S.East Asia

Excerpts from my journal

Dec 20, 2005 - Tokyo, Japan

After a little R&R in Connecticut I'm back on the road. After 20 hours on a plane I arrive in Japan blurry eyed and excited. In the metro on my into the city I feel right away that I'm in a completely different place. There is an eerie silence in the train car and half the passengers are power napping. A woman sat right next to me and promptly fell asleep. Four stops later she promptly woke up and exited the train. That is some serious internal clock. They say that Japan is the only other nation in the world that works more than US.

Dec 21 - Tokyo, Japan

A positive side of being jet-legged is that it affords you to explore a city during very strange hours. So here I was at 4:30am excitedly skipping around town. I ordered a noodle soup from a vending machine and had a raw egg floating in there. "Lost in translation". Delicious. Off to the fish market, supposedly one of the biggest in the world. Sushi paradise.

Jan 10 - Bangkok, Thailand

My best friend Charlie arrives today, and I've been busy planning some serious mischief.

After several sleepless nights in the city we head south to Krabi.

Jan 13, Ton Sai beach, Thailand

Paradise. This was usually the first thing we uttered each morning as we spent 6 blissful days rock climbing, snorkeling, kayaking and drinking strange concoctions on the beach. And we ate amazing food. Charlie celebrated his 26th birthday with what could have been a strange commune of hippies, hard core rock-climbers and backpackers.

Jan 21st, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Note to myself: do not go from an idyllic island straight to the most chaotic metropolis in Vietnam. The transition is not smooth. I spent the entire day in my hostel room - acclimatizing.

Feb 1st, Dalat, Vietnam

Decided to fetch a ride on the back of a motorcycle to my next destination. In the next 5 days will be traveling over beautiful highlands where the fresh air is flavored with coffee aromas. Saturated green everywhere. Rice paddies make for a gorgeous carpet.

Feb 17th, Fan Si Pan mountain, Sapa (northwest Vietnam)

Climbed Fan Si Pan (or as I like to call it Fancy Pants), Vietnam's highest mountain. This is a gorgeous region, close to the border with China and dominated by fascinating Hmong ethnic group.

Jan 1, 2006 - Happy New Year

First time in my life I celebrated New Year's wearing shorts and a t-shirt. It was a great celebration, complete with mouthwatering Thai food, fireworks and thousands of Chinese lanterns floating in the sky.

The short clip below contains some accidental footage from the dunes of Jericoacoara, Brazil, as well as a glimpse into downhill bike madness on the Bolivia's most dangerous road. A good part of the footage is from the ride through Laos. And the last part... well, there is no need for explanation.

Feb 22nd, Vientiane, Laos

After yet another torturous 15 hour night bus, arrived in this quiet capital of Laos. Found out that my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy today. Appropriately stumbled on a Russian restaurant -- supposedly during the Cold war 25% of this capital's population was from the Soviet Union.

Ran into a couple of guys that I met a month ago in Thailand. Over a few beers we spontaneously decided to get motorcycle and ride south to Cambodian border. After my experience in Vietnam, I thought it was a fantastic idea, with a small caveat -- I needed to learn how to actually ride one... and I had a couple of hours to do so. I was determined. I wanted to have my own "Motorcycle Diaries".

The next morning the four of us roar out of that town. I stall within the first 5 seconds and many times after that. I confuse the clutch and the brake and I freak out whenever chickens and goats decide to cross the road in front of me... but what a rush this ride is. An ultimate freedom. And with only 6 million people in the entire country, there isn't too much traffic on the road.

On the 2nd day we have our first accident. A loose backpack throws the first rider off of his bike. He goes flying into the ditch. I swerve around him and park my bike. When I turn around I see all 3 of my friends sprawled out, their bikes scattered all over the tarmac. I guess the 4th rider, distracted by the accident, rammed into the 3rd guy. My heart is thumping so hard I cannot hear myself speak. We're all pretty shell shocked. We assess the damages. The guys will definitely need some medical attention.

Two of my friends were too distressed by the accident and decide to ride slowly down the main road. Chris and I get off the tarmac and head for the jungle. This is were the real fun begins. It gets really rugged. Our map is useless. We navigate by time and the location of the sun. Just have to keep heading south. The locals look at us as if just descended from Mars. At one of the many river crossing I completely submerge my bike under water. And it wouldn't start. We wait around - still nothing. Out of all the places to break down, the Lao jungle is last one I'd like to be in. I hop on Chris' bike and we ride off searching for a village. We find one. All houses sit on 10 feet stilts, which makes me very happy I'm not riding during the rainy season. In our expert Lao we eloquently explain our predicament, mostly using hand gestures and imitating the sounds of a dead engine. We are taken to the village chief. We sit around and drink rice wine. Things are happening, but very, very slowly. Five hours later, my bike had been disassembled and then put back together. I thought I saw the mechanic chucking a few parts into the woods. Miraculously, we jump start the beast. The next couple of days everything is smooth. We don't know where we are, but we are moving south. We sleep in villages and in the jungle. And we had and amazing adventure, albeit being slightly oblivious to the legacy of unexploded ordinance littered around the country.

March 20th, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Rented a bicycle and paddled the whole day around these stunning ruins. It's hot, but one is so mesmerized by this place that you tend not to pay attention, although I drank 3 coconuts and my entire bottle of water in the first hour.

April 1st, Yangon, Myanmar

Whoa!, what a cool place,... despite the decades of oppression by the military junta, the people are the friendliest I ever met. Women and children are wearing a white paste on their faces called "thanaka" which supposedly functions as a make-up and sunscreen -- a century old practice. Men wear sarongs. I get one too, when else do I get to wear a skirt. The cooling effect feels really nice, and I wonder if I can ever go back to wearing pants again. I also partake in another ancient traditional activity -- chewing betel nut. I last about 10 seconds and cannot stand the bitter taste, but I skillfully spit a nice projectile of red juice on the floor, leaving my permanent mark and earning respect of the locals.

April 15th, Gwa Province, Myanmar

Ro and I get a local bus going in the direction of Yangon. We ride on the roof. The route is along the coastline and we are treated with spectacular views and fragrance of ocean air. At one point, four hours into the ride we spot a gorgeous beach and a few bungalows. From the frantic gesturing of the locals we gather that this must a nice spot. And just like that we're off the bus, some 12 hours away from Yangon. The place is pristine. There is not a soul around, which is somewhat problematic because we sort of need a place to stay. Finally we spot a man and for $5 a night we have a paradise all to ourselves.

May 1st, Koh Russei Island, Cambodia (300 days on the road)

At one point during my travels throughout Cambodia I heard about a small island off the coast of Sihanoukville. It was suppose to be a beautiful, lush jungle with a pristine beach. This piqued my interest. A 5 hour bus from Phnom Pehn and 45 minute boat ride and I find myself at a small naval outpost. We track through the island to the side facing the ocean and I find exactly what I needed. Six bungalows right on the ocean, no electricity, no internet, no phones. After 10 months of traveling I needed a vacation. I was offered a "job" of managing the 6 bungalows and help the staff of 4 with the occasional backpackers. In return I got free lodging and food. The best job I ever had. I spent 5 weeks spearfishing, playing beach volleyball, reading, writing and preparing myself for re-integration into the "real world".