Fab.u.LAOS!

We started our time in Laos doing what we do best (besides scuba dive, that is). Driving the Thakek Loop on motorbikes for three days. One stop along the way was a cool spring pool which was full of locals. We were invited to drink BeerLao and eat grilled fish, sticky rice and tamarind fruit. They were very hospitable and even offered to drive us to the next town to stay overnight so we would stick around longer and drink more with them. We respectfully declined the offer,drank responsibly and left after the feast and a freezing cold jump off a rock into the 'cool' spring.

The night we finished the loop, we were on a bus north to the capital city of Vientiane. We did our usual city wandering after a short nap and breakfast. We found the COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise) where we learned how they work to help the locals, especially those affected by UXO (unexploded ordinances) by providing prosthetics, along with mental and physical therapy. We also sat in their small theater and watched documentaries about the history of American impact in Laos, which basically involved us dropping a ridiculously large number of bombs (on the neutral country) during the war against Vietnam.

Vang Vieng is an infamous tourist destination for floating down the river in a tube and stopping along the way for drinks and a free shot at each bar. We watched people return from these outings completely wasted, and I wasn't necessarily looking forward to a peaceful tubing down the river being crowded with drunk, loud backpackers splashing me. Luckily for us, we bypassed the bars, including most of the people and had a relaxing ride on the river with one beer to enjoy the beautiful scenery. We had earned it, too, after our 20 kilometer kayak trip that same morning. We needed a break on the river, especially since we had one complete kayak tip over. A corner, tree and small rapids were involved. It was also the first time Kristina and I had kayaked on anything except flat water.

The next day, we took a bus to Phosonvan, to check out The Plain of Jars sites. These are, apparently, ancient burial jars.

From there, we went to a city called Luang Prabang. We did our usual city wandering, checked out the night market and took a day trip to swim at a waterfall.

Our final stop in Laos was Luang Namtha, where we organized a trek into the deep jungle of the NamH Protected Area (NPA). We rented mountain bikes to explore the town and surrounding area on the first day. We crossed paths with three other travelers who were biking and ended up booking a trek with a bigger group of all of us together (for a cheaper price, too). Our two day, three night trek involved a lot of climbing up and down steep hills. We spent the night in a nicely built wooden, traditional house at the edge of a local village. Our guides cooked us a traditional meal with the help of some of the local villagers. The company we booked with tried to include the locals in being involved in and benefiting from tourists as much as they could. The day after we returned from the hike, we rented a motorbike and drove to the neighboring town for fun. There wasn't much of anything to see there, but the drive was beautiful and green. We drove past a lot of rubber plantations and, surprisingly, a bunch of banana plantations. From meeting a few people here, Kristina and I were inspired to cross the border back into northern Thailand and then fly to Taiwan, where we would spend my final two weeks in Asia.

Notice my leech protection in the picture? Long pants and long socks overlapping equals no leeches for this girl! We took a few days in Chiang Mai, in Thailand, until our flight left. We did a zip line adventure just for fun. I didn't find it scary, but it was an exciting adrenaline rush.

Cambodia Angkor W(h)at!?

Many of you were wondering where I slept as I traveled. I finally remembered to take some pictures of my dorm room in Cambodia. For less than $5 per night, I slept in one of the bunk beds, in a room with eight total beds. I also had a wooden storage locker for my stuff, and breakfast was included (the egg baguette). And while I relaxed at this hostel, I also found some friends who played chess with me, and there was a small pond/fountain that worked as a fish spa. It's the thing to do here, sometimes along with a massage. The fish nibbled away the dead skin on my feet. It tickled, but I thought it was cool.

Weeks 1-2: Siem Reap. The temples at Angkor, including, but not limited to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the Tomb Raider temple (where Angelina Jolie filmed a scene for the movie). I rode a bicycle about 7 km (one way) to the temples on four separate occasions. I joined a Colombian woman I met at my guesthouse for my fifth day excursion. She hired a tuk-tuk for the sunrise at Angkor Wat followed by twelve exhausting hours of following around an English speaking guide to some of the main temples (many of which I had already explored on my own). He had some fun stories, history and insights that he shared, but I much preferred not being led around on a tour. I spent much time, especially during the scorching hot afternoons with a fan blowing air on me in front of a computer as I attempted to figure out 'what I want to be when I grow up.' Not exactly that, but I was trying to decide what to do when I get home...my next step, if you will. Nothing earth shattering has been decided, and I definitely didn't get the next five years planned out or anything. Honestly, I'm still deciding if I want to stay stateside or go abroad again...And of course all of the details that those imply. Sigh. It will all work out :)

Week 3: Kristina's friend, Andrea, came to hang out for two weeks. We started in Phnom Penh with a visit to S-22, a school turned prison during Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. We also went to the Killimg Fields, which is exactly what it sounds like. There was an audio tour with survivor stories and crying on my part. It still hurts my heart to think about what the Cambodian people were put through in the relatively recent past. We went north to Koh Kong, where we organized a trek into the Cardamom Mountains. We met two lawyers currently working in Phnom Penh with the UN to prosecute some of the cases of The Khmer Rouge. That was interesting to hear what they do and how that kind of process works. Next, we were off to Anduong Thuek, where there is Community Based Eco Tourism (CBET) program at up with the local village of Chi Phat. We joined a group of three French people on a 70 km (about 40 miles), 3-days/2-nights mountain biking adventure. We realized that kind of distance on a bike could possibly feel like 'butt murder', as Andrea referred to it. We also carried a good sized backpack with our clothes, water and sleeping hammock. The most challenging part of the ride for me was during the second day, after I had finally gotten more confidence in riding the narrow, sometimes step or rocky trails. This was when the trail became intermittently blocked with trees, so much that our one guide was in front with his machete cutting open a small trail. Many of these required us to crawl, waddle and pull ourselves and the bike through. It was demoralizing after five instances of this, when all I wanted to do was sit on my bike and ride, no matter how much my butt hurt. We survived, and I felt so awesomely accomplished afterward that I want to bike (everywhere) when I'm back home. Next, we moved on to Kampot and stayed next to a river outside of the town to relax and recover. We did a half day cave tour, abseiling and rock climbing. We drove a motorbike around for the second half of the day, found a secret lake but then lost it again. Found a lot of black pepper plantations. This region of Cambodia apparently produces some of the best black pepper and is known worldwide. We ended the day eating delicious, fresh seafood covered in the region's famous black pepper sauce.

Week 4: As my visa was about to expire, we did a quick jump over the border to Koh Kut Island in Thailand. We had some beach time, free use of kayaks and did two (less than impressive) dives. We parted ways with Andrea who was heading to the Bangkok airport, and we got on a bus to Laos!