Almost over!

Well my trip is almost over, but that doesn't mean that I am not going to have some fun before I go home! We got back from the Chitwan area in southern Nepal, where we visited the Chitwan National Park. We went on a full day jungle walk in the park with two guides. We were lucky enough to see two rhinos, two kinds of deer, two kinds of monkey, peacocks, boar, a mongoose, a bison and lots of birds and bugs. It was incredibly hot, and one day I cooled off with an elephant as it took a bath in the river. Now we are back in Kathmandu, and before I leave on Monday David and I are going to go bungy jumping. The height is 160 meters, it is the second highest in the world. Then I am homeward bound! See you soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

Greetings from Kathmandu! We are back in the capital of Nepal after 28 days on the trail and three days on the river. I have to say that this place has changed a lot since we have been gone. The last time we were here the elections were right around the corner and the atmosphere was quiet. Now there are live bands all over the place and tourists out in the street... really overwhelming after spending a month in the wilderness. But it might just be the fact that we were up early, rafted all day, then spent four or so hours in a van to get back to Kathmandu, so I am tired. That being said, I am once again going to take the lazy way out and refer you to Nick's travel blog, which is linked in the corner. He hiked ahead of us our last couple of days on the trail to make some flight reservations and was kind enough to update his blog. He gives a great account of our first couple of weeks on the trail. Remember, a detailed description of four weeks of hiking would not only take the rest of my time in Nepal (I only have eight days left) but it would also be like reading a detailed description of shopping, or something women find boring. So although I could elaborate on Nick's blog it is not the time nor the place, so I will pick up where he left off.
So Nick wrote his blog on the 6th of May, and if I remember correctly he left us on the 5th of May. When he left, we had plans to go rafting on the 9th out of a town called Ngadi. The only thing was we were about two days of serious hiking or three days of slow hiking from Ngadi. So even though we were technically still on the circuit, there was a lot more relaxing than hiking going on the couple of days before rafting. Wait, we got to Ngadi on the 7th. Now I am confused about which day Nick left. I apologize, I am tired and I cannot seem to figure out these dates. The point is we took it easy getting to Ngadi, and once in Ngadi we spent most of our time by the river soaking in the sun. Nick met us in Ngadi on the 7th, I know that much. So anyway on the morning of the 9th we met our river guides in Ngadi, then ended up hiking to the next town down where the boats and the rest of our guides were. We met everyone, left our packs, got a quick safety talk and set out on the river. We had one paddle boat with us five guys and a guide in it, two safety kayakers that would do the rapids first and ensure safety, and one catamaraft with two guys on it that pretty much carried our lunch. The first day of rafting went well, it was pretty much continuous rapids, with a good mix of big rapids, technical rapids, and easier rapids. Kevin went overboard once, but he was quickly pulled aboard. The food they served us was good, including coleslaw, sandwich things, crackers, beans. Ok I know that doesn't sound too good but remember we had been eating the same thing for four weeks! At camp after the first day of rafting I puked up lunch. Greg also got sick, but he did not puke until the next morning. I think it was something we ate the day before, but I don't know for sure. Greg seemed to have it worse than me, but I did not eat dinner and went to bed early which i think helped. Luckily, we felt well enough to go rafting the next day. The raft unexpectedly capsized in a rapid, and we all went for a morning swim. Once we were all accounted for it became the highlight of the trip. After half a day rafting the second day we had to pull the boats out and drive around a dam, which was the end of rafting for the day. Dam. I guess it wasn't so bad, because it gave us sick people time to rest for the next day. The third day (today) was a lot of fun. There was one rapid that they said we had a 90% chance of flipping on. We all remembered our unexpected capsize the day before, and saw that after the rapid was a nice, calm pool, and decided that we could handle taking that risk. The good thing was that we did not capsize! The bad thing was that everyone fell out of the boat! So once again when everyone was accounted for and back in the boat we had a new highlight. The best part is that Nick had given his camera to a guide who was on the other side of the rapid and filmed us going through it. I know there is a little bit of foolishness in having the safety guy film us fall out of the boat, but we all survived. The worst part is that this video, along with all the other footage the guide took was erased tonight at a internet cafe here in Kathmandu. Yes, it is a tragedy, I still don't know the details so I can't talk about it too much, but my thoughts go out to Nick if the worst is true and everything is gone. After that second swim the rapids were mild. Nick and I got a turn on the catamaraft which was fun. Now we are in Kathmandu, and hopefully tomorrow we go to Chitwan. A national park where we can ride elephants and see rhinos and other wildlife, maybe even tigers, oh my! Chitwan will be really really really really hot though, so we will only spend a couple days there. Then back to Kathmandu for Greg's B-day on the 15th, then we leave Nepal on the 19th. I go home and everyone else goes to Spain. So I might not update the blog again in Kathmandu, but I promise when I get back to the states I will add a bunch of pictures and tell all the trip stories I can think of until people forcibly shut me up. Until then, I hope every one is doing well! Happy mother's day to all those females with offspring! Thanks for reading! Goodnight!--Mark

Nepal!

Greetings from Nepal! We flew in to Kathmandu yesterday around midday. Our guesthouse had sent a car to pick us up, and we were off. If it is possible, driving is even more hectic in Nepal than in Thailand. Maybe it was just because the roads are narrow. Our guesthouse is located in an area of town called Thamel, which is tourist central. Every shop is either selling souveniers or imitation North Face mountaineering gear. As soon as we got settled in our rooms we began to prepare for our trek around Annapurna. We do not want to be in Kathmandu when the election happens on Thursday. So today we finished getting the necessary permits, and now all we need is bus tickets and a place to store the stuff we are not taking on the trail. We saw the public buses, and they had people crowded on the inside and even on the roof, and we decided to take a tourist bus instead. Our trek will take us a minimum of three weeks, then we will have the option of going to Annapurna base camp. So we might be trekking for a full month. So I probably won't update the blog for a while, but I will be having fun! So until next time, hope everyone is doing well! Thank you for reading and for your comments! Namaste--Mark

Pictures!

Hey all. I have pictures! Here is the link. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2235670&l=9c5a9&id=3308283 please please let me know if for some reason it does not work. I don't have much time right now, so check out the pics, they are for most of Thailand and Cambodia, I think they cover most of my posts. Kevin and I arrived in Chachoengsao this morning from Chiang Mai. An interesting overnight bus ride... Kevin dreamt we were getting robbed and proceeded to try and strangle me. I slept with one eye open the rest of the way. Chiang Mai was relaxing, we did not do much except a lot of reading, and one day took scooters to a temple on top of a mountain with 306 steps. So we only have a couple of days left in Thailand, and I will spend them getting ready for Nepal, hopefully resting, and attending a monk ceremony for a family friend of David who is becoming a monk. I will probably be on the computer at least once more in Thailand, but if not thanks for reading! Peace!--Mark

Return To Thailand!

Hello all! I am now back in Thailand after my Cambodian adventure! Like I stated in the last post, Kevin and I rented motorcycles on Easter Sunday and set off into Cambodia. I have ridden a motorcylce a handful of times, most recently two and a half years ago at Kevin's ranch in Montana, so I would not say that I have a lot of experience. Kevin, on the other hand, grew up riding dirtbikes in Montana, so he did have a lot of experience. The bikes that we got were 250 cc, which means that they were pretty big, and powerful, especially compared to the scooters that everyone else was driving. So needless to say I was pretty nervous when we got the bikes and I had to pull out into a busy street in downtown Phnom Pehn. I wish I could put pictures up, because I have never seen driving like they do in Phnom Pehn. They have four way intersections with no stoplights or stopsigns, and people just slow down enough to make sure they don't hit each other. The majority of vehicles are motorcycles, and no one wears helmets. I will try to put up a video that I took when I get my camera cord. Anyway it was like being thrown in the deep end when I am used to the kiddy pool. I just went slow, and stayed on the side of the road, and tried not to run into anyone. We made it out of the city, and onto the highway, where it was a little better. I have already described the driving conditions in Thailand, where people use the middle of the road as a lane, and it was no different in Cambodia. The scariest part was the buses, who are all on a schedule or something. They were the fastest things on the road, and would pass at any point, Kevin and I were both pushed almost off the road on numerous occasions. So for the first couple of hours I was still nervous, and drove reletively slowly on the side of the road. After a while, however, I got used to the bike and the other cars and was not afraid to do my share of passing and use the speed that the bike had. It took us like four hours or so on that first day to get to Kompang Thom, and we checked into a hotel for seven dollars a night. We then took the bikes down the road to a nearby temple, and I got my first taste of offroad riding, even though it was on the road. We drove for about ten kilometers on a really bad dirt road, with lots of potholes and stuff. This was another new experience for me, and I had to ask Kevin for some pointers on how to not fall. He was really helpful, and I concentrated on practicing because I knew the next day we had 80 kilometers to go on the same road, and we were also going to go on worse roads. We made it to the temple, and I did not fall once. We spent like an hour there, it was the oldest temple in Cambodia, and it was pretty cool. The next day we set out early, because it was slow going on that dirt road. It was fun though, because pretty soon I was confident enough to go fast, and with our powerful bikes we were the fastest guys on the road. Our destination for the day was Preah Kahn, another temple. It was going to take some luck to find it, because we were taking an oxcart path to it from the main dirt road. We had high hopes when there was a sign on the main road pointing the way, but pretty soon down the oxcart path (after passing oxcarts) we stopped seeing farmers, signs, or anything that would help us determine our way. We were lost. In a mine infested country side. I started to get a little worried, and I did not have high hopes for us to find the temple, or the village thatwas supposed to be nearby. Kevin had hit his shifter on a stump, and it bent to the point where it was unusable. Lucking he had a leathermen tool, and he was able to bend it enough so he could drive. We set a time that we would turn around, and we continued to drive. We passed some uninhabited houses that only increased my worry, and the the trail ended all together. It was the perfect occasion to turn around, assuming we could find our way back. Careful to stay on what little path we could see, we turned around. Eventually, we came back to the main dirt road. Preah Kahn had eluded us. We just skipped it and went to the next city on our plan. It was a small town consiting of only a couple of roads, restaraunts and guesthouses. We stayed in a guesthouse. We had been planning on staying at Preah Kahn, or the nearby village, and had bought hammocks and mosquito nets for sleeping outside, and were getting eager to use them. At dinner that night we met a guy from Austria who was doing the same thign we were, except he had a couple of weeks on the road. He had even rented his motorcycle from the same place that we had! He taught us some Khmer words and gave us some driving tips. The next day we saw him again at breakfast, then set out for Koh ker, determined to sleep outside. Luckily we did not get lost, but we did stop and ask for directions numerous times along the way, and each time the directions we got were opposite of our instincts, which is probably the reason we got lost the day before. Koh Ker was a cool temple, with one main site with a seven tiered pyramid and lots of little sites connected by one dirt road. We check out all the sites, then found one we thought would be quiet and began to set up our hammocks. The mosquitos were out in force and Kevin and I were both struggling with our hammocks when two of the temple guards came up to us. They were just kids, maybe 18 years old, and they did not speak a word of english. We tried to make it clear we wanted to set up our hammocks and take a nap. One of them was uniterest and walked away but the other one took Kevin's hammock, used a stick to get the rope through each end, then did the same for me. Then when he realized I was completely clueless he tied my hammock to the trees, and then tied the mosquito net to it in some way that i could have never figured out. He did the same for Kevin, then left us to our naps. We had been laying there for an hour, wondering if we would be able to stay the night, when an older guy in army fatigues drove up on a scooter. We got out of our hammocks and tried to be friendly. Luckily the guy who tied our hammocks came back, and the older gentleman relaxed when kevin shared some bread we had brought and he smoked a cigarette. We asked if we could stay there and he said no, but our helper from before made it clear that he would help us if we followed them. We followed them to the restaraunt at the main site of the temple, where there was someone who spoke english. We told him we wanted a place to sleep, and we were not picky, so he said we could stay at his school. We followed him down the road to the school he worked at. He turned out to be a really nice guy, very hospitable. We found out the chief of police stayed there too, so we would be safe. The school was run by a NGO called Heritage Watch, and besides provided education and day care service to the vearby villages, it also taught them bee keeping and other skills. We tried to set up our hammocks on the porch, but our new friend laughed at us and told us the hammocks were too small for us and we would never be able to sleep in them. We agreed, and set up our mosquito nets on the porch and slept on the ground. It was a great night. Our friend had been a police officer until he stepped on a mine, and lost his right foot. We talked with him for a while, and soon the other members of the house came home. Besides him there was another guy who worked at the school, then the policeman and his wife and child. All seven of us slept on the porch. It was an amazing first hand look at how rural Cambodians really live. The next day we set out for the next temple and then Siem Reap again. The temple was cool, it was my favorite. It was similar to Angkor Wat, but it was collapsed in places and overgrown with trees and vines. So we spent a couple of hours there reading and hanging out, and also climbing all around the ruins. I am sorry I don't have pictures yet. Then we went to Siem reap, which was kind of a crazy ride because the previous days we had been on dirt roads, and then we were back on the highway and city traffic. But we made it. We got laundry done, then hit the bars. We played pool with some English guys, who were getting mad that Kevin and I were winning, then we went to a different place with a foosball table. Needless to say they did not like playing bar games against us. We called it a night after that, and the next day we drove back to Kompang Thom, as it was a good halfway point for our final drive to Phnom Pehn. On Friday morning we drove back to Phnom Pehn, just thankful that we had survived the entire trip, and the only damage to our bikes (that they noticed) was a couple of broken turn signals. We stayed in Cambodia a couple more days, until Sunday. On Saturday we went to S-21, a school turned Khmer Rouge prison turned museum, and the killing fields and the russian market. On Sunday we took a bus to the Thai border, then a bus to Bangkok. Then we just made it onto a train to Chiang Mai. It was an overnight train, but they only had third class tickets, which means no bed. It was a 16 hour train ride, but it was not too bad. Now we are in Chiang Mai! I think tomorrow we are going to rent scooters and go exploring! We plan on staying here untill Friday, when we meet up with Greg and David in Chachoengsao. That is where my camera cord is so I promise pictures! I hope everyone is safe and happy!--Mark

Cambodian Adventure!

Greeting from Cambodia! I know it is early, but Happy Easter to all! I am probably not going to be on a computer before Easter. Okay so I know you all want pictures and I promise I have a lot of good ones, but i left my cord and David's grandmother's house so I will not be able to post pictures for at the very least a week, but maybe closer to two. Have no fear, I am putting in a link to David's pics, a couple of which have me in them. As for the scenery, we were all seeing the same stuff anyway. So check out his pics here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2230674&l=9bebc&id=3300453 and also please read his and Nick's blogs. They have big updates that I am not going to be able to do right now. The links are on the right. But quickly, Kevin and I left the other guys in Siem Reap, Cambodia, when they went back to Thailand and we stayed. We took a boat to Battambang, but the river was too low so the boat could not make it all the way and we had to take a "bus". By "bus" I mean a Toyota pickup truck picked up everyone from the boat and took us the rest of the way on the "road". The "road" was literally a dirt path built for a motorcycle for the first 14 kilometers. There were 19 of us in the bed, plus the luggage. Luckily the truck had 4WD and no one fell out. Today we took a real bus to the capital Pnohm Pehn, and we saw the National Museum. As Nick says, we plan on doing some dirt biking. We are renting them tomorrow so we can take the road less traveled and see some more temples. But no one worry! Safety first! We will be careful. Cambodian Adventure! I will tell you all about it when I next get to a computer! So read the other guy's blogs, they have a lot more detail on the last week or so! That is all for now! I miss you all!--Mark

More Thailand

ไน้กฟำ --That is just a little Thai for you all. I don't think it is a real word, i just typed some Thai letters, but it gives you a taste of just how foreign the writing is. Ao Nang, where we got scuba certified, catered to tourists, so they had English words as well as Thai on the menu. The Marriot was a huge resort, also catering to tourists, so they spoke decent English there as well. The last couple of days however, Nick, David, David's brother Jon and I have been hanging out in Chachoengsao and other less tourist friendly areas where there is no English writing, and the only ones speaking it are us. It has been an interesting switch, and I'd say a pleasant one. We spent our days at the Marriot lying in the sun, reading and sipping drinks. Nick let me go sailing with him one day, to say the least we had a pretty relaxing existence. Thanks again Greg. After the Marriot I had the choice of going back to Ao Nang with Greg while he got scuba certified or to go back to Chachoengsao, and I already told you which I did. When we got back to Chachoengsao we had another amazing dinner at the restaurant on the river. This time the owner of the restaurant was there, and since she is good friends with David's family we were treated like royalty. Like I said, everyone is speaking Thai, but I have learned a few key phrases like the polite way to say hello, thank you, its good, i don't want it, i am fine etc so that I can speak sometimes, but I am no where near following the conversation or knowing what people are saying to me most of the time. But everyone is extremely friendly, and I get by smiling and nodding and accepting whatever they offer. The next day another family friend ( I swear they know everyone in this town) took us to a farm up near the border of Laos, in the north east region of Thailand. It was great to experience such a remote region, where Nick and I were the only white people, or "falongs", that we saw the entire time. On the way our guide "Pi-Ow" stopped at a small shop near his house and got three huge, live fish from a bucket, which he put in a bag under his drivers seat. At his house he transferred them to a converted plastic gas container with a little water in it and so they were kept alive all the way to our destination. We made numerous stops like this, picking up whole chickens (these were cooked) and rice and other snacks until we at last reached the farm. A word about Thai car rides: On a two lane road in Thailand there are really three lanes. What I mean is that all drivers feel free to pass at anytime, even if another car is coming at them. The car they are passing moves over, as does the car coming at them, and so two lanes becomes three. Needless to say it took some getting used to. Anyway the farm was a good time, we had a feast. Nick, Jon and I saw the last part of a cow getting butchered, David opting out because it was the middle of dinner. The next day we went to a bull farm where they were milking a bull. Yeah you heard me. After that we spent the day going to a royal library/garden, vistas, a military support base converted into a museum, and a military monument. Then we began the seven hour drive back to Chachoengsao. Did I mention the car did not have air conditioning? That night we went to a different restaurant with its owner, got some more VIP treatment there and at a nearby club. At the club a popular band was playing, it sounded like Thai pop music. It was kind of intimidating being the only non-Thais, but it also made it a really enjoyable cultural experience. Yesterday we played 18 holes of golf. Golf is golf, but it is slight different in Thailand. For one, we had to use caddies, which I have never done. It was weird to have someone hand you your club, pick up your ball etc. Also, It was extremely hot and humid. We all drank gatorade and water constantly, and David and I had huge umbrellas that we carried around, and our caddies held for us while we took our shot. Overall it was loads and loads of fun, despite the sweat. I shot a course record! Highest score ever! Not really though. Now today we are updating the blogs (duh!) and then going to Bangkok. Kevin will meet us there. Greg will hopefully be there Sunday. He had more bad luck in Ao Nang. The doctor he went to for his sinuses had given him bad meds, so they did nothing. So diving was still a problem. So he has to dive again tomorrow. It is really a bummer and we are all hoping that Greg's luck turns around! Could it get any worse? On Monday we go to Cambodia. Once again David's mom has been amazing and made some arrangements for us so we are being very careful. Thanks Bubpha! I am not sure when I will update again. Hope everyone is safe and happy!--Mark