Dec. 16 – Fun day. We took our chances on renting a motor bike to do some exploring. It’s only been 33 years since my horrific motorcycle accident that laid me up for 18 months! I caught on real quick, as if my last ride was yesterday. We traveled on dirt roads through rice fields and worn out trails. We found ourselves at the caves on the sides of the limestone cliffs. We needed a guide to help us explore. We paid 20,000 kip ($2.50 USD) and paired up with 2 Americans, the only Americans we met in Laos. They are students at UC Santa Barbara (Casey’s alma mater). The cave is a bit different than the ones we explored in Thailand. The climbing is steep with incredibly narrow entries. It was very challenging but loads of fun.

The next day, a stomach virus got me. I stayed in bed watching movies while Michelle kept herself entertained riding a rented bike around town and the river.
Dec. 18, we took off for Luang Prabang, Laos. It is a 6 hr. bus ride through beautiful mountains and villages. It’s always a blast to see the country side at the mercy of a driver that wants to be Mario Andretti. We made it …. It was a great feeling to arrive alive!
Luang Prabang is a small beautiful historic city on the list of UNESCO preservation sites. There is an open air market every night closing down ½ mile of the town’s main street. Buddhist Temples line the streets and hillsides and French architecture is noted for the shops and guest houses. At the market we see locally made textiles, art and clothes, all hand embroidered, sewn or woven.

Two of the major rivers in Asia run along the town and meet in Luang Prubang: the Nam Kong and Mekong. Michelle and I decided we needed to get out to explore the wild. We kayaked the Nam Kong, a 15 mile adventure through many different hill tribes. We actually got to stop with our guide Lee, to visit a tribe. Most everything that keeps this tribe and the others alive, is the river. The river supplies food, shelter, and transportation. The kayak trip made us really understand the nature of the culture in Laos. All along the 4 hour journey we saw children playing in the river yelling Michelle’s favorite greeting, “Saba-dee”, which means hello in Lao. Their lives were so simple and pure. It makes one wonder about industrialization and how good that really is.

We ended up at a water fall with large azure blue pools for swimming. It was so beautiful. One morning we got up at 6 AM to watch the monk procession receive their “aims”. The monks line up single file, head bowed, as town people and tourists kneel down in a line as well to donate the monks meal. It is a beautiful procession of orange robes and watching the ritual was very humbling. Later in the day we rented bicycles to view small villages. Once outside town, a flat tire forced us to return via tuk tuk (a motorized cart). That evening we went to a special restaurant which is pure Lao Food, mostly sticky rice and various sauces. In this culture, people eat with their hands and stick their hands into shared bowls of rice. It is considered rude to leave a piece of rice in the bowl BUT not rude to stick your hand in the same bowl as others. Go figure. In our culture, we aren’t even allowed to double dip! We also had the good fortune to hear the monks do their chanting. That was a beautiful although very different sound.

The rest of our time in Luang Prubang was shopping, eating, and temple observing and learning a bit about the native culture. We learned about the silk worm and how it works and the quality of silk made products and textiles here in Laos. They are at the top end and in demand all over the world.

At the end of 5 days here we were sad to say goodbye but it was time to move on. We flew over to Cambodia to explore ancient temples of the Kumar dynasty. The first thing we noticed is that there are mega hotels here which was quite a surprise. They are all lit up for Christmas. Our hotel is nice with a great swimming pool. Cambodia is close to the equator and very warm.

This country has gone from the good, to the bad, to the ugly during its existence, and they are still recovering from it all (quote taken out of Lonely Planet book). They have found ceramic bowls that can be dated back to 4300 B.C., pretty crazy. Again, as in the other countries we have visited, the people here are very friendly, but we find that everyone wants your business and are a bit insistent about asking for it. Tuk-tuk drivers and people selling things on the street are constantly calling out to you. After a while you just don’t hear them. Cambodia has just recently opened its door to the outside world, so it’s fairly new to tourism. The city that we are staying in called Siem Reap, its fame comes from the many temples that are located around the city, some dating as far back at the 10th Century.

We took a guided tour of Angkor Wat, which is considered the largest ancient city found here. The temple is a smorgasbord of architectural design and reliefs which tells the story of the Kings religious and spiritual history.

It is now Christmas Eve. We feel like strangers in a strange land. No Christmas music or Christmas movies. No fish dinner at Darryl and Louise’s. We are happy to have each other : - ) We wish you all a Merry Christmas and look forward to making some phone calls tomorrow. Enjoy your holidays! Our thoughts are with you.

Michelle and Dave (Pictures will be added next chance we have)

15-December-2008
The Massages never happened. Michelle fell ill to something she drank or ate and rested in bed all day. ½ hour naps with 5 minute bathroom runs, then the nap again. Stevo and Deb treked around the mountains, as I did, checking out this undeveloped utopia. I got the chance to catch up on some reading and rested as well.
On Tuesday we headed out of town with a stop at the weekly Chaing Dao market. It reminded me of the Santa Cruz flea market with a few differences. Food choices included dried fish, live worms, pastel colored powders, bulk spices, all set up on the sidewalks (well what would have been sidewalks if there were sidewalks) Our travels continue with an hour ride into Chaing Mai.
Chaing Mai is a city with a Greenwich Village like charm. The city itself is over 800 years old. Buddhist Temples fill the streets. Everything around us is filled with a history we know so little about. Michelle gets a book on Siddhartha, to learn a little about Buddhism and begin to understand the culture more. We enjoy our 4 days, shopping, strolling, drinking FABULOUS Thai coffee, people watching, site seeing, and daily $3 hour long massages!
At the end of our 4 days, we head off on our own to Laos, a country east of Thailand. Our friends take off to Siri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. We will see them again in a couple of weeks in the Maldives.
Saturday, Dec. 13th is a travel day. We take two flights to get to Laos and then have to hop on a bus to get to the town we want to be in, Vang Vieng. The bus driver is about 20 years old and he has 4 of his friends riding up front with him. The road is mountainous and dangerous! The kids are laughing having a grand old time and we are worried if we will ever see life again! It’s a 3 hour ride and the bus stops periodically for all the travelers to relieve themselves on the side of the road. At home, we would get arrested for indecent exposure but here in Laos, pit stops are common place. No shame in pulling down your pants and just doing what you have to do. The culture here is lovely. The Laos people are kind and giving. We are currently hanging by the Nam Lgo River. The town is small and can be explored by foot. We have been tubing down the Nam Log river for the past two days that we have been here. Tubes cost $5 each. Bamboo bars line the river. Each bar has something different to offer. One has a zip line over the river, another has a swing, one has a diving board, another a water slide. Our regular stop has “happy” shakes. I will let you imagine what makes them happy. Then there is the bar with the mud baths, darts, etc. etc. . The ride down the river is about 3 hours long but with bar stopping, it can take you well into the evening. We are surrounded by limestone cliffs 90 feet high as we tube down the river. The experience has been breathtaking. Michelle and I do a yearly trip to Lake Tulloch to float down the canyon in Sonora California. This year due to time constraints, we were unable to make that happen but our experience here in Vang Vieng has more than made up for it. We feel at peace and have our groove.
Last night we found the night scene. Bars in town along the river. Vang Vieng is a very young spot but we were able to find the over 30 crowd at the Bamboo Bar. We sat and spoke with a few people from Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Australia. We have not met other American’s here in Laos and the experience of other people and other culture has given us a new understanding. As always…miss you all! Dave and Michelle

Southeast Asia/Northwest Asia

We leave Malaysia using the country’s answer to Southwest Airlines….cheap. Unfortunately for us, the no frills airline forces us to come up with $150 for all our additional baggage. We fly north to the small city of Chaing Mai. The closing of the Bangkok airport has affected the entire country so the city is quiet and we get to enjoy. We check into our hotel, a favorite spot where Deb and Steve have hung before. We are right in the middle of town and the only ones at the hotel!!!!. We visit several temples in our neighborhood. All very interesting and we start to learn about Thai culture. All Thai males become a monk for at least one year of their life. They learn forgiveness, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and selflessness. We also start to see how inexpensive everything is. Lunch for the 4 of us costs about $8.00, including drinks Wow! Massages $10.00 an hour, foot rubs for 30 mins. $3.00. We are only here for one day…..but we’ll be back next week. We head to Mae hong son, an even smaller city Northwest of Chaing Mai. We hop onto a small prop plane with twice the room of our earlier flight, and off we go. The plane is only a third full. The pilot does a complete 360 around the town as we prepare to land. It looks like a small Shangrala village from the air. We check into a small bungalow, again very inexpensive ($18.00 a night, satellite tv, hot and cold showers, and a king bed which turned out to be VERY uncomfortable.)
We are in the center of town across from a small lake and next to the nightly market. The beers of choice here are Chang or Singha, both very good, and we seem to go through several at each sitting. We explore the town, do some shopping and set up our daily activities. By the way, a major event is happening here, the King of Thailand’s birthday. The Thai people LOVE their King, and they celebrate by paying respect and vacationing. No wild parties, just lots of temple visiting and showing respect and gratitude. The Thai people are hoping the King does or says something about the prime minister stepping down. All of the towns are getting things cleaned up, and looking very special.
We decide to head out for an adventure. Thai elephants reside in this part of the country. Michelle and I hop aboard an elephant and go for a ride. This was a bit too scary for us as we head across the Pai river on the elephants back. We disembark and console ourselves in a natural hot springs. The four of us lounge in the hot springs pool and soak in the minerals and the jungle scenery.
The next day, we have a guide take us to Pai. This is a hip western like town known for good music, cool people, and shopping. On our way, our guide, George, takes us to a Shaman village. We share tea with the people and watch the shaman play his music for us. While he plays his special instruments, he dances. His teeth are red from chewing too much beatlenut. He was also quite the opium smoker in his day. Opium used to be grown is these parts but the government has planted pines so that the opium can no longer take hold here. The shaman enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed him. He spoke with us through an interpreter and reminded us of a delightful leprachan. He told us about his 7 wives. He had separated from 6 of them. If a relationship isn’t right in his culture, you just move on, no negative connotation at all.
We continue off to Pai but when we get there, the town is swarming with tourists. There are no accomodations anywhere. Turns out there is a major film festival. Tents are set up in hotel parking lots. We leave and head off to Chaing Dao (city of diamonds) . The ride over was 4 hours of night time mountainous riding with two people who suffer from car sickness but we made it. What a beautiful place Chaing Dao is. Limestone Mountains tower above us in a jungle like setting. Our hosts are a Thai woman and European man. They have combined luxury and simplicity in our small bungalows with fabulous beds and linens. The food is comparable to 5 star eateries back home. Michelle is in her glory.

We have been visiting temples and hiking jungle treks. Sitting around and reading has also been on the list of activities. Tomorrow is our first massage. Two hours for $20!!!!! We are finally settling in to a slower pace and realizing that there is nowhere to go and no have to be there. It is an interesting way to be.

As we move ahead to Real Time Dec. 5, 2008, Thailand...

Time to get you caught up as we have found a way to use our laptop here in Thailand. We started our trip last Friday, Nov. 30, 2008, the day after Thanksgiving....

Thailand is under siege with civil unrest. After a 14 hour flight to Taipai, Taiwan, we change plans to avoid Bangkok Airport. We avoid the conflict completely with a flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL) Malayasia.

Dec. 1, we are now a day ahead of all of you (exactly 14 hours), so it’s our Monday morning and Sunday night football just came on at home. We have breakfast with our friends Stevo and Debbie and decide to check out downtown KL. We catch a 20 minute train ride and meet a fellow American on the train, an ex pat is what they call themselves. He has been trying to get to the USA, but because of the problems in Thailand, also had to come to KL to get there. He lives in Cambodia, running a non profit school educating the natives, and for cash, works as a back country ski guide at Snowbird, Utah. He was so interesting, so we ended up hanging with him all day …so now it’s a party of 5.

KL is a mixture of the old and the new with Hindu and Chinese Temples, colonial stucco buildings, and steel modern sky scrapers.

We went to the markets with lots of western (name brand items like purses and shoes) and eastern goods(statues, batiques, wood carvings). We bought a nice back pack and a cell phone. Prices are about 1/4th of what we would have paid back home…and we here Thailand is even less. Time will tell.

Heading out to dinner with the group at the fancy hotel we are staying at tonight (right near the airport) We have a 7 AM flight tomorrow. So far…pretty interesting culture and we are soaking it all in. People are nice and friendly and so far, all speak English..