Day 5 – September 22 - Lahu Village to Chiang Mai

I wouldn’t exactly characterize my sleep as good. Chickens started clucking and roosters started crowing at about 3am and did not stop, even for five minutes, until I reluctantly raised my head in desperation and attempted to suffocate myself with my pillow, but to no avail. I got up and took a shower. I used the forced 5:30am Animal Farm wake-up call to take pictures of the village as it shook off its morning fog. It was actually amazing once I set eyes on it. A light morning mist lay over the valley. If I could just get the damn roosters to shut up, it would be perfection. Fine, I’ll take what I can get. I can enjoy this.

The children of the village were up early, playing with the dogs and peering through the bamboo walls of the guest house at our new friends. They were really cute. I am not sure if this is how they always acted with trekkers or if we were particularly entertaining (I would hope our rendition of Fresh Prince would raise our stature in the village versus past groups). Either way, it worked on me. I thought they were great. I saw the small classroom for Lahu which consisted of several bamboo benches and a blackboard under a bamboo and thatch roof. I wondered who the teacher was. Maybe a single parent taught reading and writing and math, or maybe various adults in the village alternated. Smattered across the village were several solar panel arrays. Not every house had one, but there about five were, connected to what appeared to be the ‘wealthy’ homes.

After our breakfast of toast and hardboiled eggs we started the day’s trek across a rickety bamboo bridge. Toto told me that they use 6-month old bamboo to build their bridges because they are stronger than older bamboo. We all got across fine, but it looked like something out of Indiana Jones. The day was hot, humid and rain-free, but significantly uphill for the first 2.5 hours. Again, I was sweating like a felon. Yuk. For the rest of the morning it was flat or downhill until we got to the river, to my great relief.

At the river, our good friend, The Doctor, fell asleep under a thatch roof which acted as the cooking area. Toto, and our new friend, The Old Man, cooked up some noodles and broke out the Diet Cokes. Ramen with chili sauce and Diet Coke was like heaven. I didn’t want anything else, this was perfect. Something nice and warm. We also had the opportunity to watch The Old Man finish making our bamboo rafts for the day. Robin, Usi, Lennon and I followed him to the river, collecting some bamboo along the way. The raft was constructed of twenty foot long bamboo poles lashed together with thin strands of bamboo. A single thicker branch ran along the middle of the raft on the top, almost like an upside-down keel. He then added two upside-down V-shaped bamboo branches to the middle of the raft to hold our bags. Robin and I both climbed on the rafts and tested out the buoyancy. Wow, that really help up! We gave The Old Man a thumbs up as we started to walk back to the lunch area, and he responded by patting Robin on the butt and smacking my belly. What? You think I’m the American Buddha? Awesome, at least he thinks I’ll float if I fall over-raft.

After lunch we broke into two groups and waved good-bye to The Doctor. According to Toto, The Doctor doesn’t swim. The Old Man would pilot our second raft. My boat, piloted by Toto, included Emily (the Swede), Courtney (the Aussie) and Usi (the American). No one wore shoes on the raft, and the whole fun of the trip was balancing yourself while dodging branches that came whipping by. Two of us had 10 foot bamboo poles to help steer the raft by push on the left or right. Courtney decided that he didn’t really want to steer, so he threw his pole into the river. It was funny, but then we were down one pole as we went into the larger rapids. The rapids were small, nothing larger than a big riffle, but a lot of fun.

The rafting lasted about 1.5 hours. When we finished, we walked up to a small village where Robin and I met our transportation back to Chiang Mai. The winding drive through the mountains on the way back was spectacular. About 3 or 4 hours. We stopped at a gas station mini-mart on the way back, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and when Robin and I walked in, all three girls behind the counter got wide-eyed, giggled and starting chatting to each other quickly. I think they knew we were kind of big deals. You know, Californians.

Upon returning to the Libra Guest House, we showered (thank god), changed, and decided to go for a Thai massage. I’m not a massage person myself, but thought I might as well get a massage while I was here. We went to the place next door, recommended by the hotel, and got a two for 300 Baht deal ($9). They asked if we would be in the same room, and we said, yes, we’d like to be separate. The proprietor, a bald dude who didn’t speak English very well, nodded and gave us a change of clothes. We changed and followed him around the corner to another location. He opened a rusting iron gate and took us to a loft area of a garage. What? The loft also had a curtain and then three mats… I guess he didn’t understand that we wanted to be separate. Fine. We left the middle mat empty. Robin’s masseuse came in and started. Later, he told me she was really strong, really digging in to him. The lights were still on and the music didn’t cover the ambient street noise. There was also a neon Buddha, kind of tacky. The whole ambience was about as relaxing as a Monster Car Truck Rally. Lying on my back, eyes closed, I felt someone grab my feet. I look up, and see the bald dude, who I shall now refer to as Uncle Fester. I was obviously freaked, and anyone who knows me will say that I can’t hide my emotions on my face. Uncle Fester agreed. I asked if there was anyone else, and he said no. Crap. Well, okay. I had to think of random things to not laugh. I couldn’t help cracking up halfway through. Robin could barely contain himself. With about 10 minutes left, some big fat British guy plops down between the two of us and starts his massage. Ambience, not so much. Good massage, I have to admit, it was good. Definitely helped after the hike.

Afterwards, Robin and I went to dinner at Ginger Café, a cool little restaurant with an outdoor area near the ringroad. Once again, we stuck to the Thai menu. We really haven’t gone wrong on local food since we’ve arrived, hopefully we’ll keep that up! Tomorrow we head for Luang Prabang, Laos. We’ve heard great things about Laos, lots of kayaking and rafting and other outdoor options. We are really looking forward to continuing with that.

Day 4 - September 21 - Chiang Mai to Lahu Village

Early morning wake-up call. We’re off to our trek near the Thai/Burmese boarder. Eight of us piled into the converted pickup truck and drove two hours to the trailhead. On the way we stopped at a small market to pick up any last minute provisions. Robin and I got some water, repellent and shampoo. My hair is starting to get mighty greasy and for the benefit of my fellow travelers, I thought some shampoo would do us well.

At the trailhead we put on our packs and started the 2.5 hour hike to a waterfall and pool. This was sold to us as an incredible sight. We would jump into a large picaresque pool and frolic in the water for an hour or so. At least, the people in the pictures had fun! First off, the trail had obviously not been traversed by hordes and hordes of Western tourists, which had been our initial fear. In fact, it was pretty wild and untamed. We had two guides, the English speaking Toto and the local hilltribesman we all called The Doctor. He was The Doctor, Toto eventually told us, because he had smoked more opium than anyone else in the village. Great. Tribesman Opium, MD. The Doctor had a machete and cut through the brush almost constantly. And this isn’t President Bush at the Crawford Ranch brush. This is serious bamboo-shoots and palm branch brush. The trail was also relatively muddy, as we are hear at the end of the rainy season. Robin had on his Vibram shoes (see link, no real explanation) and I had on my massive boots. We both did fairly well trudging through the mud. I, on the other hand, did not do so well with the incredible humidity. We already know that Kevin enjoys the dry heat and does not operate at his full potential in humid climates. I was schvitzing like I was running laps in a sauna.

Anyway, we got to the waterfall. It was nice enough. I enjoyed jumping in and cooling off. But there was no sun out and the clouds forming were looking ominous. So after 40 minutes messing around at the waterfall, we packed it up and called it a day. Time to push for the village. This was an uphill climb for about 30-45 minutes and the rain started coming down. The Doctor cut down some large palm leaves and made them into hats for us (I looked like a more eco-minded Gandalf from Lord of the Rings). They actually did keep the rain off and were helpful, until I did not see the branch in front of my face since the ‘bill’ of the hat was too far down my face and I smacked right into the branch. Not a lot of fun.

The rain slowed to couple of drops as we approached Lahu Village. We passed through the rice paddies surrounding the village as we got closer, and the view as the sun was setting was spectacular. The shallow water all around us shimmered as the sky turned gold. It was amazing.

We arrived at a small hilltribe village with maybe 30 or 35 huts. No one really paid us any attention as we entered and got ourselves settled. There was a guest hut for tourists. We each had a pad to sleep on, with a couple of blankets, and a mosquito net above us. After spending the night there, I wouldn’t really expect they got more than 15 to 18 tourists a week in the high season, but I am sure that is a welcome boon to their economy. The bathroom was a hole and the shower was a bucket of water with a smaller bucket to pour the water on yourself. It served its purpose. There was a cooler outside with sodas and bottled water for sale, 20 Baht per soda, 15 Baht per water. Altogether, a very nice place for a bunch of Western trekkers to see a local culture.

Robin and I went around to take pictures of the village. Chickens, pigs, roosters, ducks and dogs wandered the area freely. When we walked away from the guest hut, some children came up to see us. We started playing with them, showing them our cameras and showing them pictures. I still had some pictures from New York on my camera: the Highline, Flatiron and Empire State Building. When I showed these pictures to the children, they repeated, “Noo Yak!” It was really cute. One particular family of two brothers and a sister thought we were hilarious and proceeded to fight each other for our enjoyment. I guess siblings are the same everywhere.

Dinner was served soon after. Curry and rice. It was awesome. I think it was a green curry, but Toto was not really sure, he just said ‘curry.’ After dinner, we started telling stories with our new trekking friends. Someone brought up worst foods ever, and I knew I had the winner. I asked the two Swedish girls with us if they ever had surstromming. Ewwwww, yelled Emily. No, that is what our fathers eat in the late summer. It is disgusting. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, it is disgusting. It is fermented herring, canned in an aluminum can which can expand to accommodate the gas emitted by the fermenting fish. It is awful, and can only be opened outside since the stench is so strong and pungent. Daniel Rovira provided it to us in Lake Tahoe a few years back. I vomited right there and Chris Stallsworth vomited that night. Worst thing ever. So, I won. We also spoke about our homes. Courtney, the Aussie dude, asked me about LA. I told him about Santa Monica and the Westside beaches. He said, “hey, isn’t that where all the Mexican eses live?” I shook my head, what? Eses? Has anyone used that word since 1996? He must be watching Baywatch reruns. Then 23-year old Usi asked Robin if he felt too old to be doing things like this. Yes, at 26 and 27, we are ancient and about to die. Thanks for making us feel old.

After our stories, Toto announces Night Bazaar! Crap! We got rushed by local women shoving bracelets and headbands and other textiles in our faces. All crap, once again, likely produced in China. I bought a bracelet for 10 Baht to make her go away. Others were not so lucky. Courtney bought a headband and Usi ended up with various ‘gifts.’ Then the children came to sing us songs. They started with Kumbaya and moved on to Jingle Bells. After those two gems they moved onto local Thai songs. That was all cute. Then they asked us to sing a song for them. So, we sang the theme to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. They were confused. I don’t think they ever heard that one before. So we gave them Wonderwall and Row Row Row Your Boat. That was a crowd-pleaser. Then the girls distributed the candy they brought for the kids. Note to self. Next time, bring candy for the kids.

As the children ran away, Toto told us we could mill around and talk, go to sleep, or talk to The Doctor about other options. Our male comrades decided to take The Doctor up on his medicine and had some opium at 100 Baht a hit ($3). Robin and I retired like the old folks we are. Tomorrow is river rafting!

Day 3 - September 20 - Chiang Mai

After a long train ride, we arrive in Chiang Mai, a Thai city in the north of the country. This city’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which is obvious from one’s first moments. As the train pulled into the station, dozens of representatives of guest houses and hotels and trekking operators poured onto the arrival platform. It was a sea of people shouting “A/C – 400 Baht!” “Free Wifi… Free Wifi!” We made our way through the madness and got a map. As we started to think about walking into town and figuring out our trek and hotel accommodations, a woman came up to us and offered to take us into town for free if we checked out her hotel. She said, “If you don’t like it, leave. We don’t need you.” And we actually believed her.

We got to the car, a pick-up truck converted to a van with two benches lining the bed and a canopy. The same thing would be described as a “tuk-tuk” if there was no real cabin, if the passenger area were pulled by a scooter. Those are fun. Upon arriving at the Libra Guest House, we were told about a trek leaving the next day for a village near the Burmese boarder. After haggling, changing our minds, and negotiating for a departure the second day versus the third, we settled on the trek for the next two days at 4,000 Baht a head (about $114 each). The actual 2-day trek cost 2,500 Baht but we had to arrange separate transport back which was 1,500. And we took a room at the Libra Guest House. Turns out, the place was awesome and the Thai proprietors are a very nice family. A/C and hot water for 350 Baht a night ($10).

We also sent away for our Vietnamese visas (2,200 Baht for two day service). We thought it would be a good time to get those done while we were hiking.

All around the guest house were other similar places of varying quality. Some were showing Premiere League football and serving Sunday roasts, and, naturally, packed with Brits on holiday. Others had pool tables and were frequented by Aussies and Americans. The Happy Hippy House was full of stumbling kids of various ages and nationalities. They had a Happy Hippy Happy Hour from 3pm to 9pm. We skipped that. Instead, Robin and I went to cooking school. Yeah, we’re badass.

Cooking school was a non-event. We had fun, being the only two in class. First we went to a market and learned about spices and curries and coconuts. We also learned everything there is to know about fish oil. Have to say, most of this is not going to translate when I get back to Trader Joe’s. We made some good soup and curries, so dinner was good.

Back at the guest house, we made our way to the Night Bazaar. When someone in Thailand suggests you visit the Night Bazaar, say, no thanks, nicely yet firmly. They are filled with crap. Just tourist souvenirs and trinkets probably made in China. If I’m going to buy something, I want to support local artisans, not the subjugation of the local population to cheap trinkets.

All said, it was a good, productive day. I guess a verdict on today will depend on the trekking experience.

Day 2 - September 19 - Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Got to get to the Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha, today. That is pretty much our goal. We took the Sky Train to the river boat, again, and made our way up the river to the palace. One thing I wasn't expecting would be the shear number of 7-Elevens in Bangkok. They are everywhere. We stopped for breakfast: bottled water, red bull and yogurt. I'm constantly freaking out about what kind of food would be good/bad/indifferent. The doctor said no watery fruits like melons, so I bought strawberry yogurt. Not bad. The red bull is fantastic here! It is not carbonated, and tastes like really good cough syrup. Yum!

We walked to the Palace. Huge place. Our first stop was the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Emerald Buddha was carved from a piece of jade in the 1400s and made its way between Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang before being settled in the Grand Palace in the late 1700s. Although small (about 45 cm), it is beautiful and evokes deep reverence from the local population. While sitting in the temple, taking in the surroundings, I get a tap on the back. 'Excuse me,' a guy in his 40s with a German accent says, 'is that the Lowepro slingback camera bag? It looks great!' Leave it to me to find a German in an amazing temple who wants to talk about camera equipment.

The Grand Palace is a large complex of various buildings. The grounds were amazing, bright colors, flags, parks, what you would expect from a palace.

After, we booked it back to the hotel so we wouldn't miss check-out. Actually, we got there an hour early since my watch was still on Hong Kong time. We showered and changed (it's so humid here, I need to shower like 3 times a day) and then made our way to the train station. When we got out of the subway, there was a massive thunder storm. Robin and I are good at just missing the storms. Same thing happened in Rome three years ago when we got to Campo de' Fiori. So we had dinner at Anna's Kitchen, very good Thai food, and each had a big Singha beer, and waited for the night train to Chiang Mai. It's a sleeper train where the bottom chairs fold our into one bed and there is a ceiling compartment for the second bed. We both slept fairly well on the train, good times. And after 12.5 hours, we're in Chiang Mai.

Day 1 - September 18 - Bangkok, Thailand-

Finally made it to Bangkok. We booked a hotel since we weren't sure where we were going to go afterwards, but, apparently, this is not a very obvious hotel and the cab driver had significant issues finding it. But I was happy just sitting in his car. His music tastes were quite good: America's Sister Golden Hair and some Creedence Clearwater.

We get to the hotel and head out to the Vietnamese Embassy to see if we can get our visas. On the way a random Thai dude literally bumps into us and tells us the Embassy is closed, we should go to a travel agent to have the visas done. Our first scam! We say, no thanks, talk to you later. Embassy is open and available for visas, but it would take the weekend. We decide to get the visa later, and hit up the Wat Pho now. We took the Sky Train (Bangkok's light rail system) to a boat on the river and go to Wat Pho. Their public transport is fantastic.

Wat Pho is incredible. It is a huge complex of various temples and stupas. The most impressive with the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. A huge hall with a statue of Buddha lying down, maybe 50 feet long. Inside the temple is a constant 'ding ding' sound from worshippers throwing donations into steel jars arranged at the back of the temple. Very cool. The colored glass and gold spires reflect the light across the temple grounds, creating an interesting shimmering effect on the entire site.

After the Wat, we decided to have drinks at the Mandarin Oriental, near the Sky Train and on the river. We had some interesting cocktails (Thai Sour, Mandarin Orange Vodkas, etc) as the sun was setting over the Chao Phraya river. Long boats and junks plied the river loudly in the waning daylight and eventually lit up with Christmas lights. It would have been cheesey if it wasn't so cool. We ended up staying for dinner and had great, spicy Thai food. I'm a fan.

Starting to get hit by jetlag, we decide to call it a night, and we went to get a taxi. Our driver was insane, constantly offering us various 'shows' for 200 Baht. Good for you... Good for me! was his mantra. We just said, take us to the Park Plaza, dude. Thanks.

Overall, a great first day. Tomorrow on the Chiang Mai.

Day 0 - September 17 - San Francisco to Bangkok

After leaving Los Angeles, I got to have the best layover possible in San Francisco. I took the earlier flight arriving in SF at 6pm and proceeded to the Mission District to have dinner with my sister, Megan. We met up, had a couple of drinks and then had dinner at a great Italian place called Farina.

It was a lot of fun catching up with Megan about work and life. SF is a great place and I know how much she loves it there. I'm definitely a fan. After dinner we got ice cream. She had to talk the angry tired hippy into letting us in since it was closing time. She stuck her foot in the door and didn't let him close it, and rather than have a prolonged argument with an ice cream-craving girl, he caved. It was really good.

Off to the airport where I met up with Bot-Miller. Flight was fine. Loooooong, but fine. 14 hours, but I bought the business class RTW ticket, so I got to chill by watching some movies and reading. Bought the Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol. Eh.

The Adventure Begins

So, I meant to start this blog from the get go, but that didn't happen as planned. So I will give you a quick recap on the past week in the first few posts.

I started this trip because after four years working in private equity, it was time for a break. With the economy in upheaval, my desire for a change from the industry, and a lot of encouragement, an around the world trip went from a pipedream to reality.

So, flying from New York to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco, I started my trip with Robin Bot-Miller, a buddy from GS. Here is how it has gone so far.