Last night in Laos

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Lovely Laos. Everything about it is amazing--the people are warm and friendly, the landscape is breathtaking, and of course, the food is scrumptious! My last night in Laos turned out to be one of my favorite experiences...

That morning we left Vientane (the capital of Laos) for the 6 hour bus ride to the border town of Lak Xao (Vietnam was our next destination). Lak Xao is supposed to be the "quintessential" Laos city. A.k.a... A model communist city where everything is in order and propaganda is played out in reality.

I wasn't feeling well that day, but once we arrived I pulled myself together and pushed through. After all it was my only night here! The first stop was the market. Every city in Southeast Asia has a market. Depending on where you are they can be tourist centric or more geared towards the locals. The "local" markets are of course the most interesting. Entering the market all you see is a sea of people under mutli colored tents. Stall owners (mainly women) are busy serving their customers and exchanging money. When the "visitors" come by they are quick to say "sa-by-dea ka" (hello) and offer you their merchandise at the lucky day price. As you wander through the market you get a glimpse at the neccessities of a Laos person's life: fruits, veggies, fish, rice, socks, hats galore. That day I was walking down a narrow aisle and I was stunned to see dead rats lying on the table. No these weren't rats caught foraging for food, rather they were there to purchase. Yes, to eat. You could get skin yourelf rats or skinned rats that were grilled. I was shocked, disgusted, but fascinated at the same time! Being a New Yorker, rats are only to be seen on the subway and never in a restaurant. I was disgusted at the site, yet I wanted to stare at them -- I think it was my disbelief!

After the excitement of the rats in the market, we headed to more tame environs... A local English school where we spent time with the students to help them practice their English. I was introduced to 3 teenage boys who were all eager to practice what they had learned in class. After we introduced ourselves and found out each other's ages--they were very sweet when they feigned being shock at learning my age of 35, they thought I was much younger--we got into real conversation. Their first question to me was typical of many Southeast Asians... "Are you married?" , me "No", "Do you have a boyfriend?", me "No." Usually it was women who asked this so it was a new experience to be asked this by teenage boys. Again their expression was shock, but in a nice, sweet way:) We used broken English and a little writing on paper but we found out a lot about each other. The boys all had mopeds, liked to play soccer. One was a guitar player in his spare time and wanted to be policeman. Another hoped to be a pilot someday. None of them had girlfriends...yet!

We only stayed a half hour at the school. It certainly was not long enough. It was very inspiring to see kids trying very hard to learn my language because they know it will only help them more in their future.

The midnight train to Georgia (oops, I mean Chiang Mai)

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Somewhere between Bangkok & Chiang Mai, January 4/5, 2010
We all loaded up our packs (somehow, mine seems heavier than when I left and I haven't purchsed a thing!) and headed to the train station. We boarded the train and I found my compartment--#23 the top bunk. Yes, a bunk bed. Think cabin camping but on a train. Before I climbed up to bed for the night I had to still do my nightly ritual... brush teeth, wash face, and go to the bathroom. I was NOT expecting this... When I opened the bathroom door, there on the floor was a hole in the ground. Hmmm, this was going to be interesting! So, the good sport that I am and of course wanting to have the "true" Thai experience, I pulled down my pants and "squatted"! On a side note, I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how clean this bathroom stays. Amtrak should be ashamed!

So I slept through the night waking up sharply at 7 am. Yes, I'm jumping out of bed at 7 am every am. I think it's actually Bizarro joellen here in Thailand! There was a little snafu during the night with the train. The diesel engine broke down so they had to bring in a replacement engine. So now, instead of a 13 hour ride getting in at 7 am it was going to be 15 hours. Nok had forewarned us that the train could be 1-2 hours late getting in -- it's the Thai way. 5 hours is a bit more, but hey, it's all part of the experience. Right?

Being late allowed me to take in the beautiful Thai countryside. Mountains in the background, a blue sky hovering farm fields with grazing cows and small little towns with people milling about, even a little girl about 3 or 4 waving and blowing kisses to all of us on the train. Breathtaking!

Working out the kinks

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Zut alor! I have been in Bangkok for 2 days and still no Thai massage? I quickly remedied that. For 260 Bhat (about $7.5) I got an hour and half Thai massage. HEAVEN!

From Bangkok with Love!

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January 2... I arrive in Bangkok. Now my trip was truly beginning. In my cab ride
from the airport I was like a kid in the candy store taking in all of the sites but
not able to soak it all in. Mopeds were whizzing by with whole families on them(yes, 4 people... mom, dad, a kid in front and a kid in the middle), The King and Queen's photos posted on every block, teak houses next to tall apartment buildings, and Thai billboards promoting the latest phone with Facebook Twitter accessibility!

My cab driver was a nice man, but I think I dissappointed him just a bit because I couldn't speak a lick of Thai. He was a good sport and was trying to teach me some phrases, but mainly I just looked at him blankly. I'm chalking that up to the 1 hour time lag I was on... I fancy myself pretty astute at picking things up! Must start practicing.

My hotel was in the old city--a block away from Khao San road (the famous street with vendors galore selling to backpackers). Coming to that area on my first day was a bit disorienting and disappointing. It was like being in Time Square at rush hour and everyone was just like you. Was this what Bangkok was like? Maybe it was just my nerves and jet leg pushing me to the brink of frustration?

Luckily, I slept off my nervous energy and started Day 2 with some laps in the pool. I was now ready to set off and explore Bangkok by foot. As I began my walking tour a nice Thai man was gracious enough to point out all of the key sites I should see and pointed out that Wat Phra Krae and the Grand Palace weren't open til 2pm. But if I took a tut tut for 20BHT I could see many other sites before going there. Good thing a) I wanted to walk because that's the best way to explore and b) Being a New Yorker I'm a skeptic of people approaching me on the street. Turns out, he was a scam artist that tells tourists Wats aren't open and gets them to pay for a never ending tut tut ride. Phew!

Following my own path I found my Bangkok groove. For a good hour I was the only white girl on the street. I was in and out of stores and restaurants where the locals frequented. I began to fit right in when I started crossing the street like a Thai. Basically the walking signs never change in Bangkok, so you can be stuck at a light for 15 minutes if you are not assertive. I soon realized (well, 2 or 3 lights later) that I just have to take crossing the streets into my own hands. So I followed the lead of the men and women of Bangkok and crossed when there was a lull in traffic!

I finally I made it to the Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace. Sure enough it had been open all day! It was stunning and serene. It was a Sunday so all the Thai's were out showing their devotion to the Buddha making offerings of gold paper and coins.

Eventually I made my way to a market selling fruits, veggies, everyday wares and of course pad thai! I had my first street helping of pad thai and I didn't get sick! It was the best I ever had! I even had a star spotting at the market (well, a D list spotting). Rick Fox, former NBA player/Vanessa William's x hubby) was spotted video tapping the market on his iphone. Of course he wasn't hard to spot, seen as he was the only 6'5' man in all of Bangkok!

That evening I met my fellow Intrepid Travelers. I would be starting my 15 day tour through northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam with them. It's a great group of Aussies, a Kiwi, and a fellow American from LA. Our leader, Nok, is a very cool Thai woman. It's going to be a good trip!

On Monday AM we hopped on a long tail boat to tour the canals of Bangkok. Like everywhere in Bangkok safety comes first (adults are always wearing their helmets on their mopeds, helmet are only optional for small children) so we had to wear our life jackets on the boat (yes, really!). I was struck most by the juxtaposition of the homes along the canals. You would have large teak homes, some mansions, next to wooden shacks that looked like they would fall in the water at any moment. It was amazing that two different socio-economic worlds could be so close to each other. Not something you usually see at home.

Finally we made our way to Wat Pho. It contains the sleepping Budha. The largest Buddha in Bangkok. I was in awe! This towering golden Budha starring down at you was magical. It was the perfect way to end my time in Bangkok!