“The Great Firewall of China”

Falling behind the censored boundaries of China, it's become a little more difficult to keep up with the outside world. The Chinese government filters the internet, blocking content it deems inappropriate, however, it seems to focus mostly on preventing negative political comments. Unfortunately for us, this also includes Blogger, Facebook, Youtube and many other websites that in some way involve China, so we apologize to those we have not responded to, but we do still get your email and comments! We have a temporary work around for posting blogs to blogger, so there may be some formatting issues. Please let us know if the pictures do not load on the blog.

Hong Kong Photo Album

Click here to view our Hong Kong Photo Album

Hong Kong

Hong Kong was a total sensory overload of flashing neon lights and a population just brimming over 7 million people who walk as bad as they drive; though being the fourth densest "country" in the world probably doesn't make it very easy. Despite being overcrowded things run very smoothly thanks to inventions like the Octopus card (a universal debit card) and the 800m Central-mid-level Escalators, the world's largest covered outdoor escalator. The people are also surprisingly friendly and polite. After transferring from Macau we bumbled around Kowloon trying to find our hotel, apparently with lost faces, when a man asks us if we needed any help. Skeptical, we accepted his offer and were astonished when he actually walked us to the hotel we were looking for, no baksheesh required!

On Kowloon and Hong Kong Island there are many markets that make up whole streets selling almost any and everything such as birds, fish, flowers, jade, ginger, chandeliers….the list is endless. After a couple hours of taking in some interesting sights we headed to the Peak for sunset; although we never actually got to watch the sunset since it completely disappeared behind a wall of pollution. However, the glow from the skyscrapers at night more than made up for it.

In the morning we explored the culture filled island of Lantau. Hopping on a bus to the quiet fishing village of Tai O, we spent the rest of the morning trying to identify dried seafood that was being sold in stalls along the narrow streets. No longer trying to understand why or how people eat these things we decided to see a creature that has no problem with it. Tai O has developed its own little tourist attraction by boating groups out past the breakwater to admire the rare pink dolphins that trail behind the trawling nets of the fishing vessels. Back on shore we make our way to Ngong Ping, home of the Tian Tan Buddha, or just Big Buddha. This 110 ft tall Buddha pleasantly sits on his lotus throne looking out over Po Lin monastery and the mountain side, which was a view that you too can share after climbing up the 268 steps. Leaving the company of Big Buddha we took the cable car down soaking in all the sights of the island.

Once the sun went down and the city lights came on, we strolled down to the Avenue of the Stars for the world's largest permanent sound and light show. The Symphony of Lights involves over 40 participating buildings that flicker on and off with happy Asian techno music. After the show, hoards of people "line up" to have their picture taken with Bruce Lee's statue and Jackie Chan's hand prints.

You like snakes? Check out these pythons!

So we’re back to Bangkok for just a day before we catch our flight to Macau. For our amusement, we went to the Red Cross Snake Farm (Good Combo) and watched the snake show in the morning! Everything from King Cobras to Kraits slithered across the floor as young girls squealed and squirmed in their seats.

However, the main event was later that night at the Calypso Cabaret where the performers are “Kathoey” or as we know them, the famous Lady Boys of Thailand. We found our seats in the front row and just knew we were in for trouble. The show was intriguing and hilarious and most of the “girls” were stunningly beautiful, while others were definitely dudes. Thailand performs the most sexual reassignment surgeries in the world so it should be no surprise too how close they can get to the real thing. Jason was the favorite of the night to be picked on, as he was the only Western male in the front row. He was a good sport and went above and beyond the original dare of just dancing with a lady boy and was smothered and kissed on the cheek.

Laos Photo Album

Click here to view our Laos photo album.

Thailand Photo Album

Click here to view our Thailand Photo Album.

Viva Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng, also known as the backpacker’s ghetto of Laos, was a vacation from our vacation. As sad as it may be, lounging at a pillow seated table eating a burger with a large Beer Lao (for USD$1) watching old episodes of Friends and Family Guy is a nice touch of home after being on the road for so long. We found a nice lodge (Vang Vieng Resort) on the outskirts of town that was far enough away from the city to be peaceful yet close enough to bike to for substance and slothfulness. We spent four nights here doing absolutely nothing except relaxing and taking in the scenery. Of all places we have been, Vang Vieng is perhaps one of the most picturesque places with sharp green mountain sides and hundreds of colorful butterflies fluttering in the air.

While not completely lackadaisical we did spend an entire day kayaking/tubing the Nam Song River visiting a few caves and river bars. The water cave, appropriately named, was a highlight as you float your inner tube through a small opening into the black water cave exploring the stalactites above from the comfort of your PFD.

Afterwards we kayaked down to the bars situated right on the river where tubers and kayakers alike pull in for a drink. Whereas we had a method of steering into the different bars, tubers relied on the bar staff to fish them out of the river (see picture). Our guides were awesome and hung out with us at the bars till dusk having a couple Beer Laos. Although nobody attempted anything from the “happy” menu we did get a couple laughs at people’s drunken attempts on the rope swings. Perhaps not the ideal combination, so we best left it to the “pros.” However, our kayaking trip didn’t end without incident as we flipped our kayak, while admiring the fish we caught (believe it or not, but this did occur before the bars).

As we already had bikes to get around town we decided to explore some of the local caves in the area. The Poukham cave and Blue Lagoon sounded impressive, with the gorgeous blue-green water and reclining Buddha. Grumbling to ourselves about the non-optional guide while ascending the 200m rugged incline, we quickly changed our tune after just entering the mouth of the cave. As our eyes adjusted to the pitch dark, we turned on our torches and follow our young guide down slippery rocks. Not 30 seconds in he jumps back and freezes as his light illuminates the slithering serpent just a few feet in front of us. Knowing how good the health care is in Laos, we decided the snake could have the cave and opted for a quick return down to the refreshing water of the lagoon. We explored a few other caves without incident before retreating back to our glorious AC room.

Vang Vieng may be spoiled by backpackers and perhaps not a true representation of Laos people, but the scenery more than makes up for it. This has been our favorite part of Laos perhaps because it gave us a touch of home and several days of R&R from traveling.

Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, the second largest city in Laos, is home to 103,000 people. Although it is a small city it has much to offer from scenic views of the Mekong and Nam Sung Rivers to over forty Vats spread throughout the city. After an hour of searching we find the guest house completely booked for the night; however, the owner’s sister’s guest house had a room available for us. Although the hotel was out of our budget (USD$40 per night) they gave it to us for a mere USD$10, which is a steal because the room had air-conditioning, private shower with a curtain, and satellite television, woohoo!

Most people start their morning with a nice cup of java, but not us. On the way to see more temples (Vats) we spot large glass jars filled with fermenting snakes, scorpions, and millipedes. Ummm…nothing like a shot of snake whiskey to wake you up in the am.

So with one more dare down we hic-upped our way down to the Xieng Toung and Phou Si Vats hoping that the alcohol content was high enough to kill any potential bad things. The first temple is the oldest Vat in town and covered with colorful mirror tiles. The latter Vat is situated on the top of Phou Si Hill overlooking the entire town. We made it up just in time to see the rain clouds open up into a brilliant rainbow sprouting from the golden temple below.

With so many temples in this city it has become quite popular to watch the monks collect alms from patrons early in the morning. Unfortunately, this lovely tradition has turned into more of a spectacle with scantily dressed tourists taking up close flash photos of the participants. Several monks have also fallen ill to food poisoning in recent years, from vendors selling impure food to tourist who wish to participate. Locals have complained over these poor standards but the government denies them any changes as it accounts for a large part of the tourism industry. Interested by this tradition we wake up at 5:30am and walk up to the main street to quietly watch from the other side seated.

After our early morning we spend the rest of the day out at Pak Ou Caves (aka Budda caves) and the Kuang Si Falls. The trip to the Pak Ou Caves takes about an hour by boat through the Mekong and is home to several thousand Buddha images. The trip is worth the effort; however, since we came by slow boat from Huay Xia, we had already seen much of the same scenery. It was neat seeing all of the different Buddha images; however, after two weeks of Buddhas they all start to look the same. Kuang Si Falls on the other was amazing. We wish we could have spent all day at the falls exploring the turquoise blue waters and bear park.

After some debate we decided to leave Luang Prabang a day early to spend four nights relaxing along the banks of the Nam Song River in Vang Vieng.

The Sardine Can

With a couple options to get us to Laos we choose the two day slow boat. Laos Airways is not recommended by the US State Department and the fast boats would get us there in a day although neither have a great safety record. It took three days to travel from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang on several buses and boats through some magnificent scenery.

Our first night was spent in the quaint border town of Chiang Khong in Thailand. Crossing into Laos was simple; a quick departure stamp from Thailand, a two minute boat ride, and a few forms for a visa-on-arrival. After a short tuk-tuk ride to the pier we purchased our tickets at the official ticket counter for 200k Kip ($23 per person) and grabbed a bunch of mini bananas before boarding the slow boat.

The boat was simple with bench seats in the front and a bamboo mat in the back. We arrived right before the boat was scheduled to depart so we were stuck in the engine room. Although a bit noisy and grimy, we were able to stretch our legs and peer through the window at the stony karsts and overgrown jungle as we cruised down the Mekong. Our first day of travel ended in the small village of Pakbeng. There wasn’t much to do in Pakbeng except sleep and eat. After climbing the hill in darkness we found a room about the size of our closet that contained a bed and a mosquito net. The entire town is powered by generators, so after dinner it was lights out at 10pm.

We arrived at the pier an hour before our departure to ensure we received a seat with a view for our 10 hour leg to Luang Prabang. From our nice breezy window we watched locals fish and farm along the hillside and children splash around in the river. The group of 150 some odd people from the day before were divided among two separate boats. This gave everyone plenty of room and gave us nice padded bench seat from a mini-van. After our three day journey we’ve finally reached Luang Prabang.

This Just In: Micheal Jackson is Alive!

We spotted a suspicious looking character sharing many similarities to the “late” pop icon as we boarded our bus to Chiang Rai. In the 3.5 hour ride we theorized that MJ just couldn’t handle the pressure anymore and headed to Thailand to be a bus driver where surgical masks, pilot sunglasses, and golden shirt lapels are cool! Just a couple days ago we heard on the news that a song on his new album leaked out, but we know what’s really going on. 2 Pac must not be too far!

Chiang Mai, Thailand

It’s Friday night and the smell of Icy Hot and sweat permeate the air as we sit down to our front row seats in Kawilla Stadium to watch Thailand’s national sport, Mauy Thai. With a cold Singha in hand we are ready for the boxing matches to begin. The fighting is also known as the “Art of Eight limbs” as hands, shins, elbows, and knees are all potential weapons against your opponent. We wouldn’t want to be in the ring with these guys. Here’s a video clip to make our point (not sure it’s quite a fair fight Australian vs. Thai, allegedly the same weight class).

It’s hell on wheels in the morning when we rent a motorbike to explore the city for the day. First stop after donning our striking safety helmets is Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. We hike up the just over 300 steps to the temple drowning in the humidity and throngs of people. The temple is set up on the mountain side which provides a nice view of the city and also houses a model “emerald Buddha.” Later in the evening we set out in search of the forest temple Wat Umong, where supposedly you can hear the Buddhist monks chanting, but after almost an hour of searching we didn’t find it. To make up for the disappointment we head out for a Khantoke Dinner. This involves authentic northern Thai food, like pork curry, and chili-tomato-minced pork. While you eat traditional dances are performed like the freaky fingernail dance to the candle dance.

We spend the next couple days being bums, getting a 2 hour Thai massage, stocking up on reading material, and strolling down the huge Sunday night market sampling the yummy treats. On our last day we rented some shotty 8 baht/hr bikes, determined to find the chanting monks of Wat Umong. Surviving the 45 minute bike ride out of the old city with crappy brakes and a flat tire we finally come upon the temple. Just in time for the supposed chanting sessions, we find a nice bench near the lake and watch the locals feed the catfish as we patiently wait to be rewarded for our efforts. Time goes by and no chanting, but we do chat with a couple friendly monks from Bangkok before we drag ourselves back to the guest house to figure out how we are planning the next couple of weeks.

You a Bad Ass Monk

After a few weeks in Thailand Jason decided to convert to Buddhism and join a monastery. First he shaved his head, then donned an orange towel robe but for some reason they wouldn’t take him. He does make an adorable monk, though!

This brings our “Lightning Striketh Scoreboard” (all things un-PC and taboo) to the following:

Jason – 1 (pretending to be a monk)
Jenny – 2 (“Nunning”-hunting for nuns at the Vatican and offering gummy bears to an Egyptian kid during Ramadan)

All joking aside we find Buddhism an interesting religion and respect the way of life. When we thought of monks, we envisioned gentle smiling old men dressed in saffron robes that remained secluded in their temples. However, this image is not quite accurate as you see adolescent boys to old men walking the streets and riding trains (still draped in orange cloaks) carrying electronics like cell phones and cameras. Something we didn’t really expect. We also noticed that a lot of monks are heavily tattooed, which come to find is for spiritual protection and blessing. Despite a different impression, these monks still radiate a peaceful and pleasant charm while living a modern life.

Buddha Country

A short hour and a half train ride from the metropolitan capital of Bangkok lays the city of Ayutthaya. Previously the capital of Thailand some 400 years ago, it is home to several magnificent Wats and palaces. Bicycle is the best way to explore the sites on the island; however, it requires some dare devil skills to ride across the main bridge to reach Wat Yai Chaimonghkon. Wat Phra Si Sanphet, sporting three identical chedis, was used as a residential palace under the reign of King Ramathibodi I. Other wats included Wat Maha That, showcasing a Buddha head carved in the roots of a tree, and Wat Yai Chaimongkhhon. The latter wat was in the best shape of the three and it included several rows of Buddha images as well as a 7 meter reclining Buddha.

Our next stop through northern Thailand takes us to Sukhothai, another former capital of Thailand. The old city of Sukhothai houses numerous ruins spread over a 70 square meter area divided into five regions. We visited the central and northern regions, which contain the Wat Mahathat and Wat Si Chum. Wat Mahathat is the largest temple in the archaeological site containing several chedis and Buddha images as well as a seated Buddha with golden fingernails. Wat Si Chum highlights a 46 meter tall Buddha with his hand almost touching the ground. The rest of the day was spent pedaling our bikes through the country side in search of other ruins scattered throughout the area.

We were lucky to arrive in Sukhothai to catch the end of the food festival, which includes live entertainment and hundreds of food carts. There were a lot of unidentifiable food choices so we decided to eat them in search of answers but much of our selections still remain a mystery. We tried anything that looked appetizing, highlights included dragon fruit, sausage noodles, and of course the octopi tentacles. We grabbed a pitcher of Leo beer for less than $3 and found a table to gobble down our interesting plates before watching the live dancing and bands. Although we couldn’t understand anything that was said it was a lot of fun. We didn’t stay too long as the “farangs” (foreigners) were melting in the heat and humidity.

Chiang Mai is our next stop for a few days of muay thai boxing, legit massages, and more temples.

India Photo Album

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South Africa - Part I & II Phot Album

Click here to view our South Africa - Part I & II Photo Album.