9.3 : Sawadeeka! Suste! Bom dia!

Sawadeeka! Suste! Bom dia!

In Thailand I met up with Simon, a kiwi friend that I met in Auckland. We continued our travels to Cambodia with fun train travel along the way. The train ride took us through interesting parts of Thailand through neighborhoods, rural areas, construction sites and untouched green landscapes. Due to our lack of reading the Thai language, we sat in a "Monks only" section on the train. Not only is this quite rude, but also forbidden as monks can't sit near women. Needless to say we stood for much of the train ride, until seats opened up.

We spent the night in the small town of Kabin Buri where the Thai dialect sounded a bit different and no one spoke English, but we managed to have a delicious dinner and enjoy the kindness of the people nonetheless. It seems that the further we got from Bangkok the nicer and more genuine the people. We started early the next day for the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border. Upon arriving an interesting process of obtaining a visa began. Sitting in a restaurant at the border, a Thai man explained the process and the costs involved in getting a visa. He didn't appear to work for the government, but he certainly knew the process involved and spoke very good English. It was quite scary watching him walk away with our passports and applications, just hoping that it all worked out... and it did. Crossing the border was exciting, uncertain and very hot that day. In Bangkok, I purchsed a small djembe, which is an Afrian drum and carried it with us through out our travels. At the border especially, people loved playing it and it was a unique piece that broke through communication and social barriers. Simon is a percussionist and it was fun to watch him show others how to play, as well.

Once we crossed the border into Cambodia, we boarded a small bus that took us to Siem Reap. The roads are so bumpy, mostly unpaved and very dusty. I heard a rumor that an airline company bribes the Cambodia government to keep the roads unpaved, so that people will fly rather than take the bus. One American on the bus particularly had back problems and vowed not to return to Thailand via this road as it was just too painful for him. After a few planned stops, we arrived about 6 hours lateer to Siem Reap. Entering the town, we passed huge, fancy hotels with expensive accomodation. Siem Reap is the most touristy city in Cambodia because of Angkor Wat. Soon after, we started calling it Siem Vegas. There is a layer of poor people that beg to the tourists, which consists mostly of children. As many of you know, I have a very soft spot in my heart for the little ones and seeing young children holding infant siblings asking for money made my heart ache with sadness. Rather than give money to each othe children as I was also on a budget (and it's never assured that the donation will go directly to the child as often parents are begging on the same streets), Simon and I decided to buy food for the kids. In our first night in Siem Reap we fed a few mouths, which was fun as interacting with the kids was entertaining and jovial. Sadly, however, because of the begging and interacting with tourists, many Cambodian children aren't learning their native language and only want to learn English. Also, because of their harsh lifestyles, they seem to grow up quickly. The children have so many moods and facets depending on their present situation. They are happy when they are being fed or given something by someone and sad, whiny and depressed when begging, unfortunately. However, when happy the children are like little candles of light and happiness.

Angkor Wat is an amazing, amazing place. The ancient temple ruins were built in 1112-1152 to honor Vishnu, his patron deity. There are over 70 wats (or temples) and structures that exist on the grounds and one could spend weeks there just trying to see it all. We bought a 3-day pass and hired Ny, an excellent tuk-tuk driver to see as much as we could. One morning we enjoyed the sunrise over Angkor Wat and another day hired a tour guide to learn about the historical background of some of the temples. The grounds are magnificent as they are all surrounded by lush bush and trees. We often climbed to the tops of temples and would sit looking out at the beautiful landscapes. Also, many Buddhist monks and nuns meditate and pray through out the grounds. Interacting with them was a great blessing, as they were often friendly and talkative. One day, we journeyed to the Tonle Sap river, saw the Vietnamese floating villages and pretty sunset. The people living around the lake are also quite poor and live in huts that are somewhat barren homes on stilts so when the water rises, they will be able to stay dry and safe. Nearly each home had a TV, that we guessed was powered by car batteries. All in all, a very interesting experience.

Back in Thailand, we traveled to Surat Thani, which is a small port town on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. We boarded the Night Ferry, which was a small, wooden boat with heaps of travelers all sleeping on one giant row of mattresses along the length of the boat, like sardines. Needless to say, we quickly got to know our "neighbors" and met some very interesting Australians. I learned how to play the card game "500" and spent most of the night trying to learn the various rules, etc. The rocking of the boat lulled me to sleep and when I woke we were at the island of Koh Pha Ngan. Koh Pha Ngan is known for the Full Moon Party that occurs each month. As we exited the boat, numerous guesthouse owners flocked to us trying to gain our business. We decided to stay at the Field Paradise Guesthouse in Baan Thai, which had a small bungalow with it's own hammock, mosquito net, nearly broken fan and private bathroom with no hot water. The bungalow was a short walk from the beach and had a bar that we spent much time in meeting other travelers and just relaxing. We rented a motorcycle and toured parts of the island every day, depending on the weather. The island is small and there are numerous wats, parks and little beach towns to visit. On February 13th, the Buddhist holiday of *** occurred. As we drove by a large wat celebrating the holiday, we stopped to sit in on the ceremony. It was fun to witness the local Thai people greeting each other and sitting outside under large tents. We sat in the men's section where friendly participants smoked bamboo cigarettes and chatted quietly while praying to the chanting of the Buddhist monks inside the church. The Full Moon Party itself was quite an experience. An estimated 10,000-20,000 people participate in this party and the small beach of Haad Rin is filled with tourists and Thai people dancing to a variety of music until the wee hours of the morning. We had a very memorable time and seemed to meet interesting and fascinating people through out the night.

After Koh Pha Ngan, we took a boat back to Surat Thani, then caught a bus to Khao Sok National Park. This park was recommended by some new friends I made in Bangkok and was one of the highlights of my trip overall. Khao Sok is a beautiful, small town that is surrounded by mountains, lush green rainforests and a river. We spent much of the time embracing nature and outdoor activities. Again we rented a motorcycle one day and explored some backroads taking in the amazingly serene and gorgeous landscape of Thailand. We also did a short walk through the park, exploring the nearby river and enjoying a swim. The sun set on us quite quickly and we returned from the 3 kilometer walk in the dark, which was a fun challenge. The next day, we joined another couple (an American woman and her Vietnamese husband) for a boat and caving tour. We took a boat across the lake, which was man-made about 12 years ago to create a dam for electricity. The lake was built over a forest and is absolutely stunning as huge mountains jut straight out of the water. We took a boat to some small floating villages and had a nice break and swim. Then, we continued into the rainforest for an interesting tramp where we saw fascinating bugs, birds, spiders and fish. We arrived a few hours later at the mouth of a huge cave and I had my first caving experience. Inside there were stalagmites, stalagtites, bats, spiders and other creatures. We continued on through the cave, often walking through huge pools of water and small waterfalls. Some parts were like the old-school movie "Goonies", as the water came up to my arms and the flow of the water created an added factor of excitement and lack of balance. The experience overall was very invigorating and fun. Plus, we really enjoyed meeting new friends and shared a delicious dinner with them later that night.

The following day, we had scheduled an elephant trek through the rainforest. Our elephant "Pai" was so sweet, very gentle and a beautiful creature to interact with. She took us to a small waterfall, where we shared some bananas with her and I spontaneously enjoyed a dip in the water, when trying to rock climb. On the ride back, rather than sit on the seat on her back, we climbed down and sat directly on her shoulders. To feel her shoulder bones move and groove with each step was a very rhythmic and comforting experience. Later that day, we took a slow and relaxing canoe ride down the river, seeing various snakes, birds and other wildlife.

Returning to Bangkok I celebrated my 30th birthday with Simon and some new friends I had met earlier in my travels. We all enjoyed a lovely dinner and spent the evening chatting outside of our friends' home. Wat (also meaning temple) and his partner, Kristin (an American from Georgia) are so fun, outgoing and informative. Meeting people through out my travels has been a great blessing, as each person has given me a new and interesting perspective on life and travel.

After Asia, I returned to Auckland for a few days to pack up some belongings and prepare for the last part of my travels.... Rio de Janeiro! I met up with my friends Peter and Melissa and was fortunate to stay with them and their friend, Shirley in her wonderful apartment in Copacabana. Rio is a bustling, beautiful city and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the beach and just catching up with my friends. Peter and I rock climbed Corcovado! (Here's a picture that sort of conveys the mountain/hill: http://www.barok.de/Rio2000/jpeg/corcovado_zuckerhut.jpg) I consider myself a novice rock climber, but definitely am a bit more experienced after this journey! Easily, this was the most difficult physical feat I've accomplished. We took a taxi to the entrance of the national park and hiked into the start of the climb. We hired a guide, Gustavo, who was very experienced and a friend of Peter's. Each part of the climb, or pitch, both Gus and Peter were very helpful, supportive and provided great comic relief, especially when I was unsure of the techniques needed. The views from the climb were overwhelmingly beautiful and amazing. This climb has made me hungry to find more fun outdoor climbs!

I also experienced Carnaval by attending the Samba Winners Parade at the Sambadrome. Carnaval is one of the biggest parties in the world and to witness the energy, love and excitement that goes into each performance is so heart-warming. Each school contains 2500-5000 people and each group within the school can spend nearly 1/3 of their annual income to buy a costume and participate in the school. The singing, dancing, floats and overall participation was so beautiful to experience. However, the most moving performances were by the bateria, which is the percussion band and singers. The bateria sets the tone for the entire school and uses various drums and other musical instruments to get everyone on beat. Every time the bateria passed us, the energy and warmth from each of the instruments swelled up to our camarote and the music could be physically felt. It was such an exciting and exhilarating experience. It was truly a gift to share such an amazing experience with my friends.