Day 12, 13 & 14 – Chiang Mai (Via Khon Kaen)

Day 12 – Travel to Khon Kaen 

 

Bus to Khon Kaen from Vientiane

Cross Roads

Day 12 & 13 were travel days. We started to make our way back into Thailand to head toward Chiang Mai in the north to catch our flight to the beaches in the south on the 25^th. There was no direct way to make the 585 mile trip so we decided to to go via Khon Kaen, in the Isan region of Thailand to check out a slice of life in an economically thriving city in the poorest region of Thailand. 

  Seven and Half Hours in Khon Kaen

Temple in Khon Kaen

We pulled into the Khon Kaen bus station at 12:30 PM after our 8 AM departure from Vientiane (4.5 hrs, $6) and noticed we were the only non-Thais around. Not a bad thing. For one, that meant cheaper prices for food and transportation. It also meant an opportunity to see how middle-class Thais live and and pass the time. We took in some temples and then headed to the center to check out Khon Kaen's shopping district and caught a bite before heading back to bus station for our last long distant bus journey – an overnight bus to Chiang Mai (12 hrs, $15). 

  

Ta-Da!, Cooking in Chiang Mai

Day 13 – Cooking Class

 Still recovering from excessive bus travel, we decided to pass on doing the classic overnight trek into the hill tribes (a bite touristy anyway) and slowed our pace. We picked an activity that required no moving – cooking! We signed up with a reputable outfit ($ 27, 5hrs) and learned about key ingredients of Thai cooking and the techniques to make a killer green curry, stir fry chicken with cashews, pad Thai with an egg twist and other delicious creations. The best part of the course – you eat what you make!

Day 14 – Temples and a Chat with Some Monks

Chiang Mai is loaded with of temples. We strolled the streets to check them out and even chatted with some monks. Apparently, the secret to a happy life is “living in the moment.” 

Learning the Secret of Life

 Day 15 – Travel to the Beaches!

Time to leave the dusty roads of the north and head the beaches of Thailand. With bus travel behind us, we caught a flight ($ 70, 1.5 hrs) to Phuket to begin our beach hopping in the Andamen Sea.

Day 9, 10 & 11– Travel to Vientiane (via Tha Khaek)

Two Days of Bone Rattling Travel

 

Time to leave paradise (for now) and head north to Vientiane (505 miles!) by bus. The plan was to break the the 17 hour trip to Vientiane in Tha Khaek to check out a 7 KM river cave. But, it was too expensive ($150 for 2 people) and we decided to skip it and head for Vientiane first thing in the morning.(Map)

Ordinary Bus, Laos

Half Ton of Rice

After a couple of attempts to withdraw some local currency (kip) from an ATM, we had to wait for a local bank to open to do the transaction. With a pocket full of kip, we headed to the bus station to catch a VIP bus to Vientiane. No luck. We missed it by 15 minutes and only “ordinary” buses were making the trip. We coughed up the kip ($ 6.25, 7 hrs) and bordered a beat-up bus with no air conditioner and a half a ton of rice stacked two deep in the bus. To get to a seat, you had to literally climb on the rice sacks and jump in to your seat. 

Lao Meal, Meatballs?

At 5:30 PM, we roll into Vientiane, a city with some serious air pollution issues. Covering your nose and mouth while traveling in an open air tuk-tuk was not an option, it was a necessity!

After two days of hard travel, Maya pick one of the most expensive hotels in the city, ($50 a night). Our room was bigger then our first NYC apartment and had a view of the Mekong River!

Our Room in Vientiane

Maya surveyed our surroundings for massages ($6 an hour) and I picked a place for dinner. After two days of eating soup with unidentifiable ingredients, I did what any New Yorker would do – found the best pizza place in Vientiane! 

Yum - Pizza!

Time for some Temples

Buddha, Buddha, Bill

In our our only full day in the capital, we decided to take in some temples. The most impressive was Wat Si Saket, which is the oldest in the city and houses over 2,000 silver and ceramic statues of Buddha. 

Japanese Food in Vientiane

Japanese Food in Vientiane? Yes, and it was a very good Japanese restaurant (non-sushi). We had the house special and called it a day. 

Next port of call Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

Day 7 & 8 – Travel to Si Phan Don, Laos/ Exploring the Island

Lao's Southern Border with Cambodia

Paradise in Laos!

After 10 grueling hours of travel along dusty roads in remote parts of Cambodia and Laos, we checked into a hut ($26) with a view of the Mekong River – pure paradise! We had a hot meal on the Mekong and hit the hay at 7:30 PM. 

En Route to Paradise!

Exploring Don Khon/Don Det

The day started with 2 Advil, a shot if DayQuil and my first dose of Cipro. Not sure if was my first Lao meal or a bug I caught on the plane a week ago getting worse, but I was definitely did not feel a 100%. But that did not deter me from exploring Don Khon & Don Det. 

Water Buffalo, Mekong River, Laos

We rented bikes for the day ($1) and peddled through rice paddies, water buffalo, farmers and swaying palm trees. We ended the day on the “sunset” side of Don Det for a beer. 

It's Beer Lao Time!

Day 5 & 6 - Travel to Sen Monorom/Walking with Elephants

Mini Van to Sen Monorom

On the road again at 8AM. This time we took a “mini bus” from Kratie to Sen Monorom ($8, 4.5 hrs).Our guesthouse manager warned us that the ride would be tight, but we experienced was ridiculous. We were driven in a van that seated 14, but the driver managed to pack in 25 people!

Sen Monorom Waterfall

When we got to Sen Monorom we booked our elephant experience with the Elephant Valley Project and checked into our guesthouse ($10). We took in some local scenery (Sea Forrest) via moto and called it a day.

Lunch Break

Walking With Elephants

Is there something behind me?

Motos picked us up at our guesthouse at 7::30 AM and took us deep into the Cambodian jungle, where elephants were being rehabilitated from abusive owners. We spend the entire day with 6 magnificent elephants.

Day - 4 Travel to Kratie

Waiting For Connecting Bus to Kratie

Day 4 was a travel day. We bused it from Siem Reap to Kratie ($9, 9 hrs.) We passed through “Spiderville, ” a region in Cambodia that eats deep fried tarantulas but we did not come across hawkers of the delicacy. But we did find fried crickets! 

Bus to Mekong River, Kratie

Did we try the crickets? You betcha we did. Not as good as a silkworm, but not gross either. They tasted a little like a greasy mushroom with a crunch!

Kratie is know for its beautiful Mekong river sunsets, but we arrived too late and missed it. We headed to the elephant region in far eastern Cambodia (Sen Monorom) early in the morning so we”ll have to catch a Mekong sunset in Laos.

Angkor Wat

 Our Tuk-Tuk Driver

We hired a personal tuk-tuk driver for the entire day ($20), who took us to Angkor Wat and a silk farm. The structure took 27 years to build and was completed in 1140. It is one of the oldest continuously used religious structure in the world. The entry fee was a hefty $20 for the day, (locals get in for free!), as sees 2 million visitors a year. 

Warding off Evil Spirits

Angkor Wat, Main Gate

Silk Farm

Boiling Silk worm Cocoons

Do you know how silk is made? I didn't, but I do now and it is very labor intensive.

The silkworm, which only eats mulberry leaves, spins a cocoon in five days so it can metamorphosis into a moth. But, to make silk, the silkworm cocoons are put out in the sun for about 7 days so the silkworm dies before becoming a moth. I'm not entirely sure why, but if a worm becomes a moth, the silk cocoon is damaged and cannot be used for silk. Each cocoon makes 400 meters of silk.

 Once the cocoon is baked for 7 days, it is ready to unraveled and put on to a spindle. To get the silk strands separated from the cocoon, they are placed in hot water to loosen the thread. Once the cocoon is entirely unraveled, the dead worm is cooked and ready to be eaten! Yes, Maya and I tried one (flubbed the video of this) and they taste like corn!

Day 2 – Bangkok – Siem Reap

We got off to a early start our second day and headed to Thailand's largest bus station (Mo Chit) and caught the 10 AM bus to the Thai/Cambodian border, $7.25, (4.5 hrs).The border crossing was relatively painless and took an hour. 

Bus To Thai/Cambodian Border

Once in Poipet Cambodia, a gang of taxi drivers rushed us quoting prices to Siem Reap, the gate way to Angkor Wat. Weary of their credibility, we politely declined and started walking to the taxi stand about a kilometer down the road. 

Poipet Cambodia Border

However, one persistent taxi driver followed us (in his Toyota Camry!) as we walk, lowing his price to $25 from a starting point of $40. The price was attractive, but after walking 10 mins in the blazing sun with our backpacks, we finally gave in and jumped in the taxi.. Once in the taxi, the 2 hr ride was actually pleasant. Rural Cambodian life whizzed by with the AC blasting while we chomped on Thai 7-11 snacks. 

Our Poipet - Siem Reap Taxi Driver

We reached Siem Reap at 5:30 PM and checked into our guesthouse for two nights. Siem Reap is a bustling tourist center 6 kilometers south of Angkor Wat. The streets are lined with commerce and tour services. 

First Cambodian Meal, Amok

After a Cambodian meal, a stroll through the night market and a 20 min “fish pedicure" we retired to our $ 20 night room to recharge for a full day at the Temples of Angkor. 

Day 1 – Acclimation

Canal Taxi to Chitlom

Not even in S.E.A for 24 hours and we are already behind schedule! Because we had to wait for our luggage to catch up with us, we were forced to spend an additional day in BKK. OK – so we made lemonade out of lemons. We took the opportunity to explore BKK and get some shopping in under our belt. Wide awake at 7 AM, our first order of business to buy replacement clothes and toiletries in the backpacker district of Khaosan Road until our luggage arrived. 

Thai Designer Handbag Maker

Once refreshed, we headed to Bangkok's upscale shopping plaza by canal taxi where Maya was in search for a one-of-a-kind Thai designer handbag.

  

After 3 phone calls to Air China to get a handle on when our bags would arrive, they arrived 24 hours later, at 12AM. Our journey into Cambodia/Laos can finally begin!

Arrival (Sin Luggage!)

After 8,900 miles and 20 hours of travel (NYC => Beijing => Bangkok), we arrived at our destination at 12:30 AM local time sin checked luggage! Air China was not apologetic in the matter and dutifully filled out paper work and informed us that our baggage would arrive the following day on the 6 PM flight. When asked what should we do in the meantime, they replied “wait.” 

Air China,  747

 Ugh!

But after a few Yan Jing and amp-ed up for our 25-day adventure through S.E.A, we jumped into a taxi and headed to our guesthouse to unwind in our “Deluxe” room. 

State Beer of China

Well, that was the plan.. When we got to the guesthouse at 1:45 AM they told us that they were out of “Deluxe” rooms and stuck us in a “Standard” room. The difference was minimal (smaller & no TV), but I booked and paid for the room 5 months ago and notified guesthouse that we would arrive after 1 AM. Needless to say, this slip of service didn't help our mood.

Packing

Our Luggage, Two 70 Liter Backpacks

Packing is an art form. It is an exercise in finding the right balance in what you will absolutely need (deet) and what you what you will probably not need (waffle iron) to travel comfortably. A good place to begin is by making a good packing list – here is ours: 

Toiletries &  Medication

Entertainment:deck of cards, flying ring, Nitendo DS; Electronics: netbook, camera, mini HD camcorder, plug adapters; Medication/First Aid: Advil, NyQuil/DayQuil, ciproflaxn, Sting-Eze for insect bites, Imodium, Rid, Tums, Alka-seltzer, Band-Aids, gauze, scissor, leech tweezers, Deet, water purifying tablets; Toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothbrush/paste, dental floss, sun block, Q-tips, hand sanitizer, razor, shaving cream, toilet paper, microfiber travel towel, laundry bag , sink plug, fingernail clippers, cotton balls; Clothes: army pants, cargo shorts, t-shirts, pjs, bathing suit, pullover, socks, gloves; Shoes: walking shoes, flip-flops; Accessories: sunglasses, contacts, bandana, hat, money belt; Tools: guide book, maps, alarm clock, flashlight, luggage lock, gorilla tape, zip lock bags (large & Small); Bedding: pillow cases, sheets; Other: address book & batteries. 

Did we forget anything?

Blogging the Trip

Our Blog Hardware

Why blog? The short answer is - because we can. The technology exists, we have the hardware and the desire to document the trip.

Inspiration

Why S.E.A? This is a tougher question. The world is big and has many interesting places to visit. Surely Victoria Falls in Southern Africa is worth traveling thousands of miles. Or the ancient pyramids of Egypt would have been a memorable trip.  

But we chose Thailand, Cambodia and Laos. Our reason, actually, is not that profound. These countries are cheap, safe, have great weather (80 degrees), good food, World Heritage sites, beaches, jungle, French cafes, ancient Buddhist temples and elephants! 

Really, what more does one need?