Northern Adventures

So it's been a crazy last couple of weeks! I've been traveling through New Zealand on the Stray bus, with a group of really fun people (which of course makes it so much better) spending way too much money.(Photo: Cathedral Cove, Hahei Beach (Coromandel Area)

From Auckland, we drove to Hahei Beach, where we were able to walk to Cathedral Cove, and then lie around in the hot water beach - you dig big holes and the water is absolutely boiling!! but so nice.(Photos: 1)Callum, Me, Carol in a pool at Hot Water Beach
2) On the way to Raglan)

I learned how to surf in Raglan - it took a while, but by the end of it I was up every time. Definitely something to recommend doing. Raglan was really fun - it's a very laid back surfer type town with really nice scenery.(Photo: Me and Meryl coming in after an afternoon of surfing!)

With the Stray bus group we were able to have a cultural Maori night. On our way there we stopped at the Waitomo caves where we split up to do different caving activities. I went black water tubing through caves filled with glow worms. It was really cool, especially when we turned off our flashlights and just floated down the different channels. That night we enjoyed a hangi (a Maori meal), watched a traditional Maori show, and then were divided into different groups to learn about different Maori customs. My group learned how to do the Haka, which we then performed for everyone else.
(Photo: 'Chief' Ant at the beginning of our cultural night)

From Maketu (cultural stop) we went to Taupo and Rotorua. There was tons of stuff to do here - I went sledging (pretty much boogie boarding in white water rapids), but there was also the option to go zorbing (rolling down a hill in a big ball similar to a hamster cage with water in it), white water rafting (which included a 7m waterfall drop!), visit the geothermal hot pools (that apparently make you stink), or skydive. Quite a few people decided to skydive while I sat at the bottom with the others, thinking about how crazy they were to jump out of a plane...(little did I know, I'd soon be doing it as well!).
(Photo: Tongariro Crossing)

From Taupo we headed to Tongariro National Park to hike the Tongariro Crossing - known as being one of the top hikes in the world. It was absolutely spectacular! Definitely a must-do in New Zealand. (We managed to do it in 4hours and 54 minutes! We were determined to beat 5 hours. If you do it at a gradual pace they say to give yourself 6-7 hours.)
After a quick stop in Wellington, we departed for the South Island.(Photo: Tongariro Crossing)

I love and have missed the English language

From the moment I stepped off the plane in Sydney (for my stop-over), I was already ecstatic.  While going through security I was greeted by happy guards, who invited me through the metal detector by saying "Step right up dear, everyone's a winner!"  It is a GREAT feeling to be back in a country where people can understand me and where I can read the signs.

Once in New Zealand, I met up with my mom's cousin, Susan, in downtown Auckland.  She drove me to her brother John's, where I spent my first night in New Zealand.  It was COLD!!  But then again, compared to Asia I think any place would be cold.  It seemed to be a real cold 

spell here though - a great welcome to the country.. Rainy, cold, and stormy.  Apparently there was even snow on the south island!  I met up with my grandma's sister the next day.  We spent the next 24 hours dodging rain storms and hail storms, while trying to get information for me 

so I could come up with a more concrete plan of what I would do in New Zealand.  We headed back to her home on the North Shore for an early night of relaxation, during which she filled me in on everything I'd ever need to know about my distant relatives.  We managed to get a couple of minutes on Milford Beach, and a few more on Takapuna beach (where we saw a double rainbow!), while dodging in and out of shops and on and off buses trying to avoid the rain.  I spent some more time with John before heading north to Piha with Susan's family. (Photo: On Milford Beach - Auckland North Shore)

I will be spending Easter here in Piha in their beautiful '

bach' as they call it - (bach as in bachelor), a cottage/country house.  It's right by the beach with a beautiful view - over the tree tops you can see the waves crashing across the rocks, watch the sun set over the ocean, and daydream away as you sit peacefully in the comfortable lawn chairs.  I am living comfortably in 'the cabana,' just beside the main house.  The weather cleared up and today I even managed to get some more sun on my face.  It's beautiful here, but apparently the South Island is even more spectacular - I can't wait!

Piha Beach

I'll have lots of time in the next couple of days to look over my brochures and finalize my plans before heading back to Auckland and purchasing my bus pass and heading off on a whole new journey.

On Piha Beach by Lion Rock

I hope everyone has a great Easter long weekend with lots of spring sunshine and (hopefully) no more snow!  While everyone at home will now be enjoying the warm spring months leading into summer, I'll be tramping through the south island in my (well really Maarika's) light winter jacket, dreaming of Australia, my next destination, and the sun and heat that I hope to find there!

Walking along the beach with Luca and Susan

Celebrity watch in Cha-am!

I left the train station ready for a whole new adventure.  I started off my adventure by checking into a wonderful 300 baht/night room (10CAD) along Khao San Road.  I had a rock hard mattress, cold water shower (that was literally placed above the toilet), no sink, and a faulty a/c. Doesn't it sound amazing?  Luckily I packed along a sleeping bag..

I ended up getting together with Mark's friend Peter, who I met at the beginning of my trip.  (Mark is my neighbour from Toronto who moved to Bangkok and who I stayed with during my first days in Thailand).  We had a fun evening, and by the end of it Peter had decided that it was more important to show me around Thailand than to go to work (he only had two days of work left before his trip to England).  So the next morning we packed our bags and headed off to explore.  After a few days of spontaneous adventures, we ended up back in Bangkok - Peter went off to catch a plane to the UK, and I went to the train station to catch my 3rd class, $1.50 CAD train down south to a small beach town called Cha-am.  Although the schedule said the trip was 3.5 hours, it turned out to be a grueling 6 - a whole 6 hours with no air conditioning, hard, straight-backed wooden benches, and a man named Sam who kept inviting me to his parents home in the north-eastern part of Thailand.  Somehow I made it.

Upon my arrival, I quickly realized that I was one of about 10 non-asians.  Cha-am is a typical weekend getaway for many Thai people living in Bangkok, or nearby big cities.  Not many tourists stop here, which in a way was really nice.  I found a beautiful hotel for $17 a night right across from the beach (this one was actually nice - double bed, big room/washroom, tv, fridge, hot water..).  I spent the next couple of days lying on and walking

 along the beach.  It was beautiful!  On my

 walks, I quickly realized that my blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin made me out to be pretty much a celebrity.  I had people literally runni

ng at me with cameras.  A group of about 3 guys ended up calling friends over to see me and take pictures with me.  The second time I walked past this group, we took more pictures - I even got them to take some with my camera - of me surrounded by four ecstatic Thai men.  They made their girlfriends/sisters/female friends take a picture with me as well.  It took all I had not to burst out laughing at how ridiculous it all seemed.  There were three little girls who were smiling and giggling and very excited to see me - they asked me to take a picture of them, but when I was showing them the photo they seemed more interested in my skin and hair, touching my arms and blonde hair.  Again,

 it was very funny because I am not used to that kind of attention and it wasn't creepy - they were all so nice and happy, and very excited that I'd say yes to pictures.

I also became friends with an old man who had moved to Cha-am three months before (Irish), who felt obligated to show me around.  He took me for tea, then to have irish coffee at the Norwegian bar where all of the old Norwegians hang out (and he introduced me to his friends), and then out for food, and a game of pool.  It sounds sketchy, but he was really a decent guy - he wouldn't 

let me pay because he knows what it's like traveling when you're young and on a budget (his daughter spent a lot of time traveling throu

gh Europe).

The next morning I woke up at 5:45am to catch the train back to the city.  I arrived at 6:35am for the 7am train..however, that train didn't exist!  Apparently it had left 5 minutes before I arrived.  So I ended up spending the next 5 hours reading and wandering around close to the train station, eating, and going on the internet.  It was a LONG 5 hours.  I wasn't looking forward to the train either, because it was Sunday afternoon now - eve

ryone else wanted to catch this train too!  I was positive I would be standing for the whole trip back and was not looking forward to it.  But by some miracle, when I stepped

 onto the train I was immediately ushered by an assistant onto a car (that was clearly full of people) and somehow proceeded to get a seat.  I think it has to do with being blonde..  All of a sudde

n people were jumping up to help me with my bags and I was offered about 5 different seats.  I tried to be polite and decline, but they'd have none of it.  Once seated, I w

as offered food by many of the people on the train, and was even serenaded by a strange man - he sang "Amazing Grace" in Thai.  After he left the girl beside me asked if I was afraid..she must have thought he was crazy too.  A little old lady instructed me on how to sit so I wouldn't have any direct sunlight on me (again it was brutally hot), and eventually bought an extra drink and put it into my hands.  The time passed quickly this time as it was much more exciting with friendly people around me - I even spent some time taking pic

tures while hanging out the side of the train..there are no doors keeping you inside.

We arrived just outside of Bangkok in a rainstorm - it's the start of the rainy season - so I pulled out my obnoxious yellow poncho to cover me, my backpack, and my napsack, and headed off in the direction of the ferry.  According to the ticket lady, if I took the ferry across the river and then caught a bus I'd find my way to Khao San Road in Banglamphu.  Well..she sent me on a wild goose chase.  I walked around for about 30 minutes in the rain and eventually asked to young Thai guys for help.  We communicated by pointing at things in my Thai phrase book.  They eventually put me in a taxi, and it turned out I was $2CAD away from my destination!  Everyone warned me about asking for directions in Thailand - you have to ask at least three people for before going anywhere -  but seeing as the woman was the only one who spoke English, and everyone else just pointed in random directions, I decided to take a risk.  I made it back to the city eventually, even though I did have to fight through a Thai rainstorm (I recommend you find more than one person who speaks English).

My last night in Thailand I spent with some fellow backpackers that I met on Khao San Road.  It was a great end to my South-east Asian adventure!

The next day I was off to the airport to embark on my journey to New Zealand.

Ps.  Dad - I'm having trouble copying and pasting the official G.A.P. itinerary, but if you go to http://www.gapadventures.com/tour/ACTM&itinType=dossier&yr=2009 then you'll be able to check it out.

The end..but really the beginning

Heading to Vang Vieng we drove for 7hours along a hilly, twisting, mountainous road. (Dad it was similar to our off-roading adventure in the Mojave Desert..only the roads were paved). I thought that sitting in the front seat would be a good idea to help prevent me from getting car sick. This was a bad idea. From the front seat I realized how crazy our bus drivers really was (and how much he loved to honk the horn). It was quite a nerve-wracking experience - instead of falling asleep I ended up gripping my arm rests for dear life as our driver passed huge trucks while going around blind corners at high speeds. There were many times where I would look down and see no edge beside the bus, and hope that by some miracle we would make it to safety. Eventually we did. (Photo: View from the bus along the mountainous route)

Vang Vieng is a major tourist town - according to our guide it is only really popular because Lonely Planet included it in their books as a good stopping point between Luang Prabang and Vientiane (the capital of Laos). While walking down the main street you are sure to see many tourists walking around with broken arms/casts/bandages. This, Sakai explained to us, is because of the only attraction in Laos - tubing (aka drunk tubing - some even take it as far as nude tubing) along the Mekong River. Sakai was strongly against the idea of any of us participating. As people float along the river they can grab onto bamboo poles and be pulled into bars to get drinks. There are many rope swings that people can jump off of as well, but when drunk it becomes quite dangerous. Sakai seemed to assume that anyone who did it would be absolutely drunk by the end - the fact that people might not drink didn't seem to occur to him.

Instead of going tubing, a group of us headed to the Blue Lagoon. This was a beautiful, quiet haven with aqua-blue water and on the shore was a big area for picnics/tanning/hanging out. I jumped in using the swinging rope, but Laura, the daredevil in the group climbed up part of the tree that hangs over the water and jumped in from there. A local climbed all the way to the top, but he was just crazy! The water was cool and refereshing after a long day in the bus. (Photo: Jumping into the Blue Lagoon)

That evening Sakai showed us a bit of the night life. Rosie, Jessica, Andy, Tara, Kelly, June, and I went with him to a place called "Bucket Bar." Rosie, Jessica, and I ended up splitting a bucket drink (it was 10 000 kip for a whiskey & coke - this is about 1.50CAD!). We bought it more just to be able to say we had such a cheap drink! On our way to the hotel we ran into more people from our group who had gone for massages - an hour massage can cost anywhere from 100-250 baht! That is only about 3.50-9 CAD/hour! Unheard of in Canada!

Driving to Vientiane the next day was similar to the drive the day before, only it was 3 hours. Some people decided to kayak the distance, but luckily the majority of us took the bus

 because it started to rain in the afternoon and it would have been miserable to be paddling in a pelting rainstorm. (It is nearing the beginning of the wet season now). Rosie and I got caught in the rain, but luckily a woman gave us a big palstic bag for our cameras/passports/money/etc. so we could run back to the hotel and meet our group for dinner. Vientiane was our last stop before heading back to Bangkok, and we had lots of time to explore before leaving the next day.
We ended the trip with quite the adventure while trying to cross the Laos-Thailand border and catch the overnight train back to Bangkok. After loading the bus with our gear, we were informed that the driver had no passport and therefore could not take us across the border(as was the original plan). He stopped in the middle of the road, told us to get out, and then called another bus for us. To everyone's dismay this new driver didn't have a passport either!! Sakai was getting quite frustrated at this point, seeing as we were going to be tight for time and could possibly miss the train (which would mean we'd be stuck on an overnight bus!). Luckily we made it through the border quickly, but then had to wait about 20minutes for a shuttle bus to take us across Friendship Bridge into Thailand. Although we were first in line, the bus stopped further along, allowing all the Thais to get on first. Pushing and shoving our way through, our whole group somehow managed to get on! A man even gave up his seat for me! (I was definitely not expecting that - I had almost cut him off in the scramble to get on the bus, but luckily I hadn't and he was nice to me in return). Once in Thailand we had to arrange for sohng taos to take us the short distance to the train station. We raced along, watching the luggage teeter on the sohng tao in front of us, ready to jump out and catch any falling bags. (Photo: On the bottom bunk of the overnight train, cuddling up to my bags before going to sleep)

Somehow we made it to the train station, and caught our bus. It ended up being delayed anyways! It was about a 12 hour ride, and although we had beds it was hard to sleep because whenever the train woudl stop it would beso abrupt that your head would hit the side of your compartment. I slept curled around my bags to ensure nothing went missing. By 6:30 the next morning, we had made it back to Bangkok, Thailand, and I was ready to leave my group behind and embark on the rest of my journey alone.

Scaling waterfalls in Luang Prabang!!

Our waterfall adventure day was BY FAR the best day of my organized tour trip. About 25km from Luang Prabang is the Kuang Si waterfall. If ever you are in the area you absolutely MUST see this waterfall! It was spectacular! What made it even better though was the fact that our tour guide took us up to a remote area where tourists and even locals don't go. There are many levels of the waterfall, with specified swimming zones for toursits and locals. Sakai however, decided to take us on a journey to an even nice part away from everyone else. According to him it was just "a bit of a hike" and then "a bit of a rockclimb down." This, we found out was a MAJOR understatement. We hiked up what felt like a vertical path that went on forever until we had reached almost the top of the waterfall. We then veered off the path to rockclimb down what could loosely be described as a cliff (this was done in barefeet as our footwear mainly consisted of flimsy flip flops). Luckily Sakai helped us down certain areas because we had to do some jumping and twisting around. There were areas where the taller people had to go down first to help everyone else down because shorter people could not reach the next flat surface without jumping off the platform above it..very nerve-wracking. At the bottom we had to crouch and slide down fallen tree trunk, jumping off before you reached the water and were carried away down the falls. Somehow we all made it and it was definitely worth it. We had a private pool of the waterfall where you could either jump off a cliff to get into, or climb down a few small boulders. We could then relax on the edge of the pool, with water falling off the edge behind us. It was like those swimming pools that look like they have no edges and water cascades over (if that makes any sense..). It's hard to describe the beauty of it and unfortunately I didn't bring my camera along for fear it would get wet (which it definitely would have). Luckily others took pictures so when I get those I will add them to this post.

The way down..well I'm surprised we all survived! Instead of climbing back up the rock wall, which would have been quite a challenge, Sakai told us it would be easier to climb down WITH the waterfall. Like I said..I'm surprised we made it unharmed. At least we were climbing down a quieter part of the waterfall where there were what seemed like rock steps hidden underneath the current. Surprisingly we were able to plant our feet on the rocks and not have to worry about slipping on algae and sliding away down the falls. It was still quite the challenge finding good places to step though, especially with the water rushing down behind us trying to take us along.

This was an absolutely amazing day! A very fun adventure! It was nice to be able to swim in bathing suits too because since our tour guide spent time as a monk and lived in Cambodia for many years, he was very adamant about us being covered up when around locals. This meant t-shirts and shorts over bikinis, and knees and shoulders covered for most other times (we managed to get by with tank tops and scarves covering them because it was WAY too hot).

At the bottom of the falls is an Asiatic bear sanctuary. Asian bear poaching is a big problem in Southeast Asia - the liquid from their gallbladder is a key ingredient in an ancient Chinese medicine, so bears are being captured and held in tiny cages with a tube inserted in their gallbladder to extract the liquid. This same ingredient can be produced in a lab for much less money, but that has not yet stopped the bear poaching. This sanctuary is home to many bears who have been rescued from poachers, or whose mothers have been killed/captured leaving the cubs all alone and unable to fend for themselves.

After an adventurous day we had a quiet night back in Luang Prabang. A few of us woke up the next morning and heading to the main street to see the hundreds of monks come through the streets for the collection of alms, where they receive food, money, and other donations from both locals and tourists. After that, while some people went on an elephant trek, I hung out with a few other people and explored the city of Luang Prabang, climbing up Mount Phou Si, writing post cards, and just hanging out. That evening we were invited to a four course adventure dinner. Rosie, Jessica, and I decided to forgo this event as most of the courses included food we knew we would not eat. From those who did go we heard that they had the option of eating delicacies such as: frog soup (with frogs floating in it), larvae/maggots, bee eggs in honeycomb, ants eggs (which apparently tasted like tabouli), grasshoppers, some kind of moth/butterfly coccoon, and some other strange creature snacks...Had I gone to the dinner, I'm sure I would have bought myself something else to eat afterwards seeing as from that list of 'tasty treats' I would have left with quite an empty stomach. (Photo: Collection of Alms; View from part way up Mount Phou Si of a building in the Royal Palace museum)

View of the Mekong River

I will get pictures of the waterfall adventure asap, but for now if curiosity is getting the best of you, look up Kuang Si waterfalls and look close to the top of the falls and that is where we were.

Surprises in Luang Prabang

To our surprise, Sakai decided to change our trip schedule so that we would be spending three days in one place (it sounded like a deam come true - not having to unpack/repack every night and morning). We arrived in Luang Prabang by plane from Pakse, and were taken to a quiet guesthouse not far from the heart of the city. To our surprise, Evelyn (the other Estonian on the trip) and my room had another door inside it leading to somewhere else. Curious to see if our room was more like a suite with another room attached we opened the door to find out what was on the other side...it was not by any means part of our room. It was in fact the living room of the hotel owners! On the other side of the door we found a woman lounging in the front of the tv and another woman setting out some plates of food. We quickly closed the door and locked it from our side (shortly after we heard them do the same) and decided simply to ignore the door. Easier said than done - the family seemed to have a love for using an electric bug zapper that could be heard through the walls until late in the evening. (Photo: 'Delicious' airport snacks - a brown, dried banana and tea that after adding powdered milk turned orange)

That evening I went out with Jessica, Rosie, and June - we wandered through the night market (the best market so far), where we picked up a few gifts while practicing our bartering skills. Everything went well for the most part, although Jessica seemed to make some enemies (they sold her the items at the decided price, but were not happy about it). While walking home (June had already left by this point), the three of us girls tried to appear as confident and brave as possible (we decided to be cheap and walk instead of taking a sohng tao - a pick-up truck with two benches in the back). This was hard however, when after passing a group of corrupt police officers and hearing what seemed like a whistle signal, we heard a "POP" and all the lights went out. Needless to say we were pretty terrified! Luckily we were right beside a very posh hotel that had a back-up generator so we quickly scurried into the lobby. Although the restaurant was closed, the staff let us sit by the pool where we ordered some drinks and waited for 45minutes before we felt safe enough to venture back home (by this time the lights were back on). We spent most of those 45minutes daydreaming about staying in a place as nice as that hotel.

Lazy days in Laos

After spending a hectic week in Cambodia, our group was finally given the chance to relax a bit in Laos. After crossing the border, we headed straight for Don Khong - a quiet, peaceful island in the middle of the Mekong river. This was the first day where we had absolutely no activities planned - no one even knew what to do with themselves! Some people rented a motor bike and found a remote beach where they could swim in just their bathing suits (no t-shirt/shorts covering their bodies) since there were no locals around them. Others, including myself, sat down at one of the two riverside cafes to soak in the beauty of our surroundings - in other words, we decided to be laze and joke around all afternoon while not once leaving the cafe. Since it was such a small town it really didn't matter that we didn't take time to rent bicycles or motorbikes - the 2 minutes walk from our hostel to the main cafes pretty much took us through the whole town and we saw everything we needed to see. It would have been nice to rent a bicycle to explore a bit of the countryside, but it was way too hot to do anything other than sit in the shade.


Photo: Tasting a Lao Lao cocktail with Rosie

Photo: Khone Pha Pheng Waterfall

After a slight detour to the Khone Pha Pheng waterfall - the biggest in South East Asia (which is nothing compared to Niagara!) - we headed to another island, Don Deng. It is on this island that we were getting ready to have our homestay. Unfortunately we had quite the walk before we reached the house and by the time we did, everyone was so covered in sweat that is looked liked we'd been swimming in the river. Not a pleasant feeling with hiking packs on our backs. Thankfully the water was clean enough that after our trek we were able to jump into the river and cool down. The family we were staying with prepared us a feast of traditional Laos food, which of course included a bamboo bucket of sticky rice for each person..I think I've eaten enough sticky rice now to last me a lifetime.
By 9pm we were all in bed - there was nothing else to do. Our rooms were pretty much wooden platforms raised up off the ground (because of flooding in the rainy season) without walls or privacy. Luckily we had amazing mosquito nets because the bugs were bad, bad, bad! (However, a sneaky gecko mangaged to crawl under our net before it was fully tucked in so we had to spend some time trying to chase it out.. eventually our guide, Sakai, was able to get it off the wall of our net and shoo it away).

We had an interesting breakfast of dried pork, scrambled eggs, and noodles with pork before trekking back to the beach to make our way back across the river to the town of Champasak. We visited another temple, Wat Phu, but it was getting hard for everyone to deal with the heat which had climbed to at least 37 degrees Celsius (and very humid) so we spent more time exploring the air conditioned museum than we did the small temple.

Photo: Bottom of Wat Phu Temple in Champasak

Summer in Toronto will be nothing compared to the heat and humidity I've lived through here!