The Beach

Ko Chang. My favorite spot by far in Thailand.

After leaving the insanely beautiful island of Ko Chang, I found myself en route to Phuket. I knew something was amiss when I was told that the bus doesn't leave from the bus station, but rather at a small shop next door. Sure enough, the air on the bus must have been a steady 30 degrees (86 F) and smelled like it had been sitting there for days. But no turning back at that point, so I went to the only empty seats which were at the very back. I didn't think anything of it, until the stench hit me. As I gazed around for the source, I saw an overweight Thai man in his 30s sitting in front of me, shedding about a pound every ten minutes through sweat. A possible culprit, but hard to believe. Sure enough, as I continued my search I realized that to my immediate right was the bus bathroom. And thus I understood why these were the only seats available!

So after a fun six hour ride through rain which poured in through the leaky roof, I finally arrived in Phuket. I immediately headed towards the cheapest guest houses in town, and ended up booking a night at the On On Hotel. I felt a weird sense of déjà vu when I made my way up to my room, only to discover later on that this is where the movie The Beach was filmed. That fact alone probably allows them to markup their prices for rooms, but for a mere $7.14 per night for a big clean room with private bathroom, I wasn't going to complain!

So I've spent the last few days here, trying to figure out where to go next and when I'm heading back to the States. Despite what I heard from some people about this town, I think it's pretty nice. Definitely blows Bangkok away. The only hassle is that you have to take a 1/2 hour Songthaew ride to the nearby beaches...definitely something they didn't quite explain in the movie.

So based on a recommendation from a Scottish guy I met on my first night, I spent a day out at Nai Harn Beach. There's no other way to put it except that it is beautiful. It's a shame though that the tourism has taken hold, and thus felt quite crowded and definitely expensive. But I can't really complain as it's a direct consequence of people like me flooding in and Thai people just trying to make a decent living. But on the other hand, if everyone there was like me then there would not be 100 Baht beach chairs or guys walking around trying to sell watches, since that's just not my thing. Give me a quiet spot with a tree to hang my hammock and I'm a happy man :)

I guess I could pin it all on the French, as it sure felt like I was on a beach in Nice at times, at least how I imagine Nice to be. French words were tossed around everywhere, little bakeries selling baguettes and pain au chocolat, and much to my dismay many a man pacing around in a Speedo, and many an elder overweight woman sans top (whatever happened to French Women Don't Get Fat?). Obviously either they don't care about Thai customs, as most Thais will keep all clothing on if bathing in public. Or rather what I hope is that they just don't know. Either way, bless them for putting a lot of Euros into the Thai economy :)

Next up is the island of Ko Phi Phi, another filming location of The Beach and from what I understand quite possibly one of the most beautiful spots in Thailand. This I will find out, and let you all know so you can start planning your next trip!

Live Everyday to the Fullest

This was my home for the last week. Couldn't have imagined a better place to be considering the circumstances.

Image courtesy of TripsThailand.com

Life moves in mysterious ways. A few days ago, I received the horribly shocking news that one of the most influential people in my life suddenly passed away...my grandmother. She was the youngest oldest person I knew, and I thought a surefire centenarian if there ever was one. But all it took was an undiscovered cerebral aneurysm, and she was gone.

This all came to me as I was about to depart for the island of Ko Chang, a tiny spot off the Andaman Coast. I had to quickly make a decision as to what I was going to do...either go with my plan or fly home to be with my family during this tough time. I needed only to look back on the times I spent with my grandmother, and what she would have wanted me to do. It was an instant reminder that I am on the right track in life. You see, some people I'm sure don't understand what I'm doing traveling around right now, and perhaps think that I was crazy for leaving my engineering position that had a guaranteed path of success. However, when I first told my plans to my grandmother last year, and laid out my dreams to explore the world, she was right at my back.

And the thing is, she was always this way. Whether it was going to McDonalds to get a happy meal as a kid, to buying me my first iPod, or just being there to listen to me rant and rave about life's humongous problems as a senior in high school, she always showed nothing but love and support. For this I am forever in debted to her, and is also precisely why I decided to stay in Thailand. Because I know she is smiling down on me now, or at least left with a smile in her heart if you don't believe in the afterlife thing, knowing that I am pursuing my dreams of travel.

So as I spent the last week on an island with no cars, roads, motorbikes, or telephones, I felt incredibly blessed to stare out my bungalow at this everyday, and realized that this must be as close as I can get to the place she is at right now.

To all my family reading this right now, I just want to send my love and let you know we will get through this. After all, it is just a part of life, and if anything can be taken from this, it's another reminder of how precious life is and that you need to make it count. This my grandmother did, and I know that she went without any regrets.

If anyone wants to talk, best thing is to send me an e-mail. If you leave your number and a good time to call, I will do my best to get in touch.

Peace & Love,

Dan

WWOOFing Update

The new clock tower in Chiang Rai

Wow...this may be the longest I've gone without internet for a long time. This is going to be just a real quick update, as I have to run and catch a train in a few minutes.

But why the lack of updates you ask? Well, I've been off the grid for about a week here in Chiang Rai. I met up with an expat from California who owns a farm here, all through the WWOOF program. Well, the friends I met in Chiang Mai decided to do it as well, plus another two girls from Sweden. So, we had a full crew and spent the last week working on a bunch of projects around the area.

It's been incredible to say the least. I absolutely love working hard and building things. It's quite fun doing grunt work with primitive tools. There wasn't much to do as far as the farming went since it's the middle of the dry season, so we spent most of the time on fixing up his other properties. Things like laying cement, clearing brush, breaking stones, chopping bamboo...easy work :)

But I'll let the pictures do the talking here...

A good day spent mixing and pouring cement to widen the parking area

Raising a tower for solar modules to power a water pump

One of the dogs at the farm...could play fetch for hours!

The aftermath of a nasty motorcycle/truck accident. Reminder of how precious life is, and how short it can be.

The guy on the left is Ken, from the farm I stayed at. This is us at his printer, working on the cover for his next book.

Our day off spent exploring the lakes/waterfalls and jamming in between :)

So we all went our separate ways now, and I'm about to hop on a train headed south to Ko Chang...a remote little island off the Andaman Coast. Can't wait to get out of Bangkok here...the pollution and heat is just draining! Oh yeah, to top it off I got ripped off this morning taking a taxi what should have been a few kilometers and 50 baht at most...ended up doing circles and then the driver asking for 200 baht! I negotiated my way down to 70 baht, but that's it for taxi's for me! By foot, bus, or train only!!

Chiang Mai and the Highest Spot in Thailand

Hello world! This place is incredible. I am sitting on the top floor of my guest house at a desk overlooking the city of Chiang Mai. The scenery is indescribable. The people are the friendliest I have ever met. I have been here for...actually I'm not quite sure...three days I think. That's what happens when you know you are doing the right thing in life. The days melt away...time is not an issue. I cannot emphasize enough how lucky I feel that I am experiencing this. I had doubts before departing the U.S., fears if you will. After all, traveling solo to the otherside of the world without knowing basics like language or greetings...it's not for everyone. But I like challenges...it's what makes people grow and have those moments that are carried through lifetimes.

But enough philosophy. What is there to do in Chiang Mai? Be prepared...this could be a lengthy read...

First off I have to say that the bus ride was far better than what I had pictured. The seats reclined much farther than on airplanes, the air-con was blasting (too much!), and the driver wasn't jacked up on amphetamines on a highway to hell like horror stories told. In fact, the 12 hours only seemed about four as I slept most of the way. Definitely the way to travel around here since the price was only $10.

But on to the incredible stuff...after wandering around from guest house to guest house at 6 am only to be turned down, I stumbled upon a hidden gem known as Kavil. The staff was super friendly from the get go, as well as the other travelers. To top it off, the room was only $7 per night and it's definitely the biggest and best I've had yet. I think I could get used to this place...

But first day did some Wat (Temple) wondering, where I got to give some English lessons and learn Thai from some monks. They are insanely nice people, and love to talk! I still can't get over seeing them all over the streets and wandering through 7-11...priceless!

Nothing like ending a long day of walking with a 1 hour Thai foot massage for $4! It's amazing how the legs respond and felt brand new after that. I need this back home after hard days on the bike!!

Oh yeah, so this is like the place to take classes for either Thai massage, meditation, or cooking. They are scattered everywhere! And lots of veg places abound...found an incredible veg only buffet last night at a place called Gap's House for under $3 yum yum yum!

So what else...oh yeah, the night bazaar was decent. More fun just to go and browse and people watch. Not many good deals (relatively speaking of course...everything is incredible compared to the U.S.). Bought a pair of pants that got stolen by a stray dog. Had to run after him and yell until he dropped them...good stuff to see a crazy American running through the streets at midnight...haha!

But definitely the highlight so far was a day trip up to Doi Inthanon National Park. I met a few travelers the night before, and somehow we decided to rent motorbikes and spend the day in the park. So, we woke up early, got two bikes, and set out on the streets of Chiang Mai. The only ones who had driven motorbikes before, and only once at that, were a guy from Uraguay and a German girl. So they both took to navigating these insanely busy and confusing roads. I cannot tell you how many times I had that, "Oh s**t" feeling in my stomach as my friend weaved through the city streets like any good farang not knowing the rules of the road. It's pure chaos if you're on a motorbike, or in a car for that matter, as there really don't seem to be any enforced driving laws!

Mr. Beer was the name of the guy we got the bikes from...classic!

Although I'm not sure how, we finally managed to get to the outskirts of Chiang Mai, where luckily it was one big open flat road to the park. However, none of us had quite grasped the actual distance from reading the tourist map filled with pretty pictures and symbols. So something around 60 km and 1.5 hours later we reached the park gate. Again, little did we know that the mountain summit was another 40 km from the entrance! In case you have not experienced riding a small bike with a small engine built for small Thai people for 1+ hours in the blazing sun, it is not exactly the same as our BMWs or Mercedes back home.

All was good though as the trip was well worth it as soon as we hit the first waterfall. Tired, hot, and looking for adventure, we decided to hop a fence and find the bottom for a swim. After a bit of repelling, slipping, and jumping, the bottom was revealed void of people. This was probably the most refreshing and relaxing swim of my life. Laying out on the rocks afterward was a pure dose of heaven. I could have stayed there all day had we not decided to depart for the top.

Again, little did we know what lied ahead with two people on small motorbikes climbing a very steep 2500 meter mountain. We must have started with 3/4 tank of gas, which was sucked up as we had to ride in 1st nearly the whole way up! There really was incredible scenery though, which made the time fly by once again.

Papayas!!!

"Modern" village gas station

The park closed at 6pm, and we reached the top at 6pm. Call it luck, coincidence, incredible planning, whatever...it was simply perfect. We did not have to pay the hefty $1 entrance fee, and there were maybe 2-4 other people at the top. There were beautiful temples, gardens, and statues. All of this being taken in as the sunset...if I didn't have pictures to prove it, it could have been mistaken for a dream...out of this world!!

Victory at the summit!

As darkness set in, we left the park for the looooong drive home. The descent on the bike was adrenaline filled, with some sharp turns being navigated by one little headlight. I also never imagined being cold in Thailand, but at 2,000 meters at night this is possible and probable. It came and went though as I just fell in and out of being in the moment on the bike. That was all up until the road unexpectedly got really really rough and bouncy. Sure enough, we pulled over and discovered a slow leak in the rear tire!

What did any good budget conscious travelers do? Stop at the first gas station, fill the tire up with air, then repeat for the 50 km back to the city. Well, four gas stations and a few kilometers later, the leak got bigger and the pressure held for 30 seconds tops. So 9:30pm in the outskirts of Chiang Mai with not a single Thai speaking English, we used some broken words and lots of gestures to find a place for the repair.

Thinking it would be at least 200-300B, we were shocked to be charged 20B. That's less than $1!! Just another testament to the incredible friendliness of the people here. They could have charged us anything as we were completely stranded, and obviously rich westerners...I love this place!

20B Tire Repair

Only thing that was scarier than navigating Chiang Mai by motorbike during the day was doing the same on a Friday night. We most definitely got lost several times, but eventually make our way back to the guest house sometime around 10pm. Surely one of the best days of my life thus far, and I'm not even a week into my trip!

On a motorbike at night to Chiang Mai going fast!

So what's next? I'm thinking a visiting a temple via bike (pedal) tomorrow morning, then hitting up the famous Sunday market for some goodies before heading off to my farmstay in Chiang Rai.

Take care of yourselves my friends, and don't get stuck on that plateau in life. Take it from the man...

“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” - Bruce Lee

Out of Bangkok

Khaosan Road. The place for backpackers...shopping, food, bars, everything.

So I woke up incredibly early this morning and couldn't sleep, so I made my way on down to an internet cafe at 5 a.m. So many backpackers still flooding in, lots of people still out drinking. lots of farangs picking up Thai girls...this is the scene here in Baglamphu. I think I've seen enough and it's definitely time to move on. It's a shame because I wanted to see so much more, but there's just too many people and too much pollution. So I'm heading up north to Chiang Mai tonight, which will be an adventure as I'm going by overnight bus. But if all goes well, 12 hours later I will be in a much cooler and cleaner city.

But on to some photos of the trip so far...

What can $10 get you in Bangkok? A clean and tiny room with air-conditioning. I could have gone cheaper if I wanted only a fan or to share a bathroom...but for what the few dollars extra gets you I deem worthwhile.

Besides making my way around Baglamphu, I took a trek on over to the Grand Palace. Let me tell you that they understand the meaning of Grand...the place is huge! I must have spent a good four hours walking around and seeing everything. Oh, and if you plan to go then wear long pants otherwise you have to rent some nice purple ones...





I also managed to make my way on over to the Golden Mount, another temple in the heart of the city. This was by tuk-tuk, which was not nearly as life threatening as you might think. The damage was done by the pollution though...sitting in an open air cart in the middle of traffic and 95+ degree weather is not very pleasant in my book. The driver was good though, and it only cost $1 to hire him for about 3 hours. Only catch was of course that we had to stop at one of those suit stores on the way back home. If you don't know about this, it's a common scam here where the drivers will take you to jewelry stores or such as the shop owners pay them (often in gas) if they do so. But to be honest the 2 minutes I spent in the suit shop was a nice break as it was air-conditioned. But they wanted 5,000 Baht ($140) for a Cashmere suit. Not bad I suppose, but not something I need for trekking in Chiang Mai either!

The temple definitely wasn't as decorated as the Palace. But it had an incredible view of downtown Bangkok, which is way more enormous than I thought. I mean, I've seen L.A. and Chicago, but this crazy. I have no idea what the population is, but man...

So what to do in Chiang Mai? The plan is to explore a day or two, and then go on a 3 day trek into the hill tribe villages. Yes, that's right. A small group with two guides, lots of hiking, some bamboo rafting, and an elephant ride or two thrown in. Incredible I say.

I've Landed and Quick Update

Incredible. That pretty much sums up what this place is like. In fact, I can't believe that it has taken me nearly twenty-seven years to make it out here!

After the insanely long flights, I finally arrived a mere 45 hours after leaving Oregon...ouch! But my jet lag and soreness quickly faded as I hit Khaosan Road. Yes, this is the backpacker's haven. Lots of outdoor markets, bars, guest houses, and people. The thing that totally blows me away is being reminded that there are people from other countries in this world living their lives just like we do in the States. I mean, even though I've been to England and France, and worked with Germans, it's amazing to meet all these travlers from around the world. A lot of folks from England, Australia, Germany, and France...countries which definitely have their priorities straight. Minimum holiday time is 4 weeks, and most get double that. I mean, why are we so far ahead yet so far behind?!

But anyways, on to the second incredible revelation since I've landed...prices. I knew things were cheap, but this is just ridiculous. I got in pretty late and most places were booked, so I ended up at one of the fancier places with free breakfast and a pool and all the luxury goods. How much? $21 USD! One of the best phad tai dishes I ever had, $2 USD! And if you wanna go cheaper, there's a million street vendors that can cook you a meal right there on the spot for 75 cents!! Freshest, cheapest meal you will ever get. So if any of you reading this want anything, send me a note and I'll send it off to you!

So after a tough day of lounging around the rooftop pool and browsing through the markets, I moved to a more efficient hotel a block away from Khaosan for $10. Plan is to stay a few more days in Bangkok, see a few of the touristy spots, then head up north. Bangkok is incredibly busy, incredibly dirty, and incredibly big. Not exactly my thing, so a few days should about do it.

Okay, time to see the nightlife here! Adios until next time my friends...