Vietnam

The next stop on my Southeast Asian adventure was, I think, one that intrigued me the most. Thanks to Hollywood and my limited knowledge on this foreign country I might have expected to be greeted by a war-torn nation. Instead I discovered a country thriving on their rising tourism industry, some breath taking architecture, beautiful beaches, and yes, a history you could lose yourself in..

I began my journey in Hoi An, where you could stay busy for days soaking up the atmosphere, chatting with the curious locals,  and browsing the food markets, tailor shops and handicrafts stores. I even introduced myself to the local cuisine with an excellent cooking course held in a nearby village! I didn't stick around for long though, as I caught the next night bus headed south to the beach town of Nha Trang where I got my much needed diving fix before heading even more south to a much smaller beach town. Here I kicked back for a couple days. I couldn't miss hopping on one of the jeep tours to the red and white sand dunes - a perfect taste of the desert. The white dunes even made me miss the snow a bit.. and the red ones provided us with a memorable sunset! One more indulgence of some super fresh seafood before jumping on a bus again to the chaotic and bustling Ho Chi Minh City where I finished my time in Vietnam with a bit of history at a couple of the museums. I also checked out the Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and post office - a surprising must-see!

Stay tuned as I'm off to Cambodia next!

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Laos

On March 6th, in the company of two fellow travellers (Katie and Yukari), I bid farewell to the cultural abiss that is Thailand, and said hello to the laid-back ways of the people of Laos. We crossed the Mekong river, survived the zoo of tour groups that was taking over the tiny immigration desk, and entered into the small border village of Huai Xai. From there we caught the ever popular 'slow-boat' to embark on a two day jouney to Luang Prabang. After two days being crammed on a boat with people, bags of rice, grass and anything else that would fit, a night in the sleepy village of Pak Beng, and almost capsizing the boat, we finally made it to the cultural capital of Loas. Richly influenced by the French, the mix of markets and baguettes was quite interesting! After two days Katie wasn't yet ready to move on, but being short on time Yukari and I continued on as a twoesome via a night bus to Vientiane. Here we tried to learn a bit more about Laos' unspoken history by taking on the National Museum as well as the very informative COPE Center, which works to provide support and spead awareness of the victims of the unexploded bombies left behind after the War of Vietnam.
From Vientiane we carried on by bus to Tha Khek, where we found a tuk-tuk driver to take us around to three of the many unique and breath-taking caves in the area. We didn't hang around for long however, as we were off again to the hammock loungers paradise of Si Phan Don - better known as the Four Thousand Islands. No more than a day to rest though as Yuki and I parted ways, her off to Cambodia, and I back on a bus and up through Paske to the border of Vietnam!

Thailand

My SouthEast Asian adventure continued on February 18^th as I boarded a plane in Denpasar Bali, and flew via Singapore to Phuket, Thailand.  After spending only a couple days hanging out at Karon and Patong beaches, I took a combination of local buses up Phuket and onto the mainland of Thailand where I stopped in Khao Sok. From what I experienced, this is just a one street town that mainly serves as a gateway for tourists to experience the beauty that is Khao Sok National Park at their own pace. A variety of treks were available ranging from a half to multiple day guided trips. Eager for some adventure, I signed myself up to leave the next morning on an overnight camping trip. The trek turned out to be great, although not what I expected. The first day I was picked up along with an older German couple and four guys. Our hilarious and appropriately named guide, ‘Big Man’ brought us by pick-up to the pier where we went by long-tail boat about an hour to a group of bungalows. Although I was kind of excited about camping in the jungle, the bungalows set on the water would be difficult to complain about. The view was stunning – towering limestone cliffs, engulfed in lush green forest, all overlooking emerald green lakes as far as the eye can see! Our next two days were one-of-a-kind, spent hiking through the jungle, stopping to take a swim in the waterfalls along the way, trekking an hour through Nam Ta Lu Caves, home to hundreds of bats, some of the biggest spiders I’ve ever seen and I don’t even want to know what else.. We swam in the lakes, kayaked, ate some incredible Thai food, and even ended the day right with some local Thai rum!

From Khao Sok I bussed to Surat Thani. I took a night train from there to Bangkok, where I somewhat successfully avoided the madness for two days before taking another night train to Chiang Mai. I spent a couple days walking the old city and abundance of markets before taking a minibus to the tiny hippy town of Pai. I finally braved my first Southeast Asian motorbike rental, and Pai was definantly the place to do it. You could choose to venture in any direction from Pai and be greeted by miles of amazing mountainous roads leading to waterfalls, several little villages including a China Town and even a Piranha Fishing Farm! Pai came alive in the evening, when the streets of the tiny town became lined with venders selling various foods, clothing and no shortage of anything hemp. I even tried to ‘relax’ with a traditional Thai massage as the woman attempts to crack every bone in your body..

Back in Chiang Mai I met with Jin and some others who I had met last year through my work with Maetaman Elephant Camp. We took a day trip to Doi Ithanon – supposedly the highest peak in Thailand. What a neat experience! I was the only foreigner in the group of maybe 14 Thais, including three monks. They were all so welcoming and we spent the whole afternoon taking endless pictures with the spectacular view as a perfect backdrop!

From Chiang Mai I continued North by bus to a little border town called Chiang Khong, only separated from Laos by the Mekong River. I met up with two girls also heading into Laos and it looks like we will at least begin the journey together.. Stay tuned as the adventure continues and I head into Laos next!