Childhood

Well, when last I left off I was a little discouraged and confused about the North of Laos. Well, fear not all, I had a wonderful experience in Muang Sing, a small town a few km from China. I shall begin my post waxing a bit philosophical and then I'll try to plow through everything I did because there is so much. Highlights for my ADD friends: beautiful countryside, amazing people, not very good food, long bus rides.

First, my thoughts on childhood. Being a burnt out teacher I was a little burnt out on children when I left the States. I really kind of wanted to get some space from little people. Being in Muang Sing made me realize that the joys of childhood are universal and brought back some of my sympathetic side toward children. I had the good fortune to run into another traveler named Donna from New Zealand. She's kind of a hippie who spent her life raising her children and now she travels a lot and when she's not traveling she lives on a farm and works in exchange for housing. Anyway, she and I tried to go on a trek but it was too expensive for the two of us. So we went to lunch and saw another couple come in. Donna quickly said hi and asked if they had gone on a trek. No, they've been in Muang Sing a few weeks. A few weeks? Okay, I should back up here because you need understand what the town is like. There is one main street with a few restaurants that never have anyone in them. There are about 5 guest houses, each probably filling 1-2 rooms a day, on average. There is no sidewalk, not really any cars, but a lot of motorbikes and bicycles. The women wear traditional sims (like an african sarong only it is woven, usually from wool, and a lot of times is mostly black except at the bottom there is a strip of color). There is an herbal sauna Lao massage place. And a curfew of 10pm for tourists. Not much to do here besides get a bicycle and go see the hill tribe people, which is mostly what I did, but more on that later.
So, we're totally shocked they've been here for a few weeks. They are living at a guest house because, try as they did, they could not rent a house. Neil, is a teacher taking a year off and he's been volunteering with this local organization. Yvette, his chatty and fun wife, is also taking a break from working in public health and sometimes works at the organization, but mostly just chills out and lives in this town. So I ask Neil if I can go with him to the after-school program, I've been looking for a place to volunteer and I'd love to see it. He calls and asks if it is okay, and so I get to go that afternoon.

Which is where I met Brian and Laila. American ex-pats who are living in Laos. Laila is a pediatrician who now teaches doctors and helps them with their patients. Brian is a professional photographer, kind of runs the non-profit, and is building a school in the community. They both run this after-school type program every day from 4-6. They have different kids each day and do things like play games, teach english, read books, etc. Basically, these people are saints. They've dedicated their lives to the people of Muang Sing. They've gotten international plastic surgeons to come and do surgeries for things like cleft pallattes and other deformities. They educate about good nutrition.

So, while there that Friday I did the limbo with the kids, which they thought was hilarious. Only every time I fell onto my knees and now I have bruised and scraped knees. We also played duck, duck, goose, which they thought was absolutely hysterical. Everytime someone got tagged they all started cracking up. This was the first time they ever played the game. Laila and Brian have also fundraised to send kids to school and university and to special camps to develop as leaders. I mean, just so inspiring to see the work that they are doing. And it was really fun to watch kids being kids. At the end of the day they sang for us and did a traditional dance and we sang for them (well, not me, becauase have you heard me sing?). Then Neil and Yvette were planning to stay for dinner and Brian and Laila invited Donna and me as well. So kind! The dinner was deliscious. Laila is of Syrian descent and she makes her own yogurt, and we had lentils and salad a whole bunch of other stuff. It might have been my favorite meal so far. Just such a great night. Then we actually watched a couple of videos that Brian had made about their work.
Overall, it was just so great to meet them and experience their warmth and hospitality and see some incredible work being done in the community.

The next day I got a bicycle and roamed around and saw some of the hill tribe villages. I spent much of the day reading and chilling out and then I did the herbal sauna at the suggestion of these Finnish guys who claimed this was the BEST sauna in all of South East Asia, and they should know, they are Finnish. OTOH, they claimed everything was the BEST-the guest house, the town, etc. They were happy to be away from tourists as they work as scuba guides in Thailand.

On Sunday I didn't really have a plan for my day. I had thought about leaving but then I decided I really liked it there and I should enjoy the calm and the beauty for another day. My guest house looked out on rice fields and behind that was mountains. It looked almost too beautiful to be real. Almost like a painting where the assignment is to use every shade of green. Bright green rice paddies, darker green trees, even darker pathways, etc. Just beautiful. So, having decided to spend another day, I went out to the market for some fruit. While there I bought some handmade textiles from the girls from Brian and Laila's group. They sell at the market and also at a shop that for some reason I didn't get to. They are very responsible girls and also very excited to see me again. They all wanted me to buy from them but I couldn't. Although, in retrospect, it really was so cheap I just should have. Ah well, live and learn.

So that day I ran into a few Spanairds who were having breakfast. They invited me to have breakfast with them, we spoke in Spanish, it was fun. So then they invited me to come biking with them. I figured, why not? So we rode off in another direction where we saw a lot more villages, each one different but also the same. The same in the level of poverty-children with little or no clothing, looking dirty and malnourished. Some women weaving. Some people in the fields working. Each had thatched roofs and bamboo houses, quite simple. It was really hard to look at such extreme poverty, which I hadn't seen to that extent since Kenya.

However, again I saw the true human spirit and the freedom of childhood. In one, a bunch of kids were gathered together and we started taking pictures and showing them. They were ecstatic. They'd jump on you to see the digital image, cracking up when they saw themselves. On our way to that one we picked up a Japanese guy. They really liked him. On our way down from the town they all started saying some phrase and giving him leaves. We had no idea why. But every time they would come up to him, hand him something, and say something. He'd repeat it and they would crack up. Hilarious. At the next one, a whole bunch of little kids, maybe 2-4 years, were running and sliding in bunch of mud. They were all naked and dying laughing. They'd run through, slide, and then run around screaming. It was an amazing sight. I have no idea why so many of them were the same age, but they were all about the same height.

That night, Yvette and Neil invited us to eat dinner with them in guest house. They have an electric wok, a bowl for washing dishes, a cutting board, and a mortar and pestle. They've been living like that for weeks. Yvette kept saying, it's like camping. Anyway, they made us pasta and deviled eggs and it was great not to go out to one of the empty restaurants and sit there alone, which is what often happened in this town. Additionally, teenagers are the ones serving, and boy are they surly. Again, universal.

Then, I decided to leave on Monday AM. The spaniards had told me about this great place called Muang Noi. The only problem was that to get there I needed to take a mini-bus to Luang Namtha, then one to Oudamxai, then on to Nong Kiew, then a boat to Muang Noi. I really thought I could do it though, even if it took me two days. So I got up early, ready to take the 8am bus out. Well, when I came back to the corner where the woman had told me to catch the bus from, there were about 17 people and about 3 times that in luggage trying to get in a 10 person mini-van. Oy vey. So I'm all zen, no problem, I'll take the next one. Okay, go to the real bus station this time, get my ticket and chill because I have some time. Then, around 845 I get on and realize almost every seat is taken (for a 930) bus, people have put their backpacks there to save their spots. Ugh, so the only real spot left was the last row. I got it and actually, I was next to Donnaa. Unfortunately, this bus didn't quite have the suspension of the mini-bus had that I cam in. Oh boy, did that test my stomach.
(Oh, forgot to put in that on my way to Muang Sing, I got what I thought to be the last seat in the mini-bus and then the driver promptly stops to let in three more. Think matatu in Kenya. So move on over, bc they are comin' in. This one guy goes to the back and this other guy sorta refuses to move and he just starts to sit down right on top of the guy. The bottom guy moved. Well, a little. Was a fun ride, cheek to cheek with a rural lady in a pretty sim.)
So, I get back to Luang Namtha, and try to get the bus to Oudamxai. Oh no, that's at the other bus station. Gotta take a tuk-tuk. Get over there around 12:20, the bus had left at 12. Next one at 2:30. No problem, I'm still feeling calm. I'll just knit and read my book. Get on that bus early (learned my lesson) only, that meant I was on a hot bus, even though I had a good seat (pick your poison I guess). This bus stops tons of times, I have some school girl next to me who keeps falling asleep and her head knocks into my shoulder. Ouch.
Finally get there ta 6:30. I'm stuck there for the night. Go look for a guest house. First one I happen upon seems to be a brothel for Chinese men. I move on. Find another one that seems more legit. Go out to find some food. The town is dark with few lights. Few restaurants and people don't speak a lick of engish, not even toilet or restaurant. In order to find out how much something is I have to take out money and give the how much look with my hands. Eat some pho (noodle soup) which has some questionable meat in it, so i stick with the broth and the noodles. Go back to my hotel and hide out bc the town is creepy and filled with Chinese businessmen in SUVs. These are the first cars I've seen in at least a week. Mini-bus, motorbikes and tuk-tuks yes. But no cars. So it is a bit odd. Especially since these are giant SUVs.
My patience for the whole off-the-beaten-track thing is starting to wane.

Got up the morning early, determined to get a bus to Nong Kiew. Except no, not going today. Going to some other place that isn't on my map and I have no idea if it is actually on the way. And I have no idea if I'll be able to get there from this other town. So, feeling discouraged, I get a ticket to Louang Phrobang and call it a day. Mission aborted. I'm sad. I really wanted to go Muang Noi, but I couldn't deal with another night in a creepy town and another full day of traveling on hot buses where my legs don't fit behind the seat in front of me, loud Lao music (with or without a tv showing the karaoke of the song being played), school girls sleeping on me (happened again today!) and pee breaks by the side of the road. Zen master forgive me, but my american sensibilities came back into play.

So, now I'm here in Louang Phrobang. Home of textile and silver shopping, good coffee, the Mekong River and wats to explore and lots of good food. Not bad, eh? I tried to upload pics, but these computers don't have picasa 3, so I'll have to look for another one that does. This computer is extremely annoying, so, hopefully I'll add photos soon.

Okay, this got really long and I'm sure I still forgot stuff. Read it at your leisure.

Xoxo
Dina

Into Laos

Well, I think I've had my first experience of third world traveling today. I've been in Laos for under 12 hours and already I can feel the difference. Yes, they drive on the right (correct) side of the road, but other than that I'm not seeing a lot of the comforts of home. Last night I took a night bus up to Chiang Kong, which is at the border of Laos and Thailand. We stayed in sort of a dormitory that the bus company gives you for "free." In the morning they wake you up at seven and start selling the slow boat or bus down to Luang Phobang. I went at night because I figured I would go with crew of people that I trekked with and thus wouldn't have to cross the border alone, sometimes they are kind of sketchy.

I decided to go up north first and then work my way down the tourist track. Boy have moved off the beaten path a bit. So the guy sells me a 500 baht ticket (about $15) which is to get across the river into Laos and then up to the bus that is leaving at 9. I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper if I went to the bus station, but this is a tourist mini-bus and I figured it would have air con. Plus, I wouldn't have to figure out how to get to the border, etc. Oh, and that way I got free breakfast. Seemed like a lot of money but the book said the trip was 7 hours so
So I pay him the money and he gives me a sticker where he crosses out boat to Luang Phobang and writes in bus to Luang Namtha. I'm like, really, this is going to work? No receipt? But that's what he was doing with everyone.
Well, turns out the border is about 3 minutes down the road. We get stamped out of Thailand, take a boat across the river, get stamped in to Laos. Then he takes my sticker and says you will go with my sister. I'm like, crap, he's taking my sticker. Now I really have no receipt.
"His sister" walks me up the hill to this non-descript little office. She asks for my receipt and I start to get upset. "He took my sticker, I paid him 500 baht." They kind of giggle and speak in Lao for a bit and then she tells me it is okay. I'm like really, she says yes you already paid. So I relax a little. It is 9am. I look around for other tourists, don't really see any. They tell me to sit down and wait for a bit for other travelers. So I kind of sit there looking at them for a bit. Her cell phone rings and she starts screaming in English at the top of her lungs. "YES, WHEN YOU GET TO CHIANG KONG YOU WILL TAKE THE BOAT ACROSS THE RIVER AND MY STAFF WILL PICK YOU UP." She screams it about 4 or 5 times. When she gets off the phone she speaks in a normal voice in Lao. She looks at me and says that we'll leave around 10 or 10:30 because someone else is coming. So, I wait. I've read in the book that timetables are somewhat irrelevant for Laos and buses leave when full. Great, I think, I might be sitting here all day. So 10:00 comes and goes. She has another screaming phone call with, I believe the same person. 10:30 comes and goes. Finally at 11 this chinese guy shows up and buys a bus ticket. Then we go with a woman to a few stores down where a guy then takes us a few blocks away to a large bus. We get on. Again, I'm like, oh god, they are never going to fill this bus. So we get on, we wait. A few more people get on. We wait. Finally around 11:30 we leave. The road is windy and seems to be paved about 10 feet at a time. So paved, not paved, paved, not paved. A number of times we come to a screeching halt becuase trucks are coming the other way. We pick up a few more passengers. ARound 1:30 they guy says, we're early. In one hour we're going to be at the bus station outside of town. You can get off and take a tuk-tuk for 10,000kip (around $1) or you can pay me. I look it up in the book and it does say that. I agree to pay him. We stop at the bus station and this spanish couple gets out. Then about 1 minute later we arrive at my hotel. That was a total rip off, I could have walked it, but my book doesn't have a map of this place so wouldn't have known where to go. Blah. Anyway, pay the man and finally I've made it. The trip only took four hours not 7, so I think I must have paid way too much. Ah well.

Except, where the heck am I? This town has basically nothing and none of the tours seem to be leaving to go rafting or kayaking tomorrow, which is why I came here. Well, if I don't find anything tonight then I will just move on to Muang Sing where you can go hiking.

Other than that I'm dealing with a currency that is 8500 to the dollar, so I've got wads of cash on me, I look like a drug dealer. Already I feel like I've been duped twice. And, I'm on my own again. The trekking crew all moved on together, but I kind of couldn't handle being with the same group any longer, so here I am. Anyway, I should get out and go figure this place out a bit, so I'm signing off for now.
Cheers,
Dina

Chiang Mai and Pai

Alright folks, for those of you who actively await my updates (and I'm sure there's lots of you out there) here it is! It has been a little while because either, I was out having too much fun, there was no power, or I was in the wilderness. There's your short version.

Okay, Chiang Mai:
Smaller city than Bangkok and I was really excited to get there. I took the overnight train. Which was totally nice. You have a seat that faces the one in front of you, and then at some point, they come and take down the beds and the bottom two seats fold down. So I was on the top bunk, which was totally fine. There was kind of a hilarious woman across from me. Didn't seem like she'd ever done much budget traveling before. She was very worried about setting up her trek when she got to Chiang Mai. She's like "I'm going to sleep in my clothes, no shower, I don't care." But clearly she sort of did. Anyway, this kiwi guy kind of had to talk to her for a long time about god knows what.

So, train was mostly uneventful, slept alright up there with the train rocking me to sleep. Got off the train and was bombarded by tuk tuk drivers trying to take me to Chiang Mai. Decided to start walking. Met this brother and sister pair who were afraid of taking a tuk tuk after one duped them in Bangkok. So I ended up walking all the way into the city with them. As a result, was ready to take the first place we found because I was darn hot from walking with my bag (3k!). Good exercise though.
My basic view of Chiang Mai is a city with an identity crisis. On the one hand it is a cute old town with a moat around it, small streets, all called soi 1, soi 2, which means alley. But I didn't realize that there could be more than one. Cute little restaurants, some run by expats, and a lot of outfits running tours. Kind of weird the way that the whole town is built upon tourism, but I guess that's a lot of thailand. And then, on the other side of the moat, there's the new part of town. That's where you can find tons of Thai prostitutes and expensive beers, as well as pool and the night bazaar. Ended up going out over there only because the people I met at my guesthouse wanted to go over there.
So let's see, I did a cookin class at Gap's house (thanks for the rec Ruth an Chris)and a massage class which was one on one with a thai woman. We had (who I assume to be) her foreigner boyfriend as the model. Poor guy, got poked, I mean massaged first by her then by me. It was about 5 hours total. He looked a bit sore when he stood up. Nice guy from England who was here on holiday for 6 weeks. Cooking class was great. I cooked about 9 dishes, and was so full. My pat thai was not great but my Tom Yum was awesome. This Thai woman came along and wanted to try each of our pat thai. so I said, of course! She tried one, hmm, good. Another, yeah pretty good. Mine- uh, blank face. Oh well. What can you do?
Spent two nights hanging out with a mix of Brits, sweeds, canadians and americans. Was pretty fun. On the second night we went out to the cheezy bar (where the woman start running around when they see a huge group of us coming bc they are so excited to have any business, it being low season and all). Played some connect four, actually a lot of games of connect four. Then we moved on to this other club. we get there, and this sweede is like, "oh no, I'm not going in there." everyone's trying to ask him what the deal is. I mean, I can see it isn't going to be that fun. Bad music, really expensive beers (200 baht for a small-about 6 dollars, more than home!). But i mean, come on, we're here. But he won't come in. There's 14 of us at that point. So whatever, we go in. Soon, one of the guys goes to the bathroom. Comes back all freaked out. I guess while using the urinal, you get massaged by some guy that comes out of no where and freaks you out. Hehe, now we know why he wouldn't come in. Anyway, dance there for an hour or so and then get some tuk tuk drivers to take us back to the other part of town, at warp speed, and I make my exit as it is already 3am. These young kids wear me out! They are all about 23, 24.

Pai:
If, as I said, Chiang Mai can't quite figure out its identity, then Pai is a town with a superiority complex. It is obsessed with itself. Every shirt they sell here says Pai on it. Mind you, it is cute stuff, and the town is great, but come on. Basically a typical traveler town. A few roads, lots of fun bars, some cute shops and good access to outdoor stuff. I just went hiking for three days.

Trek was fun. It was myself; a french canadian girl-cybele; 2 brits-Robin and V.J.; and an american couple, Jack and Shelby. Our tour guide, Toi was pretty cool. He brought us to a bunch of different villages where he knew people and we stayed on their floor (my back is still sore). The food was good. The first night was stayed at a hut that was seriously in the middle of no where. The second night we stayed in a hill tribe village. Bascialy, Toi's job, (aside from leading us in and out of (aparently bandit ridden, but we found that out after the fact) wilderness, clearing the trail with his machete, cooking and knowing the culture,) was to remove leeches from us on a regular basis. We'd find one, and be like, Toi, Toi, and he'd take it off. Was a good trek. Very green a lush. The group was pretty cool and got along well. Shelby was generally freaked out about something, usually leeches. The brits didn't seem like they'd ever hiked before. Showed up at the office on the first day in jeans and one in white linen pants and shirt. It rained most of the time and keeping your balance was a bit tricky. There were a few classic falls where legs just completely came out from under people. Let me tell you, V.J.'s pants were not white for long.
The rain was a bit of a downer but at least it was warm. On the first day we hiked to a nice waterfall and swam. Just as we were getting out it started to pour cats and dogs. We raced back to the hut where we were staying, but man, everything was just pretty much wet for the rest of the trip.
Last night we hung out in the village and it was a real party. The homemade whisky came out and a bunch of men and some women hung out in the hut with us, singing and talking for a long time. I tink was pretty exciting that we were there bc they are friends with Toi and also he pays them some to have us. So they like those nights. They made some amazing food for us as well.
The rural communities kind of reminded me of kenya. Kind of subsitence farming, but the governement, and also Toi's company, have provided a lot of funding for them, so now they have solar panels and stuff. The houses are quite close together and they cook over wood fires. The smells and general way of life, I think is what brought back my time in Kenya.
This morning I wandered over to the school and saw this one classroom. I think the teacher was a bit frustrated because I distracted the kids from her directions to line up for snack. But I did get them all to shake my hand and say hello and I did the Thai greeting of bowing my head with my hands togehter. Their tables had the american alphabet so I pointed and they repeated after me. It was a funny scene. Sadly I was alone so I have pictures of the kids but none of me with them.
Well, I'm feeling exhausted from all this writing. I have pictures up on picasa. I'll be in Pai for a few more days before I head to Laos.
Write back, I miss all of you. I think most of my teacher friends are back to work today. Sorry!
Xoxo,
Dina

In full swing

So my trip is finally feeling like a real trip. It has been a fun week. Overview: I did a trip to Kanchanaburi where the movie Bridge over the River Kwai was filmed, hung out with Ruth and Chris in Bangkok and also saw Poonsee, a family friend. I think I shall tell the stories backwards starting with yesterday.

Weekend Market

OMG, A-MAZE-ING!!! The absolute best market in the world. I do not say that lightly. Thousands of stalls, with everything you could ever want, cute designer clothes, really nice art, shoes, jewlery, some traditional stuff. Like a mall but cheaper and better. Teeny tiny little stalls that maybe two customers can be in at a time and then these small alley-ways that you have to push your way through. Ruth and Chris and I spent about 5 hours there. I mean, a shoppers dream come true. I tried to restrain myself as I'm at the beginning of my trip and trying to conserve funds, but I did get a few tank tops and a ring. Such a fun day.

Muy Thai-Ruth bought me a ticket to Muy Thai Boxing for my birthday. Which was awesome bc it was really expensive. But super fun. There were nine rounds and we got first class tickets so we were ring side. It is a mix between boxing and martial art and actually kind of beautiful to watch. There were nine different fights with each fight having five rounds. The boxers get points for different things and then the winner is the one with the most points. Or, as happened in one round, someone gets knocked out. One fighter broke the other's arm and he had to be taken off on a stretcher. Other than that though, there wasn't as much gore as I had imagined. The biggest fight was the 7th one. It is kind of crazy how the crowd gets really into it as the rounds go on, betting and screaming. I was almost more interested in the whole scene than the boxing. Overall, a very cool thing to do. The only drawback that it was a million degrees and muggy in there. So Ruth and I kept falling asleep. Yes, its not just for movies anymore. Then we walk outside and you think you'll get some relief from the heat, but oh of course not, it doesn't really cool down at night. Anyway, that was fun and it was great to hang out with Ruth and Chris. They seem like they had a great trip and are on their way back to the US as I write this. Sad to lose them, but what can you do?

Also managed to see Poonsee and her family, my uncle's homestay family from when he taught English in Thailand years ago. That was mostly uneventful. They were quite kind and she took me out to dinner at this fancy restaurant. I felt kind of like I was imposing bc her husband is quite sick and needs her a lot, but also felt like I should see them kind of as a family obligation. Anyway, she sent her driver to get me, brought me to their house, went to dinner and then he drove me home. Was a nice night.

Kanchanaburi

A small town about 2 hours from Bangkok. Was so nice to get away from Bangkok. I took a little tourist mini-bus, which was a bit more expensive but was supposed to drop me off right at the hotel. Well, not quite. Well, first I was on the bus with a whole bunch of Israelis, who, of course don't shut up the entire time. Then we get to the town and they take us to this one guest house. All of a sudden the driver starts screaming at us, "get out, get out." We're like, "where are we" he's like, "you're here, get out." I'm kind of like, why didn't you drop as the town. He says, "if I drop you there you say you want here, if I drop you here, you say you want there." He starts taking our bags out and screams some more at us. We're all just really confused, but I figure that he gets a kickback from that guest house. So I start following this Brittish couple who have the lonely planet, which has better maps. Anyway, I find the Jolly Frog guest house after taking a ride from a guy on a scooter bc it was damn hot. Beautiful idyllic setting, right on the river. I figure, I'll stay in a floating room. Ugh. I was in there five minutes before I went to the lady to change my room, I needed to be on solid ground. Anway, rooms left a little to be desired, kind of made of paper with non-flush toilets, but cheap restaurant attached, nice hammocks and chairs and a nice lawn. I hung out for a bit reading until I overheard a guy asking someone else to go on a bike ride and kind of butted my way into that. So, made a new friend, Mike, from Canada and he and I explored a cave wat (temple) and a graveyard from Japanese POWs from WWII. I guess Thailand was with Japan for a bit but then wanted to switch over to Allied forces and thus, Japan got mad. Anyway, Japand built this railroad, now termed The Death Railroad, to get from I think Burma through Thailand, and then I'm actually not sure where it went after that, maybe Vietnam? Anyway, many soldiers died while builidng the railroad, so that's how it got its name.

While in Kanchanaburi I saw the bridge which is part of the death railroad, and also these amazing 7 tiers of waterfalls. You can swim in them, but there are these fish that eat the dead skin off your body when you go in the water, which is a bit creepy feeling. I swam some and also hiked up to the top. I was sort of a keen comercial tromping through in my sandles while everyone else was taking their shoes off and on. Anyway, that was nice, did it was tour so made it all a bit easier and I saw all the tourist things in one day.

The night before, I went with these three guys to a "disco cruise." We paid about $3 to go on this boat, you bring your own drinks, but they give you free ice. So anyway, we don't know much about it but figure, why not? So we get a ride there on a sangtheuw, the back of truck kind of thing with a bunch of thai people. Then we get on the "boat", which is really just kind of a flat barge with tables, no motor of its own or anything. Slowly the boat fills up, we're sitting and talking having a nice time. All of a sudden, music starts blaring. I mean, we cannot hear each other if we scream at the top of our lungs. The lights go down a disco ball starts turning. It certainly feels like a disco cruise. Finally, a motor boat comes and connect to the barge, and pulls us, oh I dunno, a quarter mile down the river, and then leaves us there! So there we are, on this boat with really loud music and disco lighting and a bunch of Thai teenagers dancing and we're stuck-can't get off. So we just laugh and enjoy. Night goes on, we get moved one other time to the other side of the river, the at around 11:30 it brings us back to the dock. At around 11 I was so incredibly ready to get off that boat, but what could I do? I was moored. Anyway, it was a fun night, really hot as well bc we're on the river but not moving. Very little air movement. About an hour into the night I look around and all of the guys have their shirts off. Was quite a sight.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I got my passport back, so now i have a visa for Vietnam and I am leaving tonight on a train to Chang Mai. Things are going well and I'm excited to go up north.

I miss you all.

Dina

xoxo

Bangkok

Hello from Thailand!

Yes, this was set up as a travel blog, but this is my first true travel post. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to the internet cafe, so you'll have to wait on those, I'll try to get them up before I leave bangkok. Also, this keyboard can stick sometimes, so there might be a few typos in here that I'm too lazy to fix.

Okay, here we go.
Flight was really boring and not much to report. I did get pulled over by the cops on my way to dropping off my car. I'm on the freeway and he makes me get off at the next exit. I'm on my way to the airport after I drop off the car so I'm a bit on edge. The cop pulls me over and says, "The reason I pulled you over is becuase you've been following that car in front of you too closely." I kind of have to laugh and I'm like, "well, actually that's my boyfriend. he has the directions to where we're going." I go on with my spiel of leaving for four months, yada yada. Anyway, he takes my license and registration, but brings them back like a minute later. It was odd, but then we were off.

Flight: long. sfo-hong kong-singapore-bangkok. Left late friday night, go in evening sunday. 15 hours later here. The airports in singapore and hong kong were both pretty awesome with free wifi and stuff.

Sunday, the hotel that I had gotten online worked out great as did the car that I requested. Yes, I paid way more than needed, but it gave me peace of mind.
Sunday night roamed the streets of khao san- the backpacker mecca. I'm seriuos. I've never sen anything like it. Everything is for sale. Cheap street food. $5 massage places. Truly crazy.

Monday: started out fine. My hotel came with breakfast so that was a bonus. Then I went out i search of a new hotel bc mine was too close to the action and I couldn't sleep there. Found one. got a massage. all was going well. I moved to my new spot, after the downpour which occured right as I was trying to leave with all my stuff. Then I decided to do some of the tourist stuff. Made my way to the grand palace, which included trying to take the boat and not finding the right spot. Walking way the wrong way down a pretty poor street, although no one really seemed to notice me, happening upon some cute little thai girls doing a dance on a big stage with all of their parents standing around taking pictures-soemthings are the same around the world. I finally found the palace- 300baht, about $10. I thought that was a bit steep, but you know, what can you do? The palace was pretty incredible, including an "emerald" buddha, who is really jade, but still pretty cool. Lots of gold, huge, many temples, etc.
Then I set off in search a visa for vietnam. Well, I should have sprung for the real map earlier in the day. But, I took the boat, got off a stop to early. Wound my way through the garment and jem district until I finally found the sky train. Took the sky train but then realized it didn't go where I was trying to go. Got off, tried to walk, the pollution is crazy and all of the streets are incredibly loud. Blah. Walk for a while, finally realize that I can take the subway one stop and would be almost there. I look at the map and a guy who works at the subway asks me where I'm going. I tell him, he says, no no. It is over there but you can't go there in the afternoon, they won't help you. You need to take this tuk tuk, 20 baht, and go to the tourist office. they can do it. So he bargains with the tuk tuk for me, and it was basically the most terrifying thing I've experienced in quite some time. Bascially, I'm on the back of somewhere between a motorcycle and a bicycle, with a fabric top. We're on this fast street with cars whizing by. I think I'm going to die. My knuckles are white. Thankfully, he drops me off pretty quickly and I pay him. No hassle. All okay. I go in, they tell me it will cost about $75. I'm like, what, the book said it should cost $35. He's like, yeah, you are paying for our service. I say forget it, I'll go to the embassy in the morning. He's like ok. As I'm walking out I ask, "do you have a map of bangkok?" No, of course not. why would the tourist office have a map of bangkok. So, here it is like 3 hours later, I've got no visa. I've spent hours walking and taking all of this public transit. I'm dirty and sticky. And, really far from my hotel. So I decided to take a real taxi home, figuring that would be easier than retracing my steps. Uh, no. Madeningly slow. Bascially, gridlock, as many people have warned me. And the taxi driver has these times of like 5 minutes where the traffic just isn't moving. So he uses that time to pluck the hairs out of a mole in his chin. Over and over, every time we stop. A beautiful sight, let me tell you.
So I finally make it home, shower, spend a little time in my air con room, then go out in hopes of meeting some people, which was not successful. But I ate some street food and listened to a thai guy play music at a bar. He played all the classics-Bob Dylan, etc.

Anyway, today Tuesday was a better day. I met a nice Brit at breakfast and he helped me get to the Vietnam embassy since his friend lives in bangkok and he's spent a bunch of time here. We finally get ther around 11:15 and it closes at 11:30. Except that I need 2 passport pics. Well, this guy mark is like, "what I've learned about Thailand is that anytime you need something like passport pics, you can pretty much bet someone will be selling it next door or around the corner." Well, that was pretty much true. we jet over to this store that does them and make it back at 1:28. I manage to get it in, but in order to get it back by thurs it will cost $75. after all that it is the same price as the damn tourist office. so I elect for monday which is $58, but it kinda means I'm a bit stuck until then. I'm gonna do some day trips and come back to bangkok around the weekend.

Okay, just a couple more minutes so here are my thoughts and highlights of thailand so far:
lasers-they are trying to sell you these weird lasers tha don't do anything.
hippie-frat-travelers galore
fake ids-any id you might need you can get on the street
drag queens as your waitresses often
$5 massage all over the place
gas station that turns into classy bar at night with tables by the pumps
t-shirts that say everything stupid you could ever think of
like 5 or 6 different public transportation options that don't really conect to each other well
Thais like order-very orderly society. Arrows for in and out. Lines, etc. Different than some other places I've travelled.

Okay, my money is running out here.
xoxo
Dina

curve balls

It is incredibly crazy what life can throw you. I mean, I could use a million cliches about lemonade and silver linings, but really, who wants to hear that? For the past four months or so, I've been gearing up to go on this trip. I resign from my job, give up my apartment, convince really nice friends to take my stuff, buy a ticket, etc. Everything was smooth sailing and I was ready for my open-ended year of journey and discovery. I planned, well, that should be in quotes, okay, "I planned" four months out because the next step was to go to a Latin American country and learn Spanish. However, to get from Asia to Latin America, you basically have to come back through the United States. So, I figured, I'd go travel for four months, come home for Thanksgiving, and then go again. Well, then I met Matt. He picks me up in a coffee shop, and soon we're seeing each other all of the time. Curve ball numero uno. Now leaving is a bit bittersweet, but four months isn't the end of the world. He plans to maybe come visit, there's email and skype and text messages, I think we'll be okay.
So, all was going along fine until Matt and I decided to go on a bike ride last Saturday. It was a gorgeous day and we decided just to ride around the city. We nosed our way through tourists who don't know how to ride bikes, rode down the embarcadero and admired the Bay, got some dim sum in the Richmond and were on our way home so that I could finish packing up my room. He asked me if I wanted to try his bike. He thought I'd like the feeling of riding a faster and nicer bike. I wasn't so sure, but then I figured, okay. I got on his bike and couldn't really get my shoes to click into his pedals. Finally they did and I was trying to get used to his bike when I realized that I had to stop at a stop sign. I tried to click out and I couldn't! I start freaking out, screaming, 'I can't get out, I'm stuck'. I crank on the brake because he's in front of me and I need to stop, and go flying over the handlebars. I came down on my front teeth and they cracked on the pavement. Meanwhile, my head is on the ground, but my feet are still stuck in the pedals. Matt looks back, hops off his bike and comes over to twist my feet out of the pedals. I truly start freaking out. I don't have health insurance, there's blood seeping through my pants, my lip is starting to swell. People keep stopping in their cars to ask if they can help. We weren't sure what to do. Go to the hospital? Go home? We finally start walking over to UCSF, but it is actually quite a bit farther when your body hurts and you've just endured a major trauma.

Finally, we got about half way down Lincoln when I decided that what we were doing was crazy. I said, 'let's just lock up the bikes and take a taxi home.' So we called for a taxi, but it took forever. It was freezing from the fog and I was hysterically crying. Finally, this nice woman that was out for a jog came by us. She asked if she could help. Matt's like, 'well, only if you have a car, we're trying to get back to the Mission.' She goes, 'back at my house I do,' we told her that wasn't necessary and she kept running. About five minutes later she showed back up, saying, 'I went home and got my car for you guys, I felt so bad for you.' We couldn't believe it. So she drove us all the way home, somehow she just felt like she should help us. I got home and got in the bathtub to try to wash off all the blood. Matt sat with me as blood was just running down the tub to the drain, a la psycho. Poor guy, he was so concerned but had no idea what to do. We couldn't figure out why there's so much blood. Well, to give the PG version, I cut myself on the handlebars as I went over. Finally, we decided to go to the Emergency Room because the bleeding just wouldn't stop. Joy of all joys, SF general hospital on a Saturday night.

We walk in and the waiting room is filled with poor and homeless people. The registration window person tells me to go wait in the line for the triage nurse. We wait for about 5-10 minutes, there's no movement. Finally, Matt walks over and talks to the cop and he motions to me to go sit in a chair. I go through a bit of an explanation and the triage nurse goes away and comes back with a wheeled bed. He wheels me into a room and voila, I've worked my way into the er. Apparently, blood is a big help in these matters. We spent the next six hours in the er. The doctors and nurses were all great. Matt had to sit there holding my hand and stroking my hair for the entire time so I would cry. They doped me up and gave me some stitches. At 1am we went left the er, got in the car, went and picked up the bikes, drove home and then dropped into a deep sleep.
So, after all of that, I've postponed my trip a week. The past week was a crazy one: I fought with the airline and the hospital, managed to retroactively start my dental cobra, got a root canal and had my teeth patched up, moved, cleaned up my old room, packed and organized myself for my trip. Sorry to any people who have called me, but it has been a little crazy. I'm hoping this week is quite a bit more calm and I feel prepped for this other big adventure that is supposed to be starting.
You know, there is something about trauma that kind of puts other things in perspective. Moving was so simple compared to all of this. Finding the right shoes or skirt for my trip, while more challenging than you might think, really such small potatoes. Anyway, I'm really lucky to have only minor damage and really, minor bills from this whole insanity. I don't have the sense that this was 'a sign' or 'supposed to happen' because I think that is a stupid way to look at the world. But, it was a reminder that you really never know what is coming around that next corner.

Cleaning up

Well, the time has actually come. I'm sitting in my classroom trying to clean up the mess of the last four years. I've got about six boxes packed. I still need to figure out my files, but I should be done by this evening, I think. It is weird to look at a container of units and think, this is what I've done with the past four years. I can sum it up in these binders. Is it true that the end is really more than the sum of its parts? I sure hope so. I mean, emails from students help you realize that. And so do memory books or cute pictures that kids made you over the years. But, in your heart you need to believe that any impact you've made on a place is not quite tangible. It is kind of like that eulogy that you never get to hear. Being someone who constantly sees the glass as not exactly half empty, but more like, half full but what could be added to this milk to make it better, it is hard to just walk away from something. I feel displaced and it is a little like I'm losing my identity.