Laos (Nong Khiaw, Phonsavan, Viang Vieng)

Life is a highway these days. Well, in many cases also a modest dirt road with cows, chickens and pigs loitering it. Ah pigs. Pigs, I've learned, are the most stubborn (not dumbest) of these soon-to-be village platters. For some reason pigs insist on standing their ground at the approaching (and ear-deafening) clank of my motorbike's cheaply-fixed front mud-guard.


But having my own wheels has opened up doors into more than just evasion of animal congregation on the road. It's given me the freedom of taking in spectacular scenery at my own pace, encouraged me to speak to more locals off the beaten track, and allowed me to eat food that would, eventually, give me the most crippling food poisoning I could have ever imagined.


You know when you ask someone for directions to a landmark and they point saying "it's just over there" and it ends up being two miles away? Yeah well that's what I was expecting when I got my first flat tire in a small village when a woman, noticing my obvious dilemma, pursed-up her lips and pointed suggesting a repair shop 'just around the corner'. Luckily she was right and just a few meters away I found a shop where I'd get a new tube after destroying the one on my bike.


A fun overall experience and I learned a good deal about my bike, but the best part of the VERY slow tube-changing process was watching the kids watch me. They were so curious about anything I did but what they didn't know is that I was just as curious about them. Eventually it came time to pay. I'm still trying to learn the Laos numbers so at times I just write them out.


I asked him to do so and he scribbled '15000' on his old wooden toolbox with a piece of half-burnt charcoal that just happened to be on the ground next to him. The most creative bill I've ever received. I took a pic of him, the bill, the kids, and made it to the small riverside village of Nong Khiaw just before dark. Nong Khiaw is by no means a hotspot for tourists. Precisely why I went. Two towering limestone mountains are split by a snaking river with picturesque huts perched just a few meters from shore.


A truly spectacular scene that begged to be looked at any time of day. Here I happily trudged along the swampy edge of the river, explored a nearby cave, and met an Australian couple who was bicycling through Laos.


Yes, bicycling! This is probably a good time to mention what an incredibly hilly and mountainous country Laos is. It's mountainous AND hilly! I mean my motorbike is supposed to have four gears but because it has been passed on more than that gift no one wants at the company Xmas gift exchange, it is missing 2nd gear.


So I can only climb in third gear which isn't the most ideal climbing gear. If I have a hard time climbing in third then Simon and Solvega (crazy Aussie cyclists) are definitely sweating more than I. Props guys! Anyway, we talked about everything from politics to the common (and accepted) Asian habit of hawking loogies anytime, anywhere.


It was a great time and, since they are experts, I hope to do some different type of climbing if/when I meet them in Australia...rock climbing!


A few hundred kilometers from Nong Khiaw is the ugly town of Phonsavan. It really is just the best way to describe it. On a positive note, Phonsavan is the launching pad for an easy trip to see the mysterious plain of jars.


There are various theories (from an ancient burial ground to storing rice) as to why these almost human-sized stone jars are scattered along a rather large area.


Luckily we (Silvia from Germany and a Dutch couple) got to see the jars on the serene/breezy hilltop with no one else there which made guessing their purpose even more intriguing.


Later we bounced around a half-dry waterfall (it's Laos' dry season) which we initially thought would be uneventful but ended up being a lot of fun.


I later grabbed a KinKao (noodle soup w chicken) from a local market and took off to see the UXO exhibit. UXO stands for 'unexploded ordinance' and for those of you who were not previously aware (like me), the U.S. was engaged in a 'secret war' after Vietnam


and it involved the dropping of over two million tons of bombs over nine years in Laos with a large number of those being around the plain of jars site. I actually took a picture of Silvia standing next to a weeded crater where one of these was dropped to show the size and impact of an exploding bomb.


The problem, however, is many bombs never exploded so as villagers farm, wash, or play in the fields they are still coming into contact with these. Missing limbs and burnt skin are not an uncommon site amongst many Laoatians and it is all still going on right now.


Go to the links on my blog for more. Another charming quality of my motorbike is having to always and, without a doubt, push-start it in the morning. Yes, in a way it's an inconvenience but the local kids have taken it as an opportunity to laugh with me (not at me hopefully) and that makes it worthwhile.


Regardless of how long it takes to get the engine rumbling they are always there, giggling and providing 'moral support'. One thing is for sure though, once it turns over, we all throw our hands up in the air exuding victory! My scenic ride that morning to Vang Vieng started no differently and knowing I had a tough climb ahead of me which would take some time, I was anxious to get going.


There was a thick fog that morning but I kept climbing, slowly, even as locals stopped with their scooters on the side of the road, puzzled looks on their faces as I sputtered by. After an hour or so of wet, cold, and challenging conditions, I punched through the seemingly never-ending cloud break and was smacked by the warm sun and clear blue sky. I stopped immediately at a viewpoint and in awe, gazed down at the mountain tops peeking through the clouds.


It was a great moment and felt an extreme sense of accomplishment. Oh and the pig-less road was a plus. After an epic ride I arrived in warm and eye-pleasing Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng isn't just known for its natural beauty as the main draw is tubing down the river while tanking up on buckets of libations along makeshift bars scattered on the river's edge.


Insert hundreds of thirsty teens and twenty-somethings, permanent markers in hand to billboard themselves, and scantily clad attire and conservative Laos feels more like Cancun on spring break.


Unfortunately (not really) I didn't even get the chance to partake because I spent the day I arrived and the next three days a slave to the toilet thanks to massive food poisoning. I have never felt so miserable in my life! I blame it all on that sweet lady who sold me that KinKao at the out-of-the-way market after the plain of jars.


Eventually I got enough energy to slowly (very slowly) leave my room and found what became my favorite accommodation thus far. A perched bungalow right in front of the river with a marvelous view, an ideal deck, and a sturdy hammock...for $10 a night!


I spent the next four days in my slice of heaven recovering, reading, playing solitaire and eating tangerines.


Until a day ago I hadn't spoken a single meaningful word to anyone until I had a conversation with a Dutch man who was a bit on edge about how the governments of the world kept information from the general public, how the next big war was soon to come, and how the end of the world was quickly approaching in December of 2012. He did most of the talking. I plan to ride to the southern tip of Laos before my visa expires so I'll be on the road a lot and I'm hoping for smooth roads, interesting people along the way, safe food, and not so many stubborn pigs.

Laos (Luang Prabang)

If there is one place in the world I didn't plan on going to this trip it is Laos. I didn't know too much about about it, it seemed difficult to travel around, and I wasn't familiar at all with the culture. It just wasn't calling me. Then I started reading more, talking to people, and I became intrigued. I had seen plenty of temples and Buddha statues in Thailand so that wasn't a selling point.


Food is amazing all over SE Asia so no surprise Laos would be the same. The reason I really wanted to come to Laos was to explore what is one of the most naturally-thriving and untouched areas in SE Asia. Rivers, mountains, waterfalls, climbing, and trekking are all available at an unbeatable price and if lucky without the volume of people you'd find in, say, Thailand.


I wasn't the only one searching for this nirvana as I quickly found out at the hectic Thailand/Laos border. Laos is quickly becoming a must-do on a lot of bucket lists so in order to fulfill my crave for adventure I surprised myself, and did something I have always wanted to do but never thought I would do here. Oh and it has nothing to do with eating a chicken embryo on the side of the road while asking for directions... The journey to Laos began at the hectic Thailand/Laos border in Chiang Khong.


This border crossing is the absolute perfect candidate for a lean six sigma event (for all my consultant friends out there). The basic system to obtain a Laos visa is pretty much push oneself to the front of the line and extend your arm as far as you can into the small window where (if you're lucky) someone will snatch your passport, eventually review your application, and finally stamp it all in under 2 hours...if you get there early.


If you've heard of island time you'll quickly learn that Laos time trumps it easily. It was a delightfully entertaining experience! Once in Laos I took the slow boat to Luang Prabang with an overnight stop in Pakbeng. This is a very typical way to get to get to Luang Prabang.


Other options are the dangerous speed boats or nauseating buses (both pretty much advertised this way). I made the decision to take the slow boat trek with three Aussies (Alex, Alex, and Kaitlin).


The long boat ride on the gentle Mekong River consisted of continuous card games, reading, and admiring the stunning scenery along the river. There were fishermen with their lines at every turn, kids playing in the water and waving as we cruised by, and even wild elephants roaming the lush hills that shot out straight into the river. It was really a great experience which made the long two-day/fourteen hour journey painless.


At arrival in Luang Prabang we ran into the usual guys pushing guest houses usually at overpriced rates. We walked 400 meters and found a nice guest house at a pretty good price. We checked out the town that night and walked the popular night market.


This town is just stunning! Beautiful architecture with rich French/Asian flavors and typical underdeveloped street characteristics mixed nicely with a flare of posh. As far as romantic goes in this area of the world I think Luang Prabang is the front-runner. Add adventure to the mix of qualities and you can see why the borders are so busy.


We met two German girls (Leonie and Noelle) and two Brits (Amy and Lauren) and the eight of us rented mountain bikes and rode to the nearby Kuang Si waterfall.


The ride there was epic with emerald green rice paddies and giant teak trees dominating the landscape. Racing down some of those hills, with that scenery, iPod blasting, and the sun in my face is a memory that will surely linger in my head. We arrived at the stunning waterfall after 2 hours and were surprised at how nice it was...it actually almost looked fake.


It had a beautiful light blue color and chili water which refreshed us after the challenging 25km ride. There was a cool rope swing and we all took turns swinging.


We hiked to the top of the falls for a bird's-eye view, decided to go back down a different way, and eventually found ourselves looking at a spooky fenced-off cave.


Naturally we snuck in and, all huddled around in the infinite darkness with a weak flashlight in hand, got one of the biggest scares imaginable. We saw outlines in the distance of people sitting.


But why would they be in this fenced-off cave in the dark? After a minute of processing the worst scenarios in our heads (mummies, ghosts, cannibalism) we discovered they were Buddha statues.


Respectfully we began to exit but not before a hissing mystery insect rattled the silent cave and scared us half to death as it was feeding on a small unidentified carcass. Maybe the the cave was fenced off for a reason...


The rest of my time in Luang Prabang was spent cruising the markets, exploring a cave or two, watching monks receive alms from tourists early in the morning, and spontaneously buying a motorcycle! Correct.


I bought a 100cc Honda Win from German Noelle partly because it was a good deal but mainly because I wanted to see this country on my own terms and agenda without having to depend on bus schedules or ferry times.


It's no secret the best way to experience a country is to get to those places where most people don't go. Well I hope "Backfire Betty" is my answer. In fact, getting lost with Betty has already provided one good story. While asking for directions I also ask a man (by pointing to my mouth) if there is food nearby.


He immediately asks me to sit down with the rest of his mates at the makeshift roadside restaurant we are in front of and offers me a small glass of BeerLao. I accept and start asking questions which he responds by saying "thank you" every time, regardless of the question. He then hands me a hard-boiled egg which I excitedly begin to crack until water pours out of it and to my surprise, I see a tiny chicken embryo inside it. My immediate thought was "oops, they boiled the wrong egg".


That thought immediately went out the window when none of their expressions changed as the embryo juice oozed down my hand. I graciously ate the hard yolk (with a LOT of salt and pepper) and generously offered my host the embryo. He would not dare take my last bite and as I took the little cradle back from his hand I accidentally dropped it on the ground. It was a total (yet fortunate) accident and I was extremely embarrassed! I went next door, bought a BeerLao for all to share, and took off after eating some fruit with sugar and chili powder.


I truly hope to run into more interesting, uncomfortable, exciting, and unknown scenarios like the embryo one. I amy pretty sure my clunker motorcycle will let me down many times only to be picked up by great people and the experiences that come along with meeting them.

Chiang Mai and the Omkoi region

Before I left the U.S. I was lucky enough to have been given some international contacts by friends and family whom I'd be able to reach out to while on my travels. The possibility of sharing a cup of coffee or going to an off-the-beaten-track spot with a local in a foreign land was, and still is, really exciting. Some of these contacts have worked out and some have not.


I was really hoping to get in touch with one in particular so much that I gambled and booked a last minute flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand where I'd take my chances finding him. Fifteen hours after landing in Chiang Mai I was in the back seat of a pickup heading south into the mountains of the Omkoi region to provide volunteer work for a local tribe through a remarkable Christian organization. So yes, my contact worked out (in a big way) and he sparked what would be the most inspiring and rewarding four days of my travels thus far...and that's all before spooning a 400 lb tiger!


"I've been coming here since I was a kid" says Mike Mann to me as he ate and I fumbled with my chopsticks at a stop four hours into our seven hour trek. He then orders us another bowl of bami mu daeng in perfect fluent Thai. Mike, my contact from Chiang Mai, is the director of Integrated Tribal Development Program (ITDP) whose goal is to provide clean water and sanitation to the hill tribes of northern Thailand.


Mike is also working with Lanna Cafe and has created the first fair trade Co-Op in Thailand. An extremely busy person, he is always more than ready for business with phone in hand. In fact, the one email string we exchanged (or so I thought) a few months ago wasn't with him but with his wife Becky (whom also works with ITDP). I didn't find this out till later but quickly realized why.


On this particular trip, Mike was heading up to rendezvous with a group of missionaries from California and I was fortunate enough to lend a helping hand in the work they were doing with the Karen (pronounced Karihn) tribe in Mo Ho Jo.


When we first arrived in Mo Ho Jo I was immediately fascinated with the beauty of the surrounding mountains.


I was also surprised to see a large school building perched just above the village because I couldn't imagine how any building material was brought up the steep and narrow dirt road. Well they brought it up (the first time with elephants over a decade ago), missionaries from around the world have been doing work here since, and Mo Ho Jo has seen an immense amount of development thanks to ITDP and its volunteers.


It is amazing, in any culture, to see a people rise above a common "plague" and become a more unified society. In the case of Mo Ho Jo, the "plague" is opium (popular with many tribes in this region) and the unifying force is Jesus Christ.


There is still a lot of work to be done but slowly opium is becoming a crop of the past, new crops like coffee are becoming more and more desirable, and tribes are beginning to see the "pros" of a good cash crop and the "cons" of drugs.


After settling in with a local Karen family, it was time to meet my co-workers for the next few days. Getting up early was the norm and waking up to first light, a nearby rooster, or a sneezing dog was pretty normal.


Fourteen of us (Brian, Zak, Matt, Darilyn, Ed, Kelly, Eric, Darlene, Jerry, Heather, John, Melissa, and Emily) worked closely most of the time and other times had to wait for dinner to find out what kind work we had done that day.


One of our tasks involved widening the narrow road by chipping away at a massive rock wall (by hand) so tractors could safely pass through to collect coffee from the village.


This was a ridiculously tough task which humbled me on various occasions throughout the day.


Other tasks (some which I did not perform) include working on a water irrigation system, painting, providing medical services, and construction.


Every task was done knowing the Karen people would be benefitting. They also worked with us on certain tasks aside from their everyday duties showing us how much they are willing to do for progress.


I really enjoyed the hard work and it was fun to push myself physically since nowadays my exercise involves a random hike or carrying my pack through a crowded city. Missions are primarily geared towards building something tangible but I was glad to see an emphasis on the importance of building relationships with the tribe members and each other.


I can confidently say I have made new friends in California. Everyone in the Fresno team was so genuinely friendly, accommodating, and generous and it touches me to have met such great people.


The Karen people were also incredible and I am honored to have participated in one particular occasion. After a long day working on the roadside rock and the ongoing school project, I decided to take a few pictures around the school.


One of the ITDP employees (a Karen man) pointed to the back of his scooter suggesting I get on. I ask no questions and before I know it we are cruising down the hill into town. He tells me there is a wedding in the village and he's taking me somewhere to eat. Next thing I know I am sitting on the floor with the bride's family eating some deliciously spicy food and sampling the locally made rice whisky.


I bombarded my host with questions mainly having to do with the food and wedding which he answered in what I think was broken English? Again, everyone was so friendly, welcoming, and generous especially on their daughter's wedding day. I asked if the bride was nearby and right then and there she walked out. She was young and beautiful and somehow was able to take a picture with her.


The whole experience was fascinating! We said goodbye to the Karen people on our last day, thanked our hut hosts for their hospitality, and gave them thank you gifts.


We would make the seven-plus hour drive to Chiang Mai where we would stay until the Fresno crew went back to the States.


Before that we would have a few amazing dinners, walk the nearby bazaars, mingle with soccer-playing elephants, and my favorite, stepped inside a cage with 400 lb tigers.


It was a bit terrifying at first but as soon as I started stroking these giant cats I felt more at ease. They are not sedated but well fed and it was so breathtaking to see them up close.


Circling back some, the Karen have had much hardship throughout their existence and have endured a great deal.


For the Karen in Mo Ho Jo there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel thanks to ITDP.


Let's hope the same can be done for the other hill tribes in Thailand.


If you would like to find out more about ITDP or Lanna Cafe please see the following links: ITDP http://itdp.webs.com/ Lanna Cafe http://www.lannacafeusa.org/ipad.php


Again, I'd like to thank Mike Mann for the opportunity to join the Fresno team and a BIG BIG thanks to Kelly Weaver who put me in contact with Mike in the first place. God bless!