First I have to finish telling you about Siem Reap. Most people come here for the temples - well worth it and kinda the only thing to do....until you get to "Bar Street" and then it's like we turned the corner into Cabo. Needless to say, it was cra-zee! Bars, clubs, $.50 draft beers, bumpin music and the entire town's tourist population cruising around. This is where everyone goes after a long day at the temples. I was actually glad to sit and luxuriate w/ a few Beer Laos, b/c I let Josh convince me that bike riding through the park was a good idea. Actually it was, but I haven't owned a bike since 1992, much the less ridden one (seriously) since then. We biked for h.o.u.r.s. The distance wasn't long, maybe 20k or so, but damn, I was sore.
So we jumped on the overnight bus to the beach Friday night, which was just about as good as an overnight bus can be. Other than they oversold the seats, so 4 poor english guys had to sit in plastic chairs in the aisle for half of the journey. Every time someone had to use the loo, all 4 of them would have to move.
We got in about 6:30 this morning and the ground was still fresh from an early morning rain. Turns out it's been raining here for 2 weeks! but today there's a break in the weather, lucky us. I decided that after several days of being "in it" with other tourists, that we'd stay off the beaten path. I'm so glad we did. We negotiated our own bungalows for $3.50 a night, right on the beach! Best part: there are probably only 15 other "gringos" staying along this beach..
Looking forward to more of the same tomorrow - hammock naps, leisurely dips in the ocean, great seafood and of course, a beer lao or two.
I'm headed home on Monday and will be back Tuesday morning. So, that's it for the posts on this trip. thanks again for keeping track of me... with much love ~Farah
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Siem Reap, Cambodia
It is pissing down rain. Like flash flood style.
We didn't stay long in Phnom Penh, less than 24 hours, but I loved the city on first sight. I was hoping to get back after siem reap, but the call of the ocean is overwhelming and I've convinced Josh that a 10 hour overnight bus on Friday is a good idea.
We took a 6 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh and arrived in Siem Reap around 2pm and were immediately accosted at the bus station...ahh nothing like being back in a developing country, negotiating every-little-thing. Walter yelled the loudest and spoke the best english, so for a dollar each, brought us to his 'friend's' guesthouse. Oh, yeah...they use US dollars here. I think it's b/c their riel is 4000 to $1, which makes the math long, and you have to carry around like a million.
Our main objective is to spend a few days in the Angkor temple "park"". It kinda reminds me of Petra in Jordan, there's so much, it takes a few days. Around 5, walter picked us up in his tuk tuk, which is a semi automatic moped with a hitch pulling a "wagon". Super safe and maneuverable. We get to the park and climb up a little hill to this ahh-ma-zing stone temple. We scramble up the steepest set of stairs to be greeted by 360 views of Cambodia. Breath taking. And seven hundred other tourists. Awesome. So I'm cruising around, enjoying being in my own thoughts when the first rumble of thunder comes rolling across the sky. People are leaving. The first drops of rain start to fall and there's a mass exodus down the path. Josh and I are sitting watching, both of us thinking, "should we, shouldn't we?" walter tossed me an umbrella before we left, so I'm feeling confident. And then the sky opened up. there are 11 of us left at the top. so we sit and wait; sorta dry from the umbrella but not really. And then it really starts raining and I'm just laughing like a crazy lady...ask and you shall receive. we wanted less crowds and we got it :)
20 minutes later, soaked to the bone, walter greets us at the bottom and whisks us away for a steamy ride back. His tuk tuk is the delux model - it's got roll down plastic doors. Hell ya. Nothing but style, baby.
We didn't stay long in Phnom Penh, less than 24 hours, but I loved the city on first sight. I was hoping to get back after siem reap, but the call of the ocean is overwhelming and I've convinced Josh that a 10 hour overnight bus on Friday is a good idea.
We took a 6 hour bus ride from Phnom Penh and arrived in Siem Reap around 2pm and were immediately accosted at the bus station...ahh nothing like being back in a developing country, negotiating every-little-thing. Walter yelled the loudest and spoke the best english, so for a dollar each, brought us to his 'friend's' guesthouse. Oh, yeah...they use US dollars here. I think it's b/c their riel is 4000 to $1, which makes the math long, and you have to carry around like a million.
Our main objective is to spend a few days in the Angkor temple "park"". It kinda reminds me of Petra in Jordan, there's so much, it takes a few days. Around 5, walter picked us up in his tuk tuk, which is a semi automatic moped with a hitch pulling a "wagon". Super safe and maneuverable. We get to the park and climb up a little hill to this ahh-ma-zing stone temple. We scramble up the steepest set of stairs to be greeted by 360 views of Cambodia. Breath taking. And seven hundred other tourists. Awesome. So I'm cruising around, enjoying being in my own thoughts when the first rumble of thunder comes rolling across the sky. People are leaving. The first drops of rain start to fall and there's a mass exodus down the path. Josh and I are sitting watching, both of us thinking, "should we, shouldn't we?" walter tossed me an umbrella before we left, so I'm feeling confident. And then the sky opened up. there are 11 of us left at the top. so we sit and wait; sorta dry from the umbrella but not really. And then it really starts raining and I'm just laughing like a crazy lady...ask and you shall receive. we wanted less crowds and we got it :)
20 minutes later, soaked to the bone, walter greets us at the bottom and whisks us away for a steamy ride back. His tuk tuk is the delux model - it's got roll down plastic doors. Hell ya. Nothing but style, baby.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Chiang Mai
I think we've gotten bored. There are 300 temples in Chiang Mai, plus mountain biking, rafting, monkeys, bungee jumping, spelunking, tigers...every packaged tour you can think of...and yet I've been wandering aimlessly for 2 days. Plus this guesthouse we're staying in, while it has a very cool common/social area, is hosting the most dour-est of travelers. That's the word Josh and I have decided best describes this crabby bunch: dour. Even typing the word is sad.
However, I did have a pretty fantastic 1/2 day at the spa today and we've eaten our way through most of the town. So not all bad :) But I haven't felt the pull of this place like some have. So, just to spice it up a bit, we're heading to Cambodia! We got to talking (well he did most of the talking) to Captain Nick, a London-California-Thai transplant, who owns the only piano bar in town, and he sold us on a Cambodian trek he did, so we're off! This means I'm giving up island life at the end of my trip, but hopefully we'll make up for it on the Cambodian coast next weekend.
More when I get to CAMBODIA!
However, I did have a pretty fantastic 1/2 day at the spa today and we've eaten our way through most of the town. So not all bad :) But I haven't felt the pull of this place like some have. So, just to spice it up a bit, we're heading to Cambodia! We got to talking (well he did most of the talking) to Captain Nick, a London-California-Thai transplant, who owns the only piano bar in town, and he sold us on a Cambodian trek he did, so we're off! This means I'm giving up island life at the end of my trip, but hopefully we'll make up for it on the Cambodian coast next weekend.
More when I get to CAMBODIA!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Bangkok to Chaing Mai
Glad to be moving out of Bangkok. That place seriously gave me the black lung.
Josh and I headed out on a 13-hour overnight train ride to Chiang Mai, northwest of Bangkok. The train was pretty luxurious for being '2nd class'. But just before 8pm, one of the stewards comes over and points to our bunks and says "sleep". Really? It's 7:45...we just cracked a Singha, we're chillin'. That was the look. He's obviously no dummy to this game, so he goes on and starts making other people's bunks. Which is kinda nice b/c my experience on overnight trains is getting linen tossed at me.
So we're drinking and carrying on, it's 8:10 and he's back. Josh and I have the 2 upper bunks and of course our lower bunkmates are ready to call it a night and have been evil eyeing us for the past 20 minutes. Really? again, it's barely 8pm. Fine. One of the servers tells us there's a dining car we can sit in - 'you can't miss it', he tells us. Well, duh, it's the next car over! So we slide the doors open and wouldn't you know, the place is jumpin'. Classic 70's jams, people carrying on over whiskeys and beers. It was - awesome.
We couldn't leave. We talked about it, we tried, we were sucked in.
And then this morning around 6am the steward comes around just as people are stirring and I'm peeking out from my curtain to see what the fuss is all about and he points to my bunk and says, "finished". Really? I guess that's good morning in Thai.
Needless to say, I need a nap.
Josh and I headed out on a 13-hour overnight train ride to Chiang Mai, northwest of Bangkok. The train was pretty luxurious for being '2nd class'. But just before 8pm, one of the stewards comes over and points to our bunks and says "sleep". Really? It's 7:45...we just cracked a Singha, we're chillin'. That was the look. He's obviously no dummy to this game, so he goes on and starts making other people's bunks. Which is kinda nice b/c my experience on overnight trains is getting linen tossed at me.
So we're drinking and carrying on, it's 8:10 and he's back. Josh and I have the 2 upper bunks and of course our lower bunkmates are ready to call it a night and have been evil eyeing us for the past 20 minutes. Really? again, it's barely 8pm. Fine. One of the servers tells us there's a dining car we can sit in - 'you can't miss it', he tells us. Well, duh, it's the next car over! So we slide the doors open and wouldn't you know, the place is jumpin'. Classic 70's jams, people carrying on over whiskeys and beers. It was - awesome.
We couldn't leave. We talked about it, we tried, we were sucked in.
And then this morning around 6am the steward comes around just as people are stirring and I'm peeking out from my curtain to see what the fuss is all about and he points to my bunk and says, "finished". Really? I guess that's good morning in Thai.
Needless to say, I need a nap.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Bangkok
Woo hoo! I'm here!
I woke up Tuesday morning with a fever and sore throat - sweet! 17 hour flight ahead of me into the land of, "we are thermally scanning your body temperature even before you hit immigration b/c damn it if another person dies of swine flu on my watch". Okay.
Again, but not surprising, I slept most of flight to Tokyo. Was awake and coherent long enough to make my connection. And passed out again. All this without one cocktail. Segway into: screw United International! $6 for an alcoholic beverage in Economy? After strolling through the 'suites' of first class and the luxury of business class, only to find that you and the rest of the herd have to fight for overhead bin space AND have to pay for booze? wtf
Anyway, both flights were uneventful (I think) and on time (shocking). I landed in Bangkok around 11pm on Wednesday and it was 80 degrees. Hell ya.
As soon as I got here, everything calmed down. I don't know if it's 24 hours of traveling, or just having the space and time to check out. I feel like I'm on the verge of being in this state all the time, but I never quite make it. It's so frustrating, b/c I know this one, and I can be good at it...what keeps me from getting there?
I'm meeting Josh, by bud who I traveled with in Turkey last year. I've heard from other travelers, that often times when you meet someone on the road and then see them in their home country the energy isn't the same. Well, not the case for Josh and I. He lives in SF and we hang out every so often and it's just as easy as I remember. Plus, it's hard to be in anyone's space 24/7, especially while traveling in a foreign country. So I knew when he said he'd be in Thailand, that 1) I had to come and 2) we are going to have a crazy good time.
The hotel he's staying in is RIDICULOUS. Swanky, modern, fabulous. Just what I need. We have dark hardwood floors in our room, washer/dryer, kitchenette, tub that I'm pretty sure I can stretch out in (which, if you're over 5'5" is a big deal). I'm looking out over downtown Bangkok right now, thinking about chillin by the pool this afternoon.
I'll be in Bangkok until Saturday, and then the adventure really starts...stay tuned.
I woke up Tuesday morning with a fever and sore throat - sweet! 17 hour flight ahead of me into the land of, "we are thermally scanning your body temperature even before you hit immigration b/c damn it if another person dies of swine flu on my watch". Okay.
Again, but not surprising, I slept most of flight to Tokyo. Was awake and coherent long enough to make my connection. And passed out again. All this without one cocktail. Segway into: screw United International! $6 for an alcoholic beverage in Economy? After strolling through the 'suites' of first class and the luxury of business class, only to find that you and the rest of the herd have to fight for overhead bin space AND have to pay for booze? wtf
Anyway, both flights were uneventful (I think) and on time (shocking). I landed in Bangkok around 11pm on Wednesday and it was 80 degrees. Hell ya.
As soon as I got here, everything calmed down. I don't know if it's 24 hours of traveling, or just having the space and time to check out. I feel like I'm on the verge of being in this state all the time, but I never quite make it. It's so frustrating, b/c I know this one, and I can be good at it...what keeps me from getting there?
I'm meeting Josh, by bud who I traveled with in Turkey last year. I've heard from other travelers, that often times when you meet someone on the road and then see them in their home country the energy isn't the same. Well, not the case for Josh and I. He lives in SF and we hang out every so often and it's just as easy as I remember. Plus, it's hard to be in anyone's space 24/7, especially while traveling in a foreign country. So I knew when he said he'd be in Thailand, that 1) I had to come and 2) we are going to have a crazy good time.
The hotel he's staying in is RIDICULOUS. Swanky, modern, fabulous. Just what I need. We have dark hardwood floors in our room, washer/dryer, kitchenette, tub that I'm pretty sure I can stretch out in (which, if you're over 5'5" is a big deal). I'm looking out over downtown Bangkok right now, thinking about chillin by the pool this afternoon.
I'll be in Bangkok until Saturday, and then the adventure really starts...stay tuned.
Pre-Bangkok
I'm making a huge assumption, that you actually want to hear about my travels in Thailand. And if you don't...well that's too bad, you're on the list. Plus it's only 2 weeks, I mean how much will there be, right? The blog seemed like too much for this trip, but the requests were overwhelming, so I'm giving in.
It took me a while to get excited for this trip...I had too much going on, I was burning the candle from both ends and I was tired. Remember how much I learned last year about balance, about being grounded, about learning how to center? Yeah, me too. But it's hard to do when 'real' life happens. Between working full time, spending time with friends, going to the gym or having a night of the Weeds, I inadvertently neglect the part of me that keeps my feet on the ground, my head on right and everything in between connected. And, it's not like I don't want to do any of these fun things (work excluded), but remembering to take time out for me is easier said than done. But, the good news is that I'm aware of it and I know when it's time to take a break.
Now I'm excited.
It took me a while to get excited for this trip...I had too much going on, I was burning the candle from both ends and I was tired. Remember how much I learned last year about balance, about being grounded, about learning how to center? Yeah, me too. But it's hard to do when 'real' life happens. Between working full time, spending time with friends, going to the gym or having a night of the Weeds, I inadvertently neglect the part of me that keeps my feet on the ground, my head on right and everything in between connected. And, it's not like I don't want to do any of these fun things (work excluded), but remembering to take time out for me is easier said than done. But, the good news is that I'm aware of it and I know when it's time to take a break.
Now I'm excited.
Friday, October 17, 2008
California Dreamin'
I can hardly believe it, much the less write it, but this will be my last blog entry on this amazing journey of mine. I've had a fantastic couple of days chilling with long time friends: Aaron, Kim and Eli in Seattle. Being here has helped me prepare for the journey home. I plan to take a week to drive from Seattle to the Bay and I want it to be me and the road home. So before I get into the finality of it, I want to tell you how much I have enjoyed writing this blog. Not only do I have a new found love of writing, but the more I hear that you've enjoyed reading it and traveling with me, the easier it is to share. And I needed to share with you...I needed to know you were out there. You've helped me focus on me (which is weird to say), to not be afraid of sharing my thoughts and voice my feelings. It's definitely been therapeutic for me...so thank you for keeping me going.
There is so much that I've learned and discovered on this trip, it's hard to put my feelings into words, but let's see if I can get it out :) Now that I've started learning more about myself, I am aware of my place in the world. But learning about other people's beliefs, culture and religion has given me direction, made me more understanding and increased my tolerance. I'm much more patient, but at the same time I am confident and powerful.
Although I'm nervous and, honestly, a little scared of coming home, I know good things await me when I get there...just as good things were awaiting out in the world. I won't lose perspective because I know what's important. I'll take chances because I know what it's like to be inspired and to be an inspiration.
I have met some incredible people on the road, but it didn't happen right away. I remember in the beginning, I barely spoke with anyone. I had to go inside myself and figure out what the hell was I doing and how I ended up here. And, I'll tell you, it was one of the toughest things I've had to do. But the reward is that I know what it means to have soul mates and I'm so lucky to have met a few men and women who will always be connected to my soul. In considering all these new connections and relationships, the thing that I admire most about myself is that I know how to be alone. So, very clearly from my body, heart and soul, I can tell you that I am finally happy.
I'm glad you've been with me to experience this life changing trip. I'm looking forward seeing you and hearing your thoughts about my journey and the changes I've made.
So keep the champagne chilled...because I'm finally coming home.
There is so much that I've learned and discovered on this trip, it's hard to put my feelings into words, but let's see if I can get it out :) Now that I've started learning more about myself, I am aware of my place in the world. But learning about other people's beliefs, culture and religion has given me direction, made me more understanding and increased my tolerance. I'm much more patient, but at the same time I am confident and powerful.
Although I'm nervous and, honestly, a little scared of coming home, I know good things await me when I get there...just as good things were awaiting out in the world. I won't lose perspective because I know what's important. I'll take chances because I know what it's like to be inspired and to be an inspiration.
I have met some incredible people on the road, but it didn't happen right away. I remember in the beginning, I barely spoke with anyone. I had to go inside myself and figure out what the hell was I doing and how I ended up here. And, I'll tell you, it was one of the toughest things I've had to do. But the reward is that I know what it means to have soul mates and I'm so lucky to have met a few men and women who will always be connected to my soul. In considering all these new connections and relationships, the thing that I admire most about myself is that I know how to be alone. So, very clearly from my body, heart and soul, I can tell you that I am finally happy.
I'm glad you've been with me to experience this life changing trip. I'm looking forward seeing you and hearing your thoughts about my journey and the changes I've made.
So keep the champagne chilled...because I'm finally coming home.
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