Hanoi, Vietnam

Yes we are in Vietnam. First stop to the north Hanoi. We had heard nothing good about this place from other Travelers, but have found out that not everyone likes the same things. We love it here. The "PHO" local beef noodle soup is so good. It's definitely a step up from the soups in Thailand. There are very few tourists here as well, and much of there culture is still in tact. Today we came to see the famous Halong Bay, and now we will start to make our way down south to find warmer weather. Yesterday we decided to try out all the culinary delicacies from the north. First Larisa decided to try grilled dog. Not great but edible, second we had weasel shit coffee. Yes the weasels eat the coffee beans, and then after it flows through them the remains are ground into your morning coffee. OK it tasted great, but that was a tough one to swallow. The last drink we tried was the spit of the birds that they use to make there nest, it turns into some kinda fungus and is then added to one of the local drinks. Yes I have tried them all, I don't know why, but while in Rome.......

Vietnam is very different so far, and much more difficult, but it's true culture still remains, as it is not over run with tourism.

Buddist Forest Monestary

We have just finished an interesting and enlightening experience in one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. 7-8 hours of meditation each day for 4 days, is very difficult for most, especially me, as you all know that I love to talk.

Schedule: 5am Wake up Meditation in Individual's room
7 am Rice offering to the monks
7:30 am Vegetarian Breakfast (Starving)
8:30 am Walking Meditation 2 Hours
11 am Vegetarian Lunch (Last Meal of the Day)
1:30 pm Sitting & Lying Meditation 2 Hours
4 pm Cleaning & Chores
5 pm Tea Time
6 pm Sitting Meditation & Chanting 2 Hours
8 pm Meditation & Quiet Time in your Kuti (Room)

Going without food for 20 hours from lunch to breakfast the following day was very difficult. The most difficult part was the sitting for 2 hours at a time without moving in the typical meditation position, working through your back aches, stiff legs and all your itches and thoughts. Believe it or not thinking about nothing is very difficult, but you also cannot fall aspleep. It does help to have complete silence, and know talking, cars, radios, tv's etc. Only the sounds of the stream and the birds. After the first 10-12 hours of practice I finally had an awakening, and had a very peaceful evening meditation experience. One feels very clean and free when you can completely clear your mind of thoughts and be at peace with ones self for two hours. It's not unusual to see a monk meditation for 5-6 hours at a time. I am sure that practicing the meditation techniques will be healthy for me and after my experience learning the Buddhist ways I am interested to continue these practices.

This place with such peace and tranquility, in such a beautiful healthy environment aids in your transformation. Our Buddist monk was in complete silence without speaking for 7 years and 7 days to aid in his awakening, and enlightenment. In order to maintain his Buddist Monk status he follows 167 precepts, whereas most of those just practicing the religion usually follow 5.

As most of us find this process really different or weird, and very difficult at first, I highly recommend this experience for at least 4-5 days. This was a place out off all the places we researched that was very special.

Chang Mai and Northern Thailand

We have decided to look for something different. Masalong is a Chinese Village up in the mountains, with Myanmar on one side of the mountain and Thailand and all the hilltribes on the other. Yes it truely feels like another country. We get dropped off the bus at a village, and the bus driver points up the mountain as he says "Masalong." A taxi van pulls up and decides that he is going to overcharge us as there is no other way of getting there. He nicely explains that we could wait for 6 others and we could get a discount. So after I searched the village for an hour to rent a motorbike, without any success, we decided that hitchhiking would be the cheapest route. And after 20 min. it turned out to be a success, and we saved ourselves 400 Baht. Thank god as walking was the other option, and the drive into the moutains soon made us realize that may have taken us days.

It's all about tea here. This used to be one of the biggest areas to produce opium, as that's all they could grow on the side of the mountains here. The Thai government forced them to change there production into tea which grows here as well but doesn't provide the same money. All the guide books say that after 4 pm you shouldn't go out into the country as you could be mistaken as a drug lord and shot down. Which means there is probably something other then tea still in the hills. So we drive throught the mountains during the day just taking it all in, and at night we sit, chat, eat $1 meals, drink tea and look over the valley below. The best part about the place aside from being some where with few tourists, is that the prices for a room 50Baht/person haven't changed in at least 6 years. My 6 year old outdated Lonely Planet is finally right for once. Usually once a place is in the Lonely Planet they get really busy, and usually raise there prices. Travel note for you all. This is the same every country we have been. So we usually stay right next door to the place reccomended and for much cheaper. Then we go hang out there as they usually do have the best common rooms, coolest travellers, and best atmospehere, we just don't want to pay the inflated prices.
This place really makes me want to explore China further. Free tea 24 hours a day. And all the road stands sell fancy little tea sets. Well everything here shuts down at around 8pm.

Next stop was back to Changmai, after one quick day at the center of the Golden Triangle. The junction where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet at the Mekong River. Very touristy, but very few falang. Most of the tourist here are from Thailand.

Oh yeah I did happen to see a great botanical gardens up in the mountains as well in Doi Tung. Larisa and I decided that we should take some time travelling on our own, as we had both done this before and new it would be a different experience. I got picked up this time by 3 buddist monks, and then after they decided they couldn't take me any further I was dropped off in the middle of no where. Now standing around for an hour with only 1 car driving by, my next option was to ask the two GI Joe army guys sitting by the road if they could give me a ride. Suprisingly enough they seemed happy to help. Remember at this point I had left Larisa with the Thailand guide and phrasebook, so I was going commando you could say. I managed to communicate 3 towns on the main Hwy. that would get me back into civilization. So this time I am sitting in the front of the truck in between the two guys with machine guns slung over there shoulder. This was one time I really wanted to bring out the camera, but though it may not be a good idea. Ten minutes later they pull over and point to another road, "main rd, bus here." So they both sit smoking in there truck waiting to see if I catch a ride. After about 30 min. of trying to flag down a bus, with no luck, one of the guys decides that he willl give me a little help. He storms over to me as if he is upset, takes the gun from off his shoulder and waves the next 3 vehicles down with it. Funny enough, one of them happen to be going in my direction. It was an empty taxi van, and no he didn't charge me for the 40 min. ride. You never know what kind of experiences you encounter, and for some reason it happens more when you are on your own.

The next goal is to take a 7 day meditation retreat with the Buddist Monks. This could be a life changing experience, so I may be off the beaten track for a while. I will update you when I return. So tommorrow I am heading 18 km west of Changmai, into the moutains. I will update you upon my return. I hope you are all enjoying the winter in Canada.

Quick Stint in Koh Lanta & on to Full Moon Koh Pangan

So we have met up with some buddies from Vancouver, Mr. Franky (Steve) and Dave Barkwell. We showed them all the great sights in Railay, and then Tonsai for a few days. We introduced them to Climbing in one of the best climbing destinations in the world & all the sights around Krabi Town. We have now made our way to the Full Moon. Leela Beach Bungalows if anyone plans to meet up with us.

Sorry for the lack of updates, we are just rancho relaxo, and haven't found to many places with internet. Next stop Koh Tao, and then up north to Changmai. We have to leave the country around the 14th of Dec. Maybe a dip into Myanmar for a week to renew our visa and then into Vietnam. North first and making our way south. Pictures will be updated soon so be prepared for some hot shots. The drinking and crazy times will commense for the next 3-4 days, as we will be meeting up with many friends that we have met. And that's why people come here from all over the world.

Merry Christmas to all, and have a safe happy New Year. Our Christmas was combined with beach volleyball, hiking to the lagoon, then a great buffet dinner for 150 Baht, ($5). Christmas day climbing up about 120 feet off the beach and just hanging out swimming and taking it easy followed up by a night of buckets, and dancing. So many experiences everyday it's hard to keep you all updated.

Back To Thailand, Railay Beach

The first place we had to go was Railay Beach in Krabi. We have been so excited to climb as we did not find any in the Phillipines. So here we are, we have already been here for a week. There is so much to do and I just love the vibe. There are no vehicles here. It's a land locked area on the mainland but you have to take a boat to get here. We have done so much. Today I took Larisa up the mountain, 1267 steps to the Buddist Temple in the Sky. So relaxing, so peaceful and we decided that the difficult accent makes it much better as it is a deterant to turns most tourists away. But we feel that the Buddah is testing us. At around 1/3 of the way the steps get so steep, each one about 2 ft. vertical. We saw so many eager beavers turn around at that point. We feel this also might be a good lesson. All great things may be difficult to aquire, and most never acheive them, as they quit at the first road bump. But little do they realize that with a little perseverance, some of the most special, amazing experiences will follow.

Yesterday we encounter this very situation. We heard of a great climb by some fellow travellers, but that it was very difficult to find. The climbing guide did'nt say much about it except that it was very difficult climb just to find the beginning of the climb. A little difficult to navigate, but we persevered and finally found it. The climb was a 60M vertical climb off the beach, all bush whacking. Very difficult with sandals. But well worth it. We eventually found it. One of the climbs was a multipitch 200M off the beach where we started. The views up there are so great, and very few people will ever get to enjoy them while hanging off a rope from the side of the mountain. One of the climbs was about 20M up the cliff into a cave, which we heard you can explore with your headlights and go threw the mountain and then rappel down the other side of the mountain onto one of the most beautiful beaches. We happen to give it a shot at sunset, with one headlamp and it turned out to be an amazing adventure.

It been new adventures everyday. Climbing another mountain into a lagoon surrounded completly by 200M cliff walls. Larisa and I are enjoying the food so much, and wish you could all be here to enjoy the experiences with us. I am so excited to show you all the photo's but presently having difficulty uploading them. We are planning to head to Full Moon Party in a few days to celebrate one of the biggest parties on earth at New Years on the Beach.

El Nido, Palawan, La Isla Bonita

Yes we are having so much fun here. So many great activities. Sea Kayaking to the thousands of jagged islands. We decided to make a bamboo raft and a shelter, just to see if we could survive on one of these uninhabited islands. Day two Island hopping to the beautiful lagoons, secluded beaches, great snorkling, and reef. All the mountains are super sharp jagged rocks formed from the torential rain in the wet monsoon season. Today we climbed up the moutain to see the spectacular views from the top. Very difficult, dangerous terrain, amazing to see.

Palawan Perfect

Sabang, Palawan (8km Underground River)

This is one of the only islands that tourism hasn' t real hit yet. It could be the difficult travelling over through the mountains on only dirt roads. (Much like Skookemchuk Hot Springs but more up and down like the rockies.) The roads are all just in the process of being paved as we speak. First stop Sabang. Thinking that this would actually be a big city we arrive without doing much pre planning as far as the cash situation. We find out that there are no banks, atm's, use of credit cards or travellers checks anywhere on the island except for the big capital of Puerto Princessa. To bad we to already have been on the road for nine hours on a Jeepney before we find this out.

Sabang is acutally one road no more then a city block. Power on comes on between 6pm- 9pm every day. Maybe only 200 people living in the village, but we found a great place, Sabang Beach Backpackers 200 Pesos. Thats $5 Canadian, or $2.50 each per night, comes complete with a needed mosquito net, and the shower is a bucket of water that you pour over your head after pumping it from the town well. We got luckey and met someone here who would buy our US money for a decent price.

Here in the photo's you will see the place we stayed for 3 days, the opening of the 8 km underground river, which was just nominated today to possible be one of the new Seven Natural Wonders of the World by UNESCO. There was a hugh celebration on Dec. 4 Celebrating this occasion, and we were lucky enough to be there for the Event. The last picture is of all the little children bathing in the Ocean. There are many children here.

Sweet Beaches of Boracay

We have found some great places. Although very difficult to find Sabang Beach near Puerto Gallera was a great find. The locals here were very friendly and great party atmosphere. Larisa and myself had one of our first big nights of too much drinking and fun times. Followed by 24 hours off hell. Or what you may have heard as Deli Bellie. Larisa first, and not long after it hit me, quite embarrassing with both of us hanging our heads out of the boat. Yes thank you medical clinic for coming through to get that experience over faster.

Next we hit the nicest beach that I have ever seen. Boracay Wow. The water is so blue, and the beach is perfect. Sand so white and soft. You can walk out forever, this is truely a must see for your next big trip. Great Island, very touristy, but well worth a few days. We happened to be here for a week, as we had to stay longer to get out 21 day visa extended. So I did get in some golf, and a couple of good hikes around the island scoping things out.

Flying is the only way to really get anywhere here. Very hard to see the country and relying on the ferries. We are leaving tommorrow for Palawan, but unfortunatly we have to fly back to Cebu City first to Fly there. No boats or ferries will take us. Lot's of backtracking. Still haven't found any super adventures to tell about, other then our adventure with the toilet.

Cagayan De Oro

OK I expected this place to be another small beach town. Larisa and I were a little overwhelmed by the poverty and the number of people they have packed into this rather large city. The begging street kids are difficult to see. The locally owned Jeepny's here are the best and cheepest transport. Each of them are elaboratly painted and decorated, and all with big boom boxes pumping out the most popular hip hop music. Usually packed with drunken young teenagers you must be careful as to which ones you get onto. It's quit interesting watching how the driver weaves in and out of the crazy traffic, and one or two guys hanging off the back trying to draw in passengers. It's amazing how many people they can pack in such small bus.

Giant Clams, Camiguin Island

One of the most interesting places we went to see was the Clam Reserve which protectes the Giant clams of up to 1 meter and the coral in and around the area. A dive amongst the 2000-3000 clams and the beautiful coral was once in a life time find. If only I had bought the underwater camera. Out of the 7 types of clams in the world, 5 of them are found here, and due to over fishing many of them are endangered. Some of the biggest are up to 2 meters. These are big ass clams.

Camiguin, Phillipines

Wow this place is hard to get to, but sure worth it. It is like a little jem of an island so different from regular life in any of the busy overpopulated dirty cities. Renting a motorbike for $8 for a few days is the best way to explore this tropical island. With its 6 volcano's covering the island climbing right off the shores of the beach, it seems to be always raining. Hot Springs, Waterfalls, Hiking up the old Volcano, getting lost up in the mountains in the dark. Here everyone is so helpful and friendly. Being that almost everyone speaks english you can even communicate with those in the far remote mountains. Most of the locals pass the time lounging outside there homes on the side of the road and watch the people passing by for entertainment. Everyone waving and yelling "hello friend" is very common as everyone wants to get to know you, and know your name, marital status, and profession. Another big passtime here is singing Kereoke. In order to survive and try to make some extra money every home on the side of the road has it's own store, and a Kareokee bar. Larisa and I couldn't help but stop as we passed by a large group singing and dancing. Happy that we were there to watch, they asked us to judge there routine, as the large family was in a local dance competition the upcoming Saturday.

Overwhelmed In Bangkok

OK every time you get to Bangkok, it just totally drains you. It's busier now then it was 6 years ago. One day of the hustle bustle, and the polluted air, and you just want to find your way to a secluded beach. We have decided the Philippines will be our first beach destination. A flight to Manila, then south to Cebu city, wow this place is 15 to 20 years behind Thailand as far as development and very very poor. Not what I expected, Well I find it's best to go into a travel without expectations, that way you will never be disappointed. So that has just what we have done. Roll will it.
We have determined that we don't like taking the planes and the fancy buses as much as the public buses and cheaper means of transport. You really get a feel for the country much better on the public transit, as you can see how 90% of the country lives. I heard a fact whether true or not that this country has a 10% employment rate, that means a 90% unemployment rate. Yes that's how it is here so far. I thought that Thailand was bad, but there are like no tourist here. Very Surprising being so close to all the other touristy Asian Countries. Larisa has been getting tons of people staring at her blond hair. She feels very special here.

OK reality here is tough but they all seem to be fine with it, very family oriented, and catholic. I can't believe how many children and schools they have here. This Catholic families are so big. The population here is a big problem. But just like my trip to Brazil everyone is still very happy with having the big families.

We finally made it to our first beach on Panglao Island off of Bohol Island. Alona Beach very beautiful. Apparently one of the best places to Scuba Dive, to bad we both aren't into that. First Day at the Beach and I have already injured myself. I cut up my foot on some coral,while playing Frisbee. It should be OK Larisa is nursing me back to health with her trusty first aid kit.

Yesterday was our first big Adventure, rented a motorbike for the day $5 each, and $2 for a full tank of gas, and off into the jungle to find the Chocolate Hills. Weird shaped mountains that all have the exact same shape, and no real explanation as to why there are over 1700 in this one area and no where else.
Then we found some beautiful underground caves, and met some nice Filipino man that showed us how to use all the advanced settings on our camera to capture all of our great moments. Today we are off to Camiguin to climb a volcano. We will try to keep the posts coming more frequently.

Yes we made it. We are in Bangkok, and I am ready to give Larsia her first taste of the interesting cullinary choices. We are on a search for the best and worst Bangkok has to offer. We will update you soon

Lencois and the National Park

We had to find a place where we could spend some days doing some activities before the big Carnival. The national park here near Lencois had so much to see and do. We had the opportunity to do some snorkling into a big cave only guiding our way by a light. 15-20 min. into the cave was enough to get you thinking about the possibility of getting lost, as the walls of the cave started closing in on you overhead. We also witnessed some excellent views of the valley, some interesting caves, and a great rock waterslide.

Sea Horses, and Bom Pixies in Porto De Galanhias

Before heading to Salvador for Carnival we had a few more places to see on the way. So we actually were able to see real live sea horses. Yes they were small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, but they do actually exist. They were actually in a river that fed into the Atlantic. This is near the beach in Brazil that has the warmest sea water. Muro Alto has water that is 29 degrees and is the warmest ocean water in South America. Here we ate the local fish of the sea, and the pics show you a before and after of our lunch.

Happy Valentines Day Larisa my Love

So you all probably know I am not much for commercial holidays, but Larisa you are worth it. Here is my Happy Valantines Card for you.

Cultural Olinda, Brazil

Olinda is the city in Brazil that has the 3rd largest Carnival celebration. We actually were there two weeks before the actually carnival for a so called `practice` and it was crazy busy. It was great watching children, elders and all the people from this culture dancing and enjoying the celebration, that started Sunday morning and went until Monday morning.
Here are some pictures of the typical footware of Brazil, Tracey with her favorite local drink in two flavors, that she drinks `Agua de Coco` everyday. The beautiful streets of Olinda.

Heading south, Pria de Pipa

So reading through our lonely planet, the next place to go was Pipa, and up to know the write-ups of each town in Brazil are right on. Small town relaxed vibe, beautiful beaches, dolphin filled waters, and the main street with great shopping, great restaurants, music in the streets and relaxed pubs and bars to sit and have a drink and watch the action. We really wanted to see the dolphins up close, so we bucked up for a 2 hours tall ship ride to have a chance to swim with the dolphins. We did see them playing in the water near by and we did swim but the timing was not perfect. They only came right up to the boat once we all got out of the water. To bad but great to see them playing around.

Northern Brazil, Canoa Quebrada

Here are some crazy pics. Yes thats are real insect, and that is Tracey´s foot. This place is a baby factory. All the local women here are either pregnant are carrying one or two infants in there arms. I can see why my friend Taron likes this place so much.

Iguazu Falls, Northern Argentina

After spending 3-4 days in Bunoes Aries, reuniting with Larisa and seeing the amazing Recoleta Cemmetary it was time to bus up to the North on a 22 hour bus to meet up with a friend from home Tracey and her travel companions team sweden. So we finally meet up with them after a long night in the bus. This has started to become a common mode of transport, the overnight buses which are usually accompanied by a gravol to help you sleep throught the somewhat painful bus ride, usually 16-30 hours.

The 1st night was an epic renunion with Tracey and a farwell with Larisa before she takes off back home. We enjoyed a fabulous fiesta. The next day was an excellent way to relax . We saw the most beautiful falls I have ever seen. Iguazu falls is much more spectacular then Niagara. It could have been the boat ride we took into the throat of the devil, getting completly drenched by the cool water, in the 30 degree weather, with 4 great women. Life is good. It was a great way to finish the trip with my love Larisa.