THIS IS AFRICA

Well Team,

this is it...

the last report from the great continent, from the great adventure. (I hope I didn't get to wordy :)

How did it all go down? What was the big finale?

It started with some dancing, some Re-meets, and some Mopeds.

After the Spice Tour, we met a bunch of people at the fish market for some wonderful fresh fish and Tanzanian Pizza. There was a big group of people gathering from different tours. People I had met on safari. People I just said "Jambo" to in the Market. We ate, we chatted, we sat at a beach bar drinking Kilimanjaro Beers asking questions and having some good laughs.

Then Victoria, Katrin, Patrick and I hit the disco. A large outdoor place on the roof of a hotel with a swimming pool in the middle of it. The pool was HUGE, 12 feet deep, and empty! A perfect place for some drunk folks to dance! And we did dance, although the music we seemed to like to dance to was less popular than the raeggaeton and Sean Paul and such that the African's enjoyed. Funny but fun. And to think, I was only approached by one hooker while I was there!

She said "Hello, what's your name?"

I Said "John"

"I like you John"

"that's nice. Have a good night"

she seemed very confused that I walked away so easily.

The next day was the first of the MoPed days!

Katrin, Patrick and I rented Mopeds (you have to have a temporary license for Zanzibar). We were taken to a soccer field to practice (good thing), and then were off on the roads of Zanzibar. It took us 2 hours to reach the east coast, with only one minor wipeout along the way. Patrick hit a bump and fell down, but was okay.

It was HOT, but the Indian ocean breezes hit us and we stopped at some bungalows and swam in the beautiful turquoise seas, with the perfect white sand beaches, and the perfect water as the sun went behind the trees and the full moon rose over the ocean. We ate fish fish and more fish! with green curry and bananas. (that's for you Rachel and Dave!). Yummy.

The sun set and I was off riding to Nungwi in the north, while Katrin and Patrick headed back to Stone Town.

Tangent: Did I talk about how awesome Stone town is? A literal maze of buildings, alleys, streets, twisty turney coolness. You can literally just wander around and be surprised at every turn. A shop. A Mosque. People playing Karem (basically pool with disks on a board.) I joined them for a game. I wasn't very good.

In fact in Stone town there is a Church built on the site of the former Slave Market, and Across the street is a Mosque. And between them is a white pillar with the words "May Peace Prevail on Earth". And here it does. Christians are invited over for the end of Ramadan celebration. Prayers are conducted, greetings are exchanged. Next door to this is a Hindu temple. It would be good for those who don't think the religions of the world are all meant to be here in harmony, it would be good for them to go to Zanzibar and take a look around. They might learn something about what every religion really teaches...

Tangent done, back to adventure:

MoPed. Dark roads. Confusing streets.

2 hours later I pull into Nungwi. Land of dozens of resorts both big and small, cheap ($20 a night) and astronomically expensive ($1200 a night!!!!). I'll let you guess which one I stayed at. :)

Problem was, at night its just darkness and rough roads and no clear idea where to go or what to do. Eventually I found someone to ask and they took me to the place I wanted to stay at. Right next to the water. A nice beach. A little restraunt and bar. About 5 budget places all next to each other.

I was so tired I hit the hay.

Up at 6:30am the next morning, walk on the beach. The tides here are HUGE. It's at least 150-200 feet difference between low and high tide. At low you can walk along the beach under the bungalows and balconies. At high tide the waves hit the rocks beneath them. There's no way past but to swim. The locals go out at low tide and walk amongst the rocks and corals in search of shell fish and clams and such. Hundreds of people. It's cool.

I ended up jumping on with a last minute scuba trip to the Mnemba Atoll. I haven't been in 2 years, but it all came back right away and I had a couple nice dives with thousands of fish in huge schools and a cool sea turtle. I love breathing underwater, especially turning on my back and looking at the bottom of the surface glistening in the sun above. Light streaming through. You really owe it to yourself to get certified, just to see it. Its amazing.

Got a little sunburned, but felt good, and then overheard 2 gals talking about the "FULL MOON PARTAY!"

That's right team, tonight is the full f-in moon partay!

So a nap was had, there was a Re-meet of the awesome Phia and Markus (whom I had met on Safari in Tanzania), and a group of us walked along the beach to find the partay. We heard what we thought was Karaoke on the way, but alas it was merely live music. (So no, 5 weeks, and no karaoke in Africa. In truth I never even saw a place that had karaoke and most people had no idea what I was talking about when I asked. :)

The partay was good. Basically a crowded beach bar with a cool acrobat show and then 4 hours of dancing. The full moon was bright. Some of the music was great, some was not. It was what I expected every bar in Nungwi to be like, but this is a much more chilled out place than Ko Phan Ngan, Thailand (home of the 20,000 person full moon partay I went to in 2005!). Still a good time.

The problem was I somehow was there after the music stopped and everyone had cleared out and there was no way to walk back (tide was in). So I went up to grab a cab, thinking others would be going back... but everyone was gone. So I had to negotiate with these cabbies who wanted 15,000 shillings ($13) for a 5 minute cab ride. Really? So a person I'd been chatting with said "go with those guys. It's 3000"

"who are those guys?"

"Friends. They're cool"

so I jumped in with 8 Rasta guys, jammin' the Reggae -- and smoking joints all around.

This'll be interesting.

Sure enough, we were stopped at the Police checkpoint for 10 minutes as I'm sure the driver had to pay some bribes. I mean, duh, the checkpoint is a permanent set up blocking the road to Nungwi. Did they really think the cops wouldn't be out on the full moon partay? :)

My final day was perfect.

I moved to a $23 room right on the beach. I ate a relaxed lunch with these two awesome folks from Belgian that I had been hanging out with. I went for a 2 1/2 hour walk/swim up the beach, through seaweed, crashing waves and white sand. I took a moped ride around town, where at least 300 folks were watching a football (soccer) match. I got a little sherbet cone for 100 shillings. I rode along the paved road for 20 minutes as the sun got low. I made it back to the beach for sunset, amazing sunset over the water. I took a sunset swim, and sat there as it got dark thinking about this absolutely fantastic trip I have gone on. I thanks my wonderful grandma for leaving me the inheritance which I used for this trip. Even though I have the money from work, I like to think that thanks to her I was given the chance to take this fantastic journey. I thanked my Mom for watching over me on my travels. It was perfect.

I ate a candle lit dinner on the beach under the full moon. The "menu" was to take me to the table and point out the different fish I could eat. Kingfish was had. It was good.

I then hung out with friends I had made at the beaches until midnight.

I feel good. Relaxed, and in truth ready to travel some more. :)

And travel I did... 45 hours from the time I jumped on my Moped in Nungwi, Zanzibar until I arrived at my front door half the world away in Los Angeles, California. I took a moped through the rain. Walked. Rode the ferry for 2 hours in crazy salt spray. Took a taxi (not getting ripped off for any of it going this direction). Took 3 plane flights: 1 where my seat had been given away. 1 where I had an emergency slide blocking half my leg room. 1 where I had space and could watch whatever movies I wanted! (Semi-Pro and The Wackness were the ones I watched). I even read 100 pages of the book I brought. (up to this point I'd read 10 pages the entire trip).

And now I'm home...

Los Angeles.

A world away from Africa.

A world away, but is it the real world?

Not really.

Africa is just as real as America to me now. Not that I'm planning on moving there or anything (I drank from the first water fountain I found when I got back! Hallelujah!), but Africa is no longer just something in books and pictures and movies. Africa is real. It's an amazing place full of wonderful people, fantastic scenery, animals, mountains. It's a place that tested me and rewarded me. It was a grand adventure, and one that I can't entirely process right now. When I look back at the pictures, It seems like a million years ago that the Gorilla touched me. Yet it feels like yesterday.

I've come back to the USA, and everything is mostly the same. Some good things have happened (Jared finished his album!, Scott and Lauren got engaged!), some bad things (the economy went to shit, fires burn southern California), but really it is mostly the same. As it is, things change slowly in daily life.

Africa.

It Fricking rules. :)

You owe yourself a trip there. Don't be afraid of it. Don't think it's all the horrors and sadness you see in the news. Sure, unfortunately there are places that are like that, but just because there is a crime somewhere doesn't mean the whole country, or continent!, is bad. It's not bad at all. It's amazing.

If I could tell you how I feel right now I would... but it's to much to explain.

Go see for yourself.

Get out there and live it, don't just trust me.

Get out there and travel... to Africa, or Asia, or to the mountains outside your home town.

Whatever you do, get out of your routine. Get out of the rut of daily life. Make your life the adventure you want it to be. Don't waste it. It's to precious. To amazing. This world is full of things that will take your breath away and blow your mind, and you can't get it from reading about it or watching it on TV. Go ahead, stand on the side of Kilimanjaro at sunset, have a Gorilla touch you, watch 10,000 wildebeest stampede across the plains, hear the sounds of children laughing and singing and dancing in the rain.

Don't miss it.

And though I thank you for reading all of these emails, trust me: It is so much more than these words can ever capture.

This is just the surface.

This is just a glimpse.

This isn't Africa...

But I've seen it.

And I'm so lucky.

This is Craig Ouellette,

last surviving member of the Nostromo

Signing off.

AFRICA IS HOT

It's true Team...

The coast and Zanzibar are HOT and Humid and pretty frickin awesome!

After my day off from Traveling in Moshi, I headed here. In Moshi the

power went out around noon and was out until maybe 10pm. It flickered

on here and there. Some places had generators, but mostly that was it

for the power. They say it's rationing. They say sometimes its 30

minutes, sometimes it's more. They say "It's Africa!". :)

The bus ride was hot and sticky as we passed mountains on our way to

the coastal plain. We had to RUSH out of the bus and into a taxi in

order to get to the ferry in time. We ended up getting ripped off for

about $8 each, and I knew it was happening, I called them on it, but

we barely made the ferry in time, so I guess it was the "Don't get

stuck in Dar es Salaam" tax.

So here I am in Stone Town, Zanzibar. Home of a maze of city streets,

tiny alleyways, wonderfully illogical buildings, a fresh fish market

every night lit by lanterns, old palaces of the Sultan (they ruled

here for many hundreds of years), and the site of the last Legal Slave

Market in Africa. A site shut down in the 1870's by the works and

efforts of a Doctor Livingston, I Presume. I had no idea that that

famous line was about the man who rallied the Church and the English

government to shut down the slave trade. (though it continued

illegally for a many more years). There are old slave chambers under

the church... the ceilings are not even 5 feet tall. For such a dark

part of history it's amazing how casual most African's are about it.

As if it is just some fact in a book and not reality. I guess it's

been 130 years, so maybe that's why.

Ran into some friends I'd met earlier in the trip. Cheryl from the

Gorilla trek is here (and gone again already. Hope the RBR is going

well Cheryl!!!! :), Victoria and Peter from the Tanzanian Safari...

just saw them today. And it looks like we'll have a good crew to

actually go DANCING tonight at THE disco in Stone Town. (I asked

about Karaoke but no luck... dammit! :)\

tomorrow it's off to beautiful beaches, Moped exploring and eventually

scuba diving.

I've got 3 days and 4 nights left until the 40+ hours of travel to get

from paradise back to LA. Gotta make 'em count!

Hope you are all well.

Come to Africa. :)

Craigo

2 BODA's, LOTS OF MUD, THE RAINS OF GOD and yes, GORILLAS

Well Team!

sorry for the long delay, I have been in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where there is... well, trees, mountains, rain rain rain, awesome people, gorillas and a lot of darkness coming in at night. Electricity and the internet are not around, and that is perfect. :)

sooooooo much has happened since my last email, that I’m sure I won't be able to tell you it all in this email. but here goes:

some folks asked about a gorilla permit. Well, in order to see the mountain gorillas of Rwanda or Uganda you have to purchase a permit from the government. These go for a whopping $500 USD a piece. And there are only 32 a day in Uganda. And 40 a day in Rwanda. That's it. It buys you a guide, trackers and the chance to see the mountain gorilla at close range in their natural habitat. a lot of times tour operators buy them all up. the fact that I got one was pretty lucky and the foundation of one crazy ass journey.

but first...

Lake Bunyonyi.

Awesome. Island studded lake. I rented a canoe and managed to make Mzungu Circles for an hour before I was given a tip by a local who was rocketing past me. Then I got it down well. Devin, I now know what was happening that last day of the canoe trip!

I hung out with a bunch of kids in a little village at dusk.

okay,

this update is going to be short because my hands are hurting from this keyboard (what is it with the keyboards!). And I’ve been typing and responding to emails personally for an hour now.

still...

2 Bodas? yep. On mountain roads. I mean MOUNTAIN roads. One lane wide with jungle cliffs on the side. And then, on both trips it started to rain. HARD. and yes... we crashed, ONCE. we were going about 10km/hour and WHOOSH, slid down in the mud. Only a little scraped up. The second ride was supposed to be a car, and the car wasn't there, so a boda boda it was. Down THE WORST ROAD ON EARTH. Okay, it wasn't really the worst, but it was a 4WD road for sure, muddy as hell, rocky, rutted and surrounded by beautiful mountainside. And cliffs galore. but Richard (the driver) was much safer than the first guy and better and we made it safely down the mountain. Though I did have to walk a little bit of it as well. :)

Everything in western Uganda is muddy. It's a rain forest. Its' beautiful.

And speaking of rain. The Rainy season (here) has begun. I was on a village walk in Buhoma (a tiny little town outside the National park). we were seeing tea plants, medicine men (who speak French), and these great kids at the school who did a fantastic dance and song for us. Then had us join in. Wile there the RAINS OF GOD came. I mean...hurricane Ike, you have met your match. Perhaps not with wind, but the rain fell so hard that you couldn't see anything beyond 25 feet. And with such a force as you wouldn't believe. If we'd stepped into it we would've been soaked to the bone in 3.2 seconds, MAX.

after the rains we couldn't get back to the lodge because of the swollen creek over the road. no one dared cross except this drunk pigmy guy who went back and forth like we were all a bunch of idiots. I have some cool video of it.

And yes... gorillas.

two words:

Absolutely Amazing.

I was in the Mubare group, which has 8 individuals, 1 a silver back. 1 baby. etc. You meet at the park office at 8am, and head out with about 8 people. a 30 minute drive later we began trekking through a village and into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Thick and muddy. Steep slopes and exciting. The guide was in touch with the trackers via walkie talkie. They found our group, so we took shortcuts over the hills. 2 hours of hiking and we neared where they were. (other groups had to hike for 4 hours in really thick vegetation and rain, so we "lucked out").

So we leave our bags and get rid of our walking sticks so as not to scare them.

And head on...

Naturally I got up front near the guide cause hell, I came to see the mountain gorillas.

and see them, we did.

Came past a tree and there was a HUGE silverback sitting and eating. I mean, he was 15 feet away. Then you see the others. One on a tree branch 12 feet away. Then a baby climbs up on the branch and they wrestled. A black-back (adult male about 13 years old), pounds his chest and tears through the trees. We move to a different location above them on the slope.

Then we're nearly surrounded. The gorillas playing, eating, and looking at US. Staring right at us. You could take all the pics and video you wanted, but no flash, no eating (yep I had to do it before I got there), and stay 5-7 meters away. Well, we can try, but gorillas don't really follow the rules. So this 5 year old decided to challenge us... and when I say us, I mean me. He stared at us, and then came forward and rolled down the hill a few feet. Everyone watched or took pics as he inched forward and then slapped his hand on my knee and left it there. Then he hurried off. Pretty fricking awesome.

But it's not over. We watched two others wrestle, and then the baby joined in. The mother nursed the baby and some of them fell out of a tree. Then the Silverback got up, grunted and they all moved out.

And naturally we followed them.

And then they got to a clearing under some trees. The baby on the mom's back. And then Mr. 5 year old decides he'll have another go at us. He charges forward and then comes up and hits my knee again. And turns back...looks me in the eye... and comes up and slaps my shoulder before running a bit away and pounding his chest.

Pretty fricking awesome.

And very unusual. Apparently they rarely do that. And it happened three times.

And writing this doesn't capture what it was like. It was amazing. This isn't a petting zoo. This isn't a domestic animal. This was like touching mother nature herself. It was such a surreal experience that it actually brought tears to my eyes.

Incredible.

My tip to you is: Wear Red. Apparently one lady one time had bright red hair and the gorilla came up and played with her hair. :)

Worth every penny.

Come to Uganda.

Gotta go, gotta sleep and rest. The 3 hour muddy boda boda ride on the edge of mount doom was exhausting (after the 3 1/2 hour hike through the forest).

It's been good. I leave Uganda tomorrow and love it. "Hello, How are You?" ask almost everyone you pass. And they want to know. And you can chat to anyone like they are your friends. It's safe and friendly and pretty much just RULES.

Get your ass to Uganda.

Talk to you in a couple days.

Craigo

Back to the Cayes!

After the sailing trip I spent a mellow day in Placencia (not placenta), chilling on the beach, writing in my journal and making plans. The weather was overcast but perfectly comfortable and the water was still warm for swimming.

The next day we were going to scuba dive... except for that big ass rain storm that rolled in. So the few of us from the boat who were still in town got out fast, taking the "best journey in belize" according to the lonely planet guide. It was a water taxi ride through the mangrove forests on the coast for 15 minutes... well, maybe in the sun it might be nice. The rain drops were like bullets and we had to stay low to avoid being blinded. I think I saw a bird. :)

Took the bus through the beautiful interior mountains, and somehow ended up back on Caye Caulker. I just kept going and came back to beaches and chilled people and the moto here is "go slow". And after some MAD CAP KARAOKE last night I did just that.

Oh yes team, ICE ICE BABY and TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART were brought to the land of mellow love songs and Raggae. I ran out on the street and tried to get the party on into the bar... it didn't work, it's just so mellow. BUt it was fun and many peop[le today are like.... "Hey, ice ice baby dude!". It's kinda amusing. The bartender wants me to send him a cd of my mix for the bar. I'm not sure what he wants, but we'll see.

ANyway, tomorrow is the last day. I'm sorta sad to go. It's been a fabulous trip (montezuma's revenge aside) and I am realizing how many things I didn't do... like scuba dive in belize. The rain has put a damper on that, as has finances. Though I would have gone if not for the rain... oh well.

Next time...

See you all soon... especially the family at the reuinion on saturday in St. Louis. If anyone is around there feel free to come crash and partay with us!!!

Craigo

Goin' Back to CALI, CALI, CALI...

Okay, I'm actually back in Cali, in my very own room and home that
looks like an immactulate palace after many of the interesting places
I've stayed.

Other than a show of questionable value and a blitzkrieg visit of
Taiwan, there isn't much new news. (We went to the TAI-MALL!, a 10
story monster with CARTOONYWORLD! on the top floor. It was pretty
amusing. Of course we nearly missed our flight from Taiwan to LA due
to a little communication error. But we made it, arriving safely a
few hours before we left...

Yeah, I'm confused to.

Hope all is well with everyone, keep in touch, let me know how you
are doing.

Rock on
Craigo

I'm STILL in BANGKOK!

Yep, 3 trips to the chiropractor, many awful, long confusing cab
rides (the cabbies here are really clueless. I think they've chosen
every worst road to drive even when i tell them exactly how to go
they still go the wrong way.:)

Neck still hurts. :(
Supposedly it's aligned, but the spasms were so bad it'll take longer
to heal. Oh well. Still getting around, relaxing, seeing some fun
thai bands play (though I can't dance becuase it hurts! Me, not
dancing, arrrggghhhhh!)

Anyway, Tom and Olga will be here tonite, and that'll be fun to hear
their stories and relive mine. And who knows, this may be the night
of legends!

It's Been a great trip, with many outlandish adventures. This may be
the final log (unless tonite is spectacular and demands that there is
something written). I've really had a great time and feel so
fortunate to have been able to take this journey. And I've learned a
few lessons and guidelines I'd like to share with you all:

1. Yes, the ultimate backpacker packing list works,

so if you are ever traveling please consult myself or Liz and you
will be pleased with your light and quick pack (as opposed to the
folks lugging 70 (!) pounds on their back.), it will allow you to see
more, and not be stuck on a bus someplace wondering where you'll
sleep.

2. 2 weeks per country.

IT's a good guideline. Each country should get at least 2 weeks
minimum. I tried to goto too many countries so I was very rushed and
didn't get the quality time in some of them. (Nam and Cambodia) And
as a result it became more about finihing off a list of sights I
wanted to see rather than experiencing the country and the people.
And if you think you know all the places you want to see before you
arrive in the place then you don't need to be there in the first
place. There are alot of suprises that are what really make these
trips so great. You've got to keep your mind open and be willing to
let things go from the list, after all, the list is just a guess at
what would be good to see. it's not set in stone.
Also, as a result of moving to quickly I didn't meet anyone
interesting in Nam or Cambodia...
Which leads to

3. Having someone to travel with makes it more fun.

I'm so glad I went on my own (or I never would have gone) and for the
first 2 weeks had some people I'd met up with because I wasn't
rushing and had time. It allowed me to bond with people, get passed
the basic conversation of "where are you traveling? where have you
been?", and get to more meaningful stuff. (of course if you come
with friends, you'll already be past that.) But after I left Laos, I
was basically on my own because of flights and very specific, less
flexible schedules.
So, even though these places are wonderful, it doesn't feel as real
and vibrant in my mind because there are no people to connect with
them.
thus, either bring them with you, OR, don't rush through, so that you
can meet people and develop relationships on the road. It really
enriches the whole thing. Places+People = paradise!

4. Bring your own chiropractor from home... oh wait, that's not very
likely, unless they were your friend. :) Or you met them... do they
have a www.chiropractortravelfriends.com?

That's what I've got right now.
Again, Thanks for reading all these silly adventures, I hope they
were amusing. And I'm glad glad, thankful, thankful that I was able
to do this. And I never really did figure out this whole obsession
with the Buddha dude, I mean, he really is more popular than Michael
Jackson. (though for very different reasons I think.) And now that
I'm back in Bangkok, these people keep offering me the sucky-sucky
again, and I just don't think that it would be the best idea. (sorry
Warren!)

And finally, for those of you who read these and were like "I wish I
could do that, but I could never get away/take time off/do that", "I
couldn't imagine going someplace where I don't speak the language",
don't limit yourself. You can! This wasn't that difficult, and
wasn't that painful (minus the neck, but that happens at home:).
These places are amazing to see, filled with wonderful people and
environements, cultures, music (okay, some of the music stinks),
buildings, countryside, adventures and more. They are here in SE
asia, in South America, Central America, Africa, Europe, Australia,
Hell, in your own country. Anywhere you travel to will shake you up
and let you realize how much more there is to the world, and what an
amazing place it is, so full of life and uniqueness. And I know for
me that makes me glad to experience it abroad, and thankful for all
the wonderful family, friends, and life that I have back home.

The world is there to explore, so get out there and do it.
I hope to see all of you out here on the road sometime soon...

This is CraigO, last surving member of the Nostromo, signing off...

Rock on!

Back in Bangkok, woooo!

Yep team, I'm back where I started, my final destination for the
trip. Staying in a, you guessed it, shitty guesthouse! But the
people are nice and it has AC (it's so hot here) so that's nice.

Went to chiropractor today and he did a little, i think it's starting
to get fixed, but it will require another visit. Dr. Leoni went to
Cal State Northridge (CSUN!) and LA chiropractic college... hmmm,
sorta feels close to home. They're all nice, but no Dr. Mike from
back home!

And finally, a note on bangkok traffic...







WHAT THE FUCK?!!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!



I was in the cab for 1 hour and 20 minutes to drive 14
KILOMETERS!!!!, that's like 9 miles for all you folks in the states.
That's slow. The meter said we weren't moving for 48 minutes of it.
And it's a SATURDAY! On top of that the cab drivers have NO IDEA
where to go (and to their credit this is the most confusing city on
earth for street names and roads. What is a SOI anyway?). So, who
was looking at the map and giving directions? Who was offering
suggestions to GET OFF THE ROADS THAT WEREn'T MOVING? And all this
with a sore neck! That's right team, the traffic-n-ator himself, ME!
:)

SOrta silly, but hey, not everyplace can be as smoothe sailing as LA.
\
Hopefully tomorrow I'll be back in action,
Um... what does that mean in bangkok?\

Rock on\
Craigo

ABORT ABORT, DANGER DANGER!!!!

Yes dear friends, my neck sucks.
It took 2 HOURS to get out of fucking bed today because it hurt so
bad and I couldn't move. Finally I sat up and nearly passed out.
Weee, can't wait to sleep tonite.

I've aborted the plans to goto THE BEACH, yep, the inspiration for
the trip, to find the beach is now lost. I will live vicariously
through Tom and Olga, who are, as we speak, getting Pizza (what the
hell are you eating pizza in thailand for? Dude, they have THAI food
here! :), on Khoa San Road in Bangkok. I wish I was meeting them,
but there were no flights today (probably best since I just went
SCUBA diving yesterday and would get the bends if I flew today...
oops!). So I'm on Ko Samui, at a nice place, pretty ocean view and a
swimming pool!

Last nite after a nap I went to the Ko Pha Ngan hospital ER. Yeah@!
Because all the pharmacy's on the island were closed, and 7-11 (thank
heaven) only had some pain medicine that didn't work (no so heavenly
after all). So at the hospital I saw a doctor, got a shot, a bunch
of pills (which don't work by the way), and a neck brace... did I
spend $500? 200? Oh no troopers, it was 640 bhat... that's $26US
for an ER visit. I love thailand. I did have to wait awhile as a
thai girl had wiped out on her moto and scraped herself all up and
burned her leg on the exhaust pipe. It sucked. Made me glad I never
tried to go up the big, monster, 20%grade hills between my bungalow
and Haad Rin, the partay beach.

Anyhoo, spirits are good, even though I'm hurting and disapointed I'm
missing my man Tom after all our planning. I've had a great trip so
far and who knows what will happen. (Not that I'm super excited
about 3 more days in bangkok,but we'll see...)

Rock on,
Craigo

What a Pain in the NECK!!!!

And I mean literally.
Here with a week left my neck slid out of place, and hurt a bit, but
I could still function.
Then today, with 5 days left and Thom coming in from LA tonight, my
MOTHER F-ING NECK BLEW OUT COMPLETELY ON A SCUBA TRIP!

Yep, Craig O's crap-tastic neck decided "You know what, now would be
a great time to pinch a nerve!" So I'm in a heap load of pain and on
an island where they don't even know what the work chiropractor means
(nor does the next island, or pretty much anyone in Thailand). So
after some searching I've found 1 (yes, ONE) chiropractor, who
happens to be from the good old US of A, in Bangkok. SOOO... I'm
likely going to have to fly my bootay there tomorrow morning, take a
taxi to the chiro office, get an ajustment (hope it's enough), maybe
wait a few hours, get another ajustment if necessary, hop on a plane
and fly to Phuket to meet Mr. Thom and Olgo on the beaches there to
rock the last part of the trip... whew...

Anyway...

On a good note I've enjoyed some awesome beaches here, sunsets,
lightning storms. Today I went scuba diving at SAIL ROCK (Liz, did
you ever go there, it's cool!). And I moved from my gecko shit
covered old bungalow to a nice spiffy new one with a kick bootay view
of the ocean and no gecko poop on the walls!!! Yeah!!!!

So other than the massive, near crippling neck pain, i'm in good
shape. I'm glad Thom is coming ,as I'm a bit lonely, haven't had any
consistant travel folks since I left Laos 2 weeks ago.

I still haven't made it to the BEACH. I've found all the
inspirations, but have yet to find it. Still searching...

Keep rocking.
Countdown is on.

CraigO

PS: If anyone knows a great chiropractor in Thailand PLEASE let me
know ASAP. You can call me at the Triangle Resort, Ko PhaNgan, room
A3! :)

HIGHWAY TO HELL!!!!!

Okay, get this:

From Siem Reap (aka ANgkor Wat Cambodia) to Bankok is 410km. YOu can
fly it in 45 minutes (for $180) or you can drive it. It takes
THIRTEEN HOURS!!!!!! And 8 1/2 of that is to go the first 110 kms
in Cambodia. The road is AWFUL!!!! There were trucks stuck in mud
up to their chasis, people walking along the roads with their luggage
because of traffic stuck in mud. We blew a tire. The other bus blew
a tire. Hell everyone blows a tire (except the government guys in
their 4 runner SUVs!). No AC. I was FILTHY when I got to Bangkok.
There was even a giant flat spare tire INSIDE THE BUS and it was
overcrowded so people were on the floor. Wooooooooo! That's the
third world baby!

Then we crossed at the border (under, none other than a TROPICANA
casino and many others! Patpoing is Vegas baby, Vegas!) And then to
Thailand, thank god for Thailand! Smooth Roads, Mini-buses with AC
and driving like 140km/h. Yep, we made the last 300 km in 3 hours.
Thailand is not a developing nation, it's developed!

So I'm at the airport, heading to Ko Pha Ngan for the monthly Full
Moon Party. 7000-10000 people dancing on the beach to the full moon.
SHould be awesome, and then enjoy the beaches and not moving so much.

9 days left I think, and Thom and Olga get here on Friday. So, your
last chance friends to come join in the fun! (goto www.thaifly.com
to save cash and get here cheap!)

Keep rocking
craigo

Thank GOD FOR ANGKOR!!!!!

Yes, finally something in cambodia that is'n't miserable and
depressing! Yeah!!! wooooooo!!!!

so fear not readers, I'm back and excited after my 3 days of war and
genocide, to enjoy the wonders of the world.

The temples are amazing, they are HUGE!!!! I really liked the Bayon
that has hundreds of faces and lots of corridors, and the amazing Tam
Phrom, where tomb raider (god that movie sucked!) was filmed. BUt
the temple is awesome, with trees growing out of the walls... I mean
HUGE trees. I played around there for a couple hours. I even missed
my alarm in the morning so I only had about 7 hours, but it was
wonderful.

Tomorrow to Bangkok, the next day to Ko Pha Ngan for the full moon
party (and I just booked a bungalow on the beach there TODAY, when
supposedly it's impossible to do so. Ha! I got lucky!)

Keep rocking
craigo

Cambodian Cultural Colisions

The Following Episode is intended for our mature readers: Parental
Discretion is advised...

I'm In SIEM RIEP, jumping off point for the great temples of ANGKOR!
And staying in a SHITHOLE guesthouse. I'm not sure why I agreed to,
tired from the bus ride I think. THere are these funny wallpaper
hangings all the wall though that are quite amusing of various
landscapes and flowers and stuff. Tacky and crappy, but you have to
have a "The worse place I stayed on my trip" place, and this is
likely it. The people are really nice though.

Cambodia is depressing. Of course that's because in less than 24
hours I saw the before mentioned S-21 prison and torture barracks and
today went to the killing fields and saw 8000+ skulls stacked 30-40
feet high in glass cases and found out all the awful ways they killed
people: axe, bamboo stick, hoe (that head was broken in two), they
beat babies against trees and other things. It's really fucking
depressing. There are teeth and bones laying all over the grounds
and tons of mass grave holes which used to be 4-5 meters deep and had
up to 450 (!) bodies in them. No shit. There are even pieces of
clothes and teeth (did I mention fucking TEETH!). Anyway, I've been
in a crappy mood all day and am ready to get to the beach. On top of
that I was reading this book called "The Sorrow Of War" written by a
north viet cong soldier that is, you guessed it, depressing as shit.
So I ended up just sitting on the bus for hours listening to music
loud enough to cover the awful japanese, bawdy, chick military flick
(okay, it was sorta funny), and the endless HONKING of the bus driver
as he passed everyone (the HONKING HELL HIGHWAY I call it).

SO yeah, I'm in a yucky mood. I really didn't think this would mess
me up so much. Like I said, the war stuff was yucky, but within
reason, this is totally fucked up. I've always thought it would be
powerful to goto the concentration camps in Poland, and learn about
that where it happened, but íf I do I'll make sure to have a day
where I can go see something beautiful immediately afterwards. The
world is a pretty place to, it's to bad that Cambodia has been
obliterated with poverty and atrocity.

Anyway...

TOmorrow is Angkor Wat which acording to Liz will be TOTALLY AWESOME!
And the beaches are only days away. (much needed indeed).
I haven't really met anyone since I left my crew in Laos. I've had
people here and there but no one that I've really clicked with or
traveled with. Hopefully in paradise I will find them...

And on a final note, today I also shot and AK-47 MACHINE GUN! Yep,
anything goes in cambodia, and even though it was $30 to shoot a clip
(THIRTY U.S. DOLLARS! Hello!), it was interesting. I'd never want
to shoot it at anything living, but I nailed the target 14 times out
of 25 (I thought I missed a lot), and even got to do it on full auto.
It's pretty amazing, but to bad all this energy is spend on
destroying life. How bout we rebuild new orleans, feed to poor, cure
aids, instead of giving people the option to fire a ROCKET LAUNCHER
(I'm not making this up! An F-ing ROCKET LAUNCHER (200 U.S. Dollars
for 1 glorious mountain blowing shot!) (no, i didn't do it. :). BUt
in cambodia people are so poor, they'll do whatever it takes to
survive... which brings us to the point that people are people and
they will march on even if you have sick fuckers like the Khmer Rouge
in the world.

Keep rocking
Craigo

I'm in FRICKING CAMBODIA!!!!!

Yep, nam is done, with it's chaos and horn honking and rather modern
lifestyle, and now i'm in cambodia which is flooded, dark streets, a
bit run down and very cool.

It reminds me of bolivia, minus the mountains and the cold weather,
and here there are kind of run down buildings and across the street
are MASSIVE FORTRESSES that look like they are out of a sci-fi movie.

I'm off to the Killing fields tomorrow (and to shoot a machine gun).
And today I saw Pol Pots prison: S-21, which was suitably depressing
and unpleasant. It's amazing that people can be so awful to each
other and that no one stops them. Even though it was less graphic it
was more disturbing than the vietnam war museum. I think because in
war there is a "good" side and a "bad" side, or at least "our" side
and "their" side. So it's clearer who you are fighting and who you
are at risk from. Here it was chaos, you might have been on the
"party" side and still be put in prison for no reason whatsoever.
It's rediculous that these people haven't been tried for all those
murders.

ANyway, like I said, cambodia's a bit darker than the rest. But in
two days I'll bein ANGKOR WAT and should be cool. The people are
really nice and this guy T.V. who works at the guest house is showing
me around. I'm supposed to meet up with Gaurav (an old friend from
high school) tonite... we shall see.

the adventure continues... hope all is well.

OH... my guest house is called the OKAY guest house, and the ceiling
on the floor i'm on is barely taller than me, it's like floor 7 1/2
from "Being John Malkovich!". Anything goes in cambodia!

Craigo

MAIL ORDER BRIDES...

Everyone wants to know if I'm married. If I have a girlfriend, do I
want one? Do I like Vietnamese girls? They have lots of pretty
girls? How bout this one or this one or this one? (I'm not kidding,
the people I ate lunch with today, the only people who spoke english
were Tom who lives in LA (of course) and has many single sisters and
friends and kept trying to hook me up with them, "She'll go with you
to the Na Trang, to the beach, she'll go, if you want". Or "How bout
her, she's really nice, wants to learn english". And his friend
spoke english, and he'd come back to visit, met a good old vietnamese
girl and was staying longer to court her I guess, and bring her back
stateside.

So yes, aparently if you want to come to VietNam and rescue a single
vietnamese girl from the clutches of communism, there are many who
will take you up on the offer, (but practice language lessons before
you get here and it will all be fine).

And no, as far as I know I'm not bringing any new wife back to the
states. :)

Craigo

I'm in 'NAM baby!!!!!

That's right all you adventure seekers, I'm in the heart of communism
here in 'Nam, learning about the 60th anniversary (which is coming up
in 4 days) and trying to figure out what to do with my WAY to short
of time here.

Okay, so I'm not sure what communist is anymore since they vote here
and have competition, and various leaders and free trade, but
whatever, Hanoi is NUTS with honking constantly, traffic like schools
of fish somehow not hitting each other and all sorts of interesting
views on the vietnam (i mean american) war.

I arrived here last nite after a KICK ASS time in Vang Vieng (I
recommend it to anyone and everyone to go). The scenery is amazing,
the caves are OUTSTANDING and you've got to tube and do the flying
fox! (a giant zipline that you ride down and drop into the river).

I went into caves everyday I was there, most had water in them, and
two of them it was just me a light and a travel bud named Pat who
journeyed inside, with no idea where it would go.

The first was a green pool that had a strong current forcing you out
so we had to pull in using the side rocks. (I felt like I was in
Tomb Raider). We were underground for at least 45 minutes, it just
kept going back and back and back.

Another cave had an underground waterfall that you could go past and
find the cave continued for kilometers into the rock. We were
underground here for a couple hours. And yet another you pull
yourself in on intertubes and crawl in the mud (it reminded me of our
caving adventure back in Austin Myque, wish you were here!).

I rented a moto and rode through the beautiful mountain scenery, only
to head back in the rain and the dark, on the pot holed and mud
covered route 13! (ahhh route 13!)

Tomorrow it's off to HaLong Bay for some boating and kayaking, and
tonite i'm going to see some water puppetry... I don't know what it
is, but it is uniquely Viet Nam.

Hope all's well, keep rocking!

Craigo

Where the F am I?????????

Last nite I just rode in a bus down HWY 13 in Laos... aka the highway
where you have armed men with AK-47s with you on the bus to keep away
the bandits that try to raid it. Weee haw!!!! And on top of that,
it's the main highway north to south in Laos and it has many sections
that are washed out and deep with mud, but somehow our intrepid
driver managed to get us through. All the while listening to some
AWFUL Laotian music blaring at top volume (you know it Liz, it's not
as bad as that Peruvian stuff, but it's close!)

So I'm actually in Veng Viang, which is in north central Laos, and
surrounded by beautiful Limstone mountains that tower impossibly
steep over the town. I was hoping to rock climb here, but the rainy
season in Laos has just finished (but is starting in Thailand!) and
so all the routes are wet. Oh well, I'm going to explore some caves,
swim in the river and Tube Texas Style (like we do in New Braunsfils
(that's great spelling)).

It's hot as shit, humid, sweaty, but awesome. Since my last update
I've traveled by boat on the Mekong river for 2 days, stayed at a
guest house where Rats ate through a girls bag and walked across one
girls face (cadry you would have loved it!), and the walls were so
thin that everyone heard me and my roomie for the nites conversation.
Fortunately it wasn't racey!

I spend a couple days in Luang Prabang, the former capital of Laos,
where they had a massive festival for dragon boat racing on the day I
was there. Groups of monks and others, 40 to a boat, paddled down
the river and I think everyone from within 100km was there. Then a
few of us went to swim in this great waterfall nearby, where you
could climb up the cascades. It was a great adventure.

That nite we hung out in this little village, the only Farang
(foreigners) there, and ate food. Our Tuk-Tuk driver hooked us up
with his friends restraunt. We had spicey soup, fish and beerlao
(lots of beer lao, in fact I think that's all they drink here).
There was a band that consisted of a keyboard player and a guitarist
that would rock some Laotian dance tunes. So we got up and joined
the party (we being me, an Irish dude named Raoul, and Austrian gal
Elisabeth, and A Korean gal named Ji-Hyon). we danced, the Lao folks
danced with us, it was all pretty silly. Then we sat down and we
were told we had to pay 5,000 Kip to dance (and before you go, "oh
shit, FIVE THOUSAND to dance!", realize that it is 10,000 Kip to 1 US
dollar). It was all a little confusing, but Raoul and I said Okay
and went over to pay at the counter... except that there wasn't a
counter. The dance floor was clear except for 4 Lao girls standing
there with trays of Rice Whiskey and stacks of money. So the two of
us, our Tuk-Tuk driver and this other guy went up, bowed, gave them
money, were given drinks, they put these tassels around our neck and
the band kicked in a song and we started dancing. Then everyone
joined in, and the song basically said over and over "Sa Wa Di!",
which is "Hello", over and over. I think we were just welcomed the
their village.

So now I'm staying in a kick ass riverside bungalow for $5/nite (a
little pricey, I know, but it's worth it). And going to go find this
crystal pool where you can jump off a tree into it.

Hope all is well,
After this... I think Vietnam. But who knows, it's so cool here I
might stick around awhile.

Rock on
Craigo

I'm in FRICKING CHIANG MAI!!!!!!!

Okay, for those of you who don't know (which is probably everyone
except Liz), Chiang Mai is in Northern Thailand, not to far from the
beautiful lands of Burma (where they gas their people and force them
to live in Poverty, weee!), and Laos (where I'm headed next and they
don't gas their people, but it is the most bombed country on earth
thanks to that little Vietnam Conflict a few years back).
|
Chaing Mai is AWESOME! It's so much more laid back than bangkok.
There is far less hustling (the Tuk Tuks don't offer the Sucky Sucky
here), but fear not my friends, there are still plenty of rather
unhappy yet attractive looking Thai girls who want to know where I'm
staying. I'm just not sure what all this is about.

And on top of that, who IS this BUDDHA dude? I mean REALLY, there
are so many houses for him, and images in gold, and jade, lying and
standing and sitting, it's almost like a national obsession. He's
bigger than Tom Cruise AND Brad Pitt.

I left BangKok on Thursday, took a nite bus and met a couple
traveling companions: Brent from South Africa, and Fabiola from
Switzerland. Both are very nice and we've hung out since then. The
all nite bus trip was filled up with the 3 of us and everyone else on
the roster was from Israel. They sure like to travel.

In Chiang Mai we checked into Nat guest house, which is a little
sketchy in the cleanliness and quality department, but you can't
argue with the awesome friendly staff who is full of great info and
help and the fact that the womans name is Jane.

We saw a MUI THAI match (I didn't go in Bangkok, i'm not that big a
fan!), it was great, noisy, music playing (traditional,with drums and
flutes (wooden ones, not metal ones)) and there was betting (not that
I could figure out how it worked, so I just took pics and watched the
whole thing. Very enjoyable). There was even a very tall American
who fought a little Thai Guy and lost.

Then we went on a 3 day jungle trek to the mountain tribes of the
Karen people. The Karen women wear white shirts if they are
single... but they don't offer the sucky sucky, I guess that's just a
city thing.

The people were very nice, and our guide Tony "Montana", (say hello
to my little friend!) was funny. We swam in waterfalls and pools,
walked in hot sticky jungle, saw a few bugs, and slept in a hut with
a leaf roof and bamboo mats. It was pretty sweet. At nite we played
a little frisbee, and some Thai games. We all drank some local
whisky and had a grand old time. There was about 10 people with us:
3 Japanese folks, an American and a Thai family. Quite fun.

Two more days of trekking with just me, brent and Tony let us to more
villages, high up on mountains with views for miles of Green, greend
GREEN! We played Taklao with some hilltribe folks. It's like
Volleyball, but you use a bamboo ball and can NOT use hands or arms,
but can use everything else. It's sorta like hacky-sack with a net.
It's fun. I got a ball for $2, so we're bringing it to the states!
We also rode elephants and bamboo rafts down the river. Very fun.

And last nite, went out to a bar with a Thai band that played fun
covers as well. "You Give Love, a bad name!" (yep, again!) and
"Enter Sandman". Brent and I met up with this whole crew of...
Americans! First I've seen, some were teachers, another 4 girls play
rugby in New York (yep, they could kick my ass). But we danced, it
was fun.

Tomorrow I take a mini-bus and a slow boat for 2 days to Luang
Prabang in Laos for some shift of cultures. Then on to caving, rock
climbing, vietnam, hanoi hiltons, scuba diving, big temples, killing
fields and beach parties... whew!

It's go go go, and 5 weeks is simply NOT enough time (I bet 5 months
wouldn't be either), but in all honestly, I'm still having down time
as well, so it's good. All good.

Let me know what you're up to, and I'll tell you as soon as I figure
out this whole Buddha thing. Oh, and don't make fun of the king of
thailands ears...

Rock on
CraigO

I'm IN FRICKIN BANGKOK!!!!!!

Okay, so now you know where I'm at.

It's been a bit of a shock, but honestly not as much as I was
expecting. After the lunacy (in a good way) that was Cusco and
especially La Paz Bolivia, this seems pretty normal. (then again,
I've only been to Bangkok :)

The TUK-TUK drivers are annoying. They are the guys who drive those
3 wheeled taxis around that you see in all the movies. They always
tell you your destination's closed and want to take you to the
Standing Buddha (40 feet tall, largest standing buddha in the world.
Visit him for luck in Thailand!) I did it once, rode in teh TUK-TUK,
which was fun, and then they took me to a tourist place to sell
trips. I've been offered that at LEAST a dozen times alredy.

But...
The foods great. The citie's lively. There are backpackers all over
the Khao San road (thom, this is where you'll come stay when you get
here, but everything will be closed. Of course you'll be approached
by all sorts of nice TUK-TUK drivers who want to take you to see
"thai ladies", "thai message", "sucky sucky" (no Im not making this
up:) and of course your supply of very friendly very forward and
rather unhappy looking Thai Ladies...hmmm, not sure what they were
asking. They kept wanting to know where I was staying.)

I saw the Temple of the Reclining Buddha yesterday (yep, largest
reclining Buddha in the world, 150 feet long! It's HUGE!) and the
temple complex is MASSIVE, sprawling spires and row after row after
row after row of gold buddhas of various size, shape and orientation.
It's like there is some sort of thing with this Buddha dude, I'm not
sure what it is but I'm going to get to the bottom of it!

Tonite I'm going to the Arena for a Thai-Boxing match all nite. 4
hours of fun, people kicking the shit out of each other, should be an
interesting cultural experience.

Haven't really met anyone yet. But i'm taking a tour in Chiang Mai
(northern Thailand) with elephant riding (go thom!), bamboo boats,
treks to hill tribes. So I'll be with a crew of like 8 for a few
days, that'll be fun.

And finally, last nite there was an AWESOME thai band covering all
yuor favorite hits, like Hollaback Girl, Sweet Child of Mine, and
Don't Phunk with My Heart. It was hilarious, and full of fun and
energy. A good time!

Sooo....

That's all for now. Hope all is well there. I've made it safetly
and am having a good time.

CraigO!