Laos

Ok, some explaining to do first.....I have been trying to stay up to date but it has been very difficult so in order to catch up I'm going to have to cut some corners and leave out the details but I will do my best to tell of my traveling adventures over the past 2 weeks....
I left you at Pangkor island and I was on my way to Thailand. So slight change in plans. Right before I left for my trip I found out my friend Reid was going to be traveling with some friends in SE Asia as well. So in order to meet up with him and his friends I took a train from Malaysia to Bangkok (a 20 hour train, quite the experience). After just spending a day in Bangkok we went North to Laos (another long traveling day of 9 hours on a bus). But we eventually made it to Vang Vien in Laos to meet up with the rest of his traveling group. So now my itinerary has slightly changed and I have saved Thailand for the end of my trip (I fly out of Bangkok).

Lao Women at the market in a random hill town we stopped at

Ok, now that you know where I am let me tell some stories. First off Laos is a wonderful country! I fell in love with it the moment we entered. Tourism hasn't hit at full force here so it has so much character. The people are wonderful and you can't find a McDonalds here (or any other chain for that matter). Highways also don't exist which makes driving anywhere quite the ordeal but it gives you time to enjoy the scenery and the scenery is absolutely stunning! Rice fields, mountains lined with lush forest, and beautiful limestone formations that just abrupt out of the ground. Few and far between the breathtaking views are small villages with huts on stilts built out of bamboo with palm leaf roofs. The villages are scattered with smiling children and an array of animals including chickens, cows, turkeys, ducks, dogs, cats and pigs. It seems they all just belong to the village rather than just one family. All this makes the long drives getting from one destination to the next much more bearable.

Vang Vieng and the Mekong

In Vang Vieng on our first full day we did what most people go there to do, tubing. I won't go into much detail, this story is one I'll save for my friends over a beer but tubing in Vang Vieng means you rent an inner tube and they drive you about 5 miles north of town and then you float down the Mekong river and stop at the many bars that line it's banks. With that said you can imagine what you like of the experience but all in all it was a blast.

On out way to our guest house.....

The next day we rented some motor bikes and went out to an area with caves to explore and swimming holes to swim in. The drive out was beautiful and I had my first experience of swimming in a cave, quite refreshing actually.

Rope swing at the swimming hole, lots of fun!

I don't know if you can tell but that's me swimming in a cave.

A friend I made at the swimming hole. He was quite the photographer and borrowed my camera for a little while and took about 50 photos, they weren't bad either.

The next day the group split off and I went north to Luang Prabang with Reid and his friend Jason. We were very fortunate in our timing there because all over Laos they were celebrating Bun Awk Phansa, a holiday that celebrates the end of the rainy season. So how do they celebrate? Well the first night one of the temples housed a festival that included food, games, music and an interesting sport called kataw (not sure on spelling). Imagine 3 on 3 volleyball with a bamboo ball the size of a grapefruit and you can't use your hands. It was quite impressive. The next day was the big evening celebration where they put on a parade of "fire boats" as they called them. These were boats about the size of a kayak they make out of bamboo and decorate it with tissue paper and candles. All together there were about 10 and they were beautiful! Everyone carried them down the main street while singing and dancing. They then put the boats into the Mekong river and let them float away. On top of that each individual (including me, Reid, and Jason) buys or makes their own small float usually made out of palm leaves and flowers. Once you put your own float into the water you're supposed to make a wish. We were very lucky to be here for the festival, it was quite the experience.

Some of the "wish floats". Just imagine those with incense and candles as well.

During the day in Luang Prabang we mainly just wandered around the town. There are many temples to see and some great markets for shopping. On our second day we got outside of the city to a waterfall where we did some hiking and swimming.

Temple in Luang Prabang, they're everywhere!

Buddhist Monks, they're everywhere as well given the number of temples. These guys stopped and talked to us for a while to practice their English. They were very nice (I know it may not seem so in the photo but it's a common theme that Monks don't smile in photos).

Waterfall outside Luang Prabang

After 3 days in Luang Prabang we hopped on a slow boat to head north. The slow boat experience is one that many travelers have when they come to Laos in order to get from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai (a border crossing into Thailand). Half the boat was foreigners and we made some friends fast: 2 guys from Holland, one from England, and a girl from Ireland (Niamh, she will come up later in my travels). The boat ride takes two days of floating along the Mekong where you're surrounded by beautiful scenery and pretty much no civilization. The boat isn't the most comfortable thing, you sit on wooden benches with a straight back rest but once the boat gets moving everyone just moves them around and ends up sitting on the floor which is far more comfortable.

Some slow boats parked on the river (this is what ours looked like as well)

Slow boat arrangement before....

Slow boat arrangement after....

Typical scenery from the boat

Sunset on the Mekong

After 9 hours of slow boating we arrived at Pak Beng, a small town where the electricity goes out after 10 pm which was quite pleasant with a full moon. The next morning it was back on the slow boat toward Huay Xai, our destination because it was the home of a program called the Gibbon Experience (that explanation will soon follow in another entry). Once we arrived we went to make our reservations with the program and then had a night on the town with the our slow boat friends. The next morning....Gibbon Experience.

Slow boat crew with our beer lao's

Pangkor Island, Malaysia

Oh the land of Pangkor Island, the place where I properly learned how to eat curried rice with my hands and how to ride a motor bike over speed bumps in the middle of the night....

So from the Cameron Highlands I made my way to my first beach destination in SE Asia, Pangkor Island. The way it was described in my guidebook was the" girl next door" island compared to the "super model" islands on the east coast. I knew it was going to be right up my alley with that description. I had planned my visit just right by arriving Sunday evening because the place is stripped of tourists during the week. I was one of a handful of foreigners on the whole island. I was also the only one staying in my hotel where I had my own room/bathroom with a TV! That is high rolling for the way I've been traveling but still in the budget paying only $12 a night.

At 6:30 every evening they would feed these hornbills at my hotel. They were like seagulls on Pangkor, they were everywhere!

Once I arrived and got settled I made my way to the beach (2 minute walk) and sat on a swing to take in the beautiful scenery. It was at this time I was approached by a local by the name of Adam (pronounced Ahdahm). We quickly became friends despite his broken English and before I knew it I was on my way to the other side of the island to Pangkor town (the main town on the island) on the back of his motor bike for dinner with his friends. I didn't even order he just asked me what I liked and ordered some delicious curry chicken with rice and sweet iced tea for me and I was set.

Sunset at Nipah Bay (where I stayed on the island)

The next day we met up again and he took me to his favorite beach where we were the only people in site. The day was mainly spent lounging on the beach and some more meals around town where I didn't order for myself (I don't think there was even a menu at the places we went to anyway).

My friend Adam at the beach he took me to

My last day on Pangkor I got up early and hopped on the back of the my hotel owners motor bike (his name is Din) to go into town to see the fish market. He called me his VIP guest and offered the personal tour without me even mentioning anything. So the Pangkor Island fish market is very different compared to the Tokyo fish market. Yes Tokyo is obviously bigger but on Pangkor it isn't as much of a market as it is you go from dock to dock and watch them take the catch off the boat, sprawl it across the dock, and then pick out what you want. So after riding through various dark alleys to get to these docks we came home with fish, crab, squid, and large prawns (he was going to cook me and his nephews a feast that night).

Din pulled over to show me this fishing boat they were in the middle of building

sorting the fish

The catch

After the fish market Din took me and his nephews to a small island only about a half mile from the beach to go snorkeling. Din knew of the technique of putting soggy bread into a plastic bag with holes in it and then when you bring it snorkeling you squeeze a little bread out and presto, you are surrounded by fish! We also had lunch delivered to us by speed boat from a restaurant on shore. This is when Din taught me how to eat curried rice properly with my hands.

Boat out to coral island where we went snorkeling

My afternoon snorkeling was then followed by some more beach lounging. I grabbed a table at the one restaurant on the beach and to go with the theme of things I of course was the only customer. My waiter was a local Malay that went by the name of Jack and he joined me for a few beers and some nice conversation. Then to go along with the theme again I got on the back of his motor bike for a ride back to my hotel (even though it was a 5 minute walk, they use their motor bike for everything!).

After a shower and some relaxing my Malaysian feast by chef Din was ready. We had squid in a chili sauce, Curried blue crab, fish in a sweet tomato sauce, and large prawns in a curry sauce with potatoes. It was delicious! After dinner I was picked up by Adam to hang out on my last night in town. We drove into Pangkor town to get some beer to drink on the beach. On the way was when he gave me a scooter lesson, he was a very enthusiastic teacher which made it more fun.

The next morning I once again had VIP service from Din and was offered a ride to the train station where I was to catch a train to Thailand. Din just happend to be going that direction for business and was nice enough to offer me a ride. This is a 3 hour ride we're talking about so it was very generous of him. Along the way he made sure I learned more about Malaysia. He would pull over to have me try fruits or to see different plants, it was a very educational car ride to say the least. So yes, next stop Thailand!

Malaysia

Ok, so I know it has been a little while but I have the excuse of less internet access (I have finally steered away from cities). Now where did I last leave off? Oh right, Singapore. From Singapore I took a bus from Kuala Lumpur. I knew I was in for a different experience from the past two cities I had been when the bus dropped me off on the curb of a city hub that did not even resemble a bus station. You see I had directions to my hostel from the bus station so I was quite lost in the sea of people I was swept away by when getting off the bus. Eventually I found my way and with the help of another treasure map of directions I arrived.
I instantly made friends with a girl from the Philippines in my dorm room. Her name is Shayne and when I introduced myself she said "Morgan is a boy's name!" and responded with "I've only met boy Shayne's in the US". So we hit it off and made our way to the Petronas towers. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) when I arrived in Malaysia, a Muslim country, it was the end of Ramadan so many things were closed including the Petronas towers meaning I wasn't able to go to the famous sky bridge, oh well.

Our next day in KL we walked all over the city: China Town, Little India, Lake Gardens Park, and the Malaysian National Mosque. It's hard to describe everything I saw but needless to say, walking is the best way to experience a city. Me and Shayne in Lake Gardens Park (also picture below)

Above is a picture of the train staiton in KL, beautiful!

From KL I went to the middle of Malaysia to an area called the Cameron Highlands. It is known for it's tea plantations, strawberry farms, and lush jungle trekking. I got off the bus and once again went on a hunt for my hostel and after climbing what felt like 10 flights of stairs I arrived and was greeted with a smile and personal tour of the grounds. I loved this place! It was very well organized and the staff was incredibly friendly. They offered different tours to come pick you up at the hostel so I decided to do it all in one full day tour.

Father's Guesthouse, where I stayed at the Cameron highlands

I was picked up promptly at 9am and after picking up other guests we had a van full of 3 Australians, 2 Indians, 2 couples from Holland, me representing the US, and our Malaysian tour guide Kumar. We started our tour going to the butterfly garden. Yes we did see butterflies and flowers but the best part were the giant bugs (see pictures below).

From there we went to the Boh tea plantations. Boh is Malaysia's main tea company (however it's owned by the Scott's). The tea plantations are beautiful! We also got to see the process of making the tea at the factory and followed that with a cup of tea and scones.


After lunch we got ready for our trek through the rain forest to find the largest flower in the world, the refflasia. Of course when we started the rain did as well (oh the irony) but I guess it makes a better story. The hike was beautiful and the flowers we found were as well. I just made it under the wire to see them. According to Kumar the end of their blooming season is October. On top of that when they do bloom it only lasts for 7 days.

You can do a lot of things with bamboo in the rain forest....

When we finally made it back to our hostel it was dark and cold (we're up in the mountains so no more humidity to keep us warm) but after a warm shower I met up with the tour group for dinner an beers. We all got along really well. The next day I went on another hike through the jungle with an Australian couple from the tour.


Over all the Cameron highlands have been my favorite stop followed very closely by Tokyo. I have made some really good friends here and have fallen in love with the accommodation. Next stop the beach!