasted. we took long-tail boats out to three islands, led by a german guide who didnt speak and never got in the water, and who looks like he has a terrible foot infection on both feet that should be looked at immediately. i wasnt his biggest fan. we got caught in the cold rain in the boat ride home but laughed it off and had a good time.
yesterday seth and tina took us rock climbing, a sport ashley is now obsessed with. i had a blast, but ashley's a natural and kicked my ass getting up the rock, while i shook and fell and swore. we climbed again today, and we all did very well. its been nice of seth and tina to be patient and take us to routes that they can climb up with ease. seth leaves tomorrow but ash and i are hoping we can get some more opportunities to climb on this trip.
tonight we're planning on having some beers and celebrating seth's 30th. ashley and i just got thai massages. that's where a tiny asian woman beats the shit out of you for an hour, constantly testing your pain threshhold. actually, it reminded me a lot of our climbing experience. it hurts a lot, and there are multiple times where i wanted to quit, but if you stick it out, the payoff is worth it. and it (the massage) only costs 8 dollars for an hour.
generally speaking, our experience so far has been amazing. the beaches here are the most beautiful ive ever seen. they make the yucatan peninsula look like sheboygan. i know there is footage of rock climbing at tonsai beach on youtube if anyone wants to see for themselves. you might have to search railay beach if tonsai doesnt work. the food is great, way better on a day to day basis than i had in latin america or europe. the people are very cool and very friendly. everyone is always smiling and eager to talk. there are monkeys everywhere which provides endless entertainment for me . and so far we feel very safe. we dont have specific plans after tonsai. i think we'll stay one more day and kayak out to some caves, and then i suppose just move on to another beach. after two weeks of beaches im guessing we'll be ready to head north again and try something new. we're both looking forward to our upcoming night at the four seasons, bangkok.
i'm not sure either of us has fully embraced the reality of our situation yet, that we have five more months of this. for both of us there are moments when that seems insanely long, and others where five months doesnt seem like anywhere close to enough time. i think that will be a steady theme of the journey though, the ups and downs and constant fluctuations.
for now though, life couldnt be better. we miss our friends and families but there are enough distractions that i think we'll be alright.
eventually i will post photos. weve already taken hundreds. for now im pretty happy to have the first blog done. so thats it. write back or post comments on our blog. kudos to manohar and lauren foy for being ahead of the pack on that one.
bye for now.
we made it to santa barbara with our friend jason leupold at about 11 last wednesday night, caught a cab and headed to town to meet sara, who had already been in town for most of the day, and was already buzzed up when we found her. we sat at o'mailey's on state street and drank miller lite with another couple, also in town for the radiohead concert, until we decided it would be better to turn in early, and be fresh for the show the next night.
a cab took us into the hills to the nasgovitz's house, where we were staying... and let me just say: it was ridiculous. we had no business staying in such a nice house for such a long time. their house is beautiful. not only the house, but the property, and the view. it's amazing. i'll post photos. the sight of the house rejuvenated us all and instead of turning in early like we had all planned, we stayed up for a few more hours talking about how lucky we all are, and drank coronas.
our first full day was laid back until the concert, exploring the area, reading and soaking up california. i barely have it in me to try to explain in detail what the concert was like. if you've been to one, you know, and if you haven't, you should go. they are, hands down, the best living band. just ask anyone.
day after the concert, the four of us paid a visit to four wineries, the highlights being foxen, which was basically a shack in the desert, but they had great wine. then demetria, where we serendipitously stumbled onto a private tasting, sampling wine right out of the barrels and all. the experience there was the best, but i think foxen had the better wine. jason disagrees. to decide to yourself, head over to his house on royalle street in october when he has a case from each delivered. we ended that night with a great meal, our heads spinning with what a good time we were having.
sara, sadly, left the next morning to get back to work, so the remaining three drove to santa ynez, rented bikes and jumped back on the wine circuit. there were no wines near as good as the previous day, but the ride was gorgeous, and we had a blast. our lunch in los olivos was so good it made me angry that milwaukee doesnt have anything nearly that good. the remaining day in california was, for the most part, uneventful.
we did see a scorpion in the garage. you can imagine ashley's reaction
and then jason drove ash and i to the airport where we began the 23 hour voyage to asia.
so heres bangkok: its a big city. i think 6 million people, and it feels like it. its loud and its dirty, and everywhere you see fat, old white men drinking beer with attractive young prostitutes. but there are cool parts to the city, as well. we went to two temples: wat pho which has a gigantic reclining buddha statue, alongside which there are 100 pots lined up in which you drop coins and, we think, make a wish or say a prayer. i put a coin in for everyone i could think of, and i think i did a pretty good job of covering all my bases. if youre bothering to read this blog, consider yourself blessed.
we also went to the golden palace where there's another temple whose name i cant remember, but it was insane. it rivaled the taj mahal in how impressive it is.
we got around our first day on the train, which is very modern and clean, and in tuk-tuks, which are motorized rickshaws named for the sound made by the sputtering engine. ashley loved those so much she could barely wipe the smile off her face.
and now, we find ourselves at tonsai beach, with our friend seth and his girlfriend tina.
our first day here we went out on a snorkeling trip that ended early because of bad weather, but was fun while it lasted. we took long-tail boats out to three islands, led by a german guide who didnt speak and never got in the water, and who looks like he has a terrible foot infection on both feet that should be looked at immediately. i wasnt his biggest fan. we got caught in the cold rain in the boat ride home but laughed it off and had a good time.
yesterday seth and tina took us rock climbing, a sport ashley is now obsessed with. i had a blast, but ashley's a natural and kicked my ass getting up the rock, while i shook and fell and swore. we climbed again today, and we all did very well. its been nice of seth and tina to be patient and take us to routes that they can climb up with ease. seth leaves tomorrow but ash and i are hoping we can get some more opportunities to climb on this trip.
tonight we're planning on having some beers and celebrating seth's 30th. ashley and i just got thai massages. that's where a tiny asian woman beats the shit out of you for an hour, constantly testing your pain threshhold. actually, it reminded me a lot of our climbing experience. it hurts a lot, and there are multiple times where i wanted to quit, but if you stick it out, the payoff is worth it. and it (the massage) only costs 8 dollars for an hour.
generally speaking, our experience so far has been amazing. the beaches here are the most beautiful ive ever seen. they make the yucatan peninsula look like sheboygan. i know there is footage of rock climbing at tonsai beach on youtube if anyone wants to see for themselves. you might have to search railay beach if tonsai doesnt work. the food is great, way better on a day to day basis than i had in latin america or europe. the people are very cool and very friendly. everyone is always smiling and eager to talk. there are monkeys everywhere which provides endless entertainment for me . and so far we feel very safe. we dont have specific plans after tonsai. i think we'll stay one more day and kayak out to some caves, and then i suppose just move on to another beach. after two weeks of beaches im guessing we'll be ready to head north again and try something new. we're both looking forward to our upcoming night at the four seasons, bangkok.
i'm not sure either of us has fully embraced the reality of our situation yet, that we have five more months of this. for both of us there are moments when that seems insanely long, and others where five months doesnt seem like anywhere close to enough time. i think that will be a steady theme of the journey though, the ups and downs and constant fluctuations.
for now though, life couldnt be better. we miss our friends and families but there are enough distractions that i think we'll be alright.
eventually i will post photos. weve already taken hundreds. for now im pretty happy to have the first blog done. so thats it. write back or post comments on our blog. kudos to manohar and lauren foy for being ahead of the pack on that one.
bye for now.
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