The Killing Fields and AK-47s

Since I'm traveling again, I'll likely post a few more times until I get back to Thailand. Cambodia, or at least what I've seen of it so far, is rather cool. It's not so westernized as Thailand and even the capital of Phnom Phen still has a very old feel to it. I spent much of today on the back of a motorbike riding over dirt paths, apparently when I asked the guy for a ride early this morning, he became my driver for the day. No problem really, since after I was done experiencing the joy that is the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek the guy knew just how to lighten up the day...shoot guns, specifically an AK-47 and a Tommy Gun. There were more selections on the "menu", of which I have a great picture, but I've already fired shotguns and have plans to fire handguns in Koh Samui. I've never fired an automatic weapon before, and now, having spent more on bullets than I'll likely spend in two days on lodging and food, I firmly believe it's something everyone should do in their lifetime; I plan on framing the target.

Anyway, tomorrow I visit S-21 prison and the National Museum, according to my driver. On Saturday, I board a bus to Siem Reap for a few days at Angkor Wat. I catch a flight back to Bangkok on the 30th and immediately board another flight to Luang Prabang, Laos. From Luang Prabang, I need to make my way through Vang Vien, Vientiane, Nong Kai, and back to Bangkok by the 7th to catch another flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand on the 8th. I'm spending the weekend in Chiang Mai with a friend and then we're flying back to Bangkok on the 11th, followed by the night train to Chumpon and the boat back to Koh Tao for my birthday on the 12th.

That's about it for now, if anything really interesting happens that is appropriate to share with the internet, I'll surely post it here. Hope everyone back home is looking forward to the spring. Cambodia is just as hot as Thailand and I'm really looking forward to heading north a bit into Laos and Northern Thailand, I need a rest from the heat.

Still here...

My sincere apologies to those of you relying on this blog to keep track of my travels in Asia. The reason I stopped posting is two-fold really: drugs and whores; not sure what else to say.

Only kidding...seriously though, when I last wrote I was somewhat unsure of when I'd return home as I wasn't sure where I'd be in Asia. Well, I'm still living on Koh Tao (actually I'm currently in Bangkok, but I'll be returning to Koh Tao in a matter of weeks) and I'm going to stay there for the duration of my trip which ends with a flight out of Bangkok on the 23rd of May. I'm also taking a short trip to Cambodia and Laos over the next couple of weeks.

The primary reason I stopped updating this blog is really that my experiences in the past few months have felt less and less like traveling and more and more like everyday life. I go diving, play beach volleyball, go wakeboarding, bartend at night, etc...pretty much what everyone else in the world is doing.

Rest assured that I'll still have plenty of stories when I return to the states, it's only they are stories I'd prefer to relay in person rather than over the Internet. I hope all is well with everyone still checking in and, again, I apologize for being out of touch for so long.

Happy New Year!

Well, compared to Christmas, New Year's Eve was incredibly tame...thank God. Just a bunch of friends and a few beers, it's nice to remember a holiday for a change. It's been 2005 here in Thailand for almost 16 hours now but it certainly doesn't feel like it, I guess I need snow for it to feel like winter. Tons of tourists have arrived in the past two weeks and the island has become quite congested, there's actually traffic now (and by that I mean four or five motorbikes and a few trucks), and it's sometimes difficult to get a table at the popular spots. I'm glad I arrived here when I did; I don't know that I would have liked Koh Tao as much if I had first seen it overrun with tourists. I have plenty to say with regard to the new tourists, but I'll save it for when I can get back on the cheap internet connection.

For now, I just want to wish everyone a safe and happy 2005.

Alive and Well

Thank you to everyone who wrote me asking if I was ok; I am doing fine. Koh Tao and the eastern side of Thailand were completely uneffected by the quake and resulting tsunamis. Though, it's sort of frightening to think that I was in Phuket and Koh Phi Phi only a month ago and they are devistated now. Not much else to report, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their concern. See you in the spring.

Happy Christmas!!!

That's something I've heard at least 100 times today. Aparently the Thais like to combine Merry Christmas and Happy New Year into one phrase.

Yes, I know it's been almost three weeks since I've last updated this thing. That's largely due to the fact that things have been pretty static in since I've been on Koh Tao. Lots of diving (the visibiliy is improving quickly, for those who care), a little drinking (ok, a lot), but other than that, life has been pretty uneventful. That is, I suppose, if you consider waking up on a tropical island every morning uneventful. I've quite settled in to the Koh Tao lifestyle though, which basically ammounts to going out drinking every night and diving during the day...good times. It's late on Christmas night here and today started with me getting to sleep around 7 AM after last night's party (at some point during which I ended up taking a swim with some random people I met on the beach). Got up around 11 AM and some ex-chef friends made breakfast for a bunch of people. From there we went to the beach were we spent most of the day and followed it up with a trip to the usual bar. After 26 Christmases in upstate New York, it's a bit strange to be on the beach wearing shorts, flip-flops, and a santa hat but I got used to it pretty quickly.

What else is new? Well, I managed to fall off my motorbike a few nihgts ago, that was fun. Just a torn up ankle really, not too much damage to speak of, thankfully. It's a wonder I haven't fallen off the bike since then and even more surprising that only one of us (out of about 12) fell off a bike today...santa was good to us an brought us some really good luck. Aside from that though, not much is new. I now have about 50 logged dives and am really close to completing my divemaster training. I'm still going to stick around on the island for a few months after I finish; I just can't seem to tear myself away from this place.

Well, the beach is calling so I'll wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Best wishes to everyone freezing their asses off in the states, the water temp today was 85 degrees.

Three islands, two weeks, one hospital...A long overdue update.

Well, much has happened in the past two weeks since I last wrote. My apologies to those of you religiously reading this blog in hopes of knowing my every move. On the other hand, if you are religiously reading this blog in hopes of knowing my every move, it's called stalking and you might want to consider an new hobby.

Anyway, it's been a relatively exciting couple of weeks. It all began back in Bangkok, where I met up with Jen, an old friend from high school and her fiance Ben. I hadn't seen Jen in about five years, so it was some coincidence that we both happened to be on the opposite side of the world at the same time; she and Ben were here for a wedding. We spent a day or so around Bangkok, after which they headed north to Chiang Mai and I eventually headed north to Pak Chong where I had the experience told of in my previous entry. We made plans to meet up again in Phuket and then travel south together to Koh Phi Phi, an island off the Andaman Coast.

As usual, I waited until the last possible minute and walked into a travel agent expecting to be able to board a night train to Phuket that day. What I had failed to take into account was that it was right around the full moon, and everyone was heading south for the parties. The trains were booked solid for a week, but I could get a bus the following night. Knowing that it was a 12 hour trip, I was a little apprehensive about taking the bus, but it was either the bus or spend 1000 Baht more and fly. My traveler's thriftiness kicked in and I settled on the bus. Bad idea.

After boarding the bus near Khaosan Road (this was my first clue that the trip was going to suck) I was actually lucky enough to get a seat at the very front of the buss on the top deck. Things were going well at first; a bunch of young British girls were boarding the bus behind me and I figured I'd at least have someone interesting to talk with for the trip. This was not to be so. A stinky French guy also boarded the bus and the unhappy Thai girl seating people stuck this filth next to me; super. What made this even cooler was that the seats had no middle armrest, so I was now sitting in the transportation equivalent of a love seat with this guy who quite obviously hadn't showered since the days of Napoleon. The bus got underway and after an hour or so the French guy decided it was time to sleep...against me. The French haven't won a war in centuries and I wasn't about to let this douché bag (the accent is to identify this particular douche bag as French) win this one. A sharp shove from my elbow jolted him from his dream of hairy-legged women with condescending attitudes three-hundred years out of date. He then shifted to the opposite side of the seat which was preferable, but then began to snore.

At this point, I was nicely pissed and began silently cursing Jen for convincing me to travel to Phuket; all I wanted was to be back on Koh Tao, comfortably in my room. This was not to be, after all, we were in the middle of Thailand on a shitty bus with ten hours to go before reaching our destination. Thankfully, my iPod (which started working again shortly after arriving in Bangkok) was fully charged and I spent much of the rest of the trip listening to Metallica and the like, letting my temper stew.

I eventually arrived in Phuket and was dropped off at a travel agent of all places, sometime around 9:00 AM. Phuket, I'm convinced, exists only to extort money from unsuspecting western tourists. From the second I arrived at the travel agent I was assaulted with offers for hotels, resorts, diving trips, etc. I had no need for any of this since Jen and Ben were kind enough to offer me a bed in their room and the travel agent quickly lost interest in me, including helping me get to the pier when he realized he wasn't going to make a dime off of me. I eventually worked an over-priced taxi ride from him and made it to the pier.

The boat ride to Phi Phi was about two hours and was the perfect opportunity to calm my temper, which was still boiling from the stank-ass Frenchie and the con-artist travel agent. The seas were calm and the weather was near perfect, by the time I arrived in Phi Phi and met Jen and Ben, I was almost normal again, save for the fact that I still hadn't slept or eaten anything in almost 24 hours. Koh Phi Phi is absolutely gorgeous though, and after a few minutes in the pool at their hotel, I forgot I was ever angry about traveling there.

I had planned on only staying on Phi Phi for a night or two. I ended up staying four. My experience there is sort of cloudy thanks to ten too many Chang Beers (I'm convinced it's poisonous now), but once I pull the pictures off my cameras, I should have a better recollection. There was one particular incident that probably ranks in the top ten funniest things I've ever seen in my life, but I'm only mentioning here for posterity. I can't really describe it and even if I could it would only be funny to the people who were there, including once VERY confused Thai security guard who is now 1200 Baht richer.

I did manage to go diving on Phi Phi and while I didn't see any new fish, the underwater terrain was different enough from Koh Tao to make the trip very worthwhile. Jen and Ben also worked it so I could go snorkeling with the wedding party. It's funny telling people that I was there just because I happened to be in the area.

After four nights on Phi Phi, it was time to return to Koh Tao. There was apparently a storm brewing in the Gulf of Thailand so no travel agent on Phi Phi could get me all the to Koh Tao. The best they could do was get me to the mainland where it would be up to me to find my way back...after all, this is traveling. Once I got to the pier at Krabi I was able to book a boat to Koh Tao. I was adamant about it NOT being a night boat, since in the last few years, more than a handful of these things have sank. The woman at the desk assured me, no, she literally guaranteed that it would not be a night boat. I don't know why I was surprised when I got to Surat Thani and it was a night boat.

Night Train is track three on Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction album. After now experiencing the night train, bus, and boat in Thailand, I know why Axel and crew chose the train. Not only do Night Bus and Night Boat not have the same catchy ring to them, as real entities they absolutely suck. While my bus ride was made worse by the guy sitting next to me, I don't think he would have made the boat ride much different.

To begin with, the night boat is only about five feet high. So, in other words, unless you're Thai or of some other short bloodline, you can't stand up. You of course can stand on the open deck in the front of the boat, but that's where they put the pigs. Now, I know what you're saying, "Yeah, but dude, you've been with fat chicks before." True, but never one that was actually part of the genus Sus (Any Rochester people reading this will please shut their mouths now). With livestock up front, the "living area" was preferable, but only marginally so. It was really just a long room with mattresses on the floor. Now, while that doesn't sound too bad, these mattresses are at sea every night of the year in a non-air-conditioned cabin. The boat was thankfully uncrowded, so I at least had some space. I found a spot under a fan that seemed comfortable enough, laid out my sarong to hopefully act as a barrier between my body and anything growing in the mattress and began to read my book.

The boat left the dock and started on the eight hour trip to Koh Tao. I had read about fifty pages and was really getting into the story when the lights went out, taking the fans with them. I figured it was just a short power outage, but soon discovered this is how the boat works...it was now sleepy time. There was a slight breeze from the ocean coming in through the windows, so air was circulating, but barely. I again began to curse people, but this time the girl at the ticket counter who had guaranteed that I wouldn't be on a night boat and that the boat I would be on would be air-conditioned. Just when I figured things couldn't get much worse, my sarong started moving. I turned it up to find the largest cockroach I've ever seen. I flicked it with my book, only to see it come charging back at me. I flicked it again and it fell into the gutter surrounding the sleeping area; I never saw it again. Figuring I'd now entered the seventh circle of hell, I contented myself with the thought that things just now could not get worse unless the boat sank and that might actually be a welcome change. That's when the drunk (or high, I couldn't tell) Thai started yelling in his sleep and stumbling around the room.

When we boarded the boat, the westerners sat near the front and the Thais sat near the rear. I sat somewhere in between because this is where I could get the most space. This also meant that I was now the closest westerner to this guy who was obviously out of his mind. He began harassing the other Thais around him, who started yelling back in Thai. I knew if he came my way, I wouldn't have that luxury. Luckily, his friend persuaded him to head outside before he reached me. Three hours later this exact scene replayed itself...good times.

The boat docked in Koh Tao around 7:00 AM. I really hadn't slept or ate, so I wasn't feeling too great by now. I got a room here at Ban's and took a nap for a few hours. I got a bite to eat and decided that a dive might do me some good. I ended up throwing up my lunch after the first dive; curry hurts much more coming back up. I attributed this not to sea sickness, but to just being overtired and spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping on the boat deck, and then later in my room.

I woke up around 8:00 PM feeling like garbage. It was then that I took my temperature and found that it was 100.8. The doctor at my insurance company suggested that I take some Tylenol, get some rest, and see what it was in the morning. It turned out to be 101.5 and I was feeling positively awful. The same doctor then told me to get to the hospital on Koh Samui as quickly as possible.

I bought a boat ticket and by 3:00 PM I was on my way to the hospital. I hoped to be there by 5:00. When I got to Koh Samui, I told the taxi driver that I wanted to go to a particular hospital and was directed to a minivan. Thirty minutes into the ride, I reminded the driver where I wanted to go and he looked at me like I was speaking Greek, and I imagine if I had been speaking Greek, the result would have been the same.

After pointing to the hospital on a map in my Lonely Planet book, I found out that not only had I boarded the wrong minivan, but that we had been traveling in the opposite direction the entire time. I got off at the next resort an arranged a taxi back towards the hospital. The only problem was that there were three hospitals between where I was and where I wanted to go, and, thanks to a pre-arranged fare, the taxi driver tried to get me to go to each of them. I insisted and eventually arrived at Samui International Hospital at 7:00 PM, my fever and headache raging.

I won't go into the rather disgusting details of the hospital visit, but the doctor determined that I had a bacterial infection in my stomach, probably from dirty ice or water, but it was impossible to determine. I was prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic and released, with no idea where to go. It was too late to get a boat back to Koh Tao and I didn't have a clue where to stay. I wandered around for about 45 minutes until I found a guesthouse that had an available room. It turned out to be a nice place and I immediately fell asleep and caught the boat back to Koh Tao in the morning.

I've been on Koh Tao since, and have been feeling better every day. The antibiotics are working their magic and I feel like I'm about 100% again. I've made a few more dives, I think I have around 30 now. Some divers saw a couple of whale sharks at one of the dive sites a few days ago, I'm hoping to see it as well soon. I'm thinking about taking a diving trip to the Similan Islands with a few other DMTs next week. Apparently the diving is just about as good as it gets anywhere in the world and the visibility is something crazy like 40 meters; it's only about 5 meters right now on Koh Tao. It will be on a live-aboard boat as the Similans are almost entirely uninhabited, so it should be an experience; 14 dives in 4 days...more good stuff.

In other news, I've rented a (real, with a clutch, no more scooters for me) motorbike on a monthly basis now, and I'm currently looking for a monthly rental house. I think I'll be able to finish my DMT by the end of January, but I'll probably stick around through February just to do some more diving. In March I'll head back to Bangkok, store a bunch of my stuff and then head north to Chiang Mai, Pai, and then Northeast into Laos. I'm looking to travel from Vientiane, up the Mekong River through Vang Vien to Luang Prabang. After that, I'll head back down to BKK, and east to Seam Reap to Angkor Wat for a few days, then down south to Penom Phen and back to BKK. I'm quite sure I'll be broke by then and will be back in the US by early April; I'm hoping to be home by my birthday on the 12th.

I hope everyone is well, where ever you are. I'm sure I'll get to write some more before the holidays, but if I don't, I'm wishing everyone the best.

"The penises could not be recovered."

This article in yesterday's paper caught my attention, probably because of the last line: Man arrested after two boys mutilated

One of the overriding principles that I've tried to abide by while I'm Asia is to not piss off the locals. The above article I think demonstrates exactly why I was scared shitless riding in a taxi driven by a pissed off Thai, which is something I'll get to shortly, but first an update.

I'm still in Bangkok, again at Suk 11. As I write this, it's 4:30 AM, I'm three large Chang Beers (a lovely concoction of wheat, yeast, hops, and formaldehyde) deep, and the mosquitoes are feasting on my exposed flesh; I pray the doxycycline does it's thing. I also hope my loyal readers appreciate the dedication with which I post to this blog. Anyway...

On Tuesday, I headed north to Pak Chong to the Greenleaf Guesthouse (http://www.greenleaftour.com) to take a guided tour of Kaho Yai National Park. It was a pretty standard tour. I saw things like birds, lizards, elephants, lots of bats (hopefully I'll get the video of this online soon, it's unreal), and an amazing sunset where we saw the sun essentially fall out of the sky...very cool. I also got to swim in the waterfall that they filmed in The Beach; sort of kitschy, I know, but it actually was a pretty neat spot that would have been nice even without the Hollywood recognition.

What made the trip especially memorable, however, was the family running the guesthouse and tour. I imagine it's rare that one meets people who truly restore one's faith in humanity, whatever that means. I've met a number of incredibly hospitable Thais since I've been here, but my tour guide Nine and his wife Nam (I'm sure I'm slaughtering the spelling and pronunciation of their names) undoubtedly take the top spot. I'm not going to bore you with the details of their niceness, just trust me on this fact. The story why I feared for my life is probably more interesting anyway.

After the tour was over, Nine and Nam drove me to the bus station. Once I got there, I purchased my ticket for the 9:40 PM bus back to Bangkok and I decided to call my parents and let them know I was leaving Pak Chong. Only then did I realize that I didn't have my newly acquired cell phone...not good. To make matters worse, I didn't know my own number, so I couldn't even track it down. I decided that I must have left it on the table at the guesthouse where I had been downing a few Changs before I left (the stuff is poison, I tell you). The cool thing about Pak Chong is that very few westerners frequent the town, and thus, very few people speak even a word of English. This makes for a fun and interesting afternoon of navigating the town, but makes it difficult explaining to the woman selling tickets that you have lost something. After a few minutes of me trying to pantomime the loss of a cell phone and requesting a taxi to take me back to the guesthouse, she arranges for a large and somewhat surly Thai taxi driver to transport me from and back to the bus station for the sum of 150 Baht, about $3.75. Incidentally, since I have my loaded pack with me, I ask if I can leave it at the bus station. This is one of the things I love about Thailand, I don't think I'd even contemplate leaving most of my worldy possessions at a bus station in the US.

A few minutes later I'm sitting next to the aforementioned Thai in an early 1980's Toyota Pickup truck, heading back towards Greenleaf, and expecting to find my cell phone sitting on the table where I left it. After a 15 minute ride, we arrive at the guesthouse and to my dismay, there's no phone in sight. The staff at the guesthouse and I had gotten along very well during my stay, so they all enjoyed a good laugh at my expense, especially when Joe, one of the guides, asked me for my number. We deduced that it must have fallen out of my pocket in Nine's truck and Joe called him to confirm.

While Joe was on the phone, some of the other guests asked me what the phone looked like and my stomach tied in a nice, neat knot. Since this was a used cell phone, there were certain customizations shall we say, including screen graphics, that were already installed on the phone when I purchased it. I had chosen one pre-installed graphic that I thought was sort of funny being on a used Thai cell phone and certainly unique. The problem was that the graphic I had chosen was the words "Fuck You" in clean text. I could imagine Nam picking up my phone from the seat of the car and being greeted by this message...I began thinking of how badly I had just violated my policy of not pissing off the locals. Sure enough, Joe hung up his phone and let me know that Nine had found mine sitting on the back seat of the truck.

To compound the apparent situation, the taxi driver who I had assured would only have to wait a minute, had by then been waiting for about five minutes and was clearly agitated. Sweet, I'd now violated my rule twice in about ten minutes. Joe said that Nine was only a few minutes away, and relayed this message to the taxi driver, which seemed to calm him down. Twenty minutes later, Nine pulled into the parking area of the guesthouse, both he and Nam pointing at me and laughing good heartedly. Luckily I had locked the phone before I got in the car, so the screen wasn't visible...one nasty beating avoided.

Now the issue of the taxi driver. Once he saw that I had my phone, he walked over and a heated exchange between him and Nam took place. The entire time I'm thinking that no matter what happens now, my dead body is being dumped somewhere along the road between Greenleaf and the Pak Chong bus station. Did my travel insurance cover repatriation of my remains necessitated by my own stupidity? After a few minutes Nam said I would have to pay the driver 200 Baht to get back to the bus station. Twenty minutes of inconvenience was worth just $1.25? Only in Thailand.

We drove back toward the bus station in absolute silence, my only movement being an occasional glance at an obviously pissed off cab driver. "Well done, jackass," I thought to myself, "you're going to get stuck with a rusty screwdriver any moment now." Thankfully, no screwdriver emerged and I made it back to the bus station without any lacerations. I gave the cab driver the extra cash I had in my pocket and apologized profusely in English, fully aware that I could have been reciting the graphic off my phone and he wouldn't have known the difference...it was all in the tone and I was quite obviously embarrassed, very afraid, and rather grateful. Eventually he cracked a smile and I was off to catch my bus back to Bangkok, cell phone in hand and appendages still attached.

While I'm on the topic of my cell phone, anyone interested in shooting me a quick phone call or text message can reach me at: 66.9.4467.6299. For those of you keeping tabs on my whereabouts (Mom & Dad), I'll likely be in Bangkok until Wednesday, then down to Koh Phi Phi for a day or two to meet some friends, and then finally back to Koh Tao.

Pictures galore...

Two posts in one day, yeah I know, I'm bored today. Actually, I'm just WAY over budget at this point, so I'm laying low for a little while. Fortunately, I was able to get some pictures online:

Flying out of LA into the sunset


Thai Royal Palace


Canal in Thailand, nice to see they keep it clean


My first room in Bangkok


A really pissed off viper at the snake farm


Typical street in Koh Tao


The first nice thing I saw after spewing off the catamaran


My first room in Koh Tao (on Koh Nang Yuan)


Koh Nang Yuan from the top


I'm not one for postcards, so this is what you all get


The Thais are very modest people, apparently "When in Rome" doesn't apply to Israelis


My room on Koh Tao


The main highway on Koh Tao (and a glimpse of my motorbike)


One of the side roads on Koh Tao (most of the roads are like this)


The view from one of the bungalows on Koh Tao

Now, by shampoo, do you mean shampoo, or "shampoo"?

I'm back in Bangkok and went to get a hair cut yesterday. In any other country it should be a non-event, however this is Thailand, so a different set of standards apply. It's well known that most massage spots and salons also dole out happy endings, the trick is actually finding a legit place to get a hair cut. I got a recommendation for a place from the Internet cafe I'm currently using, which as far as I can tell, is an only Internet cafe and not a brothel. An older woman did the cutting, so I figured I was in the clear; despite it being Thailand, I couldn't imagine she was in the sex trade...anymore.

After the hair cut she says, "You want shampoo, it free." Now, truth be told, there was a sign on the wall saying that for a limited time, you could either get a shampoo or a shave included in the cost of the haircut (which, incidentially, was about $3.75). I figured that was below the cost of sex in Bangkok, and that combined with the woman's age made me think that I was in the clear. It's then that she tells me to get up and go to a different chair, one behind the curtain. I'm more than a little dubious when a young girl walks out to escort me over to the chair. Not wanting to jump to conclusions or offend anyone, I hesitate but follow. The girl has what looks like shampoo so I sit down and place my head over the sink. She begins to wash my hair, but it's more of a head massage with shampoo...good stuff and totally legit.

After three applications of shampoo and/or conditioner, I'm starting to wonder if this situation is going to escalate to one I don't want to be in. I mean, I've now been at this place for over an hour and I've agreed to pay fewer than $4. After the shampoo, she leads me back into the initial chair, and begins massaging my neck and shoulders...again, good stuff and totally legit.

After that, she leaves and goes back to reading her magazine and the woman who cut my hair returns and asks if I enjoyed the massage. I give an afirmative reply, and then she asks me if I want a full massage. In broken English, she starts saying how some girls like to do more than massage, but I can't tell if she's referring to some girls in Bangkok or some girls in her shop. I've had enough at that point, so I paid my 170 Baht tab, thanked her, and left. In retrospect, I believe that the shop was legitimate, but one can never be too careful in the land of smiles.

The day before, I was close to being involved in an international incident. My visa had almost expired, so I had to make a visa run to Burma. It's a technicality that some people have been doing every thirty days for many years...it also should be a non-event. Well, this is me, in Thailand, and of course it couldn't be that simple. The process should be:

1. Go to Thai Immigration in Ranong and get an exit stamp and a little piece of paper stapled in your passport which gets stamped in Burma.
2. Walk to the Pier, pay $5 US and get on a long tail boat, for a 30 minute ride to Burmese Immigration.
3. Hand your passport to the guy on the boat, he goes to the office, gets an entry and exit stamp from Burma, and then you return to Ranong, Thailand.
4. Return to Thai Imigration, show the the stamps from Burma, proving you left Thailand, and then they give you a new entry stamp and another 30 days in Thailand.

This was my experience: We arrived in Ranong after a harrowing ride in a minivan through the mountians of Thailand. Picture the curviest road you've ever seen, rut it with potholes, throw gravel all over it, make it two lanes, post no speed limit, and allow passing wherever you want. Now drive it in a minivan, rapidly. Michael Schumacher would be proud of our driver.

Once in Ranong, we (a Swede and a Dane were also making the run) went to Thai Immigration and, interrupting a televised Thai boxing match, got our exit stamps. We walked down to the pier and had to pay $5 US, which goes straight to the Burmese Government, or Junta, if you will. When you purchase your visa run ticket, the travel agent asks if you need a $5 bill, I declined since I still have a bunch of US dollars. Well, what they don't tell you is that the dollars need to be fresh-from-the-Treasury perfect. I had $18 in singles, and only three of them passed the visual test of being unmolested enough to give to the Burmese. Making this situation worse is that I had originally taken $5 out of the over $600 in US bills I have with me. When they wouldn't accept the first 5 bills, I had to go fishing in the wad of large US bills for singles. I can tell you that I've never been so nervous in my life seeing twenty Thai fisherman eyeing a knot of US cash worth more than they make in a year. There was no way to be discrete about it either; I couldn't very well walk away, since they guy already had my passport. Luckily, they eventually said I could pay in Baht, so 300 Baht later (about $7.50) I was on the boat to Burma.

The "crew" on the boat considted of one deaf Burmese guy running the motor, another Burmese guy who had our passports, and boy who looked about seven handing out cokes, he was also trying to sell us Viagra...go figure. Anyway, we took the "big" boat and left the Thai pier. It was only after the boat started to run aground did they realize that the tide was going out and we'd have to return and take the other boat, a covered long tail with a gimbal mounted motor.

On the way back to the pier, the guy with our passports starts inspecting mine. The first thought that crosses my mind is that he's wondering how much a US passport would fetch on the black market, but after a few moments it becomes clear that he's looking for my exit stamp, which Thai Immigration never gave to me...not good. If I had actually arrived in Burma with out the stamp, I doubt the Burmese would have cared, they got their $5. The fun would have started when tried to reenter Thailand, without leaving leagally. Luck was on my side since the tide was heading out and I had a chance to run back to Immigration and be real charming in order to not arouse suspicion, I imagine that immigration officers don't like being told they screwed up...loss of face and all.

The rest of the trip was, thankfully, without incident. We made it over and back before the tide went completely out (another boat wasn't so lucky and actually was beached on a sandbar) and once again found ourselves at the Immigration office getting an entry stamp and a fresh 30 day visa.

At 27 meters underwater, blood runs green.

Found this out first hand yesterday. I was on a fun dive with a few others and we were swimming through a small underwater tunnel, or at least that was the plan. Everyone one I was is far more experienced than I am and they had little trouble swimming through a pitch black tunnel infested with sea urchins. I was ok with the sea urchins and the enclosed space, even if it was 90 feet below the surface, however what really freaked me out were the "things" on the rocks. I'm not sure what they are, and I couldn't get a clear answer from anyone here, but imagine a clam embedded in the coral that, when you get close to them, close up. Now, it's cool to see while you're swimming, but it's not cool when you put your hand in on upon entering the aforementioned tunnel. Suffice it to say, I was a bit unnerved by the experience, and by the shooting pain in my finger. As I backed out of the tunnel, it was a sight to see my finger oozing greenish-brown. It's really a small cut, but I'm milking it for all its worth since it's my first diving injury.

I decided to take the day off from diving today, largely motivated by a massive hangover. It's like spring break here, every day. On an island in the Gulf of Thailand, when you're not diving, you're very likely in a bar getting pissed (yes, I'm still hanging out with Brits). For the people that live and work here, the steady flow of travelers ensures there are always people looking for a party. I can see how people enjoy this for a few weeks, even a month or more, but some people I've met have been here for almost a decade...that's dedication.

Interesting statistics: The leading cause of death on Koh Tao is motorcycle accidents, the second is falling coconuts. Why is that interesting? Well, as I understand it, we're in coconut falling season right now and I've recently rented a motorbike. I like to live on the edge, what can I say? It's funny, on an island where I estimate there are at least 2000 motorbikes, there are maybe 5 helmets that I've seen. Luckily the bike I have is barely faster than a bicycle, so it should keep me out of trouble. What really amazes me though, are the Thais who can balance a family of five (including an infant and a dog) on a motorbike as I cautiously wobble by, barely able to keep myself up. It's taking some time to get used to driving on the left-hand side of the road too, and every so often I find myself instinctively on the right...luckily oncoming traffic hasn't found me there.

When I first arrived in Thailand, I had no clue what I was going to do for seven months. I'm looking at my seasickness as a fateful event. Since deciding to sign up for the Divemaster Training Programwith Ban's, my schedule is somewhat more concrete. This is also somewhat directed by my budget, which has been grossly modified since paying for diving classes and some diving gear (this whole "traveling light" thing went out the window yesterday when I bought a mask, fins,and a wetsuit). I'm leaving Koh Tao on Saturday and heading to Burma to renew my Thailand visa. From there, I'm going to head back to Bangkok, and pick up my stuff that I left in the guesthouse and also pick up a cell phone. I thought I'd enjoy being out of touch for awhile when I left my phone in the states...not so much, and not havinga cell phone here is about as rare as it is in the states. I'm also going to rent a house on Koh Tao when I get back (1 bedroom houses here go for about $125 a month), so there's little point in storing stuff in Bangkok. After a brief stop in Bangkok, I'm probably going to head south again, but to the Andaman Coast and Koh Phi Phi for some more diving. They're in high season right now, so the water should be clear and the weather near perfect. We're in monsoon season on this side, so the visibility under water hasn't been that great (maybe 10 meters at best) and it does storm for about an hour every day. I'll probably spend a week or so on Koh Phi Phi, and maybe headout to the Similan Islands too, budget permitting. After that, I need to be back in KohTao and will have to really start the Divemaster program. I'm hoping to finish the program sometime in late January or early February and then spend another month traveling around Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. After that, I'm sure my money will be long spent and I'll be ready to return home. I'm hoping to be back sometime in March.

So, while it won't be the seven-month trip I had initially planned, thus far few things have gone according to plan and I'm having a great time.

It's frightening to think that I may need to save someone's life.

It's even more frightening to thing that I supposedly have the skills to do so. Earlier today I completed my Rescue Diver course. It was definitely one of the more difficult things I've had to do since I've been diving, but it's still scary to think that someone with only 11 dives can be certified as a Rescue Diver.

Then again, my notion of what's safe has certainly shifted in the few short weeks I've been in Asia. For comparison, things that wouldn't even be considered safe at a traveling carnival assembled by gas-huffing grade school dropouts in the US are the norm here, and yet-for some reason-I feel safer here. From the riding in a Tuk-Tuk in Bangkok traffic to sitting a few feet from a spitting cobra at the Snake Farm (I have great pictures from this), it's refreshing to be in a country where the belief in fate determines what's safe (everything), rather than lawyers.

Would you get in this thing in rush-hour traffic in New York?


Along with the general lack of litigation-motivated safety concerns here, there are a many other aspects of this country that have continually impressed me. One thing that has characterized almost all the Thais I've met is their infectious smile. Everyone seems to be happy here. I can't think of the last time a 7-11 employee in the US seemed not only willing to talk, but happy to do so.

Also, despite the lack of tipping almost across the board in Thailand, restaurant service is always pleasant. One thing I will say (that no guide book I've come across has mentioned) is that when you order food in Thailand (be it a Thai restaurant or otherwise), your food will come out when it's ready, and very often the appetizer will follow the meal just because it took longer to cook. You also have to ask for the check...always. The first few meals out were interesting, as I sat there for at least an hour, expecting the check to come and chalking it up to bad (yet still friendly) service. Little did I know that it's typical to ask for the check at the register; thanks Lonely Planet.

Finally, one of the most enjoyable things about being here is that the Thais seem to bring their children to work with them quite often. I've seen this in restaurants, museums, and even at the Royal Palace. It's nice to have smiling children almost everywhere.

Anyway, now that I've completely gone off on a tangent, I'm going to put this to bed. With Internet access charged by the minute, please excuse any redundant or rambling thoughts above; I don't have the time to really proofread these posts as I should.

Despite his nationality, Jacques Cousteau knew what was up.

Four days, nine dives...good stuff. As some of you know, I'm STILL on Koh Tao, and very likely will be for the foreseeable future, save for visa runs. I've taken quite a liking to this diving thing. So far, I've been as deep as 32 meters and have done one night dive, in addition to several other dives. No more sea sickness to speak of, but there were a few dodgy moments (can you tell I've been hanging out with Brits?), what with the 3 meter swells yesterday afternoon; luckily I wasn't the one booting over the side. The visibility underwater hasn't been great, and we've had two rainy days, but being underwater is nonetheless amazing. I just completed my Advanced Open Water course, and will start my Rescue Diver course tomorrow. After that, I'm planning on beginning my Divemaster course, which will take me at least a month to complete. The Divemaster certification requires a minimum of sixty dives, and many schools encourage you to end the course shortly after you complete sixty dives (as all your diving is free while you're in the course). Ban's however, is very flexible, and I spoke with one instructor that did 250 dives in his Divemaster course.

In other news, I continue to be amazed by this country. It's stunningly beautiful when it's not raining, and even then it's not so bad. The one thing I'm not getting used to however is the heat. It was probably close to 90 today, and the humidity was very high...pretty much a normal day. The water temperature is in the low 80s on the surface, and in the high 70s on the bottom. Since I'm in a room without AC, it's a relief that my bathroom doesn't have hot water. Whoever though one would look forward to a cold shower? Sadly, the relief doesn't last long with a room that's 80 degrees; perhaps that's why I look forward to getting into the water every day.

Oh, I guess there's two things I can't really get used to...the food. Try as I might, I can't really get myself to a point where I'm looking forward to eating Thai food. I've found certain dishes that are quite good (I'll surely miss the chicken skewers and pancakes-not at the same time-from the street vendors when I'm gone), but I feel like I'm cheating myself by just ordering the same thing night after night; it does give the waiters a good laugh though. Most of the time when I feel adventurous with the menu, I end up feeling hungry after the dish is served. I don't mean to disparage Thai food, as I'm clearly in the minority, even among westerners. I'm sure the more time I spend here, the more I'll find to enjoy. For now, I'm quite happy that it's easy enough to find a cheeseburger, Snickers bar, or pack of Oreos when I feel like it.

That's about it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the fall; I'll admit I'm a little sad that I won't get to see the leaves change this year. That said, I do get to swim with reef sharks and barracuda, so I guess it all evens out in the end.

Getting back on the horse.

After my slightly discouraging introduction to the sea and three days of beach relaxation, it's time to get back on the water. Koh Nangyuan was great, but was really straining my budget at $35 a night for a beach bungalow. It's funny how quickly one's concept of what's expensive acclimates to a new environment. The pricing of items in Thailand is somewhat odd, I can get a great room for $12.50 a night in Bangkok, eat for less than $5.00 a day from street vendors (and they serve great food...mostly), but if I want a Coke, it's $1.50. Beer, even Thai beer, is also relatively expensive at about $2.00 a bottle.

Anyway, with fresh motivation to get back on the water, I'm currently at Ban's Dive Resort (http://www.amazingkohtao.com) on Koh Tao and will begin my PADI Open Water SCUBA course tomorrow. I'll probably be here for five days, after which I'll return to Bangkok (with a possible side trip to Burma to renew my visa) and again be at Suk 11; being away from that place feels like being away from home already.

At this point, it looks like I may cut this trip to about four months, for various reasons. Seven months was ambitious from the start, and it's not something I think I was prepared for. It's not so much being away from the states, but the constant moving around; it's a pain. Of course, I could find a place that I really like and stay for a month or more, and in that event, I may be gone until May. However, if I'm just moving from place to place every few days, I don't think it's what I want to be doing for the next six months. I'd much rather return home with some of my finances intact, allowing me to travel again to another destination (probably Eastern Europe) in the spring.

I have a much more defined itinerary now, and it will at most take me three months to complete. After that, I have a few specific day trips I want to take around Bangkok and then, who knows. As I've already seen, plans can change rather quickly, although I don't know that I'll put myself in what I'm calling the Perfect Storm of really rough seas, smelly travel companions, and an abysmal French movie. Two out of
three are tolerable, but all together, who wouldn't have vomited?

Rough Seas + High-Speed Catamaran = Gross

Well, it was my intention to make it to Koh Samui, but that's not happening. I'm currently in Koh Tao, the first place I could get off said catamaran, after spending the first fifteen minutes of the journey inside watching a crappy French movie (oxymoron?) and then spending the remainder of the journey throwing up off the stern of the boat. I got off at the first place I could. I'm not sure how long I'm going to be on Koh Tao, but I have no desire to return to the sea anytime soon; unfortunately it's the only way off the island...sweet.

UPDATE: I'll be staying at the Koh Nang Yuan Island Dive Resort (http://www.nangyuan.com/) for the next few days. It's a little bit out of my original budget, but it's too perfect:



I figured I'd treat myself to something nice, after enduring the journey described above and trying to nurse myself back to health with a steady diet of Gatorade and fruit flavored Mentos.

Heading down south.

Well, after five days in Bangkok, I'm ready to move on. It's amazing how the heat and relaxed nature of this place saps all motivation, which explains the lack of an updated in the past few days. I was planning on leaving Bangkok on Friday, but decided to stay through the weekend. It's a minor extension, as I've met some people who have been staying at the guest house for almost two months; I figure I should move on before I do the same.

I'm going to be taking an overnight bus to Chumphon, and from there a catamaran out to Koh Samui. I'm planning on staying in Koh Samui for a few days and then traveling up to Koh Phangan for the October Full Moon Party. While not really my scene, I've been told that, like Carnival in Rio or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, it's one of those things you should see at least once in your life. I'll probably only spend four or five days in Samui, after that I'll head back up to Bangkok and then out to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat; I should be back in Bangkok on 7 November.

What do we get for ten dollars? Everyting you want. Everything? Everyting.

Ok, two days down. Most of the first day was spent wandering around the neighborhood in a jet-lagged daze, the rest was spent sleeping. I did have one interesting encounter however. I was walking across a parking lot, trying to find a place to grab some food when I was approached by a tout. He was about the tenth that had approached me that day, so I was more or less prepared to decline the taxi ride, tuk-tuk ride, or invitation to his cousin's silk shop. Sure enough his first offer was: "Taxi?" I declined and was presented with his counter-offer: "Girl?". Sorry to disappoint some of you, I declined that as well. You've got to love a country where the natural progression of things is from transport to sex.

Today I took the water taxi to the Royal Palace. I wish I could post some pictures, as the place is rather spectacular. I'm trying to find a way to at least get a few up on the web. It's 5:30 PM and it's nap time, nasty effects of jet-lag.

Sawadee!

Well, after 24 hours in the air, I'm here. It's 4 AM and it's as hot and humid as DC ever was. I'll be chilling at the airport for five more hours, picking up some traveler's checks, and then heading out to the guest house. So far, things are going well, just not much to report except for some mild turbulence over the Pacific and a woman in LA who tried to convince me to carry her bags on the plane; no Broke Down Palace moments for me, thank you. Oh, and my NEW iPod decided to crap out somewhere over the Rockies so I passed some of the time on the plane watching Dodge Ball in Taiwanese. That movie doesn't loose much in the translation, a dodge ball to the groin is funny in any language.

Take only what you need to survive. - Lone Starr

What can I say, Bill Pullman is a prohet. Now I just need to figure out why I'm not following the man's advice. With fewer than 24 hours before I'm airborne over the Pacific, it was time to assemble what will be the sum of my possessions for the next seven months. I also wanted to catalog everything I'm taking, hoping it will make the insurance claim process a bit smoother, should one of my fellow travelers decide his need for my stuff exceeds my own. Until now, I hadn't actually put everything in one spot and I was rather shocked to see exactly how much crap I'm going to be portering around while I'm abroad.



I'm assuming that some of this stuff will be in a Bangkok trash can by the end of the first week. I've gotten conflicting stories on sneakers, some say they never wear them, others say they won't leave home with out them; since I wear them pretty frequently at home, I'm taking an old ratty pair that I won't mind tossing. You're probably asking yourself why the hell I have an airport giftshop's worth of paperback fiction before I even leave home. I'm wondering the same thing. Initially I had three novels, in addition to the guide books. A well-traveled friend suggested those would last me a week. On his advice I ventured once again to Borders and picked up a few more titles.

What I'll be reading on the road:

John le Carre. The Little Drummer Girl
John le Carre. The Tailor of Panama
John le Carre. Single & Single
John le Carre. The Constant Gardener
Robert Ludlum. The Matarese Circle
Robert Ludlum. The Matarese Countdown

Also, what I'll be listening to on the road: iPod Library

Now comes the task of packing the bag, I'm estimating the load at about 35 lbs., less weight than one usually takes for a 3+ day camping trip, so I think the load will be completely manageable. That said, I know I'm bringing too much stuff and I'll probably use fewer than half of the things I see as necessaties right now; luckily storage in Bankok is dirt cheap, and trash cans are free.

My next post will very likely be from the other side of the world. I leave Albany at 7 AM EST tomorrow and I land in Bangkok 31 hours later. I'm planning on crashing in the airport the first night (see http://www.sleepinginairports.com for a rather amusing look at the world's airports), as I have no desire to attempt to navigate Bangkok at 3 AM. I can check into the guesthouse (http://www.suk11.com) at 8 AM and after some food, I'm hoping to have enough energy to get out and see the city, rather than sleeping. Having never traveled through this many times zones before, I'm not sure how the jet lag is going to effect me, so this is all very tentative.

T-minus one week and counting.

Sitting here fixating on the Costco-sized bottle of Doxycycline before me, the enormity of this trip is starting to sink in. For well-seasoned travelers, this journal should provide a good laugh as you watch me prepare, rather blindly I might add, for seven months away from everything I've known for the past twenty-seven years. For the rest of you, I hope that my experiences and associated commentary are at least mildly entertaining, as they should provide a guide for what not to do when quitting your job and making a pell-mell decision to wander the Orient.

That said, I hope I'm at least starting off on the right foot. Attenuated Salmonella typhi has been ingested, Hepatitis A injected, and Cipro and the aforementioned Doxy obtained; if nothing more, I should be protected should I run into the 'thrax on the road. On a side note, I chose not to get a rabies vaccine, but as one friend put it, "it is one of the cooler terminal illnesses", so no worries there. I've also spent the better part of two months researching, purchasing, changing my mind about, and returning what I'll loosely call "travel gear"; that term defining everything from an iPod to The North Face pants.

Now, most experienced travelers will tell you to not go out and buy all new stuff as it's going to get crudded up or stolen, and that almost everything you can buy at home can be purchased cheaper at your destination; I say screw them, what do they know? Personally, I'd rather regret spending $20 on a t-shirt at home than be forced to wear a $2 Hello Kitty t-shirt because it's all I could find at the moment I need to change out of my elephant dung stained shirt in Phenom Phen. There is, of course, a certain irony to the $20 t-shirt:

That's about it for now. Since there's only a week left before I leave the East Coast, I'm going to start updating this journal regularly and hope to do so with the same frequency while traveling.

What the hell was I thinking...

Done and done; tickets are purchased, there's no turning back now. EVA Air Flight 0075 touches down in Bangkok at 1:40 AM on 20 October and, barring any Brokedown Palace moments between LAX and Taipei, I'll be on it.