No Fixed Address - Chapter 2

Maipo Valley

2011-05-15T10:15:00.000-04:00

Our final excursion turned out not to be as dangerous as we hoped. The scary vineyards, bicycles and multiple bottles of good wine did not end up in our being forced to remain here for longer then expected.

From Where We May Not Return

2011-05-13T20:36:00.001-04:00

Dear family, friends, co-workers and bosses

Tomorrow we head out on what may be the riskest excursion we have undertaken so far. A trek that we may decided not to return from... for tomorrow we head into the wine regions of Santiago.. 8 hours of cycling, wine tasting and good food.. Yes, truely dangerous. Particularly concering after meeting and drinking with James, a California expat that owns the coolest sports bar in Santiago ( California, http://www.californiacantian.net/) you must check this place out!

As a side note, James is room-mates with Pete who owns http://www.labicicletaverde.com/ (the company we are riding with tomorrow).. small world..

If we are not at work on Tuesday.. we did decide to stay..(we will send the forwarding address.)

And Now for Something Completely Different

2011-05-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

We have arrived at an oasis. After the past 2 weeks trekking and moving across the bumpy terrain of Bolivia, San Pedro de Atacama is a true wonder. A small tourist town (similiar in feel to Taos, NM), on the edge of Moon Valley, Atacama seems to have it all- artisans, great restuarants!!, excellent wine selections,!! interesting excursions and great hostals. And, very important, plenty of hot showers.

Unfortuantely(?) it does seem to be missing a real-estate office, or we may have purchased property and decided to stay, however, we do have to move on ... this afternoon we are off to our final destination, Santiago.

We will definitely be back to Atacama.

Out of the Salt Flats and Across the Desert

2011-05-11T11:07:00.005-04:00

The past few days have been a mixture of breathtaking landscape, rugged travel, car breaddowns and interesting sleeping arrangments. We had arranged a 3 day-2 night travel via Toyota Landcruiser from the Salt Flats in Bolivia across the Atacama desert and into Chile.

6 sharing a small room - comfy

Unfortunately there has been a recent rain event which limited extensively the access to the salt flats but we did enjoy taking the mandatory perspective photos.

click to see Deb being eaten

high living - 5* for sure

The evening was spent in a small hostel where shared sleeping arrangements actually meant that we shared the bedroom with our other travel companions (2 lads from the UK and 2 girls from AUK).

Tons of flamingos in the desert

The next morning we headed towards the Atacama desert, breathtaking views of lava fields, glaciers, flamingos and lagoons. This day was punctuated by numerous truck breakdowns (ours and others in the caravan - general rule of the road was that drivers stop to help each other, so no-one is left stranded). That evening in another rough, outback hostel, near the Red Lagoon, several bottles of Bolivian red wine made sleeping easier.

The third morning we left early for the gyersers and the hot springs. Stopping only to fix a flat tire (yes it was very cold at 5am on the desert).

Hot Springs at Dawn

At dawn Stuart and I, as the crazy Canadians, were the first to strip down and get into the hot springs:

After leaving the hot springs, we headed towards the Chilean border and out next destination San Pedro Atacama, border between Bolivia and Chile is a bit desolate.

Couldn't have balanced it better myself

Lava Field in Attacama

The Red Lagoon

One of Salvadore Dali's models

2011-05-07T15:11:00.000-04:00

We arrived safely into the beautiful city of Uyuni ;) after an 11 hour overnight bus ride over continiously rough, washboard roads. We were warned it would be bumpy, and it did not disappoint.

Main Street in Uyuni

However, we both managed to sleep and are ready for a night on the town. Tomorrow we head across the Salt Flats (4days,3 Nights), arriving at the end of the week in Atacama,Chile.

Our Hangout for the evening

A Wee Bit More Adrenaline for Stuart

2011-05-06T13:40:00.000-04:00

As if the Ride down the Worlds Most Dangerous Road wasn´t enough (and the Ride back up as well), Stuart decided he need a bit more of a Bolivian rush. So he did the ziplines (3 lines, the longest part being 1.6km length, travelling at 85km/hr)

The Instruction

The Descent

The Orange Dot in the Distance

The Grin at the End

The Death Road Ride

2011-05-06T13:02:00.000-04:00

While many have died on the road, most have been riding in cars, trucks and buses (we rode up in a bus). Only 18 have died while biking.

Stopped under some waterfalls

The step off the bus nobody came with me for some reason.

Truly it isn´t very difficult as it is a 64 km actual downhill ride mostly on gravel on good quality Kona mountain bikes.

However our guide John from NZ did have some advice to help avoid the fate of the previous 18.

1) look where you want to go

2) Avoid the butterflies of doom as they want to kill you. I thought this was a joke until about 2/3s of the way down I saw some beautiful large white butterflies which grabbed my attention instaed of looking at the road which is all important.

A butterfly of doom. They want to lead you off the edge

Many times we were riding within a foot or so of 1000´sheer drops but the trick is not to look down

Deb´s favorite spot. Riding along the wall.

All in all one of our greatest experiences. Next up heli biking in NZ.

Now to some facts:

Lonely planet says the road is closed - Not True - Cars and trucks in both directions.
They don´t tell you that to get back to La PAZ we have to go back up the road in a bus. Way more dangerous then the downhill on a bike..
In most places the road is wide enough for 1 vehicle not 2.
The ICE Road truckers are currently filming on the road. They were coming down in day light as we were heading up in twilight in a bus.
The scenery is beautiful but only really noticed it going up.
Deb doesn´t recall the trip up. She never opened her eyes.
Use DEET. See the knee after I took off my brace.

Stuart was on the ride but was too fast for photos.

Always use Deet (sandflea bites, after about 10 minutes unprotected)

Resting at Lake Titicaca

2011-05-03T16:07:00.001-04:00

After the physical activity of the trek, the past 4 days have been relatively slow and somewhat relaxing, A couple of days in Puno, tour of the floating islands, now a couple of days in Copacabana(in Bolovia), and a tour of the Island of the Sun and reportedly where the Incas began. Tomorrow off to La Paz and the Gravity Ride down Death Road.. Yippie.

The beach in Copacabana. Looks a little like the Riviera but no so much up close.

The view from our room at La Cupula.

Walking across the terraces on Isla de Sol

Machu Picchu Rules

2011-05-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

It turns out the trek was worth it!

TREK DAY 3

2011-04-30T20:40:00.000-04:00

On day 3 Darwin promised us another tough one after a relatively easy day 2. We immediately headed uphill on a part of the Inca trail steadly climbing up a path that became more and more lush.

We travelled through coffee farms, bananna groves, avacado, palm, orange, lime, passion fruit trees amoung many others. Wild Orchids and other vibrant flowers were in bloom along the way as we climbed to the cloud forest. What a crazy place in just a 50 km distance.

We travelled past early ruins before coming to the most increadible vista with Machu Picchu across the valley. Once at the bottom we hiked along the rail line which seemed kind of strange until we rounded the corner and saw our approach to the sacred site.

All in all the journey was worth every step and swear word and we gave ourselves a huge pat on our backs completing up till now the biggest physical challnge that either of us have faced.

Salkantay Trek Day 2

2011-04-30T19:49:00.001-04:00

We had an amazing sleep, and woke to a hot cup of coca tea served at our tent. The campsite was beautiful and after a good breakfast and Stuart taking care of a couple of blisters we were off on Day 2. Darwin promised that it would be easy and compared to Day 1, well, it was a walk in the park.

Only 1 Blister

The climb out of the valley was difficult, the overnight rain made the path very slippery and dangerous in a couple of places - but very quickly we were walking along a solid dirt path, enjoying the views, the conversations with Darwin and learning much about the flora and fauna of the area.

The path wasn't as clear as we hoped

Above the clouds

It was incredible how the environment changed in a matter of a couple of kilometers, from rocky steppe to sub-tropical climate with lush surroundings.

We arrived at our 2nd camp early and after a great lunch were able to soak our tired feet in the cold river and enjoy a few beers.

KM 30 (for Edwin)

2011-04-30T19:32:00.000-04:00

KM 30 not so bad. Sorry to disappoint.

Salkantay Trek Day 1

2011-04-30T19:26:00.000-04:00

Our day started at 4 am when we were picked up by our guide and cook. Much to our surprise and delight it turned out that instead of being with a large group of 8-12 people we ended up with a private trek. More handlers then participants - perfect! There was a 3 hour drive that started out on nice paved roads but ended up on a knarly dirt track with small rivers running across it and the car bottoming out regularly. After passing lovely lodges, we finally ended up in an alpine meadow we gathered our gear loaded up 2 horses and started climbing on foot. For all of you lowlanders there is very little oxygen at 12,000 + feet and after the first 15 minutes we were both questioning the wisdom of our choice of holidays.

For the next 3 hrs we gasped like fish out of water as we climbed over loose rock to reach the summit at over 15,000 feet.

The view was truly spectacular and we could hear sounds of the glacier cracking and landslides happening around us. We stopped to make a sacrifice to the earth mother.

In lieu of virgins a beer was opened and a small shrine created to make our offering. Apparently the earth mother prefers beer. We carried on for another 4 hours with nary a break and finally stopped for lunch at 3:30pm in the middle of a cold downpour in a very rustic shed.

A quaint lunch was served and both of us thought we were pretty much done for the day when Darwin our guide asked us to dig out our flashlights announcing we still had several hours to trek and most would be in the dark and wet.

Trekking downhill in ankle deep mud with a small flash light for illumination was not one of the highlights but it was an acheivement. There were no options for an out so on we went. Too tired to care after a 15 hour day on the move we collasped, exhausted at our first campsite.

We Survived the Trek

2011-04-28T21:47:00.000-04:00

Sorry we do not have the proper hardware to post pictures for a couple day yet but the trek was almost too much for words. We pushed ourselves to new levels of endurance and determination. Deb said it was more difficult then anything she has accomplished before including the marathon but also much more rewarding. For myself, I have never had to dig so deep to keep going but at the same time would not have traded the experience for anything. There were high spots and low spots for each of us and we will post more details with the photos. Mostly we wanted to let everyone know we are safe, happy and looking forward to tomorrow when we enter the Machu Picchu ruins. Now off to bed for another early start. TTFN

Alpaca is a Dish "best" served Medium Rare

2011-04-25T16:28:00.000-04:00

Almost every restaurant has shills promoting the fact that they serve traditional food such as Alpaca and Guinea Pig. Truly from all appearances so far the national dish here is Pizza. Like bugs in Cambodia I think that Guinea Pig is for Touristas.

From pictures on the menu it really does look like a rat on a plate. Alas most of these dishes are for 2 people and Deb just isn´t into trying it.

However Alpaca is another story. These cute beasts which give us beautiful garments are actully quite tasty. Of course this comes in single servings so it was on my plate the first evening at dinner. It was a little salty and was nice and tender served medium rare. Still thinking that this must be a tourist meal I was convinced otherwise when we went to the market.

The picture here tells the rest of the story.

Three Days in Cusco

2011-04-25T16:07:00.000-04:00

Arrived safely in Cusco, the stopping off (aka aclimatization point) for our trek to Machu Picchu. All seems in order for our trip, neither of us are suffering from the altitude. However our briefing did have to be rescheduled since our "guide" got lost trying to find our hotel, should we be concerned? Cusco is a small town that has evolved to support the tourist trade, excellent restaurants, but you do need to search for them, pizza does seem to be the primary food. There is great food in the San Pedro market for true authentic cuisine, however they do need to learn to make a good martini. We leave tomorrow for our trek, the bus arrives to us pick up at at 3:30am, yikes.

Preparing to Go

2011-04-19T20:26:00.003-04:00

As a very good friend of mine once said, "never have I packed so little to go so far", I find this again that is true; what to take, what will we need, how cold or hot will it get, and how DO we get sleeping bags into the backpacks? (note: that is NOT going to happen!)
So after the many hours of research, the plans made, money spent, vaccines had, and documents secured, we are ready to go - mostly.
But this is it... just 3(now2) more sleeps and we will be on a plane to Lima, Peru and the start of our South American trip. I'm beyond excited and Stuart is still nervous!
Stay tuned - this is going to be a BLAST! And if you are looking for a laugh - check out the Gravity Ride, Bolivia link ...

Bangkok - quite the place

2006-03-17T06:24:00.000-05:00

(street and flower market)

After the relative simplicity and innocence of Laos, Cambodia and even VietNam - we were a bit unprepared for the city of Bangkok - much like a lot of other very large cities- noisy, smelly, a lot of polution, cars and people - some great markets and food but it is very exhausting - not from the perspective of a lot to do but from the "always be aware of the next scam" perspective.

Stuart and I, being 2 trusting Canadians - quickly became savy travellers. Everyone - absolutely everyone here is trying to get you to buy something at a special "shop" - even the taxi, tuc-tuc drivers and people on the street are in on it - it goes so far as taxi drivers refusing to take you to the hotel if you do not want to visit a "special" shop on the way there -- we have learned to say no very sternly and to look for another mode of transport when faced with the situations.. there are just too many scams to mention...

All in all - glad to be leaving and coming home, that is if we can get a taxi to take us to the airport!! .... see everyone soon

Leaving Paradise - watch for us on CNN

2006-03-14T19:24:00.000-05:00

Leaving VietNam today and the wonderful area of MuiNe - it is absolutely paradise here - warm ocean breezes, great resort, food and a very relaxing interlude to our trip. Today we travel to Bangkok for the final 2 days (leave late Friday evening for home) - we have been hearing alot about the civil unrest and political protest against the proposed new Prime Minister - should be an interesting time - we will try to stay away from the rallies.

Big Day Today

2006-03-13T04:30:00.000-05:00

We had a big and active day today.
Got up, had breakfast, went for walk, lay by the pool, ate some more, deb finished her 4 hour spa treatment ($40 total), ate some more, watched some kite surfing. End of Day.
Wiped out.

Gravity Ride???

2006-03-11T21:50:00.000-05:00

Stuart enjoying a "downhill"

While sitting a great bar in Siem Reap (Molly Malones) and drinking a most excellent Martini, we remembered that a a friend of ours (Paul) told us about the possibility of riding from the Central highlands to the coast on mountain bikes and that it was all downhill. (about 150km on mountain bikes) . It sounded like a great idea.
We found a tour company which offered such a ride and since downhill is my type of riding we booked a two day trip to go from Dalat in the Central Highlands to Mui Ne on the coast. .
The definition of gravity may need some explanation -- for those of you who don't get it (namely Paul and the Tour company). An object falls at a contant acceleration when dropped until it hits the bottom. Last I heard objects don't fall uphill. (repeatedly) However, the trip was great anyway and we enjoyed (??) the rides. .
We climbed (approx 1200', 3-4 times ) through several different spectacular mountain passes that were lined with many different types of farms including coffee, tea, fruit, flower and rice. Each area has it's own specialty which was beautiful and interesting to see. Again, as per the motorcycle trip we would pass by on our bikes and children and adults would vigorously wave and yell hello. This occurred several hundred times each day. I'm sure many of them were thinking " look at the crazy foreigners riding for no purpose and with only one person per bike".
Our travelling companions were great guys to travel with, Arjan and Gary from Holland (Gary originally from New Zealand). We were able to share many laughs, complaints and thoughts. Coincedently, they are also staying at the Sailing Club resort in Mui Ne.
150 km later we arrived safely and still able to walk though a little weary. The resort is the perfect place to recuperate and now we feel like we've earned the pampering.

Contact for Phat Tire Ventures in Vietnam is http://www.phattireventures.com/

Photos from Cambodian Bike Trip

2006-03-09T02:27:00.000-05:00

Hi all
Shiela from Hidden Cambodia has uploaded all our pics from the dirt bike tour - if interested, you can go to their site at http://community.webshots.com/user/hiddencambodia to view all - with Sheila's commentary..

HCMC (Saigon) experiences

2006-03-09T01:58:00.000-05:00

Street vendor

Flower Market (it was "Women's Day" - very popular holiday in VietNam)

Traffic in HCMC

HCMC or Saigon, has been the largest city we have visited and after the relative quiet and slower pace of both Laos and Cambodia - it was a bit of a shock for both of us.
Two things that amazed me the most in HCMC, the food and the traffic. Essentially you can get great food everywhere - from small street vendors to elegant resturants and yes, we tried both - fell in love with fried bananas and spring rolls from the ladies on the street and spent a wonderfully romantic dinner at a very upscale resturant ($28 for 4 glasses of wine, 2 entrees, appetizers and tea... can't beat those prices). The city also contains many large markets where fresh food is prepared and eaten in stalls nearby.

The traffic is pretty unique as well, crossing the street with hundreds of scooters rushing towards you is a bit of a leap of faith - but we soon discovered the secret - go in single file - enough space between us for bikes to go around - go slowly, do no alter your pace and the traffic flows around you...pretty amazing.

Today in Dalat - not very exciting - quite touristy - so we are taking it easy before we begin our 150 km ride to the coast.

AK47's and Deb, Match made in Vietnam

2006-03-07T10:25:00.000-05:00

Deb and I went to the Cu Chi tunnels today for a little tour. Deb was firing an AK47 on automatic. I tried to get her to pose in a bikini for a photo with the AK47 but she couldn't be convinced.

We went down into some of the tunnels which had been increased in size to fit the big Europeans and Americans (Canadians). There were some tunnel openings left as original which Deb went in and barely fit. The VC lived in this 250km complex for many years. A much tougher and smaller people then us. Deb also realized that she is a little claustraphobic when she was leading the group into the tunnels in the pitch dark and she had to turn around because it was just too scarey. I of course jumped in and continued on through 2 levels by myself. I couldn't even attempt the 3rd level though as I wouldn't have fit or been able to crawl on my stomach for 120 meters to the next exit.

Adventure continues in VietNam

2006-03-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Leaving Cambodia today for the remainder of our trip in VietNam - slight change in plans - we have decided to do a 2 day mountain bike trip from Dalat to MuiNe (leaving on Friday) about 120 km. Stuart thinks his butt will have recovered sufficiently, I've arranged for a support vehicle, just in case he can't keep up to me.
Photos from the dirt bike trip to be posted soon.

Bugs aren't Too Bad Tasting!

2006-03-05T00:49:00.000-05:00

Deb and I sampled some crickets last night. Apparently they aren't classified as meat. They are kind of saltly and crunchy. Sree is the fear factor champion through after snacking on a 2" water beetle.
Deb has a sample bag packed for anyone at home who might be interested in sampling unless she gets hungry on the plane.

Caution!

2006-03-05T00:45:00.000-05:00

When buying a $150.00 Nike sports watch for $5, don't believe evrything you read. Waterproof doesn't mean it will work after going swimming in a saltwater pool. I think they saved some money in the manufactuering by removing the rubber seals.
Deb now has another watch now. This time Addias. Good for 30 metres.

Making Friends

2006-03-04T23:59:00.000-05:00

New Friends at the top of Preah Vhear temple - from left to right- Lois, Indra, Lise, Sree,Paul.

Cambodia has been a wonderful experience and we have made several new friendships while here. Sheila and Paul who run Hidden Cambodia are more then just tour operators. They go so far beyond the call of duty it becomes friendship. Mr Lise who works with them is more then a guide he as well is a special person who was very hard to say good bye to last night, same goes for Sopaul. Our trip ended Friday afternoon but we found ourselves being picked up that night to go back to Sheila and Paul's for a lovely home cooked dinner. Saturday Paul and Lise came by the hotel to pick me up to go see the cock fights and they join them Saturday night for a another great dinner and night out in a traditional night spot followed by a evening of Karaoke in a house of ill repute. Much fun and laughter and bad singing except for Mr Lise and the traditional Khmer songs.
The cock fights were something to behold. This is a very underground type of event, sorry no pictures allowed. I am a good judge of rooster it turns out and if I had been betting I would have been a rich man.
The dinner out was very interesting as well. We were accompanied by Sree, Indara and Lois as well as Paul, Lise and Sheila. As soon as we sat down I was surrounded by a half dozen beer girls trying to get me to select they brand of beer for our table. The girls earn a commission off of the amount of beer sold in an evening so can be very convincing in their attempts to get you to select their particular brand. From what Shelia was telling me this can go so far as sleeping with a patron to secure the sale. Deb wasn't so keen on that idea so I took all the cards and shuffled them selecting at random. The farang (me) just wasn't much fun.
The music place afterwards was also interesting. We had to pass through a hall filled with beautiful girls that you can select to help you with your singing or offer you a massage in a private room. Also more beer girls on hand. We decided to provide our own entertainment much to the disappointment of the staff. All in all a very enjoyable and memorable evening.

4 Days on Dirt Bikes - butt sore and weary...

2006-03-04T23:53:00.000-05:00

Okay, so deciding to tour the Cambodian country side via dirt bike with only 6 hrs of riding experience may not have been the most intelligent idea I've ever had -but I would not have missed the experience for anything - admitedly, the first day was essentially "controlled terror" as I adjusted to a very large, heavy bike (Honda XR250s) and our guides (Mr. Lise and Sopal) adjusted to my experience (or lack thereof). But after a slight panic attack that evening - the remainder of the trip (about 600km in total) was much easier and I became quite proficient at riding - most terrain tended to be dirt roads (red clay, gravel, hardpacked sand) and our excellent guides were careful not to push me beyond my comfort level. We were reminded not to leave the roads - since a vast majority of Cambodia is still covered in land mines and even along the major roads and villages - nothing beyond 4 meters of the roadside is cleared of land mines - this effort continues in the country but will take many, many years (if ever) to complete.

So now about the trip - we traveled from Siem Reap to Along Veng (~150km)- a small village at the top of a mountain, where Pol Pots' bunker and grave are located - very near to the Thai border. For the first evening, we stayed at a guest house owned by a retired Khmer general at the top of this mountain - Our 3 guides and traveling companions (3 wonderfully fun journalists from Malyasia (Sree, Indra & Lois) - traveling via 4 wheel truck) - eating dinner at the guest house and playing SIQU (a Khmer card game) until the generator went off around 10pm. The guest house was as we expected - a simple room, hard mattress, squat toilets and "shower" - essentially a large tub of cool water that you scooped over yourself to wash - given all the dust on the road - this really did feel great.

After breakfast in a nearby village - we began our journey to Preah Vihear (about 160km)- easy roads -although we did encounter a nasty rain storm that made riding in the slippery clay-like dirt interesting - stopping for a traditional Khmer lunch at a local roadside resturant (soup, fried vegetables, bbq chicken, rice - all very good). Preah Vihear(a large temple built at the top of a mountain ~1040AD) is only accessible via a very difficult climb - I traveled up the road via truck (with the girls) while Stuart made the climb on the bike with Mr. Lise - the climb was even a bit frightening via truck - so I'm glad I didn't have to ride - That evening we stayed in a village at the base of the temple -- in a guest house managed by the major of the local police - I knew we would be safe - since he slept with an AK47 and large round of artillary.

Our guide (Paul) organized a town "dance" in our honour and this was truly a "lonely planet" experience - dancing to music (both traditional Khmer and bad North America remakes) on a dirt floor - under that stars, with the local people - and drinking something they call "muscle wine" ... I'm pretty sure that I accepted marriage proposals from a number of Khmer men - but since we were the guests of the police major - I think I (and our Malayasian travel companions) were able to leave town with our virture intact. The town is very close to the Thai border and we walked across into a small Thai village for breakfast the next morning.

On day 3 - our journey took us to Koh Ker temple - an amazing site - recently opened to the public (ie cleared of land mines) about 200 km from Preah Vihear- since it is off the beaten path - very few tourist buses - is is quiet and serene and amazing - the temple was built in 900AD and is about 400 years older than Angkor. It is built in a pyrmiad style and climbing to the top was a bit scary... At the base of this temple is a small, ancient town of about 150 villagers - these are very poor rural people and we had several "Unicef" moments - children pumping the single local well for water and watching our Malyasian journalist companions hand out Ritz crackers the the children. Stuart will talk more about this village and our experience in his posting.

That evening we stayed in a "lovely" guest house about 20 km from the temple - our guides (Mr. Lise and Sopal) prepared our dinner ( fish soup with tamarind and lime, fried fish, vegetables with egg, rice and green mango salad) again - the food was great - considering how food is prepared here (out doors - over small fires), they are amazing cooks.

On the final day - our journey back to Siem Reap (~160km) - we stopped at a few more temples - (there are about 230 discovered temples in Cambodia) - admittedly, we were getting rather road weary and butt sore.. and it was nice to be heading back.

It is hard to describe the experience of the past week - the Cambodian countryside is not exactly "beautiful" - most has been ravaged for resources, but there is a charm to it and the people are incredible - from the villagers in the guest houses - making us comfortable and welcome -- to the children rushing to the sides of the roads to wave as we pass - Cambodia has been an moving experience and many thanks to the organizers at Hidden Cambodia (Shiela and Paul), our guides (Lise and Sopal). It was also great to have met Sree, Indra and Lois -- 3 fun ladies that made the trip all that more interesting (as well as giving us our own gastromic tour when we visit Malaysia).

Today is our final day in Cambodia - tomorrow we leave for VietNam.

I know this is a long post - but hey - it was 4 days and we have many, many stories...

Dirt Biking in Cambodia

2006-03-03T23:18:00.000-05:00

Amazing trip, we survived. A few bruises both egos and butts.
Stu and Deb

First stop on the road - I've survived the 1st hour

Proof I rode and yes, the bike was very LARGE...

700 kms later - survived - dirty but happy

Humanitarian Efforts Required - (edited)

2006-02-27T10:42:00.000-05:00

Deb and I were touched by an experience today that moved us. Our guide for Angkor Wat took us on a small side trip to the Landmine Museum outside Siem Reap. A local man Aki Ra has established a Landmine museum to bring awareness to the problem of unexploded ordanance that litters the countryside and kills and maims many people each year. Not only is he running this museum with his wife but for the past 11 years he has been clearing mines at great danger to himself. He has also established a school at his house to help young victims adjust to their loss and reestablish their lives and edcuation. The stories that we read at his place bring tears to the eyes. His good works are deserving of a noble prize. In lieu of this we have decided to do what we can to help out. $2000.00 per month keeps a team of 32 people in the field for a month clearing mines. We promise when we get home to try to raise some funds to help out either with mine clearing or his school helping out the young victims. (Edit to above)

After touring some of the more remote areas in Cambodia that don't get the kind of attention (money or aid) that Aki Ra gets we have decided to focus our efforts on bringing water to some villages that currently have none. We have already put in motion the building of one well for a village of 77 families that have to travel 3 km to the nearest water source to get buckets of dirty water. When we arrive home we will begin efforts to gather funds for additional wells. Canada's presence is very small here so let's do what we can to help out.

Sunrise over Angkor

2006-02-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

Today was one of those special days that you wish to wrap up, store and retrieve whenever you believe that life is not as you wish. Today we visited Angkor - one of the true wonders of the world and certainly nothing that either of us have experienced.

Our day began at 5am with our guides (Mr Lise and Mr Slim) - and watching the sunrise over the 5 towers of the Angkor Wat temples. Under the guidance of Mr Lise - a truly knowledgeable man on the Khmer history - we visited major temples and ruins throughout the Angkor complex. Difficult to describe in words - the temples are a testament to man's ambition and nature's resovle. Not to worry- we took PLENTY of pictures.

The temples and carvings describe the Buddhist and Hindu cultures over the centuries. Amazingly, the temples have only been open to the public since 1998 - prior to that, they were basically unprotected.

Tomorrow we are off on our dirt-bike tour (4 days) - since this will be to small villages in the Cambodian countryside - we will not be able to post messages until our return to Siem Reap on Friday.

So far Cambodia has both thrilled us and made us realize how truly fortunate we are.

Vang Vieng - Backpacking for Dummies

2006-02-25T07:34:00.000-05:00

Vang Vieng is a crossroads for backpackers. A brief note about backpackers. - These are generally kids who have been on the road for quite a while, some of whom have forgotten what it is to be in a foreign country. All they want is a taste of home thus they screw up the place. We are in Laos. I don't expect to see that the most common items on menus are grilled cheese and burgers and fries. Restaurants and bars big attraction is that they have lay down tables where you can veg out and watch Friends reruns and bad movies.
In short what a difference from Luang Prabang. However, Vang Vieng sits in some of the most amazing geography in the world. Absolutely beautiful!
The spelunking was pretty cool. For the grand sum of $1 each we hired a guide to take us thru the Luci cave which was a mere 40 minute walk outside of town thru some rice paddies and a small woods. The cave exceeded our expectations to say the least. We clambered almost a kilometer into a Karst mountain to a swimming lagoon. We were the only 3 people inside the entire time. Amazing formations including one that looked very clearly like a life size Brontosaurus. This large cave is not on any tourist maps and is not all set up and safe for the general population. We only had 2 lights between us and Deb's died halfway in. If the guide hadn't been through several thousand times we would have been a little concerned, the fact he was wearing flipflops and relied upon us lighting the way gave us the confidence that he new what he was doing. The afternoon was completed with a 4 hour float down the Nam Song river in orange innerr tube and jumping off of Zip lines into the river.
A 4 hour uneventful minibus ride for $6 ea landed us in Vietienne (the nations capital). Not a bad place but one night is sufficient. We did manage to wander through the local market which contained thousands of stalls selling everything you can imagine. Deb was considering dropping the concept of being a vegetarian when she got a load of the live bugs, eels, frogs and other wigglies for sale. We started taking some pictures of some of a few of the sellers and ended up having several of them coming up asking for us to shoot them as well. A genuine experience that punctuates the friendly nature of the Laos people.
Oh BTW, I am trying to figure how to bring a Laos massuesse home. $3 for an hour of raptuous foot massage. I would main line if I could. Edwin if you are reading this think company massage on premises, I'm sure productivity would increase.
Unfortunately leaving Laos in the morning but headed off to Cambodia for big adventure. I'm breaking out the first aid kit for Deb.

Chicken is STILL on the Menu!

2006-02-23T06:08:00.000-05:00

Another morning up at 5am. This may not sound too bad, but for those of you who know me well you understand. Major rain this morning but cleared up by 7am for the collecting of the alms. I became the flash nazi telling people to turn off their flashes and to get out of the monks faces. They deserve some repect. They have been doing this for hundreds of years and now that tourists have arrived they feel that it is a show instead of a way of life. Of course though I have some pictures ( no flash and a decent distance away).
The drive to Vang Vieng was amazing. Never have I been on a road where the longest straight strech was no more then 100 meters and ther were no flat stretches for 150 km. Don't believe what Deb says as she slept most of the way after procuring some drugs (Gravol) off of a fellow traveller. Okay maybe she was awake for some of the journey. Very cool little hill tribe villages all along the route. Not disneyfied at all. A very tough life. The children looked happy, maybe more so then any seen back in Canada. They don't have the pressures placed on them the way the do in NA.
Going tubing down the river and walking to a huge cave to go spelunking tomorrow.

Kept my cookies

2006-02-23T06:07:00.000-05:00

Okay, we made it over the winding roads, up the mountains passes, through the clouds---arriving in Vang Vieng. The trip was essentially okay, (not a straight stretch of for over 190km) but, thanks to a "wannabe" Canadian that we met at the bus stop in LP and his offer of dramaine - I managed to survive the trip - with stomach contents in tact... (whew)

To say this VV is different than LP is an understatement. Where LP was culture, serene and upscale - VV is totally underconstruction - piles of dirt and gravel on the roads and buildings going up everywhere. The entire town is a construction site.

A very laid back atmosphere owing -in part to the setting (on a lovely river at the base of the majestic mountains) and the easy availability of libations (beer, wine, pot, hash etc..) However it does have its charm (and damit, I will find it!!) - a river running through - tubing, kayaking, mountaining biking, cave exploring -- all activities we hope to enjoy tomorrow.

As seems to be our routine - arrived into town - found accomodations (lovely hotel on the river for $20/night) - found the nearest river front bar - and enjoyed a couple of Beer Lao (large, since that is the only size!!)

My appologies for spelling errors - they have the popup blockers on and I can't figure out how to change that...

Planning on staying in VV until Saturday am - then on to Vientianne for 1 night and then into Cambodia...that is unless we become additted to the atmosphere!!

No Need for Wakeup Calls

2006-02-22T08:07:00.000-05:00

I've decided to add chicken to my asian diet (see below regarding roosters). The hotel we are staying in is spectactular and the bed is very comfortable. Waking up is very easy as it starts at 4am with the gongs for the monks then at 5am on the button the rooster starts with a sleep button that works perfectly at 15minute intervals. I wouldn't trade it for anything. The procession of monks collecting alms goes right past our balcony starting at 6:30 and is one of the most interesting sights I've seen. Moving on to Vang Viang a day earlier as our initiation to asia is now ready to move on to the next stage.
The caves were very cool with thousands of ancient budda statues and a boat trip up the mighty Mekong.
I'm preparing the motion sickness bag for Deb because of the bus ride tomorrow. We have been warned that the road is amazing. Lots of steep hills and sharp curves for many miles. I think it will be great, Deb has some trepedations.

Asia for Newbies

2006-02-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

We finally arrived in Luang Prabang, after an uneventful, albiet long trip and it is everything we hoped it would be. Our hotel is exquisite, the town is lovely and quiet - it is a great way to ease us into Asia. Yesterday was pretty much of a write-off, we were both kind of jet lagged and after a couple of very large Beer Lao for lunch - sleep was in order.
Today was much more productive - toured the town in the am (it is a small town of about 10,000 people) with many temples and historical buildings. In the afternoon we rode a tuk-tuk(kind of an open air mini-van) about 30km to a great waterfall - hopefully we will be able to post some pics of that soon.
Tomorrow we are taking a boat up the Mekong river to the Pac Ou caves.
I have discovered my new favorite food -deep fried seaweed - it is really very good, especially with Beer Lao. Stuart has discovered is newest passtime - Lao massage..
The internet is quite slow here - but will write again soon - promise

Bags are packed - Martini shaker waiting

2006-02-17T19:03:00.000-05:00

As our good friend Lucy said - "never have I packed so little to go so far"...and I cannot agree more - the small/minute/almost invisible - pile (?) of clothes packed for 4 weeks amazes me - our medkits take up more space!!
Anyway - it is finally here - one more sleep and we leave - 24 hrs in flight and approximately 38 hours in transit... not looking forward to that but, again, part of the experience.
So we are officially on vacation and my martini shaker is waiting....we will be in touch soon

Travel Map

2006-02-02T14:27:00.000-05:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the region - here is a map with an outline of our travels:

* Bangkok to Luang Prabang, Laos
* Luang Prabang to Vietienne
* Vietienne to Siem Reap, Cambodia
* Siem Reap to HoChiMing City
* HCMC to Mui Ne
* Mui Ne to HCMC
* HCMC to Bangkok
* Bangkok - home

Planning

2006-01-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

So when you start to think about traveling this far and for this length of time, and of course, spending this much money.... the fun really begins... where to go, what to see, how much time to spend each place and how to ensure we have enough time to really get a feel for the people and culture. Four weeks may seem like a long vacation but it is not nearly enough time to do everything -- so we had to make some decisions.

Those of you that know Stuart, know he is a researcher; an "idea guy", so it was his role to gather the information that would go into our decisions and he spent many hours doing this -- searching the web, reading books and articles, talking to people and reading blogs. Ensuring the decisions were feasible, managing the logistics, making the bookings and covering all other "details" would be my job.

We have been very lucky and have found some great resources that have made the planning easier - these are listed below and provided as links on our site.

* Flights between countries - Sukanya at Diethelem Business Travel in Bangkok (www.diethelmtravel.com) - was extremely helpful with booking flights and answering some basic travel questions. All communication via email with Sukanya and I would definitely use this company again, highly recommended. I found this agency in the Lonely Planet guide. (Thanks Lisa for the book!!)

* Hidden Cambodia Dirt Bike Tour - Sheila is absolutely AMAZING- answering a zillion questions, booking hotels, planning the tour to my skill level..really making this part of our trip much easier and something we are really looking forward to ...

* Toronto - Taya at ATC Adventure (tkozakgoebel@atcadventure.com)answered some basic travel questions and lead us to Trans Asia travel (2104 Dundas Street, 416-532-2330)that helped us obtain our Vietnam visas...

Itinerary

2006-01-15T12:19:00.000-05:00

After a year of anticpation, research and planning, we are a mere month away from our travels.
Below is a detailed ( okay we know... quite detailed) itinerary. We've included photos and links to some of our favorite bookings.

Feb 18, 2006 - Depart Toronto 9:45 (via Air Canada)
Feb 19 - Arrive Bangkok 22:45
Feb 20 - Connecting flight - 8:45 - to Luang Prabang, Laos (via Thai Airlines)
Feb 20 - 24 - Touring Luang Prabang and area
- recovering from the long flight at the exquisite Les 3 Nagas - www.3nagas.com

(Photo - Les 3 Nagas - Lamanche House)
Feb 24 - 25 - Traveling to Vietienne via Vang Viang
Feb 26 - Depart Vietienne to Siem Reap via Thai Airline
Feb 26 - 28 Touring Siem Reap, Cambodia
Feb 28 - March 3 - Dirt bike tour with Hidden Cambodia http://www.hiddencambodia.com/
- Siem Reap to Anlong Veng then to Preah Vihear , Koh Ker and back to Siem Reap ...

(Photo - Hidden Cambodia Dirt Bike tours - Angor Wat Temples, Cambodia)

March 3 - 5 - Recovering in Siem Reap and touring more temples in Angkor Wat
March 6 - Depart Siem Reap to HCMC (Saigon), Vietnam (via Vietnam Airlines )
March 6-10 - Touring southern Vietnam including Mekong Delta and Chuchi tunnels
March 10 - 14 - Travel to Mui Ne - rest and relaxation (sun, surf and sand) at the Mui Ne Sailing Club http://sailingclubvietnam.com/

(Photo - beach at Mui Ne)

March 14 - return to HCMC
March 15 - Depart Vietnam to Bangkok (via Vietnam Airlines )
March 17 - Depart Bangkok to Toronto
March 18 - Arrive in Toronto