Rice paddies, mountains and beach

This trip is drawing to a close rapidly; perhaps too much so.

The lack of posts can only be attributed to a general lack of internet connections and regular brown-outs.  Since we've been here, at least every other day has had several hours of no electricity.

Enough.

So, from Lovina, we headed inland on steep mountain roads to the town of Moundok.   Moundok is perched on a ridge and has stunning views in all directions.  The slopes of the nearby hills are carpeted in clove, vanilla and coffee trees.  The smell of roasting coffee was ever-present.  We continued upward and reached several alpine lakes in the calderas of extinct volcanoes. One of the lakes had a Hindu water-temple which was perched on several islands.  The variety of plant species is mind-boggling as we found when we visited a botanical garden in the mountains. 

We spent two nights in Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali.  We took early morning walks (to beat the heat) through river valleys and rice paddies.  We visited a few art galleries, but I can say that the real highlight of this town was the food.  Two dishes in particular: roasted duck marinated for 36 hours in a plethora of spices AND suckling pig.  Divine.

From Ubud, we took a five hour ferry ride to the nearby island of Lombok.  Lombok, unlike Bali, is predominately Muslim.  We drove around this island also, which was delightfully devoid of tourists.  We stumbled upon a small homestay where we were the only guests.  We had a pristine beach shaded by coconut palms to ourselves.

The last couple of days, we've been back in Kuta, Bali.  I took two days of 'surf school' while Sou worked on her tan, read, and got massages. The surfing has been a blast: I was able to stand up the first day and I'm now trying to perfect turning....

That's all for now. 

Beachbound in Bali

We are in Bali!  The flight here was uneventful and we had a good view of the island on our approach to the airport, which is on the southern end of the island.  Bali is a beautiful volcanic island with one large volcano and several smaller volcanoes.  The first day, we wanted to get situated, so we headed to the main part of the island, which was only about 10k from the airport.  The main tourist area, Kuta, is a bit like Miami Beach with tons of very tan people, surfing, stores, hotels and restaurants.  There is a Hard Rock Cafe and many other international chains as well. Our first afternoon, we went swimming in the ocean, walked around Kuta, and had a nice dinner. 

The next day, we decided that we wanted to rent transportation.  The public transportation system here is abysmal and very expensive compared to renting transportation.  We'd read that you are supposed to have an international or Indonesian drivers license to rent a car.  Most people we talked to said that not having this was not a problem and that if you got stopped, you paid a bribe to the 'mosquitoes' (aka corrupt police) and are done with it.  I was on the fence about doing this, but the clincher was that your insurance would be invalidated if there were any 'issues'. So, in the end, I decided to get an Indonesian motorcycle license.   What an experience it was at the DMV!  There were long lines and a test in Indonesian.  Fortunately, the answers were also provided to the test and foreigners who pay the foreigner rate are ushered to the front of some of the lines.  After two hours are the DMV, I am now licensed here in Indonesia to drive a motorcycle.... 

So, we went back to Kuta and rented a moped.  The moped is loaded down with a duffel bag between us and a shoulder bag on Sou's back.  Getting out of Kuta and Denpasar, the capital, was a challenge all it's own.  Sou and I tried to follow signs to Sanur, another beach town 15k away.  The lack of signage allowed us to see a fair amount of the capital, like it or not.  We finally made it to Sanur; it took us an hour and a half to go 15k.  Fortunately, we found a hotel just off the beach on the leafy grounds of a museum.  We strolled the beachside walkway, read and lounged on the beach, and had a candle lit dinner overlooking the water while listening to Bob Marley.

The following day, we followed the coast road around the island about 70k.  We diverged from the main road and traffic got much lighter.  We took a non-direct route and followed the coastline around one of the smaller  volcanoes.  The coast went from lush forest with stands of bamboo, coconut palms, banana trees, and rice paddies to a semi-arid landscape of rock and brush.  In Ahmed, a town known for its snorkeling and diving, we found our hotel from a friendly guy by the side of the road (who owned a restaurant next door).  The room was really nice with an outdoor bathroom.  We rented snorkel gear and swam just off-shore to the reef.  The reef was in about 2 meters of water and was teeming with aquatic life.  We saw a wide variety of fish that reminded Sou of "Finding Nemo".  Yesterday, Sou was excited to find a free copy of the last book in the "Twilight" series and spent the day reading with pauses to swim in the pool and snorkel.

The "King of Fruits"

No Durian allowed.

Wikipedia says: "The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia."

We haven't had any Durian yet, but we've smelled the 'sweet' aroma while walking through the markets.

Back in Bangkok

We're back in Bangkok after a 10 hour bus ride from Chiang Mai, Thailand.  The bikes are boxed up and stored until our return trip.  Sou and I just booked tickets to Bali, Indonesia where we'll spend Christmas lounging on a beach.  It's a hard life....

Happy Holidays, all

Christmas decorations in Bangkok

Up the Mekong on a slow boat

From Luang Prabang, we boarded a slow boat and headed upriver on the Mekong towards Thailand. Two days on the boat with an overnight stop brought us to the Thai border. The scenery along the river was beautiful -- limestone karst mountains, sandy beaches and small villages. No roads run to the Mekong along this part of the river, so it felt very remote. You'd travel an hour or two upriver before seeing a small village.....

Luang Prabang and Elephants

Sou and I are now in the world heritage city
of Luang Prabang. We arrived here the other night by bus but first an
update from the last couple of days.

We went to the backpacker haven of Vang Vieng which is in a river
valley surrounded by limestone karst peaks. We rented a motorcycle
and cruised up the valley to visit a cluster of caves. One cave had a
tributary running out of it, so we rented tubes and pulled ourselves
through the cave. We travelled back about two hundered meters into
the cave. It was a very cool experience to be dragging ourselves
through the cave and only hearing the sound of rushing water.

After emering from the cave, we hiked around for a while, went for a
massage, then went back to the river to go tubing. The tubing was a
bit like Cancun at spring break. Enterprising locals had set up
several bars with rope swings and really loud music. Sou and I
bypassed the throngs of inebriated twenty-somethings and headed
downstream.

Two days in Vang Vieng was enough for us, so we got back on the bikes
and headed up highway 13 towards Luang Prabang. We muscled through
several mountain passes, but realized we had too far to go before the
day's end. Moreover, we heard that the passes got much much longer.
So... we decided to bus it to Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang is a world heritage city surrounded by mountains. It
has a plethora of wats (temples) and we visited just the highlights.
We climbed the 239 stairs that led to the mountain-top wat in the
center of the city and visited a few others nearby. We wandered the
streets and alleys checking out the french colonial architecture and
dined at a restaurant on the river. One of the great remanants (in my
view anyway), are baguettes -- the baguettes make great egg sandwiches
for breakfast. For lunch they're eaten Lao-style, mixed with shredded
green papaya, carrots, and hot peppers. Delicous. The other remnant
of the french is bocci ball....

After checking out the city, we were ready to do something else. Sou
saw signs for Mahout training (elephant driver) and was intent on this
trip. So on the spur of a moment decision, we decided to go on a two
day mahout training course. It was just amazing! There were 9 female elephant the oldest being 65 and the youngest 17. We arrived at elephant camp in the morning and went on an hour long ride through the river and forest. It was quite the experience riding on these magnificent creatures. They are so graceful and majestic. After that, we took a Mahout (elephant driver) training course and learned how to drive, mount and dismount. The Mahouts make it look so easy but I can assure you it is not. That afternoon, we took our elephants to the forest where they are left to forage and sleep until morning. We returned for a nice dinner at elephant camp and after a short boat ride under the full moon, were returned to our guest house. The next morning, we woke early to retrieve our elephants from the forest. Another ride back through the forest and then elephant bathing. It was so much fun!!! The elephants walked halfway into the river and layed down submerging us and themselves into the water. With a brush, we cleaned and washed all the dirt away. You can see there trunks swinging around drinking water.

Now we are headed up the Mekong by slow-boat on our way back to
Northern Thailand....

Catching Sunset

From the guesthouse balcony.

Into the North

We've left the Mekong river valley and have entered the mountains of Northern Laos. The roads are rarely flat, which is a nice change from the south. 

Sou weding her way up a hill.

Lotus blossoms

Bussing back to Vientianne

I knew it was going to be a long trip after the bus stopped not a hundered yards from the bus terminal to pick up another passenger.  So began our two bus trips back from Southern Laos to Vientianne.  Riding the bus was an experience to say the least...  The bus was packed full of passengers and stopped repeatedly to either pick up more people or let off people.  When all of the seats were full, people sat in the isles on plastic stools. Lao karaoke played on an endless loop. The bus had all manner of luggage from chickens, sacks rice, our bikes and a motorcycle tied down on the roof.   We were very happy to arrive back in the capital. 

Our bus averaged 25 miles per hour over the course of our trip. 

Si Pan Don (4000 Islands)

After Wat Phu, we rode another four days, with a short stop in the city of Pakse, to the 4000 Islands.  Si Pan Don, as its know in Lao, is an archipeligo in the Mekong.  This is one of the southernmost spots in Laos, and we were looking forward to a few days of relaxation and swinging in a hammock before bussing it back to Vientianne and heading north. 

Champasak and Wat Phu

After visiting Sou's family, we headed South towards the old provincial capital of Champasak and the ruins of Wat Phu.  We turned off the highway and headed towards the Mekong.  The ferry crossing consisted of two canoe's lashed together with planking overtop and a lawnmower engine. 

Campasak was a sleepy, one street village which we both found really laid-back and pleasant.  After finding a guest house with views of the river, we rode 10k out to the ruins of Wat Phu.  The temple was built around the 16th century and is built into the side of a mountain near a spring.  A set of perfectly straight stairs leads to the terrace which houses the temple complex. There are several different temples all with spectacular views of the Mekong river valley.  Sou and I looked around the site and found a couple of other carvings: a crocodile, an elephant, and several buddas.

Laab Flavored Lay's

Sou writes:

Laab is a national Lao dish made of beef, chicken, pork or chicken. It is a salad made of minced meat and mixed with chili flakes, paddek (fermented fish sauce), lime juice, khao khua (sticky rice roasted until black and then made into a fine powder), cilantro, mint and shallots. The meat mixed in can be raw or cooked. It is eaten with sticky rice and various vegetables including lettuce, cucumber and other fresh herbs. It is one of our favorite dishes to eat!!! It is often spicy and is definitely a wakeup call for the tastebuds.


Imagine our surprise when we came upon Laab flavored Lays potatoe chips!! We took our tasty package back to the guesthouse in great anticipation.

Not as we expected but a something to write home about.
 
This package went for about .25 and had about five chips.....

A Present First .... Lost in Translation

Going Home

Sou writes:

We are now in a a town called Pakse, 659km from Vientiane.  It's been quite the whirlwind few days with two nights in my parents village, two blessing ceremonies, harvesting rice and lots and lots of family.  Uncle in Savannakhet drove us to the village with our bikes in tow.  When we left the paved road and started on the dirt path to the village, things started becoming a little surreal.  As uncle pointed out, 'this is the road I walked on for 7km and the river I had to swim across to take my finals to pass the 6th grade.'  And, 'these are the palm trees your grandfather planted so many years back.'

After a bumpy ride, we arrived and walked through the forest to a small clearing where I believe is the stupa of my ancestors.  (I am not certain) But we lit incense and words to the effect of "your child and son-in-law have come home.  Please do not be surprised."  A small pig was offered to the spirits.  We ate and drank there and the story of our biking from Vientiane was told to much laughter.  They laughed at my brown tanned skin and they wanted to know what Bryan eats.  "Does he eat sticky rice like us?"  

We went to several houses, my dad's birthhome, my mom's, my aunties.  We went to several wats to light incense at the stupa of many relatives who have passed.  An afternoon later, city Uncle returned home and we went to village Uncle's (my mom's younger brother) house where  we had some quiet time to relax and chat.  He took us on the back of his pickup to tour the village and see his fields.  It was very nice.  We saw his fish pond and his organic garden.  He showed us how he harvests rice.  I saw his water buffalos, ducks, chickens, cows, pigs.  I saw how he catches crickets to sell in the city (a delicacy).   We toured the old village where he pointed out craters formed from bombs during the war and stupas where clearly bullets had left their mark..  It was an amazing experience. 

The next day, we went to Auntie's house (dad's younger sister)  They took us out to the field and we harvested rice.  It was funny.  Auntie gave me her shirt to wear so my skin wouldn't turn dark and she gave me one of those cone hats to wear.  Bryan even tried chewing betal nut with Auntie.  It was hilarious --  his mouth was all red!!  We returned to Auntie's for a blessing ceremony and ate lunch.  We returned to Uncle's house that evening for another blessing ceremony.  The next morning, Uncle dropped us off at the main road and we have been on the road to Pakse ever since.

Pictures from Savannakhet

Pedalling South

Sou and I headed south out of Vientiane on Highway 13, the national highway.  We've had to leave really early in the day to try to beat the tropical heat and the unrelenting sun. Our days thus far have consisted of waking up around 4:30 or 5:00 and heading out under cover of darkness.  Orion's belt, the big dipper, and the milky way are visible until day starts to break around 6:30. Fortunately, the traffic is light.  We quietly slip through small villages, rice paddies and farm land.  Roosters crow and we dodge the morning traffic: cows, goats, or the errant dog.  As morning progresses, we accompany kids on bikes en route to school.   They barrage us with "Hel-Low!" or "Sa-Bai-Di!"

The terrain has been mostly flat thus far.  The highway is nicely paved and has kilometer markers that read the distance from Vientiane and to the next town.  The Mekong is usually meandering along somewhere to our right and the mountains are off in the distance to the left.

Once the sun is up, the day turns hot very quickly. We bike usually until around 11AM or noon, then try to find a guest house. We spend the rest of the day exploring the town or sightseeing.  We are now in Thakek, about 332 km from the capital and are continuing to head south.

In Vientiane

From Bangkok, we flew to Vientiane, Laos. We've been experiencing sensory overload since we've been here.

How do I describe it in a few words?

Read:

Hot, humid, soupy air. 

Delicious street food cooked to order. (prawns, grilled chicken, sticky rice, mango, french bread)

Maniacal drivers (pedestrians and bicyclists beware)

Diners next to the Mekong River while enjoying the sunset

Wats and temples everywhere

Monks browsing at the shopping mall

A steady stream of motorbikes

Construction and modernization amid memories of the past




Sou enjoying the sunset.

Sunset over the Mekong.

Sushi in Japan

Sou and I had a brief layover at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan while en route to Bangkok.  We wanted to try some 'authentic' Japanese sushi, so we found a sushi restaurant in the airport. We should have figured out the exchange rate in advance, because our tiny tray of sushi went for a whopping $25. Whoops.  (But it was delicious....)

Sunday Sail on Lake Union

Yesterday, Sou and I headed to The Center for Wooden Boats on Lake Union in Seattle.  The Center showcases Northwest maritime culture and also offers a free afternoon sailing on Sundays.  The wind was a little calm, but it was great to float around Lake Union on a sunny afternoon. 

http://www.cwb.org/

Flying around Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula

Scott invited us to tag along on his afternoon training flight.  We took off from Tacoma Narrows airport and flew over the Olympic Mountains and out along the peninsula.  Awesome. Here are a few photos that I took from Scott's phone (forgot the camera again...)

Halloween Wedding

Sou and I tied the knot again weekend in Tacoma.  Thanks to all who took part in our traditional Lao wedding

                                             Photos: Gabriel "Toaster" Nagmay

http://gabriel.nagmay.com/

Fun with Holga

I recently picked up a new Holga camera. These cameras are cheap plastic medium format film cameras that are well known for vignetting and light leaks.

Farewell Portland

Sou and I woke up early to pick up our moving truck. We picked up the our truck but Penske didn't have the car carrier. No bother, we headed home and loaded up the truck and cleaned the apartment.

When we arrived back at Penske, the still didn't have the car carrier. Fortunately, Penske (thanks Joyce!) offered to pay for our lunch while we waited for the carrier. So we enjoyed lunch at a Hawaiian restaurant on Sandy before getting our car loaded and heading out of Portland.

Harvest

By Louise Glück from A Village Life

It's autumn in the market—
not wise anymore to buy tomatoes.
They're beautiful still on the outside,
some perfectly round and red, the rare varieties
misshapen, individual, like human brains covered in red oilcloth—

Inside, they're gone. Black, moldy—
you can't take a bite without anxiety.
Here and there, among the tainted ones, a fruit
still perfect, picked before decay set in.

Instead of tomatoes, crops nobody really wants.
Pumpkins, a lot of pumpkins.
Gourds, ropes of dried chilies, braids of garlic.
The artisans weave dead flowers into wreaths;
they tie bits of colored yarn around dried lavender.
And people go on for a while buying these things
as though they thought the farmers would see to it
that things went back to normal:
the vines would go back to bearing new peas;
the first small lettuces, so fragile, so delicate, would begin
to poke out of the dirt.

Instead, it gets dark early.
And the rains get heavier; they carry
the weight of dead leaves.

At dusk, now, an atmosphere of threat, of foreboding.
And people feel this themselves; they give a name to the season,
harvest, to put a better face on these things.

The gourds are rotting on the ground, the sweet blue grapes are finished.
A few roots, maybe, but the ground's so hard the farmers think
it isn't worth the effort to dig them out. For what?
To stand in the marketplace under a thin umbrella, in the rain, in the cold,
no customers anymore?

And then the frost comes; there's no more question of harvest.
The snow begins; the pretense of life ends.
The earth is white now; the fields shine when the moon rises.

I sit at the bedroom window, watching the snow fall.
The earth is like a mirror:
calm meeting calm, detachment meeting detachment.

What lives, lives underground.
What dies, dies without struggle.


_______________________________________________

The days are growing short, leaves litter the ground, the rains have come again. It's time to migrate to warmer climes!