The trip starts on the 8th of May with a long flight to Tokyo, on to Bankok and then finally arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 10th. Yes, after two days of travelling I will arrive in Hanoi and be ready for the start of my new journey. Lucky for me, I will be met at the airport by one of the members of our tour company - seacanoe Vietnam with John Gray - http://www.johngray-seacanoe.com/vietnam/. Our tour will consist of 4 days of kayaking in Ha Long Bay - http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=ha+long+bay&um=1&ie=UTF-8. Looks gorgeous doesn't it? I will put my own pictures up here when I get them.
After 4 days of being on the water we head off to Sapa. Although this is still in Northern Vietnam, it is vastly different from the 3000 limestone islands and bay we will have just left. Sapa is more mountains and forests and fun stuff like that. We will be there for three luxurious days of trekking, bike riding and exploring the ethnic cultures of the area. After exploring Sapa for a couple of days it is back to Hanoi for a day to see what a big city in Vietnam is like. Then it is off to the airport to start the next leg of the trip.
Enter Siem Reap, Cambodia. Actually, it is to see what lays in the jungle outside of Siem Reap. The jungle hides some of the most famous temples in the world. Ever heard of Angor Wat? Yes, that would be one of the 7 wonders of the world. Along with Angor Wat there are many other temples to explore and more jungle to try to get lost in (just kidding).
The jungle is great and I can't wait to explore it, but after a week and a bit of jungle exploring it is time to go hit some rock. Yup, it is off to Railay, Thailand to climb some limestone at the beach - http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&q=railay%2C+thailand&btnG=Search+Images. A week and a half of climbing in Railay (and enjoying the beach as well - you can't be tired and on a beach and not enjoy the water) it is time to spend some time by myself. Although some think that I will be attacked by locusts or drop off the face of the earth while I am by myself, but I am kind of excited about it.
So, what does one do while in southern Thailand while by themselves? Wait, better question, what does someone like me do while in souther Thailand and all alone? I am thinking that learning to scuba dive sounds like a good idea (I just hope that the rainy season holds off for a while so I can see something). Supposedly the beginner course will take about 3-4 days and I will be certified to go down to 12 ft (or something like that). Bring it on little fishes! (I just hope there are no big ones that I have to worry about - hmmmm, big fishes.)
After that who knows. Maybe some beach laying, maybe some hiking and cave exploring. Maybe just sitting at a restaurant and eating as much yummy Thai food as possible. All I know is that I don't have anything planned until I get to the airport on the 14th of June around 11:45pm when I pick Keith up at the airport in Bangkok. Although we don't have any concrete plans for our week and a half in Thailand, but some of the ideas are to go to Erwan Falls - http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Thailand/Central/Kanchanaburi/photo613491.htm and enjoy the 7 layers of crisp clean and clear water. Then maybe some time on a nice Thai beach (nope not Pattaya or Phuket - too much partying for my taste) and relax for a day or two.
Thailand will fade into a wonderful week in Japan to visit Patrick. Japan will be a world away from the other places I am planning to visit, but I am very excited to see the different sides of Japan. Tokyo - must I say more, Kioto - the cultural center of Japan (and one of the only places that was not bombed during WWII), and Mt. Fuji. Yup, I hope to climb Fuji while in Japan. Actually, from what I hear it is more of a touristy walk up the side of the mountain, but I want to do it anyway. Other than that I have no idea what we are going to do - go to some Karaoke bars and watch Patrick and Keith get drunk on Sake and sing some songs (hmmm drunk guys singing - what could be better? Oh yeah, two tall white drunk guys singing in Japan ) or find out what exactly Patrick is doing over on that side of the water.
Unfortunately, and fortunately, all vacations must come to an end so I am back on a plane with Keith (I hope) on the 2nd of July. Yup, I am headed back in time for the nice weather (since we all know it doesn't get nice in Seattle until July 5th) so I can still enjoy the summer in the Northwest.
Well, that's the plan. I will try to post things as often as I can, but I am making no promises.
Co-Conspirators
Here are the people who are going to meet me along the way. Although, no one is going to do the whole trip with me, these friends are going to meet me along the way and add to the experience of Asia.
The Kern Kids:
Patrick and Katie are going to meet me in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 10th of May. Patrick is kind of the one who put the Asia idea in my head, very appreciative of that one, so I am looking forward to spending some time with him and Katie and having way too much fun in Vietnam. Hopefully, the sit on top kayaks will be good to us. Look out people of Vietnam, the giants are coming.
Rob - a.k.a Roberto - a.k.a Rope Gun:
Can you guess what Rob and I are planning to do in Thailand? Hmmm, think really hard and I am sure it will easily come to you. Yup, we are headed to southern Thailand to do a little rock climbing, but first we are headed to Cambodia. Rob is going to meet me in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the 19th of May. We will spend about a week there venturing through the jungles to see all of the amazing temples and learning a bit about the Cambodian culture. Then we are off to Railay to enjoy some climbing and beach laying (after a hard day on the rock you have to lower off on to the beach and enjoy the sun, sand, and water. It is going to be a tough life for the two of us, but I am sure we will be able to tough it out. :)
Keith - a.k.a the Newbie:
Keith has many a.k.a's but I figured this one would be the best for this trip. Although he has never been overseas, Keith is jumping into this trip with both feet. I have to give him props for that - no starting out easy for him. Keith will join me in Thailand on June 14th and we will continue to travel together until we get home. No rock climbing is planned for his travels, but we are planning to climb up Mt. Fuji (maybe catch the sunrise at the top - his idea and a good one). As you can see, Keith is as much of a goofball as I am so I am looking forward to travelling with him. The thing I am really looking forward to, however, is watching him and Patrick get drunk on Sake and then singing karaoke together in Japan (I will try to get video if I can).
Anne - a.k.a The World Traveller
Rob and I met Anne in the Garlic Restaurant and she and I have hooked up for about a week of travelling together. She has gone many places in the world (and many that I would like to go), is a easy person to get along with, is totally chill and loves to do a bunch of the same stuff I do. A good fit really.
The Kern Kids:Patrick and Katie are going to meet me in Hanoi, Vietnam on the 10th of May. Patrick is kind of the one who put the Asia idea in my head, very appreciative of that one, so I am looking forward to spending some time with him and Katie and having way too much fun in Vietnam. Hopefully, the sit on top kayaks will be good to us. Look out people of Vietnam, the giants are coming.
Rob - a.k.a Roberto - a.k.a Rope Gun:Can you guess what Rob and I are planning to do in Thailand? Hmmm, think really hard and I am sure it will easily come to you. Yup, we are headed to southern Thailand to do a little rock climbing, but first we are headed to Cambodia. Rob is going to meet me in Siem Reap, Cambodia on the 19th of May. We will spend about a week there venturing through the jungles to see all of the amazing temples and learning a bit about the Cambodian culture. Then we are off to Railay to enjoy some climbing and beach laying (after a hard day on the rock you have to lower off on to the beach and enjoy the sun, sand, and water. It is going to be a tough life for the two of us, but I am sure we will be able to tough it out. :)
Keith - a.k.a the Newbie:Keith has many a.k.a's but I figured this one would be the best for this trip. Although he has never been overseas, Keith is jumping into this trip with both feet. I have to give him props for that - no starting out easy for him. Keith will join me in Thailand on June 14th and we will continue to travel together until we get home. No rock climbing is planned for his travels, but we are planning to climb up Mt. Fuji (maybe catch the sunrise at the top - his idea and a good one). As you can see, Keith is as much of a goofball as I am so I am looking forward to travelling with him. The thing I am really looking forward to, however, is watching him and Patrick get drunk on Sake and then singing karaoke together in Japan (I will try to get video if I can).
Anne - a.k.a The World TravellerRob and I met Anne in the Garlic Restaurant and she and I have hooked up for about a week of travelling together. She has gone many places in the world (and many that I would like to go), is a easy person to get along with, is totally chill and loves to do a bunch of the same stuff I do. A good fit really.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)