Laos Part II

Ta Da! Go go gadget video!





Well friends, I have returned from Laos, and am in the midst of planning my next excursion, which will take me to Hanoi in Vietnam. Once I arrive, I plan on renting a motorcycle and travelling up through the mountains to see some of the country--I know what you're thinking: 'Man, that sounds awesome, I'm totally jealous!' Or perhaps it's more like 'Um, Rob, do you remember that time you were riding your motorcycle back home, and were creamed by an 80 year old man in a sports car? And got messed up proper? Wasn't that, like, last September?' To which i reply: 'Aha! But how many 80 year olds will you see driving around in sports cars on dirt roads through Northern Vietnam?' Clearly, Rob wins.

Anyways, this is not really a Vietnam post, but rather a follow up to Part I of my Laos trip. I thought about including some excerpts from my journal to try and convey the absolute majesty of this country, but decided it would be nearly impossible to make you understand how truly wonderful Laos is. And since a picture is worth a thousand words...I've posted some new PICS to save myself some typing ;) Now, these photos don't really do justice to the beauty that seems to exist everywhere in Laos, but at least they'll give you and idea. I hope everyone is well, wouldn't say no to a little more chatter on the comments or email, if only to make my page look like lots of people read it. Good idea? I thought so ;) PS Go oilers. Our first Stanley Cup finals in ages, perfectly timed to correspond with my prolonged absence from the country. Ah well, you can't win 'em all...

Laos--the untold story, part I

Well homeys, here i am in the middle of Laso--I can't even begin to describe this incredible country. You know, its funny, although a lot of people had told me about how interesting and wonderful Laos was, I never really picked up on it until coming here myself--this country is very different from Thailand but is incredibly beautiful and very refreshing.

So, a brief synopsis of my travels thus far. Sunday night, Juan Cortes, Mark and I boarded an overnight bus from Khao Sarn Rd. that was destined for the capital of Laos, Vang Tien. It picked us up at approximately 8PM--since this is the low season for Laos, it held only 13 people, so i had a whole two seats to myself to stretch out on. About 15 minutes into our trip, we noticed that the bus was moving somewhat slowly compared to other traffic. Sure enough, as soon as we got outside Bangkok, the bus stopped so that the driver could check on the engine. Over the next four hours, as Juan, Mark and I drank Beer Singh and played the geography game where you have to name a place that starts with the last letter of the person before you, the bus made several stops, during which the bus driver revved the engine while staring puzzledly at the dashboard and shaking his head. Fortunately for us, at 1230 at night we stopped at a restaraunt, the thai version of the all night diner. While I ate a bowl of noodles ( and bought another beer), our stuff was transfered over to a different bus, and the trip proceeded accordingly.

Upon arriving in the capital, we discovered that the bus we were supposed to be catching to Vang Viene (the packpacker/adventure tourism destination of choice in Laos) was not coming until 2PM. It was now 930, and we had been travelling for almost 14 hours. Ah well. We ate some lunch--note here, because of French influence in Laos and Vietnam, Laos has INCREDIBLE French food, including baugette...mmm...--anyways, we had some lunch and then decided to check out a nearby Wat for a massage and herbal steam bath--possibly the best decision of the trip. Believe me, there is nothing quite so pleasent as an herbal steam and a vigourous massage from a 5'3" Laotian dude after 14 hours of travel. Hasving completed this mission, we proceeded back to the bus to travel to Vang Viene.

Ok guys, gotta stop here for now--stay tuned for the rest of my Laos stories, and believe me, there are some incredible ones. One benefit of being in a Communist country is that everything shuts down early, so i've been going to bed at like 1030 or 11 PM. So now, it's time for a nap...more later....zzzz.....

New Photos!!

--get 'em while they're hot. Heading to Laos tomorrow night, whoo hoo!

New Photos!!

--get 'em while they're hot. Heading to Laos tomorrow night, whoo hoo!

A Storm

I was awoken today to what sounded like major construction going on just next door. After a second or two of grogginess I realized that it was pitch black outside, and that there was a truly incredible storm taking place. For those of you who know me, there are few things I find more exciting then a really powerful storm, so of course, I threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera and bolted for the observatory deck and garden on the seventh floor of my building.

What greeted me when I arrived was one of the most awe inspiring sights I have ever witnessed. I speak the truth when I tell you that this was the great-grandfather of all thunder storms, and I was right in the middle of its fury. Lightning was striking every couple of seconds, actually hitting buildings around me, and the thunder that rolled off was instantaneous with the strikes, no time differential at all. The noise this storm made was, is…indescribable. I tried taking a video with my camera, saw lightning strike one of the buildings across the way and the thunder that followed made me jump like a…well…I’m not sure of the appropriate metaphor here, but I jumped. It must be true that there is no noise on earth that can compete with a thunder-crash when it occurs right next to you.

Rain was being driven down, sideways, left, right—I swear at one point that it was being forced back upwards by a particularly malevolent blast of wind. Within minutes, the deck of the seventh floor was awash, within half an hour the streets below resembled a town under a flash flood. We are talking about up to a foot of water in some places, laid down in less than thirty minutes by this storm.

After a while, somewhat cowed by the unrelenting fury, (and given that I was getting wet), I returned to my apartment to listen as the storm slowly moved away from my neighborhood to wreak havoc in another part of the city. I imagine it will continue to rage against Bangkok, selfish in its own right for life, until grudgingly it subsides, loosing energy and fervor, before dissipating completely—not without having profoundly changed all in it’s path.
Even now, sirens are reverberating through the city as emergency personnel rushes around, no doubt restoring power, fixing electrical lines, assisting those caught on the streets by the flooding, and returning some semblance of order to this chaotic city. I’m sure there is some profound lesson or wisdom to be gained through the occurrence of this storm—I’ve been trying to discover it while composing this entry. I feel like it’s there on the edge of my mind, and that I’m understanding and accepting some message subconsciously even though I may not realize what it is. Ah well, enough for one day. I shall remain satisfied having been able to observe such a magnificent and humbling event. Love to my friends and family, as always

What's the buzz? (Tell me what's a happenin'...)

Hey everyone--it's been a little while, n'est pas? I know you guys were all deeply concerned for my well being, rest assured that I am alive and kickin' here in BKK. I just got through a visit from my Dad, whoo-hoo! Very nice to have some family out to see me, although it was only for a couple days we had a great time. Highlights include eating a great lunch at a Thai cafe by my school, an awesome dinner at this Egyptian restaraunt in Sukhumvit, some Phad Thai at Siam Discovery, and a killer full out Thai dinner at a beautiful restaurant that overlooks the Rama bridge as it is light up at night. Oh yeah, and we saw some sights. But the eating.... ;)

We also managed to check out a canal tour, Wat Arun, Chatuchak Weekend market, and an awesome live music venue called the Saxophone Bar for some incredible blues and rock. And the best part? You can check it out in my new set of PICS! or use the link at the side.

Hmm, what else is new...i'm trying to finalize some travel plans, and having a difficult time committing to anything. I have an exam...wait....that's right, tomorrow, hahaha and then another on May 19th, so i'm debating a trip either inside Thailand, or to neighboring Cambodia during this stretch between exams. Ah, some many choices... ;) I do know that I'm going to head out to Indo for some surfing after my last exam, with my crazy Hawaiian surfer friend Radical Edward (hahaha get the reference? Oh, only the few and brave will admit to having knowledge of this one), or Uncle Eddy, as he likes to be called. Am I any good at surfing, you ask? Sure, i mean, how hard can it be, right? I had that whole afternoon when I was with Matt in Hawaii to practice in the 3ft surf of Waikiki beach...so it's pretty much the same in Indo, right? Right, guys?

Anyways, more updates forthcoming (I hope ;) Love to everyone at home, send some emails when you get a chance, hope you guys are enjoying the spring weather. It remains consistantly above 35 here, and humid. Which is a lot less fun then it sounds. Whatever. Tropics for life.

Yeeeahhhh Oilers!!

Man--just finished listening to game 6 on good ol' 630 CHED--even on the radio, what a crazy game!! Have a beer for me back home, everyone!