Home... and itching to move on again!

Hi guys,

I am back in Hong Kong now and just want to say thanks for actually taking the time to read this blog (if anyone is reading this at all).

Looking back, I didn't realise how difficult it would be to blog. Sometimes the place you are staying in does not even have access to computers, much less internet access. Often times, when there are internet access, the price prohibits me from writing much. Truth be told, when you are on the road on your own and constantly on the move... you just don't have a lot of energy to blog.

I am still recovering from the trip. Will write more later!

Angel

Dangdabbit!!!

I got into Bangkok at 4:30 am this morning after an exhausting 11 hour journey (it should have taken longer, but my bus driver was kind enough not to slow down ... not even when he was navigating sharp corners) ... to find all the guesthouses in Siam Square full. Had to wait hours to find even one single space. Got my freakin' cell phone stolen at the weekend market... spent all day at the police station, only to realise upon my return that my new travel insurance does not cover theft. Fuddgers.

I have completely and utterly lost all faith in the city of Bangkok. I can't believe I am saying this, but I am looking forward to going home after today's mess. Stupid, stupid Bangkok. If you guys want to regal me with all of Bangkok's redeeming factors, it's probably best to save your breathe.

Makes me wish I stayed an extra day in Paxse... When I prefer to stay in Paxse over Bangkok, you KNOW there is something wrong with this city.

Angel

PS - Oh yeah, I am staying at Wendy's House near the Bed and Breakfastm, Room 442.

PPS - Start emailing / posting cell phone numbers to me pronto, okay, kiddies?

Not dead...

I am currently in Pakse, Laos and am staying in the Sabadidy 2 (sp?) guesthouse. Having a great time. Expensive to use the net here, so will talk more when I get back into Bangkok the day after tomorrow. Just want to tell you all I am not dead (as some of you probably probably suspect).

What do you people want for souvenirs?

Angel

Pictures are up!

http://lucille.dhs.org/gallery/asia04

Khon Kaen

***Tirade below. You have been forewarned***

I am tired.

Not just physically tired, which is a natural result of running from town to town and trying to make sense of everything around me. I can deal with that (to a certain extent).

I am mentally tired.

I am tired of eating curries and/or noodles (because I am too poor to afford farang food), being scared of running out of money and therefore making every baht count, being lost all the time and being harassed on a daily basis by tuk tuk drivers and the likes. Sitting next to little kids who cries non-stop on seven-hour bus rides. Sick of always having to be paranoid and suspicious of people's good intentions and never getting a good night sleep due to the (horrible) Thai karaoke downstairs.

I miss my bed. I miss my family (my mom told me today that she took my sheets to the Laundromat to prepare for my trip home *wipe tears*). I miss my Mickey D's, MTV and MRT. I miss Cantonese food (and not the "Cantonese" food they prepare here). I miss my life. I guess I am slightly homesick.

Okay, I am done with my whinging.

I am having the time of my life. :c)

*** End of tirade ***

Okay, so I am in yet another town (which none of you guys will have ever heard of). I might be stuck here for the next couple of days as I have to see how long it will take the local Lao consulate to process my visa.

Another reason why I need to go back to Hong Kong soon : I am currently in an internet cafe blogging, when a bunch of kids next to me start singing this Thai pop song that's playing on the radio. What scares me is that I can actually sing the song myself (I mean, I have been here for a month now!)

I guess part of the reason why I am in such an irate mood at the moment is because I just arrived in Khon Kaen during their big festival. As a result, I have to pay 230 baht for a pretty crappy room.

Here are the details for my (crappy) hotel (and yes, I said hotel) :

Roma Hotel
Tel : 0 4323 7177
50/2 Th Klang Meuang
Khon Kaen

Oh yeah, on an ironic side note, I have re-extended my trip. I will now be (for reals!) returning back to Hong Kong on Dec 13.

Details for flight :

TG 606
Dec 13, Monday
Leave Bangkok at 16:00
Arrive Hong Kong at 19:45

My brother is also going to be coming home on the same day. So being the awesome (cough, cough) sister that I am, I am just going to pick him up from the airport so we can catch a cab back to Stubbs Rd together.

I am so considerate (and my stuff is going to be so freaking heavy).

Alright, about to pass out.

Angel

Still in Mae Sot but not for long...

I have been in Mae Sot for the last few days and it has been a truly illuminating experience. I have met some great contacts here and are seriously considering returning to (sigh) teach English. There is such a huge need for volunteers here, but I am still uncertain whether or not I want to be an English teacher. I guess I will have plenty of time to contemplate all that as I get on the truck to head over to Sukhothai (wats, wats and more wats).

Gotta run. Will write more later.

Angel

Mae Sot

I survived the border run (and I didn't even get a lousy t-shirt)! With that said, I am currently in Mae Sot, a Burmese-Chinese-Karen-Thai trading outpost on the border between Myanmar and Thailand.

Umm... I am actually spluring and staying in an "up-scale" guesthouse. Yeah, all 250 baht worth, baby! This may not be the Ritz (cough cough), but I am sleeping on a real bed tonight! I am stoked!!!

I am kinda embarrassed, but I actually gave you guys the wrong information about my guesthouse yesterday. I actually stayed at the Northwest Guesthouse, but I thought I was staying at Riverside. That's the life of a backpacker though. You are so tired from bouncing from one guesthouse to another that you often forget where you are. Sometimes, I even wake up and not realise where I am at the moment ("Vietnam? Burma? Thailand?")

I have made some initial contacts with some of the volunteer organisations here in the area and will be calling them to set up meetings once I finish this blog. Wish me luck guys.

In the meantime, here's contact info for my guesthouse.

Ban Thai Guest House
Room No. 5
Tel : 0 5553 1590
740 Th Intharakhiri
Mae Sot

Tomorrow, I plan to meet with some volunteer orgs and hopefully make a border run across to Burma.

Btw, I just finished "Crime and Punishment". I quite liked it. Of course, my taste tends to differ from the general public (as those who know of my opinion regarding "The Da Vinci Code" will testify).

Angel

Mike IS lame (if he doesn't put up the pictures soon)

Read above.

Put up the pictures soon!!! Or else I will surely die (or be very annoyed).

Angel

In another town... not that you guys would know where I am even if I told ya. ;c)

I am currently in Mae Sariang at the moment and will be heading towards Mae Sot tomorrow morning. I have to say, despite today's semi-pleasant five-hour journey to Mae Sariang from Mae Hong Son, I am still not looking forward to spending six hours in a sawngthaew (for those not in the know, that's a pick up with two rows of benches on the truck bed).

However, based on words from other travellers I have met the past few days, the view is supposedly amazing. I guess I will find out firsthand early tomorrow morning. Dependent on when I get up and get out of town, I should be in Mae Sot before night fall.

I am currently staying in the Riverside Guest House, Mae Sariang. The details are as follows :

Riverside Guest House
Th Laeng Phanit
Tel : 0 5368 1188

120 baht (that's 3 dollars USD) for a mattress on the floor and a roof over my head. Such is the life of a cheapie backpacker.

Mae Sariang is a cool little town. I have seen a total of ten farangs since I have arrived (which is probably ten more than I needed to see). ;c) Still, this is probably one of the least touristy places I have been to in Thailand so far. Even in the internet cafe, I am surrounded by Thai boys playing Ragnarok Online or C/S.

Still, as I am telling Mike online at the moment, I am having a major food attack. I have been eating Thai food all month long and all I want this second is a freaking Big Mac with a side of Filet O' Fish.

Anyways, I am kinda excited about Mae Sot. As some of you guys know, I have been hoping to do some volunteer work with some of the refugee camps nearby Mae Sot. I have made some contacts in the area and hopes to arrange something for the next year. If it does not pan out, it's very likely I will be studying Mandarin intensively in Beijing for a semster. Basically the next few days will dictate what I will be doing for the next six months or so. So yeah, slightly apprehensive as well.

Anyways, with all that said, happy pre-Thanksgivings day. Whilst you all will be enjoying a fabulous turkey/chicken/duck dinner or all of the above (in Matt S.'s case), I will imagine my plate of pig intestine curry at the local stall to be a turkey curry instead.

Starved,

Angel

I'm lame

I know I promised pictures by now, but half of them still need to be processed. I will put them up early next week, after Thanksgiving. Sorry about that.

-Mike

Surprise... I am in ... Mae Hong Son?

I am so burnt out from travelling. I was suppose to leave for Mae Sariang today, but the thought of getting on a bus for six hours just did not appeal to me. Oh well, just delayed my ticket back to Hong Kong (yet again) so I am in no rush to get anywhere. I just want to make it back into Bangkok by the end of the week so I can (hopefully) arrange my visa to Laos.

Planning on just taking it easy today. It was strange to wake up at 8 today (considering that I usually am up by 7 nowadays). Got up, had breakfast with a friend I met at the guesthouse and just have been doing some random errands until now. Bought some toothpaste, went to the bank, got my sunglasses fixed, got some photos from the white-water rafting trip developed, things of that nature.

Anyways, I am going to grab some lunch now and head back to the guesthouse to get my read on.

Talk to you all later!

Angel

Hello from Mae Hong Son

I am banged up pretty badly, my arms are about to fall off from all that paddling and there were a couple of real close calls, but it was all worth it. The white-water rafting trip was simply amazing.

I am currently in Mae Hong Son after the exhausting two-day journey. I would write more, but my brain is simply mush at this point. I must forewarn you that it might be awhile before I next update because I plan to visit some hill tribe villages and a KMT outpost tomorrow. The day after, I plan to get on a bus for a six-hour journey to Mae Sarong (unless this quaint town captivates me into staying an extra day or two, which looks like a possibility at this point).

Here am where I am staying:

Friend House
Tel: 0 5361 1150
Th Predate Gong Ham
Mae Hong Son

Oh, by the way, I know that I told everyone that I will be back at the end of this month, it is very likely that I will be extending my trip another week or so. All I got to say about that is “BWHAHAHA, suckers!” I will probably end up staying here until Louie and Monica heads to Hong Kong in mid December. What can I say? I am a spoiled brat. : P

Until my brain starts functioning properly again (this may take awhile),

Angel

Re: Pie

I'll briefly mention the two things that Angel brought up.

One of the books I brought was a financial book that my dad lent me, by this dude named Robert Kiyosaki. When I was reading it on an airplane, I looked over at Angel's newspaper and noticed that Kiyosaki happened to be giving a seminar in Bangkok the same time we'd be there. "Destiny," I figured, so we checked out the financial seminar. We had an enjoyable time, despite the fact that neither of us really learned anything that we didn't already know, and that I could barely move because of my stomach. There was a large presence from Thai network marketing people, who I found were similar to their American counterparts. Angel and I played a game of "spot the farang", which is like "Where's Waldo". Angel won because she found a black guy.

Okay, and I don't see why this is blog worthy, but I developed a huge rip in my pants when we were in Myanmar. You could only see it when I sat down, but there was a 5 inch tear in the crotch region (no jokes, please). I had to spend all day wearing those stupid ripped pants. I bought them in Hong Kong, so you can blame your own people, Angel!

-Mike

Pie... I mean, Pai

First of all, I must give props to Mike for a job well done! The new blog update is a great recap of the last few days of our awesome trip. You forgot to mention the seminar (and your ripped pants) though. :P Anyways, since Mike did such a good job blogging, I gotta at least attempt to blog a relatively interesting blog myself. Trust me, the stuff that has been happening the last few days will certainly garner a few laughs from you guys (even though I am certainly not laughing).

The trip to Pai

As mentioned yesterday, I had quite an "interesting" trip over to Pai yesterday.

The guesthouse I was staying in Chiang Mai was pretty crap. It's high season in Thailand at the moment, so it's hard enough to find a room as it is. The room itself was overpriced, laundry was not done on time (meaning I had to sleep in my dirty street clothes for a night), the room itself was not especially clean and to make matter worse, it was flea ridden on my last night there (I still have the flea bites to prove it). Still, I took everything in stride. It's just part of the whole backpacking experience. I could deal with everything except the fact they screwed up my mini-van booking to Pai.

The only other alternative (besides staying another night, which I was not willing to do) was to take the government bus. It was completely full when we left, but I was fortunate enough to get a seat to myself. Or so I thought.

I promptly fell asleep due to the lack of sleep the night before. An hour into the trip, I was suddenly jostled awake. An old Thai man took it upon himself to turn my one seater into a two seater. Everyone (including the Thais on the bus) gave me a pitying look, but no one said a word. Every time the bus made a turn (and it did so on a regular basis), the guy would push his butt against me to make more room for himself. He also tried to catch my eyes to motion me to move over, but of course, I wouldn't yield (dude, it was a single seater for a reason). So it became an unspoken battle. Every time the bus turns a corner, he would slide over and push me into the window and every time the bus swings away, I would push him right back.

After half an hour of so of this, I just started feeling bad. The bus was filled to the brim with people and here I am not even attempting to give him some space. It was probably due to the fact I was really grouchy for everything that has transpired, but I realised I shouldn't take it out on the old man. Plus, he even tried to offer me some of his lunch.

Finally, I just did the best I could (hey, I got "birthing hips"!) and allowed him as much space as I possibly could. So for three and a half hours, I was squished against the window pane of a tiny bus.

Now you guys understand why I was so tired yesterday?

In and around Pai

I signed up for a two day white-water rafting trip! The water level is not very high at this time of the year, so it's safe for beginners (like me!) Since the trek commence on Friday, I had today to spend in and around Pai.

Pai is basically Thailand's version of Santa Cruz or Berkeley. A hippie commune but with a Thai twist. Okay to spend a day or two, but like others I have spoken to, I am not hip enough to stay here for long.

I rented a mountain bike and biked ten kilometres out of town to a waterfall. The waterfall itself was not very spectacular, but the bike ride itself was very nice. I passed by some hill tribe villages along the way and saw some really beautiful scenery. So yeah, no updates for the next two days as I will be battling the rapids. I will end up in Mae Hong Son on Saturday night and hopefully will find time to blog about the trip on Sunday morning.

Alright, shower time and then meeting up with some people that I met today for dinner.

Until then, wish me luck!

Angel

Big Recap

I think I'm finally de-jetlagged enough to blog again. I had a hard time sleeping last night, so I stayed up late to beat the arcade game Michael Jackson's Moonwalker. So jet lag isn't always bad.

Anyway, a recap of our last few days:

Inle Lake

Angel and I agree that Inle Lake is one of our favorite places of the trip. This is because the town we stayed in is a small village that hasn't yet been corrupted by tourism. The people there are genuinely nice - people were constantly waving to us and saying hello. This took some getting used to, because they weren't trying to sell me anything. The villagers were excited to see a white dude, and a Chinese girl with such fair skin (maybe they thought she was Maggie Cheung).

We were riding bicyles around town, and passed a mother taking her 4 year old for a walk. When the kid saw me, we had a "race" for quite a while, with the kid laughing the whole time. I also taught him a few English words ("fast!").

I ran out of deodarant here, so I had to buy some Burmese deodarant called "Le Gif". Ironic that they gave it a French name.

The boat ride on Inle Lake provided us with lots of unique sights. The lake itself was serene, and surrounded by rich vegetation. We saw many fishermen using the famous technique of wrapping a leg around the oar to row. We went to a couple of floating villages and took tours of sweatshops textile factories.

We were both disappointed that we couldn't spend more time there, but we eventually jumped on a plane to...

Bagan

The ancient capital of temples! This small area has literally thousands of temples. You can't walk down a street without seeing some ancient temple. It was their equivalent of Starbucks- except instead of drinking coffee, you worshipped Buddha.

The town we stayed at was pretty cool. We found a pool hall and decided to play a game. Naturally, it was a snooker hall, but the locals were game to help us out. After a few minutes, we were the major draw there- over 10 people were crowding around the table to see us play. Every time Angel sunk a shot, they clapped and cheered. Every time she missed a shot, it was "awww!". By the way, this was the fourth country in Southeast Asia where Angel and I have played pool, which is kinda weird when you think about it.

After eating dinner, the Burmese typically chew & spit "betel nut" in a manner similar to chewing tobacco, which has the side effect of staining the teeth dark red. Because of this, tons of people in Myanmar have red teeth. It's also a carcinogen and mild stimulant, and helps get rid of intestinal worms. Anyway, after eating dinner at a street stall, we were offered some of this "betel nut". We both decided to go for it, which made the locals very pleased. We chewed it for a whole minute before agreeing that it was the nastiest thing we ever tasted, and spent the next 10 minutes trying to get the taste out of our mouths. They were definitely not kupo nuts, but I have to admit, it felt cool spitting out some betel nut.

On our last morning there, we took a hot air balloon ride over Bagan at sunrise. It would be unfair to describe how beautiful the scene was, so I'll just let you see the photo gallery I'll put up in a few days.

Yangon

We spent a day in Myanmar's capital, which is a decent city. Their main tourist attraction is this large paya (temple), which we went to see. This is how cheap we were: when we got to the famous paya, they charged us $5 each to go inside the grounds, so we left and took pictures from the outside. But in our defense, we just came from Bagan, where we saw thousands of payas. "If I saw one more Buddha, I was going to puke anyway", I muttered as we left.

Our hotel had a TV with two English channels, one Bollywood channel, and one Burmese MTV channel. One English channel was playing a unwatchably bad movie, and the other was playing a Disney comedy called "Rocket Man", which I can safely say is the worst movie ever created on any planet by any species. Since both English channels were eliminated, we watched Bollywood movies and MTV bhangra remixes the rest of the night.

Bangkok again

Since no trip to Asia is complete without food poisining, I went ahead and got food poisoning the next day before leaving for Bangkok. Our hotel hastily gave us some orange juice, but it wasn't really mixed well. It was 2 inches of nasty concentrate, and 4 inches of mostly water. I couldn't stir it because of ice, so I decided that it was a good idea to slurp up some concentrate, slurp up some water, and then swallow the mixture. The average concentrate level would be equivalent to delicious orange juice!

My digestive system paid the price for my foolishness. I don't know if it was the nasty concentrate or tap water, but I spent the whole day in clutching my stomach and whining like a baby, "ooohhhhhh... rnghhhhh..." Luckily, the worst of it went away after one day, thanks to a good ol' technicolor yawn.

Anyway, I thought this was a great last impression to leave Angel with, so I flew home the next day.

-Mike

Finally in Pai

I am absolutely exhausted, but I made it into Pai (pronounced like "bye" (or should I say "bai"), not "pie") in one piece. It was an eventful bus ride, but more on that later.

I am staying at Charlie's House (tel 0 5369 9041; Th Chaisongkhram).

Right now, I am trying to book a ticket from Mae Hong Son back to Chiang Mai, but Thai Airways' website is not cooperating.

Foobar.

Angel

Still in Chiang Mai (but not for long)

Sorry for the lack of communication on my part. I have noticed I am less willing to blog now that my blogging buddy is away. It's hard to sit around the computer when there is so much to see and do! Let me try to give a quick synopsis on my last few days in Chiang Mai :

- went to the Sunday night market. Did a bit of shopping and walked around a bit. Very atmospheric, as this was the market that all the locals go (unlike the famous Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, which is VERY touristy).

- took a Thai cooking course. Found out I am a horrible Thai cook, but now I am officially "certified", I am certain that any Thai restaurant worth its salt will take me on as their star chef.

- went to a hill tribe tribal museum outside of town. It had a small collection, but it was interesting in its own right. Still debating whether or not I plan on trekking and seeing some hill-tribes.

- went to a dance show held at the Old Chiangmai Cultural Centre. Basically for the older (and richer) tourists. There was a dance were swords were lit and twirled around. Very cool.

- Went up to one of Northern Thailand's holiest temples. Had a great view of Chiang Mai.

I have found myself constantly checking the travel advisory regarding Laos. I am sorely tempted on going through southern Laos at the beginning of December after the ASEAN conference. From the looks of it, I think I will definitely try to head over there (of course, after considering safety issues and all that fun stuff). Will keep you guys informed. Darn travel bug.

Heading up to Pai, a more remote northern Thailand town. Will catch up with you guys more later.

Take care (and don't worry, I am heeding my own advice),

Angel

Mike's back in SD

Like Angel said, I am back in San Diego. It was difficult for us to get internet the last few days, so we'll be catching up the blog with the rest of our trip. Also, I'll be putting the pictures online in the next week or so.

-Mike

Sob sob... in Chiang Mai

Short post. Too sad to write much today.

This morning, Mike left for the United States as scheduled. He should be arriving in San Diego on Sunday at 11 am. Mike, don't forget to SMS or email me so I know you arrived safely!

At the moment, I am in the northern city of Chiang Mai. It's touristy, granted, but I must admit, it does have its charms. It's like Khao San Road, but on a grander scale. I spent today orienting myself around the city and just settling down. Not sure what I will do tomorrow, but hell, I am sure I will figure something out. I always do.

I was planning on making a loop through southern Laos before flying back to Hong Kong, but with the ASEAN summit planned in Vientiane, Laos has imposed strict regulations on travels in the country. Sigh, can't travel anywhere anymore. At this rate, I think I will have to forgo that part of my journey.

Well, This is costing me a fortune and it's getting late. I should sign off here.

In case anyone needs me, I am staying here :
Golden Fern Guest House, Rm 114
Tel : 05327 8423
20 Soi 8, Th Phra Pokklao
Chiang Mai
Thailand

Love you guys,

Angel

Inle Lake

I have a Burmese massage appointment in ten minutes so I have to make this short. Mike and I are leaving Inle Lake tomorrow morning for Bagan. We will try to keep you guys posted once we get to our next destination, but if we don't post, it might be due to the fact we cannnot access internet over there.

We went on a boat ride around scenic Inle Lake today. We checked out some floating villages and the like. We also had an excellent traditional Shan dinner here at the guest house.

Massage time.

See ya!

Angel (and Mike)

Burma!

Hi kiddos. The Moog is back and are prepared to rock this town! My sunburn still hurts to the point where it pains me to put on my birthday suit. While Mike has taken on the role of covering the remaining points of Thailand, I thought it's best (and most expedient) to cover some key points about Myanmar.

Yangon, Myanmar

Bright and early this morning, Mike and I took a flight out of Bangkok to reach Yangon, the provincial capital of Myanmar. On arrival, Mike had a HUGE surprise for me : he planned a Balloons over Bagan trip for us! A hot air balloon ride over the famed archaelogical ruins!!! My old boss proposed over the same ruins (people, let's not let our imaginations run away with us, eh?)

We met with Brett Metzler, the owner, at the airport so that we can pay him (since credit card payment is currently unavailable in Myanmar). He remembered my boss and his proposal and even offered us a ride into downtown Yangon. After we told him we were planning to do the typical tourist route of Mandalay-Bagan-Yangon, he wisely suggested that we forgo Mandalay for the peace and tranquility of Inle Lake. It looked good to us so it was off to Inle Lake by the afternoon flight!

Inle Lake, Myanmar

Technically we are not at Inle Lake, but we are sure close by. The drive from the airport to the town (which took an hour) was surreal. This is what I imagined Southeast Asia to be : men herding oxen, women working in rice paddies, birds soaring, opium growing... okay, just kidding about the last part. It's really beautiful out here. Different villages are built on stilts around a huge lake and the atmosphere is really serene. That and lots and lots of mosquitos ply the canal areas.

I am not quite sure what we plan to do tomorrow. It's hard enough to send out blogs (contrary to our LP books, it is possible to check emails, although it's hard and the line is always down) but we will do our best to keep you guys up to date on our adventures. Actual quote from the guy who runs the Internet here: "Using Internet in Myanmar is like game. Very funny."
Tomorrow, we plan on just kicking back and enjoying the nearby towns. Let's face it. We deserve it after such hard work in Ko Chang.

Take care, y'all,

Angel

In Myanmar! Sacrebleu!

First of all, sorry for not posting as often as our last blog. Our sporadic posting has been due to the hectic schedule of Bangkok, and the lure of hammocks in Ko Chang. Also, Angel has had a cold the past few days, so she hasn't been very mobile (she first thought it was malaria, but now says it's luxury spa deprivation).

Anyway, on to current news: we are in the golden land of Myanmar! And, we are not political prisoners (yet)! We are currently staying at:

Teakwood Inn, room 303
Nyaungshwe, Myanmar

We kinda skipped the rest of our Bangkok highlights, because we thought the city sucked. So I'll finish the Bangkok stuff here.

We took a train to Ayuthaya, which was the old capital of Siam. It used to be one of the best cities in Asia before the Burmese sacked it. Unfortunately, the Burmese didn't leave much. After being to Cambodia, we couldn't help but think Ayuthaya was dull by comparison.

We then went to a Muay Thai fight in Bangkok. Muay Thai has the rep of being the most effective martial arts style, so I was very interested in watching. Angel was bored to tears though- I guess two men beating the crap out of each other isn't appealing to everybody. She went out to the Night Market to run an errand, where she met lots of Cantonese people. For those who don't know, Cantonese is a Chinese dialect that involves people screaming at each other.

Then we got the heck out of Bangkok and to Ko Chang. Not much more to say about Ko Chang, other than we spent lots of time reading, and we both got bad sunburns. Being the two whitest people at the beach can do that. All I can say is that we should never have kids, for the sake of the gene pool.

Angel will be blogging about Myanmar, so I'll turn it over to her.

- Mike

In Ko Chang

We are currently in the tropical paradise of Ko Chang. It is beautiful beyond description- you'll just have to see the pictures when we get home (here is an accurate picture of the beach we're staying at). We're staying at KP Bungalows in Khlong Phrao Beach, room 23.

The water is clear. When we stepped in the water after we first arrived, it was the same temperature as the air- about 80 degrees. There is no pollution. The only things we see floating in the water are coconuts and sticks.

Angel and I spent today just loafing around, which is a great contrast from the hurried metropolis of Bangkok. We read for a bit on the shore, with the waves crashing against our legs (Dad, that book you gave me is really good. I'm about halfway done). Angel and I are really enjoying ourselves. Both of us have decided that it's the most beautiful place we've been. We are really enjoying life here.

Angel is taking a nap now, so I went out to blog a little and I bought some "Oakleys" for $3 US (I overpaid, but I didn't feel like haggling much). She's probably up now, so I gotta get going.

Mom & Dad, you'd love this place. You should consider going here on your post-Iraq trip.

Final note: This internet cafe is across the street from a reggae bar, and a King Tubby song is playing on vinyl. I am in heaven.

- Mike

Los Angeles of the Orient

Narrator : Mike and Angel are now on famous (or some may say infamous) Khao San Road in Thailand. Having just completed another round of massages, they recount their first few nights in this "Land of Smiles".

Mike : Our hotel the first night was in the business district, so we saw lots of white guys with their Thai "lady friends". I think I was the only white guy there without a Thai honey.

Angel : ... yeah, because you KNOW Chinese honey is sweeter (and cheaper).

Mike : Cheaper? We then went to the Bangkok zoo, which was pretty fly. Every time I'm in a zoo, I revert back to a 10 year old. "Wow! Hippos are big!... Hippos are big animals! They are mammals!" Luckily, Angel didn't kill me.

Angel: Okay, I must admit, I was tempted to throw him into the tiger pits more than once. After the zoo, we also enjoyed a Chinese opera at a huge Chinese temple. I didn't understand a word, but the costumes were pretty.

Mike: I always ask Angel to translate any Chinese dialect, and then bug her when she says she doesn't understand it. I mistakingly think that it's the equivalent of me translating British English to American English. It would be like me watching a play with the actors saying stuff like, "Bollocks, my good chap! Fish and chips!"
Anyway, we got a massage after that, which was pretty cool.

Today, we took a short river trip, saw some Buddhist temples here in town, and went to the royal palace. We then went up to Khaosan Road, which is where we are right now. There are more white people than Thais here. Dreadlocks and tattoos abound- the people on Khaosan are a mix of frat guys, and the type of people you'd see buying hummus at Trader Joe's.

Narrator: I see that you are barefoot. What's up?

Mike: Oh yeah. We're in a massage place. We just got Thai massages, and foot reflexology.

Narrator: Any final thoughts?

Mike : Bangkok is a pretty diverse city- we've seen lots of things here. Angel and I compared it to Los Angeles- it's huge and sprawling, with lots of traffic and smog. Even though it has some cool things, it's really not an enjoyable atmosphere. Lots of energy is spent just trying to navigate around the big city. I'll be glad once I'm gone. However, we're planning on seeing some Muay Thai tomorrow, so I might change my mind.
Oh, but the food has been excellent. Angel?

Angel : Lots of banana pancakes (standard backpacker staple) and even saw stands selling insects. We haven't tried any yet, but that's just because Mike is chicken. HAHA, get it? Chicken. I crack myself up.

Narrator : Any other plans?

Angel : Since neither of us like Bangkok very much, we've decided to leave a day early on Wednesday. We just bought tickets to Ko Chang. We are hoping the weather holds up on us, but if it does decide to rain, at least we bought a deck of cards with us this time around. Now if you don't mind excusing us, we gotta get going to the "scruffy" bar next door, so I can get my moog... I mean, groove... on. Care to join us, Narrator?

Narrator : Umm... no, I'm not going to a bar with scruffs and other low-lifes. You KNOW I only drink at high class establishments, like the Oriental or the Peninsula.

Mike: They aren't low-lifes. They are people, just like us, only they have dreadlocks and don't wear deoderant. And eat hummus.

Narrator : ... and with that, we bid you all adieu!

Note : No scruffs, frat boys or weirdos were harmed during the production of this blog entry.

In Bangkok!

We only have time for a quick update today. We've made it to Bangkok in one piece. We promise more funny stories later, but as for now, we are exhausted from staying in this fast-paced city. Here's where we're staying right now:
Bed & Breakfast
On Soi Kasem San 1 road, near Naional Stadium
-Mike and Angel

Minor details

While Mike is off finishing packing, I will attend to some minor last-minute details (photocopying my passport and other vital documents).

As a reminder, my cell phone will be working while I am in Bangkok, although please refrain from calling just to say "sup". :P Also, for your information, Mike and I will be staying at the Amari's City Lodge (Soi 19 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok) tomorrow night.

For a mere one-month long trip, it certainly feels like quite a production, no? Wait til Mike and I embark on that three-month long trip to South America we have been talking about! ;c)

Angel

Packing (and rockin')

First off, props to Mike for actually getting around to setting up "Bangkok to Bagan 2004". It’s not like I needed to nag him or anything. ;c)

Second, it’s pretty obvious to those who are close to me that I am uber-excited about this upcoming trip. If you don’t’ believe me, check out my Friendster page or my profile on AIM… it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am stoked about leaving Hong Kong (and that I am a geek, but I digress). Last year’s vacation to Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam has been, if nothing else, eye-opening. We hope this year's adventure will be even more surreal than the last.

For a short synopsis of what happened on our eventful trip last year, check out last year’s blog : http://asia03.blogspot.com. Due to the “success” of last year’s blog (namely that there was at least one individual who thought it wasn’t too boring), we intend on maintaining a similar format on our blog this year.

What I would like to achieve on this year’s trip :

- Eati random insects at various street stalls
- Relax on a beach and finally get a tan
- Not ride on airplanes sealed together with duct tapes (or at least insist on high quality duct tapes)
- Finally backpack alone for two weeks straight

So here I am, almost all packed. I cannot locate my hoodie (which I suspect I lost during one of my many drunken nights in LKF) and I am still at a loss to which book I should bring.

No one understands my obsession with finding the “right” book. Mike insists on me bringing a thin volume that I (okay, him) could carry around easily. I, on the other hand, would like to bring a book that captivates me, which must be long enough to last me a whole month and truly thought provoking. I will continue my search, but as for now, I am off to see a show at the space museum and dinner at my favourite Indian vegetarian restaurant with some friends. Dosa Masala rules!

Keep rockin,

Angel

Let's do this

Welcome to Mike & Angel's 2004 Asia trip! This blog features:

• Comments! That's right, people can now comment on posts!
• Safety! When gorillas beat me senseless because I have blueberries in my pocket, you'll know which hotel we last stayed at!
• Bad grammar! Includes using propositions to end sentences with!
• Memories! So Angel and I can reminisce on how we got jaundice, all those years ago!
• Exotic tales of the Orient! For those who give a crap!

I also have some personal goals for this trip. First, I'm going to be more friendly and outgoing (by my standards, anyway) to the locals and fellow travelers. I was overly paranoid about security the last trip, so I probably gave the impression that I was a curmudgeon. Secondly, I'm not going to be a blog nazi this trip. If Angel decides to spew lies, like how I embarassed myself at a Cambodian snooker table for example, then I will not stop her.

I'm leaving for Bangkok on Friday!

-Mike