Am I dreaming or can all of this be real?

Vietnam..........motorbike anyone???????

"Good Morning Vietnam..........." still rings throughout the country and Vietnam has made the tragic war it's main tourist draw. The intense beauty of Vietnam is harshly contrasted by the everyday realitys of the past and its hard to imagine so many devastating things happening to this country and it's people. Everywhere around me I would see the affects from a war that wracked the country and it made me nervous to tell people that I was from the US, yet when I did they would say "Oh we love the US". I guess it is as they say "We have forgiven. But we will never forget."

We crossed over into Vietnam in the middle of the night from China and after the order and structure of China the disorganized chaos that was the boarder check into Vietnam gave us a glimpse as to what it would be like for the next two weeks. As soon as we walked out of the train station in Hanoi we were bombarded with what would become the most common saying in Vietnam "Motorbike? You need a motorbike? It's much to far to walk." I don't think that I have ever seen this many people trying to get you to ride their bike and you have to find it funny so that it does not drive you crazy.

Our first day in Hanoi was spent just checking out the city and going to see the famous and greatly entertaining Water Puppet Show. Although being very touristy it was quite clever, they had the puppets on long poles and moved them around in a pool of water. This was original done in Rice paddies and all the colors were wonderfully bright. They had live folk music and singers, so it made for a fun little night out. The next morning Russ and I decided to try our hand at renting a motorbike and visit some of the sights around town. Looking back this was a slightly bad idea seeing as it had been year since Russ had driven a bike and my experience was a few random rides now and then over the years. After a few near misses (of hitting poles, sidewalks etc.) we were cruising around town. I would only drive it outside town (I know I'm a baby) but Russ did a great job in the crazy traffic and we had such a blast.

The next day we headed out to Cat Ba Island, which I had heard a few good things about but was unsure if it would be over run by tourists or not. It turned out to be one of my favorite places on the trip so far and I have made a vow to go back some day. We stayed at this great Aussie run hotel that was almost over the water it was so close, with big rooms that were nice and cheap. By a lucky turn of events we met two American guys that are just about to start a climbing business in Cat Ba. It sounded like an adventure seeing as you can most likely count the number of people who have climbed the area on one hand. They have about five bolted routes on one of the hundreds of islands and the only way to get there is by boat. They were leaving for Hanoi the next morning but gave us a great price to go out on their boat with a guide to get around the islands, a kayak and gear. At 6am the next morning we were weaving our way through island after island of towering limestone cliffs set in sapphire like dark blue water. The climbing was maybe 35 minutes from shore and we had to kayak into the beach. It was not the best climbing I have ever done but there was something insanely cool about looking out over the shimmering water and knowing that you are one of the first to see that view. Of course I was also dripping sweat because of the 80 plus heat and covered in black dust from the unclean route (FYI climbing where no one else has or new routes most likely means there will be a few bumps in your path).

The guys had also told us about a good bouldering area that they had found, so the next day we rented a motorbike and went searching. Although we were following directions they had given us we ended up driving from one side to the other and searched high and low for hours, yet we still could not find it. After driving the same road for the fifth time we asks a few people (always getting a direction from them even if it was not right) and found out that the directions were wrong......go figure. Finally in the late afternoon light we drove over the crest of a hill and saw a valley that poured down the hillside to the base of a beautiful limestone wall. A few small farm houses and green fields with cows grazing dotted the valley and as we drove through the local children seemed to spring from every shadow. We parked at the base to the cliff and climbed for a while with an audience of about 8-9 kids and a few cows. When we were leaving the older boys invited us to join them for a bit of soccer with their beat up mostly flat soccer ball. I will never forget standing in the shadow of that giant black and white cliff kicking the ball around with these beautiful, kind children, who had the most stunning smiles you have ever seem and feeling like this place was at the end of the world and you could just disappear with the setting sun.

It is moments like that when all the bad in the world just seems to fade always and I realize how lucky I am. Sometimes I wonder why it is that I am traveling and I start to think "shouldn't I be more responsible or maybe I would be better off doing something different." But those few days on Cat Ba were incredible and I can't wait to see what jumps out from around the next bend or what next adventure will be.

I have so much more to write about in Vietnam and Cambodia where I am right now. But sadly there is a line for the computer so I should get going. I have been having a few problems with my camera so I am not posting pictures right now but keep an eye out as I will be adding some soon. (hopefully)

Peace, Kala

Chiang Mai. Home for a while

I know I know...... It has been way to long since I wrote anything at all. I have found myself a bit busy doing and seeing all these things that I had no plans whatsoever to do. Funny how that seems to happen. I have just spent over two weeks in China and now am in that far away place called Vietnam, where most of what I know about the country comes from a war that happened 30 years ago and is to them the American War. But more about that later, I guess I should start off with where I left off the last time.

Starting classes in Chiang Mai was a really exciting thing for me because I had not gone to school for a while and was feeling out of practice and had no idea what it was going to be like. The first week was packed with information and so much fun. The teachers were fun, funny, and knew more then I could hope to; but they also had a hard time with English. I was lucky to be able to work with them a bit more and help them to translate the material for the other students. I met a lot of great people from all over the world in just that first week, and have been able to keep in touch with a few of them the last month (I have found that while traveling you meet and lose track of people faster then you can blink) and I am hoping to visit at least one of them on our way through London.

In the short amount of time I spent in Chiang Mai I really tried to make it my home. I was able to walk down the streets and say good morning to the same old man that sits on the same chair everyday, I knew which vendor sold the best pineapple and I knew where to go to get away from all the people. When you travel you tend to forget to see all that is really around you and I absolutely loved staying there for a while and getting to know the city as it was sweet, kind, laid back, and fun. I was also able to find some great climbing partners and did my first lead climbs. Crazy Horse was a great place to climb, with lots of routes and a great location. I would love to come up and do a month or two of just climbing in Asia, I know a few good spots now so it will be fun to come back and be the one "in the know." I was also able to enjoy some of the sights such as the Zoo, many of the Wats, an Elephant camp, and the amazing Sunday market which took over about half of the city every week. I can definitely see myself living there at some point.

After I had finished all my school I decided I wanted to see more of Asia and would go up to meet Russ in Kunming, China. But I still had one last week in Thailand and it just happened to be the week of the Thai New Year. The Songkran festival is one of the craziest times in Thailand and to tell you the truth one of the craziest times I have had in a while. The whole philosophy behind Songkran is that because it is so HOT in Thailand in April they throw water on you to cool you down and to wash away your sins. Well all I can say is that you give an entire country the free-for-all to throw water on anyone they want to for a week and you are going to have chaos. Chiang Mai city is surrounded by a moat and this just adds to the fun because there is unlimited ammunition, as they pull bucket after bucket of cold mucky water and dump it over your head you start to think, "have I ever been this wet in my life?" By the weekend right before I headed to China I could take it no longer and when a friend asked if I wanted to get away to a nearby town I jumped on the chance.

My climbing buddy Julia and I headed up to Chiang Dao, which was like a little paradise in the mountains. It had fresh air (in contrast to the smog of Chiang Mai), bamboo forests with monkeys swinging from the branches, and great people. It was the very best way to end my stay in Thailand and it was so nice to just relax, sitting there doing nothing but reading and writing. There is said to be amazing hiking there also, but earlier in the week I had fallen down a waterfall while hiking and sprained my ankle and knee a bit. Sad at the time but I am now doing much better.

After one last soaking from the festival in Chiang Mai I headed off to China. My first week in China was really laid back, Russ and I just hung out and tried to get caught up on all our travel details (sending packages back home, emails, and planing the next few weeks). We ended up getting stuck there just a bit because we had to wait about 5 days for our Vietnam visas and then could not get the train out of Kunming on the day we wanted.

I found urban China very easy to get around (which I was not expecting) and was surprised because it was very very westernized. After talking with other travelers and from what I have been seeing it seems that Asia is losing much of it's culture as they change with our modern times. I know that things are vastly different than they were 5-10 years ago and I see it changing even more in the next 5-10 years. I often wonder if the good outweighs the bad with all the change and I wonder if we will ever come to a standstill. I am so grateful that am able to see and experience all of these places now and in truth I sometimes wish I had been born 10 years earlier. Oh well I guess I can't change that one right........ :)

Anyway after our slightly extended stay in Kunming we we grabbed a train to Guilin, China. Guilin, like the Krabi area in Thailand has the most amazing Karst features. But unlike Thailand, the city of Guilin is built around, in, and on the features. Russ and I were able to climb to the top of two of the peaks and as soon as you thought you were high enough to see into the countryside, you were confronted by even more mountains. It made me feel like I was in the middle of a giant game of Chess and all the pieces hovered high above me. We only stayed there for a few days but were able to hike around a bit and ride bikes out to the Reed Flute Caves. Although the Caves were cool, I loved the bike ride out into the countryside. The rice patties with vine covered mountains in the background made it very easy to imagine ancient Chinese warriors riding out at you with swords blazing.

That week was the start of a very big holiday in China, so Russ and I went out to Yong Shu for a day where all we really got to do was pick up souvenirs and gifts. When shopping the first quoted price was really outrageous, but we had a great deal of fun bartering. I was always amazed when they would start out with a price 3 to 10 times more than what you would end up paying for it. As much fun as it is to barter the price down sometime I just want them to tell me what I have to pay and be done with it. But it is all part of the experience so I won't complain.

After a little bit of running around trying to send all our gifts back home and still on our bartering high, we bused it back to Guilin on the 30th to grab our train into Vietnam and therefore ended my short but sweet time in China. Looking back, it was not the best place I have visited, but I am so glad that I got to go and I really enjoyed my time. I always get a bit bummed out when there is not enough time to see everything, and with China being SO BIG that reality really hits you. But as Russ and I are always saying to each other, "there is always next time."

Well I think I have made this post long enough so I will leave you here. I have a ton of great stories from Vietnam about motorbikes and beautiful islands. I can't believe we're headed off to Nepal in 15 days and we still have half of Vietnam and all of Cambodia to get through. Wish me luck on getting to Bangkok in time to catch the plane and I will write again when I can.

Peace and Smiles from across the world.

Kala

Thailand Sunshine

Up and down and all round, I have been in Thailand for a month now and I feel like I have been all over the country and yet have seen and done less than 1% of what I would like to. It's funny how that happens, you just can't seem to get enough and yet I can't be to bummed because everything has been so amazing and the people have been truly wonderful.



To start out the trip I had a few crazy long flights to get to Bangkok but it was well worth it when I was met at the airport by my boyfriend Russell who I had not seen for almost 4 months. My first few days in Bangkok where really laid back, just hanging out and relaxing. It's amazing how calm a city of over 7 1/2 million people can be from the 26th floor of a five star hotel and then you go out into the streets and the sounds and smells wash over you like a tilde wave. All I can say is that I am so very happy that I was not alone in that massive urban jungle. by far the most insane city I have ever been to. (pictured right one of the guardians of the city at Wat Pho)

During my 5 short days in Bangkok I was lucky enough to not only have Russ and his traveling companion Mike there to show me around but also Fang (the most wonderful person) who had grown up in Bangkok and was nice enough to drive me around showing me the sights and taking us all out for great food and to some very fun clubs.


On the 26th of Feb after 5 days in Bangkok I was dieing to get some Climbing in so Russ, Mike and myself headed down south to Krabi and Railay beach where we had heard was some one of a kind rock climbing. With Fang's help we made it to Krabi in one day (by bus) and crashed out there for a night before catching a 45min long boat ride to Railay beach. As we slowly made our way around the shore and came into this beach with soaring cliffs all around and palm trees I finally started to feel like I was a long long way from home, in every sense.

We slowly made our way around the point to Ton Sai beach where we would set up base camp for the next few days, it was not the nicest of beaches but I knew that the climbing would more then make up for that. We finally got settled and headed out to do a bit of bouldering before the day was done. As we walked along the cliffs and looked at these walls all I could think was that I am way out of my league here, I mean the routes these people were climbing were insane.

By the time we started bouldering I was feeling so incapable of doing anything and yet so excited that I could hardly stand it. As soon as we touched the rock we realized that while it looked amazing it was also jagged razer sharp holds of every kind and after about half an hour the guys had blood on their hands and all our hands were shot for the night. But it being my 21st birthday that night we soothed our sore hands around cold drinks and sat beneath the beautifully lit limestone cliff.

Over the next couple days we had a great time messing around on the rocks and doing nothing at the Bungalow. I mean really sunshine and climbing what more could you ask for. Here is a picture of one of my favorite climbs where we got to climb up through and around the stalactites. As you would place your hands or feet against the formations they would echo and ring with a hollow sounds when you placed all your weight on them,which I have to say was really cool and a bit unnerving. We also got to view one of the locals having lunch (pictured right), when Russ and I ventured out to play on this long slack/high line suspended about 15 feet above the water. Granted we did not have the skills to walk the line but we could climb out and jump into the water. All in all it was unlike anything that I have done before and was a lot of fun.

After our four days on Ton Sai beach we headed out again to the island of Ko Pha-Ngan where we were meeting up with Fang for the full moon party. We arrived at our wonderful out of the way bungalow well after dark after a day long bus drive, sickening ferry ride (it seems I get a bit sea sick) and a harrowing 4wheel drive adventure in the back of an open pick up truck on top of these huge barrels. Lets just say that the most common words during that drive were "I hope the tailgate holds" and "I wonder how far we will roll before we stop". The ride was well worth it seeing as our beach was beautiful and very much off the beaten track, it was great to yet again just hang out under palm trees and we even did a bit of snorkeling, which I definitely want to do more of. After the full moon party and another day of beach time we headed back to Bangkok so the guys could get their visas to China.


The few days in Bangkok were fairly unremarkable other than the amazing food and hanging out with friends. Russell did take me to Wat Pho which was quite beautiful and the home of the reclining Buddha. It is also where Thai massage was first documented and there are little yogi-massage statues on the grounds. Sadly everything else we tried to go to that day was closed and we could not get in, hopefully next time we are in Bangkok.

On Sunday the 11th I saw Russell off at the airport as he moved on to the next leg of his adventure in China (unexpectedly by himself after Mike decided to go back to Bozeman for two months, then meet us back in Bangkok in May with his girlfriend Amy). I have to say that I am not looking forward to being apart for another month and a half, but its also nice to be on your own for a while.After saying farewell to Russell and Bangkok I hopped on a train up to Chiang Mai were I am having an amazing week of sight seeing, rock climbing and haunting the local markets. On Monday I start Thai Massage School and I am very much looking forward to that. I hope to have many more stories to tell you soon and please keep in touch, it gets lonely without the news from across the big water.

Oh and one last thing to tell you all, during all the free time on the many beaches here I read "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and I recommend it to you all. It was a really wonderfully written book and gave me a great deal of perspective on a different way of life and how everyone does make a difference in this world. So thank you Leif for the great birthday present and I hope some of you will pick it up.

Until next time stay bright and have fun everybody.

Peace and smiles, Kala