where did we go again?

All done. That went way too quick. Im back in AK now reflecting on the memories. The south of thailand was awesome. Got to scuba dive one more time in koh tao...real cool. Returned to bangkok for a while and stayed on the backpacker road, Khao Saun apparently has all sorts of infamy but wasnt much different than any other high pressure sales area we'd been to with only the slight variation of tuk tuk drivers trying to get us to go to ping pong shows or offering boom boom. Back in Nha Trang we ran into some very enlightened cats who were telling us that they just started fucking with the salesmen, and when you start harassing them the shoe is instantly on the other foot. The last two days in Hong Kong we really got into this groove. At the beginning of this trip we were berrated by millions of indian men who were selling suits watches and other crap and we were taken aback, embarrased and annoyed....on the return part of our trip we would flip the situation. John decided to ask a hocker if he knew where john could find droids....after a verbal explaination and some star wars references the man directed him to a toy store where he could find robots. Chris, for about 10 seconds bocked like a chicken around a man trying to sell him a suit. Weldon did a chicken dace across a crowded city street near our hostel. We really need to go home. We did. All back. As I reflect I am left with small universal truths that I will now share;

1. Boysterous child gibberish is way cuter in a language you cant understand

2. The more you hear vietnamese the more you start to think of ewoks

3. Never take for granted tap water you can drink strait without fear

4. Thai people are some of the nicest on the planet

5. Finding people who know good "menu" english is easy, getting someone who knows good english is something different entirely

6. All the women of the world are beautiful. All great paintings, all different colors and styles

7. Any local who starts your conversation with 'hello, my friend.." is not actually trying to become friends....can you believe it

Thanks for listening...been fun
Pics will be collaborated with the rest of the crew and will most likely be posted both on my facebook and an online dump site as well...coming soon...will anounce in later blog.Peace.

I have no witty title for bali

The scuba diving went well. Passed the exam and the field sessions with semi flying colors. The exam was hard cause we all studied a little intoxicated but it worked out well anyway. Left Nha trang which was by far my favorite city in vietnam. Met all kinds of cool people and had a lot of fun. Off to saigon....this time it was a sleeper bus and it had decent aircon and we were all the happiest people on earth. We also had a last run in with our booking agent for the bus after we got on it. He was a peculiar man with a stubb for one hand and the other went up to the first knuckles and that was it...he was always yelling and telling us not to jerk off....its a long story but he was a funny dude. Went to a market in saigon and stayed with a chance aquaintance from Hue who was headed in the same direction. Her name was Red, was from south England...Leeds I think...real cool girl. Hopped a plane to Bali....not knowing what to expect except beaches in many more forms than one...did ya get it...anyway flew into denpasar on bali island and immediately went to kuta which is like party central. We arrive late and are bewildered by the activity. Kuta is to australians what mexico is to americans. Great lookin populace but we had to get out pronto. The next morning we packed up and headed to Amed. We stayed two nights there and managed to scuba dive at an old WWII shipwreck for cheap and then two nights in a row cook seafood on our bungalo beachfront with some local boys that we met through chris's tactful networking skills. The locals are pretty easy to warm up to...especially if you have a pack of cigarettes and arent afraid to share. Got a little taste of the town but didnt stay long. We decided to get transport to a little village right by a volcano...batur was the name. I have never been hawcked harder in my life. We arrived late and tried to take in the cenic lake side view for a few but we surrounded by at least 7 older women who were trying to sell us everything - trinkets to thier daughters...not kidding....we litteraly ran away from them. Bali as a whole has tried to sell us just about everything. Woke up the next morning and climbed the volcano...early enough to see the sunrise from the top...our guide cooked breakfast with the thermal heat exuding from parts of the crater. Everyone in that town was named either wyanne or kotut...it became a running joke. That day we left for kuta...best and cheapest taksi (they spell most english words phoenetically) we got...a grandad with kids in kuta...he laughed all time reguardless of intelligible dialogue or humor...we were stopped for no reason cause we had to pay off cops. Two nights in Kuta on the tail end of the bali whorlwind. We did however get to surf two days in a row and I'll be the first to say it was worth the devistating sunburn and nipple chaffage...easily. Its like snowboarding except more waiting and the girls that do it are in way better attire...way better. Bali is quite touristy but still remains pretty hindu. We were lucky enough to get to a temple that was right by a bat cave where they were having a cerimony...all architecture was unreal. They do the typical insense thing but also put out little offerings of bits of food and flowers in a little banana leaf tray...women doing this real early everyday...dont really understand the significance. On the streets of Kuta I have been offered every popular drug I can think of...another trip...another time...another crew...either way Bali has been an eye opener and we pretty much kicked its ass. We're in malaysia now traveling up the peninsula to thailand...planning on getting to suratthani...our staging point to get to the three islands off thailands southeast coast....beach bummin and hopefully one more scuba adventure left in the cards....might even be there for the half moon party on kho phangnag....this computer has crashed on me four times already (annoying) so thats it and thats all for now...pics to come...I swear. Thanks for listenin.Peace.

hue cool

been too long...this time I wont write too much though. Hitting the vietnam coast hard..and I mean what I say...Ha Long bay was kickin...only crappy part was we had to go back to hanoi, which is dirty and way too crowded. Next stop...Hue a medium sized town in the middle of vietnam. stayed for four days to the best of my recollection. The first day we rented motorbikes and tooled around in shite weather. It was literally monsooning and we had no ponchos...very popular here...traveled to the beach where the weather was even worse. 4 to 5 foot breakers at times but we were just psyched to be somewhere so we rocked that beach scene alone. John, chris and I made it to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) for a little history lesson, communist style. A very sereal experience. Most of it was on a bus...our tour guide liked to repeat everything he said like two to three times as he spouted random facts of the country side and local crops...quirky dude. When he did let us of the bus we finally got to see some war relics and museum type exhibits. While at a "museum" type place, we were offered dog tags and viet cong medals that the locals had "dug up". We new that because despite there little and very poor english skills, they did make a convincing shovel motion. I didnt feel so good after that. The DMZ was a section of vietnam that was basically the line between the north and south fighting...also a place the US carpet bombed and agent oranged the piss out of. We were taken through some tunnels in a little village, ka shan...we were guided by our tour guide and a local that was obviously mentally disabled...a product of the war and apparently lived in the tunnels that we saw ever since he was six. The intel from our guide was that the locals had to live in the tunnel section permanently for about 6 years to avoid immanent death...there used to be a hospital inside where 17 people were born...at that point I really started to hate myself, my government and war in general...I was also starting to feel physically ill. A well spent $11 and a big eye opener. The last day we ran into a very plesant english girl and all five of us biked to a buddhist pagoda in time for their daily sermon or whatever and also saw a tomb/burial area of some king from the 1800's. both very cool. Said our goodbyes to the town and headed for Nha trang on a bus for 16 hours...about 3.5 of those spent in anything but peaceful slumber. We were suppose to get a sleeper bus but got dicked and had to take a sitting bus with no bathroom...when we arrived in the beach town we, with good reason started drinking and playing cricket on the beach in the rain with some new buds from santa barbra. I say cricket but i mean the drinking game version which isnt like cricket at all...which is one of its best attributes. Spent my birthday night alone cause everyone else was wiped from the previous drinking...I rallied and met some swedes and other europeans to keep me company. Closed some bars down and really just got drunk cause the drug situation here is sketch. Good night none the less...lost my way back to the hostel and was again assaulted by prostitutes...one grabbed my crotch. I thanked her for the enthusiasm but sent her away. Just completed the first day of ssi scuba lessons in a pool...all the procedural/technique stuff out of the way first. Aside from the massive sunburn aquired in the 20-25 minutes shirtless to pass the aquatic fitness test, we all had a ball. My mother advised me to tan prior to travel so I wouldnt burn as bad as I am notorious for. I should have spent the money given on beer and liquor because that is a much more fun way to waste my time. Open water tomorrow...get to see some real stuff...something like 20+ meters! Nervous and excited. One more day of the same after that. purchasing bali tickets tomorrow. Hope to spend a week there. The hostel manager is kicking me out. Pics to follow at a later date. thanks for listening. peace.

pic highlights

temple in Laos

Ha Long...on the boat...chillin

attemped back flip

Its spelled Ha Long Bay not how long. Weldon is throwing the BSG or classic battle star galactica pose for those who dont know. I failed to mention that in Luang Phrabang that we went to a wicked waterfall that we had to like climb and swam there....or maybe i did....it was a long post.Enjoy.

vietnam and a little laos on the side

got to laos through a slow boat. Once again had no idea what we were getting into but charged ahead anyway. Left chiang mai to chiang kong on a mini-bus. Everyone complained...most had reasons. John marc was sort of car sick, weldon and chris both had some heavy shit in their guts that had yet to be defined. 8 hours later we arrived in a hotel in a po-dunk town and settled in. At this point chris had worked through his hang over and was feeling lower than a catapillars ankles still. We met some very frendly and statuesque europeans at the hotel where we stayed. I proceeded to play drinking games and party through the night. Weldon, usually my wing man and vice versa on these occasions had...we'll just leave it at frequent trips to the bathroom, so he was not in attendance. Apparently kings cup is universal...they just call it ring of fire. I got to kareoke johnny cash...very cool. Next day...slow boat...a bit hung over but decent...got through customs and got laos visa no problem. First day slow boat was ok. The mekong coast is a trip. Very peaceful and in the middle of fucking no where. Got to meet the slow boat crew a little more over some fine scotch whiskey procured the night before at a Thai stop off. Best 350 Bhat I ever spent. Stopped at a tiny little town in laos that I cant even remember right now. Ate food and assed out. Didnt sleep despite my drunken disposition. Apparently there are massive amounts of dogs and chickens running around freely...both of which are very very early to rise. The whole town ran on a diesel generator conveniently located by our hostel. Haggared as one could be we embarked on the next day of slow boating. This go was far worse as the amount of people the locals fit on two boats the first day now had to share a slightly bigger one boat. Cramped like sardines...I envy sardines because by the time they're cramped they're dead. Hot as balls. Cards and scotch were my only true friends...I actually reverted to reading and if you know me well you know that I dont read unless I have to. Catcher in the Rye is a surprisingly good read for the first 40 pages or so. Thats as far as I got. Arrived at Luang Phrabang mid day ish. Laos currently is buring...the entire country. Its the hot season and farmers and fisherman are burning brush...very smoky. We spent two days in this wonderful town. Besides the heat I really dig laos...locals are laid back and you can pretty much do as you please. Bars close at around 11pm but there is a bowling place that stays open till about 2:30am. Brilliant. Saw most of the slow boat crew around town and at bowling...which by the way we did bare foot...I will never bowl again unless I can be shoe-less. As a quick side note I really like this part of the world because all you need to procure drugs is to be white and go to popular drinking spots....or just be out late. Not that Im a fiend, I just really like that the locals take out all the leg work. All jokes aside by this time weldon was putting on a face, cause he hadn't shit solid in about 5 days and was rather weak in appetite. This was pale in comparison with chris, who was bed ridden most of the time in luang and felt malarial symptoms. We decided that we needed to got to Vietnam sooner that expected because Laos has no health care. We flew. We had suspitions that his dimentia was caused very ironically by the doxicyclin that was prescribed to combat malaria. The only symptoms that the rest of use had been having was crazy, lucid dreams...which have been thus far a highlight of my trip. Flew to Hanoi...a city of 7 million. Crazy shit. WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE. Got hooked up to go to How Long Bay. We are currently here. Weldon stared taking cipro and has almost made a full recovery. Right when his appetite is coming back we travel to a bay where most of the dishes being served are seafood which he despises...more for me. Chris has made a very accurate assumption that his vertigo/no appetite/hard to focus symptoms were caused by the meds and hasent been taking them and by my assesment has made a full recovery although he seems to be drinking less than he should by my standards. Heres the beauty of it. We dont fucking need to. The doctors in America are so full of shit that if you poked them with the needles they are so fond of it would spew onto the ground. We have spoken to so many aussies/kiwis/europeans/canadians that look at us like epileptics the way we pop these pills. No areas we are traveling to are at risk except cambodia. Chris will be deeting if we even go. Plans change...we're starting to look at bali as a real option. Hopefully we can get scuba dive certified in Nha Trang and then put that to use in bali and the south of thailand where we plan to travel. We bought an open bus ticket which gives us a theoretical whole month to travel from hanoi to saigon making frequent stops along the way and stay in those towns as long as we like. Hue and Nha Trang stand out in my mind but I think there are like 3 or 4 others. I have been writing for too long... got some pics...not totally comprehensive...just highlights. Some of my viewers may want to see everything on my camera and have been getting impatient... its in the works. Flicker seems to be my best option at the moment as facebooks uploading is retardedly slow. I know at some point I will back up most of our stuff on CD...and you guys just might have to see all of it that way cause blogging is boring and trying to remember all this stuff is hard. I want to have fun and this world is ripe with it. In fact.....go outside...you've been reading for far too long....thanks though, always like to keep my audience riveted.Peace. whoops. computer is retarded...get those highlights to ya later. How Long bay,swimming on top waterfalls, BSGs, vietnam jungle, crazy high delapedated towers, etc.

Chiang Mai hot...Chang Beer cold

Its been a week....what a week. The songkran festival as its know in these parts is suppose to be from the 13th till 15th...not so...the whole week is pretty much a drentching. Last thursday we started our trek into the mountains...which so far has been the highlight of the trip by far. Yes we rode elephants and rafted on bamboo and saw hill tribes but I find more and more that it has been the people that Ive met during these events that have effected me more. Our tour guides through the hill for three days and two nights were very very cool. Everyone on the trek was equally as neat. A handfull of brits, four canucks and some northern europeans....all cool, all liked to party. The guides...Tarzan, Tiger, Joe Joe, Mr L...fuckin badass. The first day they were cutting vines to swing over ravines, trying to catch and kill small jungle mamals and drinking chang beer like fish...they do quite well with our drinking games too...not to mention their fondness for opium...and now I know why. If they werent cliff jumping they were killing snakes with sticks. They all spoke a bit of english and most everything they said was hillarious or inapropriate. We played and talked about soccer alot which made me like them even more. When we rafted on saturday on the bamboo, our guide was a ten year old who had a fondness for menthol cigarettes...which he smoked two at a time. Unfortunate that this past week has little photo documentation cause there was way too much water involved...meh. Today we went to the sunday market...which was very large and we also bungie jumped. They gave me a certificate to prove so. Quite a rush...definitely not the last time I do that. 50 meters high, couple seconds of free fall. Staying a couple more days. Soccer on the tube, Clubbing tonight. Hopefully muai thai boxing match tomorrow. We may rent motorbikes....nervous to say the least. To laos on tuesday....slow boat for a couple days, then tubing for another....more excuses to drink and meet people, heavily...horray! Then fly to hanoi and tour down the coast. I could get used to this. Peae.

the chianger banger: round 1

I like this town. First real day of Thai new year. Got broke in proper. I've never been wetter. After a 10 hr or so bus ride, had to sleep poolside for a few hours cause the room wasnt ready. Been checkin out the town. Rented bicycles for the first day. I havent bought a super-soker since i was in grade school. Sun and water fights. Ive seen more soccer over here than all my time in bozeman this year. Chang is my favorite foreign beer of all time. Sort of like malt liquor in america...about 1.1% difference. I'll leave it at that. Peace.