http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/rtwilli4/
I arrived in Siem Reap on Dec. 30. I did not know what to expect and figured it would be over run with tourists because of Angkor Wat. It actually wasn't that bad at all. I liked the town. You can go anywhere on foot, everyone is very nice and loves to teach you the language, and there was a "Pub Street" where the younger crowd hung out (local and traveler).
I had made some friends on the bus ride who I went out with for New Years. Nick, Zaza, Nicole, and Dennis were all ready to go out and party, so we headed to Pub Street. At the first bar I walked into, I ran into Trevor, Larissa, and Adrian; some friends I met in Krabi, Thailand. Right away we had a huge crown of people for New Years and began to drink lots and lots of buckets. Weird how you always run into the same people when you are traveling.
We all kind of got separated but the whole street was full of Khmers and foreigners and we all danced right into 2008! Buckets buckets buckets....I am definitely bringing the bucket Idea home with me.
For the next three days, I roamed around the temples of Angkor Wat. Basically, almost 1000 years ago, the Khmers ruled a major portion of Indochina and built giant temples and cities. I could go on, but you should just look it up. These structures are amazing though, and definitly fullfill the hype. The more popular ones are crowded, but they are so huge that it is easy to climb into a part of the temple that no one else goes too. I enjoyed the smaller ones much better though.
I had a guy names Mao drive me around on his motor bike and take me to all of the different places. I told him that on the first day I just wanted to get away from all the tourists. At 10am on New Years morning I would usually be in bed nursing a hangover. Instead, I was at a small temple in the middle of the Cambodian Jungle, all by myself....nursing a hangover! That first day was awsome. There is really nothing like riding through the rice fields and villages on a motor bike. I think I had just as much fun on teh bike as I did at the temples that day. Mao was really smart and we spent a lot of time teaching each other our respective languages.
For the 2nd and 3rd day, I went to some of the larger and more impressive temples. There were more people, sometimes too many. But these temples were crowded for a reason. They are simply amazing. The place really did make me speachless. The labor and attention to detail that went into this place was unbelievable. You'll just have to check out the pictures. http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/rtwilli4/
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Pilgrimage to Cambodia
11pm, 12/28: get on night boat in Koh Tao 6am,
12/29: arrive at pier in chumporn, thailand 7am,
12/29: get on bus to Bangkok 4pm,
12/29: arrive in Bangkok 4pm-12am: find a room to stay for the night, research travel to cambodia, decide which luggage I will store in bangkok, buy new sandals, go to sleep
5am, 12/30 get on mini-bus to Thailand/Cambodia Border
12pm, 12/30: arrive at border
12pm-4pm, 12/30: stand in line, get my visa, cross into cambodia on foot
4pm-10pm 12/30: take bus from cambodia border to Siem Reap (Ankgor Wat). the road is unpaved, uneven, barely a road. also, we got a flat tire on the way!!! it takes 6 hours to do about 100 miles
Well after about 48 hours of hoping busses and boats, I make it from Koh Phangan /Koh Tao to Cambodia. I could have done a train on the 30th but it left too early and I was tired! The Thailand - Cambodia border was a bit crazy. I arrived there just as all of the tourist busses showed up. I was heading toward Siem Ream, and the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. This is THE PLACE TO SEE in Southeast Asia, and I was right in the middle of the high season. I waited in line at hte border for a few hours before I entered Cambodia on foot. It was funny though; all the tourists with their package tours didn't get into the country any faster than I did, and they spent probably 5 or 6 times as much money as I did.
The road from the border town of Poipet, to Siem Ream was HORRIBLE! I mean Cambodia is a poor country and many of the roads are horrible, as you would expect in a poor country. However, this road to Siem Reap is the most used road in the country, and should not be an uneven dirt road. I mean you could barely call it a road. I think we did 180 km in about 6 hours. There is a rumor going around that there are airlines that pay Cambodia NOT to pave the road...so the tourists willfly instead.
12/29: arrive at pier in chumporn, thailand 7am,
12/29: get on bus to Bangkok 4pm,
12/29: arrive in Bangkok 4pm-12am: find a room to stay for the night, research travel to cambodia, decide which luggage I will store in bangkok, buy new sandals, go to sleep
5am, 12/30 get on mini-bus to Thailand/Cambodia Border
12pm, 12/30: arrive at border
12pm-4pm, 12/30: stand in line, get my visa, cross into cambodia on foot
4pm-10pm 12/30: take bus from cambodia border to Siem Reap (Ankgor Wat). the road is unpaved, uneven, barely a road. also, we got a flat tire on the way!!! it takes 6 hours to do about 100 miles
Well after about 48 hours of hoping busses and boats, I make it from Koh Phangan /Koh Tao to Cambodia. I could have done a train on the 30th but it left too early and I was tired! The Thailand - Cambodia border was a bit crazy. I arrived there just as all of the tourist busses showed up. I was heading toward Siem Ream, and the ancient temples of Angkor Wat. This is THE PLACE TO SEE in Southeast Asia, and I was right in the middle of the high season. I waited in line at hte border for a few hours before I entered Cambodia on foot. It was funny though; all the tourists with their package tours didn't get into the country any faster than I did, and they spent probably 5 or 6 times as much money as I did.
The road from the border town of Poipet, to Siem Ream was HORRIBLE! I mean Cambodia is a poor country and many of the roads are horrible, as you would expect in a poor country. However, this road to Siem Reap is the most used road in the country, and should not be an uneven dirt road. I mean you could barely call it a road. I think we did 180 km in about 6 hours. There is a rumor going around that there are airlines that pay Cambodia NOT to pave the road...so the tourists willfly instead.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
The Real Stories
A lot of the postings are from emails that got sent out to random people over the past few weeks. They don't get to read this blog so here are some things that did not make it into the emails.
ALSO, I am trying to upload photos to the photobucket.com website that is on the southisland post down below but it may be awhile until I can get them up. Anyways, be sure to check them out when I do get them up because they are great.
The Email:
If you are my cousin or family member or something of the sort, there is a reason why you get these emails and your parents don't!!
Bangkok never sleeps, and neither did I! I was getting delusional on day three and thought I had malaria or something before I realized that you need the same amount of sleep in Thailand as you do in the rest of the world.
Thai women are beautiful but hard to approach. However, 42 year old Dutch women are much easier to talk to ;).
Diving really was amazing, but the bars and parties in Koh Tao are some of the best places on earth to "chill." Drugs are a huge no no in Thailand, and you can spend time in jail for a joint. However, they are sold at the bar for 100 baht.
The Red Bull here has speed in it, the whiskey has something in it, and a "bucket" has both Red Bull AND whiskey in it!
Diving is a wonderful cure for a hangover, as long as you eat a good breakfast and you can handle the boat ride.
It was in my plans to go to Burma, but what really happened was that I drank too many buckets with some friends and decided to get on a boat with them. I woke up and realized that I was about to go to Burma, so it worked out perfectly.
There is always risk involved in climbing (or any sport) and in Thailand they don't anchor into anything when they belay, and there are no helmets. Helmet or no helmet, there were a few times today that I was one sweaty hand slip away from going splat. This is normal for climbing and I climbed within my limits...so no splat. I saw one guy (without a helmet) get nailed in the head by a falling cellphone from some dumb ass tourist. He had to get stitched up, and could have been killed.
ALSO, I am trying to upload photos to the photobucket.com website that is on the southisland post down below but it may be awhile until I can get them up. Anyways, be sure to check them out when I do get them up because they are great.
The Email:
If you are my cousin or family member or something of the sort, there is a reason why you get these emails and your parents don't!!
Bangkok never sleeps, and neither did I! I was getting delusional on day three and thought I had malaria or something before I realized that you need the same amount of sleep in Thailand as you do in the rest of the world.
Thai women are beautiful but hard to approach. However, 42 year old Dutch women are much easier to talk to ;).
Diving really was amazing, but the bars and parties in Koh Tao are some of the best places on earth to "chill." Drugs are a huge no no in Thailand, and you can spend time in jail for a joint. However, they are sold at the bar for 100 baht.
The Red Bull here has speed in it, the whiskey has something in it, and a "bucket" has both Red Bull AND whiskey in it!
Diving is a wonderful cure for a hangover, as long as you eat a good breakfast and you can handle the boat ride.
It was in my plans to go to Burma, but what really happened was that I drank too many buckets with some friends and decided to get on a boat with them. I woke up and realized that I was about to go to Burma, so it worked out perfectly.
There is always risk involved in climbing (or any sport) and in Thailand they don't anchor into anything when they belay, and there are no helmets. Helmet or no helmet, there were a few times today that I was one sweaty hand slip away from going splat. This is normal for climbing and I climbed within my limits...so no splat. I saw one guy (without a helmet) get nailed in the head by a falling cellphone from some dumb ass tourist. He had to get stitched up, and could have been killed.
Christmas on Kho Phangan
So, I have not really had any bad things happen to me yet on my trip. Well, not until Christmas. This is an email that I sent out, but I had no space bar. I am not going to type it again, so here is what I did for Christmas.
I.went.back.to.koh.tao....where.i.was.diving......then.to.koh.phangan.
for.the"full.moon.party."
this.is.a.HUGE.world.famous.beach.partyrave.that.draws.about.
60,000.people....
i.met.cam.and.nate.there.and.had.about.5.friends.that.i.was.supposed.
to.meet.at.the.party
nice.to.have.friends.on.christmas.. .
the.full.moon.party.was.crazy...way.to.many.drugs.and.idiots.there....
i.saw.a.guy.who.had.been.stabbed.....i.think.he.died......so.many.girls.
were.wasted.out.of.
their.minds.that.cam..ended.up.going.around.handing.out.water.and.
keeping.girls.from.passing.
out.and.getting.raped.....we.were.separated.at.this.point.but.i.did.the.
same.thing.for.a.few.girls.who.
were.unconcious.and.left.for.dead.on.the.beach.
i.decided.pretty.quickly.that.i.was.not.going.to.drink.to.much.because.
it.would.not.have.been.safe
i.took.off.my.sandals.the.good.ones.that.i.got.just.for.this.trip)..to.go.
do.a.giant.jump.rope.on.the.
beach.and.it.took.about.30.seconds.for.them.to.get.stolen......
i.searched.peoples.feet.and.found.the.guy.who.took.them.and.got.in.
a.bit.of.a.fight.with.him.
but.his.friends.jumped.in.and.by.the.time.i.was.done.defending.
myself.the.guy.had.run.off.with.my.
sandals.and.along.with.some.advice.from.chris.i.decided.it.wasn't.
worth.my.safety......
so.the.sandals.combined.with.the.feeling.that.we.were.all.going.
straight.to.hell.for.being.at.a.
place.like.that.kind.of.ruined.my.christmas.eve .but.the.sunrise.
on.the.beach.was.amazing.
we.took.an.early.boat.back.to.koh.tao.where.we.had.christmas.
dinner.together.
the.party.was.a.bad.idea.and.i.regret.leaving.the.place.where.i.was.
climbing.but it.was.cool.to.spend.christmas.with.cam.and.nate.and.
they.were.happy.to.see.me.
christmas.day.and.night.on.koh.tao.were.really.cool....
they.make.these.mini.hot.air.balloons.with.white.cloth.and.fire.and.
release.them.into.the.sky.
so.it.looks.like.there.are.bunches.of.orange.stars.that.are.floating.
around.in.the.sky.over.the.
ocean....really.pretty....
now.that.i.think.about.it.having.my.sandals.stolen.is.probably.the.
worst.thing.that.has.
happened.to.me.so.i.guess.that.means.my.trip.has.been.pretty.
successful.and.safe.so.far!!
people.are.trying.to.get.me.to.go.back.to.koh.phangan.for.the.new.
years.party.
but.i.will.never.go.to.that.place.again.for.the.first.time.in.my.life.
i.was.in.a.place.that.
was.too.crazy.for.me
I.went.back.to.koh.tao....where.i.was.diving......then.to.koh.phangan.
for.the"full.moon.party."
this.is.a.HUGE.world.famous.beach.partyrave.that.draws.about.
60,000.people....
i.met.cam.and.nate.there.and.had.about.5.friends.that.i.was.supposed.
to.meet.at.the.party
nice.to.have.friends.on.christmas.. .
the.full.moon.party.was.crazy...way.to.many.drugs.and.idiots.there....
i.saw.a.guy.who.had.been.stabbed.....i.think.he.died......so.many.girls.
were.wasted.out.of.
their.minds.that.cam..ended.up.going.around.handing.out.water.and.
keeping.girls.from.passing.
out.and.getting.raped.....we.were.separated.at.this.point.but.i.did.the.
same.thing.for.a.few.girls.who.
were.unconcious.and.left.for.dead.on.the.beach.
i.decided.pretty.quickly.that.i.was.not.going.to.drink.to.much.because.
it.would.not.have.been.safe
i.took.off.my.sandals.the.good.ones.that.i.got.just.for.this.trip)..to.go.
do.a.giant.jump.rope.on.the.
beach.and.it.took.about.30.seconds.for.them.to.get.stolen......
i.searched.peoples.feet.and.found.the.guy.who.took.them.and.got.in.
a.bit.of.a.fight.with.him.
but.his.friends.jumped.in.and.by.the.time.i.was.done.defending.
myself.the.guy.had.run.off.with.my.
sandals.and.along.with.some.advice.from.chris.i.decided.it.wasn't.
worth.my.safety......
so.the.sandals.combined.with.the.feeling.that.we.were.all.going.
straight.to.hell.for.being.at.a.
place.like.that.kind.of.ruined.my.christmas.eve .but.the.sunrise.
on.the.beach.was.amazing.
we.took.an.early.boat.back.to.koh.tao.where.we.had.christmas.
dinner.together.
the.party.was.a.bad.idea.and.i.regret.leaving.the.place.where.i.was.
climbing.but it.was.cool.to.spend.christmas.with.cam.and.nate.and.
they.were.happy.to.see.me.
christmas.day.and.night.on.koh.tao.were.really.cool....
they.make.these.mini.hot.air.balloons.with.white.cloth.and.fire.and.
release.them.into.the.sky.
so.it.looks.like.there.are.bunches.of.orange.stars.that.are.floating.
around.in.the.sky.over.the.
ocean....really.pretty....
now.that.i.think.about.it.having.my.sandals.stolen.is.probably.the.
worst.thing.that.has.
happened.to.me.so.i.guess.that.means.my.trip.has.been.pretty.
successful.and.safe.so.far!!
people.are.trying.to.get.me.to.go.back.to.koh.phangan.for.the.new.
years.party.
but.i.will.never.go.to.that.place.again.for.the.first.time.in.my.life.
i.was.in.a.place.that.
was.too.crazy.for.me
DEEP WATER SOLO
Definitely look this one up on you tube. There are some pretty crazy videos. Basically, you climb a crag that is over the ocean...deep water. Solo climbing is to climb with out a rope. Get it...Deep Water Solo!
So I have jumped off of some pretty high stuff before, but notice how I said jumped. When you climb, you usually fall. Falling from 20 meters is not good, even if you fall into water the wrong way you can break bones and stuff. So basically, you climb until you think you can't go any more then jump.
Chris and I decided that this would be a great way to end our climbing experience down in Tonsai, so we hoped on a boat and headed for the beach to find a place to stay. The next day we went to Wees Climbing Shop, and along with about 8 other guys we jumped in the longtail boat and went to find some rock to climb. Most of the climbers were REALLY good, but afraid to go to high.
I ended up doing about 5 climbs that day, and I think the highest I got was somewhere between 14 and 18 meters above the water. It was a LONG WAY DOWN, but It was awsome! Defiitely some of the coolest climbing I have ever done.
On the whole, climbing in this part of the world has been amazing. Everywhere there is just dripping limestone cliffs with stalagtites all over the place. You can really just pick one and climb it. I loved it down there and was sad to leave.
So I have jumped off of some pretty high stuff before, but notice how I said jumped. When you climb, you usually fall. Falling from 20 meters is not good, even if you fall into water the wrong way you can break bones and stuff. So basically, you climb until you think you can't go any more then jump.
Chris and I decided that this would be a great way to end our climbing experience down in Tonsai, so we hoped on a boat and headed for the beach to find a place to stay. The next day we went to Wees Climbing Shop, and along with about 8 other guys we jumped in the longtail boat and went to find some rock to climb. Most of the climbers were REALLY good, but afraid to go to high.
I ended up doing about 5 climbs that day, and I think the highest I got was somewhere between 14 and 18 meters above the water. It was a LONG WAY DOWN, but It was awsome! Defiitely some of the coolest climbing I have ever done.
On the whole, climbing in this part of the world has been amazing. Everywhere there is just dripping limestone cliffs with stalagtites all over the place. You can really just pick one and climb it. I loved it down there and was sad to leave.
KRABI - Climbing
I'm in Krabi doing some rock climbing. This was one of the main reasons I left NZ early, to climb. I miss it so much. Krabi is the name of a town that is a jump off point for many of the islands on the west coast of Thailand. I was actually climbing at two beaches: Railay Beach and Tonsai Beach. Krabi, however, is where I stayed for a few days and it is a really cool town. They have a great night market where you can get cheap beer and wonderful food. Basically it is just a huge slab of concrete where a bunch of food stalls set up for the night. Think the NC State fair without the rides and rednecks, and much better food. Oh yea, and beer! I had a small group of friends that I met in Krabi, some I travelled other places with and some I will meet again in other countries.
Chris: an English rock star type guy who has enough athletic ability to be a good climber. Picture a shaggy haired British guy walking down the street, backpack on, cigarette in mouth, and playing the guitar all at the same time.
Haley: cool, hilarious guy from Colorado that I climbed with one day...would have loved to chill with him more but he took off.
Trevor and his g/f from Canada eh. I climbed with Trevor a few times, really chill guy who I also hung out with a lot after climbing.
The hurricane: don't remember their names but there were these two girls, well one was too old to be called a girl. The younger one from Slovenia and the elder one from Northern Cal. Really loud and crazy, but good for a laugh now and then.
Lots of other random aquaintences but I can't list them all.
Climbing started with some easy stuff but got challenging pretty quickly. I was climbing with a Thai guy named Yon who was really pushing me, and on the first day down there I did one of the toughest climbs I've ever done, and it was my first day climbing in a LONG TIME! It was about 85 feet high, and it was right on an awesome beach so when I got to the top the view was amazing. We were at a really popular place to climb, and I was doing the tallest climb on that particular crag and there were a lot of people around. The "crux" of a climb is the hardest part of that particular route, and usually involves 3 or 4 quick moves that take lots of speed and power because the holds are so small, hard to hold onto, and so far apart. I fell a few times at the crux, and didn't realize how many people were watching me from below until I finally got past it, and heard everyone yell and cheer. It was really cool and I had about 50 feet of climbing left to do at this point, and I was really tired, so it was nice to get some support from the ground. Later I asked Chris and Haley and they said that they were the only ones cheering, but it sounded loud from the top!
A WEEK LATER
Wow...climbing! I think I said that Diving was the highlight of my time away and I could say that about many things but the climbing here is amazing. I climbed in total about 6 days and it was great...I have decided to plan the rest of my trip with not only diving, but climbing in mind. I spent the second half of the week leading tough climbs, which I have never done before. You probably don't know what that means so go on google and type in "top rope climbing" and then "lead climbing." Basically, lead climbing is more challenging because if you fall, you fall a long ways...possibly ALL the way. However, I have been climbing with a great Thai guy named Yon that knows the area really well, and has taken me to PERFECT routes for my skill level. He has really been pushing me, but within reason. Also, we have been to some local secrets. We climbed through a cave to get to an amazing crag with the best views and epic climbs.
I also did my first "multi-pitch climb," witch involves leading a climb until you get close to the end of the rope, building an anchor on the rock, and going up some more from that anchor. A "pitch" is a rope leangth, hence the name multi-pitch.
This translates into finishing the climb in a little cave about a hundred feet above the ground. I was expecting to go higher, but for my first time it was cool and I will definitely do a bigger one soon.
Chris: an English rock star type guy who has enough athletic ability to be a good climber. Picture a shaggy haired British guy walking down the street, backpack on, cigarette in mouth, and playing the guitar all at the same time.
Haley: cool, hilarious guy from Colorado that I climbed with one day...would have loved to chill with him more but he took off.
Trevor and his g/f from Canada eh. I climbed with Trevor a few times, really chill guy who I also hung out with a lot after climbing.
The hurricane: don't remember their names but there were these two girls, well one was too old to be called a girl. The younger one from Slovenia and the elder one from Northern Cal. Really loud and crazy, but good for a laugh now and then.
Lots of other random aquaintences but I can't list them all.
Climbing started with some easy stuff but got challenging pretty quickly. I was climbing with a Thai guy named Yon who was really pushing me, and on the first day down there I did one of the toughest climbs I've ever done, and it was my first day climbing in a LONG TIME! It was about 85 feet high, and it was right on an awesome beach so when I got to the top the view was amazing. We were at a really popular place to climb, and I was doing the tallest climb on that particular crag and there were a lot of people around. The "crux" of a climb is the hardest part of that particular route, and usually involves 3 or 4 quick moves that take lots of speed and power because the holds are so small, hard to hold onto, and so far apart. I fell a few times at the crux, and didn't realize how many people were watching me from below until I finally got past it, and heard everyone yell and cheer. It was really cool and I had about 50 feet of climbing left to do at this point, and I was really tired, so it was nice to get some support from the ground. Later I asked Chris and Haley and they said that they were the only ones cheering, but it sounded loud from the top!
A WEEK LATER
Wow...climbing! I think I said that Diving was the highlight of my time away and I could say that about many things but the climbing here is amazing. I climbed in total about 6 days and it was great...I have decided to plan the rest of my trip with not only diving, but climbing in mind. I spent the second half of the week leading tough climbs, which I have never done before. You probably don't know what that means so go on google and type in "top rope climbing" and then "lead climbing." Basically, lead climbing is more challenging because if you fall, you fall a long ways...possibly ALL the way. However, I have been climbing with a great Thai guy named Yon that knows the area really well, and has taken me to PERFECT routes for my skill level. He has really been pushing me, but within reason. Also, we have been to some local secrets. We climbed through a cave to get to an amazing crag with the best views and epic climbs.
I also did my first "multi-pitch climb," witch involves leading a climb until you get close to the end of the rope, building an anchor on the rock, and going up some more from that anchor. A "pitch" is a rope leangth, hence the name multi-pitch.
This translates into finishing the climb in a little cave about a hundred feet above the ground. I was expecting to go higher, but for my first time it was cool and I will definitely do a bigger one soon.
VISA RUN TO BURMA, then to KRABI - CLIMBING
From Koh Tao I got the night boat to Chumporn. 11pm to 5am on a boat. there was a few blankets and a pillow for me on the floor, it wasn't bad at all. Even a few fans. Then I got a minibus to Rangon for a few hours, and a boat into Burma (another country). I was there for about 10 minutes to look around, but mainly to get out of Thailand and go back in because you can only stay in Thailand for 30 days at a time, and my time was running out. Doing this is called a "visa run." Kind of weird being in another country for only a few minutes. This "visa run" is also a drug run, as soon as we got back on the boat to go back to Thailand, everyone pulled out the drugs that they had bought in Burma. When i got back to Rangon (Thailand) my minibus guy insisted that I get back on the bus to go back north toward the boat back to Koh Tao. I told him that I was going to Krabi, and that I needed him to take me to the bus station which was only 10 km away. He wouldn't, and so I had to hitchhike to the station. When I got there I asked "when is the next but to Krabi" and was told..."one minute." I jumped on, and later found out that this was a 6 hour bus ride! Oh well, I was on my way to the climbing mecca of southeast Asia!! I had a bit of a moral dilemma here, because the "Union of Myanmar" is the ruling power in Burma, and the "government" is probably the worst violator of human rights in the world right now. Not that there are wars going on, but there are "conflicts" and the government has been using what are basically slaves to build up infrastructure to boost the tourism industry. The government sees all the profit while the peasants who built the roads and guesthouses starve. For this reason many people boycott the country all together. By doing a visa run, I gave this government 10 bucks. I could have gone to Malaysia or Cambodia but it just didn't work out because of where I am in Thailand. also, it would have cost much more. Anyways, I am having a blast and am trying not to get stuck in Thailand because I have a lot more places to see, but it is SO easy to travel here and everyone is so laid back and nice.
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