Buses, Planes and no trains :(

So the fastest and pretty much only way to get to Luang Phabang was by local bus that took over 10 hours to get there. Pretty drive, lots of mountains...but it was 10 hours in a bus :D

We were joined by our friends that we made on the jungle trek, once we arrived a Luang Phabang at 9:oopm and the 5 of us set out looking for a guesthouse. None of us had made any reservations and they were all pretty much booked!!! Even when we found one guesthouse that had a room they tried to charge us double, triple the price of a regular guesthouse room. We started to get worried, we must have tried 30 or so guesthouses until we reached one called Spicylao. It was a dormitory style guesthouse and they were charging an okay price, so we took it! Then we had some food and Lisa and went to sleep because we had to catch a plane the next afternoon to Bangkok and we wanted to see some sights!

Early in the morning Lisa and I got up to go see the "Big Buddha" we walked around town and then climbed the 343 steps to see the Buddha and his footprint. It was an awesome view of the Mekong River and all the mountains. It was a nice town! Then we had a little bite to eat and caught our plane with Bangkok Airways. It seemed to be a great flight and very friendly staff. Once we arrived in Bangkok we didn't know how we were going to get from there to Krabi (where we wanted to be). We were hoping to take the overnight train, but even though we were there hours before it left, it was booked FULL!! Lisa was sick and didn't want to sit in another bus for 12 or so hours, so it looked like we were staying a night in Bangkok. We booked a flight for the next afternoon with a travel agent with Thai Airways(super nice airline)!!

We got up in the morning and headed off to do some sightseeing in Bangkok. We went to the Grand Palace and got to see the Emerald Buddha! We also took a longboat tour of the canals and we saw some monitors. Amazing!! Then we caught probably the scariest flight of my life to Krabi. It all went well right until we were gonna land and then we hit some crazy turbulence that I have ever experienced. (I must note that I am not a nervous flyer, it takes a lot to shake me up) We were bounced around quite a bit, I will elaborate at another time. Nevertheless we landed safe and sound (Lisa and I were happy)! We stayed that night in Krabi at the city hotel. It was the start of a week with no hot water :S

Cheers,
Kendra

Trekking in the Jungle

So Monday morning we set out with our group (which was mostly Canadians amazing!) to the National Park of Nam Ha. Our guide's name was Ket and he was wonderful! We stopping at one of the Akha hilltop tribes to start out journey. Everyone there all gathered around to stare at us, it was interesting. Then we started our climb. I didn't realize at the time, but our hike today would mostly be uphill. We climbed for about 5 hours up the mountain, stopping for short breaks and we had lunch in the middle of the jungle on bamboo leaves. Once we got to the campsite our guides went right away to preparing some yummy dinner while we made a fire. Once night fell there were so many stars!! It was beautiful. Dinner was ready and we ate by candlelight. It was really something! We slept in tents and the noises of the forest didn't keep me awake, I feel asleep immediately.

We woke up the next morning and went on a short hike around the campsite before breakfast and we almost saw some small deer, but they caught wind of us and ran away before we could see. It was a gorgeous hike though. Once we were back and ate breakfast, we packed up and starting our hike back down the mountain. The guide warned us about it being stress full on the knees, but I had no idea until we were almost finished the hike. My knees were killing!

We stayed one more night in Luang Namtha before leaving in a really nice teak guesthouse! So comfy!

Sincerely,
Kendra

Laos

We traveled 5 hours yesterday to Chang Khan right on the border of Laos. We missed the last ferry across the Mekong River, so we stayed the night in a nice cabin right on the river. Had a yummy dinner in a garden restaurant. I had stir-fry chicken and ginger, yum! This morning we got up early and crossed over to Laos and had no problems. Except now we have to take a local bus instead of the minibus to Luang Namtha. (two hours extra) We have some time to waste, so we aren't too concerned. Tomorrow we are doing a two day trek through a National Park. Gonna be a crazy next few days, but it looks amazing in the pictures! Until then take care!!

Love,
Kendra

Chiang Mai

So we arrived in the morning after spending the night on the train to Chiang Mai. It is quite a nice city. We are in the quiet part of town, both Lisa and I love it!!!

Coming off the train we meet another girl traveling named Amy from Portland, Oregon. We team together to find a guesthouse. (which is really affordable!) We spend most of the day walking around the old part of Chiang Mai and talk to a Monk for about a half hour. We also had some tourism students come by and ask us a few questions for their assignment. It was really interesting to hear about Buddhism and their life. Then we made our way back to the guesthouse as we had planned to do a cooking class. The name of the cooking school was Bahn Thai!!! (The same name as the restaurant behind my mom's house at home) AMAZING!! We cooked for three hours and made some delicious food! We got to choose 4 dishes. Chiangmai Noodle, Papaya Salad, Green Curry Chicken and Stir fry Prawn with curry. We also made our own Red Curry paste. MMmmMMMM of course we got to taste test after we were done. It was alllllll so good, but the Chiangmai Noodle was my favourite by far!

Today we did a tour where we got to visit some hilltop tribes, see a waterfall and ride an elephant. It was all day long and we are quite tired. At first it was just three of us; Lisa, me and Matthew who is from the UK. First we get to see the elephant camp. We had bought some bananas to feed the elephants and the one we were riding had a baby that followed us. It was so cute. Then we went to the Karen Hilltop tribe and then the waterfall. The water was too cold to swim in, but we took lots of pictures and dunked our feet in. After that we went to another hilltop tribe and then lunch!! Which was some soup and then a rice plate. I don't know what it was called, but it was very good. After lunch we went on a bamboo raft ride that lasted an hour or so and we had a great guide who continuously splashed us with the cold water. At the end I was happy to get into dry clothes again. Lisa and I ate at a vegetarian restaurant tonight where I had Phad Thai for the first time here and it was soooooo good. The restaurant was also a second hand bookstore where I bought "The Client"! I am very excited to read it, it has come highly recommended :D

We are off to Laos tomorrow so I won't be writing for a few days. We are going to go trekking in one of their national parks and then the plan is to fly to Krabi in Southern Thailand. I can't wait for this week. Time is flying!!!

Cheers,
Kendra

A departure from Bangkok

Lisa has arrived!! We spend a night in Bangkok relaxing and looking at some of the markets and then we are off the next morning!

First we head to the train station for Ayutthaya (Thailand's old capitol) were we stay one night at a place called Tony's Place. It was amazing!! Hammocks everywhere, quiet! Very different to Bangkok. There we rent bicycles and ride around looking at the ruins. It was such a nice day as well. A little scary riding around with all the traffic, but we did alright. I tired some fried chicken with ginger and pepper. I liked it enough, but it's no match for my red curry mmmMMmmmMm.

The morning we wake up and we take our time checking out and we then make our way on the train to Lop Buri to see some monkeys. So exciting!! We get in alright and store our bags so we can roam the city free. We have some navigation problems as I decided to leave my Lonely Planet in my bag at the train station. Lop Buri isn't very big and we find the ruins with the monkeys with a little scenic tour of the city ;) The monkeys were great to watch and be around for a little bit. Then we had a couple of hours to kill before catching the overnight train to Chiang Mai, so we found a night market (which was PACKED!) and sat a little bar, drank some beer, etc. Had a little bite to eat. Then we moved on to the train. All the sleeper cars were sold out, so we sat in second class seats. It was just like sleeping on an airplane :S

Now we are here in Chiang Mai with lots to do and lots to plan, I will write more when I get the chance!!

Love,
Kendra

Lazy Days in Bangkok

Saturday and I am exhausted. I finally sleep all the way through the night and I am still tired lol
Jet lag is my friend right now. I lay around for the good part of the morning and then I finally get out of bed and get moving!

I book a room for Lisa and I for Monday night as it is their busy season and as I believe I mentioned before it's not quite the easiest to find the cheapest place right off the bat. Then I make my way along the canal to the National Theatre. I have it in my head that I am going to see some sort of live performance tonight. I get to the gates where the theatre is and there are doing some construction and I am not quite sure if it is open to the public or if I can waltz right in. As I am debating at the gate a Thai woman carrying a violin case comes up behind me and says "you can go in". She guides me through all the construction and asks if I want to see a performance and I nod my head. She takes me all around the building until we are in an open park and I find myself "backstage" with all the orchestra, dancers, singers, etc. She points to where some people are sitting on blankets and lets me know that is where I am to sit. Now, I am not about to be impolite, but I wasn't dressed appropriately at all!!! Note: I just thought I would get some information, then return around 8pm for a performance. I currently wearing a tank top, shorts and open-toed sandals (a big no no for theatre). I am not about to be impolite so I go and I sit down. Most Thai people around me are wearing shirts with sleeves and long pants, but I do see the odd farang (word for foreigners) around me that are wearing the same garb. I figure well it's not quite a night performance inside the theatre so I should be alright. My host did come by after a few minutes and let me know I could pick up some food at the stalls on the side. How nice!! I thanked her over and over. Then someone came by selling tickets for the performance and it was 60 cents!

The performance started just before 5pm and I stayed for about 2 hours. It was amazing!! There was traditional Thai dances (one called Khon) with masks and elaborate costumes. There was singing. Some in English they sang "The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music". Though I am not sure why they chose that one.... It was just what I wanted and needed to see. I took lots of pictures for sure!

At night I decided to be a little more adventurous and order some food that I might not have otherwise. Margaret had suggested I eat Tom Yung Soup (spicy soup) with chicken or shrimp. So I ordered it with shrimp annnnnnnnd it wasn't bad, but not my favourite. So on the side I ordered spring rolls for the first time and O MY GOD!! YUMMY!!!! My favourite by far and will probably have another order today for dinner :D

BTW they do have lots and lots of pizza here.... I haven't tried it yet, but I do want to before I leave. MMMMmMMMMM pizza!

Hope all is well!!

Love,
Kendra

Shopping in Siam

I decide today is the day to check out the big malls in Siam. Boy did I see some mall! One mall holds a opera theatre, a cinema, and a place called Ocean World (which from the looks of it is just like Sea World) which is located in the BASEMENT!! Crazy. I think I will check it out at the end of my trip, because today was dedicated just to shopping. I walked two malls all day until my feet hurt. At the former mentioned mall they were having some kind of ceremony for the military and at one time they blocked off a part of the mall, I think the King might have been there, but I am not sure. I also got check out a dance studio. I wanted to take a class so badly, but they didn't speak a lot of English and I was informed I could only pay for a month of classes, not just a day :( I ate some delicious sweet and sour chicken with rice though. I love the food here!

Day one in Bangkok

I wake up for my first morning in Bangkok! Ready early ready to go and walk around. First order of business... find breakfast. I was warned that there are some strange things for breakfast so to ere on the side of caution I stick to a Westerners breakfast. Then I am off to walk around for the day. I check out some different areas of Banglamphu and then I make my way to the canals to start looking at some temples. First one I stop off at is the Temple of Dawn Wat Arun. There is beautiful, probably one of the tallest ones they have I would say. There I walk around and in front of the statue of Wat Arun a Thai man teaches me how to bow properly for good luck. He was very kind. Then there is another area where you can climb one of the parts of the temple. It is very tall and very steep. I only go about half way up as I am afraid of heights :D But the view was amazing!! You could see so much and I took lots of pictures. I was not the only one that decided not to climb all the way and I had much company. lol

The I went across the way to Wat Pro(sp?). To the temple of the reclining Buddha. I had no idea what to expect, but it was very beautiful. It's the 2nd largest in Thailand and what makes it special is the mother of pearl design on the feet. You could only enter from one side and I heard all this clanging on the other side that I couldn't see and I didn't know what was causing it. It turns out that you can make a donation and they give you a cup of pennies(or what would be the same in Thai money) and you put them in all these alms cup lined against the wall. I bought a cup for sure. I try to leave something at every one.

Next I went on in search of another temple where I heard that they do mediation classes there and the Buddha who runs them can speak flawless English. By this time it is quite late in the day around 4pm. I get there and there isn't really anyone around and all the signs are in Thai. I had someone direct me to the Temple, but it wasn't clear where the classes are, so I think I will return another day.

I explore the area a little more and then return to my neighbourhood for some dinner where I take my time, check my email and then go to bed! What a great day!!

Arrive in Bangkok

Bangkok is great!! I arrive with no problems at 2pm on the 14th and I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I hadn't book a room, but I wasn't worried. I take an Express Bus (the AE2) to get to the end of town where all the backpackers stay. Not entirely the reason why I was going to this particular part of Bangkok, but a part of the allure. I sit beside an older English school teacher named Margaret who had been to Thailand quite a few times before and really helped me out with some pronunications and also some idea of what to order at the food stalls on the street. I was so happy to meet her and have her help me out. Got to our destination under an hour and then it was time to find a place to stay. It wasn't as easy as I hoped, most places were full, but I did manage to find a cheap and clean place to stay. Yay! Bangkok is everything I imagined it to be. It is crowded, but everyone here is very nice. By this time it is 8pm and I am tired. I shower and then I go to bed.
Can't wait to check the place out in the daylight!

Goodnight from Bangkok!

London's Calling

So I leave for Bangkok on Monday afternoon!! But first I have a 15 hour layover in London at Heathrow. I decide to make a break for it. I only got 1 hour of sleep on the plane ride over... big mistake!! ha ha I sit beside a lovely Scottish lady from Burlington too, what a coincidence!

So we arrive at 6am London time and I rush outta there so fast and head to Green Park station by subway. I am tired, but ready for a crazy day and what a day it was!! I started with Buckingham Palace.. gorgeous!! They had cancelled the changing of the guard because it was wet. It wasn't raining, but it had been all night. That's alright tons to see. I buy a ticket for a hop on, hop off bus tour of London. I hop on and the tour guide is amazing!! I see Big Ben, Parliament Buildings, London Eye, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, where I hop off to walk around and check it out. I spent a couple of hours seeing everything, got to see the family jewels (insert joke here). By the time I am done I am soooooo tired I am dragging my butt around. I think that lunch will remedy the situation and so I get a sandwich at the cafe. Then I hop back on the bus where I promptly fall asleep. I wake up to the bus driver announcing this is the end of the line and couple of older ladies across from me giggling, which makes me think maybe I was snoring. ha ha Then I hop on a different bus to take me to Notting Hill, where I get lost. I had a good idea of where I was so I walked about a half an hour to the next underground station where I take the subway back to the airport. I arrive at the airport and get back in no problems. It is about 5pm and I have so much time before my flight which is good because I find a comfy bench and sleep until about 8pm. lol good times good times.

I load my plane for Bangkok ready to go... can't wait!!