Follow along...

Hey. Just wanted to let you guys know that although our Taiwan time and South-East Asia trip are over, Allison is continuing her adventure in Australia with her friend Susan. They have started a new blog and you can follow along by going to www.susanandallisoninoz.blogspot.com. As for me, I am 'sans' digi cam, and will not be documenting my Canadian adventures. Thanks again for all your encouragement, support and correspondence. Al, you were travel-partner extraordinaire and I had the time of my life. Thanks so much.

Until our next adventure....Ciao!

The Last-Leg - Southern Thailand

After leaving Phuket, we jumped on a boat for Koh Phi Phi. There, we had a very eventful 6 days of soaking up the sun, pounding down our share of buckets and participating in what turned out to be a less than relaxing snorkeling trip... (for Allison at least). We met lots of very cool world travellers there and even one that is Mark's neighbour at home. We also learned a lot more about the destruction caused by the Tsunami and the contributions so many travellers have made.

When we felt ready to move on, we took another boat to Rai Lay beach. Our last two days down south were filled with more swimming, eating, relaxing, and massages (for an almost broken Allison.)

The story behind our beautiful snokeling trip is that we paired up with a couple from Holland who had done this trip before. First stop - clliff jumping. For those who know, this is not uncommon in Canada, our lakes are filled with such rock jumping opportuninties and I considered myself an experienced vet. Unfortunately after a first successful jump by Mark and myself, I landed funny on the second jump (from a 15m height that didn't make the water as soft as I would've liked) and so bruised my tail bone and seized up every muscle in my back, which are still recovering today, almost a week later... eeccchh. I could still walk and float and there was no better place to be than Southern Thailand, with all its views and cheap massages. Aside from that the snorkel trip was excellent, seeing hidden lagoons, the famous Maya beach from the movie 'The Beach' and lots and lots of turquoise water,

We are now back at Lisa's in Bangkok and are heading to Koh San Road today for our last night in Asia. Mark heads out tomorrow morning at 8:30am and I follow at 6:30. He'll be in Vancouver the following day and I'll be with Susan in Sydney. We're both looking forward to seeing friends and exploring different continents so the split isn't as hard as it might be otherwise. We had an amazing few months and wouldn't change a single thing. We hope to do a repeat performance sometime in the not-so-distant future to explore another far off land. Stay tuned and thanks for all the support and encouragement along the way!

<-- This a look at Patong Beach. Patong is the major beach in Phuket and would probably have been the one that you saw in pictures/videos of the Tsunami hitting Thailand.

^-- Approaching Koh Phi Phi. Phi Phi Don (left, where you stay) and Phi Phi Lei (right, where "the Beach" was filmed).

Al standing out in the water at Koh Phi Phi. One day you could honestly walk about 1 km out and the water would be below your knees. The next, you would go 25 meters and it was up to your shoulders. From our now vast experience, this translates to "strange tidal behavior".
<-- The famous "Thai Bucket". Buy one get one free. One costs $7.00, two is more than you need!!
Who needs costumes and masks on Halloween when you have faces like these?? (Buckets at work!)-->


<-- On our boat trip to Phi Phi Lei (the island that "The Beach" was filmed on) we went into this totally enclosed lagoon that was the epitome of beautiful. This is the entrance.







<-- In the lagoon.







This is the beach that the movie "The Beach" was filmed on. It looks quite different in real life but is still very beautiful. -->








<-- Lovin life in a hammock on the beach. The best place to recover from back injuries!

^-- A view of Phi Phi Don from the viewpoint. It was hit from both sides by the tsunami and so, a lot of damage was caused. They're still rebuilding. Still, a beautiful island.

This is the area that used to be covered in cheap bungalows for backpackers. The tsunami wiped them all out and right now, there is only the one building that stands which only opened while we were there, almost a year later.-->



A view from the boat of Railay Beach. We swam on those beaches bewtween massive and gorgeous rock formations.

<-- Part of Al's recovery.


--> Railay beach with the tide in.

<-- Railay Beach with the tide out! Not quite as picturesque eh?












<-- A walk to the beach through crazy monkey ridden caves and hanging rocks.

The beautiful view of the beach at Railay. Lots of people came here to do rock climbing and you can see why.

^--Where we spent our days swimming at Rai Lei beach.

Bangkok to Chang Mai

We arrived in Bangkok late on Sunday night after a really, long and dreadful bus ride. The road from Siem Reap to the border of Thailand is among the worst we've ever been on. 6 hours of dirt roads, no A/C and pot holes (if you can call holes the size of cars, potholes). We went straight to our friend Lisa's house in Bangkok and had a great sleep in her king sized bed!!

We've since spent 4 days exploring Northern Thailand, Ayutthya and Chiang Mai with our old buddy from Taiwan. They old, historic sights in Ayutthya were nice to see and the outdoor treks of Chiang Mai were refreshing! After a couple hill-tribe villages, an elephant ride and a ride on a bamboo raft we exhausted. We got our second wind at the Night Bazaar and after Lisa caught her flight home, Mark and I took part in a cooking course just before catching the night train. The course was better than we both expected and I am now a certified Thai cookery grad.

After Chang Mai we missioned South (24 hr mission) and are now in Phuket. The damage caused by the Tsunami is hardly noticable, it's amazing to see how this place seems to have bounced back. We have been soaking up the sun and exploring, enjoying the beginning of the last 2 weeks of our adventure.

Tomorrow we head to Koh Pee Pee, made famous by the movie 'The Beach'. We will spend a couple days there and then head to Koh Lanta, followed by Krabi and finally back to Lisa's house in Bangkok.

<-- Exploring the ruins at Ayutthya.
--> What's left of a Buddha, it's at ground level, buried in a tree, amongst the ruins.
<-- Our favorite Wat at Ayutthya.
--> Evidence of the ancient wars between Burma and Thailand. The Burmese managed to decapitate just about every Buddha in the city.
<-- The view from the top of the mountain on our hike in Chang Mai (that's Lisa). We visited a hill tribe there.
<-- Crossing danger-bay bridge to the elephant camp.
--> Elephant ride! These guys took us up and down steep hills, so steep we were holding on for dear life.
<-- A well earned snack. It was very cool to feed them, piggy elephans.
<-- At a the Karen hill tribe.
<-- We spent a good hour frolicking in these powerful falls. The rocks were like black ice, very good for rock sliding.

<-- A picture of a picture that Lisa bought of us on our Bamboo raft.

<-- The cooking class in Chang Mai was awesome, I sucessfully made 5 dishes and am excited to experiment with them and more when I get back.


Last night's sunsets on Patong Beach, Phuket.










<-- The nightlife in Phuket is unbelievable, this is the main party street, you'd swear you were in Florida or something... a little loud for some.

<-- A view of one of the many cove-beaches we explored today. The water was crystal-clear aqua-blue and the waves were perfect for body surfing.

Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia

Cambodia was a new, different experience from what we had already seen in Taiwan, China and Vietnam. The poverty in Cambodia is much more prevalent and victims of war, homeless children and beggars are very common sights no matter where you are in the city. The city roads are paved but 1 minute outside of it, you find yourself on red dirt, pot-hole filled roads. A few minutes in a tuk-tuk on these roads and your skin is turned to an off red color.

Hanging out outside "Herbs Happy Pizza", in Phnom Penh -->

The tourist sites we went to were not the happiest of places by any means. We visited 'The Killing Fields' where the mass graves of over 9,000 Cambodians were found. These people were the victims of the Khemer Rouge mass genocide that happened in the late '70's. We also went to the prison where thousands of Cambodians were held, beaten and tortured, prior to being killed and taken to the 'Killing Fields'. The prison was actually a school, that the Khmer Rouge gutted and transformed into hundreds of awful holding cells. A tour of these places, leaves you feeling sick to your stomach. However, despite these sadnesses, the people of Cambodia are incredibly friendly and the city is filled with beautiful architecture and amazing Wats. (temples)

<-- The site of the "Killing Fields". Walking around this place, you simply see big holes everywhere that served as the mass graves. At the front entrance is a big structure holding the skulls of all those who were found buried.


The old school that was transformed into a Tuel Sleng Prison by the Khmer Rouge.-->


















ANGKOR WAT


The typical postcard shot of Angkor Wat



Following our days in Phnom Penh, we bussed it up to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat - the old capitol of the Khmer Empire, ruling over S.E. Asia. I'm sure many of you have heard of Angkor Wat, but for those who haven't, it is considered an architectural masterpiece. It is huge, full of intricate detail, and breathtakingly beautiful. Surprisingly, we learned that it was only used for religious purposes and that noone ever actually lived in it.


<^--We had a 5 a.m start to catch the sunrise on Angkor Wat.

<-- The intricate detail of 'The Terrace of the Leper King'. Detail like this is absolutely everywhere, all over every wall, brick and door way.

From far, The Bayon Temple looks like a pile of rubble.

Up close, you can see much more amazing details. The whole place is covered with these different faces...super cool.

<-- A steep climb up the so-called 'steps'. Imagine doing this everyday...?


This temple was amazing because these HUGE trees had grown over and on top of the existing walls. Seeing how big these trees are, and knowing they are younger than the temple itself, gives you a great idea of just how old these temples really are. -->


^^ All the trees, and their giant roots, have ruined many of the walls and structures. The rubble still lies around the grounds giving it a very natural, and real kind of feeling.-->

Mekong to Cambodia

We are now in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We had a fabulous 3 days on the Mekong and look forward to visiting Ankor Wat in a few days! Here are the pictures!

<-- A view of Ho Chi Minh City from our dinner cruise... $10 for everything, not too bad!

Mekong Day 1:
<-- As we were getting on our bus we spotted our friend Ron from Taiwan on vacation! What are the chances?
<-- On the Mekong, and a perfect day for it.

<-- Houses on the flooded Mekong. During wet season the Mekong is flooded about 3 months every year! People use bikes or boats depending on the season!


Where's Waldo? (On a 'monkey-brigde' on the Mekong, used by people, not monkeys.) -->

<-- Me and a Python outside a candy-making, picture embroidery, honey-bee rasing, traditional folk music shop we visited.


<-- Eating Cobra in Can Tho.
<-- Baby Crocodiles! Too bad they are being raised to become purses.









Day 2:
<-- A boat in a vegetable market on the river. They advertise by tying what they sell on a stick.

<-- Hiking up Sam Mountain, the mountains in the distance are in Cambodia.

<-- We were invited for dinner at our guide's family's home. We ate snails and clams and drank beer and rice wine. It was all very tasty.

Day 3:
^-- You can see the whole area on the left is flooded, the rest of the year it is filled with rice paddies.

<-- Another picture of the flooded Mekong. That should be a full tree and power line next to a road.

At 9:30am we boarded the first of what would be a series of boats to get to Cambodia. We then transfered to a 1.5hr bus ride across a very bumpy road to arrive in Phnom Penh at 6pm. The architecture here is very different, our favorite so far.
<-- Pagodas around Phnom Penh.