Home?

21/04/2012 11:27 AM

Through security at Udon Airport, got about an hour to kill before my flight; I’ve still yet to understand Air Asia’s policies on having to check in two hours before you’re flight even for domestic flightls like the one I’m on. 

Looking forward to getting to Bangkok; I'm not really sure why, I don’t particularly like the area that I stay in but it’s cheap and relaxing. Maybe its more the fact that I know its the last night I’ll have to spend in a hotel in Asia. I’m not saying I’m not enjoying this, in fact I'm saying the exact opposite; but the last few days have just felt like waiting, transport, waiting some more, transport, a night in a hotel with nothing to do. Anyways, it will be nice to be back in Bangkok, I know exactly where I’m going to stay and I’m going to try for one of the four busses that leave BKK airport to save some cash; hopefully that will work out, otherwise I’ll just find some other people going to the same area and share a taxi. 

Not particularly looking forward to the ride in; it will probably be longer than my actual flight given that it will be rush hour.... not that rush hour really ever ends in Bangkok. But nonetheless, I’ll be happy to get in. 

All for now.

24/04/2012 5:11 AM

I’m home.... well at least, I'm back in Canada. I’m staying at my uncle’s for a night before spending another night with my grandfather to show him all my pictures and whatnot.

So the last time I check in was in Udon Thani.... that seems like ages ago. My flight from there to Bangkok was easy, and I ended up taking the train in from the Airport to save myself some time and cash. That one night I had went by pretty fast, repacked, did a bit of last minute shopping etc etc. 

Took a minibus to the airport for B150 which was easy; both my flights were swell; I flew with Emirate airlines, and had exit rows for both my flights. This worked out well. All I'm going to say is that Xanax makes long flights a Lot easier to deal with.

Well I left Asia about three days ago... and have been back for 12 hours at this point in Canada. I was expecting it to take about a week for me to start missing Asia and wishing I was back there.... But well, I think I am already wishing I was back there; back in Lao on a motorbike or in Myanmar is a crappy hotel... anywhere really. I miss Asia.

25/04/2012 9:36 AM

So I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll keep this blog going once I get back to my real life; I suppose a lot of it will depend on whether or not I have time and energy... looks like I'm going to be pretty busy this next year.

Any who, I'm in Ontario, near Bellville; I spent last night and most of yesterday with my Grandfather at his retirement home to show him some pictures and tell him some stories of my travels. I have not seen him in a while and I'm not sure if I will make it up to the cottage this summer as Il be busy with both school and work. So I figured, even with jet lag and whatnot, now was a great opportunity to see him. I’ve been a bit bored hanging around this home; it’s a slightly different pace of life than I’m used to but, it’s nice to see my grandfather, so no complaints. I’m really hoping to make it up to the cottage this summer as there is a LOT more to do there. I feel confined here and this place somewhat depressing.... I think that is the weather though. Its bleedy cold out so I'm feeling a bit confined.... something I haven’t been used to over the past few months. Went for a bit of a walk this morning, but with only flip flops and a hoodie it’s pretty chilly. I’m not a fan of this time of the season. I can deal with -20 degrees Celsius with snow and ice and I can deal with 30+ degree plus weather, but this rainy, 10 degree cloudy, windy weather is just depressing. I was hoping to come back to either snow or heat. I guess I can’t get everything I want. Anyways, Montreal seems to be a bit warmer, but it really doesn’t matter; I start classes in 5 days so maybe its better this way. 

I’ll grab a train back to Montreal tonight around 5:00 PM which will get me in around 8:00 PM so that will be easy. 

Well, it’s been nearly 48 hours since being back in the country and well, I’m ready for something new. For now, that “something new” is going to have to be full concentration on school. I can’t afford to take the time off to travel until I'm done my undergrad degree, so the sooner that is done, the sooner I can get back on the road. Given the fact that I’m changing majors altogether, it may be two years if not more before I’ll have anytime.... wow that’s a depressing thought. 

For now my focus is school. The better and faster that goes, the sooner I can get back on the road.  Besides, I’ve got to get my motorbike license!! In Québec, that is a freaking pain in the ass, so I think that’s going to be a side project for when I get some free time.

I do not think I will go back to working at the Restaurant; as much as the money is great, I can’t deal with the environment and do well in school at the same time. Instead, hopefully il be doing some office type work which will hopefully make me some cash.... not that I really need anything. Things should be straightforward this next year.

I’ll be living at home and all my classes are at the Loyola campus which is about a 15 minute walk from our house and there is a brand new gym right across the street from it. So it seems like the next year at least will consist of school, study and the gym. 

It is weird being back, and I'm still trying to write a conclusion or some sort of summary about my travels in Asia, but I don’t think the reality of it has really hit me yet. To be honest, I still don’t feel like I’ve just come back from spending most of four months in Asia. I’m still adjusting and I think I will be for a while; but life is definitely going to be different... things already are. Some night in the near future I will write my thoughts on it, but it may require copious amounts of alcohol and some free time... something I don’t have right now. We’ll see. 

All for now!

Udon Thani ....... BOOOOOORRREEEDDD!!!

20/04/2012 2:48 PM

Wow Udon Thani is big! It’s like a mini Bangkok... seriously! Especially where I’m staying, is like the mini version of Khao San Road. Wish it wasn’t so damn hot though, id like to go walk around. I’m gonna give it a few hours and hopefully it will cool down. 

So yesterday was nice, did not end up doing that much, however, I did get to see central Vientiane, and from what I saw, I quite liked it; French cafes, tree lined boulevards, bookstores; it was nice. Most of my day consisted however, of going out for about 30 minutes at a time and having to find somewhere to cool off; the heat is exhausting. I’m glad I made the decision to head south by bus rather than fly straight out of LP... even given the long bus ride. Dinner with Tom and Ann never happened last night, they got off work late last night after a long day and didn’t feel like making the hour long commute into town at night. Completely understandable! Fortunately, Tom was around town this morning so I got to chat with him for a while before heading to my bus for Udon Thani.

The bus ride itself was very easy, relaxing and there were no issues with the border whatsoever. It left at 10:40 and I arrived here by 1:00 PM so no complaints.... I think it was also probably the nicest bus I’ve been on since being in Asia. So that went well.

I’m currently staying at Top Mansion which is conveniently located right next to the bus and train station, as well as in the centre of the bar district, not that I have any intent on going out tonight, and should not be more than a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride from the airport tomorrow. 

Price vs. Quality, this is probably one of the best guest houses I’ve stayed in. Its about $12 a night, full AC, Digital TV, king-size bed, mini fridge and my own private balcony. There is wi-fi, but because I opted for the farthest room in the back, to my understanding it get rather noisy in the front at night, I don’t get it in my room... which isint really an issue.

So that’s about it for now, not much else to say. This is my second to last night in an Asian hotel... So yeah. That’s it!

Oh something I forgot to write about; random coincidence: I ran into Manichan; the woman who owns Manichan Guesthouse... the place that was my home away from home in LP, while I was in the bus station in Vientiane. She is also off to Bangkok via Udon Thani. Nice to see a familiar face; she was on a different bus however, so I doubt ill be seeing her again, but it was nice bumping into her nonetheless.

I’ve just stepped out into my balcony damn its hot out! Still, I’m going to go wander around I think.

20/04/2012 5:30 PM

So just spent the last couple of hours wandering around this town, I should probably call it a city, but whatever. Not all that interesting; glad I'm only here for one night. It really is pretty much just a mini version of Bangkok minus the traffic. The area that I am in, I'm not sure, but it pretty much consists solely of massage parlors, salons, bars, hotels and restaurants.... I guess I'm in the tourist area. Anyways, will be happy to get on my flight tomorrow, however, going to have to find something to do in Bangkok for a day.

BOOOORRREEEDDDDDD

All for now!

340 KM - 12 hours bus ride - the beginning of my journey home

19/04/2012 7:11 AM

So morning number one in Vientiane, havnt really got a feel for it yet. I’m somewhat annoyed by my hotel given that I emailed them three days ago telling them when I would be here and for how long, yet they seemed to have misplaced my reservation and now may not be able to promise me a second night there which will involve me changing hotels.... rather irritating to say the least. Nonetheless, it is a nice hotel located in the centre of Vientiane. So I'm not really complaining, just somewhat irritated.

Not much interesting to report on yesterday.... Twelve hour bus ride from Laoung Prabang to here; nothing very interesting; pretty much got to my hotel and went to bed.

I’ll spend today wandering the town and hopefully meet up with Tom and Ann at some point. I’ve also got to head over to a bus station to confirm my bus to Udon Thani for tomorrow. 

All for now!

19/04/2012 8:23 AM

So I’ve now had my coffee and wandered the town a little bit.... its bloody hot here. It was already 30+ degrees at 8 AM. I walked over to the bus terminal to book my ticket to Udon tomorrow, however, I cant book until the day of, which is kind of annoying, but whatever; LPDR. I quite like this city, out of all the Asian cities I’ve been to, I think I could imagine actually living here. Its got that fantastic mix of great French cafes with strong coffee and flaky, buttery croissants.... going to have to do a lot of walking today to burn off those calories. Damn it is hot!

I’m somewhat bummed that I only have one day here; but I think I made the right choice to stay in the North longer and sacrifice the time here. I’m not entirely looking forward to today.... I just feel like I'm waiting around for the rest of my journey to get home... but id best get used to it as its going to be another 4 days of this. Not sure what I’ll do today, probably wander the city, it’s supposed to hit 52 degrees Celsius, so that may prove unpleasant.

All for now

Elephant Camp and My New Friend Stampi!!

17/04/2012 3:14 PM

Shaking hands with a monkey!

I really am on the countdown at this point. It really is setting in. To be honest, at least after today, I’m not entirely ready to end this journey. I’ve had, to say the least, a wonderful morning/afternoon.

Yesterday I booked an elephant excursion which I was somewhat hesitant about given that I'm not generally into touristy outings, but this was fantastic. I woke up at my regular time, around 6 AM, went for my morning walk around the morning market, had breakfast and was picked  up at my guesthouse round 8:30. There were five of us altogether, 2 girls from Finland, as well as a couple from the UK currently living in Sydney. So we arrived at the elephant camp just after 9 and we were introduced to our elephants. Since we were an uneven number, I ended up with my own elephant, which worked out fantastically.... I named him Stampi... obviously. 

Stampi Laughing

A bit of background: there are around 15 elephants at this camp, all Females, except one young male, who is kept separate. They have all been rescued from abuse and mistreatment by locals who use them in the lumber industry. They range in age from 6 years to 37 years old. The reason they are all females is the simple fact that they are easier to train and more sociable around people. There is a plan in the future for a breeding facility, however, they believe that the majority of the elephants they care for have been mistreated so badly that they will not be able to reproduce. As unfortunate as it is, they currently have pretty much the best life possible. Each elephant has her own Mahout, which is her caregiver as well as her driver. They each do two 1 hour rides per day, and the rest of the time are kept well fed and bathed daily. They eat about 250 KG of Bamboo per day, so the upkeep is relatively expensive; they are so well fed in fact that one elephant, nicknamed Hangover, is rather obese and is currently on a diet. 

My elephant, who I named Stampi, was only 8 years old so she was young and called naughty by her Mahout, however, I had no issues with her. So we arrived, met with our elephants, and got onto them.

Now, the elephants are mounted with a seating platform for two people, somewhat akin to an old fashion rollercoaster car, with massive amounts of padding between the wood and their back. First, I started out sitting on the seat, but after some convincing, the Mahout let me sit on her neck and “drive” her. She behaved quite well aside from the occasional blast of water at me from her trunk. It was fantastic.

Riding Stampi

After the ride, you can buy bananas to feed to the elephants... you get about 30 bananas for $1 so I fed her quite well, along with a few other greedy elephants who couldn’t resist. 

After this we took a boat ride upstream to see a waterfall, that well, isint really a water fall during the dry season, but the boat ride was nice and was interesting to see nonetheless. Upon returning from our boat ride, we had lunch, some veggies, curried beef, salad and rice. After this we were free to do as we please for a few hours. 

The compound has a few other sites, including a monkey, currently awaiting transport to a new home, as well as a classic car collection and a swimming pool. After meeting with the monkey, literally... we shook hands; I headed over to the pool. This was the icing on the cake for this excursion. Imagine a huge pool, with a waterfall, Jacuzzi, and pool side bar that overlooks a beautiful river. So we relaxed there for a few hours, and then headed back to LP.

enjoyable afternoon

So here I am; its my last night here, I'm kind of sad, I really like this place and don’t particularly move, but its time for a change and a return to the real world.

Tomorrow I will get on a 10 hour bus ride to Vientiane at 7:15 AM and spend two nights there. Sooo not really looking forward to tomorrow, but what can I say? This afternoon I will just spend packing and picking up a few things here before moving on.

All for now!

Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired

16/04/2012 2:32 PM

So I have not been writing much lately. Not really sure why... guess I just have not been in the mood much.  Last time I checked in was in Phonsavan about 3 days ago. So I’m back in LP at this point just relaxing. Slept in today, had a late breakfast, went for a massage, got a shave and haircut. Nothing too interesting; I do think I will miss being able to get a shave and a haircut for just a few dollars though... far more than cheap massages which don’t really do much for me.

So the last three days.... I road to Sam Nuea in Northeastern Lao which I’m not sure is entirely worth visiting. The roads are beautiful and the landscape it stunning, but to be honest, all of Northern Lao that I have seen is nothing but. Maybe that’s the reason I have not been writing much.... there simply isint anything to say. I’ve already described the beauty of this country and how much of an amazing experience I am having. The pictures are literally all the same... another reason I have not posted much. 

So I arrived back in LP a day early yesterday. I had originally planned to stop in Knong Kiew for a night to chill out, but I just was not feeling it; the route I have planed out was pretty much three 150 km days... which means that I arrive at my destination around noon with not much to do other than walk around a village that can been taken in in about 30 minutes. So I opted to ride from Vieng Thong, which you might even have trouble calling a village, back to LP in one day. It was 300+ KM but the last 100 was a larger highway, which means going faster. I stopped in Knong Kiew for a little while and had some great Indian food, then headed back to LP. Arrived on the last day of the New Year, so obviously, I got soaked on the way from the outskirts of LP to my hotel. This is also another reason I don’t have many photos from the last few days; my camera has been tucked away inside my bag to avoid getting drenched. 

Anywho, it was a nice ride, and its always nice to get back to Manichan in LP, which has, for the most part, become my home away from home. Yesterday I got in around 4PM completely exhausted and did absolutely nothing other than have an ice cold beer, watch some TV and fall asleep. 

Tomorrow, I’ve organized a half day elephant excursion which I have somewhat mixed feelings about. I’ve heard from other guests that they’ve had a blast doing it, so I’ve got to assume it should be good. Riding an elephant is also one of the last things I have yet to cross of my to-do list while in Asia. 

I have organized my bus to Vientiane on the 18^th. It leaves at 8 AM and should take about 9 hours if the weather is good. I’m hoping to have dinner and possibly stay with Tom and Ann while there, but to my understanding they live about 30km from the city so this may prove unpractical. We will see. From there, Il head to Udon Thani for a night and fly back to Bangkok on the 21^st. Not entirely sure how many nights I will spend in Vientiane either one or two. I may end up spending two simply because il probably be pretty exhausted after the bus ride. 

So I think I’ve finally hit the wall. I think I’m finally ready to come home. Traveling had been amazing and I never want to stop, but I need something concrete for a while. I’ve had it pretty easy here and havnt had any major issues, but I'm tired. Tired. Time to come home. While I say this now, I know within a week of being back home I’ll wish I was back here. But it is time to head home; time to head back to reality; time to get back to the real world.

All for now