South East Asia

I know it's been a long time. In fact it's felt almost like a lifetime. As I reflect upon the last four weeks of my life I hardly know where to begin. So, I guess I'll begin at the end, which is the opposite of what seems normal and therefore fitting for how I've perceived much of South East Asia.

The morning of the May 19th I was on the back of a motorbike, speeding along the coastal road in Ko Samui (an island off the east coast in Thailand) heading towards the airport. The driver was managing to navigate the bike while clutching my 16.5 kilo backpack between his legs. This in combination with the screeching, clearly worn out breaks, didn't bother me nearly as much as the fact that I'd overslept and was going to miss my 6:00 AM flight to Bangkok. At the same time I was watching the most spectacular sunrise, the sun was 100% full, like a full moon and had just risen above the line of the ocean. I won't forget this moment or the sound of the jet engine of my plane as it took off from the airport several kilometers down the road. I was sad to leave. My last ditch effort to change my flight to Delhi had been unsuccessful. Maybe I'd subconsciously decided to miss this flight. But, a 1500 Baht later (not a small sum for me at this stage) the situation was rectified and I was on the next flight to Bangkok to leave Thailand and head for the strange, intimidating and foreign - India.

My last few days in Thailand were spent on Ko Samui. Not so much by choice but more the circumstance of late travel plans. I arrived there from Hat Thien on Ko Pangan where I'd been staying at The Sanctuary http://www.thesantuary-kpg.com/ - it was a super-hard adjustment coming from one beach to another. McDonald's, Starbucks, huge upmarket resorts, motorbikes, car horns, everyone trying to sell you something - it was just so different than what I had just left. SO DIFFERENT. And it's so hard to keep adjusting. I suppose that this recent adjustment or transition is a good example of the way that I've felt my entire time in Southeast Asia.

It's been a consistent transition, my stomach just churning the entire time, not literally, but I've felt this upheaval of my spirit. It's been emotionally challenging in many ways: Meeting people and developing relationships which were deeper than I could have ever thought possible and then saying good bye to them - way to soon. Realizing that this is more than a vacation and actually my life (for now) and that I just cannot GO GO GO, take a photo then jet along to another spot. I think I've become a bit of the "lazy traveller" that I once mocked. . . but the biggest emotional challenge of it all has been seeing different cultures, those with the most horrible poverty, and my feelings towards it all. Having sadness over begging children quickly turn to pure irritation really starts to make you think about yourself. THEN there's been the physical side - I've been lucky not to have any serious illnesses, but I would be lying if I didn't admit that being bitten, burned and bruised along the way hasn't taken it's tole. Motorbikes have certainly been my biggest enemy. My fight with these evil forms of transport culminated the night before I left, when I was hit by one. Yes, actually knocked down onto the ground. I stood up to discover that I was not bleeding and generally fine, other than a bit shocked. I went to ask the driver if he was ok, just to see him get up, pick up he turned over bike and drive off. No sorry. No eye contact. He just left. Hmmm.

I'm feeling for the first time that I'm starting to change, to feel differently about travelling, why I'm travelling and how I want to travel. I'm feeling differently about me. For all of the ups and downs, I was still VERY sad to leave Thailand behind. Just like the friends I've met along the way, it was way to soon.

By now you might be reading this thinking, enough of the deep inner thought. So, I'll try and summarize my time in each spot.

Bangkok, Thailand
Love and kisses to Suzanne for living there and introducing me to Darren and his lovely boyfriend Toey when they came for a visit San Francisco awhile back! While I did arrive to Bangkok on my own--quickly transporting myself to the backpackers enclave of Kho Shan Road - although that reality did not last for long. My time in Bangkok was special because I was able to see it from so many different angles - thanks to Darren. My first day was spent solo, exploring the usual "one day in Bangkok" destinations like the weekend market, the Grand Palace and Reclining Buddha. Then I was taken in by Darren and treated to amazing meals at his restaurant Eat Me: http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/asia/thailand/bangkok/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154654632862 but spectacular spots all over the city. While dining riverside and enjoying cocktails at the top of hotels was fab - I'd have to say our time together culminated when Toey took us to listen to traditional Issan music and we were the only Farangs in a room of a few hundred Thais.

Chaing Mai, Thailand
Next I took an overnight train to Chaing Mai, where it was hot, hot, hot. I quickly headed off for a trek into the jungle where I rode an elephant, rafted on a freshly made bamboo raft, and stayed with a hill tribe. The best evening I spent in Chaing Mai was with a novice monk, Ton, I helped him with his English and he helped me to understand mediation and how unfortunate it was for him to be restricted from dinner. As I left the monastery at dusk I met two American university students (they were asking me to fill out a survey about my experience) and after chatting they told me how much they loved Pai and that I had to go. So I went. Although this was not mapped out on my very tight itinerary, for some reason I just went there and it impacted the rest of my trip. Because in Pai I went to a yoga class where I met Lorraine, who I'm still travelling with as I write this.

Pai, Thailand
This place is kind of travellers mecca, or so the Lonely Planet (aka the bible) says. It seems like so many people go to visit and never leave. One girl I met dubbed it the Bolder, Colorado of Thailand. Pretty accurate. After visiting for a few days, I met Lorraine during a yoga class. We both agreed that we wanted to continue to go to yoga class, eat well and generally be healthy together. That went well for one afternoon while we zoomed around on her motorbike checking out the beautiful wats, waterfalls and rolling hills. But that evening we saw this guy on the street selling these buckets. . .

Luang Prabang, Laos
I think the buckets may have effected Lorraine's ability to say no because it was seemingly easy to convince her to take a two day boat journey on the Mekong River through Laos to Luang Prabang. The trip was amazing, other than the fact that we were crammed aboard the boat like refugees. Some of my fellow travellers were just piled on top of backpacks in the rear of the boat near the engine room. But, the spectacular mountain tops peeking out from low lying clouds made it all bearable. Luang Prabang was a gorgeous laid back town with a British feel to it. I would go as far to say that it was my favorite town in all of Southeast Asia. The mountains, the markets, the food, all of it. One of my happiest moments was when we climbed down by the river and watched some young boys fishing, other young monks swimming, all while part of the hillside burned away during a controlled fire. It was so peaceful.

Vang Viene, Laos
Next we went to Vang Viene and and tubing down the Mekong river, which involves, in case you didn't guess, floating down the Mekong river in a big tube. It was so much fun. Jumped off lots of high things and had a few of the infamous beer Laos (because one must sample the local beverage in order to gain a better cultural understanding of the country one is visiting, I'm sure you'll all agree.) All of this in the rain. And some of it in the dark in the rain as we failed to make it all the way to the pull out point during the daylight. Suffice to say that it was an adventure. Other than that more amazing mountain scenery, Vang Viene had a sort of scary traveller vibe going on. Almost every restaurant had a big T.V. showing the Simpson's of Friend's or some other awful American T.V. show. Just imagine these backpackers sitting on the floor watching T.V. for hours. I found it a little sad. Lucky for us we were there during the annual Rocket Festival and so the town was full of locals celebrating by shooting home made rockets in the air in hopes to bring the rain. I told the monks who explained this to me that it was working (it rained the entire time we were there.) The highlight of Vang Viene was certainly the late night part that fellow traveller Colby and I attended. It was all locals celebrating the festival and they totally took us in. They had live music and invited us to dance, gave us sticky rice and of course Beer Lao. A great evening. P.S. This is a photo of where we stayed, one of the brown huts on the left.

Vientene, Laos
What a horrible place. The land of NO ATM's and one Pharmacy. I spent my time there searching for an antibiotic so that the motorbike burn on my leg wouldn't become infected from exposure. My two days here did not include ANY "happy traveller" moments. Enough said. From here I flew to Pnom Phen, Cambodia.

Pnom Phen, Cambodia
It was a soul changing experience to learn about the terror inflicted upon the Cambodian people during Pol Pots regime just 30 years ago. I visited S21 which was the school turned prison where they tortured the Khmer people before taking them to the killing fields. Over 1.7 million Cambodians were murdered. Lots of silence and reflection during this day in Cambodia. I also went to visit the Royal Palace and the National Museum there, both were lovely, but I was mostly just happy to be in a "real" city where they did have ATM's, many pharmacy's and I could shop for a new camera. Oh, I didn't mention that mine took a little swim in the Mekong River during the tubing experience. . .

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat at sunrise was too amazing to describe. The temples were just unreal and I was glad that I had made the journey to visit. I spent a lot of time just relaxing and reflecting at each temple.

Other than Angkor Wat, Siem Reap was a lot to handle for me. I was ready to go back to Thailand.

Ko Pangan, Thailand

Ahhhh. Arriving back to Thailand in the Bangkok airport was wonderful! I was so happy to return. It was so funny because just three weeks earlier, arriving in Bangkok had caused me such rear anxiety and now I was thrilled. When I arrived on Ko Pangan Lorraine picked me up on her motorbike and drove me around lost on the island for a bit while I complained. :-) Finally we arrived at the cute little house she had rented a few days earlier. We stayed on the east coast close to Hat Yao. Then we made our was to Hat Rin to experience just a taste of what the full moon party might have offered. All we needed was a taste. Our friend Colby met us at Hat Rin but the next day we were off to The Sanctuary - that I mentioned at the start of this e-mail. I'm still plotting my return.

Alright. There's so much more that I could say, but I hope that paints an accurate picture of these 4 weeks of my life. I think of all of you often and can't wait to hear from each of you. :-)

New Zealand

Ahhhhh. New Zealand. What can I say? The scenery just doesn't stop here. It's just like being in the movies. Minus the Hobbits.

Before I go on - I just want to say thanks for all the nice comments. It's great to read them and the e-mails from everyone. So, please keep it up! I need the inspiration to continue posting pictures and writing this blog! Also, if there's anyone who isn't receiving my entire photo album for each leg of the trip, and you want to look at eight gazillion photos, let me know and I'll add you to that list too. :-)

My first night in Auckland was just a blast. I ended up off the beaten path where I escaped the backpacker crowd and really experienced the local nightlife. First a cozy wine bar with a hipster jazz band then some heart pounding Brazilian drummers. Besides the bartenders, there was a very limited about of English being spoken in this particular club. Was I in still in New Zealand? This night definitely made me want to extend my travels to South America. I've been eating peanut butter and jelly to make this financially possible. :-) No, really I have been.


Rob arrived at the wee hour of 5:15 AM the next morning. Then we got watch Ohio State Basketball! Ok, well it wasn't that exciting for me but they did win. Go Bucks! We checked out Auckland, took a ferry to a quaint island the next day and then we were off with our rent car to see as much of New Zealand as possible during Rob's 10 days. Rob was such a trooper, braving the left side of the road, he only almost killed us twice or maybe it was three times. But that was fine because #1 - I wasn't driving and #2 -after a few of these experiences I thought to myself, "how dangerous can skydiving be compared this?" Thus inevitably giving me the courage to make the big jump. Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that when we were going to turn, we'd give a signal to the other drivers by turning on the windshield wipers. Classic. Nevertheless making us laugh and laugh every time.

Our first stop was Roturua, which is basically a hot be of geothermal activity. Geysers, hot springs, boiling mud pools and the smell of sulfur waiving through the air. It was really interesting, plus we were able to learn a bit about the Maori culture. Rob was even able to find a local bar who found the final basketball game for him. At this point I found the local spa for a soak in the hot springs and a mud wrap. Side bar: As I write this I'm totally laughing at the juxtapose between then and now. If anyone could see the hostel where I'm staying tonight in Auckland they would be laughing too. Toni, I'm really glad you loaned me that great sleeping sheet. It's come in handy a few times! Oh and we also went Zorbing in Rotorua. This is where you get in this big rubber ball filled with water and they roll you down a hill.

Ok, so next we went to Tongariro National Park where we need the Tongariro Crossing hike. I've never seen anything like it. The volcano, the crater, the emerald colored pools, it was a bit surreal. But the 6 hours of hiking snapped me back into reality with pretty sore feet.

Then we moved onto the South Island. First we had a relaxing afternoon in the nice town of Napier then drove to Abel Tasman National Park where we went sea kayaking with fur seals. We paddled into this secluded cove where there were about 50 young seals who were ready to entertain us! One seal even jumped onto our kayak! Apparently that rarely happens. The entire day was a blast. A tour guide, Tom, had us in stitches he was so hilarious.

Next we headed down the west coast, which was very Highway One-esque with beautiful stops along the coast. Although I guess there's no glacier on the Highway One. So add that and some much bigger mountain ranges. We spent the night in Wanaka, which is about an hour North of Queenstown and actually much nicer. The locals were quick to tell us all about how Queesnstown used to be like Wanaka before it became commercialized and how they'd like to slow down the growth they're seeing. We could understand why. But we had bigger issues. We were in a quandary. Go to Milford Sound or not go to Milford Sound? It was a five hour drive, one way! As you can imagine Rob was a little tired of driving and plus there wasn't enough time! What to do? So, we flew! This (minus the skydiving) was the highlight of my trip so far. If anyone remembers the beginning of Jurassic Park where they're flying the helicopter to the island, well that's Milford Sound and that's essentially what we did. Then we landed and took a cruise through the sound and returned to Wanaka over the ice capped glacier filled mountain range. What more can I really say about that.

Then off to Queenstown, which is for sure the adventure capital of the world. We tried to kid ourselves by going to nice dinners, wine country and gondala rides but then we found ourselves jumping out of a plane at 12,000 feet. Pretty indescribable. So I'm not going to try. I highly recommend it for anyone who's ever given it a thought. Suffice to say this was a thrilling end to Rob's trip.

Then the incredibly sad goodbye in an airport motel in Christchurch.

I'm not going to write about that either.

After the tearful departure I was off to Kaikora where the weather didn't do much to lift my spirits. Apparently the southerly winds just rip through NZ sometimes and it was cold. But, Kaikora is a cute coastal town with an amazing snow capped mountain range, not so bad. And, I went horseback riding for the first time in my life. I really liked it! My horse, Doc, wanted to run past the other horses to take the lead of our group. Basically Doc and I related to each other well. Besides that I did some hiking and a lot of quiet time in Kaikora. That was until the last night where I met Stephanie, who I've decided is a German version of Suzanne. We had a blast!

Then back to Christchurch to spend a few days. I adored my backpackers lodge there. It was so cute and right next to this great park which was perfect for jogging. http://www.dorsethouse.co.nz/ Just like Kaikora I was pretty relaxed there, just enjoying the park, Cathedral Square and the Art Museum.

After a few days I flew back to Auckland, spent the night and then took a bus to the Bay of Islands. This is the northern most part of New Zealand and I thoroughly enjoyed the three days I spent. It was warm and sunny. Just perfect for the cruise of the island where I saw tons of dolphins and several Orca! While there I also went sand surfing down these crazy sand dunes! Also took a bus trip down 90 mile beach where this bus actually drives down the beach, just speeding along. Oh and there were the Kaori trees, so impressive. I guess they are second largest to the Sequioa?

In summary, the past three weeks has been filled with excitement, awe of the landscape, laughter, fun nights out but a little sadness too. I fly to Bangkok tomorrow and I finally feel ready. Three weeks was the perfect time for me to spend in New Zealand.

Again, please, please, please send me your thoughts, questions or comments here or at kasemarie@hotmail.com - that's what it's all about!!!









:-)

Fiji

Bula!

I just returned from the Yasawa Island group where I stayed on three islands--it was spectacular!

The first island was Nacula at Oarsman's Bay Resort. http://www.oarsmansbay.com/ While I was there I hiked to an amazing vista with a 360 degree view of the island, visited a local tribe, snorkeled and made friends with some funny British girls. I also braved my first hostel. It was cake, really. Of the four I've stayed in, three were great and one not so much. But I now know that I can survive without a real shower or lights. :-) I also found that the mosquitoes here really love everyone but me, so I didn't even need to use my mosquito net after the first night!

Travellers island hop via the Yasawa Flyer, aka the big yellow boat. It's really quite fun because every time you board you reunite with other travelers that you've met on board previously or on another island. After a tearful departure from Oarsman's (the locals play the guitar and sing to you as the boat leaves) I was on my way to Naviti. Here is where I ran into Hanne (pronounced) Hanna who was the first girl I met while leaving the airport. She's great! A beautiful Norwegian with a thick southern accent. She studied in America (in Ketucky) for a year where she learned English. She and I became fast friends with each other as well as Danny (from Spain and hilarious) and Ben (from the UK). All of us travelling alone, we became a new group. After visiting beautiful beaches and hiking a mountain in Navtiti, the four of us were off to Waya Lailai.

We all fell IN LOVE with Waya Lailai. The Fijians, the resort, the food, the half dome looking rock that marks this beautiful island, all of it was brilliant. Hanne and I were even bumped to private rooms because the dorm was full. We felt lucky until we got spooked by our gecko friends who were sharing our new digs. HA! Another new friend that I made there was Glen Craig, an Aussie photographer. He has spent was I think has been the last 20 years capturing this amazing island group and the friendly Fijians. As I read through my Lonely Planet guide I noticed he was feature and he even gave me a signed copy of one of his books. He's one of the most interesting people I've met in awhile.



Tonight I'm in Nadi on the main island. I ran into a threesome of French guys who I've been seeing on and off during the island hoping. They all live in Auckland and have invited me to stay in there "flat" and show me around on my way out of NZ towards the end of April.

For now, I'm really getting excited to see New Zealand and of course to see Rob! I fly in the AM and he arrives on Sunday.

Other than that I'm having an amazing time. I've been staying healthy and running everyday. I think of all of you often. Please send e-mails letting me know how each and every one of you are doing!!!