June 6th, 2007 - The Flight Home

How can you summarise the cumulative emotions of a year and a half abroad so that others may understand and relate to the experiences? To be completely honest, it’s impossible. I can say that it has changed me, made me a bigger person, swelled my soul and fed my mind to the point of sheer bliss, and that would be true, but the definite feeling I experienced on the flight home from the South Pacific was one of sleepless exhaustion.

Throughout the flight and two transfers through Seoul and Atlanta, I read my book without really absorbing a page, watched movies without really comprehending the dialogue, and was completely numb. It was just too much.

On January 10th, 2006 I embarked on my adventures, and have survived some pretty impressive situations that demanded strength and perseverance. All of a sudden, that strength was gone and I felt completely vulnerable. I had said goodbye to my soul mate and she has moved on, I have met countless friends from all over the world, met beautiful girls have fallen in love, had one night stands, explored the major cities of the East coast, surfed some of the best waves, held a baby koala and been bitten by a poisonous spider, discovered paradise on Lord Howe Island and swam with some of the most interesting marine life on planet earth, trekked through jungles of northern Queensland, earned my divemaster and explored shipwrecks, ate delicious food and experienced new cultures, meditated in thousand year-old temples…All of these things were running through my head and suddenly, the one question, the ultimate question, struck me like a bolt of lightening: Was it all worth it?

Even though I knew the answer was a definite and confident YES, I thought about it for a while, and considered what could have been, what I have sacrificed, and weighed it against the genuine experience that I had accomplished. I believe that we are guided by forces, energy, visions and voices; our sense of intuition and our destiny will never let us down as long as we trust it. Letting go of the world I knew, my friends, my family and everything I knew was difficult because there was no turning back to what was. The future always looked exciting to me, but now more than ever I have confidence to accomplish anything I want to, and have the faith necessary to make it come true, regardless of the sacrifices I must make and the hardships I must endure.

In the end, when I stepped out into the terminal and gave my mother a big hug and kiss, I knew I was glad to be home. On the other hand, I also knew it wouldn’t be for long. Already, the sea beacons me back.

June 5th, 2007 - Bangkok, Vietnam

As our last day in Bangkok, we were determined to get one final taste of the city and decided to walk around the Royal Palace and walk to China Town. In the morning I let Dan sleep in and I worked on updating some pictures and wrote some of my diary. At around noon we had some yoghurt and muesli and then headed east towards the temple.

It was a hot day like every other in Bangkok, and once we entered the palace we were met by many armed guards holding machine guns. Although mainly for show, the sight of a guard holding a machine gun has always perturbed me. Straight-laced, we walked through the palace gates and joined the queue to pay. Unfortunately, I had no more money to spend and the price was actually pretty expensive. We had our share of palaces and temples so we decided to opt out of this one and just go explore some more of the city by foot, something that’s absolutely free.

We walked a fair distance and came upon the huge reclining Buddha in one of the temples by the river, had a peek inside (so to avoid paying the whole entry price), and continued on trying to find China Town. We ended up walking through some amazing street markets filled with DVD’s, electronics of all kinds, and hardware supplies. At one point, the police walked by and a few of the tables selling illegal DVD’s quickly packed up their goods and hid them; it was pretty funny to watch them scramble!

Hot and sweaty after a full day of walking around Bangkok, I decided it was time for me to head back and relax; my flight was at 1am and I wanted to reflect and meditate in Thailand before heading off on a 30 hour flight back to Canada. I took the long way home and ended up getting completely lost. In the area that I was in there were no Westerners and it was interesting to see all of the Thai’s going about their daily routine in the city. There were thousands of food stalls, motorbike mechanics, gift shops, jewelry stores and lots of other different shops along the way. Around 5pm I gave up the walk and hailed a taxi.

That evening I sat around and about a million memories flashed through my brain and I couldn’t help but feel absolutely thankful for every moment I experienced in SE Asia. Dan and I have seen more of Asia in two months than many people see in their lifetimes, if ever. We had a chicken sandwich at the far end of Khaosan Rd., and while we were eating I couldn’t help but feel a great sense of pride that we had accomplished everything that we set out to do. It’s very satisfying to know that I set goals months ago and have worked hard to accomplish those goals exactly how I envisioned them. The absolute feeling of elation continues to give me the faith to press on.

I caught the bus to the airport at 10pm, and Dan helped me with my bags and saw me off. After two months with seeing Dan everyday, it was strange to say goodbye. As for Dan, he has once again proven his friendship to me and we have had some pretty amazing experiences together. I know deep down inside that there will be more adventures together and that I will know him and cherish his friendship until the day we die and return to the universe as music.

June 4th, 2007 - Hanoi, Vietnam

We woke up early this morning and hired a motorbike to STA Travel where our flight tickets to Bangkok were being held for us. We picked them up right as they opened and still had enough time for a free breakfast before heading off to the airport.

The flight to Bangkok was a short couple of hours, and once we landed we took the bus to Khaosan Rd. We are definitely creatures of habit; we decided to go back to At Home guesthouse, the same place that we stayed the last couple of times we were in Bangkok.

For the rest of the afternoon we walked around Bangkok, and took in the Grand Palace (although we just explored the perimeter), the giant reclining Buddha, and China town. I left Dan later in the afternoon because my new flip flops were giving me massive blisters, but ended up getting lost and had to take a taxi back to the hotel; despite the blisters, I ended up wandering around for an hour or so before hailing down the cab.

Back at the hotel I wrote some e-mails and updated my blog, and got cleaned up for my last night in Thailand. We got a bite to eat on Khaosan Rd., had a few drinks, and got a cab to the Thai kick boxing stadium. Once at the stadium we realised it was a little bit out of our budgets so we immediately hailed another cab and got him to drop us off at Patpong, the notoriously sleazy part of Bangkok where anything goes, including all sorts of sexual debauchery. There are some really good markets down the street and our intention was to get some gifts and see what Patpong was all about.

After shopping for a few hours, we managed a few good bargains. Elated from our success, we sat down at one of the many bars along the side of the market. In the middle of most of the street-side bars about 20 Thai girls were dancing on the stage behind the bar. There were seriously about 100 different bars, some more raunchy than others, but all with open prostitution. It was really quite sad, so we left and headed back to Khoasan for a couple more drinks and some crickets from the street vendor; yummy!

June 3rd, 2007 - Hanoi, Vietnam

We took a taxi from the bus drop-off point and arrived at the hotel that Andrea and Marianna recommended around 9am. All along the streets we were shocked to see carcasses of dogs for sale at little carts; there were hundreds of them! I guess its like the saying goes “to each his own.” Since I didn’t sleep I nodded off for a couple hours while Dan went exploring.

When I woke up we went exploring together and found some great shops. I bought some new Converse high tops and a pair of DC flip flops for $30 US; I was stoked with the deal! For the rest of the afternoon we walked around the parks and shops downtown. We got caught in the rain for a bit but managed to get around fairly unscathed by the rain. On the way home we stopped into a shop and bought some DVD’s. I bought season 3 of Lost and Nip Tuck, and Dan bought season 1 and 2 of Heroes.

In the evening we had a delicious meal at a small Vietnamese restaurant and then went to see some traditional water puppetry at the downtown theatre. Admission was a dollar and we sat about halfway up the theatre; all of the seats in the room were great. Both Dan and I were amazed by the performance. They had traditional Vietnamese live music sequenced to the puppet program that consisted of puppets being maneuvered around the water with giant sticks by people behind the backdrop. Although we couldn’t understand anything that was going on, it was highly entertaining.

We headed back after the performance, wandering through the night markets and shops, buying candy, sunglasses and corn on the cob. Because we had to wake up early, we decided to head back and watch an episode of Lost before crashing early.

June 2nd, 2007 - Hoi An to Hanoi, Vietnam

In the morning I at a big breakfast and went for a bike ride on my own to explore some more of the city, and ended up finding some pretty interesting spots across the river.
Later on, Dan and I walked around the city looking at things in the market, took some pictures of the locals, and sweat; the temperature was soaring once again and we were absolutely dripping.

The bus to Hanoi came to our hotel at 2pm in the afternoon and we braced ourselves for the 17 hour bus ride from hell. Although I’m told they’re not as bad as South American bus rides, trips through SE Asia are no walk in the park. Luckily, we had air conditioning, but they crammed heaps of local on. There were feet and bodies everywhere!

I shut my eyes and rested but definitely didn’t sleep a wink the entire night. In the morning as the sun rose, beautiful mountains appeared just on the horizon. Northern Vietnam is completely stunning from what I saw from the seat of a bus, and mainly small villages surrounded by rice paddies and low-rising mountains. I was blown away by the green colours and the sheer beauty of the tropical countryside.

Just before we arrived in Hanoi, the girl sitting across from me decided it would be a good idea to throw up on the floor; she didn’t even make an effort to open the window or grab a bag, but unleashed all over the floor. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but my nose told me otherwise. I endured it for a half an hour, but it soon got the best of me and I picked up my book and squeezed in a seat up front until we were dropped off just outside of the city of Hanoi.

June 1st, 2007 - Hoi An, Vietnam

We definitely scored huge on our hotel. For $10 a night we are living in luxury: Air conditioning, cable television, hot showers and even little soaps, shampoos and tooth brushes! After getting a decent sleep-in I went into town to pick up my shirt and shoes. They were both ready to go, so I said thank you and went on my way before I had an opportunity to contemplate getting anything else made!

We met Andrea and Marianna at their hotel and we headed to the beach for the afternoon. When we arrived at the beach it was sweltering, so we plopped down on some beach chairs and didn’t move the entire afternoon except to go for a dip in the sea.

Later in the afternoon Dan and I were horsing around in the water when we noticed a bunch of jellyfish swimming around. Curious, we followed them until Dan thought it was a good idea to pick it up and throw it at me! The jellyfish caught me on the chest and it stung me over a large area. Needless to say, I was a little bit upset, and for the next couple hours, I was in a lot of pain, but it was actually really funny since he rubbed his nose after touching it and got stung too! The girls thought we were absolutely insane. Too be honest, I’ve never been stung before, so I was a little curious to what it would feel like.

Later on we met up with the girls for some drinks, and ended up sitting in their hotel talking for most of the night. We had some good conversation about travel, good books, and travelers diarrhea. To finish off the night we headed down to the river and polished of a bottle of whisky staring at the stars.

May 31st, 2007 - Nha Trang to Hoi An Vietnam

The overnight bus ride to Hoi An was an absolute nightmare! Not only was it 12 hours, but the roads were bumpy, I had the air conditioning blasting in my face, and my tummy was acting up. I didn’t get a blink of sleep the entire night and arrived in Hoi An feeling like shit.

Luckily, we were dropped off right in front of the most gorgeous and inexpensive hotel in Hoi An, and immediately grabbed a room for $10 a night. It was five-star hotel with all the amenities including a beautiful pool, hot water, comfortable beds, and most importantly, air conditioning. The weather outside had soared drastically, and the day promised to be one of the hottest days of the trip so far. I crashed for a good few hours and Dan wandered around checking out the tailors; Hoi An is famous for its incredibly cheap tailors and traditional Vietnamese goods.

When I awoke, I was a man on a mission. I have always wanted to get a Team Zissou uniform from Wes Anderson’s movie “Life Aquatic,” which is one of my favourites. I took a couple still images from the movie, we rented bikes, and headed down to the clothes market to get it made. I negotiated the shirt for $8 including the specialized embroidery! Straight after getting sized I walked around the corner and picked out material for some brand new custom leather dress shoes for $20. Seriously, Hoi An is the shoppers paradise, and I guarantee anyone, guy or girl, who has the opportunity to visit Hoi An will be captured by the shopping fever; it’s almost too good to be true!

Still high from my shopping adventures we headed to the beach, a short 2 kilometers down the road. Although the ride wasn’t that far, the weather was unbearably hot and we arrived tired and sweating through our clothes. We sat down in the shade of a restaurant, had a big bottle of water and some lunch, and then ran straight into the refreshing sea. Surprisingly, Hoi An’s huge beach is one of the cleanest I’ve seen in all of SE Asia. It’s an absolutely stunning stretch of white sand and clear water. We spent the entire afternoon floating around in the water and reading our books under thatched palm umbrellas.

As we were picking up our bikes at the designated parking space on the beach we met two girls from Switzerland, Andrea and Marianna. They were sisters and we quickly got to know them on the ride back and I invited them to join us for dinner later on that evening.

Dan and I cleaned up back at the hotel and watched a few episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy” before meeting them in front of the clothes market. They hopped on the back of our bike and we rode down by the river and settled on a little restaurant that sponsored street kids as part of their income; the program is called Blue Dragon, and is the only one of its kind in Vietnam.

The food was excellent and the company intriguing. Both Andrea and Marianna have traveled extensively and had many stories to share. We all hit it off straight away and didn’t get home until midnight. Considering last night’s bus ride, both Dan and I were pretty tired. Before leaving the girls we agreed to meet up tomorrow afternoon for another beach session.

May 30th, 2007 - Nha Trang, Vietnam

It was an early start for us this morning as we had to meet at the Scuba Zone dive shop down the street from our hotel at 7:30 am. We grabbed a baguette and a Red Bull and boarded the bus down to the pier.

It was a beautiful sunny day, already pushing well into the 30’s by the time we boarded the dive boat, met the staff, and got on our way to the islands. We met some of the other divers, including a Japanese girl and two Koreans. The staff was mainly Vietnamese but there were a couple Western guys on board as well. We got received our briefing en route and after only an hour trip we were suited up and in the water.

The first dive site I went to was called Madonna Rock, and although the first part of the dive wasn’t that spectacular, the last section was magnificent with lots of interesting swim-throughs and healthy soft corals. We saw a tigerfish, a titan triggerfish and a few lionfish as well. The visibility was only about 5-10 meters, but it was still a good dive. Since Dan is not certified he had to go to a different dive site.

The second site was along one of the smaller islands; they usually bring a lot of the boat tours for their snorkelling stop, so it was a little busy, but there weren’t many divers. Dan asked if he could come along with my group and the divemaster said yes because he felt that Dan was confident enough. The site was only about 14 meters maximum depth, but it was still a treat for Dan who doesn’t have his Open Water. The second dive turned out to be better than the first, and we saw heaps of really cool stuff. Not only did I see my first stone fish, but we encountered a devil scorpionfish, a huge moray eel, and lots of different hard and soft corals, parrotfish, and a really interesting orange, yellow and black nudibranch. I was definitely impressed!

When we got back to the mainland we went and had lunch at a small Vietnamese restaurant with the other divers, free of charge thanks to the dive shop!

After lunch we cleaned up, got our bags packed and ready for our bus to Hoi An in the evening, and went back to the dive shop to grab some photos from the dive off our divemaster. From there we headed to the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the sun and floating in the warm sea.

May 29th, 2007 - Nha Trang, Vietnam

We slept the morning away after such a big night, and when we got up we went straight to the beach to go swimming in the crystal clear sea. We sat and ate some fresh mango and a baguette in the sand, and we placed all our stuff close to the water so that we could keep an eye on it while we were in the water. We swam all afternoon right in front of our stuff, but when we got out to go back to the hotel my wallet, which had $30, VISA card, and ID was stolen. We headed back quickly to cancel the card. All I can say is that these guys are good; we were no more than 20 meters away from our stuff at all times. They had obviously targeted us from the get-go and I fell right into their trap. I was pissed off, but once again, I have faith in the Karma police, and that son of a bitch who stole my shit is going to pay his fair-dues, somehow, someway.

After the fiasco of cancelling my credit card was completed we went to book Dan onto the diving trip tomorrow (he decided to come after seeing the price!) out for some Mexican food and played some pool at a place down the street; it was a cheap, good feed. After dinner we headed back to the Red Apple Club to shoot some more pool. We had a great time yesterday but today our energy and stamina was a little drained so we went home early so that we could be fresh for diving which was bright and early in the morning.

May 28th, 2007 - Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, Vietnam

My tummy was acting up still and I was frankly a little worried about taking the bus today. I brought plenty of fluids and took some pain relief for the cramps. It was a fairly long 10 hour bus ride, but it was through the beautiful Vietnam coastline consisting of rolling mountains, fishing villages and endless mango trees.

When we arrived in Nha Trang, we searched around for a good deal on a hotel, and thanks to a couple persistent moto drivers, we found a gem, and even got free rides from the bus stop to the hotel! Some of the moto drivers work for a commission; they get paid a little money for bringing us backpackers to specific hotels. The hotel they took us to is called “Nice” hotel, so how could we go wrong? They checked us into a huge room on the second floor with four beds, fans, and a television for only $3 each a night!

We got a shower, I booked my diving trip for tomorrow, and then we took to the city in search of some tasty grub. We perused countless menus but for a while nothing seemed to tickle our fancy. Finally our stomachs gave in and we ate at a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant with fresh seafood out front, a large fountain, and hundreds of trees and plants.

For after-dinner drinks we checked out a few bars, but most of them were empty. Most bars offered some pretty impressive happy-hour deals and free pool, but the vibe just didn’t cut it. When we finally came up on the Red Apple Club we knew it was the place right away; they were playing good rock n’ roll tunes and there were people sitting around!

We intended to stick around for a game of pool and a few beers but started talking to a couple beautiful Australian girls from Melbourne and Perth, and ended up making a night of it. The music changed over and we got up for a boogie, the drinks kept on coming, and we were having some good laughs. The little club got really hot and we were all pretty trashed, so we decided to go for a swim at their hotel’s rooftop pool.

The view from the pool was just incredible and there was no doubt that their hotel was one of the swankiest in Nha Trang. One of the girls Carly and I went for a swim while Dan took care of Pita, who ended up having too much to drink; the girls were drinking vodka-Red Bull buckets that were half-full of vodka. We ended up wandering home as the sun rose over the horizon.

May 27th, 2007 - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

After a late breakfast we hired two moto drivers to take us to the American War Crime Museum in the centre of town. We arrived around midday, and spent the entire afternoon reading about the war and its atrocities looking at grisly pictures collected from numerous war photographers and correspondents from all over the world. Although I knew a bit about the war, the museum did a thorough job reminding me how useless and pointless the war really was, and how incredibly vicious the Americans were trying to eliminate ‘the enemy.’ The most disturbing aspects of the museum were the “tiger cages” used to keep prisoners of war, and the information and images related to Agent Orange and the chemical weapons used against the Vietnamese people. The museum also housed some tanks, fighter jets, and weapons used by both sides. It was definitely an eye-opening experience.

About halfway through the afternoon the clouds opened up and it started raining hard; actually, it started pouring down in buckets, the wind picked up and battered it around, and the lightening struck like flashbulbs all around us. By the time the museum closed, the weather still had not relented so we just put our valuables under the seat and hopped on the back of the moto to go back to the hotel. Although we could hardly see because of the rain, it was immensely fun! We drove through busy flooded streets, and sometimes the water was up to our knees. The moto drivers seemed to be having fun to! We had to take a detour around one area because the water was too deep but we finally made it back. Outside of our hotel the street was quite literally a river! It was a ridiculous amount of water that fell in just a few hours.

We had a shower to wash off the street muck, and chilled out in the hotel room for a bit while the rain passed. We went out for some food a little while later and it seemed like it was a different place; all the water was gone and the streets were dry. The only indication that it rained were the shopkeepers mopping up the water in their stores.

Later that night we went back to Go2Bar, our local haunt, had a drink, but didn’t feel the vibes, so we decided to take a walk around. We got sick of people offering us moto rides, prostitutes and food that we just decided to get back to the hotel room; we had to get up early for a bus to Nha Trang anyhow, so it was probably a good idea.

May 26th, 2007 - Sihanoukville, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

We departed GST guesthouse in Sihanoukville early in the morning for Phnom Penh for a transfer to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Once we arrived in Phnom Penh we went back to Royal guesthouse so that I could pick up my passport; I arranged for them to get my Vietnam visa for me, and then had them hold onto it while we hit the beach. We had two hours to spare before we needed to catch the bus, so we decided to go back to the awesome Russian market to do some more shopping for the family and friends. We both got some really good deals, and headed to the bus with bags full of Cambodian loot.

The bus to Saigon was a little longer than I anticipated because of the ferry across the Mekong, and the hold up at the border. When we finally arrived it was under the cover of darkness; the lights, motorbikes and sheer size of the place was simply amazing to see, even at night!

We found a cheap hotel room down an alley of the backpacker district in the city, and headed out for a meal and a beer at Go2Bar. The food was good and it was buy two and get one free Tiger beers! We wondered around the area for a bit and checked out the neighbourhood, headed back to the hotel to clean up, and then went back to the Go2Bar for a bit of a party. I tried some Vietnamese rum and it tasted like egg nog, and Dan tried some Saigon beer, which to be honest, were both pretty mediocre, but the cheapest way to go.

We met a couple of Canadian girls and had a good chat, but decided to call it a night early because of the smoke in the club was burning our eyes and our lungs. We took the long way home and ended up going into another small roadside pub where we met some Vietnamese and a huge dude from Finland who had just finished drinking a bottle of vodka to himself. We had a few more drinks, some interesting conversation, and ended up falling asleep sometime around 5 am. It was a really long day, so we quickly fell asleep.

May 25th, 2007 - Sihanoukville, Cambodia

We enjoyed yesterday so much that we decided to repeat it! We slept in, ate chocolate pancakes and a shake for breakfast, and then spent the day at the beach.

Sometime in the afternoon we took and adventurous swim a few hundred meters out into the ocean to a fishing boat for exercise. The swim felt great, but unfortunately on the way back Dan got stung by a jellyfish. He was in a little pain but got over it okay; he had a nice welt on his belly for the rest of the day though!

At dinner time we walked down the street towards town with the intention of getting some food but ended up at a Cambodian university party. There were about a hundred people dancing to Cambodian music so we decided to join in. The Cambodians were incredibly inclusive and taught us some of their favourite dances. To be honest, I know I’m not that flash at dancing, but these Cambodians were terrible; they made me feel like a superstar! They offered us some Angkor beer and a couple of girls who couldn’t speak English tried to pick us up. It was so funny!

We left after a bit because of the heat and our bellies were hungry. We found another all-u-can-eat in town and decided to hit that. It was a good feed; we piled our plates with veggies, rice, curry, samosas, and fruit. Once again, we rolled home!

Although we were pretty tired, we attempted to go out and have some fun. We went down the beach, had a few drinks, played a game of pool, and lounged in chairs staring at the starry sky. We were loving every minute of it, but had to wake up early to get off to Phnom Penh in the morning, so we called at midnight.

May 24, 2007 - Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Today we did absolutely nothing except lie on beach chairs, read our books, stare at the sea, and swim. I really needed it. For some reason, the looming end of our excursion through Asia started to get me anxious, and I really needed to relax and take it easy like I’m supposed to be doing! The ocean is always the perfect cure for me, and makes me feel whole again.

Once again there was an endless swarm of people selling bracelets, fruit, books, seafood and other services, plus a few handicapped people begging. It’s sometimes hard to have patience with them because they’re very persistent, but I remind myself of their poor existence, bite my tongue, and politely say no. Once you buy something from one of them, they all think that you’re made of money and will swarm you. It’s really sad to see a child that should be in school selling stuff on the beach instead.

For dinner we went to a place called “Utopia” for all-u-can-eat pizza, salad, chips and garlic bread. We absolutely gorged ourselves and left bursting at the seams. We both felt sick afterwards and decided it was probably best to have an easy night in.

May 23rd, 2007 - Sihanoukville, Cambodia

We both slept in today and woke up in time to have a soda while we waited for the bus; I was still reeling from the effects of the stomach flu, so I didn’t want to chance any kind of solid food that might make my stomach upset on the bus ride to the coast. We boarded the bus at around 12:30 and it was a reasonable drive compared to the other bus rides that we’ve had to endure.

We arrived in the evening and checked into a place called GST guesthouse; for all the Canadian’s, you get the joke! It was a popular spot just off the beach and the rooms were definitely reasonable at $4 US a night.

After settling in we took a walk down the beach, and to our surprise it was stunningly beautiful! The beach itself is lined with hundreds of little restaurants and lazy Cambodians lounging around in beach chairs. There’s little garbage on the fringe of the beach compared to Thailand, and the water was clean too. We sat down and lounged at the Frog bar and watched the sunset, had some smoke, and both agreed that we had found a good spot to chill for a couple of days. The only down-side to the Sihanoukville beaches that we found was the incessant amount of beachside selling and begging; it was to be expected though, we were in Cambodia.

We ate dinner at the GST restaurant; we both had the traditional Cambodian curry called “A-Mock,” which is a coconut based curry with chicken or fish; it was fantastic! After a long bus ride and all the excitement, we were pretty tired and decided to crash early.


May 22nd, 2007 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Today we slept in a bit, had some lunch at our favourite restaurant by the river, and met a British guy name Jack who was travelling a few months on his own. We all decided that we wanted to visit the palace, so we took a walk and paid the $3 US entry fee into the palace grounds.

The palace was surrounded by tall, guarded walls. Once inside, endless manicured gardens and meticulous temples met the eyes. We went into the first one which house the silver pagoda; the complete floor was made of silver! Also, there was a statue with 1200 diamonds encrusted in it, the largest weighing in at 25 carats! It was unbelievable. It’s always such a shocking thing to see how much wealth the kings possess and then outside the gates people starve. I guess some things never change. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

After the palace Dan and I grabbed a tuk-tuk to the Russian market on the other side of town. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time, but I still made the best of it and got some really good deals on some clothing and some amazing gifts. We definitely didn’t have enough time to explore the entirety of the market, so we decided to take the later bus to Sihanoukville and give it another go tomorrow morning.

We had so much fun yesterday after having our “happy” pizza that we decided to go back and indulge one more time. We had a mushroom and olive pizza today. Just as we were finishing up we met an Irish couple named Mike and Cat, who were just about to get a pizza themselves. We hit it off straight away and decided to make a night of it.

After dinner we left them at the pub and went for a shower back at the guesthouse. We returned and they were absolutely KO’d on the chairs outside! We got Mike up and we all had a game of darts and shot a couple rounds of pool, but Cat was definitely absent! Too many slices of “happy” pizza!

Later that night we all caught a tuk-tuk back to the “Heart of Darkness” for some drinks but the vibe definitely wasn’t the same as last night and we ended up leaving after a couple of drinks.

May 21st, 2007 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

We woke to our own devices once again, I caught up on some writing, and just as we were about leave for the killing fields and Tuol Sleng, the notorious and heinous S-21 prison from the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot from 1975 - 1979, we ran into a Swedish couple, Magnus and Sarah. We decided to take a tuk-tuk together to cut down on the cost. They were really nice and we ended up spending the entire day together.

Before I get into describing the killing fields and the prison museum, I have to say that I was extremely traumatized and horrified by the prospect of visiting these places, but felt it my duty to experience them so that I can communicate the atrocities to my friends, family and acquaintances in detail. It’s one thing to read about genocide in a book, but a whole other thing all together actually visiting the place where the atrocities took place, meeting some of the survivors of the regime (our tour guide lost her brother, sister and father to the Khmer Rouge), and seeing original photographs and artwork of the victims of S-21.

We decided to stop at the museum first to learn about the prison before going to the killing fields where most of the prisoners were taken to be exterminated. As soon as we parked the tuk-tuk outside the building a very burned and scarred man came up to us begging for change. His face was horrible looking, and he was missing an eye, ear and half of his face was badly burned, presumably from the Khmer Rouge. It was really hard to look at the man without gagging.

We paid the $2 entry fee and hired a guide between us; another Aussie guy came along with us as well. For the next hour, our guide revealed to us the genocide of the Khmer Rouge and the interrogations at S-21 in painful detail, taking us through the actual site (which used to be a school in the 60’s) of one of the most inhuman and brutal prisons in history.

Middle-aged, our guide had escaped the Khmer Rouge by travelling through the mountains with her mother; she was 8 years old. Her father, brother and sister were taken to hard labour, and she presumes they ended up dying of starvation, or were one of the victims taken to one of Cambodia’s mass graves. She detailed all about how and why the victims were tortured and killed, examined graphic photographs of the victims and the devices used by the Khmer Rouge, as well as hundreds other artifacts, including skulls of the victims, original torture tools, and information displays about the most horrific time in Cambodian history. It was seriously almost too much to bear, and at the end of the tour you were left with mixed emotions of sadness, anger, resentment and utter disgust. The impact of walking through the S-21 prison will be with me forever.

Visibly shaken by the experience, we climbed back into our tuk-tuk and headed to the second stop of the day, the killing fields. After the Khmer Rouge had interrogated the prisoners from S-21, they were taken 14k away and bludgeoned on the back of the head, shot, cut or beaten to death and placed in mass graves. Furthermore, people from all over Cambodia who were suspected of anything remotely against the Khmer Rouge, including doctors, monks, teachers, journalists, intellectuals, women and children were all taken to the killing fields and murdered. In the end, roughly 14,000 people were hastily killed and placed in the mass graves of the killing fields. There were hundreds of similar sites found all around Cambodia, and some have yet to be found. The total number of people killed by the Khmer Rouge or indirectly by starvation at the hands of the regime is thought to be around 3 million people. This all happened in the late 1970’s. We walked through the fields, and paid tribute to the dead at huge monument in the middle of the fields bearing over 8,000 skulls of the victims. It wasn’t a really tough thing to see, and the holes in the ground still bore the victims clothes. I suddenly thought: “This is happening in Africa and other poorer nations today - how could this be?” I vowed to make difference somehow, someway.

The day took its toll on us all so Dan, Magnus, Sarah and I decided to get a “happy” pizza on the riverside. Dan and I split an ‘extra happy’ vegetarian creation, and we sat around for happy hour talking about the day and some other random rambling. Magnus and Sarah became tired and headed home. We decided to watch the “Spiderman 3” DVD we picked up in Bangkok before setting out to a club called “The Heart of Darkness.” The movie was such poor quality and was quite cheesy, but we got through it and headed out to the club around midnight.

I have to admit, I felt pretty safe in the “Heart” as the locals call it; there was plenty of security and they frisked us pretty good before we went it. Inside, the place was pretty dark and gloomy, somewhat gothic, and they played descent music. There was a good mix of Westerners and locals, and the drinks were modestly priced. Dan and I met some very nice Cambodian girls (who ended up being prostitutes, unfortunately) but we had a good time nonetheless. We danced and talked until 4am and then were dragged into a car by another three girls we met (not prostitutes) and taken around Phnom Penh sightseeing! They bought some lotus buds and we sat cracking jokes and eating lotus seeds until about 5 am. It was a completely bizarre day.


May 20th, 2007 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Considering my ordeal from last night I was incredibly reluctant and very concerned about taking a 6 hour bus trip from Seam Reap to Phnom Penh. Luckily, we slept in as much as we could and I felt okay by midday when our bus arrived. The trip went smoothly, although I couldn’t eat anything until late afternoon when I split a box of crackers with Dan.

The Hilton Angkor guesthouse in Siam Reap booked us a place in Phnom Penh, so we had a driver waiting for us when we got off the bus. The driver took us to a place called Royal guesthouse, and it was about a ten minute walk from the river and pretty central to a lot of the action. Like everywhere in Cambodia, we had to negotiate a better price, $4 US a night. I’ve noticed that everyone in Asia is always willing to make a dollar off you, and in trying to get the best price, I’ve really learned the art of persuasive negotiation with the locals. Although all the prices are cheap to Westerners, the currency and goods are all relative, so you want to keep them honest.

After having a meal at the guesthouse we went for a walk along the river. Wow, were we surprised! All over the place garbage was flung into the streets, there were people everywhere, children and mothers begging, every second guy asking if we wanted a tuk-tuk, and mobile food stalls lining the roadside. The restaurants and the parklands along the river are stunningly gorgeous but the poor underbelly of the city certainly comes through and you are constantly bombarded with beggars and others trying to sell books, food, drugs, women or a ride to get any one of the above. We ended up outside the Royal Palace and Dan made a good observation: It was like being at a rock concert without the rock! There were people everywhere sitting in circles sharing food and littering (Cambodians generally don’t put garbage into bins) and kids running around with little or no clothes on. This was all at midnight! It was getting late so Dan and I decided that we had our fill for the evening and started walking back. Unfortunately, on the return journey we came upon a traffic accident; basically, we didn’t catch the condition of the drivers, but the tuk-tuk that was left behind was a mangled mess, and it was doubtful if anyone could have survived. It was definitely time for us to go back to the guesthouse.

May 19th, 2007 - Siam Reap, Cambodia

Before I begin the summary of today’s events, I must emphasize one particular point, one which I will detail further later because I’m trying to keep the prose sequential, but deserving of particular emphasis: Today, I both visited heaven, and absolute hell. Whilst exploring the absolutely stunning and totally mind-blowing ruins of the Angkor civilization, I came down with the worst stomach flu I have ever had, ever. I managed to thwart a visit to a Cambodian hospital, but barely; more about that later.

The day started like any other, a nice fruit shake and a banana pancake, a big bottle of water, and a negotiation for a ride. We managed a 32000 Riel ($8 CAN) ride on a scooter with a personal driver to the temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (a series of breathtaking works of architectural genius), as well as some of the more obscure temples. We left in the early morning and started our day at the Angkor Thom compound, specifically at a temple Temple Bayon, which features 216 massive faces of Avalokiteshvara embedded into the temple walls and towers. Built by King Jayavarman VII around 1200, there are 1200m of bas-reliefs, incorporating 11,000 figures! The detail in the stone is simply magical, freshly intact after millennia. It was the perfect spot to stop for our first experience with the ancient temples, and we spent hours wandering the many hallways and shrines.

Within Angkor Thom there are five monumental gates, which mark the entrances to the huge fortified compound. Its walls stretch over 12km and are 6m tall and 8m wide the entire way. We took some time to look around at Temple Baphuon, The Terrace of the Elephants, and the Terrace of the Leper King, all equally impressive in their grandeur and detail.

After I took a nap in one of the shrines, Dan and I moved down to the largest temple and source of Cambodian pride, Angkor Wat. Built by Suryavarman II (1112-52) as a funeral temple and to honour Vishnu, his patron deity, Angkor Wat is one of the most stunning monuments ever built by humans. The central temple consists of three elaborate levels. It rises 31m at the third level and 55m above the ground at the central tower. Dan and I climbed up the steep stairway to the third level and looked out onto the surrounding temples and landscape with awe; without a doubt, Angkor Wat needs to be classified one of the marvels of the world! I really don’t have much more to say about Angkor Wat other than you have to see it for yourself to have a complete understanding of its sheer spiritual energy and power; it left me radiating.

On the way back to our guesthouse Dan and I stopped at one more temple called Ta Prohm, which looked like one of the sets used in the “Indian Jones” series, and was once used as a set in the movies “Tomb Raider” and “Two Brothers”. It’s a big maze of narrow corridors and many of its walls and buildings have fallen because of giant mature trees stretching their roots through the stones; the tree roots made for a fantastic sight and fully emphasized the age of the temple. We walked around the temple with our mouths wide-open with awe. It was my favourite temple of the lot.

We grabbed some fresh pineapple and headed back to the guesthouse where I crashed for an hour or so and tried to recuperate from my horrible migraine. When I awoke Dan, the two Chilean girls Carolina and Marsella and I headed out for dinner in downtown Seam Reap. We were all feeling like a little Western food, and decided on a little restaurant off one of the main streets for some pizza and beer. I was feeling much better, and since we were only in Seam Reap for one night, I felt that I should give it a go. The dinner was great, but after we walked across the street to a second-floor bar where there was a live band, and I began to feel horrible again. Very quickly, my senses and body began to fail, and I felt extremely dizzy and had to call it quits; although I’ve never had my drink spiked before, after about an hour in the bar I sincerely think the sensations I felt were pretty similar!

As soon as we got back to the room my entire body went berserk! I started vomiting, had terrible diarrhea, a fever well into the hundreds, and felt incredibly weak. Dan hooked me up with some ice so I could put it directly on my head, and for the next 12 hours I laid in bed delirious and mumbling to myself. I can honestly say that it was one of the worst bugs of my entire life! From then on, I decided I had better be careful with what I eat; we’re not in Thailand anymore!

May 18th, 2007 - Bangkok, Thailand to Siam Reap, Cambodia

Today was a cultural experience beyond anything I was prepared for. We left for the Bangkok train station at 4:30 am and got on the train to Poi Pet, at the border of Thailand and Cambodia at 5:55 am; the ride took approximately 6 hours.

When we arrived at the border we were met by an entourage of tuk-tuk drivers. We needed to get our visa straight away, and one guy approached us offering to get our visas done and also had transportation to Siam Reap. We were flustered because of the long train ride and the heat, so we immediately agreed. We were ushered to a restaurant / office and paid 1000 baht ($30 CAN) for our Cambodian visa, had a meal, and purchased our bus ticket to Siam Reap.

As soon as they visas were all collected from the 30 or so other tourists, we were taken by bus to the Thailand border where we departed the country. Because of the promotional work I overstayed my visa by three days and had to pay 1500 ($50 CAN). I was a little disjointed after having to fork over that cash, but I chalked it up to a good time and moved on. Once we were through the border a massive storm blew through and dumped about a foot of rain in a half an hour; the winds were gale force and the lightening was crashing all around us as little Cambodian children played in the water, laughing and having fun.

The rain passed over and we walked about a kilometer from the Thai border to a little building where they processed our passports and stamped our visas. All around us there were children, some of them holding babies, begging for money. It was absolutely heartbreaking; it was the first time real poverty slapped me right in the face.

While we were waiting for our bus we were advised by the tour operator that had arranged everything for us that we should get our money changed over to reil. I watched a few people leave on a moto and come back doing just that, so I decided I would change over some cash. They took us down the main road which by now was completely packed and flooded with a foot of water. We stopped at a small booth and I changed over 6000 baht ($200 CAN) into reil. Unfortunately, I didn’t do the conversion rate accurately and noticed only later that the bastards ripped me off around $100 CAN. Backpackers are usually pretty vigilant and conscientious, but on this occasion I must admit it was totally my fault; it was a pretty stupid move. I think it was because I’ve learned to trust the Thai people whereas the Cambodians are a completely different society, one that is much poorer and willing to take advantage of Westerners. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who was duped; almost the entire bus lost anywhere between $30 and $150 CAN on their currency exchange. Those Cambodians will be eating well tonight, although I would have much rather given my money to children and people more deserving than thieves.

The next thing that happened was laughable, and another stupid mistake on our part, but one that we had no other option except to take a cab and pay almost $40 more. In the Lonely Planet guidebook they describe a bus scam where they take an extra long time on really bad roads, pretend that there is something wrong with the battery and somehow get a flat tire, all so that the passengers are so tired by the end of the trip that they will choose the first guest house they see; the one that the bus is paid a commission to stop at. Indeed, we experience the whole goddamn charade. The entire bus was already pissed off to learn they had been ripped of at the border that we quickly became aware of what was happening and it became a little hostile. We clearly observed that there was nothing wrong with the battery and that the tire they wanted to change over wasn’t even flat! Some comments were said and the Cambodians made some threats. There was nothing for us to do but to sit back and let them play out their whole scene. When we finally did reach Siam Reap 9 hours later (it should have been a 3 hour trip), the entire bus went to another guest house than the one they dropped us off at, just to spite them. It was the only revenge we could get, but it felt good.

Dan and I met some girls from Chile on the bus so we decided to go with them to their guesthouse that they had booked for them as part of a package deal. It seemed reasonable so we decided to stay. We crashed almost immediately after hitting the pillow.

May 17th, 2007 - Bangkok, Thailand

The tour took a lot out of Dan and me so we allowed ourselves the morning to sleep in; the air conditioned room was a pleasant change from the uncomfortable nights spent in the van!

We got our day started around noon and headed on excursion to explore some more of Bangkok that we hadn’t seen. Our intentions were to head to the palace but we were politely reminded that we had to have acceptable pants (which we didn’t) and that the palace closed early for foreigners. Instead, we met a guy on the street who told us about hiring a long boat to explore some of the residential neighbourhoods and temples by the river. He gave us directions to the “local” boat hire and informed us that we could save quite a bit of money. We took his advice and got a tuk-tuk down to the river.

We were greeted at the tuk-tuk and promptly sold tickets for our own private 1 hour long boat tour of the Bangkok River’s. I must admit, the tour was a little less glamourous than we had originally imagined, although it was spectacular nonetheless. Our driver took us to some of the more rustic looking Thai houses along the river, and we soaked in a bit of the raw Bangkok we were eager to see. The water wasn’t very pretty looking, but it didn’t stop the locals from taking a dip; you couldn’t paid me to take a swim!

May 16th, 2007 - Pattaya, Thailand

After the GSM promo at a bar in Kohlak we got on a bus for the overnight ride to Pattaya in eastern Thailand. The after-party at the restaurant turned into a night of endless scotch and sodas, and Thai karaoke, so by the time we put our heads against the back rest in the air conditioned van, we were all a little punch drunk. We drove the bumpy roads for most of the night without any problems, but then almost at our destination we punctured a tire and were stranded at the side of the road while the crew changed it over. To be honest, the incident was a blessing in disguise since I couldn’t sleep on the bumpy road, but as soon as we stopped I curled up and dozed off.

Dan and I had about an hour of sleep altogether when we arrived in Pattaya, so needless to say, we crashed hard once we got our room. On the way in though, I did remark the amount of little bars along the roads, no doubt to be filled with Thai “hostesses” come sundown. I also remarked the unusual amount of fat, old, balding Western men; similar to Patong beach in Phuket, it was a sad sight to see, but where there is money to be made, it will be.

When we awoke we were treated to a breakfast of rice, pork and a fried egg. We got dressed in our ridiculous costumes and we ushered to our first photo op of the day. We rode around a city shrine on our segways and had our photos taken with executives and celebrities before heading to the first mall for a promo tour. Exactly alike the other tour destinations, we handed out flyers, stickers and pens, stopped for photos, and yelled “Trong, Trong” (meaning “Straight, Straight) at the top of our lungs.

After lunch we completed our final promo tour and returned to the hotel to shower and have a bite to eat. Dan and I decided to check our e-mail at an internet café before heading to the after-party. While we were online the sky erupted (surprise, surprise) and a torrential downpour ensued. We hailed a cab and escaped the rain to the comfort of one of the nicest clubs in Pattaya.

When we arrived through the doors we were seated and told to feast on the beautiful Thai food buffet and encouraged to make ourselves comfortable. We ordered a Singha and did what we were told. It wasn’t long before the festivities began; it started off with dancers dressed in elaborate costume, an few jokes by the evenings MC and spokesman for the GSM mobile campaign, and finally a concert by the beautiful Thai pop singer, Niko Telieaux. She put on an incredible show and even brought Dan and I up on stage, introduced us to the crowd, and thanked us for being part of the campaign. She was a complete class act, and as I was surprised to find out, half Canadian!

We said goodbye to our finds, exchanged contacts and board the bus back to Bangkok with an extremely amazing and random experience under our belts, not to mention the extra 9000 baht ($300 CAN).

May 15th, 2007 - Kolak, Thailand

After a beautiful overnight VIP bus trip to Bangkok, Dan and I met the rest of the GSM Advance mobile gang and were ushered onto another bus to Kolak. We spent a total of 11 hours on the bus before we finally made it to our destination, and as soon as we arrived we were given our uniforms and had an hour and a half to rest before heading out on the promotional tour. So far, everything and anything was taken care of by the company, so we were pretty impressed; not only were we making money, but we weren’t spending any either!

The first part of the promo tour was in the middle of the city where we took some photos in front of a Buddhist shrine, and then we made our way to a mall for the media circus. Both Dan and I lead the group on our segways; it was absolutely hilarious, and we were completely clueless except for a few vague instructions. The first mall was huge, and a complete promotional success.

The second mall was pretty much the same as the first, and we handed out hundreds of pens, stickers and flyers, had heaps of photos taken of us. The Thai celebrities were definitely a hit, and stole the show. They signed autographs, had their pictures taken with the public, and everyone was pretty stoked. All in all, the day was long but fruitful.

Dan and I finished our day at around 4:30 and took a nap before heading out to the final stop on the promo tour for the city, a pub. We showed up in a tuk-tuk, and were immediately seated and given a beer. We picked from the menu and almost straight away food was on the table. Both Dan and I agreed that we felt like we were the celebrities! The food was absolutely incredible and the beer kept coming for the entire evening.

Later on in the night we went into a private room and were fed more drinks, and the Thai’s sang karaoke. Eventually, Dan and I managed to get some courage and headed up to sing a couple songs. It was a huge laugh!

I can only say that today was completely unique, and I’m sure very few western people have had the opportunity Dan and I have had today. They treated us like royalty and although the work was hot and confusing, it was so worth it!

May 14th, 2007 - Chiang Mai, Thailand

We woke up at a descent time today despite the ultimate lack of sleep. Trying to organise the pick-up time and all the other logistics with a bunch of Thai’s who know little English was very difficult, but in the end a very positive experience, and one where I learned a lot about patience! In the end, our pick-up wasn’t until the evening, so Dan and I decided rent a couple of scooters and head into the mountains in search of some interesting sights.

Our first stop was a massive waterfall just outside of the city by the Chiang Mai zoo. We left our scooters behind on the road and took a few hours trekking in the rainforest, following the waterfall all the way up the mountain. It was really humid in the forest, and we found some really interesting insects, a Thai collecting “Elephant ear” mushrooms, and some cool caves.

We were feeling ambitious and had full tanks of gas so we decided to drive up the mountain to get a better view of the city of Chiang Mai. All I can say is that we were rewarded with a stunning view, and met a really cute hill tribe girl about 4 years old who did a traditional dance for us while we ate an ice cream cone. She knew English really well and was a very smart little girl.

We continued on up the mountain even further, and at the top of the hill there was a massive temple. It was pretty touristy, and many of the Thai’s were enticing you to buy things (which were actually quite nice); I gave in and bought a few gifts for friends back home. We climbed the massive steps to the top of the temple, and on the way up we found a small tarantula and some pretty colourful centipedes. The diversity of life just outside of Chiang Mai is very impressive.

For the rest of the night we lounged around the guest house and at 8 pm Mr. M came to pick us up. He took us to the bus station and at 9 pm we board the VIP bus to Bangkok. I must say straight up, this job is going to be quite the wild ride; I can feel it already!



May 13th, 2007 - Chiang Mai, Thailand

With only about four hours sleep under our belts, we headed out for the Thai cooking class that we booked through the guesthouse at 9:30 am. The school is called Pad Thai cooking school, and this morning there was a total of seven people attending the full day session including two Swedes, two Americans, and a Canadian.

Our first stop was at one of the local markets in Chiang Mai city centre, and we learned about some of the ingredients from Nokky, our cooking instructor. She showed us the local produce used in the dishes we were making, and taught us about chili paste, fish sauce, and recommended some different substitutes for Thai produce should we not be able to find it back home.

After the markets we were driven out of town to the cooking school. We were introduced to the staff, got our name tags, and got right down to preparing a delicious Pad Thai chicken. Nokky took us through all of the subtleties and instructed us with the natural fervor of a passionate Thai chef. She was a funny girl, and she had us all slicing, dicing and sautéing in no time! My first Thai dish was a success, and I’m proud to say it was the best Pad Thai I’ve ever had in my life!

Next we tackled some succulent spring rolls and a tasty tamarind sauce, followed by a hot tiger prawn soup. Needless to say, it was a success, and was absolutely delicious. After we finished eating the meals we had a small break to digest, and then got right into a thick green curry using coconut crème as a base and a cashew chicken stir fry. I think making the cashew chicken stir fry was my favourite part of the day since we had the opportunity to create a massive flame with oil, water and onions. We captured the flame on video and it was impressive!

Finishing the final two meals was definitely a challenge and I managed to get the green curry down, but I had to take the stir fry to go. The final touch of the day was to prepare a dessert; we had two choices, either a banana-coconut crème or sticky rice with mango. Dan and I have been insane for sticky rice with mango so the choice was obvious for us. Even though I was completely, 100% stuffed to the brim I managed to find some space for both desserts! They were so yummy, and I’m excited that I finally know how to make some killer sticky rice.

At night we lounged around the guest house and tried to plan our next move. Dan and I were offered a job with the GSM mobile promotional team going across Thailand and we accepted the offer for two days in the north-east of Thailand, but had no idea about the details; we had to wait around from a call from the organizer, Aehk. We were pretty excited to go on tour because it was something completely different, and we’d be making money!

While we waited for the call, we sat around with the Swedish couple we went to the cooking class with and another British couple and had a few Leo beers. Aehk did eventually call and I negotiated three days (two days work) for 9000 baht ($300 CAN). I was stoked! For the next few days we’d be scooting around Thailand with a bunch of models and famous Thai’s, promoting a new mobile company! We lucked out for sure.

May 12th, 2007 - Chiang Mai, Thailand

Today was pretty funny. We got picked up at 10:30 in the morning and were driven to a hotel where we had an orientation, got into bright yellow police uniforms, met the rest of the crew, learned how to ride our segway’s, and rehearsed the blocking for the three-stop tour to Chiang Mai malls.

The first order of business was a photo shoot outside the walls of the Chiang Mai city centre, and we met the famous Thai celebrity helping promote the mobile company, Niko Tomo. There was lots of commotion, flash bulbs, and the atmosphere was somewhat of a circus!

After the shoot we were ushered back into the vans and headed to the first mall. We paraded around the mall chanting “straight-straight” in Thai, Dan and I on our segway’s leading the way. Hundreds of people swarmed us as we walked around the mall handing out promotional materials and stopping for photos with the media. It was more of a circus than the photo shoot.

We went to a second mall, and in the end it was a great day. We met heaps of really great Thai people and made friends, learned some of the Thai language, had free meals, got paid, and got to meet some Thai celebrities!

At night Dan and I headed out on the town and went to a club called “Bubble,” which played trance and techno. We stayed until close, and I had a good session on the dance floor and one of the best Long Island Iced Tea’s of my life!

After “Bubble” we headed to a club called “Spicy” for the after-party. It was absolutely packed, and I danced with some beautiful Thai girls until 5 am. It was heaps of fun. We met a couple girls from Wales outside of the bar, and ended up having an amazing Pad Thai; indeed, in Thailand you can have anything you want at anytime of the day. I love this place!

May 11th, 2007 - Chiang Mai, Thailand

After a hectic night on the danger bus we had a nap to catch up and then hired scooters to go and explore the city. We first headed to the oldest temple in Chiang Mai, which was constructed in 1296. It was an extremely amazing sight to behold, and it definitely had a rich energy of peace. We then headed south in search of some waterfalls but couldn’t find them; instead we found another amazing temple with a massive 100 foot golden Buddha. It was absolutely incredible. I had a meditation session in front of it, lit some incense and made a wish.

Later that afternoon we were cruising down the street checking out a Thai battle of the bands when we were approached by a girl who tried to explain to us in broken English that she wanted us to work. We exchanged details and told her to contact us later with the details.

We headed back to the hotel and watched the rest of the movie “Perfume,” and then met Pui, the girl at the concert; she just showed up to our hotel. She introduced us to her boss Ay who explained that it was a mobile launch and that we would have to dress up and help promote the product by riding around on segway’s, the upright, two-wheeled scooters. He told us we would be paid 2000 baht for the day so we agreed; the money would pay for our Thai cooking classes and our trek into the mountains. It was a strange thing to be agreeing to, but we thought what the heck, what do we have to lose?

May 10th, 2007 - Bangkok, Thailand

In the morning Dan and I booked our bus to Chiang Mai that was leaving at 5:30 in the evening for 400 baht ($13 CAN). We had an entire day to explore the city, so we headed out with the German girls to the Chatachuk market in northern Bangkok. Although it’s massive weekend market (15,000 stalls!) and was closed, there were still plenty of shops open, selling everything from art, plants, and furnishings to tasty food. We explored the shops for the most of the afternoon and I collected business cards from some of the vendors (I’m thinking of starting an importing business) then had to head back to catch the bus. For something different we took the metro and sky train back into the city, and then a taxi from downtown to Khao San Rd. Once back at our guest house we said goodbye to the girls and boarded the overnight bus to Chiang Mai.

The bus wasn’t all that flash, but the first part of the ride went really well, that is, until we sprung a gas leak and broke down on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere! We continued on but the leak grew worse and worse and we could smell it in the bus. After stopping five times we finally pulled alongside of the highway. It was hilarious watching the two bus drivers try and fix the problem; they got right into the belly of the beast with some tape and rubber and just improvised a quick fix. It took over an hour for them to fix it and the final repair was extremely dodgy, but in the end we got to Chiang Mai in one piece at 7 am.

May 8- 9th, 2007 - Bangkok, Thailand

After a big night partying in Koh Tao we slept in to our hearts content and had a final meal at our favourite restaurant, DD Huts; we both had their amazing peanut butter and banana sensations shakes. They are so good!

We board the express boat to Chumpon at 2:30 in the afternoon, and were both happy to find it air conditioned. At the pier we ran into the two German girls, Yolanda and Marielle, who we met and partied with in Koh Phan-Gan. We spent the better part of the day getting to know them, and I read my book on Buddhism to pass the time on the boat.

Surprise, surprise, by the time we arrived in Chumpon, it was pouring rain. We had a four hour stopover so we decided to get a meal at a restaurant and explore the night markets for goodies. Unfortunately the restaurant we chose was mediocre and chaotic, and we didn’t enjoy the meal very much.

At 9:30 we all boarded the overnight bus to Bangkok, and although the ride was fairly long, we all got a little bit of sleep. We arrived in the city of Angels at 5:30 am, just as the sun was rising and the commotion was starting.

The girls had stayed in Bangkok before, so they took us to the guest house they had stayed at previously. Although the rooms were pretty small, “At Home” had air conditioning and hot showers for 250 baht each ($7 CAN), and it was right in the heart of Khao San Rd., which is the main backpacker district. We crawled into bed straight away and got a good nap in.

When we awoke from our slumber we cruised around Khao San Rd. and checked out the markets. There are heaps of stalls selling everything from cheap clothes and jewelry, to pirated DVD’s and tailor-made suits. I was keen to get some new suits made, so after being approached by a guy who recognized me as a Canadian (I’m used to being called an Aussie) I checked out the shop and got a great deal on two suits, four shirts and four ties for 10,000 baht ($320 CAN).

Later in the afternoon we had a 50 cent street Pad Thai and a fresh mandarin orange juice and met two Canadian girls from Ottawa. Their names were Lori and Julie, and we decided to take a tuk-tuk around Bangkok together. We headed to the Blue Buddha temple, a special temple that is only open one day a year for a special holiday, and it cost us only 5 baht; the catch was that we had to check out a couple other shops so that the tuk-tuk driver could get a gasoline voucher. It’s the typical Bangkok scam, but we got to see an amazing temple, didn’t buy a thing, and were treated to a Singha beer while listening to a guy try and sell us a suit. Tuk-tuk’s are three-wheeled taxis, and are great fun; although they can be expensive, they’re totally worth the money.

In the evening we cleaned up and left with the German and Canadian girls for drinks on Khao San Rd. It started pouring down so we headed into a small two-story club and had a few drinks and played some pool. We polished off a few beers and then headed over to another bar where there was live music playing and got into the buckets. It was a really fun night, and we finished it off at 4:30 am with a street Pad Thai; I’m totally addicted!