OPPA PA-NANG STYLE!

May 12, 2013

Heeeeyyyyyyy Scenic Vistas,

Op, Op Op-a Pa-Nang Style!

Heeeeeyyyyyy great museums,

Op, Op Op-a Pa-Nang Style!

Heeeeeyyyyyy hot as ball sacks!

Op, Op Op-a Pa-Nang Style!

I've really enjoyed Pa-Nang. It's a busy, energetic place. There's all these different neighborhoods: Little India, China Town etc, which are so specifically filled with folks of that persuasion it's amazing. And they are right across the road from each other. China Town is full of places to stay, Chinese temples, hawker carts and food spots. Little India is all pastel buildings, Bollywood music pumping from bootleg DVD stores, and women in Sarees. It's awesome.

And the food. HOLY CRAP BALLS is (most) of it reallllllly good.

From the Nyonya food. To one of the best Indian Kurma's I've ever had. Oh yeah, if you're a foodie, this is your spot. You can eat at posh restraunts (which might cost you $15 USD a plate) to stalls on the street that are $3 USD a plate. Either way, you'll (most) likely get good food. Great food.

It may not look like much... but WOW is it good!

For my last day here I went to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, and had a great tour full of fun stories about the "Rockefeller of the east". They have cup mosaics, built from pieces of colored china cut into pieces, that took the artisans 4 years to recreate and cost a 50% of the restoration budget. But it's one of the few places in the world (other than huge temples in China) where you can see it.

On to the Panang museum for some history of the area. Then a sweaty ass walk to Fort Cornwallis. It was so hot by this point I could hardly function, so I didn't enjoy that to much. But to Air Con in the Indian restraunt and the orgasmic food made up for it.

Then off by moped to Kek Lok Si Temple. Since the roads here are so often 1 way and they force you into loops and turns and there isn't very good signage, it took awhile to get there. Got to see a lot of the city though! The temple is a pagoda on a hill. There's an enourmous bronze statue behind it. I barely made it before close, but got up to the top and saw good views.

I chose this, not because it really captures the view, but that level of sweat was continuous in Penang. :)

Then as evening approached and it got cooler, I explored up this road into the hills... and found a recreation area dam. There were mountain bikers in full gear. Runners. Walkers. Families. And not trash. And I thought: this feels like home. Malaysia really must be doing better than a lot of SE Asian countries, because people have time and money for recreation and exercise. Ironically, because they have easier physical lives (like us westerners), they might need the exercise, as I've seen more chubby folks here than in Indonesia.

I took pics of the views of the city and went swinging on the swings! Fun! Then walked about 50 feet into the woods on a trail and there were noises in the trees. Monkeys. A whole group of them. Leaping and swinging and climbing. So often you see monkey's on tours or on beaches with lots of people. But to be in the darkening forest with the monkeys as they played and crashed and ate was sort of surreal. They would look at me occasionally and climb in my direction, but never got very close. 

The Malaysians are super nice and friendly. They're always helpful when asking about stuff, even if they don't speak much English. Which brings up the fact that many folks here speak some, but it's not as much as I was lead to believe. And ironically, sometimes they're speaking so fast and with this interesting sing=song accent that I have a really hard understanding. It's funny, because I know they're speaking English, but have no idea what they're saying. :)

I headed up the incline rail to Panang Hill. 2500 feet elevation overlooking the city. It was night. The lights were out. I ate up there and enjoyed the view. I also explored the abandoned amusement park type place. Now, during the day there would be people there. But at night it was very quiet. And what amusement area would be complete without Buddhist temple and Mosque. 

Back to town to return my moped and... CONCERT TIME!

A stage was set up in the parking lot of this hostel and a Chinese gal in fancy costumes was singing. The music was recorded and she was taking requests from the scattered crowd. It was sort of like all request Karaoke. The audience was mostly Chinese, as it turns out this was a birthday celebration for the temple across the street. Many of them were older. 

A lot just watched, but there was a small group of lively folks who were dancing it up. This older woman was super fun. She was hunched over, but she would get up and do this very diliberate 1,2 step with her arms out. Almost like she was running in realllllly slow motion. She had her thumbs up and was having a blast... I think. Because her expression never changed. It was always completely stoic. Only her body language was joyous. Even when I smiled at her as I was dancing, she didn't change her expression. She was so cute. Some other travelers were dancing as well. It was great fun.

 It didn't matter that we all spoke different languages, because we all could dance.

CraigO

PS:  I nearly lost this email thanks to internet dropping out and other things. But fortunately it is mostly in tact. Enjoy!

TALES OF THE TEMPLE

Deep in the Playa at Burning Man there is a temple.

It is a spectacular structure, made out of wood.  The carvings are intricate, elaborate, beautiful.  The energy of the place is heavy, very heavy.  It's a place where people put their hopes and dreams, their sorrows and losses.  Photos of loved ones.  A loved dogs favorite frisbee.  Notes of loss, notes of sorrow, notes of anger, notes of love love and love.

And on Sunday night, everything burns.

It's easy to dismiss this place as just some hippie mojo bullshit in the desert.  It's easy to think it doesn't actually contain anything special or anything powerful.  It's temporary.  It's nothing...

...but to dismiss this place would dismiss something amazing.

People talked about the temple before I went.  My roommate Brian says it's his favorite place on the Playa.  A friend in my camp said "If you want to get to the 'spiritual' side of Burning Man, goto the temple".  Now, I'm not a big fan of the overused "spiritual" (no offense Sam) that is tossed around a lot.  Living in California, especially, I meet a lot of people that are "Spiritual, but not religious".  It's nebulous, and really seems to mean different things to different people.  Some folks think there is a proper way to be spiritual (and those folks are hypocritical in the same way extreme Christian's or Muslim's are in thinking there's is the only way to worship or to pray or whatever...but that's a discussion for another time :). 

The temple of Juno (as it's called) is not one of those places where there is a right way to be.  Just be.  And it changes every year.  Dramatically.  Completely.   This temple will never exist again. 

  

My first trip out there was on Thursday.  There was so many things to see at Burning Man, I think I was building up to it.  Or maybe I didn't think it would be such a big deal.  The temple is a beautiful piece of art, but is it really anything other than that?

All I can do is tell you my experiences.

When I walked through the surrounding outer wall for the first time I was so overwhelmed with sorrow, tears welled up in my eyes.  It was like I'd jumped into a swimming pool of...something.  Whereas most places in Burning Man are filled with noise, music, laughter, talking.  There' s a hush over the temple.  A respect?  A fear to let loose the emotions we're feeling?  If the stories are true, the first temple was built by the artist the year his father died.  If that's true, then my impression of it being a temple of death makes sense.

Inside the main building people were sitting, kneeling.  One woman was reading a poem, and when she finished people clapped.  Then it was just silent for awhile.  Another woman burst out in tears and her friend held her. 

Crowds gather day and night.  Altering the temple as the week goes on.

I looked to the walls, and there were notes and photos.  Right next to me was a note to someones Mom, missing her, loving her.  I had to step out into the courtyard.

As many of you know, my Mom died of brain cancer in 2001.  She fought for a year, but in the end, death took her.  As it will take us all someday.  If you don't know that about my mom, then you don't know me at all.  It's the single most significant event in my life.  It sucks.  I hate that it happened, but it's also brought out many of my best traits, and my Mom's always with me, and for that I am ever grateful, and even right now I puts a smile on my face through the tears.   (And me being me, I made a movie about my Mom's struggle.  I'm sure a lot of you have had similar experiences, so I warn you it's a challenge to watch.  But if you do take the time to go to the link below, it's 88 minutes, please let me know your thoughts:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUKlXDGq3QI).

Out in the courtyard I watched people come and go...and watched a wedding!

Even though my main impression of the temple is a temple of Death, it seems it's also a temple of life.  The amount of messages and expressions of sorrow at losing people (or is it just that I feel sorrow at losing my Mom and others are expressing joy, and happiness?).  I see sorrow.  Death sucks.

So as these two people expressed their love for each other (anyone can walk up and join the audience, particiapation is encouraged), I was looking for a place to write a note to my Mom.  I wanted to write something, anything, I wasn't sure what.  And there, written on an outer pillar on the temple was one word, that overwhelmed me.  One word, with a little heart under it.  My Mom's name.  JANE.

The Playa provides.
Hi Mom!

Hi Mom!

I did write my note to her, right there around something someone else had written.  (That note is for me only).  I don't know the story of their Jane.  I'll never know who wrote it.  But as things happen at Burning Man, their expression mixed with my emotions and my expression.  I hope their Jane and my Jane are dancing a jig right now.

The thought of all of this burning kept choking me up, and eventually I had to leave. 

On the way out, I saw folks taking wet gate photos (the technology from Civil War times), and got that great picture of me in front of the temple.  The temple is a cool place, and not at all something I would expect out here at Burning Man.  (Now it makes total sense, but before I went, the idea of the temple was cool, but really?  Is it as cool as people say?)

So after grabbing a shot of Jesus carrying the Cross through the Playa (yep, that happened), I was off to dinner and out and about for the night.  Drinking, dancing.  Fun to be had.

Even Jesus goes to Burning Man!

But that night I went back to the temple. 
People had said it was different at night.  The energy was different.
So I went in.  It's lit up.  Beautiful.
And still filled with sorrow.
I went and sat by my note to Mom.  I listened and watched some folks inside.  It was nice to be there, and again, not what I figured I'd be doing at night.  It was much heavier than I anticipated.  I was exhausted from the day, and eventually just rode my rickety community bike deep into the playa, laid on the dirt and stared at the moon and stars.  We are indeed very small pieces of this giant puzzle of a universe.
 

    

Friday I avoided the temple.  It's pretty far out, and without a bike takes a long time to get to.  And frankly, I didn't want to go there today.

Now one of the great things about Burning Man is the potential to connect with so many interesting things.  But the reality is that it can be hard to do.  I was solo a lot of my times at Burning Man, and though I met cool folks, it was rare to really hang with anyone for very long.  So it was great that on Saturday that Brian and I finally got to really hang out and explore.  We rode bikes past art, took photos, picked up the temple pic, lost my camera, found my camera, got caught in dust storms, explored wall street, spun the wheel of fate, hung out on this shiney, spinning couch /disco thing (yep, some things at Burning Man are hard to describe!), and eventually made it to the temple.

Again.  Sorrow.  Heavy energy. 

Before we went in, we got some great pics taken together.  Nice to have good pictures of good times with good friends.

Me and Brian - Thanks for bringing me to Burning Man!

But inside, it was heavy.  I wanted to show Brian the note to Mom.  Her name.  I wanted to somehow make him understand what was going on.  So I explained how I came over here and found this pillar and there was her name.  And then I just cried.  He gave me a long hug. 

And then a New Orleans style second line jazz group marched in for a wedding!  (Go Burning Man!)  They lined up, and the guy running it asked everyone to grab people next to them and tell them what they appreciated about them.  People trio-d off, and I was there by myself.  (The paradox of Burning Man).  Eventually Brian and I met up and talked.  And I can tell you, it's really great to just look at someone in your life and tell them you appreciate them.  And why.  I think too often in life we hold our feelings in check, either for fear of being hurt, or made fun of, or of being "inappropriate".  Who the heck decided we have to hide our feelings in life?  That's a stupid rule.

Off we ride.  This is Saturday.  Night of the Burn (See previous entry).  Chaos.  fun.  Awesomeness.

After the burn, I rode art cars, I saw Wall Street Burn...and there in the distance.  The temple.
Tomorrow it burns.  All of it.  The thought of that was so overwealming to me.  It's hard to describe, and I don't know if other people feel it the same way, but every time I would say to myself "This all burns", I would get choked up. 

So I went back one last time.  (They close it at 8am so they can set the charges for the night time burn).  It was 2:30am by this point.  It was getting cold.  Again, I walk in.  Again, I'm overwhelmed.  And I'm thinking, "Man, this is going to be too much tomorrow when it burns, way too much".  I went, I sat, I cried.  A lot.  I haven't cried this much in years.  Too many years.  The earlier tears I would fight, I wouldn't let totally go.  But tonight, it's too much.  I sit and cry and miss my Mom and it sucks.  All I want is some fucking connection here, someone to give me a hug, and people just walk by (in their own thoughts, joys, sorrows, contemplations).   I would look at people, hoping they would see me and come to me and hold me.  I didn't care who they were.  Someone see me. 

Eventually I went to the entrance of the main building and stood there.  A woman with a fuzzy coat walked past me, I reached out and petted her coat to get her attention.  She looked at me, reached out and hugged me.  I proceeded to cry and snot all over her coat.

After a few minutes I felt better. 
"I'm sorry I snotted on your coat".

She said a few kind words and suggested I go inside, and then she walked off.  I don't know her name.  But thanks for the shoulder to cry on.

I stayed a little longer, before taking off.  I was cold, hungry, worn out, wrung out and just plain beat.  As I walked away I looked back and thought "Tomorrow, it all burns." 

The next day I adventured a bit in the morning, and ended up seeing the Playa Chior.  Full on, huge choir show in the old Thunderdome.  It was amazing music, super uplifting and fun.  The choir director at one point spoke about the connection to "the infinite, the universe, God, Allah, whatever you want to call it, it's all the same shit".  Amen sister.

She also spoke of transforming emo0tions (you might remember the Judgement revelation from the first email).  Hey, it all comes full circle!

I mostly spent the day at camp.  I was exhausted from an amazing, awesome week.  Both of exciting new things, and sorrows.  Hot and cold.  Dust, rain.  And the fact that tonight the temple burns and I don't know how that's going to affect me.  The whole thing.   So I sat in my car with the AC on and napped.  Take that nature! :) 

As the sun set, an amazing milky twilight set over the world.
I found a community bike and rode out into the Playa. Past the temple into the other world.  (No, I wasn't high).  It was so cool, the temp perfect.  Because of the dust in the air, everything seemed like it was under water.  So beautiful.  My bike chain broke on the ride back to the Temple.  Crap.  So I walked the bike and chain to the perimeter and sat down facing the corner of the temple where Mom's note is.

All day long I had been hoping for a connection.  Again, something more than just a party conversation.  Something deeper.  Just, please Playa, send me someone, anyone.

Waiting for the burn...

As darkness was approaching, the lights began to glow.  Some music played from art cars, but it's much more chill and subdued on Sunday.  The temple isn't just a party, it's more than that (I'm sure you've figured that out by now. :).  So I'm in the front, unobstructed view, snapping photos, and this girl walks up and says
"Is anyone sitting here"
"You are".

She sits down and we chat.  It's her first burn too.  We share some warm PBR's she brought.  I bust out a Lara Bar for both.  She tells me of her experiences, how she imagines it would be different if her boyfriend were there or she was single.  How sleeping in a dubstep camp 20 feet from a bank of sub woofers that shake the ground and vibrate the sand isn't very easy.  I warned her that I might lose my shit when this thing starts to burn and I might need to lean on her.  She said that was fine, she might do the same thing.  
"Did you write a note to anyone in there?", I ask.
"Kind of.  Not really to anyone, but a note."

The time comes.
Silence over the crowd.  (mostly).  They start the fire.
And it's beautiful.
Mom's pillar goes up first.  It's a blaze before any of the rest of it is.
As my Mom was. :)

And as a brace myself for the sorrow...the sorrow never comes.
I don't cry.
I don't shed a single tear.
Maybe it's because I cried it all out already.
Or maybe it's something different.
Maybe my sorrow is what burned up with temple.
I've felt it for so long, and it's so strange, but it's gone.
Sadness, sure.  I still miss my Mom.
But sorrow.  No.

Magic?  God?  The Universe?  Energy?  Emotion?  Love?

As happens in life, the emotions I think I'll feel in a given circumstance, are often times not the ones I do.

After the main structure collapsed, and the outer wall continued to burn, my new friend and I started talking again.
"I guess I didn't need the shoulder.  But thanks" I said.
"Me either."

I told her about the note to my Mom.  How she died of cancer 11 years ago.
"Mine too.  Three years ago.  What kind?"  she said.
"Brain tumor"
"Mine too"
"And that's why you sat down next to me".

I gave her a hug.  I held her a little while.  She cried a touch.  She told me how it sucks, sucks, sucks everyday.  I told her it does.  That I miss my mom every day.  But, and this feels cheesy to say, it will get better.  I remember when I was where she was at.  When I couldn't accept that my Mom had died.  That I was pissed off all the time.  But then came the year that I accepted that she died, that was 2006.  And now I watched my sorrow burn and float up into the sky...6 years later. 

"I know it sucks, but I promise you it will get better."
"I hope so"
"It will".

When the perimeter came down, we went into the temple.  You could go through the fire remains of the walls and into the courtyard.  It's amazing how all these things fall perfectly in their footprints.  It's spectacular to be inside a temple of fire.  Where else is this possible?

We snapped some pics, swapped emails (If you're reading this, I hope you are well), and then went our separate ways, as happens at Burning Man.

There are times in my life where I connect with people about death.  If you've lost someone dear, you know what it feels like to be in the club.   If you haven't, unfortunately someday you will.  I wish I could make that not true, but unless we go all mad scientist, that is life.  That is death.  It was cool to me, that for the first time, really, I was the caregiver.  I wasn't the one seeking support, or comfort.  I was the one giving it without the need for the support to be reciprocated.  I don't know if it meant as much to her as I hope it did, but I didn't do it for anything in return. 

Burning Man is about gifting.

And it gave me an unexpected, incredible gift.



This is Craig Ouellette,
Last surviving member of the Nostromo,
Signing off.

BURNING MAN BY DAY

So there is a distinct difference between Burning Man at day or night.
The day's are hot (though nice in the morning).  The sun is blazing (except the one day it was cloudy and sprinkled...yep!), and everything is dusty (okay, that's the same both day or night.  But during the day you have dust storms more often).

If you're afraid to get dirty and be uncomfortable, this isn't the place for you.  I'm a pretty flexible, enduring guy, and there were numerous times I sat in the shade, sipping a water, sweaty and miserable, thinking "What the hell am I doing here?".  A lot of people would just lay under their shade structures (possibly on a couch or camp chair) and sleep during the day.  Sometimes all day (there was a gal in our camp that crashed out all day long and partied all night...every night).  On the Sunday, I'd had enough of the heat and sat in my car with the AC on for 2 hours, napping.  It was heavenly.

Dust storm, white out

Brian, (my friend, roommate, and the man who's been to Burning man 10 times now), says you have to listen to your body at Burning Man.  You may want to go out and see the sights, but your body may say "no way, sit your ass down, drink and chill out.".  To not listen to your body is a bad choice when the consequences are heat exhaustion, dehydration or worse.

Now, this isn't to say that the daytimes sucked.  They didn't.  The mornings were nice (sleeping in a tent, the sun and heat and neighbors force me awake by 10am at the latest every day).  Chilling, eating, chatting.

Then hopping on a bike or walking to some sort of event.  There's a book of activities based on time and camp, where you can go do anything you want: 
Learn to cook?  Check.
Yoga skills?  Check.
Kissing Puja?  Check.
Topless bike ride for breast cancer?  (5000 checks!)
BDSM workshops?  Check.
Photography classes?  Check.
Slave auction?  You guessed it...check.

Yep...you're seeing this correctly.

So on Thursday I thought "I'm going to the slave auction. "  Some campmates had done it, and they had had fun.  They'd sold themselves as slaves, which basically means you can choose whatever you want to sell:  2 hours of camp cleanup, or a 30 minute massage, or learn dirty Russian phrases for 10 minutes, a full Indian meal.  Basically anything you want to offer, and then the "masters" bid on you, by trading similar items:  A bottle of booze, a shower in an RV, a naked lap dance.  Anything goes.  It's up to you.  And the slave gets to decide which offer is best.

It was at Uli Babba and the Horny Thieves camp.  They had a whole tent set up.  If you wanted to be a slave, they put these plastic shackles on you with a chain.  I figured I'd slave myself up and offer DJ services, old school hip hop style for someone.  I wanted to DJ while at Burning Man and figured this would be a good way to make friends.

At the Slave Auction

We all pile into the camp.  There's a full on mermaid sitting on the center platform.  The slaves on one side.  The masters on the other.  It was all tongue-and-cheek and silliness.  They'd call up slaves and explain the services you'd give, and people would bid.  Private showers, hair washing and meals seemed to go a long way.  One set of slaves offered to compliment you for an hour.  Another offered to cook you Indian meals.  When I finally got up there, people enjoyed my "old school hip hop dances", but when I said I had the music and mixers, but no speakers, my bidding price went WAYYYYYY down.  (Guess everyone's a DJ at Burning Man).  The only person to bid on me offered me a topless hair washing from 4 women...um, I have no hair.  Not the best deal, but the only one I got.  So rather than be killed, I took it. 

I wish the rest of that story was exciting, but when I went to DJ the party (for the woman's wife), they just wanted to go get drugs and asked if I could come back the next day.  I'd missed a big set of burns on the Playa to show up on time for them, but figured it would be fun to DJ the next day.  So I show up at 5pm on Friday in a big dust storm...and the wife hadn't come home last night and was still partying someplace.  So the DJing never happened.  Nor did the hairwashing.

Which brings up a good point about Burning Man:  plans are flexible.  Rarely locked down.  In fact, it's almost impossible to make arrangements to meet people.  We might say "Let's meet at 7oclock and B, at the Mardi Gras camp at noon."  (All the streets in Burning Man are labeled from 2 oclock to 10 oclock around the center playa area.  And then go from Esplanade, A, B, C etc back to L).  Well, one or both of us might find something more interesting or more fun, or just plain forget to meet up.  Or we might just be running late, and you'll be there and think "I guess they aren't coming" and head off".  There's no cellphones, so we can't be lazy and call and say we're late.  It really is a "go with your instinct" kind of place and you're more likely to have fun. 

That being said, there were a couple of times I wish I'd actually tried to make plans to meet up and didn't because I was in such a "go with the flow" mode.  What can you do?

One day I was out by the Temple in the late afternoon and there was a big trailer set up that was actually a wet-plate camera (the kind used in the Civil War).  The folks had built it and were taking pictures.  I got one of me in front of the temple.  It's so cool. 

But they couldn't finish it up at that time, so I'd have to go pick it up at their camp at some point.
Oh boy.
On Saturday, Brian and I actually hung out during the day.  We hopped on bikes and rode around.  Taking pictures.  Saying hi to people.  We got to the camp and picked up the photo.  It is AWESOME.  It's printed on metal.  Really special.  A great playa gift.  Thank you.

This is no Instagram

 I'd forgotten to bring water (yep, good call!), but they were cool and we filled up with them, took camp photos for them, and head out. 
A quick stop at the porta potti, then down the street to a camp called "Mis information Camp" or something like that. 

"Something great will happen because we go in here" Brian said.
So we take off our packs and...oh shit, my camera is gone.
Shit shit shit.
I leave my stuff with Brian and run back to the photo camp.  Not there.
Oh no, it has all my Burning Man pics, plus a trip I took immediately before this to Cabo for a friends Bachelor party. 
I goto the toilets.  Look inside.  No camera.
Ugh!
I run back to where Brian was.  "Can't find it."
But, at least my driver's licence was in the case (which is bad if I don't get it back, but is good if Burning Man is as cool as people say, since they can find me.  (This just gave me the idea that the first photo on any card should be a photo of a drivers licence, or at least email/phone number, so when people scan forward they see it and have the contact info).
At this point I'm pretty bummed.  I'd just bought the camera too.
Anyway, we go back to the toilets, Brian yells really loud "Did anyone find a camera?  Did anyone find a camera?".

A guy walks up.  "You looking for a camera?"
"Yep.  Did you find one?"
"No."
"It has a drivers licence in it."
"Okay, yeah, we have it."

SWEEET! 
I got it back...with crotch, butt and boob photos from the whole camp. 
Clearly they didn't expect us to actually see their faces in person!  They were going to turn it in and then I'd have some laughs at the photos.  Oooops!

Thanks for the camera!

The Playa Provides.

That's one of the big sayings at Burning Man.  That it'll provide what you need.  (Or is it what you're looking for?).  I think it's more likely the first.  You may be looking for one thing, but need another.  Who knows?  But this was awesome.  Thankful for those folks for being so cool and not just taking it.
That is after all the vibe of burning man.  Supposedly things can get stolen, but it doesn't happen very often. 

Why does the Playa provide? 
You could say it's because there are 50-60,000 like minded people in a small area, all circling about in a gifting mode, and thus it's likely you'll meet or find someone with what you're looking for.  Or you could say it's something more magical, that there's something about the energy of Burning Man.  Of that specific place.  That things all happen for reasons if you are living in the moment.

One story of this will come near the end of these emails, but for now I'll sign off.
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!