The Gibbon Experience– I survived!!

by kinsay20February 12, 2017

Our time in the lovely Luang Prabang, Laos was coming to an end. We had really loved our time in this amazing place! We had just one more thing we were told we “couldn’t miss”. The “Alms giving ceremony”, in Luang Prabang , is an ancient tradition in which over 200+ monks depart from their various temples around the city at sunrise to collect their daily food. Traditionally, the locals (and now tourists) are supposed to offer cooked sticky rice to the Buddhist monks as they parade down the roads of the city in a single file line. They historically should only eat the rice that fills their alms bowls, as their daily food source. Throughout time, traditions have changed, as they often do, and they are offered more than just rice. Maybe some fruit or bread, or whatever people want to offer. Culturally, this is supposed to be very sacred, but unfortunately tourism has changed that, as we would soon see.

We would have to head to the train/ bus station to catch our bus out of the city by 6:30am. Our hotel told us the alms ceremony would begin around 5:40am and end right at 6am, so we would have plenty of time. Well, we were up and out there right at 5:30am. We were immediately harassed by local women begging us to buy rice and snacks from them to offer the monks. Snacks- to include- cookies, chips, candies. Hmmm, this did not seem like things the holy monks were supposed to be eating. I may not be Buddhist, but I knew that much! We tried to kindly tell them, “no thank you”. These women were very pushy and they were definitely trying to overcharge us! No way were we paying 5$ for a small thing of rice! And we definitely were not offering the monks a chips ahoy snack pack.

We finally found a woman offering a rice portion for a decent price. Once you buy the rice, the seller guides you to her area of blocked off seats. This is where you are to sit and wait for the monks. We kneeled down to the very low seats and waited. By 5:55am the monks still hadn’t started walking. We were getting concerned that we wouldn’t get to see the alms. We couldn’t be late for our bus! We were heading to Houay Xai (a town in Laos with so many spellings, yet nobody seems to know about it besides tourists). Houay xai, not being a common destination for Laotians, was known by tourists for it’s once in a lifetime ,”Gibbon Experience”- (more on this later). Because of this, there weren’t many options on ways to get there. No flights, a boat would take a couple of days, and the busses were offered only 2 times/ day. We could not miss it or we would miss our Gibbon experience all together!

We decided if the monks didn’t come out soon, we would just have to leave and miss it. We got up from our special seats and started walking towards what appeared to be the beginning of where the monks would start. We couldn’t leave with the woman’s rice bowl, so we forfeited our money, and our rice ,and left our bowl.

As we walked down the street, we began hearing drums and low chanting sounds. And that’s when we saw them-the barefoot monks in their orange colored robes. There were a lot of them ! All different ages, walking in their single file line, collecting their alms. A well -traveled Canadian woman we met in Myanmar, told us this was the,”most touching thing” she had ever seen, and that it ,”brought her to tears”. Welp folks, I am one of the most sensitive, sentimental people you will ever meet, and I will tell you that it did not bring me to tears. Not even close. I cry over holiday grocery chain commercials ( Publix, ahem!) . This did not make me cry. It was too distracting and upsetting to see the super rude tourists using flashes in the monks faces. Yes, they would get right in their faces with their obnoxious cameras and flashes. Not to generalize a population, but I did observe on this particular day it was all Chinese tourists who were being very rude. The British, Australian , Japanese- all politely staying further away and not using flashes and force. The monks gathered all their goodies, some with things falling out of their overflowing bowls. I later learned that they give back the snack food that they aren’t supposed to eat, to locals. Pretty sure they are just supposed to eat the rice.

So we got a few pictures (without flashes). I had a very rude man push in front of me multiple times with his large flash. I said “you aren’t supposed to use a flash- respect other cultures”, multiple times, but the Chinese man did not seem to understand me. Whatever. We came, we saw.

We headed to the train/ bus station hungry wondering if we would be able to get something for breakfast before our long ride. The ride from Luang Prabang to Houay Xai was estimated to be anywhere between 9-12 hours. You have to remember, this is a country without the same rules/ roads and customer service as we are used to in America. I tried to figure out our ticket/ bus situation with a man who did not speak any English, while Conner went in the store to find us breakfast.

This is what Conner came out with for our bus ride breakfast — haha- some strawberry cookies and squid flavored chips. The cookies actually were pretty tasty.

We rushed to the station but still had a good 30 minutes wait before our bus arrived. Our bus, that was actually a minivan. A man greeted us and led us over to his van, which wasn’t so clean inside. It wasn’t horrible, but it definitely wasn’t super clean looking. We were the only ones boarding, so we chose our seats and spread out our stuff. We were happy thinking we may have this whole van to ourselves for the long ride. Boy, were we wrong!

The first 2 hours were nice. Peaceful, quiet- empty! Then the driver began picking random people up. When I say “random” , I mean, we literally were driving through mountain villages and locals would get in the van. It didn’t seem “booked” or planned to us. It seemed more like people waving him down for a ride. The first two girls hopped in the front seat with the driver – a 3 person bench. Two cute, local girls, who didn’t even acknowledge us in the back. Next, we picked up 3 other girls from a very remote village. The girls were very “modern” looking though, for a mountain village. They were wearing makeup and modern clothes. They also did not really acknowledge me or Conner, and sat behind us. Next town we picked up an 2 older men and a younger man. Before we knew it our van was packed full. We went from just the 2 of us, to a packed van with 15 people.

We love to travel (obviously), and being in a packed van going around very, very, VERY winding mountain roads is part of the experience. And we were embracing it. The young girls in their 20’s behind us starting blasting music videos from they phones. Two of them at once. And then the guy in front of us also starting playing loud music from his phone. Hmm… this is interesting. Different than in the US. Let’s all blast different songs from our phones and overpower each other, and just have a big loud mix of craziness. Yup, that’s what it was like. We looked at each other and just laughed. We were enjoying the craziness of it all until– well until– the vomit began.

The girl behind Conner began vomiting in her personal vomit bag. I forgot to mention, our fearless driver gave all of the Laotian people a vomit bag.We didn’t get one. When we boarded however, he did give us a little snack pack with a water bottle, snacks, etc. which was nice. But yeah- so pretty ,little local girl is vomiting profusely in her bag, when the man in front of me starts also vomiting. Oh my gosh. Is this really happening? Then a third girl joined in, and a 4th guy in front of Conner. He was nice enough to open his window and let the spew flow out, leaving some on the window for Conner to look at the rest of the 10 hours.

So this goes on for awhile. Then we stop for lunch. A rest stop. Whew, thank goodness. A rest stop with beautiful views.

Conner orders us some chicken wings for lunch. We didn’t get just wings though- we got the whole chicken. The head, the toes. Very appetizing ( sarcasm– I was suddenly not so hungry anymore)

So at the rest stop I noticed our lovely co-passengers eating also. All of them. The ones who were just puking their brains out. We board the bus, and literally in less than 20 minutes they ALL start puking again. All of them. I mean in their defense, it was a rough ride. The curves were non -stop on very tall mountains. However, if you know you just got sick, why oh why would you scarf down a huge plate of food?

So, they are puking. Conner and I look at each other and just laugh. We couldn’t help it. Was this really happening? An older man, a local, sitting near joined in our smiles knowing what we were thinking.Thank goodness it wasn’t smelly puke. The Laos diet is so much rice. That is my theory on why it didn’t smell. The ride goes on. We stop again for a bathroom break. Our pukers get more food/ snacks. And they begin puking more. Are they serious? Conner mentioned that I should pick up my carry -on satchel bag off the ground.

Well, he was right. Just a short time later vomit began rolling down the floor of the van. I am sorry if you reading this in disgust, but this is how it happened. So the vomit is all over, under my raised feet ( my knees clutched tight to my chest). I am wondering how the heck can I do this for 4-6 more hours? After a few minutes we stop for another rest break. Nobody seems to let the driver know about the mess, and he doesn’t seem to notice. So I spoke up. Unsure how much English he knew, I mimed and tried to explain what had happened. He got upset once he realized. He bought tissues and water and made the girl behind Conner (the vomit -leaker culprit) clean up the mess as we all waited outside the van. She acted really ignorant about the whole thing. Almost snooty. Like really? I am the first to accept other cultures and differences in beliefs, but I don’t care where you come from- this was rude and gross. This girl was not from a reclusive background. She had on jeans my friends in the US wear. She had her nails done, and her makeup perfect. She just was rude to her fellow passengers and didn’t want to clean up her own nasty vomit.

Ok rant over. But really, Conner and I were appalled. To make us not sound like snobby US travelers , I want to point out that we have traveled along one of the poorest river towns in the world in Cambodia- where the people were amongst the most amazing we have ever met!!!!! We have gone to the bathroom in more holes in the ground than I can keep track of. We have slept in sketchy places with rats. We can handle what comes with travel- but when a human being is just rude and gross – that we can’t handle. She rolled her eyes like the driver was rude to ask her to clean her own vomit. Puhleaseeee girlfriend.

SO the ride continues. They get new bags. They vomit some more. Conner and I came to the conclusion that the Laotian people perhaps aren’t used to riding in cars, especially not for long periods of time. They ride bikes and motor bikes, and many stay in their home towns most of the time. This may be why the driver gave only locals the puke bags.

After an interesting 11 hours we arrived at the Huay Xai bus station. It was already dark and we were greeted by a bombarding local group. “Where you going?Hotel? We take you”. They were asking for way more money than we knew we should pay. We politely declined but they kept hounding us. “No thank you”, we kept saying. The leader of the group seemed the most aggressive. He wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. We looked around , and realized we didn’t have many options. Unlike other parts of Laos, there weren’t Tuk-tuk drivers everywhere for us to hail. The local group seemed super shady and gave us a bad vibe- plus we didn’t want to get ripped off. We tried messaging Jess and Chris, who we knew were already at hotel where we were all staying. We also tried calling the hotel directly with no luck. I finally ran over to our mini van driver ( our fearless 12 hour vomit man driver), and asked him if he would take us to our hotel. He agreed on a price. Yay! The mean bullies came over and scared him away. Really? Now, Conner and I were feeling cornered. It seemed we had to go with these jerks. As they smoke their cigarettes and tried to look tough, they told us to wait 20 minutes. Really? In the dark? And for a ride where you were already triple charging us?

We had no choice. We waited. Another bus came and one German couple got off. It was relieving to see other travelers- an instant feeling that we suddenly had “backup”.The bullies convinced them to join in on our ride- much to their fight ( like us). So the four of us boarded the back of the super shady leader bully’s truck bench. He forced us to pay upfront. We all refused but he wouldn’t back down. I angrily looked for a license plate to take a picture of. I was not going to have it. I was going to report these jerks to the Laos police. Conner said, ” babe, please , don’t let them see you take a picture – this is a communist country”. Oh my gosh – please. These guys needed to be reprimanded for treating tourists this way. Needless to say I never got my picture. I prayed , as we rode along that this man would take us to our hotel and not some alley way to kill or rob us.

We made it to the German couple’s hotel and ran off. We didn’t even stay on to continue traveling to ours. We found our hotel and were more than less thrilled. Since Huay Xai is not very well known, there are few hotels. Conner picked the best rated one. It wasn’t clean, but wasn’t awful. We went downstairs to see if we could find dinner. The hotel owned a restaurant on the river, which had decent reviews. We sat along the river, where we could see Thailand right across the way. Pretty cool!
We both ordered pad thai- which was not very good. We both were so hungry but could barely eat it. We drank our Laos beers and headed for bed.

As I lay in bed, it hit me that the next AM, I would have to face my fear. I would have to zipline at crazy high heights, above the jungle. I could it. I booked it. I planned it. I wanted to to do it. “Kinsay, you got this” , I told myself as I fell asleep.

I grew up in theater. I was an actress. Being on stage, performing was my childhood. It was my passion. Early on , in 5th grade I was cast as a “flying monkey” in a community performance of “Wizard of Oz”. Little did I know how close friends the other flying monkeys would become to me! Victoria and I had met at age 4. Our mothers, friends and co-workers. We now met again as “flying monkeys”. Our paths kept crossing and we ended up becoming best friends in high school. To this day we still have a bond like no other! A friendship I can always count on! I am the Godmother to her two beautiful daughters. It is so cool to think how a friendship can grow and go on for so long! Tony, another “flying monkey” became another huge person in my life! We went on to star in plays together and be very good friends through the years!

Why am I telling you this? Oh right, because I was dreaming of flying monkeys the night before the Gibbon experience. I suppose my inner subconscious was channeling me , flying, like a monkey.

Ok, I may sound crazy. Did I have a fear of heights? I thought so. I did fall off of a balcony in 11th grade. I had hiked tall mountains, been on the top of high buildings. Maybe it wasn’t heights I was scared of? Was it flying? Ziplines? I didn’t know, but I knew I was scared, and I wanted to conquer whatever it was! YOLO!
So we wake up, have a decent breakfast outside by the river, where we met Jess and Chris. We walked over to check in for the Gibbon experience. I had read so many other’s blogs and reviews. Jessica’s cousin from Australia had done it and loved it! The consensus was- it is a ” once in a lifetime” experience- a “must do”. I was psyched! I was ready! How cool to think we would be waking up in a treehouse on Christmas day?

That’s right. We would be ziplining and hiking all day until we reach our treehouse (our hotel), in the middle of the forest. The company began as a conservation project for the Gibbons, who were endangered.

They built some absolutely amazing treehouses- some of the tallest in the world where people can stay! They developed the plan to have guests experience the life of a gibbon- and zipline through the forests, above the tallest trees.

We arrived to the Gibbon experience office and checked in our bags. We would only be able to take a small bag (that could hang on us while we zipline). We signed away our lives on the liability forms. I had read on blogs not to take smelly items to include- soaps, perfumes, makeup- anything that could attract tree rats. I also read the the “office” can hide away those things separate from the bag closet, because they also had rats in the office. I inquired and they took the stuff and put away for us. We were led to watch a safety video with a large group There were 3 different tours leaving that day, so not everyone would be with us. The video began, and so did my fear. Tears streamed down my face as I listened to this safety rules. It seemed so scary watching this “safety video”. I didn’t mean to cry, but I did. Jess handed me a tissue.

The video ended, we gathered our stuff and set off. We rode an hour into the woods on different trucks. A bumpy ride but enjoyable. I was ready. I could do this. We arrived and they gave us harnesses and our ” zips”. Oh Lord. What was I thinking? I put the thing on, inspecting every inch of it. NO way. No way. How could I trust this metal thing to hold me hundreds of feet in the air? I had lost my mind. Had all these people lost their minds?

We were separated into groups. There were 13 in ours. Our treehouse could sleep all of us! Our guides were Ki (pronounced Key) and Input. They were in their early 20’s at most, but seemed confident. Jess noticed my safety notch seemed worn out. What? Are you kidding me? OMG. They swapped it out, but now I was really worried. We walked to our first little test line. It was short, and over a river. Ok, ok this doesn’t look so bad. I can do this. Conner, Jess and Christopher comforted me , saying it would be fine and we were ” oh so safe”. I watched as everyone in our group zipped their way across so effortlessly. The small village children gathered to watch us. We had passed them as we were walking. They were so adorable ! I later learned that our guide KI, was from the village.

How cute – seriously!! Makes my heart melt!

Ok, so I am ready. I can do this. And I get ready to go. Conner and the village kids are watching, and I start to cry. Like really cry. I didn’t mean to- once again. I was scared! After some convincing I did it. And it was fun! Really fun! OK, this isn’t bad! I can do this!!! I was excited – heart still pumping from adrenaline. Conner makes his way across and we begin a long hike to our next line.

We hiked up a very, very steep hill. I felt short of breath, which I am sure was due to my anxiety I just experienced. I can hike . Heck, I can run 7 miles without an issue. I was fine. Jess, Chris, and Conner ahead of me, I just kept walking. I couldn’t catch my breath. It was weird. I suddenly felt like I could pass out, I gasped ” Conner, I can’t breathe” before hyperventilating. If you have never had this happen to you- you are lucky! It is scary! This is only the 2nd time it has ever happened to me. It feels like what I imagine a panic attack to feel like.Conner and the guide ran over to me. I was gasping for a breath. I finally managed to catch it, but tears streamed down my face. It was a super scary feeling. Conner and the concerned guide rested with me for a few minutes and then I was ok to go again. There were others in our group behind me who were finding the hike itself challenging, so I didn’t feel so bad.

After some more hiking we arrived at our next zipline. There were a lot of lines. I got very nervous every time but would pray, and go. I actually felt like I was starting to get the hang of it. I can do this! I can do this! If I could get over my fear I would LOVE every second!

Sometimes I needed extra reassurance—

The views were incredible

I watched as the rest of my group seemed to love it and have no fear! Our eclectic group of a French father with his 3 daughters, 2 women cousins from Indonesia, a South Korean married couple, a Switzerland ultra marathon runner Marcel, and the 4 of us Americans!

The young French girls were super fearless! The sisters 15, 17 and I think 19, were just adorable! They would just jump out there like they were invincible! I wish I had that courage! I was hoping I would get it if I just kept going! Jess and Chris looked like pros- granted they had done it before! Conner also seemed so comfortable! Why was I so fearful? I enjoyed the shorter ones, but some of the really long ones ( up to 570 meters) were so intimidating! At some points I would beg to walk. Conner was like “Babe, come on- you can’t walk. It will take hours- you have to zip”. Omg. I was stuck. I had no choice at this point. I had to keep going.

Overall, the views were incredible. The experience amazing.

We stopped along the hike for lunch, in which the guides gave us some yummy sandwiches. We continued on and on until we reached our glorious treehouse! Oh we did pass the “tallest tree” in Laos along the way!

our treehouse aka hotel 🙂

Our fabulous group!!

We had to “zip” to our accommodations, where we would be sleeping. Our food for dinner and breakfast would be delivered via zipline. I was immediately impressed with the treehouse! It was huge!!! 3 levels, with running well water. We picked our areas where we would sleep.Two cots next to each other for the couples. Our only privacy a mosquito net around us.

After checking out the place we all congregated in a “dining room” area. We all started talking and hanging out. Ki and Input gave us snacks and tea/ coffee. Some took showers- some didn’t. The shower was pretty cool! If you have never showered above the forest with the open woods surrounding you- I highly recommend. The not so warm shower water, was ok- the views made up for it! Talk about really “being in nature”. Amazing!

Everyone hung out and just relaxed. Ki started showing card tricks. He was quite the entertainer! Before I knew it, I was his assistant. He kept asking me to help him with his tricks. It was fun!

We enjoyed the glorious sunset!!! It was difficult to take good pictures, but it was so beautiful!

They offered all of us Laos beers to put in our small packs earlier in the day before our departure, if we wanted to bring them. Many of us did. Conner also brought a small bottle of Laos whiskey. I think whiskey is so gross- however , I did try this Laos whiskey and it was pretty good!!

With our beverages, we were served a nice meal of mostly rice and veggies. Our nice Korean friends offered us their hot sauce that they brought. It was so yummy! The rest of the night was really enjoyable! One of my favorite parts of travel is meeting people from all over the world! I am a people -person, no doubt! I love , love , love hearing about others lives and experiences. When you travel to a place like Laos, especially a secluded treehouse in the middle of nowhere- you can bet , the people you meet are adventurous and have travelled well! The conversations are fabulous! I have learned so much from others’ experiences and cultures. Ki really opened up about his life. He was a resident of the small village outside of our departure earlier. He really wanted to go to college, but his mother had passed away , and his father told him he had to keep working for the family. His girlfriend is a medical doctor student in a city a few hours away. He seemed so smitten for her. He said they text all the time. So cool to imagine a person , living in a very small, remote village in Laos, chats with his girlfriend the same we do in the US. I encouraged him to stick to his dream of college, and never give up!

After hours of card tricks and good conversations, we finally started tapering off to bed. People slowly started sneaking away to under their personal mosquito covered tent areas. Conner and I stayed up a bit to help Ki clean the food. He said he was giving the leftovers to the tree rats. He told us they don’t bother him and they actually taste really good. He said he would catch one and make us tree rat soup. Um, no thanks Ki!

I had heard / read about these tree rats. Our mosquito nets had little bite holes in them, so I was a little nervous. As we laid in our area I asked Conner if I could pretty please keep the flash light on. It was pitch dark- and there were noises everywhere around us. Oh, and we are in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country. So, was I being a baby? I don’t think so!! He was sweet and said I could. Being on electrical engineer, he then inspected the flash light to make sure it wouldn’t get too hot and blow up in my face during the night. I felt semi -safe with my blaring light, sweet hubby, and mosquito net high up in the trees.

Lots of animal noises all around- Ki called out to us- “guys, there are mountain cats everywhere, come see!”. Oh boy! Conner got up and went out to look. He spotted some eyes in the trees.

During the night I slept on and off. Scattering noises would wake me. I would anxiously grab my light and look all around the covered area. “Conner, what is that” I’d ask. His reply ,” sorry babe , that was me”. This went on. He got up once or twice to go to the bathroom. Only days later would he tell me of the numerous tree rats he saw. He saw their shadows all around our sleeping area. He purposely lied telling me it was him making noise, knowing I’d freak out! I graciously thanked him!

We awoke Christmas day in our treehouse. How magnificent. We awoke on such a special day, in such a special place, surrounded by pure nature!

Stay tuned for more in Laos and adventures in Chiang Mai, Thailand….

❤

-Kinz

Lost in Laos….

by kinsay20January 17, 2017February 12, 2017

We awoke bright and early—- ok, not really bright- it was 6:00am, (which on this trip was sleeping in), to catch our bus to Vang Vieng. Conner, Chris, Jess and I had booked our bus a couple of days earlier and were told they would pick us up at our hotels at 7:30am. After a good hotel breakfast, to include my favorite- passion fruit- we sat in the lobby waiting for our bus. Chris and Jess were at their hotel down the street and we figured we would just meet on the bus. Around 7:45am we started getting worried. Where was our ride? I asked the front desk staff to call and check for me. She ensured me that they were coming. A mini van arrived and I watched in worry as the driver haphazardly threw our bags on top of the van. We climbed into a packed 14 seat van with 2 seats left for us. Conner and I remembered the ticket seller saying we would be taken to the big bus. We started driving and arrived near a big bus. Conner and I had agreed we would run off so we could get seats next to each other for the longer ride. As soon as we stopped, we jumped out and were quickly told by a man on the side of the road- “no, no, stay”. After our driver had a discussion with the man, our driver got back in and began driving again. We couldn’t understand what was going on, and nobody tried to explain it to us, but what we sort of assumed the big bus was full. It made sense, as there was no method of tracking bus ticket sales. In the entire town of Vientiane, (and we found later throughout Laos), everyone could sell bus tickets. The woman selling bikes, the guy at the street corner, the ladyboy playing pool at a bar—- yes, anyone could take your money and give you a paper receipt for a bus ticket. How could they possibly keep track of how many were sold?

It seemed their method was to just have a driver, or 3 extra on hand to drive the “extras” in the mini vans. Well, we had paid for a big bus. We thought we would be on a big bus. And now where were Chris and Jess? Were they on the bug bus? Who knew? We couldn’t reach them , since they didn’t have Wifi access.

So here we were on a cramped mini van with our luggage on top of the van , for the 4-5 hour journey. John and I were the only Westerners in the van, and the only English speakers it seemed. After 5 minutes the driver stopped again at a gas station. He was filling up the tank. We found out this was common practice too. In our next Laos rides, we would see they always fill up their tanks with the van full , and even change tires. It is just funny because in the US, these are things that are typically done before picking up the customers. However, this driver didn’t seem to have planned to be driving us all the Vang Vieng.

So the journey began. We tried to nap on the ride, but the winding roads up and through the mountains made it tough. The ride was quite beautiful, if you have a string stomach. I was ok, and actually really enjoyed the beautiful views.

Our Korean and Chinese co-passengers mostly slept during the ride. We stopped half way at a rest stop for lunch, and ran into Jess and Chris! They were on the big bus! Thank goodness! They figured we had been put on another bus when they saw their’s was full.

As we arrived closer to the beautiful mountain- river town, I thought about it’s crazy history from my previous research. The legends say that the main flowing river was named “Xong (bed) of Phra Nha Phao” — or “Nam Song “— in 1356 AD, after the body of the deceased King was seen floating down the river. Nearly 700 years later, the bodies were still coming. Sounds gruesome right?

After many, many years of the town being a sleepy fishing and farming village, backpackers and travelers began to catch on to its beauty. It started becoming a destination for rock climbing and caving. Many travelers would volunteer to help local farmers, in exchange for a place to stay. In 1999, an organic local farmer had an idea to use old tractor tires as tubes for his volunteers to float along the idyllic lagoon-like river. Once more guesthouses opened and saw how much the travelers liked tubing, they all began offering tubes. More and more people started coming. Word of mouth amongst the backpacker population really spread. A few locals opened little bars along the river to offer the tubers drinks. Once the locals realized that these young travelers enjoyed the “party” while they float along the river- more and more and more bars opened. Signs would advertise “free joint with booze” along the river.

Next came ziplines, rope swings , and very intoxicated backpackers. Many locals were making money off of the new escalated tourism, but many were upset. The lovely, quiet village now had loud techno music blaring over rice fields. And then people started getting hurt. In 2011, it is said that 27+ backpackers/ travelers died in the river. Many drowned, or hit their head falling from swings or ziplines into shallow water. Interesting article link—

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/07/vang-vieng-laos-party-town

Families of the injured or deceased contacted their embassies with concerns and despair. Reports stated the bars were serving laced alcoholic drinks. Drinks with mushrooms and opium. Eventually this “unregulated tourism” was recognized by the government and a huge overhaul took place. All of the bars were shut down. The years that followed required tourists to wear life jackets along the river that was only accessible during certain hours. Tourism and business drastically declined. Apparently in 2015 it started to pick up again. A couple of “regulated” bars were approved to open again. (We will get to that later).

It is quite sad to know and think how a beautiful destination could be so tainted with such circumstances. I can say from my experience with spending some time, talking and hanging out with some backpackers- they are a very unique group. They are like modern day hippies, or beatniks. Some start as young travelers freshly out of school, just exploring the world. Many Australians, Israelis and Europeans encourage their children to do so. Not just for a few weeks or months. Many do a year, some 2 years. And some just keep going. It seems it is common for some to get caught up in the lifestyle. Who can blame them? They just travel, hangout, meet new people. No job, no responsibility. Southeast Asia is a very popular destination for this group because it is so inexpensive. They can live on $10 USD easily. A cheap hostel and street food. Of course Conner and I do not stay in those hostels, or eat in that way. But then again, we aren’t traveling for a year at a time. We have enjoyed hanging out near the backpacker hostel neighborhoods in the past though. In Cambodia and Vietnam we had great times having late night talks with some interesting backpackers. Some have fascinating stories! Their ages range from 18- 40 (with some outliers).

One of the bloggers I follow wrote this interesting piece on the subject—( Make sure to watch the video on the site as well)

http://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/why-are-backpackers-in-southeast-asia-so-stupid/

So we arrive in the lovely town. After getting our packs we set out to find our hotel. Walking along the streets you could immediately see the “backpacker” presence. They were everywhere. The restaurants and stores catered to the population with signs saying “ free drinks”, “magic milkshakes”, “ cheap pizza” etc. I was in agreement to come here knowing it wasn’t as crazy as it had been years earlier. It was startling to see some of the open advertisements for drugs. Did I mention this is a communist country? They say “ social republic” but it is really a fancy term for communist ( in my opinion, and from my research).

Conner and I found our hotel and checked in. It was ok- “Laos Haven”. Nothing special, but it was fine. Jess and Chris messaged us. They had found it too and were ready for lunch. We met at a German- Laos restaurant. A small restaurant with one man working. A small menu of both German and Laos food. We all had pork schnitzels , which were pretty tasty!

We decided to use the rest of the afternoon tubing. We were going to wait to tube until the following day but it was still early afternoon, so we had plenty of time!

Signing waivers for our tubes was like signing off on our life. They would accept no liability if we were hurt. They wrote numbers on our hands in permanent markers and we were led to a truck that would take us to the tubing starting point. We passed an extremely intoxicated couple , probably in their mid 50’s. The man was mumbling nonsense and stumbling. They were in bathing suits and returning their tubes. Eek- scary to think they were just in the river. We set out on the river – the water a bit chilly, but the scenery really beautiful. There were some other small groups tubing near us but everyone was calm and enjoying the ride. We rode along for quite awhile with mountains surrounding us. Only a few spots had strong currents.

We approached closer to loud music and people laughing. As we edged closer we could see one of the river bars on the side packed with tubes. We decided we would stop and take a look. As we got off of our tubes and walked up the shore, Jess gave me a look like “ oh my gosh”. There was just a bunch of people in bathing suits dancing and acting silly. It did look a bit like a hot mess as we approached. I warned Christopher and Jess that they would see way more of this when they go to areas of Thailand-especially Phuket. Nobody was necessarily doing anything wrong.They just were drunk and some of them looked really ridiculous. One girl’s breasts were pouring out of her way too small bathing suit- if you think that sounds sexy , well it wasn’t -hah…she was a non-hot mess. But you know- more power to her. She was having fun. One guy was dancing in circles by himself. The bartenders at the makeshift bar were Australian and European tourists in their 20’s. It seems they will stay and work in the Vang Vieng bars for a month or 6 months to make money and just hangout, until they decide to travel on to their next stop.

We had a beer and people watched. It was great “people watching” to say the least. Back on our tubes we floated along the lovely river. We passed multiple small boats with monks. They were taking our pictures, while we were taking theirs. How funny!

As we neared the end of the tubing (takes about 2-3 hours or so to get down the whole river), we unloaded out at the same time as a bunch of other tourists. We all bargained with a local driver to take us back in his truck with benches in the back. There were about 10 of us. We loaded in and drunk boob girl made room for herself laying on a hammock over the rest of us. The driver seemed shocked that she was laying in his hammock. “Oh hey guys. Now this is weird—“, she said in her Australian accent, “ you aren’t any of the people I started with tubing today. Haha, so funny. Who are you people”? Oh jeez. She continued to say silly things during the ride. One guy begged for money to borrow to pay the driver. “ I promise I will pay someone back”, he kept saying. Everyone just kind of ignored him, until finally after the 5th time of him asking one guy gave him money.

There was a nice couple we chatted with a bit. They would be traveling for 8 months they said. They seemed young- probably 22 or so. We returned our tubes- boob girl tried to accuse my brother of taking her tube because she couldn’t find hers. But hers was right in front of her. Yup, that happened.

We went back to the hotel to rinse off quickly so we could go eat dinner. All that tubing made us hungry! Conner, Chris , Jess and I had a nice dinner of Asian dishes. Many of the restaurants in Vang VIeng offer a similar eclectic menu- one that caters to tourists. Menus that have asian dishes, pizza, burgers, etc.

After dinner we walked around the cute and busy street. We stopped at a cool looking bar to hangout for a bit. It was really cool, you take off your shoes and sit at a very Japanese type table. We took a look at the menu to pick out our beer or, in my case wine- and were shocked at the menu items—- an entire section with items like “mushrooms” , “opium” , “joints”. Were we in an alternate universe? I am going to go with yes. Yes, we were.

We saw this type of thing in Cambodia 2 years ago, but it wasn’t so blatant. It wasn’t listed on a menu with prices right next to pizza and a soda. Hmm ok——well, needless to say after one drink we left. We left to find another bar—- have you seen “locked up abroad”- that show will scare you to death! They literally give tourists the death penalty in Indonesia for drugs.

So we found another bar with pool tables and music. They weren’t advertising drugs, but they were giving away free shots. Yes, just giving away free liquor to anyone who would take it. No strings attached. Now, I don’t drink liquor so it was a no for me. Conner had one free drink. We sat and watched the interesting people. This particular bar had good music, cool pool tables and games, and lady boys. A couple really attractive ladyboys. Yes, they are men who look like women, and dress like women. Some of them are very attractive, and you just can’t tell. Conner and Christopher say you can “always tell”, but I don’t know- they had me fooled. Christopher thinks the key is looking at the hands. Conner says he can “just tell”.Hmmmm— ok well I know some ladies with bigger hands.

After our people watching entertainment for the night we set off to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling quite sick. Maybe it was something I ate? I don’t know. I was hoping it would pass because I was so excited to hike the next day.

Well it didn’t pass- I still felt weird and sick in the AM. Conner brought me a sandwich and smoothie but I didn’t feel up to eating. It is quite common to get a little food poisoning or sick at least when traveling , especially in Southeast Asia. I eventually told Conner to go enjoy without me. He, Chris and Jess rode bikes and took a hike that I had been so excited to take!!!! I was so incredibly sad to miss it!

By 7pm I was finally feeling better, so Conner convinced me to go get pizza. We walked around, had some pizza and enjoyed the town. While Vang Vieng is tainted with a history of poorly behaved tourists and unfortunate situations, it is still a very lovely town. I definitely recommend a 2-3 night stop here when in Laos.

The next AM we set out for Luang Prabang- another city I was so incredibly excited to see! Our mini van bus picked the four of us up at outside our hotel in the AM. Conner got us some really delicious breakfast sandwiches. The french baguettes with egg and cheese were so yummy!

The ride was another twisty, turning, stomach- wrenching ride along the mountains. Really, really beautiful. But again- if you have a queasy stomach- take something!
We arrived in the quaint and beautiful town around lunch time. Conner and I walked and found our adorable hotel “Villa Ban Lakkham” and Chris and Jess walked a little further to get to theirs- only about a 2 minute walk away.

I really liked this hotel! The room was so pretty and clean, with our own private balcony.

Overlooking the water, the hotel had a very rustic, but chic feel to it. We settled in and then went and walked around. Jess and Chris met us along the pretty Mekong riverside for lunch. After a nice lunch we walked around the town and then hiked to the really cool temple view point.

We saw monks making crafts in the street, women selling birds that you could buy to “set free for good luck” at the temple. At the top we had amazing views! We even saw buddhas footprint in a cave!

We then walked along the night market, and tried to figure out bus tickets for Huay Xai-our next stop in a couple days. Huey Xai was where we had booked the “Gibbon Experience” ( more on that later). This town is far out- way out- even Laos locals have no idea where it is. It is not a super common place to go to, so we didnt want to miss our chance to get a ticket booked. Did I mention you can’t book these things ahead of time? Bus tickets in Laos , are not able to be booked via online, phone or other means that we could figure out. So odd, considering it is a pretty established country. More established than Myanmar overall, and way more accustomed to tourists- but somehow Myanmar had their bus/ train system planning down better than Laos.

We tried chatting and negotiating with a few sellers. After some debate and chat, Conner and I decided to do a day bus trip to allow us an extra night in Luang Prabang. Chris and Jess decided to do a night bus ride, so that they wouldn’t lose any day time. Both have their plusses I suppose. Conner and I wanted to maximize our time in Luang Prabang and didn’t think we would get a good nights sleep on a bus. We felt a rested nights sleep would be better for us. Jess and Chris felt they could pass out and sleep their whole ride.

That night Conner and I had an amazing dinner at a French restaurant right along the main street of Luang Prabang called Tangor. It was such a cute place with so much detail and art. I had a delicious cheese & meat plate for dinner and Conner and a duck breast!

After some more investigation and negotiation we booked our daily activities for the following day with a tour guide. We had planned to see the well-known Kuang SI waterfalls, and the “Living land farm”. Jess and Chris just wanted to the do the falls and booked a separate time. As it worked out, for us to do both, we had to get up early in the AM to go see the waterfalls so that we could be back in time for the Living Land at 1:00pm.

Getting up early to an alarm on vacation is never intriguing, but sometimes in order to make the most of your time, and see everything, it is the only way! Up bright and early we enjoyed breakfast on the balcony of our hotel, and then our private tuk -tuk driver picked us up. The journey from town to the falls took about 45 minutes. I realized all of the group tour times advertised were for 11:30am and later in the afternoon. None for the morning! This meant we would have the whole place to ourselves! Only 1 other vehicle was outside the entrance when we arrived around 8am.

As we entered, we were excited to see the awesome bear sanctuary. I had read about it online but it was even cooler in person! There were so many bears- and they were set up living in natural habitats. We watched them wrestle and play. It was really neat!

We then began our hike to the falls. There are some beautiful pools and falls near the ground level entrance- they go on and on and are so pretty. Some are described and called “fairy pools” because that is what they look like. They reminded me of a movie I loved growing up called “ Fern gully”.

Conner and I decided to take the hike to the right side to the top of the falls. Conner had read it was steeper and more challenging but that it was a better view. It was actually very steep and both of us almost fell a couple of times. Once we made it to the top, it was so worth it!! It was so pretty and peaceful!

We had a really great time! Eventually, we knew we had to head the hike back down to find our driver. We started walking and figured we could go down the left side- the opposite of the side we came up. So we walk, and we walk— and we walks some more. After some time we started thinking something wasn’t right. We had no clue where we were, but we knew we weren’t heading the right way. We realized we were lost. With no internet/ cell connection, we didn’t really know where to go. We were officially- lost in Laos.

We kept hiking at a faster pace, hoping we would see something, or somebody. It is a little scary when you truly have no idea where you are. This happened to us on a hike in Thailand. We went over a Tsunami -struck island- a hike the locals told us we were crazy to do.We made it through that time, as we would this time ( that’s what I told myself). I wonder how long it be for someone to notice we were missing? Would our driver care if we didn’t return? Would the hotel report us missing? What about Chris and Jess? They probably wouldn’t worry for a day or so-thinking we just didn’t have cell connection. I could see the headline now ” US couple mysteriously vanishes in the waterfalls of Laos”.

As my imagination ran wild, we suddenly heard a lovely sound– the sound of the falls! We were getting closer. We knew once we found the falls again, we could follow them all the way down the mountain.

Once we made our way back down the steep mountain, we found our driver and made our way back to town. Whew! Thank goodness! We had just enough time to grab a sandwich to scarf down quickly!

Our afternoon was spent at the Living Land farm. We arrived, greeted by a sweet, local guide. Our 4 hours there was magnificent! We had a nice group of people from all of the world. There were about 12 of us- Germans, French, Australian, Canadians. Our guide took us through all 13 steps to make rice. Who knew rice was so complicated? I appreciate rice now, like never before. The process is quite amazing!

We were able to partake in all the steps- that includes ploughing the sweet water buffalo. Conner was so good at it! Keep in mind, the fertilizer is water buffalo poop. Yes- that huge water/ mud looking stuff is poop, and we walked all through it. Your feet sink like quick- sand! Oh, and there are leeches too!

Our awesome guide singing —

It was really such a fun afternoon! After working hard in the rice fields, we got to enjoy some rice treats and rice wine!

After a fabulous day of waterfalls, bears and rice farming we relaxed! We had an amazing dinner of Korean Bbq to end our night in Luang Prabang!

Korean BBQ, allows you to get to cook at your table! They light coals and provide you with all the veggies, raw meats, and sauces. It was so fun to have Conner cook dinner, since at home in the US, I usually cook ;).

An amazing night to end a great day! To bed we go to get up early for the alms of the monks!

ບໍ່ໄດ້ສູນເສຍ

bode sunsia (not lost)– In Laos,

Kinz

From Rats to Riches…

by kinsay20January 2, 2017January 2, 2017

Ah, yes we began our travels in Myanmar staying in a hotel with rats ( see previous post, “Yangon(e) goes my passport”) , and now we are staying in a huge suite in a Hilton. Actually, we basically have the entire Hilton property to ourselves, or should I say “compound”. The Hilton property in the capital city of Napithaw was deserted. Workers, maintenance and beautiful grounds surrounding us, but no other guests. Weird right? The entire town seemed deserted (hence “post-apocalyptic”- previous post). There were no cars in the highways. None for miles and miles, along a city with many 5 star hotels and large homes. Where were all the people?

Interesting article —

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/10/they-built-a-capital-and-no-one-came-inside-burma-s-ghost-city.html

We slept really well in our amazing, enormous room(s). The next morning after a fabulous buffet breakfast, I decided to get a good workout in at the hotel gym before we set out back to Yangon. It felt good to get in a good run- even though we do a lot of walking when we travel, it’s just not quite the same.

We set out on our bus ride back to Yangon where we would fly out the following morning to Laos. The 5 hour bus ride wasn’t too bad, with a lunch break rest stop along the way.

Jess is unsure of this tentacle in her soup— haha—

We arrived back to Yangon, but we were not returning to that awful hotel we stayed in last time we were in this city. Christopher and Jess booked a nice hostel and John and I found a hotel near the airport. It was nothing spectacular, ( I am convinced Yangon accommodations just stink overall), but it was way better than our rat hotel.

John and I enjoyed a nice Myanmar beer and Thai meal at the hotel and went right to sleep. I should say, I am not particularly a beer drinker, but there are some beers in Asia I like very much. I like the Myanmar beer, Singha, Tiger and Asahi are also good. In Southeast Asia the beer is super cheap. For .50 cents you can get a tall beer in most countries.

The next morning we met at the airport for our flight to Laos! The check -in process was quite archaic with no technology involved. Our paper tickets in hand, we headed to the waiting area where we could watch obnoxious Chinese tourists, and Myanmar locals chew their betel nut.

I didn’t want to be rude and take a picture of someone’s teeth- but the googled pic below does a good job showing you the common sight seen in the country-

Our flight was pleasant and we were even fed on it. Not bad for a propeller plane. One thing I have mentioned in previous blog posts about Asia- all the stewardesses are pretty! Like really attractive people and so polite. This is across the board in Asia- Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and now Myanmar and Laos. They are so polite and nice and professional.

We arrived in Laos around lunch time and had only a short wait to get our “ visa on arrival”. We had applied and obtained our visa for Myanmar weeks prior to our trip. Research online made it clear that most just did the “on arrival visa “ in Laos. While Myanmar is newer to tourism ( only about 5 years for Westerners), Laos has been one to tourists for over a decade. Our Laos visa cost us 35$ USD plus $1 for a picture. The process really didnt’ take more than 30 minutes.

As we were departing the Laos airport we saw a place to buy SIM cards. John and I have used SIM cards in many other countries , and found it is very helpful. You can then use google maps to help you get around, and websites like TripAdvisor to find places to eat, attractions, etc. We paid $5 USD each for 5 gigabytes . The Laos cellphone company employee set up our phones. John’s phone wouldn’t register to 4G, not even 3G. I have the exact same phone and mine was in 4G. We were a little frustrated and the women offered to not have John pay for his, but he did anyways.

Outside the airport we were swarmed with drivers again begging for our business. We settled on a tuk -tuk who took us to our hotels in Vientiane. We dropped off Chris and Jess first, and then were taken to ours, a lovely place with a pool. Our room on the second floor, accessible either by elevator or a beautiful, winding staircase.

After we freshened up John and I set out to explore and find a place for lunch. Ahhh a new city, and a new country!! So exciting ! We had heard great things about Laos from many backpackers and avid travelers we met on other trips.

Walking down the streets of Vientiane, we immediately noted how different it was from Myanmar. The streets were much cleaner and were lined with magnificent cafes. The French influence was abundantly obvious! Laos was a French territory for quite some time. We would soon find the baguettes, pastries and sandwiches were very “ french”. John found a popular Italian place called “Tyson Kitchen” on TripAdvisor for us to enjoy lunch.

We were greeted by a sweet young server, a teenager. I spoke him for quite some time. He was from the Philippines. He and his family had made their way out of the Philippines and to Thailand 6 years earlier. They had been in Laos for 1 year now. He was explaining to me that he has to go back to the Laos/ Thai border every 30 days to get another 30 day visa. His father is in Pensacola, FL- which coincidentally, is where my father is from! He, his mom, and siblings are all doing the paperwork to get to Pensacola to be with his father. He said the Thai are getting “suspicious” with his monthly border crossings. He told me he goes to school and works every day. He even has school on Saturdays! His English was very good, and I encouraged him to follow his dream and get to FL!

John and I had delicious pizza, mozzarella balls and — red wine! Yay! Good, red, French wine! I saw a woman sitting at a nearby table talking to something in a box. I walked over and saw the tiny kitten inside. I had been missing my kitties, so this was a warming sight to see. The woman, an American from New Mexico, told me her name was Annette. She was friends with the restaurant owner and was just watching his rescued kitten. She and I then talked for quite a while. Poor John has to deal with me doing this often. I can’t help it- I love people! I love meeting new people, and leaning about them.

Annette appeared to be about 60. A woman with a thin frame and bobbed silver hair. She had been traveling as a single woman all over the world for her entire adult life. To places where people don’t tend to travel for pleasure. She told me about her time in Syria, and how she had to be rescued out by the embassy. And her time in some African countries. This was her 10th time in Laos. She had been to Myanmar 13 times. Annette was just fascinating! She told me she had been married for a few years, but was always traveling for work- sometimes a year at a time, so her husband left her. I inquired about her work, and how she had the time and money to travel so extravagantly. She said she was “ a very smart business woman”, and left it at that, although she did mention CEO at some point. We exchanged emails and talked about getting together for a drink the following night. I knew Jessica would really like to talk to her as well.

John and I walked around the adorable, quaint town and got an AMAZING massage for equal to just $7 USD for 1 hour. John whispered that he didn’t want a man to massage him as we walked in– haha too late! He still enjoyed it 🙂

Jess and Chris had traditional Laos cuisine somewhere else for lunch. John and I spent a good amount of time walking through the night market area. We saw a huge group of local woman doing workout dancing in the park! This is something we have seen in Vietnam. So fun! Love it!

A bit later we stopped at place to get a sandwich / burger for dinner. Jess and Christopher met us and we had a nice dinner outside. Afterwards we found a cool bar called “ Wind west” where there was really great live music! The female singers were very talented! We stayed for an hour or so, enjoying the music and the crowd.

Christopher & Conner trying to win us prizes at the night market

The following morning John and I got up pretty early. We decided to find a place to rent bikes for the day. It was not hard to find, as bike rentals in Vientiane are everywhere. We ran into Christopher outside his hotel. Today was laundry day for us all. John and I had given ours to our hotel and Chris and Jess found a place near theirs.

We bargained and found a good deal on bike rentals. I tested mine out, and was nervous at first seeing the busy streets with cars. I asked for a helmet. “ Helmet only for motor bike”, multiple women told me . “ No, please I want for regular bike, I will pay extra”. After I insisted , they finally gave me a helmet. Look, in my career I have seen patients with traumatic brain injuries, and some hit by cars. If you have seen what I have , you would insist on a helmet too!

Chris and Jess were still getting ready for the day so we said we would meet later by the river. It was challenging at times to keep in touch, We had our SIMS, but they were using Wifi so at times we couldn’t reach each other. John I rode along the water and then to some Wats (temples).

It was really nice riding along the city. I love bike riding, and I think it is a great way to see a city! We did an amazing bike tour in San Fran with my dad and brother Michael, sister Kelly this past Summer. John and I also rode bike through Vietnam. Traffic on some roads in Vientiane was a bit hectic, but overall it was nice.

We stopped at an indoor shopping mall plaza. It was a huge 3 level mall. I found 18k gold earrings for only $25 USD ! John bought a couple of cell phone cases. As we were riding along on our bikes outside the shopping area, I saw Jess and Chris on the other side of the intersection. I frantically called and waved to them. We were able to meet each other and discuss afternoon plans. They had already been to the arc we wanted to see, so they set out for the mall as we went to the arc. We decided we would meet for lunch in an hour.

The arc was really cool! We climbed to the top for some fun pics!

DCIM100GOPROGOPR0374.JPG

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John and I rode around a bit longer and then had a nice lunch with Jessica and Christopher. We went to the COPE center together. COPE ( Cooperative orthotic and prosthetic enterprise) is a rehabilitation center in Laos, which provides those with physical disabilties free, quality care.

http://copelaos.org

During the Vietnam war, many Vietnamese soldiers were hiding in Laos. Of course there are multiple sides and opinions to every story, but it is true that the United States dropped many bombs on the country. Google fact check-

“From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance on Laos during 580,000bombing missions—equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes, 24-hours a day, for 9 years – making Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.”

It makes the US sounds awful- and it is awful. War is awful! But- we were trying to help many people in Vietnam escape communism. The Laos were helping hide their Vietnamese neighbors- those neighbors who were also attacking us.

Unfortunately, the aftermath of war can be just as a brutal. Many of the explosives did not go off and are still “live” in the countryside of Laos. Children playing in fields, and farmers have been badly injured when these explode- all these years later.

The COPE center helps many amputees, and those injured from these explosives, as well as those born with disabilities, or in motor accidents. Being a physical therapist, I found it especially interesting, that they have used all sorts of materials to create the prosthetics.

No matter how you feel about war, or specifally the Vietnam war- I think it is important to see the aftermath and learn from it. There are teams of workers who go out every day, searching to recover the millions of remnants and possibly “active” explosives in the countryside.

Artists throughout Laos use the materials found to create images.

Later, after walking around a bit more, we found a cool rooftop bar where we could oversee the night market. We sat there for awhile, talking and relaxing.

Night market

The following morning we planned to head to Buddha park.I was so excited about this! I had read and seen pictures and knew it was going to be amazing!

After some negotiating with different tuk -tuk drivers we finally settled on a good deal. The driver would take us to Buddha park and another amazing, famous temple. We also thought about adding in Laos beer brewery to our itinerary, but decided not to. I had just taken John to 4 breweries in DC for his birthday a few months earlier , so we had our fill.

As we arrived at Buddha park our driver tried to communicate that he wanted some money. The boys insisted we would pay him after our day was complete and we were back in the city ( the park was a good 40 minutes away). The driver kept trying to mime what he was saying . I understood- he needed money for gas. He needed to fill up his tank. He was just asking for a small portion of the money so he could get gas. Finally John and Christopher gave him some. Sheesh!

Buddha park was even more phenomenal than I imagined! Pictures just don’t do it justice. It was so incredibly cool! Incredibly cool, but incredibly hot! Imagine this is their cold season? (90 degrees and sweating!)

Me & John

We stayed for awhile just admiring the beautiful sculptures and art. The temple also magnificent!

Reclining Buddha

Jess and Chris

The Amazing and beautiful Pha That Luang

Back in the city, John and I got a sandwich and rested at our hotel for a bit. Jess and Chris also went back to rejuvenate.

John and I spent the evening walking around some more and visiting the rooftop bar again. We loved the vibe and view, although this night, we got to see some disturbing Westerner men with “escorts” situations. This is EVERYWHERE in Thailand. We also saw it some in Cambodia, and even Japan. The scenarios can be really awkward and I have got to learn to keep my mouth shut. There was one time in Cambodia, where there was a very old American man being inappropriate with a girl who looked about 12. I said something . Yes, I sure did. John was a little upset telling me that I am in another country and I can’t do that. Oops! Sorry, I was just so bothered by it, that I couldn’t contain myself.

The next AM we were heading to the mountain, river town of Vang Vieng. A popular tourist attraction for the last decade, that was tarnished by poor behaving tourists! The government had to put some serious retrictions on the city a few years ago. I had read about it and was excited to see the new, clean and improved town.

ສໍາລັບໃນປັດຈຸບັນ (goodbye for now- in Laotian),

❤ Kinz

Magical Mandalay to the Post-Apocalyptic Capital

by kinsay20December 27, 2016February 12, 2017

The remainder of our slow boat ride from Bagan to Mandalay was nice and we just relaxed on the top deck. The southeast Asia sun definitely burned me and Conner!

As we disembarked the boat in Mandalay we were surrounded with cab drivers begging for our business. We found one who seemed nice and had a good price. He drove us the 15 minute ride to our hotels. Jess and Christopher were staying down the street from our hotel Yadanarbon.

As we entered the nice lobby we were greeted with a welcome drink and nice cloths to wash our hands ( pretty customary in Asia). After settling into our room Conner and I went to the nice rooftop for sunset.

We were given a complimentary cocktail and ordered 2 orders of spring rolls appetizer. When they arrived we realized we could split an order-they were huge- each had 10 spring rolls. They were very good and the sunset was beautiful. They informed us a traditional show with singing, marionettes, musicians and dancing would begin at 7:30. We messaged Jess and Christopher to come and join for dinner and the show. We had a pretty good dinner and I really enjoyed the show! The costumes were really pretty and performers very talented.

After the show we went to bed, again planning to get up early to explore the city of Mandalay. The next morning we quickly realized Mandalay was very different from both Bagan and Yangon. Mandalay had the hustle and bustle city feel of Yangon, but not quite as hectic. Most roads in Mandalay are dirt roads, much like in Siem Reap, Cambodia. As walked near our hotel we walked through a crazy street market. We have seen many of these throughout southeast Asia. At times you question the cleanliness, and we reminded ourselves that all the restaurants we eat in likely get their produce from these markets.

I’ll never forget the time Conner tasted durian fruit in Vietnam from a woman on the street who looked like she hadn’t showered in weeks and was cutting the fruit with a knife that has probably never been cleaned. I thought he was nuts! Jessica is pretty liberal with her street food tastings. I like to consider myself adventurous- there was the time I ate a bowl of snails from s street vendor in Morroco, and I’m pretty sure we never really knew what exactly we were eating in Beijing half the time.

Many street vendors in Myanmar have women selling these fried looking patty things that are filled with different things- beans, shrimp, vegetables. I kind of wanted to try one, justifying it was probably safe considering I just saw the woman remove some from the hot fryer. Christopher changed my mind though when told me about “ gutter oil”. Apparently it is a thing in China, not sure about other asian countries. It is literally oil from the gutters. Yup, I’m good. Not that hungry.

We set out to find a camera repair shop (1 of only 3 in the city) for Jessica’s sunscreen damaged camera. We found the shop down a side road. The repair man was very nice and told us to come back in 3 hours (at least thats what we thought he was saying). He told us he wouldn’t charge her any money if he couldn’t fix it. We prayed he would be able to!
We continued on to find the Royal palace. Passing a public exercise area on the way, they decided to try it out. These types of things are common in Vietnam as well.

Once we arrived at a palace entrance locals tried to tell us we couldn’t go in that way. As we got closer we realized they were right- tourists could not enter from that point. The entry point we could use was about a 45 minute walk. A guy offered us motor bikes but I refused. I have heard from too many people about tourist injuries , especially in the cities with busy traffic.

We couldn’t find a cab so after some time the motor bike guy waved down a pickup truck looking vehicle with benches in the back. We have seen locals transported this way but we hadn’t done it. It was actually a cool experience.

A man with betel but red-stained teeth sat in the back next to me trying to make conversation. I was distracted by his teeth, but he seemed nice.

As we arrived near the palace we noticed a parade lining up along the street. We asked to get off the truck so we could check it out! It was so fun to see! All the beautiful multi colored costumes, hundreds of horses and carriages, elephants and cows. It was quite a parade!

On our walk to the palace we find little public workout exercise area. These are common in Asia also. So fun! LOL

We made our way through the palace. As we walked through I tried to imagine what it would have been like to live there thousands of years ago.

After the palace we walked up a hill to a pagoda surrounded by white structures. After taking off our shoes and socks we were allowed to walk all around. It was really a beautiful place! We were definitely hot though at the peak sun time of the day!

We found a nice taxi driver outside the pagoda to take us to the camera repair shop. He called himself “ Mr Very Nice guy” and tried to sell us on letting him be our driver the following day. We had planned to venture to a few area outside Mandalay to see some sites. We got his card and told him we would call him.

Back at the camera repair shop we arrived to find it closed. Oh no! Didnt he tell us to come back at this time? We were confused and concerned until an elderly man approached us telling us the repair man was at lunch and would be back. He even called him for us to let him know we were there. The man was so cute. He kept insisting we sit down in his nephews shop next door. He told us he was a retired teacher and was receiving a pension.

When the repair man returned, we were bummed to find out he wasn’t able to fix the camera. Jessica was pretty sad, and we all felt badly. We continued on to a hillside pagoda for sunset. It was really pretty. We all agreed we had never seen a sun set quite that way. The sun itself appeared to be 5 different colors at one point. Magnificent!

DCIM100GOPROGOPR0335.JPG

Conner found a good rated Italian restaurant on trip advisor for dinner. We were all excited to have something different! Mangia, a cute, clean Italian restraint was only about 1/2 mile from out hotels. The overwhelmingly strong smell of garlic was refreshing as we entered!

I ordered a beef pasta with red sauce, while the others ordered the cream bacon sauce pasta special. I was hoping I could have a glass of red wine to go with my pasta, but learned the didnt have any. They only served Myanmar beer. The waitress explained that to sell anything other than Myanmar beer required a special license. No wine for me!
We found a taxi driver who offered to be our driver the following day for almost half of what Mr very nice guy had offered. We agreed and he said he would arrive at 8:30am to pick us up.

Our following day began with a local pagoda we hadn’t been to.

Check out the boys in their skirts 😉

We then drive 1.5 hours to an outside town. Jess got a little car sick. It was a pretty bumpy ride on dirt roads. She had some motion sickness medicine back at the hotel but didnt want to take it because it makes her drowsy. After we were out of the car she felt better.

We explored the interesting , unique sites and walked around. Mingun.

Looks like an elephant behind–

Ancient Mingun bell

Christopher bought some bamboo wallets and we checked out the old Mingun bell. After finding our driver we asked him if we could stop for lunch. He took us to another amazing pagoda area –amazing!!!

Conner cleaning his yucky feet for the 20th time that day 😉 ( we carry wipes in our bags)

And then to a village area and pulled up to a local place telling us it was good to eat. The place seemed to be the stop all drivers bright tourists too. The drivers ate in one side of the place, and the tourists on the other. Me, Jessica and Conner ordered a chicken curry dish, and Christopher a fried rice and meat dish. Our food was way less than appetizing. I ate the rice and some of the chicken just because I was hungry. We all prayed we wouldn’t get sick. It just didn’t seem like the most hygienic place. Again, when you travel to other countries, these are just things you will come across, and learn to deal with.

After lunch we were led down to the surrounding river area where we were told to board a small motor boat to take us across the water way to the island village. I was a little afraid the boat may tip over, but we made it across. As we pulled up I noticed a group of 10 local girls pointing to the boat and I knew just what they were doing. They were each calling dibs on which tourist they wanted. We had learned previously in Myanmar that this was common practice. They do not want to “compete” with each other so they each pick their designated tourist to attempt to sell to.

They are sweet and although somewhat pushy, they are just trying to make a living. They all have the same English lines- “hello, you look so pretty. Look at my necklaces. You should get for Christmas present.” and “ You will be my first customer of the day which means lucky money- you will be lucky if you buy from me!” Haha and my favorite- “it is so cheap it is almost free”.

I politely tell the girl that I have already bought things and have no room left in my bag. We start walking through the island where there are about 50 horses and carriages. The carriage drivers started aggressively harassing us “ carriage ride to monastery- you must ride, walk too long”. They kept saying the walk would be 2 hours, some even said 5 hours. Conner’s trust GPS map confirmed that it was indeed not that far- maybe a 20 minute walk. We kept refusing the carriages but they followed us. It got a little annoying after a few minutes. We kept walking passing many local villagers, pigs, banana trees everywhere.

We arrived to a cool pagoda to climb. The stairs were a bit sketchy and not sturdy, but we made to to the top.

View from the top-

rice fields everywhere!

locals playing volleyball type game

with 2 of my fave guys!!

We walked around some more and saw some local girls staring up to a tree. I asked what they saw. They explained that a burmese python lived in the tree. “She comes out in the morning”, the young teenager told me, “ I see her when I pass by on my way to work. She is sleeping now”. They kept staring up as though it may come out. We looked for awhile but never saw anything. That would be crazy to have seen a wild python! The girls said it was 6 feet long and very wide.

We got back on the little boat with the bottom floor made of 2 inch width boards, water seeping through some. We made it back to shore and found our driver waiting for us. I desperately needed to use the bathroom. Conner and Christopher had warned us about the lunch restaurant’s bathroom, but it was our only option. It was an outhouse type bathroom. I waited outside while Jessica went in first. I heard commotion and chatter from behind the fence. I peaked around to see a group of men gambling and playing cards. I snapped the photo below and the laughed saying “ five dollars’. I knew they were kidding. They immediately dispersed after that though. Jessica came out and said the bathroom wasn’t “the absolute worst she had seen”. Ugh. I went in holding my breath as long as I could. I wanted to get in and out as fast as possible. It was a squatter, meaning no seat- just a hole. It smelled so incredibly bad that I started gagging. Needless to say I made record time getting out.

The “outhouse”– yuck!!!!!

locals I caught gambling — busted!

We carry hand sanitizer everywhere. I used a lot all over my hands and arms. Our driver then drove us to our last destination for the day- U bein bridge. This very popular bridge on many postcards is a photographers dream. Surrounded by beautiful scenery and water, it is quite pretty. We walked across the bridge. It definitely did not seem sturdy or extremely safe but many people were walking across. The wood panels have many gaps between them and my foot slipped through a few times. We were getting restless and although it was pretty, we didnt want to wait another hour for the sunset. We know the pictures would have been amazing but we still had an hour drive back to the city.

locals playing games

Arriving back in Mandalay we decided to have dinner at a Korean restaurant. We were led to a second floor where 3 young people tried to take our order. I noticed the one girl spoke very good English and seemed to be helping the others. Conner ordered korean BBQ chicken wings, while I got a bibimbap dish. Christopher and Jessica have been to South Korea so they ordered some unique things that we got to try. One thing was kind of like a fried sushi roll without fish , just veggies. It was pretty tasty. Our meals were all good!

We started talking with the young girl who spoke good English, As it turns out, she is a 21 year old student at University of Mandalay. She is not employed by the restaurant but her sister is a cook. She told us the owners are Korean and introduced us to their daughter. We learned her Myanmar name was Chow, chow, (meaning beautiful, beautiful), and her English name was Madison. Apparently, many students are given an English name by their teacher. She already had completed a degree and language and was now working towards a second degree in diplomatic studies. Chaw chaw was 1 of 5 children, to a mother who sells chicken in the street market, and a father who helps her. All 5 kids attended university. Amazing!

Jessica and I loved talking to her. We learned so much. She is christian and hopes to marry a Christian man. She was sweet and smart! The boys were tired and had to pull us away from chatting to go back to our hotels. We said goodbye and took a picture. Jessica got her email information to stay in touch.

The next morning we were taking a bus from Mandalay to the capital city Napitaw. This is the “new” capitol in a country with a long-term political divide. This article posted in Time this week explains in detail—- fascinating article–

http://time.com/4597920/myanmar-peace/

Originally Christopher and jessica were not sure if they were going to stay in Mandalay an extra day or come with us to the capitol. We had to all make it back to Yangon to fly out to Laos two days later. Conner had found that the capitol city had 1 of only 2 Hiltons in the entire country. He figured we could break up the 8 hour journey back to Yangon by staying overnight at the Hilton.

The 4 hour bus ride was fine. We slept most of it, and stopped halfway for breakfast. As we arrived in the Napitaw we saw many very large mansion homes and many nice hotels and government buildings. The town seemed like a ghost town though. Conner described it as “post-apocolyptic. It was obvious this city was built and designed specifically to host summits and foreign diplomats. The story goes that a high-up official was told by his astrologist or psychic, the capital of Yangon would get attacked and that a new capital had to be established elsewhere. The city of Naypyidaw ( different spellings), was built in secrecy. Government and military were apparently told without notice they had to moe there in a few days time.

Another article explaining so much-https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/mar/19/burmas-capital-naypyidaw-post-apocalypse-suburbia-highways-wifi

Getting off the bus we were again bombarded with about 20 taxi drivers begging for our business. I found one to take us for 4,000 kyat (about $3 USD).

The Hilton property was like an enormous compound. Arriving at the gate surrounded by police and security, our car was checked for bombs upon entry. Jessica and Christopher didnt have a room booked, but lucky for us, Conner was able to work some magic. With his diamond status we were able to get upgraded at no extra cost to a suite. It was a nice size suite and we were happy! We immediately changed to go out and enjoy the beautiful pool. The hotel was very scarce with occupants. There were many workers everywhere, but very few guests. The place was immaculate. We had lunch ordered at the pool and enjoyed the sunshine.

Back at the room it was discovered one of the bathrooms had a leak from the AC. Well, this worked in our favor! They upgraded us again to an even bigger and better suite. It was beautiful! Huge bathrooms, living room, bedroom. Very nice!

We got lounge access where we enjoyed complimentary wine, beer and appetizers. It was enough to fill us for dinner. We played monopoly in the lounge for a couple hours and chatted with a Canadian man who lives in the hotel. He is a teacher to the diplomats and military children. He has lived in different countries in Asia for 10 years teaching.

After our game (Jessica and Christopher tied), we headed to the lobby bar area where there was some live music. I was fading fast and tried to stay awake for the entertainment. I just couldn’t do it! Plus, I wanted some good sleep because we were heading back to Yangon the next day– and after that Laos!!!

kaunggsawnyapar ( goodnight in Burmese),

King

No shoes, no socks, no problem! (unless there’s monkey poo and dog urine)

by kinsay20December 21, 2016

Our first night in Bagan we had a great dinner at a place called “7 sisters” that was recommended to us by our taxi driver. They served a variety of Thai, Myanmar, Chinese and Indian food (as many restaurants in Myanmar do). Jessica and I had a delicious soup. Walking through Bagan ( Yangon as well) you see dogs EVERYWHERE! Like everywhere! Easily 6-10 on every street. Many female dogs are nursing or pregnant. They run free and most don’t seem to belong to anyone. They all look to be the same breed and are not aggressive at all. Jessica loved seeing the many puppies everywhere.

After dinner we were walking back to our hotel when we spotted a larger adult dog in the street next to 3 puppies. As we got closer we realized she was licking their blood. They were all dead. All three puppies dead in the middle of the road. It was horrific. I couldn’t bear to look and felt sick to my stomach. The mother dog was confused and didn’t seem to understand why her babies weren’t getting up. It was so awful. The dirt roads are very dark so it is pretty likely a car hit them.

It was tough to go to sleep after seeing that. We had arranged with our airport taxi driver to be our driver the following day. He would pick us up super early at 4:30am to catch the sunrise at the top of a very tall temple. Bagan is known for its over 2200 ancient temples, some dating as far back as 3rd century. Waking up at 4am was a little rough but knowing what was ahead made it easier. We arrived at very tall temple with very, very steep steps to the top. After taking off our shoes we climbed to the very top. It was already a bit crowded, which our driver warned us about. This was supposed to be the very best view for sunrise. We waited about 30 minutes before the sunrise began. It was just gorgeous-absolutely breath- taking! To see the sun rise and horizon around the temples was just spectacular! We all got so many awesome pictures!

After sunrise the famous Bagan hot air balloons took off floating above the temples, just like you see in pictures. We had planned to do the hot air balloons , but after much consideration and thought we decided not to. It was $350 per person for about 1 hour or so in the sky. After talking to other travelers we learned the views were just as good at the top of the temples.

Our driver drove us back to our hotel so we could enjoy nice breakfast on the rooftop to include fresh honey melon juice, watermelon and bananas, eggs cooked to order how you like, and toast with fresh preserves. Much better than our Yangon hotel breakfast.

Our driver drove us to all the best temples for the next 8 hours (about $33 USD, 45,000 kyat for the whole day), stopping along the way at local villages. In most countries they do this whether with a private driver or tour bus, in hopes tourists will buy something from the village. I love stopping at the villages and learning about what they do, how they live. Each village has its own specialties. Our driver explained to us that he came from a village that has many tour guides and taxi drivers. At one village a nice woman showed us around. She told us 600 people lived in the village and they were encouraged to marry within. They weave beautiful cotton blankets, table cloths, as well as make cigars. She introduced us to her 80 year old aunt who was smoking a cigar on seated on the dirt ground weaving. She offered us the local popular thanaka to put on our face. You see people everywhere wearing it on their cheeks. It is sun protectant and seen as a makeup-like trend made from tree bark. Jessica let her put some on her face.

man climbing for coconuts…on a not sturdy make shift ladder

She showed us the school and the clinic, where a doctor comes 1 time/ week.She told me her husband had passed away 7 months earlier. She wanted us to buy something but we just gave her some money instead as a thank you for showing us around. We can’t buy too many things, seeing as we have no room in our travel packs.

At one of the first hotels we met a sweet woman and her brother. They talked to us a lot and told us they were from a family village of artists, After we toured the temple we looked at all of their artwork. It was very impressive! They make colors from different parts the trees and paint on cloth that can be rolled up and folded very small. She told us we could easily travel with it rolled up and iron the back of the cloth when we returned home. I convinced Conner that we should buy one! We decided on a beautiful one and I am so excited to find a perfect spot for it in our condo!

After a day of numerous buddhas and ancient temples,our driver ended our day program with the best temple for sunset. We again climbed to the very top where it wasn’t as crowded as our sunrise temple. While waiting for sunset some small children kept asking us to buy postcards that they hand-made. The parents make their children work so young in much of southeast Asia. At times it is heart breaking. Jessica started playing with one of the kids- a boy, probably about 10. They kicked a rock back and forth like it was a soccer ball. The kid has some skills. The younger child, a pretty girl, about 5 or 6 shyly joined in. The rock kicking got a little aggressive and we were afraid someone would get hit. I suggested tic tac toe. Jessica knelt down on the ground and drew a tic tac toe board with a rock. I was shocked to see the kids knew what it was ! The boy started playing and even won a game. The kids looked so happy to be playing and not working, until their mom showed up and they were reprimanded. They were told to get back to work. The kids look sad and solemn. Jessica found them and gave them each a dollar, hoping it would appease the mom.

We watched as the beautiful sun set behind the temples, and got more extraordinary pictures!

A long day ended with a Myanmar meal near our hotel- more noodles topped with a fried egg for me. Eggs seem like the safer option, when you are unsure of the meat. I have never had so much rice and noodles, as when we are in Asia. i normally don’t eat this amount of carbs at every meal, but when in Rome…….The southeast asian diet is rich in carbs. Cheese, wine and vegetables (my main faves in the US) are less common here. Many times when there are vegetables or salads in southeast Asia we can’t eat them. Or I should say, we shouldn’t eat them. Anything not cooked or cleaned in local water can get us very sick. We have to be very careful not to get fountain drinks or things with ice. Did I mention I am taking malaria pills? So far ok- not side effects,( knock on wood).

For our final day in Bagan we arranged for our taxi driver buddy to take us to Mt. Popa, which was about 1.5 hours away. It was a bumpy ride on dirt roads. Jessica took some motion sickness medication but it made her sleepy. Along the way we stopped at another interesting village. The locals didn’t talk much but they did show us how they made peanut wine, coconut sugar candies, honey and tamarind candies.

Our driver showed us the long pipeline that provides China natural gas. He told us it was a bad deal because they aren’t getting enough money for what they are giving.

Arriving near Mt. Popa there were very nice mountainous views. The place was swarming with wild monkeys. They were running, swinging and jumping from everywhere. We watched as monkeys would steal food from the street vendors when they turned their heads. Sneaky little monkeys. It was quite funny!

As we walked into the entrance to Mt. Popa we had to remove our shoes and socks before climbing to the top. The stairs to the top were stained and dirty with monkey poo and who knows what else. Yes, it was gross. Yes, it was very gross. Just walking with bare feet in temples where hundreds and hundreds of others have walked barefoot gives me the heebie jeebies. But you know- it is part of traveling. You have to go with the flow. As I walked up stair after stair I just mentally kept reminding myself that my feet can be cleaned.

There were vendors selling small peanut packs that many people were buying to feed the monkeys along the climb. These monkeys had no fear of humans and were just jumping over our heads at times. It scared me a bit and I definitely screamed once or twice. As we got higher the monkeys decreased. At the top we had some lovely viewing points. The temple itself was nothing spectacular. We took some scenic pictures and then made our way back down through the poop stairs and monkeys.

The tiny baby monkeys were so adorable. It is funny to watch dogs and monkeys interact. The dogs are a little intimidated by the monkeys. We scrubbed our feet like crazy!! I literally doused them in an entire bottle of sanitizer …

Arriving back near our hotel we had an Indian lunch of naan, chicken and rice that was pretty tasty! Conner and Christopher decided to rent motor bikes from our hotel and drive around the temples. Jessica and I stayed back at the hotel to relax. We sat on the rooftop deck where we enjoyed chatting. I typed some of my blog while Jess took care of some reservations and loose ends. She and Christopher plan to continue traveling for many more months. They still have Thailand and Cambodia planned, and also will likely return to see more of India. Jess wants to end their trip with Australia. My brother feels he needs to get back to work though. I say YOLO! They are young and if they can do it, more power to them! I would LOVE to travel for a whole year! Every time I set foot in a new place I get chills! I get a rush of excitement. It is the best feeling!

After 3 hours of motor biking the boys returned and we set out for dinner. The town of Bagan is divided into New Bagan and Old Bagan. We were staying in New Bagan. It still had an “old” feel to it. A cozy town with a street lined with quaint restaurants. Our last dinner in Bagan was at a nice place with a big menu. Conner and I ordered pizza. We needed a change. Our personal size pizzas tasted like totinos you get in the freezer section of US grocery stores. It was still decent for a change. Conner also ordered a side of french fries. Can you tell we were noodled and riced out? We headed for another early night knowing we had an early rise the next day- 4am to be exact. We were set to sail along the Arrawadway river from Bagan to our next destination – Mandalay!

Mandalay

Waking at 4am to an alarm when in a deep sleep is never pleasant, no matter what country you are in. We jumped out of bed though not wanting to miss our boat. After scrambling to get ready we arrived outside to the car to find out that Jessica’s sunscreen exploded in her bag all over her really good camera! She is a great photographer and this camera means a lot to her for documenting their travels. She tried to clean it thoroughly but it wasn’t working. Poor Jess. We were all pretty bummed for her. We are hoping Sony can fix it since it is still under the 1 year of purchase.

We said goodbye to our Bagan driver friend. He was very kind and during the drives we learned some things about him. He was engaged and would be getting married next month. I wished him the best for his wedding and marriage. We walked along 2 unsteady boards made into a plank to get on the boat. Once on board we found seats on the lower deck and all tried to sleep some. A man who works on the boat covered me with a blanket. With only 6 other passengers and crew there was plenty of room.

trying to sleep …..

The sunrise woke me up around 6am and we went to the top deck to take some pictures. They provided us a box breakfast of hardboiled egg, croissants and bananas.

I spent the morning on the top deck enjoying the sunshine, the river views and tying this blog. As I write this we are sailing.The ride can take anywhere from 9-11 hours. At this point it has been 8. It has been really pleasant and enjoyable. For about an hour earlier in the day I chatted with a very friendly French man. I found a place on the top deck to charge my computer. I sat down closing my eyes next to it while it charged. The older man immediately sat next to me asking my name. He is from Normandy and is 80 years old. He is traveling with his girlfriend of 7 years. They travel about 4-5 months of the year and have been to so many different countries. They just came from 2 months in Vietnam. He has lived and worked throughout his life in many different places- Egypt being his favorite. He told me about his travels and asked about ours. We looked at his map book together. He told me the French think Americans travel too quickly. Visiting a place or a city for 3 days is not enough in their mind to get the full experience. He and his girlfriend spend 9 nights in each city. I can see that in some places ( Tokyo, Bangkok), but not smaller towns, and definitely not Yangon. He also talked about staying healthy and saving money to travel when we retire. He worked for Pfizer for many years and loves that he is 80 but healthy enough and wealthy enough to travel the world. He has not been to the United States though, which really baffled me! Lunch served on the boat was quite good. I saw one crew member cutting up the vegetables to cook. They brought each of us our plate which was rice, stir-fry veggies and a noodle type salad. It was actually really good.

Soon we will be in Mandalay— ahh I have heard great things! Stay tuned 😉

swarrtotmaal ( goodbye in Burmese),

Kinz

Yan-Gon(e) Goes My Passport…

by kinsay20December 15, 2016

We arrived to Yangon airport in Myanmar (AKA Burma)- shocked to see it was way bigger and more established than Cambodia and Morocco airports.

My brother Christopher, and my sister-in-law Jessica, had arrived a couple of hours prior and were already at the hotel. They told us it should only cost about 7,000 kyat (local currency- less than $7 USD) to get to the hotel, and our hotel confirmed via email. There were 30 taxi drivers outside trying to get our attention. We tried to negotiate but they insisted that because of the late time (it was midnight), the price was higher. We settled on 9,000 kyat (pronounced chat), and were led to a man’s car. In other countries it is always initially odd just getting into stranger’s cars. There was no regulation like in the US. Who knows if this guy was even really a taxi driver? You just have to say a prayer and hope for the best.

We were interested to see that drivers sit on the right side, but still drive on the right side of the road. This was new to us. We drove through Yangon, passing by car dealerships, large buildings and high-rises. This was a major city, far more progressed and modern than we thought it would be! There were lights everywhere! Many building covered in christmas-like lights.

We arrived at our hotel, which on first impression looked ok. Upon check -in, the petite, pretty front desk attendant asked for our passports. After filling out paperwork and getting our key we asked for our passports back. “I hold them.” she said. Huh? “Um, no thank you, we will hold them”. I replied. “NO, no, we keep.”What? I had recently had a conversation with some military and state department friends, who stressed and reiterated the importance of never letting someone else have your passport, unless they were immigration officials. Passports are technically property of the US government. I became frustrated and insisted that the girl give us our passports back. I got a little heated after a few minutes of her refusing to give them to us. “ I will not let you keep my passport!” I said. Conner was trying to get me to just go to up to the room and deal with it the following day. Why was he not as concerned? “Babe, what are we going to do? Where are we going to go at 1am?” he kept saying. I told the hotel staff that I had never encountered this at any other hotel in any other country. I asked if it was a Myanmar law, and they said “no, hotel policy”. I was so incredibly angry at this point. I did not feel safe letting them hold our passports. The front desk girl agreed that she would give them back to us the following day. I begrudgingly followed Conner to our room, but I was not happy! Our room was fine. The size was good and a hot shower sounded nice. Sounded nice. There was no hot water coming out of that shower. After a cold shower we went to bed.

The next morning we woke up and met Christopher and Jessica for breakfast (it was included) in the hotel restaurant. It was so great to see them, and even cooler that we met them on the other side of the world! Over cold fried eggs and fried rice and noodles, they told us about the rats above their room. They said there was a rat party on their roof that kept them up all night. Rats? Oh my gosh! I would freak out! Our room was on a different floor and the only noise we heard was loud car horns and kids singing before school at 7am. I thought it was cool they could laugh about it. They have been traveling to some remote places all over for the last 8 months, so nothing seemed to surprise them. They recently did amazing treks through Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. When traveling to these places, you just learn to roll with it. You learn you are lucky to sometimes get a shower at all- let alone a warm or hot one. You learn you may eat things you would typically never consider eating in the US , because you are hungry, and it is all there is. You learn that nobody cares if your clothes match, if they are wrinkled or even dirty. I learned these things in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. You think I’d be a pro by now. I needed a refresher- it had been some time.

After breakfast we set out to see Schwedagon temple. As we walked through the streets we couldn’t believe how difficult it was to cross the busy roads. Traffic didnt stop. In other southeast Asia countries, swarms of motor bikes and cars make it intimidating to cross, but when you do cross they stop. In Yangon they don’t stop. You have to run

The streets of Yangon were very busy with hustle and bustle of street vendors, shops, markets and just people everywhere. Yangon is by no means a clean city. A rather dirty city with an overwhelming amount of smells- some good, some not so good. Although crowded, the people in Yangon do not hassle tourists for the most part. Unlike in Thailand and Morocco where we were constantly harassed in some cities by vendors and street beggars. It was nice to not be hounded to buy things.

We arrived at the amazing Schwedagon temple. We were instructed that we had to wear the traditional Longyi- which looks like a long skirt – both men and women. You see people wearing them all through the streets of Yangon. It is their typical, daily attire . We donned our new longyi that we bought and took off our shoes and socks, as these are not allowed in the temples. Once inside it was really quite awesome! We spent a good amount of time walking around and taking pictures. A monk approached me asking if he could take a picture with me. He said ,” I am very happy to see you here”. He was so nice and probably close to my age (early 30’s). He brought his monk friend and sister over. They got a kick out of how tall Conner is, especially next to his petite sister.

We explored the city some more and found a zoo. It was about $2 USD to enter and it would take us through to another side of the city we wanted to see. As we walked through the zoo we became somber. There were so many beautiful tigers, cougars and mountain lyon, but they were kept in very small areas. We realize this is how it is in many zoos, in many countries, but we did not want to support it. We quickly rushed out and found a place for lunch. It was traditional Myanmar food- rice or noodles with a choice of meat.

After lunch we explored some more! We found a nice park and another pagoda. There are buddha statues all over . In every temple and pagoda there are many, many buddhas.

We also found a beautiful church! About 88% of the Myanmar population is Buddhist, 6% Christian and 4% Islamic, with the remainder (Burmese Indians) being Hindu.

After a nice afternoon, we clocked in at 13 miles walking for the day- did I mention it was 90 degrees? Pretty hot!

We decided to try a high rated restaurant on Tripadvisor. It was owned by an expat from Thailand. A nice, friendly woman probably in her 40’s, who greeted us at the door speaking good English. Conner and I had the most delicious curry! It was one of the best we have ever had! Jessica enjoyed a nice soup and Christopher ordered a different type of curry.

Back at the hotel we asked for our passports back. At first the front desk girl hesitated but eventually gave them back. (After I politely reminded her that she had promised she would return them to us ). If she hadn’t returned them I was ready to call the US embassy- I was not messing around!

We went next door to our hotel and sat outside having a beer and watching the locals.Our beers served to us by a boy no older then 15. It is quite common in Myanmar to have children serve alcohol and work as cooks,/ servers in restaurants. A drunk, very rude Australian man showed up. He rudely asked the owner if they served any french fries or pizza. When the reply was “no”, the guy freaked out and started making a drunken scene – “is there anywhere I can get ****bleep bleep bleep*** western food in this bloody town!?” He was such a jerk! Talk about embarrassing for Westerners to have tourists portray us this way. To a country who is newer to foreign western tourists especially. It sets a bad precedence! We saw some very intoxicated Australians in Thailand acting foolish, as well as some extremely rude Russians in Cambodia who belittled the locals. It’s a shame really.

After a semi good sleep after another cold shower we had another less than optimal breakfast. Conner and I decided we would do the 3 hour circular train. The train ride circles around the outskirts of the city and is the main transportation for locals to come to Yangon. Anthony Bordain did the ride, and all the travel blogs/ books say it is a “must do”. It was Jessica’s birthday- 28 to be exact! She gets motion sickness, so riding a bumpy train all morning was not what she wanted to do for her birthday. She and Christopher opted to skip it. The travel book did make it seem rough- it was described as “feeling as though you are on the fast part of a washing machine cycle”.

According to the map and GPS it would take Conner and I only a 15-20 minute walk to get to the train. It was leaving at 8:35am , with the next scheduled time hours later. We did not want to miss it. The 20 minute walk was actually closer to 35 minutes. We had another ”Conner amazing race” experience and ran through the streets of Yangon trying to make the train. We arrived sweating only to see an empty track. We asked a few people but nobody could explain what was going on. Finally, a nice local man did his very best to speak English. He told us the track was off and the train would be picking us up from a few tracks over. We thanked him and found our track. Our tickets by the way were only .35 cents. As we sat in some available seats I noticed many locals with their shoes off , bare feet propped up in the seats. I noticed women with supplies and crafts they were taking to town, that were larger in quantity than we could fit in a small US vehicle.

We said hello to another Westerner who also boarded. Conner was expressing to me that he wished we had a window seat for pictures. A nice local man overhead or conversation and invited us to sit in his area by the window. We graciously accepted. He was so nice and we learned so much talking-to him. He works security and had just come off of a night shift. He was headed home to his small village outside of Yangon, where he has a pregnant wife. I asked him if he was hoping for a son or a daughter and he replied, “I will love them no matter what. I just want them to be healthy”.

His friend joined us for a portion of the ride. Another very nice man who had funny memes of Obama and Trump on his cell phone. So crazy to think Burmese (Myanmar natives) know about US politics, considering half of the people in the US likely have never heard of Myanmar, let alone know where it is on a map.

We enjoyed the nice ride, passing through many villages.

women carrying food for sale on the train

Myanmar is interesting – you see a very large mansion right next to poverty ridden shacks. Christopher and Jessica found Yangon to be much more similar to India than other Southeast Asian destinations. Something else very interesting about Yangon is the vast differences in appearance of the people. In Japan, China, Thailand , Cambodia and Vietnam, the majority of the people in each country have a distinct look. In Myanmar some people look Thai, some Indian, some Cambodian.

After our new friends departed the train at their stop they excitedly kept waving goodbye, even once off the train. I invited the other westerner to come sit with us because we had a fan above us, and it was quite hot. This is the “cool season” in Myanmar, with the highs getting only up to 90 during the day – only ! The locals get very cold when the sun goes down and it is 70 degrees at night. Many kept telling us about the “cold season”.

We enjoyed chatting with Andy, the westerner from Canada, who know lives in Hong Kong for work. He has traveled all over the world. We enjoyed comparing stories and experiences.

After the train Conner and I found a nice cafe called Black Salt. It turned out to be a chain and their equivalent of Starbucks. The lattes were really delicious! Conner had a pastry treat as well. We met Jessica and Christopher back at the hotel and explored the city some more. We had a nice VERY authentic Indian lunch at a place recommended by a local. It was a loud, hectic and very busy restaurant. The owner, an Indian looking man missing his teeth was very welcoming. We all enjoyed our Indian rice, beans and chicken with naan bread. When traveling we have learned the busier the local restaurant the better and safer. It means it has turnover. It means the food isn’t sitting there for days. In southeast asian countries you will see very clean, nice looking places that are tempting – but often dead. The not as clean, not as modern, yet busy place is the way to go! Our meals In Yangon were pretty inexpensive. They ranged anywhere from $4 USD per person to $8- 10 max including beer or wine. There is no tipping in Myanmar either.

After our Indian lunch we walked around a really cool market. Jessica wanted a painting and found one she just loved! She and Christopher negotiated prices back and forth with the seller for quite some time. They finally agreed on $27 US. This is a hand made painting that would be 10 times that price in the US. I happened to have USD to pay for it- a perfect birthday gift for Jessica! She was very happy with her new painting!

All through Yangon you see men with red teeth and red splatters on the ground. It is the remnants of betel nut- a very popular plant concoction they chew like gum. It gives an energized feeling, similar to a strong caffeine. However, like tobacco, chewing it often can have adverse health issues. Jessica and Christopher had tried it in other countries, so they agreed to try it again with Conner. I wasn’t sold on it and decided to just take pictures of them trying it.

Woman making betel nut

They chewed their street -made betel nut for a minutes before spitting it out. Conner described a rush feeling- similar to after drinking an energy drink. It was short lived though and seemed to wear off fairly fast.

we have no idea what some of the stuff for sale is …

We spent the latter part of the afternoon walking around Inya Lake. A fairly unattractive lake that Christopher called “radioactive” because of the flowing oil seen on the surface. We sat along the lake and were served beer by 14 year olds. We just talked and relaxed. The bathroom was a few minute walk away and some nice young local teenagers showed me the way. When I arrived I realized I had to pay to use it. Conner had all the kyat, I had no money. The nice boys paid for me and said , “dont worry “. They were so kind!

Jessica and I chatted with two men probably in their 30’s who were wealthier Yangon locals. I watched as one flicked his used cigarette in the lake. “Oh my! You just littered!’ I said. He smiled and said,”ooh oops! Bad habit!’. Um ok….

We had dinner at a seafood place along the lake, hoping and praying the fish wasn’t caught from the lake. It was a nice dinner , and perfect for Jessica’s birthday.

We all were exhausted so we went to bed fairly early.

The next morning Conner and I went to 2 popular buddhas/ pagodas, that they had seen the previous day while rode the circular train. They were really neat- the reclining buddha was my favorite. They have a huge reclining buddha that we saw in Bangkok, but this one had its own character and charm.

Women buying flowers to give buddha

After the buddhas we had some time before we planned to meet Christopher and Jessica. That afternoon we were flying to Bagan via a small Myanmar airline- Golden Air. We had some time left before meeting them so we strolled the streets. We passed a nice looking spa that offered massages. We both were intrigued. With only 30-40 minutes we asked for two 30 minute foot/ leg massages. We were led into a beautiful spa where they washed our feet with bath salts and let us to recliners. The massages were amazing! My masseuse told me she was highly trained in reflexology and muscle energy. I believe her! She really knew when she was doing. With our eyes closed, enjoying every minute we soon realized some things were lost translation.Our 30 minute massages were closer to an hour.

Feeling incredible and relaxed we hurried back to our hotel. Jessica and Christopher were there ready to head to the airport. They had a rough morning trying to figure out how to ship the painting back home. Another “lost in translation” dilemma. $80 USD and 2 hours of running around and Christopher finally was able to get it shipped.

We took a taxi to Yangon airport, happy to leave our not so desirable hotel behind us. If you are planning travel to Yangon message me so I can tell you where NOT to stay! At Yangon airport we waited for our flight that was delayed only 15 minutes. We boarded the small propeller plane and set off for Bagan. Dragon air turned out to be quite nice. They offered us complimentary food drinks, tea, coffee, and it was only a 2 hour flight.

In no time at all we arrived at the small Bagan airport! We were caught off guard when two young girls bombarded us with a sign saying we need to pay an environmental fee of 25,000 kyat per person. Huh? Had I read about this on the travel blogs? I didn’t recall. At first we were annoyed but once it was explained to us that this fee would get us an access card for all the Bagan temples, we understood. The money would help the upkeep and maintenance of the temples. It made sense. They had an earthquake about 4 months ago which damaged some of the ancient temples, so they needed repairs.

We found a nice taxi driver who quickly got us to our hotel- Thurizza! Oh, such a nice breath of fresh air after Yangon and that last hotel. Driving though Bagan we could see how much more peaceful and calm it was compared to the crazy city of Yangon. Dirt roads and no high rise buildings- this looked nice! Temples and pagodas galore!

Thurizza was a lovely hotel with a rooftop restaurant and bar, surrounded by flowers and nice greenery. Our room was a good size and we were happy to have a nice hot shower! Bagan- I think we are going to like you—-

yahku a bhhoet nhuatsaat (goodbye for now in Burmese),

Kinz

Ringing in the New Year in Barcelona!

by kinsay20January 9, 2016

On our second to last day of 2015, we woke up ready to see more of Madrid and Real Madrid! We set out early to explore Buen Retiro Park, which up until the early 19th century belonged to the Spanish Monastery. The park was really beautiful- hence it’s translated meaning “Park of the pleasant retreat”.

The park has a really cool crystal palace with huge fossils inside!

After a few hours at the park we had to start heading towards the Real Madrid soccer stadium. We were all ready with our new fan shirts and scarves!

The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is spectacular and seats over 81,000. Security at the stadium was very tight- they searched everyone’s bag prior to entering. We had amazing seats near the field! We were so close to Christiano Ronaldo–sigh! 😉

We had so much fun at the game! I can honestly say this may have been the first sporting event that I have been to where I watched every play!

We really enjoyed our time in Madrid! Such an awesome city, and often referred to as “the most passionate city in Europe”.

New Years Eve we travelled to Barcelona- our last stop on this amazing trip! The high speed train got us there in less than 3 hours!

Barcelona was originally founded as a Roman city in the middle ages. Barcelona was part of the ancient territory of Catalonia, and many people still speak Catalan and follow the traditions.

We arrived at the Hilton Barcelona where we were upgraded thanks to my hubs Hilton honors. We had booked NYE celebration tickets for a place called Shoko, on the beach, where we would meet our new friend from the Madrid tapas tour- Mark. Gianna and Dave (from the tapas tour) were also in Barcelona, and were going to meet us as well, but Dave unfortunately got food poisoning!

We had just enough time before the celebration to do some shopping- and lucky for us the Hilton is in the shopping district! John found a great deal on some designer jeans he has been wanting, and I got a new purse and coat!

Our New Years party began at 10, so around 9:15 we set out to find taxi, which was not easy. Eventually we were able to get one and arrived at the busy beach area where many nightclubs and restaurants were hopping!

We were greeted at the entrance with roses by girls dressed as geishas, and led into a beautiful lounge area. There was so much sushi and wine everywhere- 2 of my favorite things!

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We found our friend Mark and had a blast ringing in 2016! There were amazing dancers and performers throughout the night!

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Lots of wine later we ended up spending half of New Years day in bed. We have learned in our 30’s, we definitely feel late nights way more than we did in our 20’s. It was nice to relax and sleep in though!

That afternoon we headed to check out Casa Batllo, a modernist house designed by the famous Gaudi. We would be seeing lots of Gaudi architecture throughout Barcelona. He is known as the “architect for God”. We both love his work and were mesmerized by our first encounter at the Casa Batllo. It was like being in a giant fun house!

The roof was really amazing and had fabulous views!

After a couple hours of enjoying the Casa , we set out to explore more of Barcelona and had a great Tapas dinner!

The next day we had tickets to see the famous Park Guell, another amazing place designed by Gaudi. Before the park we hiked up a very, very steep hill for the best views of Barcelona. The hike up the hill was literally straight up for 25 minutes. Imagine putting a treadmill on the highest incline possible- not easy, but oh so worth it!

Turo de la Rovira

After enjoying the beautiful views, we journeyed to the fascinating Park Guell! Guadi designed this park for a man named Guell, with the intentions of it being a high-end area with estates for wealthy families. The park was built between 1900-1914 and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

I really love Gaudi’s use of vibrant colors and non-traditional shapes. He often recycled glass and other materials to form the tiles he used throughout his work.

We had the most delicious paella for lunch! I have never had a paella this yummy!

We rested a bit and later that night met Scott and Kelly (more new friends from Madrid tapas tour) for dinner! We had a great time chatting and eating pintxos.

In northern Spain you often won’t find “tapas” but instead “pintxos” which are bread with different things on top. Tapas, traditionally are small servings of food, not on bread. John and I were getting a little tired of all the bread, so we would eat the stuff off and leave the bread. Many pinxto bars in Barcelona are set up to where you just grab the dishes you want, and keep the toothpick in each dish to keep track of how many you ate. At the end you are charged based on your number of toothpicks, so it is kind of an honor system in a way.

Sagardi Pinxtos

Even after dinner we stood outside chatting for awhile with Scott and Kelly. Such nice people! They live in Philly and we promised to stay in touch!

The next day we had booked tickets for renowned Sagrada Familia, a huge Roman catholic church, designed by -guess who? Yep- Gaudi! The remarkable place is another UNESCO world heritage site. Tickets book out, so it is definitely advisable to order tickets in advance. As we arrived for our scheduled ticket time, we were given audio guides and maps. A couple hours is definitely needed to fully embrace the Sagrada Familia.

The gorgeous stained glass windows create the most beautiful monochromatic color schemes.

Coincidently, Mark was also doing the tour that morning and we ran into him!

The church is made of 3 grand facades- the nativity facade, the passion facade, and the glory facade. The nativity facade is dedicated to the birth of Jesus, and the passion facade dedicated to the crucifixion. Guadi was unable to complete the entire church, and the glory facade is still under construction. It represents the road to God- judgement, death, glory. The entire church is so intricately detailed. The roof is outrageous! I couldn’t get a good picture but here is one I found-

Guadi’s tomb in the church

We had a set time where we could go up in the glorious towers of the Sagrada. It was really cool climbing through the towers – and of course the views were amazing!

We really loved the Sagrada Familia experience. That afternoon we were on a hunt to find the best churros with chocolate. This is one of those things they say one must do in Barcelona. We looked up one of the best rated places and found it in the Gothic quarter. There was a line to get in but it moved pretty quickly. John and I each ordered churros and a swiss chocolate and spanish chocolate to share. Yum! You dip the churros in the chocolate and cream and it is delish!

We walked around some more exploring the fun Gothic quarter, where there are many shops and cafes.

Casa Mila- also by Guadi

We had a drink at a cute cafe and people watched. John googled the best restaurants in Barcelona and decided on Viana. The small restaurant was pretty full but we were able to grab 2 of the last seats at the bar. The bartender was a funny Polish guy. He was really friendly and fun to chat with. We had an absolutely delicious dinner of octopus tempura, prawns and veggie rolls with chili sauce and beef cheeks. We were too full for dessert, but the bartender gave us complimentary sweet liquor drinks that tasted like baileys.

Beef cheeks

After dinner Mark invited us to meet him at a sports bar to watch American football. We had a fun time and made some more new friends! Sophie is a doll, and from London. She lives in Spain and does bridal makeup most months of the year, and then spends a few months each year in Vietnam. Her boyfriend Adam is one of the owners of a popular club in Ibiza. He works during peak season and then off season travels and has fun.

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After another fun night in Barcelona, we needed another morning to sleep in. It was our last day of our amazing trip and both John and I were feeling really sad. We were so happy to have had the adventures, but it is always depressing when a trip comes to an end. The anticipation and planning is part of the fun!

We spent our last afternoon walking along Barcelona beach area.

That night as we sadly packed up our stuff, we decided we had to start planning our next trip- Greece and ??? — Peru, India and Australia are also tops on our list- as is Myanmar and the Philipines- oh and South Africa! Ok, I guess we really want to go everywhere!

We had a pretty long 20 hour travel day back home. We flew from Spain to London, and then had a layover and delay for 6 hours, before our 8 hour flight home. I watched 4 movies in a row. Something I have never done- “Ricki & the Flash”, “The Intern”, “Hector” and “Paper Towns”. I was trying to not sleep so that I would be able to sleep through the night when we got home.

Arriving in Baltimore, we were pretty tired. The customs officer grilled us on what we did during our time in Morocco. John said, ” take lots of pictures” and he smiled. She didn’t think that was funny and sternly said, “I need more specifics”. I replied, “rode camels, toured the cities, ate good food”. She wanted more and more information. Then we got sent to agriculture check because I had a sandwich for John from the plane in my bag. The police dog sniffed it so we were searched. We shared a taxi home with another girl. It was nice to sleep in our own bed and see our sweet kitties. We had missed them so very much!

A wonderful adventure comes to end, but the memories last a lifetime!

In summary, it was really neat to venture through two completely different countries, with two completely different cultures.

Morocco has such a distinct culture with amazing food, traditions, beautiful scenery and very faithful people. The Moroccans are hard workers. The many hagglers annoyed us at times, but as I mentioned in a previous post, this is common in many other countries. The Sahara desert experience was definitely one of the coolest things we have ever done! Morocco is very affordable. There is delicious mint tea everywhere, but wine/beer is hard to find, especially in the medinas. Parts of Morocco make you feel as though you have gone back in time. There is the lovely smell of argan oils everywhere (unless you’re in a tannery where it smells like pigeon poop). Speaking of pigeons- that was the best new thing we ate in Morocco! The mosques are amazing, but since we aren’t Muslim, we weren’t allowed to enter. Many Moroccans speak multiple languages- French, English, Arabic, Spanish and some Berber.We never felt like we would be physically harmed in Morocco. The Moroccan government and military are very prevalent. Cats are also prevalent. They are literally everywhere in Morocco! Moroccans love pastries and different breads. Tajine is the most popular dish in Moroccan, as it is served everywhere.

Spain, also a country with rich culture and history. The Spaniards are not overly hard workers. Now yes, I am generalizing. Of course there are some very hard workers in Spain, but as a whole the people are more lax. They seem like a very happy, social society. Walk down any street in Spain and people are sitting at the outside cafes. They are laughing, drinking wine, singing, holding hands, kissing. Other places where we noticed the same type of general “happiness”were on the islands of Thailand, and Siem Reap- yes Cambodia. The poorest country in Asia, but the happiest people.

Spaniards do everything later. They wake up later, eat meals later. They take 3 hour siestas in the afternoon. The Spain diet has a lot of bread, wine and meat. Not a lot of green veggies from what we saw. Both Morocco and Spain have olives everywhere! Unlike the Muslim Mosques, the Spanish Catholic churches let everyone enter, even during mass. Many Spaniards know little to no English. Spain is also very affordable compared to US prices. Both Morocco and Spain have beautiful landscape and scenery throughout! Both countries have very good train systems, which make it easy to get from city to city. Both Spaniards and Moroccans seem vested in their families and religions. Muslims make up 99% of the Moroccan population, and Catholics are close to 70% of the Spanish population. There is no haggling in Spain. There are many homeless asking for handouts, but not hagglers like in Morocco.

I am fascinated by different cultures and societies. While there are so many differences, there are also many similarities across all. People for the most part are kind. I love the below quote-

“Repetition does not make memories; new experiences make memories”.

I think travel truly does make one richer- more tolerant and understanding of others, more patient and more knowledgable about the world. Travel does not have to be to another country or even another city. Travel to see a new park near where you live. Travel does not have to be expensive. With research and points programs it can be affordable for most! If there is somewhere you want to go, make it happen! Make a plan and do it! YOLO!!!

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Tapas, Taverns, History and Wine- Adventures through Spain

by kinsay20January 5, 2016January 5, 2016

We left beautiful Granada and headed via train to our next city in Spain- Cordoba. Our hotel was another really pretty place! I must say- my husband sure knows how to pick them!

We try to use our earned hotel points whenever possible, but when there aren’t any Hiltons or Intercontinental, we search Trip advisor for the best reviews and prices.

As soon as we checked in we dropped of our stuff and quickly headed to see the famous “Cathedral of Cordoba” AKA ” The great mosque of Cordoba”. Yes- a Muslim mosque and a Christian cathedral in the same place! This Catholic cathedral was divided into Christian and Muslim halves in the year 711, when the Muslims conquered Spain. The split lasted until 784, when a muslim king gained the entire property and had it demolished. He then built a grand mosque. It wasn’t until the year 1236, when Christians regained rule of Cordoba, and it became a Catholic church. Muslims have been campaigning to gain access for prayer in the property since 2000, but have been denied by the Vatican. I found the history of this place to be haunting and so incredibly interesting!

We walked all along the streets of Cordoba exploring the beautiful, small town.We stumbled upon a fabulous restaurant and had an amazing dinner! I had veal and John had a delicious steak!

The next morning we saw the ancient Roman ruins! They date back to 40 AD!

But that doesn’t even compare to the ancient Roman bridge of Cordoba, which dates back to 1st century BC! Yes, BC! How crazy is that?!

We loved our time in Cordoba but had to continue on to our next city- Toledo (pronounced Toe- lay- doe)-

We again took the fabulous train system to Toledo. We arrived after dark, but were mesmerized by the beauty of this city as we rode in via cab to our hotel. We instantly wished we had more then 2 days here!

Our hotel was so nice , and they gave us wine and chocolates at arrival.

We had a great dinner at a local place recommend by our hotel concierge. John had suckling pig and I had fish.

The next day we had another 15 mile hike day through the town and surrounding areas.

Camino de Santiago, is one of the most well known hikes worldwide. It takes most people between 4-6 weeks to complete the entire almost 500 mile pilgrimage hike. It is known as a very spiritual hike, as it follow the path of St. James. We walked a portion of it and really enjoyed every minute! During this hike John and I decided to add Machu Picchu to our bucket list for the near future.

After a wonderful time in Toledo, we were ready for our next stop- Madrid! After 4 cities in Spain I had already started noticing many trends, which continued on throughout our next stops.

Very common things seen throughout Spain:

1- People smoking cigarettes

2- People drinking wine/ beer at every meal and all hours of the day

3- Smiling/ laughing/ happy people- they sing, dance and seem to love having a good time

4- Adorable outside cafes are EVERYWHERE

5- Dog poop (cities in Spain are pretty clean minus the dog poop- we had to be on constant alert to not step on it)

6- Affectionate couples- Spaniards seem like a very romantic group of people- always kissing, hugging, holding hands anywhere and everywhere

7- Places closed at random times in the day. Many places close for a few hours in the afternoon for their “siesta time”- but it is not uncommon to see businesses closed at other times that you would think they would be open. John and I wondered how some places stayed in business with their lack of open hours.

8- When they are open, many places seem short staffed. We noticed this trend at many different restaurants and shops. Since they don’t tip in Spain ( socialist government), they are paid more per hour, thus having less staff on duty at a time. Many times the 1 bartender/ server on staff would be running around like crazy, completely overwhelmed. Spaniards don’t seem to mind waiting though. In the US I think we expect quick and good service since we tip.

There are other trends I may touch on later, but now moving on to Madrid!

A few hours train ride and we were there! We stayed at the beautiful Intercontinental.

We had only a short time to rest and get ready before we had a Tapas, Taverns, and History tour. My parents and brother had been in Madrid a few weeks earlier and loved the tour! My mom offered to buy it for us as a Christmas gift. It turned out to be a great gift! Our tour guide, Shaun was an Irish- Spaniard, with a very strong Irish accent. The tour met outside a Costa coffee shop. As soon as we heard American accents we began chatting with the the two other couples. One couple Scott and Kelly, are from Philly, and the other Gianna and Dave from Delray Beach. Another guy, from Japan, seemed very reserved, but nice. We waited a few minutes for two others who were supposed to be joining us. Shaun said he would give them 2 more minutes and then we would have to leave. We started walking and just happened to run into both of them. Casey, who lives in South beach, and Mark from Chicago.

Shaun took us to our first tavern, where we had Iberian ham and vermouth. He explained that unlike other European countries, Spain never really went through the industrial revolution. Spain never had a “great depression”to the extremes of other nations, therefore (according to Shaun),they never had to develop cheap ways to eat. He said the Spaniards take great pride in preparing and enjoying good food. The Iberian ham is a great example. The ham (jamon) comes from a specific breed of black pigs who graze special fields only eating a diet of acorns. They live to about 4 months before they are sacrificed. The Spaniards use all parts of the animal and spend a very long time curing the meats. It is cut very, very thin and definitely has a good flavor. I can’t eat more than a bite or two of it- but many Spanish eat it daily. Can you imagine a diet of wine and red meat? Yet, they have good life expectancy.

Speaking of wine, Shaun mentioned that, although Spaniards drink wine/ beer/ vermouth often, you will never see them “rowdy” or “over do it”. He says that culturally, even as young children, they are taught to enjoy their spirits in moderation.

Our tour continued on as Shaun pointed out different buildings and statues. He gave us some history and one of our stops was the oldest tavern/ restaurant in the world- “Botin”. We had different tapas with wine or beer at each stop. We had delicious garlic shrimp, anchovies, and even pig ears!

Shaun really stressed his love for Spain, and made it very clear that he found the Spaniards to be a superior culture to other European countries. We discussed the random business closings, and shortage of staff. He said ” Spaniards can be productive- key word- can be”. Interestingly, Spain has a very high unemployment rate currently. At over 22%, that is more than double the rate of Italy and France. Amongst younger people the rate is even higher.

Below-On way to the tour ( wearing my amazing Younique Lipstain that stays on even with sipping wine)

Our fun Group

Pig Ears

We really had a blast on the tour and made some new friends! We exchanged info with Gianna and Mark, and went out for an “after tour” drink with Scott and Kelly. (Haha, love our faces in this pic)

The next morning John and I found a place to do laundry. Scott and Kelly emailed me and said they were going to the Real Madrid Soccer game the next day. John was so excited when I told him. He had looked a few weeks ago for tickets but couldn’t find any good seats for a good price. He immediately went online and found us some great seats! The whole afternoon John was like a little kid before Christmas. It was so cute how excited he was!

We spent the afternoon and evening walking all around Madrid. We even found the official Real Madrid store, so we got some fan gear for the game!

Changing of the guard

Amazing mimes and performers in Madrid

Beautiful holiday lights everywhere

That night we were ready for something other than tapas for a change. We decided on sushi, and found an amazing place near our hotel.

Loving Madrid- we were so excited to explore some more and see Ronaldo play the next day!!

Manténgase en sintonía (stay tuned) <3,

Kinz

Surviving the Sahara- Conner edition

by kinsay20December 18, 2015December 18, 2015

When going to Morocco it is absolutely essential to do a Sahara desert tour. Whether you are in Morocco for 1 week or 1 month, you must somehow fit this experience into your trip. We knew this when we were planing our trip and decided 3 days was a decent amount of time to spend in the desert. While John does most of our itinerary planning when we travel, he gives me tasks. My task for Morocco was to find the best Sahara tour. I emailed Jane at riad Hikaya and asked for her assistance / recommendation. She highly recommended a guy named Jamal. Jamal and I began emailing months before our trip and he made me feel confident this was the right choice.

We would be returning to riad Hikaya after the 3 days so technically we could have left our backpacks and just taken essentials, but we decided to take all of our stuff- unsure what we would need. We were greeted at 7am in our riad lobby by Mohammed, our tour guide, and Tobie our driver. I was a little confused at first, seeing as Jamal had made it seem like he was going to be our guide. Through all the emails I felt like I knew Jamal. It’s scary thinking you are going in the middle of nowhere with people you don’t know and no connection to the outside world. Who is this guy Mohammed? I didn’t know him. Granted I didn’t really know Jamal either- it’s funny how technology gives you a false sense of knowing someone.

Jamal gave us an overview of our “program” for the first day- giving us some history of Morocco and explanations of where we would be stopping. We would begin our travel for the day to the Dades valley in the High Atlas mountains where we would sleep for the night. On our journey we first stopped at many beautiful mountain viewing points.

For the first 2 hours of the ride I was quite nauseated. The winding roads they call “snake road” around the mountains did not agree with me so well. I remembered feeling the exact same way riding up the catskill mountains of New York as a child and teenager. Oh boy, this was going to be a long day. Each time we stopped and got out to take pictures I felt great- fresh air, gorgeous views. John got to play with a snake and I gladly just took pictures. Back in the car I just tried to take deep breaths.

Once we arrived at Ait Ben Haddou ,where Gladiator, Game of thrones and many other movies and shows were filmed, I was feeling fine again. This place was unbelievable! Absolutely breathtaking!

Ait Ben Haddou is a ksar or historical communal compound and UNESCO world heritage site. Five families still live there and thrive as a functional self sufficient community. There are small and large houses, a mosque, and market all made of clay brick and moulded Earth.We spent an hour or so exploring and learning all about the history of the Kaspahs and village. We couldn’t believe people still actually live there. The people of the mountain villages in Morocco are called “Berber”- they are the indigenous, original settlers, much like Native American Indians of the US. The Berbers have their own language, very different from Arabic. Mohammed and Tobie our driver, are both Berber and speak both languages. The architecture and scenery was really quite remarkable.

We had a nice lunch after our exploring in a beautiful setting. I had lamb kabobs and John had tanjine (North African Berber dish cooked in an earthward/clay pot). They serve bread in Morocco with every meal. Lots and lots of bread everywhere. A person eating low carb would not do well here. With breakfast everywhere we have been thus far -they put at minimum 4 types of breads on the table to include: pastries, crepes, toast, french type bread etc. By this 3rd day I had started refusing the bread. It was good, don’t get me wrong- but I am not used to that much of it , and I wanted to save room for the meat/ main meal. My lamb kabobs were quite tasty- and then we were given fruit for dessert. This is another standard of Morocco. After each meal you are served either a bowl of oranges or mixed fruits. The tangerines and oranges are really good in Morocco! So they have their cookies/ sweets at breakfast or with mid afternoon tea and fruit after dinner.

We set back out on the road going deeper and deeper through the High Atlas mountains. We stopped at another Berber village where we bought some beautiful scarfs to wrap our heads for the desert. This is customary and not just for fashion or looks. The scarves keep your head warm and protect your neck/ ears from sand and cool air. The day and night temperature differences in the desert are quite extreme. In the day with the sun beaming down it is a warm mid 70’s-80 degrees f. At night, as soon as the sun begins to set cool dry air kicks in, dropping the temperatures to the 30’s and 40s.

We had some more lovely landscape viewing stops and eventually arrived at our cave-like hotel for the night. It was set deep in the mountains with the interior of stone/ cave walls.

We were greeted with herbal tea and cookies and then went to our room to rest before dinner. Over a nice dinner, Mohammed shared some more customs, stories, and history with us. In Moroccan culture they often share many plates of food. When the main plate of meat and vegetables is served it is customary to eat all the vegetables first , and once everyone at the table is finished, then the meat is eaten. Moroccan food has strong flavors of cumin and is garnished differently depending on the dish. Some tanjines are lemon based, others garnished with almonds and prunes and some with tomatoes, cheese and red sauce. Moroccans typically don’t use silverware. The bread is used with their hands to scoop up and eat the food. Moroccans also usually eat 5 meals a day- breakfast, brunch, lunch, mid-afternoon tea/ snack and dinner. They vernally eat dinner late in the evening around 10pm. Mohammed said it was an adjustment for him to start eating dinner with his tour groups at 6-7pm. Mohammed has a degree in psychology/ linguistics and tour guiding- as this is required by the government to lead legal tours.

After dinner we headed back to our room. We were freezing and having a difficult time getting our cave heater to work. John cursed the cold shower that wouldn’t get warm. I thought about skipping the shower, not wanting to be colder than I already was, but decided to take a quick rinse off. I knew I probably wouldn’t have an opportunity to shower in the desert.With multiple berber blankets on us we were able to get a good night’s sleep.

The next morning we set out to head more towards the Sahara desert. Actually, Sahara means “desert” , so when we say “sahara desert” we are really saying “ desert desert”. On this day’s journey we stopped at the Hollywood of Africa where many movies are filmed, as well as a fossil museum. In this part of Africa they find fossils over 300 million years old. Crazy! We also passed the largest silver mine in all of Africa, a huge underground irrigation system, and the world’s largest solar energy project which is almost complete. Morocco also has many, many date trees and olive trees. Before every meal at every hotel/ riad, or restaurant some platters of olives and dates are placed on the table. There are many different types of olives, and all pretty tasty, but I do think we will be “olived out” for awhile after this trip.

underground irrigation system– pumping well water with my legs- good workout!

As we neared the Sahara the views out the window became like postcards. We arrived at Tombucktoo Spa and hotel that sits on the very edge of the Sahara. We were given only a few minutes to drop our stuff in a secure room and grab only what we needed for our night in the middle of the desert. What do you bring to sleep in the middle of the desert? I packed my small bag with face cleaning wipes, a disposable toothbrush and toothpaste, an extra pair of sweatpants for night time, and extra jacket, scarf, pair of socks, deodorant, camera, call phone ( no idea why- backup camera I suppose), and yes some lipstick.

We went out to meet our camels. They are actually called dromedaries in Morocco because of their 1 hump, not 2. There were so many of them. They were so cute and calm. John got on his camel first and then I got on mine. They kneel for you to get on them and when they rise to stand you have to hold on really tight to the handle like bards and lean back. There are no stirrups like when riding a horse. I asked what my camel’s name was, but Mohammed said they typically don’t name animals in Morocco. Well, I was going to name him. For some reason he looked like an Arthur to me. Arthur the camel- my buddy. When I spoke to him he made some noises in response, so I’m pretty sure we bonded.

We set out on our long ride through the desert. Our camel handler, Hamib led the way. Hamib looked only about 14 -15 years old but seemed like he knew what he was doing. Only the first 5 minutes was I afraid of falling. After that I felt pretty balanced and safe. As we rode deep into the desert the sand dunes got more beautiful and extraordinary. Miles, miles we went and the sun began to set. We stopped to take pictures of the sunset- the most beautiful experience. It truly is even more beautiful in person than pictures or movies show.

I tried to jump and run for action shots in the dunes but it was way harder than it looks! Your feet sink with every step!

We continued on for a long while going further and further into the dunes. Our hips / butt/ inner legs were pretty sore and it was getting chilly. I channeled my inner Virgin Mary and imagined what it was like for her riding through the desert thousands of years ago, before guides, sunglasses and still water bottles ( although she rode a donkey). Yes, these are the things that were going through my mind as I rode a camel through the Sahara.

We finally arrived at our “camp” where we would sleep in a Berber tent for the night. We “parked” our camels along with some others and were greeted by the camp owner “Ali.”. Ali was such a funny, friendly man. He lived in the camp way out in the Sahara rarely going into the towns. Ali had many pet cats at his camp who were friendly and loved people. We were led to a campfire and given some warm tea. There were 2 other tours there- 1 couple from Holland , and 2 students from the US who are studying in London. We sat around the campfire chatting and sharing stories of our travels. After an hour or so we were called under the large berber tent for dinner where we sat with Mohammed. We were served a huge plate of rice, chicken and vegetables and bread. By this time we were starving so we filled our plates with decent portions. “This is not main course you know”, Mohammed explained. Oh, haha- whoops. Looked like a main course to us. Another large plate with beef and more food was brought over, and of course fresh fruit. During dinner Mohammed told us he was envious of us. He said he hoped he would be able to find his “other half” and “love to travel everywhere with”.

We enjoyed our dinner and went back out to the campfire where some Berber men played drums and sang songs. Ali danced for us and tried to get us to dance. He shimmied his shoulders and laughed with such pure joy.The stars were unbelievable.

There were thousands and thousands of them. I have never seen so many stars in my life. John and another guy decided to go up the tall dune in the back. John called for me to come but Mohammed was talking to me so I didn’t want to be rude and leave. After a few minutes I went to find John. It was completely pitch black. You could see nothing in front of you or behind you- only the stars in the sky, I tried using my camera flash to see where John was. I could hear his voice so tried climbing the dune in that direction. He called my name but I couldn’t reach him. It was so hard trying to negotiate the dune. We later learned it was the tallest dune of the desert. I suddenly felt someone grab my hand. Then a voice, “Don’t worry madam, I will take you up”. It was our camel handler Hamib. He helped me go higher and higher up the dune. “Your brother?”, he asked referring to John. “No, my husband”, I replied. “ Oh, no- you have husband! “ he said. “John?” I called, hoping he would come rescue me from this awkward situation. I kept trying to climb without seeing where I was going. I eventually told Hamib I just wanted to sit and rest until John found us. He sat with me and we gazed at the stars. “Do you like?” he asked. “Yes, beautiful”, I said. “Then you stay here”, he replied. Oh jeez, where is my husband when I need him. Hamib asked what I did for work and how many languages I spoke. He was taken aback when I said I really could speak only 1 language. He pointed out that we were only 50 meters away from Algeria. “Dont worry madam, they cant come, there are guards”, Hamib said referring to Algerians I suppose.

Finally John came from behind us. He was barely walking and said he got really dizzy and sick after running fast to the top of the dune. He was light headed and nauseous so I walked back down to the camp with him. I was worried but figured it was the altitude. He went and laid down for about 30 minutes in our Berber sleeping tent. The tents were all connected with blankets as the doors. Mohammed said “This is how you unlock door” and lifted the blanket up. Then “this is how you lock door” and put the blanket down. Oh boy.

Once John was feeling better he joined the group of us out by the fire again. We sat for hours gazing at the stars, telling stories and playing music. We saw shooting star, after shooting star. One of my best friends had messaged me earlier to let me know there was a huge meteor shower that night. We definitely saw it!

As it neared midnight we headed to our tent to sleep. We did have a light bulb in our tent, and I begged John to let us keep it on all night. There was no possible way I could sleep in the pitch dark in the middle of the desert. No way. There was a bathroom at the camp, located about 500 feet away. There was also no way I would be going to that bathroom in the middle of the night alone. My sweet husband gave into my fears and agreed to let the light stay on. We were both freezing as we laid on the “bed”, aka hard wood like platform. We covered ourselves with about 5 Berber blankets both shivering. John of course had to throw in the comment of -“who knows if these blankets are ever washed”. Awesome thought.

I laid there trying to sleep but was so cold! I had on 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of socks, an insulated long sleeve shirt, a jacket, multiple blankets and I was still cold. John hugged me tight but I couldn’t seem to get warm. After who knows how long of laying there I realized this was going to be a long night. I tossed and turned. My hips hurt from the firmness of the board, I had to pee but didn’t want to go out into the darkness and was so thirsty but didn’t want to drink water since I already had to pee. How did the most beautiful place that seemed like paradise earlier now turn into a nightmare?

John awoke to my tossing and turning. I tried so hard to stay still and asleep but just couldn’t. I prayed and prayed for morning. Finally it was 6am and we could get up and ride the camels back. I was so relieved. Needless to say hubby was not impressed with my camping skills. I definitely do not consider myself high maintenance- I mean how many girls do you know that can travel 8 weeks with 1 backpack? We have done some pretty crazy things and I can sleep in many conditions, but that was just not for me. Growing up when I went camping with my dad he always let me sleep in the car. Ok, it was actually a van. A conversion van with a tv and backseat that turned into a bed. That’s how I camp.

We climbed back onto our camels and headed out on our long sunrise journey back toward town. This time I rode the camel in the back and John rode Arthur. The scenery again was breathtaking and the ride absolutely amazing!We enjoyed the sunrise and took some last longing looks at the surrounding dunes.

A couple hours later we arrived back at the spa hungry, dirty and tired. We were able to take showers in the spa and had a nice breakfast of crepes and omelets.

As we departed the Sahara I couldn’t help but think what a magnificent experience. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have been able to see what many only see in movies.

We now had a long travel day to get back to Marrakech. We were able to make some more gorgeous scenery stops to see gorges, oasis and the longest strait of Africa.

We had another nice terrace lunch of tanjine overlooking 1000’s of palm trees surrounding a casbah.

Throughout the long rides we learned more from Mohammed about culture and history , and he asked us many questions about the US. Although Mohammed speaks multiple languages and dreams to travel the world, he has yet to leave Morocco. Apparently it is not easy to get approved visas. He could travel to Turkey and a few other countries without a visa, but his dream destination is San Francisco. He mentioned multiple times how much he wanted to get to California and drive a Ferrari.

Our driver got pulled over by the police twice that day. They have many checkpoints in Morocco where they ask drivers for paperwork and who their passengers are. Poor Tobie got a ticket equal to $70 for going over a street line. There really was no line, as the paint was faded but he still had to pay the fine.

I loved listening to the Moroccan music on the drive as we looked at the beautiful countryside. Mohammed and Tobie also like American music to include: Bob Marley, Kenny Chesney, Bryan Adams, Alan Jackson, and Backstreet boys.

We made it back to Marrakech and said our goodbyes to Mohammed and Tobie. I told Mohammed I was sure he would find his true love. He had seen some pictures on my camera and was in awe of my little sister’s beautiful blue eyes. Nobody in Morocco has blue eyes. “Can I say she is cute?” he said. I had to explain she was already spoken for. He said when he meets his wife we had an invitation to his future wedding. He and John exchanged emails and promised to stay in touch. We enjoyed our last night there with pizza (yes pizza) and walking around the medina. We had a lot of Moroccan food (all delicious) over the last few days, but pizza was a nice change. We got a good 8 hours of sleep, (to make up for the night before) and prepare for our next stop—— Casablanca!!!

'iilaa almarrat alqadima ( Until next time),
 Kinz

Stages of Life or Life is your Stage

by kinsay20February 6, 2015

Recently I have been thinking about how life is divided into stages. Societal and cultural stereotypes create certain “expectations” at these “stages”. In high school we are bombarded with, “What colleges are you applying to?”. Then in college we are immediately expected to know what we are going to do for the rest of our lives- “What are you majoring in?”, “What are you going to do when you graduate?”. And God forbid you, “Don’t know”.

Right after college we are expected to be dating and in serious relationships, and if we aren’t the questions are, “Why are you single?”,and “Who are you dating?”. And then as soon as you have been dating someone for any length of time it becomes, “When do you think you will get engaged?”. Then comes the engagement and the ring. Before you can even have your ring sized the world wants to know , “When is the wedding?”. Literally the day after you get married the question then becomes, ” When will you have kids?” and “Are you trying for a baby?”. Um huh? I just worked my butt off to get super fit for my wedding- no I’m not ready to have a baby yet! Plus, I want to travel and enjoy time being a newlywed! I personally have experienced this every day for the past year. Now, I don’t mind when close friends or family inquire, but when the random CVS clerk inquires or the guy installing the new cable system asks, then it’s just weird. The best is when people ask your age and then give you that “look”. You know- the “look”- the eek you are getting older, you might want to hit that next “stage”. I’m still 31 and I have had people tell me I better “hurry”. Hurry?! I thought I was doing pretty well, but it seems there is a rush to hit the next stage.

It is interesting too how societal expectations and trends differ according to location. Many of our friends in DC and NYC are single, whereas most of our friends in FL are married and have children. I love seeing my friends having children. It is the most amazing thing! And even more fun, is seeing friends be parents. The girls who danced every Thursday and Friday nights with you- the girls who took shots with you and stayed up until 4am talking. I still see my friends as those “girls” but now they are moms & wives! Pretty weird and cool, all at the same time! And seeing friends as career women and men. The same friends who you went to drama camp with and swore you would all be famous actresses/actors one day.

Even crazier is seeing younger siblings grow up. My younger brother is getting married next month and he’s a lawyer! But to me he is still my “younger” brother- and how can this be? How can it be that my little sister and brother are almost done with undergraduate degrees? I feel as though I just got my undergraduate degree. How did the last 8 years go by so fast?

I feel as though these milestones and stages are coming so quickly. I vividly remember so many things that took place over 10 years ago, that somehow seem like yesterday in a way. Working PRN at the nursing home some weekends, also makes me truly ponder life and how quickly time goes by. A stage of life I don’t think anyone looks forward to, is that stage where everyone you know is dying. Can you imagine how weird that must be? You think it’s weird when all your friends are getting married– imagine this. My 90 year old patients make comments such as, ” Oh well I had 5 children, but 3 have passed” and ” most of my friends are gone”. Sorry, I don’t mean to be a debbie downer, however this is real life and it happens! It is one of the “stages” I am referring to.

I feel this is why it is important to truly live every day to its fullest and enjoy every moment. Time goes by so fast. We go through the “stages” so quickly, and before we know it life has passed us. I try so hard to not think, ” I can’t wait until the weekend”. I want to enjoy Monday and Tuesday just as much as Saturday and Sunday. I mean if we only live for weekends we are ignoring a huge portion of our life.

I recently read a fabulous book which I highly recommend ( especially to my fellow therapy friends). The book “Still Alice”, of which the movie with Julianne Moore is based on- tells the story of a woman with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. It is fascinating, and truly makes you feel what it would be like to start losing all memory. Memories are my most treasured thing. I can’t imagine losing them and how frustrating that would be. It is how we cope with those who aren’t here anymore. It is how we make decisions and reflect on our lives. Without our memory and the amazing moments stored deep in us, how can one be who they truly are?

I also have to recommend the movie ” The Good Lie” with Reese Witherspoon. We watched it last weekend after a fabulous surprise anniversary trip to NYC and seeing “Phantom of the Opera” on broadway! Amazing!! But yes, great movie and a “must see”. Based on a true story and very uplifting.

And just one more recommendation for this post– I made this delicious recipe. The link is below for details. The roasted vegetables were super yummy!

http://http://www.blueapron.com/recipes/chicken-charlemagne-with-roasted-root-vegetables-parsnip-potato-mash–2

And until next time— don’t worry about your “stage” or if you are doing what everyone thinks you should be doing. It is your life. Live it how you want to- because you only got 1 shot at it 🙂

<3, Kinz

Keeping up with Kinz

These are a few of my favorite things….Live, Love, Travel

Uncategorized

The Gibbon Experience– I survived!!

Lost in Laos….

From Rats to Riches…

Magical Mandalay to the Post-Apocalyptic Capital

No shoes, no socks, no problem! (unless there’s monkey poo and dog urine)

Yan-Gon(e) Goes My Passport…

Ringing in the New Year in Barcelona!

Tapas, Taverns, History and Wine- Adventures through Spain

Surviving the Sahara- Conner edition

Stages of Life or Life is your Stage