Day 160 -- Phuket

Last night we just wandered around Bangla Rd/Patong Beach...fascinating how many ladyboy's there are here in Phuket. Mike and I were both still having trouble distinguishing them from their female counterparts, but by the end of the night we were back on track. Had a lobster dinner at Patong Seafood which was pretty tasty and then just did some walking around on the street...very similar feel to Khao San Road but a lot crazier...tomorrow night is dedicated for solid explorations.

This morning we woke up at about 10:30am....we were the first to sleep in the dorm room and I was surprised when I woke up that all the beds were taken but I never woke up during the night....they're better at keeping quiet than me for sure! Got some brunch and then hit Patong Beach for the entire day. We rented some beach chairs so Mike could have his shade and ended up sitting next to an American couple from Baltimore here on holiday for 10 days...they came a long way for such a short time, but they certainly picked the right place. Water temperature was amazing and close to turquoise in color but in such a tourist infested area its easy to see why its not clear. We plan to get a boat in the next day or so and do some diving/snorkeling...going to meet up with them for drinks tonight and we'll see what else is in store...feels great to be back at the beach!

Ended up headed to Club Lime to meet the crew from the beach...200 baht cover charge adn it looked empty so we sat outside in a park drinking 35baht large Chang beers (35 baht=1USD) to see if a crowd showed up....no crowds so we left. Funny thing about Chang beer is that they cant control the alcohol content so its restricted for export....bottle says 6.5%, but we've heard its anywhere from 5.5% to 9%....depends on which bottle you select so its like playing Russian Roulette. Anyways, headed back to Bangla road and wandered around into some of the bars/discos/shows to get an idea of what Phuket has to offer. Got to keep things PG-13 so all I will say is don't bring children on any vacation to Phuket....if you do, stay in the confines of your resort! Good night out, met some people on the street and hung out with them for a while....As they all say here, tomorrow will be a bad Changover....

Day 159 -- Langkawi to Phuket

Alarm buzzing at 8:15AM we got up and had some quick showers before heading off to the airport. Returned the rental car and checked in for our flight with Firefly airlines. 30 minute flight to Penang, Malaysia's food capital! Everything was on time and we actually arrived a little early...airlines here are strange in that they couldn't check our bags all the way to Phuket, but maybe thats b/c this next flight was international. Our plan was to check-in and take advantage of the 5 hour layover to hit the town for food but were disappointed when we were told we could not check in for 2 hours...killed our timetable so we ended up hanging out around the airport :(

Running low on ringits had to change some US dollars to eat lunch since no point hitting the ATM with only a few hours left in Malaysia. Cleared immigration and boarded our flight to Phuket, Thailand. This flight was not crowded at all, only 20 passengers and the flight itself maybe an hour or so...we realized that we haven't had a long bus journey in a while and these cheap Asian flights are really tempting. From KL to Langkawi it would have been a 12 hour night bus, followed by a 5-6 hour ferry whereas we took a 45 minute flight for 30USD...lets not even talk about how long the overland journey would take from Langkawi to Phuket, but we did it in an afternoon. I think I found my new mode of travel the rest of the time here :)

Got into Phuket about 4pm local time and took a taxi to our guesthouse about 300meters from the beach...really nice place, very clean and well-kept and one of the better places so far. No bed bugs here! It started pouring down shortly after check-in so we stayed inside getting caught up on some things that have been put off for a while. Feels good to be back in Thailand and the next 3 weeks should be all beaches...much deserved after so much traveling around! Had dinner at Patong Seafood and got to pick our our own lobsters and fish...very inexpensive compared to the States, but still more than what we'd like to spend on dinner but sometimes you just have to splurge. Plan to go back one more time before we take off and have a real seafood feast!

Taking it easy tonight so we can spend a lot of time on the beach tomorrow...plus the past few nights have been crazy! Getting all the pics uploaded now so check them out if you get a chance.

Day 158 -- Langkawi

So today was a real waste...woke up at noon and had a pretty nasty headache (wonder why?!?) and was starving. We jumped in the Sentra and went to the marina to get some food. After we brought the car back to the hotel with the intention of hitting the beach all day....didn't happen. I laid down to take a 10 minute nap and before I knew it was 5pm and Mike had just come back from an all day internet session. Not going to let the day be a complete waste we hit the beach to catch the sunset even though it was still a little cloudy. Back to Babylon again for the barbeque dinner...tonight we had steaks, kebabs, satay and more garlic bread...really good food and at a great price! Back to the hotel lobby where we had round 2 with the bottle of rum...this time I insisted on Mike pacing himself so I had someone to go out with! We finished the bottle and headed down the beach to Chill Out Bar for some live music. These Malaysians can really murder some songs...should be illegal to be that bad, but at least they were trying. These locals appeared on the beach after a while and gave us a fire show even letting us try to play with the fire...I gave it a shot but was nowhere near as good as those guys. Mike was passed out in the hammocks so I sent him back and hung out with some Scandanavian girls we met that now live in Langkawi. After the bar shut down we moved down to SunBar and Reggae Bar to close the night...on the way home stopped into Tomatoz, a late night Indian food spot and killed a huge plate of food so hopefully I won't feel as bad tomorrow...got to get up early for our flight to Phuket!

Day 157 -- Langkawi

Got up early this morning since we wanted to move out of our bug-infested bungalow even though it was bigger than my apt. at home. Moved down the street, just opposite the beach and got a place that was cleaner, cheaper and even had AC. Decided to explore the island so hopped in the car and hit up the Oriental Village and Cable Car for a ride up to the top of the island...view was amazing but after a while a storm rolled in so visibility turned bad. We were so high though that we were right in the midsts of the clouds/storm so that was a first for me...check the pics when I get them up, crazy! We took off to the other side of the island for lunch and followed it by a visit to a local waterfall. Tough trek up the steps in the heat but once at the top it was well worth...looking down over Langkawi. After that we took a tour of the beaches, Tanjun Rhu and Black Sands. Tanjun Rhu was one of the biggest beaches I've ever seen with white sand and in the distance you could see lots of the neighboring islands. Black Sands beach was exactly as the name sounds...a little smaller but lots of black sandy area from the erosion of nearby granite I think....nice nonetheless. It was getting late and we wanted to get back to our hotel and hit our beach which we still hadn't done. Got out there about 5pm and was able to hang around at Babylon Cafe for a couple of hours. Scored some free beach chairs from a group of girls staying at our hotel. For dinner we went back to Babylon for a beach barbeque...kebabs, satay, garlic bread...all very tasty and cheaper than the Mexican food.



Back to the hotel, we opened the bottle of rum we got from duty free and played Chinese Big 2 taking shots at each loss. Mike drank too much too quickly so he passed out and I hit the town on my own. Stopped back into Babylon b/c some people from the hotel said they would be hanging out there....didn't find them but met an American living in the area as well as two Turkish girls in Langkawi on holiday. After Babylon closed shortly after midnight we moved to Sunbar for some live music. Good crowd and was talking with a group of Iranians who kept saying we were enemies...they seeemed to take the political stuff pretty seriously but by the end of the night I think I changed their views of Americans! Made it back to the guesthouse pretty late and was real tired so crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow!

Day 156 -- KL to Langkawi

Got up this morning and dazed inadvertently turned off my alarm clock...luckily I woke up a few minutes later and realized I had a flight so got up immediately. Scrambled to get my bag packed and met up with Mike at his hostel @8AM...We made our way on the train to Sentral station, caught the 1 hour bus to the airport and checked in for our flight. McDonald's at the airport and had my first American breakfast in a long time...nice to know what you're getting sometimes....pancakes, real syrup...great! Boarded our Air Asia flight and it was a bumpy ride to Langkawi. When we arrived it started pouring down rain. Since we had done no research prior to arrival we realized that the only way for us to get around here would be to rent a car. Got a Nissan Sentra for 3 days, set us back $50USD...not bad! Made our way into town and got checked into this shady bungalow since almost everything was booked and we didn't want to wander in the rain anymore! Tired from a long night, took a nap and ended up waking up at about 8pm...most of the day wasted :( Walked to nearby Gecko hostel for dinner, empty so we went down the road to the Mexican place...Didn't quite cure my Mexican craving, but its a start. After that spent some time on the internet before calling it a night.

Day 155 -- Kuala Lumpur

Planned to meet up with Mike at 8AM but that got messed up since I ended up having a late night and he did as well. After he took off back to his hostel I stuck around hanging out with the people at mine and then when it closed we went for food and before you knew it was 3AM...similar thing happened to him...haha! Anyways, we met at 10:30 and I was still half-asleep...he took off to get some tickets for the Skybridge since he hadn't seen it and then we planned to meet up to go to the caves. He got back at noon with tickets for 6:15pm and also had met up with some girls from his hostel who were going to the caves...we all met at Central Market where the bus leaves from to head that way. The girls ended up being from NC and one Sarah, actually will be living in Durham when she gets back from her travels...small world! Made it to the caves which were pretty impressive...293 steps to the top and a massive Hindhu statue at the entryway. Inside the caves were various shrines devoted to Hindhu gods and the colors were fascinating. Wandered around for a little while and then made our way out...as we did it looked like it was going to pour and luckily we jumped on the bus back to Chinatown just as the rain started. Got off the bus and took shelter in Central Market...I showed the girls the foot fish treatment and they gave it a try...I went for Round 2 and surprisingly there was still more dead skin to be eaten...the fish were all over me! I felt pretty embarassed but I guess after more than 5 months of backpacking wearing sandals all the time my feet have a lot of dead skin. Feeling refreshed we got some food and then separated as they had a 5pm Skybridge time. Mike and I headed to the Petronas mall and spent some time in the AC admiring the beauty of this place...Never seen a mall quite this nice! We got up to the Skybridge and it was a smaller group than when I went with Cameron but it had rained so the views weren't as good. Headed back to Chinatown for dinner and then met up at Mike's hostel for a few drinks before heading to a nearby rooftop bar...lots of rooftop bars, but no cheap beers unfortunately! At the end of the night we made it back to Reggae Bar until close to closing....not a good idea since we have a morning flight to Langkawi, Malaysia beach near the Thai border...

Day 154 -- Kuala Lumpur

Slept in this morning and definitely needed the rest from the last two nights. Spent most of the morning wandering around the Central Market with Lea, one of the Swiss girls who played Uno with us last night. At the market we indulged in a fish spa treatment for 10 minutes where these small teethless fish, nibbled at our feet and ate away at our dead skin cells. Felt really strange but feet were refreshed when we got done...@5RMB or $1.33USD for 10 minutes who can complain. After that had some dim sum for lunch and she was off to the bus station headed to Singapore. KL is extremely hot so spent a lot of the day in the hostel common room reading my book, Gangs, which I picked up in Hanoi...fascinating since it talks about 7 of the world's most deadly gangs. Headed to the Reggae Bar to meet up with Mike at 3pm since he got in today...he got settled into his hostel and then a few of us including the Norweigan (still don't know his name...) headed to Little India. Cool neighborhood with sari and jewelry shops everywhere and tons of Indian people wandering around. Had some authentic Indian food and then headed back towards the Chinatown area where we were staying. Had some curry at a nearby restaurant followed by chicken satay at a street stall thats been around for almost 30 years...really cheap at a quarter a stick and amazingly good! Took it easy that night and just hung out around the hostel's rooftop patio since we were planning an early start the next morning.

Day 153 -- Kuala Lumpur

Spent the first night in KL (Day 152) at a neighboring hostel's rooftop patio enjoying views of the city and cheap beers...well not really cheap. Beer in Malaysia costs about $2USD at the cheapest places which is a big change from Vietnam where a mug set you back a quarter. Enjoyed meeting some new people from Holland, Germany and Switzerland who shared some advice about things to see in KL...After the patio we migrated to the Reggae Bar until closing. I think I woke everyone up in the dorm on my way in...but it happens sometimes I guess.

Made a plan with the crew from last night to go to Petronas tower's skybridge for the view of the city in the morning. Need to get there early to get a ticket since its free so the plan was to get up at 7:30 and leave by 8AM. Since we were out till 3AM...didn't think they would still do it, but they did and woke me up right on time. It was raining really hard out but it didnt stop us and we made our way there. Stood in line for about 30 minutes and got 2 tickets for 6:30pm since Mike should be here by then. Back to the hostel I tried to take a nap...but it was too hot since the air con only turns on after 9pm. Wandered around Chinatown for a while, hit the Thai embassy with Cameron (New Zealand) to pick up his visa and then went to check out the Skybridge with him and an English girl, Kate. Messed up Mike's flight times so he will be coming in tomorrow. After the skybridge had some dinner nearby the hostel...food is cheap and good in Chinatown. That evening, a Norweigan (whose name I still don't know after hanging out with for 2 days....), a couple of Swiss girls and and an English girl sat on our rooftop patio playing Uno. After a few games it rapidly turned into a drinking game...not sure how! We closed down the patio and it was time for bed...

Day 152 -- Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur

Had to get up super early this morning...flight was at 9AM and the airport almost an hour outside of town. Found a shuttle bus company to take me there for $2 about 3km from the hostel so got up at 5:30AM and made my way over there....Crashed during the bus ride and the driver woke me up when we were at the terminal...Got checked in for the flight, bag was less than the 15kg allowance...not sure how, but I wasn't complaining! Flight was delayed an hour and once onboard I forgot it was a budget airline so had to pay for everything. Breakfast was noodle soup and a bottle of water followed by a Kit-Kat. We arrived into Kuala Lumpur at about 1:30pm and cleared immigration/customs....now it was time to figure out what to do. Its always interesting getting to a new country and trying to navigate your way around...sometimes you wonder what you're doing there or what you're supposed to be doing there.

Anyways, took a bus to the main terminal then caught an express train into the city center. From there jumped on the monorail to Chinatown since the Lonely Planet says thats where the cheap rooms are. Found a dorm bed for 11RMB (3.6 RMB = 1USD). Kuala Lumpur is steaming hot...really close to the equator but the city is very cosmopolitan...but I think it might be a big city that I'm going to like. In my first hour I saw how much Western influence there is here...McDonald's, Subway, KFC, Nando's and who knows what else there is. In the rest of mainland SE Asia we saw none of those places or when we did they weren't everywhere as they seem to be here. Seems like there is going to be some good exploring over the next few days. There are lots of Indians and Asians here too which I didn't know before I arrived. Hopefully I'll get a chance to talk to them to see what life like a local is like. Met some people in my dorm room and probably will hang out with them tonight...this guy from New Zealand has a similar plan to mine for the next two weeks so I'm sure I'll run into him a lot in the near future. Mike gets in tomorrow and then our wanderings begin making our way north for the Full Moon Party April 9th.

Loaded a bunch of new pics and for those new to the site you can see them at (http://picasaweb.google.com/sim.lakhiani)

Day 151 -- Hanoi (Last day in Vietnam)

So since I was getting in as people were leaving the dorm room in the morning its obvious that the day was going to be a waste. Got up at about 11AM when the maid was cleaning the room and one of the Irish guys was still passed out...I think he actually came in later than I did. Met up with Blair and craving some more grease it was back to KFC...really didn't help since I had a massive headache and was just super tired. Anyways, back to the hostel and lounged around for a little bit. Decided to go see a movie with the Danish girls...saw Unborn which is pretty crazy. They were worst off than us and they didn't even go out after the Snake Park...It was soo nice to just sit and not do anything for a few hours. After the movie, played some video games in the arcade...tried my luck at ParaPara daning but failed miserably. On the way back we walked along the lake and I took some snaps of Hanoi (the only 4 I took...disappointed) and when I got back it was time for a nap. Got up in the evening, said goodbyes to everyone since I was taking off for Kuala Lumpur in the morning and took it easy spending most of the night getting caught up on some journal writing. They had a screening of Slum Dog Millionaire in the hostel, but since I've seen it and was soo tired I passed. Next stop...Malaysia!

Day 150 -- Hanoi (Snake Village)

Woke up feeling a little more refreshed than the previous day since we were allowed to sleep until 8am this time. Had some breakfast on the roof and then jumped on the bus back to the harbor to board the boat. Boat ride back was good, weather had cleared up and really got a good chance to see the bay area since we went around the island once. Stopped to do some swimming which really woke you up when you hit the water (cold!!) and made that headache disappear instantly. Finally made it back to the harbor after a few hours sailing around and made the tough 3 hour journey back to Hanoi. Everyone was pretty much done for and the ride back was quiet since we all crashed. Once back, a group of us craving some grease hit KFC for a snack. Soo many KFC's in Vietnam, but no McDonald's...pretty surprising!

Relaxed around the hostel for a few hours and had planned to make it a slow night, but James an English guy from the boat was leaving in the morning (end of his trip) and wanted to hit the Snake Village on his last night. We needed at least 6 to make the trip so we recruited 3 Danish girls who were sitting outside the hostel. Convinced Blair a Canadian guy from the boat who said he was tired and then we were set. Paid the $15 and Jessica from the hostel accompanied us out to Snake Village. About thirty minutes later we arrived and let me tell you...what an adventure. Ended up having 2 Alaskan girls join at the last minute so we had a good crew. As soon as we got there we got to hold this massive 8ft. snake...had no idea they were soo strong. Headed to our table where we watched them kill a couple of snakes and fill up some cups with blood and put the hearts in the shot glasses. So basically we all took shots of snake blood with the heart followed by a shot of snake bile. Didn't taste nearly as bad as I expected...but gave you a quick buzz nonetheless. Had a couple of beers and then dinner was served...all snake based. Started with snake soup, followed by snake spring rolls, ribs, skin, intestines, sauteed meat, and anything else they could figure out how to cook. Tasted a lot like chicken and it was just something you have to do while in SE Asia but certainly wouldnt do it again. After dinner we had unlimited snake wine which we took advantage of...maybe too much advantage. Snake somehow is really strong and when mixed with alcohol gives you a crazy buzz. About 4 hours later we were all pretty smashed and we made our way back into town. Everybody went to bed, but I met up with some people headed to a club near the lake which wasn't the best idea. Ran into the Irish guys from our tour there and they kept me there until the sun came up and as I entered the dorm room James was leaving to catch his flight...Irish people can drink let me tell you!

Day 149 -- Halong Bay

Early rise this morning since the boat with all the cabins that we were docked next to had to take off. Back on the main boat by 7:30AM but at least we had a solid breakfast of fruit, omlettes, tea and a few other things. Weather was a little cloudy and everyone's head sore so most of us spent the morning lounging around on the top deck watching the harbor go by or taking naps. We got to Catba Island where we went into the National Park for some trekking. About two hours later we reached a rusted viewing stand...this thing seriously looked like it was ready to collapse and the last step didn't exist so it was a long drop down if you fell through. Anyways, hung out around there for a while before we started our trek back. Going downhill when trekking is always less strenuous but its tough going down all the rocks and small paths without slipping.

After the trek we checked into our hotel on the island...really nice place, one of the nices ones yet in Asia. They had a hot tub, pool and a sauna/spa. Unfortunately didnt take advantage of any of it because I crashed all afternoon after watching Rush Hour. Spent some time on the roof deck looking out over the harbor but it was still cloudy so visibilty not that great. That night we all rejoined, everyone was rested up and we headed into the city center for dinner. Catba island is a small place and its the only island in Halong Bay where people live so it had a nice appeal. Dinner was solid and then the group migrated to the Blue Note bar where our guide Paul jumped behind the bar and played bartender all night. Good specials, 3 beers for the price of 2 and it was all on an honor system! More importantly, we had free rice wine all night which really made things interesting. After a few hours we were all done for and on the way back stopped at a street stand for some noodles before hitting the bed..

Day 148 - Hanoi/Halong Bay

Got into Hanoi at like 6AM and headed straight to Hanoi Backpackers which I heard about from lots of travelers I've met along the way. They had dorm rooms so it was the best place for me since I'm back on the solo trek. Got in and they said it would be 2-3 hours before the beds were ready and I was a little tired. Called the bus company to organize the day trip to Ninh Binh I wanted to do...sold out! Really messed up the plans since I only had 4 days in Hanoi so I signed up for a 3 day tour through the hostel to Halong Bay. A little more expensive than the rest of the agencies but they advertised it as a 'booze cruise' and I knew it would be with a young, vibrant group...it turned out to be exactly that and more!

Took a quick shower and jumped on the bus with the group at about 8AM. In total it was about 25 people the first day from Canada, Ireland, England, Sweden, Holland and who knows where else all around my age. After a tough 3 hour drive to the Halong Bay we boarded our boat. Halong Bay is a really cool harbor and sailing around on the boat was really fun...lots of limestone cliffs and cool green water and it looks just like the postcard pics I've seen. We had an great lunch on the boat and then we had then did a few hours of kayaking around some of the bay. After kayaking we had a chance to do some swimming jumping off the top deck...real fun! Dinner on the boat around 7pm and then we all hung out on the top deck drinking Vietnamese vodka that we smuggled onboard since the beers were expensive....long night and stayed up till about 3:30 so the next day was going to be rough for sure. We got to stay on the boat which was a plus since some of the other tours didn't offer that. The group was really good, one of the best yet and made some new friends for sure...and the food was amazing!!! Truly ate like kings the whole time....

Day 147 - Hoi An to Hanoi

So I'm a little behind and need to get caught up....spent most of today wandering around Hoi An. Probably mentioned it before, but the city has lots of foreign influence and its easy to see as you walk around the old town area...lots of small alleys, foreign architecture, etc...Went to pick up my suit and it needed some last minute adjustments so was cutting it close on time. Finally picked it up at noon and then headed straight to the post office to mail it all home. Not bad price @ $30 for 8 kilos, but it will take 4 months by seamail so you get what you pay for. Anyways, after the post office I had lunch with the Dutch girl who had been hanging out with us the past few days before going to the bus station for my all day journey to Hanoi. Bus left Hoi An @ 2pm and had to change buses in Hue at 5:30pm to the sleeper bus to Hanoi...Sleeping buses in Vietnam are pretty neat. You get your own seat that reclines to almost 180 degrees so its a comfortable way to travel. Roads are definitely a little bumpy but you can still get through and wake up refreshed. Other than listening to the iPod all afternoon/night the day was pretty uneventful...just a lot of travel!

Days 145-146 -- Hoi An

Got into Hoi An at about 6AM and not too tired...slept pretty well considering the bumpy ride. Wandered around for an hour and found a guesthouse at a steep price, $12. After about 10-12 different places I found that nothing was going to be cheaper so I sucked it up. Thats definitely the most I've paid for a room in SE Asia and it stings a little more when you don't split it with someone. Anyways, nice room with air-con, hot water, fridge, tv so good value for sure. Hoi An is a really charming little town with an old city area with lots of foreign influence...winding lanes, small alleys, old-style shops...very cool and a much different side of Vietnam. Ended up running into the Belgian guys who were crazy enough staying at the same hotel. We got bikes that afternoon and headed about 55km out of town to My Son. Old Champa temples built between 4th and 13th century that have turned into ruins since we dropped so many bombs around the area during the war. The propoganda about the war definitely runs high...but you don't really see it from the locals or in the towns...mainly at the sites you check out. Anyways, the book compares it to Angkor Wat, but its nothing similar...still glad I went out there though. Came back from My Son and hit the beach for a couple of hours. Big powerful waves that were fun to jump around in, but a really strong current. After 10 minutes I ended up like 100meters down from where we were hanging out. That night we went into town and had some good local food, cau lao (noodles with pork and brown gravy....great!). Called it an early night since had an early appointment.

Hoi An is famous for tailor made clothing industry...lots of travelers come here and get outfitted with new clothes at really cheap prices. Most of the shops can turn around shoes, dresses, suits, shirts in a day and the prices are great. I had heard from the Americans on the dive boat about a good shop and picked up some clothes. Got measured at 10AM and went back and clothes were ready at 5pm for the first fittings. Fit was really good and just need a few small alterations so I'll have them back in the morning. Spent most of the day wandering around the town with the Belgians and doing some administrative stuff for the trip...set up all the remaining flights to get around SE Asia and where I would plan to be when. Dinner at the local market and then to a bar for a quick St. Patrick's Day drink. Have to be up early to pick up my suit and get some things to the post office so took it easy.

Day 144 -- Nha Trang Diving

Today I took advantage of the free fun dive they gave me for getting my PADI certificate through Vinadive. Weather was better than yesterday, but still a little cloudy. Early start getting picked up at 7:30am and the boat was packed...large group of Vietnamese locals in town for the weekend decided to try diving. A handful of other travelers too and I found out later that I was among 5 Americans on the boat..couple from Baton Rouge, expat in Saigon and a guy from NY...I think thats the first time on this trip that I've been around so many at one time. Headed to the first dive site at Fisherman's Bay which was literally littered with fisherman about 500 meters off the coast. We came close to the island for the coral and I got down for about 35 min. at 14m. Good viewing with lion, trumpet and puffer fish but the visibility wasn't the best. At Orca Rock decided to stay in the shallow water to get some picture (9m for 40 min.) but the camera got flooded with water and failed miserably...so much for depth up to 10m. Saw a large cuttlefish which is pretty rare and was able to get close along with some scorpion fish. Visiblity here was better and the coral had some rich colors...wish I could have got more pics. I got the camera fixed later at a camera repair shop so no major harm but dont think I'll be taking it in the water much more. After the dives met up with the Americans for a few beers in town before my night bus to Hoi An. They all have already been through Southern Thailand so I got some tips and got back to the room to pack for the bus. Had a quick dinner before the 7:30pm bus and then waking up in Hoi An.

Day 143 -- Nha Trang Wanderings

So much for good weather...woke up late today and it felt really good to sleep innn!!! Wandered outside since the plan was to lounge on the beach all day but unfortunately it was cloudy and windy....glad I didn't sign up to do my free dives today. I actually had...but had a feeling I'd go out so had the dive shop call me in the morning and when they did I deferred to Sunday...ha...glad I did though. Anyways, went back in and watched some TV and did some journal writing. After a while it was still cloudy so I jumped on a cyclo (tuk-tuk pushed by a bicycle) and headed to the Long San Pagoda. The Pagoda was a neat temple with tile and ceramic dragons everywhere...a handful of monks still live there and I passed by them during my wanderings. Atop the hill, they have 2 large Buddha statues...one is a lying Buddha similar to the one we saw in Bangkok, the other a large Buddha looking out over the city similar to the one in Hong Kong. Spent an hour walking around, looking out over the city reflecting on the past few months....good times! The carvings and the level of detail of these Buddha statues...made out of some stone) were amazing. Not sure how they found rocks this size and more importantly carved these things. Back on the cyclo to towards the guesthouse I ran into the Belgian guys...they are off to Hoi An and I'm headed there on the night bus Sunday so I'll probably see them there. Time for dinner...not sure what else is on the agenda this evening!

Days 141-142 -- Nha Trang Open Water

Both of these days started pretty early...getting up at 7AM to be on the boat by 8AM. Over the course of 2 days did a total of 4 dives getting down to about 16 meters at one point. As cheesy as it may sound...it really is another world underwater and the visibility here has been pretty good so saw some cool things. The coral around Mun Island was fanastic! Colors I didn't know existed and the fish were neat as well. Saw schools of barracudas, trumpetfish and a bunch that I have no idea the name about. Once we were done with all 4 open water dives I took my PADI test and passed with 96%. Officially certified...another thing to add to my list of qualifications! As part of the promotion the company ran this month I'll get two free dives on Sunday so I'm already putting it to use. I hope to take the camera underwater and get some good pics so look out for those.

Friday night I met up with a pair of Belgian guys who were diving on the boat that day. We had dinner in town and then hit the town to see this famous nightlife. Spent most of the night having beers on the street at these little bars with stools/small tables right on the sidewalks...cheap beer at 8,000 dong (17,500 dong = $1USD). Afterwards we moved to the Why Not? Bar which was a good time. Met lots of people from all different places and then the group migrated to the Sailing Club on the beach. The Sailing Club is where the party ends every night apparently and it did not disappoint. Set up like an outdoor night club the music was blasting and with a good crowd it was definitely a good time. Haven't had a big night in a while since been moving around alot and having to get up early for the dive courses so it was a nice release...celebration as well. Good transition back into the solo travel too and I forgot how easy it was to meet people to hang out with when you're on your own. Nha Trang nightlife was solid and the town on the whole is really cool....clear water, good weather and lots of travelers. I think a lot of people find what they search all over Thailand for in Nha Trang since its just got a better feel...if you make it to Vietnam - make sure you check this place out!

Days 139-140 -- Nha Trang

Got into Nha Trang at about 6AM so we had the entire day to explore. The bus ride was good and surprisingly on time! Since I've officially extended my trip through the end of June I have a little more time in SE Asia than Mike so we have to split up while he goes to check out Indonesia. I plan to check it out later in my trip when I can devote a few weeks to the entire country. We'll meet up again in Kuala Lumpur in about 2 weeks and then make our way up through southern Thailand for the full moon party!

Anyways, after finding myself a room right across the street from the beach for $8 which included air-con and hot water we hit to the streets. I've got until the 23rd in Vietnam and with only a few cities left to explore I decided here would be a good place to get my PADI certification. Found a dive shop with a course starting that day so I signed up. Spent the first day watching DVD's, taking some quizzes and then headed back to the room to do some reading. Its been a long time since I've had to study and take tests so it took a while to get back into the routine...this was at least somewhat interesting. Called it an early night since I had to get up early for the confined water dives in the pool.

Spent most of today in the water at the swimming pool. Learned all about the basics of scuba, never breathe underwater, etc, etc. Really interesting stuff! Half way to PADI certification and then I should finally get a chance to check out the famous nightlife of this beach town since I won't have to study anymore! Check back in once I'm done with the course.

Day 138 -- Saigon Day Tour

So we caved in and signed up for a 1 day tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple mainly because there was no feasible way for us to get all the way there without spending way too much money. Day tour cost $7 so it seemed practical even as much as we despised being on an organized tour in SE Asia...enough said. Early start and the A/C broke in our room and the fan never worked so we didn't get much sleep. Boarded the bus @ 8AM and our first stop was at a factory where they made who knows what (it was too early!). Every tour always stops at one of these places so you can spend money and they can get commission, but we didn't follow and along and just wandered around, took a few pics and sat back down on the bus.

About 96km outside of Saigon, you'll find the home of the Cao Dai Religion. Its one of Vietnam's indigenous (sp?) religions founded in the 1920's with influences from religions of the East and the West. The temple was fascinating and we arrived right in time for their noon prayer service. The Cao Dai pray 4 times a day, at midnight, 6am, noon and 6pm....pretty dedicated if you ask me! What was even crazier was that they opened up their temples to the tourists and allowed us to take pictures during the whole thing. Our guide said this was their way of promoting their religion so it was to our advantage I guess. Inside the temple there were these very intricate columns that I'm sure took a long time to carve. Anyways, we watched the service from the upstairs walkway and then after about half an hour it was time for us to go. We made a quick lunch stop at a tourist trap (typical) and then made our way to the Cu Chi Tunnels.



When we arrived at the tunnels we watched a video on the history of the tunnels. The tunnels once stretched almost 200km all the way to the Cambodian border, but US bombs destroyed huge chunks collapsing most of it or turning them into ponds. The video was crazy in that they described how they rewarded Vietnamese troops with awards for killing the most Americans, blowing up tanks, etc...interesting mentality but I didn't live during this war so can't say much. We then took a tour of the area and I had an opportunity to hide in a small bunker...crazy! It reminded me of the pictures I saw of where we found Saddam Hussein hiding out in Iraq. Inside it was a real cramped, dark space, but above you couldn't see where I went. Contined on taking a tour of the area...saw some of the traps they had set up for US soldiers and they looked painful! Leg traps with nails sticking out, rolling traps that would stab you in the legs, chest and head...their creativity was amazing! Finally we arrived at the tunnels...we got to wander through about 100m of tunnels...obviously they were about 3 times the size of the actual ones to accomodate the tourists, but they were still pretty small as you can see from the pics. In the real ones, we were told they had to move around on their elbows...must have been tough! After a long day we headed back to Saigon where we got some food and then boarded our night bus to Nha Trang, the beaches of Vietnam!! The bus ride was bumpy, but it was a sleeper bus with separate seats so it was better than some of the other rides we've had.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention that last night, Mike and I hopped on the back of a motorbike on the way to Pizza Hut (total of 3 on one bike)...it was very cramped and a real scary ride, but its all part of the experience. Pizza Hut was well worth the near death experience and at the mall I saw a new arcade game that blew my mind away...for those on facebook - check the video!

Cambodia Thoughts...

So before I get too caught up in Vietnam, I wanted to do what I promised about Cambodia. I know I already wrote a lot of this so excuse me if its redundant. Cambodia, what an amazing country! I had no idea what to expect when I got here and the extent of my research was reading the Lonely Planet on the bus ride over the border and listening to what other traveler's stories...I wish I had done more. Cambodia's history is hard to describe. Almost all of the people alive today have been personally affected by the genocide committed in the late 70's by the Khmer Regime...I think 1 in 4 Cambodians were killed during this time. At the same time, with all of this tragedy, the country is home to Angkor Wat which once you step inside you easily understand why its one of the wonders of the world. Then you get to the beaches...what more is there to say. Other than all the hasslers, the beaches are a perfect place to get away from all the high and low emotions you experience wandering around the rest of the country. At the coast, time seems to stand still (literally!) so with all that said, Cambodia is literally a roller coaster ride. Within the span of a week, even a day, you can feel anything from happiness and excitement to down and gloomy...but I guess it all comes with the territory.

Anyways, the Cambodian people are extremely friendly and welcoming given what some of them have seen during their lives. Our driver, Soran lost his father and a few other relatives to Khmer, but was extremely upbeat and shared lots of information about what went on and how it affected the everyday lives of Cambodians. He offered to take us to his village in the countryside for dinner to meet his wife and family, but unfortunately we were booked on a night bus that night so we couldn't go. I know where to find him next time. I will say that this ranks up there as one of the top countries so far...how could it not, they gave me an opportunity to blow holes in the grounds with rockets and grenades! As far as costs...I mentioned before that they primarily use US dollars so it is a little more expensive than the rest of SE Asia. In 8 days, I averaged $42/day which included accomodation, food, bus tickets, visas, entrance fees and driver around Angkor Wat (steep!) and who knows what else...no that doesn't include the rockets and guns. I'll keep those costs to myself, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn't pass up!! In summary, if you find yourself on this side of the world...visit Cambodia...you won't regret it!

Days 136-137 -- Saigon aka Ho Chi Minh City

So lets talk about this rainy season...We decided to head north when we got into Bangkok b/c all the books said it was the best route and you can avoid the rainy season. Good news is we avoided the majority of it...but I think we arrived in Vietnam just as the season is getting underway. Anyways, we got in 2 nights ago and splurged on a room with AC...best sleep we've had in a while. We spent the first day in Saigon wandering around the town. After stopping by a Hindhu temple the rain started to come down so we found shelter inside a large indoor market. We thought it would pass so killed a couple of hours inside the market but the rain never passed. In fact the market started to flood (ankle deep in most areas) so we had to leave there. We took off in the rain back towards our guesthouse and made a pit stop in KFC to dry off some...never thought I would say this, but KFC was actually really good. I guess there is a comfort in knowing what you're getting when you order it. Rain slowed down so we got back to the guesthouse and enjoyed the AC and watched some TV for a few hours. After some internet time, I got a haircut, face shave and massage for 70,000 dong ($5USD)...pretty good deal. They kept trying to sell me a full body massage and I have suspicions that this place was wanting to do more than just a massage...what does happy ending mean?!?!? haha! Didn't upgrade for obvious reasons and that evening we went to an Asian Kitchen for dinner and had some Vietnamese spicy chicken curry which was amazing. Mike had the Vietnamese bbq which was tasty as well. Back at the room we watched National Treasure and were out for the night.

This morning we got up to the sound of a parade on the streets below. Larium is still messing with my head so at first the drum noise was integrated into my dream and then when I woke up I realized it was real. Got ready and hit to the streets. We stopped into the Notre Dame Cathedral, Post Office (unbelievable!), Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum. Walking around we saw this motorcycle carrying a mattress which was impressive. At the museum I learned more about the war than I think in all my years in school. From what I recall they didn't teach us much about the Vietnam war when I was in school so it was interesting to see everything that went on especially from the Vietnamese perspective. What I saw wasn't pretty and I'm surprised they let Americans even visit this country. We stopped into the Diamond Market to get away from the heat and spotted a Pizza Hut...sad to say thats where we'll be going for dinner. After 6+ weeks in SE Asia the rice dishes are getting old and we have been craving a real pizza for a long time now!! They even had bowling and an arcade room so I think we'll spend lots of time there tonight...

Days 134-135 -- Sihanoukville to Saigon

Day 2 at the beach was pretty relaxed. Spent most of the day at Khin's lounge relaxing on some beach chairs enjoying the sun. I got into the Kite Runner and finished off most of it that afternoon. It helped since it was a cloudy day so we didn't get killed by the rays sitting out there all day. There are A LOT of people that bother you while you're relaxing trying to sell things (bracelets, books, massages, etc.) and it got annoying after a while. I heard if you moved away from Serendepity beach down to Otres you'd get away from alot of that...but most of the people were at Serendepity so we decided to stay there. Ate some famous Cambodian pizzas and hung out at the Dolphin Shack that evening...barracuda barbecue dinner for $3USD...unreal! We ended up moving to a nicer place near the water. Bigger room, smaller price tag...funny how that works. The Cambodian coast was one of the best places I've hit so far! If I got some time before I take off from SE Asia I think I'll come back. Booked our bus tickets to Saigon and the next morning we were off.

Spent the entire day traveling...left SNV at 8AM and got into Saigon at 8:30PM. The Vietnam border crossing was the strictest one (outside of Israel) that I've had to go through yet...they made us open bags, x-ray them, all sorts of procedures...and passport checks like you wouldn't believe. Luckily we got our visa before we got here so it made the process relatively easy. Once in Saigon we had no reservation and most places were full in the backpacker area so we decided to splurge on a room with air-con. Really nice room in city center for $18USD. Its the most we've spent so far on a room, but well worth it since I had one of the best nights sleep I had in a while as well as a hot shower....who knows how long its been since the last one. Oh yeah, killed the book Rules of Prey in 1 day...its a must read!

Days 132-133 -- Siem Reap to Sihanoukville

Cambodia is such a funny place that to get anywhere you have to go through Phnom Penh. After a day at the temples we were ready for the beach so we hopped on a morning bus Tuesday back to PhnomPenh. Stayed again at the welcoming Number 9 Guest house . Already seen most of PP and had a morning bus so had a relaxed night watching a movie in the bar area. Wednesday morning we were on the 9am bus to Sihanoukville...4 hours late we arrived. It would have been so much easier to just go directly from Siem Reap...but its just not possible. Anyways, it feels good to be at the beach again. As soon as you got off the bus you could smell the beach and sense the laid-back vibe of the town. Spent the afternoon lounging around on the beach. The water was is perfect so you can swim for as long as you like...beats these cold waterfalls lately! Only get to spend a couple of days here since we need to make a move towards Vietnam...going to look to get a bungalow on the beach tomorrow since we spotted a few out today that looked empty. This is a totally unexpected side of Cambodia and am glad we decided to stop in instead of going straight to Vietnam. The beach is the perfect end to what has been an interesting week in Cambodia...from rockets to Killing Fields to Angkor Wat to sand...I didn't expect all this when I crossed the border.

Day 131 -- Angkor Wat and surrounding temples

Tuk-tuk driver was waiting for us at 7AM in the lobby of the guesthouse...we wanted to get an early start, but not so early to catch sunrise since its been cloudy the past few days. Saw rain yesterday for the first time since I've been in SE Asia which was pretty crazy. The rainy season is approaching in the coming months and you can see all the locals getting prepared. We made the 15km ride in abuot 30 minutes and had arrived @ Angkor Wat at 8:30AM....Angkor Wat is I think the 8th wonder of the world and after a few minutes walking around there is no doubt why. The place is truly massive and it makes you wonder how they built something like this centuries ago. We were hungry so had breakfast at a nearby cafe admiring the temple and then we made our way to some nearby temples. Stopped into Bayon which was really cool b/c it had over 200 faces carved all throughout...no matter where you were in the temple you felt like you were being watched over by the Gods. Stopped into Tah Phrom which is the one made famous by Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones I think and walking around you could clearly see its popularity...lot of tripods set up, kids selling souveniers, and just overall commercialized. Anyways, it was still a really nice temple, but its unfortunate what the fame has done to its ambience. Over the course of the day we hit about 10 temples and by the end of it we were templed out. Headed back to the guesthouse to get away from the heat and planning to get some pizza for dinner. Headed either to Vietnam or the Cambodian beaches tomorrow...really need to make up my mind!

Day 130 -- Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Had booked the 8:45AM bus to Siem Reap and we were up and waiting in the restaurant area at 8:20 for the tuk-tuk to pick us up...but since we weren't at the front he took off without us. As it got closer to 8:45AM we raced on our own to the bus station but the bus had already left and we were stuck taking the 11:30AM...Killed a few hours in the Central Market and then boarded our bus. This bus ride was probably one of the best yet...comfortable seat, working AC, working TV/DVD player....good ride! We got into Siem Reap and had to hit about 10 guesthouses before we found something that had some room. Went ahead and booked our driver for tomorrow's explorations of Angkor Wat!