January 2009
6 posts
“I have a moto (bike)”
– Danny’s pickup line in Vietnam.
Do good. Eat well.
December 2008
50 posts
“Let’s just go party”
– Danny, after closing out 2 bars.
“I was meant for the stage”
– Danny thinking when he danced on the bar and is still thinking that days later.
“Let’s Keep it Friendly”
– Rahul bring intimidated by a drunk JuAnne on the dance floor as the Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha” sequence gets going.
The Traffic Shuffle
A new dance move invented by your hosts while dodging urban Southeast Asia traffic. It is gonna spread around the world quickly.
Dear Wikipedia
Thank you for being there. Whenever and whereever. You are just a few thumb-presses away on Rahul’s corporate-sponsored Blackberry, so whether we were on a rural road in Cambodia or a remote no-mans-land village, we could always count on you to get more information on important topics like:
the human pork bun movie about the guy who made buns with human meat was only...
Day X - Riding to Vietnam
On the day that I will not count, we rode into the last leg of our trip from Cambodia to Vietnam passing by luscious green fields. Our ride was cut short today because our driver with the bikes had a hangover. Vietnam had won over Thailand in soccer the night before and everyone was out celebrating (drinking). 30km was replaced by yet another temple and a trip to a Cham village. The highlight of...
Roughing it
After tucking myself under the mosquito net of my “homestay” bed, I found myself with many decisions left before going to sleep. Should I sleep in the jeans that are already sticking to my legs or wear my much more breathable bike capris that would expose my legs to any mosquitos that might already be inside my net? Crap! My bright screen just attracted a bug. Signing off. - JuAnne
Most Improved
Armed with a new bike and mojo from a combination of pork rice, pho and Vietnamese coffee, Rahul moved from 16th out of 17 (see previous post) and up the ranks to the elite to become a new man. Biking through the back roads of Vietnam, speedy Rahul even yelled at JuAnne to get out of his way and even at one point had 2 smokin’ ladies on motorbikes drafting off his bike with one placing her...
The Man
Part-time travelers, and part-time investigative reporters. So here’s a post for you to learn with us. While traveling through Cambodia, popular spots like the temples in Siem Reap and museums in Phnom Penh, we were continually approached by kids in dishoveled clothing, asking us to buy Cambodian handicrafts or counterfeit tour books (like Lonely Planet editions for neighborhoding...
Back to Normal
This week’s sign apocalypse is upon us: JuAnne not forgetting anything for 3 straight days. Today’s sign everything is back to normal: JuAnne thinking her iPod was 40km away and asking the bus driver’s mother-in-law in nowhere Cambodia to mail it to her in the States. Then finally finding it in her back pocket.
Sunrise FAIL.
Our resident photographer, JuAnne, and romantic Rahul wanted to watch the sunrise over the Angkor Wat temple our last morning in Siem Reap. We woke up before 5, tuk-tuked our way over and stumbled our way through the dark only to find bazillion other tourists waiting for the sunrise as well. Everyone was armed with cameras and we were already betting if people would oooh and aaah and whether Rahul...
My "Boys"
Deep thought of the day: We’ve either been on a bike or on a bus on bumpy terrain. I wear biking shorts and have a seat gel but it’s still very uncomfortable. I’ve realized that it might have been cheaper to go to Home Depot, buy a hammer, lie down on the ground and have people take turns bludgeoning my extremities over and over.
- Rahul
Social butterflies
After having dinner on our own for about 7 days we decided to try being more social for a change. It’s not that we are anti-social, we chat with everyone in the group, we are just very particular about having authentic food. Attempt #1 - We had dinner AND drinks with a few others in the group. Success! Attempt #2 - lunch with the group and a little shopping after that. Hop into a tuk tuk and...
“I just want the simple life… y’know - 5 country homes, a city...”
– Danny, comparing his dream of a “simple life” with that of a cambodian fisherman who lives on a floating boat with diesel powered electricity and who takes baths where they fish and go to the bathroom.
“Fresh pineapple, mister? OK, how about spider?”
– … asked the little girl who appeared to be no older than 7. We stopped by the small town of Skuon in Cambodia which is well known to serve spiders as a delicacy. In this case, the little girl held out a live tarantula which was bigger than the palm of her hands. -Danny
Art Venues
After a very good dinner at a Amok, a restaurant known of the Cambodian dish with the same name, a stroll down the alley brought us to the McDermott Gallery. The beautiful images of the Angkor temples first attracted me to this gallery. The images carried a resemblance to images created with traditional infared film. In the back of the store was an exhibit on illegal residents in Myanmar by a...
Cambodia on Xmas eve
It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas Eve here. We arrived in Siem Reap today after two custom checkpoints, two hours on the bus and finally 15km of cyling. At the hotel and around Pub Street there are some Christmas lights and an occasional Christmas tree but the lack of Christmas songs playing overhead really makes it feel like any other day…..or any other day in Siem Reap, Cambodia....
“When it comes to travel charades, I am the greatest the world has ever known.”
– Rahul in referrence to his ability to communicate with hand gestures to non-English speaking folks.
“Take a picture of me with my hand on her boob.”
– Karen acting mature at an Angkor Wat sacred temple, wanting to get her picture taken with a carving of a naked woman.
What we're listening to
In an attempt to be more Zen-like, we tried to ride without music and instead take in the sounds of Thailand. That was short lived, I caved after Day 1 and strapped in my iPod. JuAnne and Danny caved shortly after. After 5 days, Rahul has still maintained his Zen only because he has deformed ears and earphones won’t fit his ears. Instead, he has filled the silence with self-pep talks. On my...
Karaoke Thai Style
We stayed in the best hotel yet (Westin excluded) in Aranaprathet (town at the Cambodian border) the night of Day 4. Along with wifi, its luxury amenities included Karaoke. Postponing the nightly Big 2 game, we spent some time karaoking and drinking (Singha, the local beer, and awful vodka) with our guides and fellow travelers. Despite the abundance of cheesy ballads (Celine Dion, Air Supply,...
Hanging with the girls
We had an all girls peleton for a good 10km! The boys couldn’t take it and finally crashed the party. - JuAnne Do good. Eat well.
WatchRahul decides to eat a red pepper for -20 points for that night’s Big 2. Not a problem initially, but the fire comes out a few minutes later.
“It is a serious concern, but your ‘boys’ should be fine given that...”
– Danny on Rahul’s question of whether his manly parts will survive the next 2 weeks.
Chilli Pepper Part 2
I am brown. My parents are brown. I have been raised brown. Thousands of years of brown heritage make it possible for me to withstand immense amounts of spice. My groupmates are amateurs, AMATEURS! when it comes to spicy food. It looked a little dangerous, but I’ve eaten chillis before. And 20 points in Big 2! One step closer to the free luxurious meal in Vietnam? I couldn’t...
“If we see another stuck dog, we’re going back.”
– Danny, after seeing a dog stuck between a gate.
Lessons Learned
The plan: draft behind the lead bike guide
Lesson#1 Stick to the above plan. Deviating from the plan to chase the racing pack can result in being left alone with a strong headwind. Or with a paranoid feeling of missing a turn because there’s no one in front of or behind you.
Lesson#2 Learn from lesson#1. Repeating the same mistake due to a sudden surge of mojo may result in results from #1...
“No money, no honey!”
– Bundit-to, the tour guide. Over the next few days we will feature choice quotes of wisdom from our favorite tour guide for you.
Day 4: From Misery to Epiphany
Distance: 90 km
As all my readers know (all 2 of you), this biking tour has been more about survival for me than anything else. Day 4 did not start off well when our 2nd leg was a 18 km journey against the wind to a reservoir. It was the toughest leg thus far, much harder than the rolling hills. As usual, I came in 2nd to last, just narrowly edging out the Japanese old lady who...
The Chili Pepper
We rolled into Sa Keaw tonight and was happy we weren’t having a group dinner. In the last two nights, we’ve been “whited” - in which the past 2 nights the group leaders ordered for us and they must have told the chefs to make us “stuff white people like”. In other words, mild and not authentic - ie. kung pao chicken. So we asked our tour guides to order what...
Cast of Characters
Before this blog goes any further, it probably makes sense to introduce the cast of characters. 5 trip-related facts about each travel member:
JuAnne
Most forgetful person in the whole world. Must give all important documents and money to other tripmates for her own safety.
Famous for fake crying to get a temporary passport from the US consulate in order to make the trip.
Now super close...
Big 2 Winner: a REAL accomplishment
Big 2 (or Posoy Dos) is the greatest card game ever created for traveling.
http://www.pagat.com/climbing/bigtwo.html
We will be playing the game every night. The loser (one with the most points) will be paying for dinner the following night. At the end of the trip, the player with the lowest points (a good thing in the traditional rules of the game) will have a free meal courtesy of the losers....
Day 3 - The Rolling Hills
At the end of day 2 we were promised with a shorter ride on the next day but with rolling hills. When we woke up this morning we mentally prepared for the promise to be fulfilled. The first 30km went by on back country roads with no traffic and a nice cool breeze. When I got to the rolling hills I charged ahead. Hmmm wrong move… Lost Karen before the top of the first hill. Danny rolled by...
Day 2: I am not the weakest link!
Distance: 95 km; 59 miles
Ass tenderness: high
I had one goal on this trip, and that was NOT to be the weakest link. Weakest link = the worst bicycle rider in our tour group of 17 people. Good news: mission accomplished! I am the SECOND weakest link. Does it matter that the weakest link is an old lady who got into a serious bike accident on the first day?! NO! Does it matter that I was lapped by men and women 2x my age?! NO!! Is my ego or pride hurt?! NO!!
The only unfortunate aspect of all this: it's only the SECOND day. Is it possible for me not to be the weakest link for the whole trip? Highly doubtful especially since we're doing rolling hills tomorrow. I see an air-conditioned van in my future...
- Rahul
Coconut Chips and Wifi
While rounding out an evening at a jazz club in Bangkok, we were introduced to a new, bar snack: coconut chips. These thin, crunchy strips were delicious and addictive. We made away with one fresh bag complements of the staff after trying to buy a box from them for the road. Since then, we’ve been on the lookout for these snacks at grocery stalls and shops to no avail. It has proven to be...
Day 1- First 20km
After 3 days of nonstop eating, we finally got our first chance to ride today. Although it was measly 20km it was great to finally be on the road! Karen got chased after by a dog, children greeted us along the roadside and we caught the sunset from the deck of a temple. Do good. Eat well.
High Rollers
The current exchange rate is 34 baht to 1 US dollar. Examples of how we are living it up in Thailand: An hour Thai massage: 250 baht ($8 US) Meal for 4 (5 entrees and drinks): 620 baht ($18 US) 10 minute cab ride: 40 baht ($1 US) Desk lamp (Danny’s souvenir): 150 baht ($5 US) Desk lamp if Danny had better bargaining skills: 100 baht ($3 US) Rental of playing cards: 100 baht + 200 baht for...
Today's breakfast discussion topic
Hangtime, hovering, and tipping.
Departure
There’s no worse way to start a trip than be standing at the checkin counter at the airport and be told that you can’t board the flight. Worse is, you can’t board the flight because of some seemingly insignificant detail that you had overlooked. **smack** Thailand requires 6 months on your passport before expiration even if you will only be in the country for 3 days (and...
Happy ending in Thailand
No, not that kind of happy ending. After spending a night of restless sleep, “dad” aka Mr Lee, and I spent the entire morning and afternoon finding my way to Thailand. And I made it!! -JuAnne
