I cannot decide which I like more, is it Angkor Wat or Angkor beer? Angkor Beer I suppose. Kidding. I got you good didn't I. 11 century temples built for Lord Vishnu, or were they built in order to decay for thousands of years so that Hollywood's Tomb Raider could be filmed there. It is interesting to see that the Hindu religion, which has a much greater concentration of following in India, practically non existent here, had such force in the past. Although the temples were converted to Buddhist temples years after their original construction, the Indian government has donated money in order to repair and maintain the temples. Good on you India.

The temples and caves in Elora, India, has a very similar feel. The stone seemed similar and although they are different they are quite the same. 'Same same but different', a slogan of south-east Asia. Backpackers and locals alike both wear t-shirts bearing the slogan. The language barrier that exists diminished when you reach this point thought, 'oh i get it, it is similar but different.' I think you get what I am saying.

Siem Reip is pretty great but it is orientated toward tourists visiting for the sole purpose of going to ankor.

I took the bus to Bangkok yesterday and am continuing this blog from here. Bangkok, bangkok is crazy ...So much action all the time... I have been lacking on the photos I know but there will be more to come soon.

I honestly cannot think right now, I am going to publish this thing right now and hope for the best. Hopefully I will have time to write more soon.

The adventure is never ending . The temples, the fortresses, the cities with millions of people.

Keeping up with this thing is not as easy as it once was but still it's worth it. I am currently in Cambodia, the south in Sihanoukville to be more precise. Cambodia is sweet. All the people, like so many of the people from other countries I have recently visited, are so welcoming and genuine. Crossing the boarder from Loas was an event, there is a lot of corruption. A dollar here and a dollar there just for a little stamp from guards, police, medical checkpoints all of which are supposed to be free. They are not free and there is no way of avoiding them. Pay immediately or wait and hold up a line of people and eventually have to pay anyway. So you get to the first exit point of loas and for an exit stamp you must pay 2$, for a stamp that says you've left the country. It was 3$ for me cause I had lost my departure card. The guard I was originally talking to sighed and went to hand me another departure card to fill out but before that could happen his superior officer took another dollar from me and slipped into his pocket and told the officer I was talking to to give me the stamp and move me along. Sweet, if only I could pay a dollar instead of filling out form for the rest of my life, oh wait that is probably a lot of money in the end so... I am undecided. So I am told to walk about 500m to the Cambodian border crossing but before i reach it I have to pay another dollar to go through a medical check point, h1n1 gets you ever time. Lucky i was getting low on money so Sarah and I only paid a dollar for the two of us. Next is the visa 23$. I thought is was only 20$ well it is Sunday and they don't want to be at work, i should have guessed, bamb 23$. As long as I get into the country that I am trying to and out of the one I was just in I will be happy, so I got the visa, YES! I am told to walk a few more feet to a police check point. Oh wait, i had two passport pictures so I was alright but if i hadn't of had them it would have been another 2$. Okay so i am at the police check point and I have got to fill in another form and give them another two dollars, well I don't have a penny on me. Nothing, not a dollar, not a kip, not a riel. So I sit for 15 min and then they stamp the form in a very displeased manner and send me on my way.
Nice, welcome to Cambodia!
Phenom Phen, I call in P.P. or Phenom, we have that kind of relationship. A very happening city. Anything is possible here but you will just have to take my word for that casue I am not going into detail.

Before that though i was in the 4000's islands which was really beautiful. Oh and I rode an elephant for 2 hours one morning in Tad lo, Loas. It was like 8 a.m. and I was certain that this elephant was thinking, 'damn i hate the early shift.' Huge massive beautiful beasts. Towering over me. I pet him, yes it was a him, and it was so nice and friendly. Our guide was great, he was so nice to the elephant, and rode on top with us.

Too much has happened since my last post to fill anyone in in any tactful way considering my timed internet usage and financial status. Actually money is looking pretty good but I'd much rather spend it on massage and dollar beers then internet.

Souther Loas was filled with huge waterfalls. The largest one in the south is 120 m high. I tried to get a picture of it and slipped off the path, which at the top of it had a warning sigh,'dangerous.' Opps, so i slipped and was hanging off this dry brush over this cliff. I was alone, well kind of, Sarah was at the top of the hill. Anyway I am trying to grab anything that i think will hold but everything is just ripping out of the ground. I am relaxed about it now but I was flipping out for a moment. Finally i found a root which was strong enough. i am damn lucky i can lift my weight with one arm cause other wise i definitely would have been stuck.well, it is over and I am alive and well writing to you.

Another huge waterfall had the best swimming hole at it's bottom, so nice and refreshing in the 40 degree heat.

Okay so now it is into Cambodia. The first day in Phenom Phen, I went to the Pol Pot regime's killing fields and s-21 a famous torture facility used in the genocide of the Cambodian people 30 years ago. Words cannot really do justice to the feeling you get entering these places. In the killing fields you see bone and teeth half buried in the dirt, a monument of 8000 skulls has been build for the victims of the fields. That was heavy enough so I left after a few days to chill by the beach for a little while. The beach here is alright, good night life. Tomorrow I am heading to an island off the coast for a few days, nice beaches, snorkeling, bamboo huts and coconut palms.

"Chris, man, you have been going for a while. How much longer are you traveling for?"
Chris smiles and takes a sip of his cold beer, "I am not traveling anymore, I am on vacation."

Loas. What a country. Another rushed post. I hit loas after a 23 hour bus ride from Vietnam. I will admit fully that the Loas people are much nicer than the people from Vietnam but that is neither here nor there and I am not in any position to judge a entire nation after only 30 days. The Loas people are clam, they believe in getting by each day and act according to this philosophy. They have not taken to their neighbors fast-pace economic growth but do have the potential.

I waited at the border of Loas from 4 hours. It was 3:30 a.m. when I got there. The border does not open until 7:00. They turned off the bus, hence the A.C. and there we sat. 46 people in a bus without a.c. in 35 degree heat. I laid on the dirty bus floor to try to get some shut eye while many others simply walked outside and slept on the grass or surrounding pavement.

Vitentiene was the first city, and the nation's capital, that I explored. Some of the pictures I posted a few days ago were from there. I am actually back here/there now. Only in transit after another night bus. This one is one you must hear about. Now I admire a people who are relaxed and do not stress too much about upcoming days and financial stresses. They have enough, they are happy, truly they are, in my eyes but in order to get from Luwang Prabang to Vientiene, a whopping 353 km, it took us 9 hours, I had heard other stories of 11 hours, even 18 hours. Let me point out here that waiting and the ability to entertain oneself was acquired on this trip to Asia.

Okay so I am here not but only from a few hours. I arrived last night in the middle of the night and spent 2 hours looking for a guest house for me to rest my weary bones for 12 hours before getting onto another night bus to Pakse. Pakse is in the south of Loas just above it's world famous 4000 islands, where I am headed after Pakse.

I feel like my bog has taken a small turn I am am telling you more about what I have been up to where as at the beginning I was telling you what I saw and not what I did. I liked the old way better but the time today will not allow me to go into too much detail. Remember though that Loas and the Loas people are, in my books', an amazing people and I would come back here in a second though I have not yet left.

A bit frantic, I am awaiting a sandwich before having to eat it, run back to my room, check out, get to the north bus station, check in, have them drive me to the south bus station, and then get on a bus until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow where I will be entering yet another new city and new experience. Pakse is located on what is known as the 'Bolivian plateau' a beautiful part of Loas filled with massive waterfalls and hiking trails. A pedal bike will be in order to cover the terrain properly.

Now is the fun part..... After Vientiene I headed to Vang Vien which is probably the biggest party and party town I have ever been to. I will only attempt to paint a picture for I know having it described to me before arriving did not do it justice. Did that make sense? No time for editing this one. So, imagine a river, a beautiful river that flows through a lovely town of rural bamboo houses, surrounded by high sharp peaked mountains. Now add bars along this river. Bamboo bars built with platforms that allow you and encourage you to swing yourself off ropes, not before buying a bucket of Loa Loa vodka and redbull chased with a big beerloa, into the river below. The point is to rent a tube and make it down the river back to the town. So you swing and you swim and you drink and you drink and you dance and you meet all kinds of people, and you get into your tube and you go to the next bar. I made it to #3. Most people don't make it to 4. At least not the ones who drink and swing and swim and laugh.



From there I headed north to Luang Prabang which is a UNESCO world heritage site whatever that means ..Kidding It means http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site , that's right, wiki that shit. Anyway, it was crazy. Loas New year was a sight I would live through over and over. It is an event that showed me what it means to truly be a part of a community. For three days you have everyone in the city, as well as the entire country but specifically this city, out in the streets with huge water guns and buckets of water. Thousands of people take to the street to wish people happy new year by pouring a bucket of water down their back, into their face, or wherever they happen to get you if they are one of the hundreds that are driving around in trucks throwing bucket at people. There are young kids both boys and girls hosing down older men and women. The best was seeing this little boy of about 5 whipping a bucket at a passing motor bike carrying town older men. I heard the slap of water on their faces. All the older men did was laugh and smile. I was not dry for three days. The celebration is for the end of the dry season which in Loas is quite intense. I did just say that I was not dry for three days but I would go to sleep with everything I wearing was soaked, shoes included and when i woke at 8:00 a.m. everything was more dry than the Thar. The Thar is the dessert in the north west in Rajasthan, India. What I am trying to say is that other than the water being poured down your back it is dry and hot, everywhere in Loas right now.
People would be riding around, 25 in the box of a pick up, with garbage cans filled with water throwing on everyone. You had to prepare yourself. The second I walked out of my guesthouse, kids from neighboring houses would begin to hose me down, to spray me with water guns and to chase me with buckets. I didn't really run to hard or to fast. Not only was it inevitable to be soaked, it was fun too. I will never experience something like this again unless I come back to Loas for New Year. The Loas people are some I will never forget.

I had to get a picture of this.. The green one on the right is seaweed flavor.. What the heck is that..And before you even ask, no, i didn't even try it.. I probably should have but....


Here is the cutest sleepy buffalo. He was standing in the sun and we watched his waddle over to the mud get comfy and shut his eyes...So cute..

A few decades ago the U.S. donated concrete for Loas to built an airport but they thought it would be better to build a arch similar to the L'arch de triumph, in Paris. Super sweet..




Loas' most important monument representing the Buddhist religion and Loas sovereignty.

Don't have much more time but enjoy the few images...

There was a god damn cockroach crawling on my keyboard about two seconds ago. I let it live, I am that kind of guy but it best not test me by crawling back this way. Cockroaches are one thing, people are a completely different thing. I like people, they can crawl all over and around, they are all right. I've been meeting more and more. A lot of people, from what I have gathered, vacation to Vietnam alone when coming to Asia. I have not really been around too much of this area; Vietnam, Cambodia, Loas, China and Thailand but I think this is such a pity. I feel like they should see not only Vietnam but other places too. I guess as long as you get where you are going it does not matter but if you are going to get out then you might as well get around.

North Vietnam is a very different place than south Vietnam. The people here in the north are much colder. There is much more pressure to buy and they are flat out rude when you are being a cheap ass like I am being. I am only being this cheap because I litterally had a new wardrobe tailored in Hoi An. For 300 U.s. dollars I got, four pair of shorts, one pair of pants, a pair of sandlas, a pair of slick black dress shoes, a 'two button' black suit (fit to perfection), and nine shirts (5 fitted button-downs and two collored Lacoste shirts and two Vietnam t-shirts). Damn good deal, right? I thought so. The shorts are the exact style and colour I wanted and fit perfectly to both my waist and my legnth specifications.
I was going to buy a red tie with a sickel and hammer sown into it but I figured, considering the emblem, I would have to buy them for everyone and we all know my thoughts on that commie shit.

Buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo, buffalo.


Last time I wrote to you all I was in Nah Trang I think. Or I had just left there but anyway. I am in Sapa now, very close to the Chinese boarder. It is a hill station, filled with tribal people, recent commercialism to support tourism and is surrounded by a bunch of beautiful mountians covered in rice patties. The rice patties are small but numerous, the mountians at times are very steep so you cannot have the patties too large. A picture will show you.

Here is a nice waterfall in Sapa. I walked there two days ago and decided to do it again today cause it was nice out.


Just before Sapa I was in Hanoi where I saw a water puppet show. Curious? I sure was. What the hell is a water puppet show? Despite most theatrical or artisitc performances being evasive in name this one was litterally a water puppet show. Puppets, on water, in a theater. I am glad I went, I do not think I would go again, but i sure felt cultured, if only for a moment. I ventured outside of Hanoi to Halong Bay for a three day trip within my trip. Damn roach just tried to get into my motivational writting beer. Back to Halong bay. The Vietnamise people are trying to get this geographical phenomenon to be one of the seven wonders of the world, I guess they are trying to get it to become the eight wonders, I confess, this confuses me because if it were to become one of the seven wonders they would no longer be the seven wonders. I am rambling.

Below you see only a fraction of the beauty that is Halong bay. Honeslty the tour was shit, the people had us waiting all over the place and the drinks on the boat we took and slept on were so unreasonably priced I almost tried drinking some of the sea water to save money and still get a buzz.


The region itself though was one of the most beautiful places I think I will ever see, in my entire life. The weather was not the best but the region is also known for this. It's wet, foggy weather. We had one great day while on the boat so it made up for the rain.
Here is me on the boat. Can I get a whoo whoo? What I can't hear you?

We saw a beautiful cave on one of these island, there are about 3000 islands in total. Below is the cave, or is it some great holy figure, no no it's just bowman being bowman while in the cave.

Here is some local ladies selling fruit and other goods to the hundreds of tourist that come to Halong Bay each day.


I am on my way back to Hanoi on a night train tonight. I love train travel. I had not taken a train since India and it was amazing. Train travel gets a ten in my books. Once in Hanoi I have an exhasting day of sight seeing and sitting around before boarding a night bus to Vientienne, the capital of Loas. My vias is up the day after tomorrow so I best get out before I turn red.

I plan only to spend a day in Vientienne for heading to Vang Vien. Vang Vien is famous for it's tubbing. You rent a tube and are driven about 3 km up stream. You then lanch yourself, after having a few beers at the drop point into a river for a 4-9 km ride down, depending on your willingness. On your way there are many many bars who have people throwing you a line to pull you in so you can stop in for a drink before continuing down stream. Sound dangerous? You are telling me. We all know me and well I know I must be careful so there is no need to tell me.
I'll let you know how it goes or rather how it flows.

Long live the travelling ox.

Here is more of the sand Dune. It is like I was in the middle of the Sahara. Where you see the two people sitting in the background I slid down on a slide. Who says you need snow to go sliding.


Behind me is the longest over-sea cable car in the world, it's highest point is more then 60m above the sea. What a handstand though really. The yoga has perfected my balance.

How many times have i asked where I should being? what should I say this time? How about, there is no need to ever ask where to begin for everything has already started. Even in my typing things are passing by. We think nothing changes as we go, or is it that we think everything changes as we go. I have come to the conclusion that there is and never again be a time for me to ask 'where shall I begin?'.
This blog, although I am no writer, makes me feel as though I have created some sort of a following, not me, but my travels, and now I am at a loss for what to say. I have sold a bestseller and now I need a follow up.

I went diving in nah trang which was amazing, nothing compared to Indonesia but still amazing. I met two Irish guys, which i dove with and we all agreed that we best celebrate st.patty's the right way and head to the only Irish pub in town. You can all guess how that went, well! you thought I was going to say "in a debaucherous rage of drunken stupors." Well, who do you think I am, of course it ended with that and that is what i meant by it went 'well'. I can drink all I want when I get home and the point of this trip is to control myself which has been so easy that every once and a while you've got to let go. But we cannot keep talking about drink. I did it in my last post and I will not do it here. I have been more sober and am in some of the best shape of my life, but not without the help of the people that have kept me going throughout the time in which this journey has not been so easy.
An early tribute: Thanks Tuna, Lou, Mom, Dad, Art, Simon, and Stacey...I am sure there are more but I cannot become so sentimental so early. I have so far left to go. Three more countries and an endless amount of adventures. Phil keep the words flowing, Alex, get that email to me.

I hit an amusement park today, that is right, i punched right in the mouth, it is also a aquarium and a water park. I went on the craziest water slide of my life.

More of me after a drink of two at the amusement park in Nah Trang.


This is the market which I took a boat tour on. The Mekong delta hits the ocean in 9 different places in the south of Vietnam. It is known as the river of Nine dragons.


This is where I went diving. Just off the coast of Vietnam. What a beautiful coast line.

Vietnam is different than anything I have seen before. It is so easy to travel around this country, it is shocking. I bought an open ended bus ticket and It takes me to 7 cities. From here there are tours that lead to all the sites surrounding these areas. How about I just show you some pictures. Camera is dying.

Here is the amusment park, I am upside down. Smooth.

Entering the aquarium, where the amusement park and water park are.




Me and my slide, sand dune rides, whoooo! Ayoooooo!

Where to begin. Where would you begin? Where it is I am? What was it I was after? I'll figure it all out soon. I must admit that in order to write these blog posts, which are becoming less frequent, I tend to drink a few brews beforehand. Nothing wrong with that . Today, It happens to be a bottle of wine and a few beer to keep me going throughout the task. But there is something special to be noted here, the wine that I drank was from De Lat, the mountain city which I am presently residing. Only for a few days though and then off to the sandy beaches of Nah Thrang to dive the wodnerful coral that exist there. It is Vietnam's prime dive spot. Although I am new to this diveing thing I have no doubt that it will stick with me but you don't want to hear about that you want to hear about the the bigger picture.
Big pictures are good but the nitty gritty is where all the, well, nitty gritty is at and we all know that is the good stuff.
I arrived in Vietnam 7 days ago after a 42 hour bus ride through Indonesia. To be honest the bus ride was fine, long but really not at all that bad. What made it longer than it's supposed 36 hours was that 4 hours in the steering went and they dropped us at a restaurant and just left. It took a few hours of me drinking beers by the side of the road to ask our fellow bus mates what the heck was going on. We all turned out to be great friends, things happen this way if you are to spend two days on a bus with people. I would post picture of this but my memory card from Indonesia is a bit bugged, I have recently bought a new one and am sharing with you a few great images that I have captured since arriving in Vietnam. That may have been a long long run on sentence, but if I may, I blame the wine.

So I hit Vietnam after a 42 hour bus ride and a massive hangover. To be honest when I say hangover I really just mean I am a bit dehydrated because it is 35 degrees even at night and the humidity is enough to drown cats' in my sweat. For the record I would never drownd a cat but being unsure of all the random meats I eat I may have eaten one. We will save the random meats for another time because I could easily be a vegitarian.

Many people come to Vitenam to party which is different from where I have been prior to this. Where I was before did not have bars or parties, but that is no problem to me, it just makes me a bit, well, hungover during my outings.
Another thing I must point out here is that I have been travelling for 5 months, well maybe 4 and a bit but who is counting? Are you? why would you? Do you miss me? I didn't think so. POint being is that I don't need to DO somthing everyday. Sometimes it is enough to just get a tea and sit and read a do nothing.

SO back to the main point whatever that is. I arrived a week ago in Saigon. I visited the war museum which was more than intense. What went on here 30 years ago is unbelievable, really it is. So much destruction and things that are so fucked up I cannot even begin to put them into words. Excuse my language there but really it is messed up.
From there I went to tunnels built by the Viet Cong in order to fight the war against the so called liberators. I won't go into this, I do not know enough about the history to make any kind of statment. I did though take advantage of the possibility to shoot an m-16. It was fun.


The tunnels were built and lived in for months and the were barely big enough for me to fit even after being inlarged for tourists. I cannot begin to imagine living in the for long periods. The trap set up by the Viet Cong were too much as well. Such grusome death must have taken place. I am sorry for anyone on either side to have gone through it. Here is a picture of me trying to fit into one of the tunnels, the traps set and the mounds in which they disguised the breathing holes in order to have air underground.



I left Saigon to do a mekong tour. Everything in Vietnam is a tour. You pay in American money and you do a planned visit. This is very different from what I am used to.
The mekong is a river running from China down to Loas and Cambodia and Thailand, it also passes through Vietnam which is where it hits the sea. I visited a river market, the biggest one in the south of Vietnam, intense. Sarah had her Ipod stolen the night before and so we started drinking at 7:30 a.m. to sooth our minds
.

From there I hit up Mui Ne, a coastal town famous for it's fish sause. Honestly it smelt like cat food but what the hell. The beach was lovely and they had massive sad dunes which I visited and rented a slide in order to go sliding down the dunes. The piture on top is me at the dunes.
This is the town of Mui Ne. A fishing town if the comment about being famous for fish sause did not give that away. I met this great kid where we were staying and he and I become bud for the time I was there, soooooo cute.



I am runing out of will to write but I hope you enjoy the post . I am sorry again that it has taken me so long to pound this out, But I am happy and healthy, living and loving. Diving on the beach of Nah thrang is next and I am more than excited. I am hiking up a volcano tomorrow but no tour so I will most probably get lost but still have a great time. the possibility to see wild horses and elephants is big, I am excited.

Here we go again, it is a hell of a ride so buckle up. I am in Pedang, south Sumatra, overlooking yet another part of the Indian Ocean. The palm trees sway in the breeze, the water crashes down (surfing is big here), and the people smile like there is no tomorrow. In September of 2009, only a few months ago, Padang was hit my a massive earthquake. Any building over three stories was brought to mere pebbles, as well as many smaller less sturdy homes. The devastation is still very present. Arriving late last night I could see toppled buildings everywhere. This morning walking around was just a reaffirmation of what I saw last night. The walk to the Internet cafe was a humbling experience to say the least. It is hard for me to put into words what I see. My camera is not working very well so I cannot even give you an image to link with the few words I've written. You can imagine though, a city of just under a million people and many surrounding areas being hit by one disaster after another yet their spirits remains high and strong. It is something that will stick with me, the strength and endurance of people in this world makes my life in Canada or any struggle surrounding my life seem like a trivial bump in a still, very sturdy road. Even now as we speak there is flooding in Jakarta, the island of Java where I am heading tomorrow to get my flight to Vietnam.

I spent the few days before this in Lake Manujau, another massive crater lake surrounded by mountains, cliffs, and dense forest known as jungle. Before that I was in Bukit Tinggie, I am not sure how to spell the names of some of the towns which seems silly but the letters do not make much sense when put in order so I'll spell them phonetically, and well, at least I can pronounce them. Bukit tinggie has a huge canyon which I spent a day walking around in. It was beautiful. I took a bus from there to Manujau where I stayed in nice treehouse style bungaloo for five days. It was the worst to get in and out of but had a great view of the lake. I rented a motor bike to get around the lake. This area about 150 Km away from Padang was hit by the same earthquake and the opposit side of the lake from which I was staying had fallen rock all over the road. Roads had been destroyed, houses collapsed and so on. It it hard to write 'and so on' when refering to such disater.
The trip on the motorbike turned out to be a 8 hour journey. There are not ATM's in Manujau and we were all out cash. The closest town was only one hour away but the ATM was out of order so we had to keep on keeping on. WTF! It is as if we were in lennoxville, ran out of money and had to drive to Montreal on a motorbike to get to an ATM. Did I mention it was 30 degress outside and we had not planned on such a journey in the blistering sun. Yeah, my arms and face were a glowing bright red when we finally arrived back. Builds character my mom would say, thanks mom. Tell that to my peeling nose. No harm done though and we did get to see an extensive amount of the countryside.

Indonesia is home of the clove cigarette and the guitar. It is their national pastime. Combine the two and that is what you see everywhere. They are a people of great hospitality and courage. Definitly a great choice on my journey and a great place to visit. If you are 11 years old and cannot drive a mottor biker a top speed, passing cars and avoiding clusless tourist you would be fit to grow up here. They do it well.
We leave Pedang tomorow in order to make the flight on the 7th of March. Why leave tomorrow it is only the 4th? Well the bus we are taking is 36 hours and the flooding in the area will not help so off we go for a two day one night bus. Did I mention my ipod does not work. It will be fun, more character building, hell, at this rate I'll be quite a character by the time a arrive home.

Bora- I crave your comments.

Keep reading, I'll try to post more often, the internet is more shoty here and the days are filled with much adventure but I am thinking of the readers. Fcaebook is also not allowed in Vietnam so email me if you need to.

I have no idea whether to begin today or two weeks ago, that is where we left off I think. Today seems like a good place to start. A calm cool dip in lovely Lake Toba this afternoon was followed by........


'Fuck' was in fact the first thought I had after seeing this pseudo hurricane about 50 m from where I sat on the bike and right where I had stood/swam 15 min earlier. That immediate reaction subsided when the kids standing next to me informed us that we were safe. Thanks kids! I did although have somewhat of a skeptical undertone to my following thoughts considering the past damages of unexpected natural happenings. Ah well, buy the ticket, take the ride.

Sarah and I rented a motor bike to see more of the island on which we are staying.
This may get complicated, I still haven't got it all figures out myself but I am staying on an island which is on an island which is part of a bigger island - Samosir Island on Sumatra Island in Indonesia, which is, you guessed it, an Island.
The Island of Samorsi is located on Lake Toba which is the worlds largest crater lake. Do you know what a crater lake is? Good, me neither. I've got an idea though so I 'll try to share. A crater lake is, shit wikipedia won't load. I'll have to wing it like I did most of my university papers. A lake formed by a Volcano years ago blah blah blah somehow becomes a 450 m deep crater lake you figure it out and then let me know. Here is a picture.



When we arrived to Samorsi via ferry after a 2 hours slow ferry from Palua Weh, a long 5 hour mini-bus from Medan and a 12 hour night bus from Banda Ache. No problem there though, this bus had a smoking section and a toilet. I was thinking about moving in. The travel here has been so easy, everyone is so nice. I cannot enter a store or cross a street with out, "hi mister," being said aloud by some cute giggly Indonesia girls. So cute I can't tell whether I want to pinch their cheeks or their ass. Both may very well be offensive, I am still looking into that. The culture is a nice change from India when it comes to that. India was great don't get me wrong but the people of Indonesia seem, as lonely planet put it "happy to see anyone with a backpack after the devastating natural disasters and civil war that has struck there country the past few decades."
Banda Ache was hardest hit by the 2004 boxing day Tsunami, over 60 000 killed.
Back to the beginning of that last paragraph and a more chipper note; we arrived via ferry and were greeted by these kids swimming in the water near by.

Now although I might like take credit for this photo I cannot, thanks Zelda. Below is another shot of Lake Toba.


Basics here, that is what I am looking for, right? I won't bore you with details of my day to day but, where the hell am I? Where is this Lake Toba? History 101 here we come. Indonesia is made of thousands of island but about 5-6 main ones. Lake Toba is in the middle of Sumatra, Banda Ache is on the northern tip but to the west. I fly out of Jakarta which is on a separate island and the capital of Indonesia.

Sumatra the northern most Island has a humongous jungle. The jungle is home to some of the last wild Orang-Utans or rather Arangutans as I once called them. They are only found in Sumatra, Indonesia and Borneo, Malaysia. They are so Cute and cool. Definitely an next life contender choice for me. Scratching and sniffing, climbing and sitting. A two day jungle trek in Bukuit Lawang brought me within mere feet of them. I know this Blog post is all over the place, well guess where I have been, all over the place. Bukit Lawang was my first stop after a brief night's stay in Medan where I landed.



This trek in the jungle was some of the most sweat infested times of my life. Jungle heat in the jungle, Jesus! If anyone is into sweaty backs get ready for some PG13. Moist, and I am not talking about the 90's band. Do you want some more bad jokes? I have plenty!



The trek was great filled with Flora and fauna, insects, reptiles and apes. The trek ended with a 50 min rapid ride on a makeshift raft. Five tubes tied together with eleven sitting people down rapids that would be impossible to swim against and rocks that wouldn't help the cause. The Lizard you see below was BIG. It was about 5 m from where we slept the night we dozed under the stars and trees. I just ssssslipes into a deep ssssleep. Man, all these bad jokes must be a result of all that jungle juice.


After Bukit Lawang, say it five times it is fun, Bukit Lawang, Bukit Lawang, okay maybe two is enough, we headed to Palua Weh. A beautiful island 60 km off the north west coast of mainland Sumatra. It is home of some of the best scuba diving I have ever seen. Oh yeah, it was the first time I have ever dived but honestly it is some of the best in the world according to reputable sources which I cannot name (National Geo, divers anonymous). It is here where I became certified as a Padi open water diver. In total I did 6 dives and saw magical coral growing from all sides, a black tip reef shark, a massive sea turtle, a ship wreck, some squid, many giant giant fish, Nemo, and an underwater volcano spewing warm bubbles. Diving was one of the most fulfilling events I have experienced. I went to about 20m/66 ft a whole lot of inches. Below the surface has wildlife that is unimaginable and such silence. All you can here is the deep exhaling thud of your breathes. If you ever really need tranquility tie some rocks to your feet and jump in the deep end. Or go to Indonesia, flight 1300$, somehow get to Palua Weh 50$, go to a dive store for an open water padi course 400$, take 56 min at 18m underwater with all this coral, plant life, fish and sharks; Priceless, for everything else.... Below is the Island of Palua Weh.


Indonesia is filled with warm heart, people who welcome you like they've known you for years and beautiful serene landscape. Everywhere there are people strumming guitars, more than anywhere I have seen including North America. There is more to discover that than eye can see and I am sure glad to be a part of it, at least for 30 days.

This is the view from the Ashram. Amazing.

The bridge that you get the ashram, very nice.

Yoga on the roof of the kali temple. I gave two classes here, it was amazing.

The front of the Kali temple. Kali is one of my favorite hindu gods.

I was trying to do the Titanic thing but it was a hirrible angle. I wanted to give you the idea though.

Me on a boat in the backwaters of Kerala.

This pier was built by the Raj in 1856. That's damn old.

The house boat in the background is massive. It was too expensive for me to get and in my eyes not worth it after taking the 8 hour ferry. They park at 5 and you just sleep so I figured I would just ride all day and sleep in land for 1/100th of the price.

On the ferry ride, beautiful.

India rail, My last train ride in India was only 45 min. I had no seat so i hung myself out the door and watched as we passed stunning landscape and small villages.


As you can see the boating through the backwaters is amazing.

The rivers work as roads still in many of the backwater villages. This is his car as well as the local taxi.

Varkala, beautiful. I just hung out on the beach for a few days. My Hotel was actually some guys house which had a kitchen. Right out side the back door where was sat to smoke J's and eat dinner was a banana tree, a mango tree, a massive coconut palm tree, a jack fruit tree and some other fruit bearing tree that I cannot recall the name of. Only the coconuts were in season but the thought of being so surrounded by trees that bear fruit and how easy you could live off the land is amazing. I have never been so happy.

This is in Alleppey. It is one of the local canals which connects the people to the major cities.

Taylor and I in a last minute rendez-voous before I leave for Indonesia. It has been an amazing 24 hours. It was more than great to meet up with him again.

I met these English couple who now lives in Spain in the mountains. I spent about a week with them in Varkala, Amma's Ashram and then in Alleppey. Greta people.

Taking a 3 hour Ferry to the ashram and then continuing on for another 6 to Alleppey. The backwaters are amazing.

Me in my holy attire at the ashram. Shanti, shanti, shanti, peace.