Welcome to the land down under and crocodiles

And I've made it! I'm in Australia and my trip is almost over. This is my last stop on my grand tour and it makes me really sad. Though I complain and whine about traveling, this really has been the most amazing experience I've ever had. But before I leave it all behind, I still have one continent left to explore albiet for only 3 weeks.

Though I only have an EXTREMELY short period of time here (most people I meet spend between 3-12 months here) I have a pretty good itinerary, if I do say so myself. I'll be starting out in Darwin for a few days, then onto Alice Springs and Uluru where I will meet up with my parents, then to the Whitsundays for a bit of sun and surf, Townsville to scuba the Yongala (weather permitting) and finally to Sydney where I will bid a final adieu to my world travels and head back home to once again become a law-abiding citizen on the great Mouse Wheel of Life. Sigh.

Anyway, so far the trip has been fabulous! I arrived at Darwin at the very eager hour of 4am after having about 10 minutes of sleep on my flight from Singapore. At least I was able to get some free wine (when you are on a budget like mine, "complimentary" takes on a whole new meaning). I could barely keep my eyes open as the airport shuttle bus dropped me off at a hostel. They unfortunately didn't have any beds available but the guy took pity on me (probably after seeing the most hang-dog look ever - if he told me ice cream didn't exist anymore, I don't think I could have been more disappointed) and let me sleep in a recently vacated motel room. Its pretty grubby to sleep in someone else's room but I didn't care. After about 4 hours asleep, I was ready to function once again.

So the big thing to do in Darwin is to visit Kakadu National Park, the land of Aboriginal rock art and crocodiles. So I was really keen to see both until I saw how expensive the tours were. I know, this is going to be a running theme throughout my Australia posts but really, things here are more expensive than home, both in nominal and real terms (this isn't just adjusting from Asia prices talking here)! Anyway, what can you do? So I went ahead and booked a daytrip into Litchfield National Park to see some waterfalls and crocs and to Kakadu for an overnight "adventure tour".

Australia also marked my return to hostel living. SE Asia accomodation is so cheap, I could stay in a (shoebox) room on my own for cheaper than a dorm bed down here. Ahhh, good old hostels. I love how cheap they are, the facilities and how easy it is to meet fellow backpackers. But I'm pretty tired of sharing a room with 10 other snoring people who go to bed and wake-up at odd hours. And contrary to popular belief, communal bathrooms can get tiring after awhile. And there are always encounters like the one I had in Darwin. I got up at the UNGODLY hour of 5am to catch my tour bus when I noticed a guy, sleeping gently and snoring a bit but curled up on the ground with his boxers hanging around his ankles (Christine, its like your worst nightmare!!). Why? I don't even know where to start. But that's hostel life!

The trip to Litchfield wasn't as action packed as I had hoped. We ended up in a big huge tour bus, being shuttled from waterfall to waterfall and not really walking as much as being hurded around the sites. But I at least opted for the Jumping Croc boat ride, which sounded a lot more innocent than it ended up being. I thought we would just be boating up and down the river, spotting crocs and hearing the oohs and aahs of tourists as they snapped happily away at their cameras. It was that but also soooo much more. We were all sitting in our seats when the commentator spotted a "4-meter beaut" off the right bank, enjoying the sun and views. As I leaned over the railing to take a photo, I was almost smacked in the face with a raw porkchop roughly the size of my head. Apparently, spotting crocs wasn't enough. They actually DANGLED porkchops off sticks in order to entice the crocs closer and to jump up and eat the meat. These are MAN EATING creatures than can be up to 20 feet in length and weigh up to 2 tons! And they were bringing them close to a boat full of scrumptiously plump tourists??? It was so insane! It was hard not to cower in the middle of the boat as you saw 3 of these man-eaters circling our boat.

Here they come, circling around our helpless boat!

Do you see the teeth on that thing?? And look how far it can jump up? Are these people crazy?

The crocs weren't the only ones interested in the dangling meat. It was like a scene straight out of Hitchcock's The Birds, which you all know I HATE.

One of the many waterfalls we saw that day. They were all stunning and very inviting. Except when I found out that they may be croc-infested. Seriously?

Fruit bats, hanging out waiting for night to descend before turning into vampires and sucking your blood.

No, we didn't stumble into a graveyard. Those are actually termite mounds. Some of them get to be incredibly huge, like 20ft! Apparently, there are a lot of termites in Australia.

The next day, I got up yet again at 5am in order to catch my overnight tour to Kakadu. I thought I was still hallucinating when I saw our 4wd but it was real. It was this huge beast of a car - all the comforts and big seats of a tour bus, but mounted on top of these monster wheels that looked like they could devor any poor unsuspecting sedan. I got to sit in the front seat and the bottom of the cabin came up to my chest. I've been on lots of 4wd trips but this was something. Our tour leader was even a real bush man, straight out of a cliche - a modern day Crocodile Dundee. I think we were all a little afraid of Andrew, especially when we saw him whip out the biggest knife ever to just pick at his fingernails or stop the car suddenly to track some pigs or sniff some tree. But he was incredibly knowledgable about everything bush and Aboriginal related. And after a few (more like 10) beers, he warmed up considerably and we had some good laughs. Overall, the trip was fantastic. We saw some amazing sites like billabongs (they aren't just a surf clothing line) teeming with wildlife, ancient rock art and endless stars above our campsite. We also visited the most picturesque waterholes for a good dunk after long hot days.

There's our bad boy.

I forget what type of bird this is but is pretty interesting and common around these parts. I know, I could never be a bird watcher (but isn't that really a good thing?).

Yay! More croc watching! We took a boat around a billabong (basically a pond) and they were everywhere - both salties (man-eating ones) and freshies (not man-eating but can still take a big chunk out).

Look at that hansome mug! A freshie waiting for his close-up.

Beautiful lily plants though apparently, they aren't native to Australia and are choking the waterways. Even roses have thorns, right?

Who wouldn't want to swim here? There were a bunch of little waterfalls that fed into this big pool where we could jump from rocks and even swim through this small passageway under the water.

You just don't see sunsets like this everyday.

A perfect end to a great day.

Some of this Aboriginal rock art has been around for centuries. What's interesting is that this isn't from a dead culture. Tribes of Aboriginals still use the same painting methods to illustrate their creation stories. Its amazing to think that the oldest culture in the wrold still lives on today.

Our very own bush man showing us what each of the symbols mean.

Australia really is an amazingly beautiful and wild land. To think how the Aboriginals lived off this land before Europeans came and wrecked it all.

I could live this way. Really.

The mosquitoes though were merciless. The bugs in general here are bigger, more ferocious and way too persistant. Trying to get away from an Australian fly is really an artform. I'm usually pretty good with repellant and wearing my mosquito-repellant clothing but I ended up with over 20 bites on or around me bum, as the Aussies would call it. Yup, 20. How they got there is a mystery though I have my suspicions. I think I might of scooped up one of the buggers in my pants or I might have encounted an overly hungry one in the toilet. Who knows? But it was so awful! They itched so badly but I could exactly go at them in public. TORTURE!!!

But this is just the beginning! I still have the outback and the coast to see. But Darwin was a great introduction to the Land of Oz. The people here have been so friendly and quick to share some corny joke over a beer. Its also nice to be back somewhere that reminds me of home. The accents aside, we could have been in the States, maybe out in the National Parks around Utah and Colorado. Now onto Alice!

A new asian utopia in singapore

I arrived in Singapore with only 1 thing in mind - shopping!! I know Singapore isn't the cheapest Asian country to shop in but it was my last chance to shop at reasonable prices before I headed to Australia and the Western world. Plus, when it gets down to it, Singapore is really made up of inter-connected, air-conditioned shopping centers, so really I had no choice. I only had 2 days so I knew I had to make the best of it.

But before I get to my shopping bonanza, I would like to comment on my observations about Singapore. First, yes, it is freakishly clean here and there are a bazillion rules for everything that everyone seems to follow without comment. Even my hostel, the Inn Crowd, had so many rules I was afraid of wearing my shoes anywhere so I kept them in my hand, putting them on furtively on occasion but then taking them off again after getting extremely paranoid. Do I put them on while climbing the stairs? Going to the bathroom? Stepping out onto the balcony? It was stressful. Granted, the hostel was probably one of the cleanest and most efficiently run place I've ever stayed at. And they had a fabulous breakfast and for free!

But Singapore is fascinating. There is a huge mix of Asian cultures, predominantly Mandarin, Malay and Indian but its this interesting, dare I say it, melting pot of cultures living in harmony. English is more or less the official language so that everyone can communicate with each other without having one single culture with supreme precedence over the others. Everything is clean and perfectly planned with even the grubbier neighborhoods like Little India and Chinatown have a new, shiny feel to it. The city is also incredibly modern with air-conditioning blasting everywhere, even on some of the sidewalks. It was as if the Asian section of Its A Small World at Disneyland came to life. Or maybe like the futuristic city that Sylvester Stallone found himself when he unfroze in Demolition Man that was a bit too clean and a bit too perfect. I couldn't get over it!

This is Little India. Notice the colorful shutters and the clean streets. This is nicer than my neighborhood in Brooklyn!

Anyway, I did try to visit the sights around Singapore - the riverfront, Chinatown, Orchard Road, etc but I kept getting drawn into the shopping centers. I finally gave in and went nuts. It felt so good, like having a super-cold beer after walking in the heat all day or eating Korean food after months of college life. I was suffering from withdrawal and I didn't even realize it! Shopping bags in hand, I decided I needed an even bigger fix. So I got a manicure and a pedicure as well. Ahhhhh. Heaven, really. I haven't had any TLC for my hands or feet for AGES. It just made me feel like a normal girl again instead of a grubby, functionally-clothed backpacker. Why don't I do this more often??

My half-hearted attempt at catching the sights. Here's Circular Quay (in Singapore). Its an area that is (of course) full of shops and restaurants. It really comes to life at night so its not as impressive on a rainy afternoon.

My feet have NEVER looked so good!

And I couldn't leave Singapore without experiencing Singapore's other great calling card - its food!! There were a couple of Singaporeans on my Tibet trip and I badgered them into giving me some restaurant and food advice. For me, food really is a huge part of my travels and will make or break a place for me. So I quickly got myself some dim sum (fantastic but not even close to Hong Kong), Indian curries (unbelievable) and of course, some chicken rice. I went to areas with the most food hawker stalls because that's usually the place to get the best and cheapest local foods. And the Singaporeans really bring hawker stalls to a whole new level. Its like an art for them. They had malls that were basically all food stalls. These stall areas were packed with business executives, housewifes, teens, pretty much everyone, with fans or air-conditioning, public bathrooms and busy cleaning people. Everything was so good and it was a great way to end my time in Asia.

They have whole complexes just devoted to food stalls. And these ain't no amateur operations. There is every Singaporean specialty on display - I walked around at least twice before having to settle on something. I wanted it all!

Yummmm, dim sum! I went on the recommendations of some Singaporeans I know and it was fantastic. It was in this really chic place but still very affordable by US standards! I had all my favorites.

My last meal in Singapore and it was something. I barely made a dent in it by the time I was done though I did my best to stuff as much into my stomach as possible.

Well, I'm off to Australia, the last stamp in my passport. I can't believe I only have a few weeks left (the countdown has begun!) and I'm done with Asia. Australia is going to be a lot easier because its a modern country and everyone speaks English. It will be a lot like home, I think. So that means no more eating out and shopping. But I am excited about cooking again. It will be nice to have a homecooked meal after all this time. Watch for my next post from Down Under!

Back into the swing of things (sort of)

Update finally! Photos up for all island adventures and lazy times in Malaysia below (check the last 3 posts for new photos)!

After a tearful goodbye to the Perhentians, I found myself at a loss. After a week of complete relaxation, how was I supposed to get back into high-gear travel mode and get myself down to Singapore? I couldn't get back into the zone with making travel reservations and finding accommodations. Luckily, I met a few people on the boat coming from the islands so we went together to find a place to stay in Kota Bharu.

We made sort of a ragtag group, like ships passing through the night. We were all headed in different directions but we found ourselves hanging out for a day or so. But we had a good time, drinking beers (where we could find them), watching the World Cup and walking around the city. Kota Bharu isn't much of a town but it is a more traditional Malay town without the same tourism as the cities on the west coast so it was nice to see normal Malay life. Malaysia is a Muslim country so most of the women are in conservative dress and headscarves though there are plenty of men walking around without their shirts on. Being a single female traveler, I didn't want to attract too much attention to myself so I also covered up though the weather was absolutely sweltering. Really, I will be glad to finally get out of the insane heat of SE Asia!

In preparation for the World Cup games that night. Impressive that we found so many beers in a Mulism town like Kota Bharu!

We all had night buses the next night but we spent the day wandering around without much to do. Two of the guys, Tim and Tommy, and I visited some of the local markets looking for these decorative kites that caught my eye in some travel brochures. All the kites we saw in the shops were really small but we wanted to find the huge ones we saw in the pictures. One of the shop ladies told us to catch the No 10 bus to PCB, wherever that was, to this kite-making shop and since we didn't have anything else to do, we decided to go. I really love taking local buses because its a great way to see the city and interact with local people.

The central market. It had consisted of mostly food (so it wasn't be best smelling place) but it was interesting to see what goes into a Malaysian feast!

I just liked the name of this store, though apparently they're called reject shops in the UK as well. They are for factory defected clothing not for lame people.

We finally found the bus though we ran into this really weird Malay guy with "Brasil" shaved into the back of his head. Maybe he was just distraught after Brazil's loss the night before but he kept talking to us in Malay though we obviously had no idea what he was saying and laughing. He then turned to Tim and shows him his cellphone. I only caught a glimpse of the phone and a bit shocked, I asked Tim if it was a picture of a naked girl and he calmly said yup. We just started to crack-up because the guy was totally wacko but at least harmless. The bus ride took us out of town and quickly filled up with a bunch of school kids who were pretty excited to have a group of foreigners on their bus. After taking a couple of wrong turns, we finally found the kite shop but unfortunately, they were way too big and fragile to take back home. I at least got some good photos of them!

We finally found the kites! But I couldn't really get one since they are made of delicate paper and you can't fold them up. But they were beautiful!

It was a failed kite mission, but we had a really great time taking the bus and seeing the countryside outside the city. All the Malay people, except for that weird guy, were all so friendly and helpful so we felt perfectly at ease in such a different culture.

I took an overnight bus (it was like a meat locker, it was so air-conditioned) to Melaka, a southern port town that had been colonized by the Dutch a few centuries ago. Its famed for its colonial-fusion architecture and Nonya cuisine so I decided it would be the perfect place to spend a couple of days before heading to Singapore. There were some other sights in Malaysia, namely the Tamaran Negara rain forest, that I originally wanted to see but honestly, I just couldn't be bothered. I'm so traveled and jungled-out that the thought of trekking through a sweltering forest was not very exciting to me. I just wanted to easiest route to Singapore, really so Melaka was it.

But I'm still in island mode and couldn't drum up any enthusiasm for Melaka either. There were some interesting building but after about a couple of hours, I was ready to call it quits. Honestly, the architecture wasn't as great as I expected (Macau is way more interesting) and I can't say I'm interested in seeing any museums or walking around in hot weather anymore. Its a shame to have sort of wasted these last few days in Malaysia but I don't really care ;). But I am excited about Singapore and more importantly eating in Singapore so hopefully I'll have a change of heart when I get there!

The main square in the old town of Melaka though its pretty small.

They have rickshaws in Melaka though for some reason, they are decorated with the tackiest, gaudiest things possible. Some even blare bad, cheesy music.

Some interesting windows.

But it hasn't all been a waste. I bought this really cool batik-painted mask in Melaka. Sigh, can I please stop with the shopping?? I don't even want to talk about how many scarves I've bought!

Happy 4th of July, everyone! I can't wait to BBQ with you all next year!

The siren call of the perhentians

I got to the Perhentian Islands after another long travel day that included boat-bus-train-border crossing-taxi-another boat but it was so worth it. From the second I saw the beaches I knew this was the place for me. Koh Tao was a lot of fun but it wasn't the relaxing image I had fantasized about. And since the other coast was pretty much rained out, I headed down to Malaysia where I had heard the weather was better and more importantly a lot less hectic than Thailand.

The Perhentian Islands consist of 2 islands, Kecil, the small island, and Besar, the big island. They are off the east coast of Malaysia and pretty far north, near the Thai border, making it the logical next step in my travels. The islands are some of the most beautiful in Malaysia with white-sand beaches and aquamarine water. Also, the Malaysian government doesn't push development as enthusiastically as the Thai government, so though they are popular, they haven't been super-developed (yet). There are no paved roads and no real buildings except some chalets, shack restaurants and dive shops on the beach. Its not a five-star resort place but its perfect for weary backpackers looking for sun and a good time. Really, I can't say enough about how great the Perhentians were. I would definitely go back on holiday!!

Look at the color of that water! This is the view from the veranda at Suria. The rest of the beach wasn't that rocky though.

A perfect island sunset. We enjoyed this with Mai Tais in hand. Ahh...

Get me back there! Why did I ever leave??

I met these 2 Irish people, David and Eimear, who were also looking to do an advanced course so we took the ferry together to Long Beach, the main drag on the islands, to hunt down some dive shops. We landed on the beach and we immediately knew it wasn't the place for us. It was too filled with crappy lodging and bars blaring bad pop music. Ack! Another Koh Tao! But we were able to walk to the other side of the island to Coral Bay Beach and it was a completely different story. There were a few restaurants littered on the beach but with only 5 groups of chalets, it was so much quieter and laid back than Long Beach. And after looking at some pretty dreadful chalets, we decided to splurge on some air-con and clean room at the Suria Resort. And it was perfect. The staff were so friendly and the food was phenomenal there so it was worth the splurge.

But the best part of Suria was the dive shop, Dive Tribe. Since it was right next door, we booked our advanced course with them. The staff there were also so great. Really professional but also a ton of fun. We were immediately folded into their community and we ended up hanging out there pretty much all the time. It was so nice to feel like you were being enveloped into a family instead of having to be fake-friendly with strangers. They had these hammocks, perfect for afternoon naps between dives, and there was always someone there to hang out with. I don't think I've had such a great relaxing time so far on my trip. It was everything I could have hoped for.

We spent many relaxing hours, hanging out and diving. I HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone planning on doing any diving in the Perhentians!

And the dive shop was just a few steps from the water. Paradise? I think maybe so.

David, my diving buddy and me, signaling the diving Okay! sign.

Helena, Paul and Sara, our dive instructor, enjoying some well-deserved beers after completing our advanced course. Yay!

The diving was also phenomenal. The visibility wasn't as good as Koh Tao but I thought there was more variety in fish and stuff. We saw tons of nemo fish (really clown anemone fish), pufferfish, lionfish (you know, the fish in Deuce Bigalow that started off the whole crazy adventure), moral eels, barracuda and my absolute favorite, boxfish. They are like mini-pufferfish but they look like they can barely swim, floundering around in the water. So cute! The one thing we didn't see was a turtle though it turns out every other freakin person on the island had seen one. Grr! We also went on a dive around a shipwreck, which was so amazing! The visibility wasn't very good but it just made it that much spookier. The ship was covered with life so it was great for fish-watching but we also got to swim in and out of the hold. Definitely one to remember!

But as great as it was to hangout at the dive shop (it was like Cheers on TV where everybody knows your name), I still needed a few days of serious beach time without people or clutter. I was sad to leave Suria and all the great people I met there but I needed time to decompress and just chill out. After all traveling I've been doing and worrying about life post-travel, I needed a holiday where I could just completely space out. So I traveled to another part of the island where there was a long beach and only one resort, Impiani Resort. It was a big splurge to stay there ($40/night) but it was really nice and exactly what I needed. I spent 3 days there doing absolutely nothing but snoozing by the water, reading, sipping watermelon shakes or hanging out on the balcony of my chalet. It was so quiet there with nothing but swaying palm trees for entertainment. I felt my soul rejuvenate and all the stress just slip away though it was probably more quiet that most people would look for. I don't have that many photos of this trip but hey! I was on holiday! That means no camera, no sightseeing and no guidebooks!

The beach at Impiani. I was usually the only one on the beach so I could hear nothing but the gentle waves hitting the sand. The sand wasn't as white but the water was just perfect. Can you believe this is the only picture of Impiani I have? Shameful I know but I couldn't be bothered to put my watermelon shake down and take pictures!

I ended up staying at the Perhentians a few days longer than I expected (its so hard to leave the siren call of Paradise) but it was much more expensive out there than I expected so I was finally forced off. So now I only have about 3 days to see the rest of Malaysia before heading to Singapore and finally to Australia. That's okay since I'm still in island mode and really can't be bothered to do anything anymore. I thought my holiday would remotivate me for travel but now all I want to do is sit around!

Swimming with the fishies

So I finally made it to the beach and its like food for my soul. I've been feeling a little tired of traveling and sweating and packing and staying in crap places but I felt it all melt away the second I saw the beautiful clear blue water and white sand beaches. Ahhhhhh....

Koh Tao is smallest islands in the group of 3 that includes Samui and Phangan. Its supposed to be a lot less developed that the others and is considered to be scuba-central in Thailand. Also, during the wet season, the beaches on the Gulf Coast to the east are a lot less rained-out than the other side (Krabi, Koh Phi Phi included) so I headed directly here for some sun, surf and scuba. After yet another long 36-hrs of travel (flight from Luang Prabang to Bangkok to Samui, early morning boat to Tao), I quickly booked an open-water class with Easy Divers that started that afternoon.

My first view of Koh Tao! There are these crazy rock formations around the island but you can really see how clear the water is!

There are these islands just off Koh Tao called Koy Nangyuan and they really are 3 islands connected by these pristinely white sand bars. Its like having the beach on both sides!

The beach right outside my bungalow. With so many boats moored on the beach, it was nice to get this small peaceful cove right outside. The water was so warm and perfectly turquoise.

The scuba class lasted 4-days and they jam-packed it with classroom theory time and practice dives. In the States, it takes weeks to get certified but you can do it in 4 days in Koh Tao for about $200. Its totally insane. I thought going to the beach would give me some time for chilling out and relaxing but the scuba class was actually pretty hectic. We were going out for 2 dives a day on a boat as well as at least a few hours a day in the classroom. I usually left my room by 9am and didn't get back to well past dinner. Of course, some of that included celebratory drinks at one of the local pubs but I still wouldn't call that exactly relaxing.

But it was so much fun! Being down there and seeing all the amazing coral and fish was spectacular. Just being able to breathe underwater was an experience I will never forget. And seeing all that coral and aquatic life upfront! It was like being in an entirely new world. It was hard at first to get used to breathing and figuring out how to stay bouyant without going up or down too much but its amazing how quickly you can pick up these skills. After the first couple of days, we could relax and enjoy our surroundings.

On the boat out to sea. We were all so excited the first time we went out with our gear. Though we were like bumbling fools under the water. We had no idea how to stay bouyant and we kept crashing into each other under the water. Oops!

Trying out the rebreather for the first time!

Ahoy, Mate! I looked a lot more graceful under the water, I promise!

The reason Koh Tao is one of the best places for diving is the incredible visibility and prolific marine life surrounding the island. The water was also incredibly warm (around 80 F) but we still had to wear wetsuits. We saw so many tropical fish with neon colors, interesting coral and even a scorpion fish. I don't have any pictures of these but I did buy the DVD of our last dive so you guys can see that when I get home :). Really, everyone should try scuba diving at least once in their lifetime!!

The class was also great because of our instructor, Sigor, and the others in the class. We had a great time trying to figure out everything and enjoying a cold beer after a long day. Everyone was pretty excited after finishing the course so we're all contemplating taking an advanced course so we can actually go diving independently rather than with an instructor or divemaster all the time. I actually plan on doing the advanced course once I get to Malaysia!

Congrats, guys!! I'm still not sure I would trust us under the water after only 4 days but we all have a card saying we can!

I could stay longer here but Koh Tao itself isn't as great as I thought it would be. Its more developed than I would like with bungalows crowding the beaches, trash along the sand, tons of boats anchored in the water and a busy little town full of bars and partying scuba divers. To be fair, I'm staying in the busiest part of the island but I'm not impressed enough to search out other, possibly nicer parts. All the activity over the last few days have made me a little worn out so I really need some peace and quiet. My scuba class ended yesterday and I'm heading out to Malaysia on a night train tonight. The Perhentian Islands are supposed to be much quieter and the scuba diving is supposed to be pretty great so I'm really excited heading out there. I've been fantasizing about quiet stretches of sand and clear waters with nothing but me, a book and some swaying palm trees. It'll be a true holiday for once!

A nice sunset but you can see how busy the water was with all these boats everywhere! They took over the entire beach except for a small area at the end where my bungalow was.

This is the section of the beach right next to the main town area and it is covered in trash. The town was also filled with obnoxious bars, 7-Elevens and annoying touts. Not exactly a beach paradise.

I also found out that my parents will be able to join me in Australia for a couple of weeks and I'm so excited about that!! I can't wait to see them and I know we will have a great time touring around Uluru and visiting some of the Whitsunday Islands. But before that I have the Malaysia and Singapore to look forward to so here's hoping for the best in these last few weeks of my trip!

Happy Birthday, Mark! I hope you didn't get too drunk while celebrating your 24th year!

Floating up the river in a little hard seat

I can't seem to do these one by one! Don't forget to check the previous post as well!

All the guidebooks mentioned that taking a slow boat up from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw was one of the most scenic in Laos and since it would be my only chance to take a boat down the Mekong, which stretches all through Laos, I quickly booked the trip. I would only have a couple of days in Nong Khiaw before I flew to South Thailand so I wanted to fit in as much as possible (really a week isn't enough in Laos but I really wanted to hit the beach!).

The trip to Nong Khiaw was supposed to take about 6 hours, which I was totally fine with (better to soak up the scenery!) until I saw the little boat and the even littler seats. There were only 4 passengers so we didn't get to take the bigger, more luxurious boats but we were optimistic regardless. What's a little discomfort for the great views. And great they were! We were able to float right alongside these huge towering mountains that seemed to just drop suddenly into the water as well as small villages full of swimming kids, weathered fishermen and even gold panhandlers. We would have made it on time except we were caught in a wicked storm and had to dock for awhile. You could barely see 10ft past the boat because of all the water pouring down. And we were in this little boat! There were times I was sure we were going to tip over.

Fine for the first hour or so but 8? It hurt to even look at a chair once we got to Nong Khiaw.

So beautiful. We came across some of the most spectacular scenery I've seen on a boat. And I've taken lots of boats!

Some boys fishing. Most of the men working in the water seemed to do it in their underwear. Economical, I suppose.

This guy was fully clothed and also wearing the conical hat we saw everywhere. I don't know how his boat weathered that storm!

Ponchos were definitely necessary in this weather. The rain came so suddenly and so hard it was unbelievable. The water seemed to come from every direction!

The calm after the storm.

Most people just bathed in the water. The men in their underwear and the women in these sarongs. They seemed to be very social events with everyone doing it together.

But we got to Nong Khiaw fine and it was just as I had pictured it though it had a lot more guesthouses and tourist restaurants than I had expected. But I found this great little bungalow with awesome views of the river though the accomodations were a bit lacking. There was no shower but the owner was nice enough to leave a large bucket of water and a small pot so I could scoop water on myself. I won't even mention the swiggly, hairy bugs. But it was a small price to pay to soak up the town. I even rented a bike to ride around the countryside though I gave that up after an hour or so from the heat. I was dying! I ended up spending most of my time, reading and taking in the views. Pretty boring but time well spent.

Dusty Nong Khiaw but with a spectacular backdrop.

But everyone had a huge satellite dish! Better to watch those World Cup games or Thai soaps. Too bad the reception can be spotty.

I also got to see one of the most amazing sunsets I've ever seen. The rains came late in the afternoon but it cleared up enough to see this over the mountains. And this was practically from the deck of my bungalow.

A lone fisherman finishing up his catch before the sun fully set.

I came up with this Dutch couple and this Brit guy and we ended up having a great time, chatting over dinner and football (in case you guys didn't know, the World Cup is going on). We also spent a lot of time talking about cultural stereotypes (it always comes up with people from other countries) and the brit guy actually asked me, quite seriously, if I owned a gun. A what?? Are you serious?? Apparently, he really believed that every American owned a gun. Can you believe that? And it wasn't just him! The dutchies agreed with him! Maybe not every person, but at least every household. They were shocked that I didn't even know anyone who owned a gun. And this is how the world sees Americans. We're all apparently obese, drive SUVs and own guns. Great.

I took the bus back to Luang Prabang (my butt couldn't take another boat ride) to spend one more magical night in the special room. It would have been perfect except there was a huge storm and everything started to leak. The windows also kept busting open and I got soaked trying to reclose the shutters. It was like in a bad disaster movie. I guess that's the drawback of staying in an old colonial mansion. Oh well. It was great while it lasted!

And now I'm off to the beach!!! I'm so excited about it. I've been traveling for 7 1/2 months and I have yet to see a bit of surf or a grain of sand. All I want to do is lay on the sand and sunbathe all my troubles away. I'm also going to be taking a SCUBA course in Koh Tao so I can't wait for that! Those who have known me forever know that me and water are at one. I can't believe I've waited this long for this!