Burma!!

Another strong effort by the Gibbs clan to make it to Burma (Myanmar). We left Vang Vieng, Laos by mini bus at 0900 and got to a hotel in Yangon at 1400 the next day.

• 3 hour mini bus ride from Vang Vieng to Vientiene
• a phenomenal lunch at Ray's Grille. Ray is an expat American who has been living in Thailand and Laos for 27 years now. Originally from the Seattle area. He makes a mean Philly Sub sandwich.  The kids had their first quesadillas since Don Jilbertos in Montrose
• a tuk tuk ride from Vientiene to the train station in Thanaleng
• a short train ride across the Mekong River on the Friendship Bridge that links Laos to Thailand
• the requisite Thai border paperwork and a new train for an 11 hour overnight train to Bangkok.
• arrival in Bangkok at the airport (an actual train stop, thankfully) at around 0800 - walk to departure terminal
• 1 1/2 hour flight to Myanmar at 11:30
• Myanmar immigration (our third country's immigration in 24 hours) and a 45 minute taxi ride through Yangon (6 million people) to our hotel.
• Whew...

We showed up with Myanmar visas and US$, but little else.  We couldn't make the internet work for hotel resy's. So we went about it the same way we solve most travel challenges: we created the obligation aka ripping off the bandage. By landing in Yangon with no hotel resy, we had no choice but to find a place. Perfect plan.

The concierge person at the info booth in the airport was SUPER helpful.  We had a hotel identified from the Lonely Planet guidebook. She dialed the number on her personal cell phone, handed it to me and then wandered off to help someone else. They had a nice room with 5 beds for $60 and we were set.

That same evening we walked to Shwedagon Pagoda. The most important religious site in Burma. It was stunning.  However, the most fantastic part was the 45 minute conversation with had with some young monks. They were fascinated by an American family traveling to their country.  The kids were the key.  The monks likely never would have approached just Joanie and I.  Rock, in fact, has been our meal ticket in SE Asia as there seems to be endless fascination with Caucasian boys.  Who knew?

This morning we went to a local travel agency and booked flights to Bagan.  Another thing that was impossible to arrange in advance.  However, here it was a piece of cake.  Our travel logistics being set, we spent the balance of the day exploring Yangon and taking in the sights. 

There are some fascinating cultural aspects.  For example, in an effort to separate themselves from the British they elected to switch to driving on the right side. However, all of the cars have right side steering wheels. Makes for interesting passing, to say the least.

We were actually pleasantly surprised to find hotel wifi. Reports had it as being just about non-existent. However, things are changing fast in Myanmar.  We may not come back across wifi for a couple of weeks, but will update the blog if we stumble across the opportunity. 

The people are so kind, warm, and generous of heart. I sense that our stay here is going to be exceptional. 

Monk encounter at Shwedagon Pagoda

Last night, we went to the Shwedagon Paya Buddhist Stupa after a long travel 1.5 days to Yangon (previously Rangoon), Myanmar (previously Burma). It was very majestic, although the neon lights around the Buddha images’ heads kinda sorta tarnished the whole effect.

Anyways, our hotel is about a 30-45 minute walk to the Stupa and we were all very weary from walking such a looooooong ways. Just past ¼ of the ways walking around the GIANT monument, we found some steps that looked very inviting to sit down on. A few minutes after we got settled a monk sitting very close to us said “hello”. I looked up and he was smiling and holding out his hand for me to shake it. At first, I was very nervous because a woman is not supposed to even touch a monk’s robes let alone shake his hand! But I took up the offer anyways. The next thing he said was “Where are you from?” This is a common question I have found in SE Asia and I simply told him America and his reaction was very outstanding: “Oh! An American!” he exclaimed. He was obviously very surprised by our nationality. His two buddies started to point at us and whispering to each other. It was as if we were animals at the zoo!

One of the two even asked me why I wore the glasses. I had to explain to him that they helped me see. I was actually kind of surprised that I had to explain this to him. Plenty of monks wear glasses. He related to my problem of not being able to see far and I let him try my glasses on. As soon as they were over his eyes, he took them off saying “Too much power! Too much!” We all started to laugh.

After a while, a Burmese man who had come to pay his respects to the Buddha joined in on our conversation. After that, a few more monks and a Burmese woman joined in as well. We were the main attraction at the stupa! Forget the hundreds and hundreds of Buddha images. You can talk to American children!

My dad was also very popular because of his gigantic arms. Many of the monks kept commenting on how strong he was. They said they try and try but they could not get big muscles. My dad went on and on about how if you eat protein and vegetables, it will also help.

That’s pretty much all that happened. My father regrets not asking to take a group photo. So sadly, we do not have and photographic references. It was an exceptional travel experience and one that we will all remember for a long time.

Oh and by the way, most Burmese monks wear maroon robes instead of orange ones. Just in case you were wondering…

Kenzi

Final post from Vang Vieng

We are just leaving Laos. My favorite things were going tubing down the river & kayaking. My dad got a blister from the paddle. When we were tubing, a bunch of Brits were smoking cigarettes.  We wanted to splash them, but didn't have a paddle to use. Sometimes while we were tubing, we would get marooned on the shallow rocks. It is the dry season here in Laos.

Rock

As you heard from Rock, we are leaving Laos today :(. I think that it is the best country so far! As if traveling for 30 hours isn't bad enough, I (Mackenzie) have a cold. It's just a bad day(s) for me I guess. Well anyways, I really liked Vang Vieng (even though I liked Luang Prabang much better). We did all the normal stuff that all of the young people do. In fact, you can't walk a meter without seeing someone in their twenties! They are mostly Brits and most of them smoke and drink when they do all of the activities and it definitely gets on my nerves. Our first night, some of them were getting out of the river from tubing and they were completely wasted! What a great warm welcoming, Vang Vieng!

Kenzi


As you heard from Rock and Mackenzie, we are leaving Laos today! I think it is also the best country so far!! Tubing and kayaking was GREAT! You could just relax while the river carried you. In kayaking, well it is kayaking! You paddle for like 2 hrs. For us they did door to door service because we were staying on the river! We went bike riding to Lusi cave and went caving! The cave was like 500 meters in! We could have waded through filthy water to get to a lagoon, but that was not what we wanted to do. When we were riding motor scooters, I learned the hard way there is a wrong way to get off the scooter: exhaust pipe side! Unfortunately, I got a major burn! It was not a pretty sight! Bye Vang Vieng!

Audrey

Balloon over Vang Vieng

Joanie and Mike on their 33km single speed ride (no kids)

Intrepid spelunkers

Walk like an Egyptian

Vang Vieng - Endless Limestone (approx. Jan 19-20)

The scenery in Laos is truly stunning.  When we left Luang Prabang, it was via a bus to Vang Vieng.  The distance covered by road was approximately 230km. By air it may have been as little as 60-80km.  A very curvy mountain road.  We climbed, then descended, and then climbed again.  At one point the road followed a high ridge system for 30+km and we snaked along the top of this ridge with fantastic views to both sides. Amazing. It reminded us of the foothills of the Himalaya in Nepal.

Joanie and I were both thinking that it would be a world-class road bike ride. The asphalt is very good, there is very little vehicle traffic, and there are numerous villages along the way for meals, water, toilet, and even accommodations.  You could do it with the bare minimum of gear as a bike tour.  Temps were around 65-70 F. Perfect for exercise.

When we started our descent into the Vang Vieng valley there was this very prominent peak of probably 1000m+ of relief.  Super steep. It looked like Ama Dablam without the snow and ice. Instead, it was draped in vegetation.  Soaring limestone buttresses and faces. There are tons of climbing opportunities to be had in Laos.  Most of it likely on unclimbed terrain.

The other pleasant surprise is that the party scene in Vang Vieng is quite muted. We had read that it was a mandatory stop on the SE Asia booze cruise crowd with drinking, raves, and techno music blaring at all hours.  Apparently, due to numerous injuries and deaths in recent years as a result of over-consumption of alcohol, the local government has reigned in the party scene. Bars close as 11:30PM and the town seems to be pretty chill. No One Cares the British youth had to revert back to Mykonos…

P.S.  We finally managed to find a wifi connection that used something other than squirrels spinning a wheel to power the router. The local gentrified bakery has decent speed and we were able to upload some recent video clips and pictures.  

P.P.S.  We have managed some sort of outdoor exercise-related activity every day in Vang Vieng.  We even extended our stay a few days, because we have enjoyed it so much. It is not too different from Ouray in its outdoor recreation opportunities and focus. 

Sunset in Vang Vieng, Laos

Lusi Cave entrance

Rock near a large stalagmite

Traditional Laotian fish dinner

Last days in Luang Prabang (approx. Jan 15-17)

We went to a waterfall today and did a zipline tour. It was fun because you got to climb this really cool ladder that came out of the limestone. We went on 18 different ziplines. It was fun. On the last one, we got to go upside down.

 By Rock


We just finished up our stay in Luang Prabang. I really liked our accommodations: Oui’s Guesthouse. Obviously, influenced by the French. Anyways, we got to rent bicycles for the first time on this trip!!!!! So exciting! There were a lot of Buddhist monks in this town. Our guesthouse was actually right around the corner from a monastery, so maybe that’s why I got the impression that there were a lot of them.

We also did a few outside-of-town activities like ziplining and rope swinging into a waterfall. The water at both places was really cold (no surprise there). I really liked Luang Prabang. It reminded me a bit of Ouray in terms of there being no traffic lights, chain businesses, or flat ground. There are a lot of mountains here in Laos. My parents say it reminds them of Nepal. It’s also a bit chilly…

By Mackenzie :D

Making a donation to the LP library

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Sabaidee from Vang Vieng

Many stories, videos, and pics to share in the future. However, wifi in Vang Vieng is abysmally slow and uploading media has proven to be an insurmountable hurdle. The desktops at the Broadband Internet cafes do not recognize my Seagate external hard drive. Stuck between a rock and a hard place with weak connectivity. C'est la vie. We have some good stuff to share, but will wait until we can properly upload. It may be a while. We leave for Burma on Jan 26 and that is reputed to be an internet dark zone. It may be until we get to South Africa around Feb 9 or so before we can get proper service. We'll see. A minor annoyance. We are loving Laos. Fantastic country to visit. Ciao.

The Jewel of the Mekong

We arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos on Sunday following a quick pass through Bangkok.  Pretty well all of our airline related travel in SE Asia has to funnel through Bangkok.

Luang Prabang was recommended to us by my friend John Leonard from Denali National Park.  John has traveled extensively in SE Asia and he remarked that LP was a "can't miss" travel site.  It has not disappointed.  A great spot.

For starters, it was nice to disembark the plane to 21 degree C weather.  Around 70 F.  We have been sweating standing still for going on 30 days now. Also, we saw our first hills since we left Hawai'i.  Beautiful scenery.  The surrounding hills are covered in big limestone cliffs. The area to the south of us near Vang Vieng is apparently rapidly developing into SE Asia's newest 'hot spot' for rock climbing.

We rented bikes from our guesthouse and went on an initial recce around town. Quiet streets, French colonial architecture, serpentine narrow alleyways to explore, and real ground coffee farmed right here in the hills of Laos.

Yesterday was an active day up at a nearby waterfall.  It included some nice hiking through the rain forest and some swimming in the pools below the main falls.  At the market near the entrance, a little Laotian girl was playing peek-a-boo with Mackenzie.  She only had eyes for Mackie.

This morning, Joanie and I walked up to the Main street to observe the morning procession of the monks.  Buddhism is the prominent religion here in Laos. Each morning, the monks-in-training walk along the street to to their monastery.  Locals line the sidewalk with gifts of rice.

S-21

We have been enjoying our stay here in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We have spent quite a few hours exploring the bustling city and lounging by the pool. There are not too many tourist activities, which is a good thing as we needed a little R&R after a few weeks of non-stop activity. The local food is delicious and inexpensive but the European food has claimed our focus (CHEESE!!). We are trying to eat just one meal out to conserve money and time, but the kids must be growing because they have had insatiable appetites! We end up snacking a bit too much. Maybe we are sabotaging our efforts by choosing hotel properties with swimming pools? We all enjoy the cooling pool after a morning of exploring, however.


 Yesterday's explore was of a very different and somber nature. We toured the Genocide Museum of Tuol Sleng. Mike and I were young children when the Khmer Rouge was in power here in Cambodia, but we both recall hearing about the dictator Pol Pot and the horrible crimes he and his group committed to their own countrymen. Tuol Sleng was a secondary school turned into a prison and torture facility right here in the heart of Phnom Penh. Its moniker was S-21 and from 1975-1979 the Khmer Rouge arrested, interrogated and tortured over 17,000 women, children and men at this location. After this detention, the prisoners were sent to the killing fields ( just outside of town, which we did not visit) where they were disposed of in mass graves. Less than 20 people are known to have survived S-21. Morbidly enough, the Khmer Rouge took very thorough records and photographs so some of the exhibits consist of thousands of faces staring hopelessly (they were not allowed to cry out in pain even during interrogations). Although our visit was relatively short, it was extremely powerful. It led to some good discussions about man's inhumanity to man, current examples of similar atrocities, and what we might do ourselves if caught in similar situations. We all had different points to add to the discussion. 


The Cambodian people are very friendly and gracious and hardworking. But it seems as though they are still recovering from the reign of the Khmer Rouge (who went into the hills and continued to plague the country for twenty years!). I applaud their determination to not forget and to work hard for a better future.


 Tomorrow we leave Cambodia and head back to Thailand to then turn around and head to Laos (all of the flights originate in Bangkok). Hopefully we will get to do a little trekking in Laos and maybe some river floating. TTFN Joanie

Phnom Penh Crosswalks

Phnom Penh has many things in abundance: great restaurants, chic hotels, vibrant markets, grand boulevards, and fabulous weather.


What it lacks are pedestrian crosswalks and any sort of rule of law relative to driving.

Random non sequiturs from Phnom Penh

Remember these little beauties?  No you don't, Jackson...you weren't born yet.  These harken back the days of Mean Joe Green, American muscle cars, the molestache, Led Zeppelin, Chuck Bronson films, and the 3-piece business suit.

Back in the 1970s, these devices opened any and all aluminum beverage cans.  In order to be PC and not be a litterbug (recall the iconic Indian on the beach with the trash around him and the tear streaming down his weathered face?) folks would peel back the teardrop shaped piece of aluminum and drop it back into their tasty beverage.  However, too many dads trying to suck the last dregs of Schlitz Malt Liquor out of the bottom of the can managed to choke themselves on the offending object.

The Cambodians have overcome this issue with a simplistic approach: just throw them on the ground!

Go Ducks!  Who knew that the Cambodians were such big Ducks fans?!?  They have even put up Ducks flags in their own language.

Warning:  Giant Cambodian pigeons invade Angkor Wat!

I want a bamboo mountain bike!!! How bad-to-the-bone 

would this be back on the trails in Ouray?

Cambodia: Phnom Penh

Hi! This is Kenzi speaking. So far, Cambodia is pretty similar to Thailand. There are a few differences, though. One of them is that Cambodia uses USD instead of Baht. Their normal "local" currency is the Rial (which is 4,000 to the $) but for the tourists, they accept the green stuff. This is great for me because I happened to bring my US wallet along on this trip with me and I am really happy to have it here in Phnom Penh (pronounced Gnome Pen).

Yesterday, we went to this AMAZING restaurant called The Shop. It reminded me of the Artisan Bakery back in Ouray. Artisan is a lot better though. I got a really good chicken, bacon, goat cheese panini and it was really delicious. After lunch, we were originally going to go to the chocolate right next door called Chocolate; but when we got there, it ws waaaaaaaay too expensive. 6$ per 100g! We decided to go back to The Shop and get one of their yummy pastries. I actually got a small loaf of ciabatta bread. It was really good! Audrey and Rock got chocolate pastries that were also really deicious. However, I decided that since my treat was the cheapest and it lasted me the longest that it was the best deal.

We also went to the National Museum yesterday and most of it was Hindu gods and Buddhas. Today, we went to the Royal Palace. It was kinda a rip off because the actual palace was closed. All we got to see was the Silver Pagoda. I was kind of disappointed in that though because al the silver tiles on the floor were covered up by rugs and carpets. You couldn't even call it the "silver" pagoda. After that and the park, we had to check out of Hotel 9 and transfer to Villa Samnang. And it turns out that we didn't book the room we thought we did. Our room only has a double and a twin bed. With 5 people, it is very crowded. We accidentally booked the wrong room and it's really crowded, but at least none of the people speak very good English!

After we ditched our packs, we walked around in the hot sun for a while. We found a really yummy coffee shop and spent about an hour drinking white chocolate mocha frappes and eating croissants. That's pretty much all that's been happening around here. Bye!

Lost in Angkor Wat

Belated Happy New Year 2013

Angkor Wat - Audrey's perspective

STEEP stairs at Angkor Wat. Yikes!!

Yesterday, we went to Angkor Wat! It was AWESOME!!! My cousins and I had so much fun running in the dark corridors and exploring every nook and cranny of the ruins. We went to this one ruin where there were stairs to the very top. It was very, very tiring. At that point I was starting to wish for snow!!! But I knew we had the pool to look forward to. Our Tuk Tuk driver's name was Mr. Alibabba!! He was really nice. We even got ice cold water from him! Trust me the water is not as good as Ouray's water. Do you see  me on those stairs?? That was like rock climbing without a rope! At the last ruin we did for the day we saw lots and lots of monkeys! They were the cutest little things you ever saw. We saw a baby monkey nursing! Everyone was taking pictures or videos. The last ruin we went to was the main one. To tell you the truth it was not as interesting as the other ones. All the kids did was walk around on the outside of the ruin. It was above the ground. Our hotel has a pool so when we got back all of us were so hot we just jumped in the pool!! (we put our swimsuits on first though!) You could not really see anything though because the sunset was at 5:30 in the evening and we got home at like 6:00. That night we watched a movie in our hotel room.....kind of. The movies were all scratched up and it kept skipping. So we watched TV instead. Well, that is all I can think of to say!!!

The Incomparable Angkor Wat

This was a major league checkmark in our world travel site location 'bucket list'.  Every bit as spectacular and vast as we had expected.  You may notice one of the images was from a scene in the original Indiana Jones film. Well worth the effort to get here.

Hard earned Cambodia

The gates at Poipet

We are enjoying a lazy morning here in Siem Reap, Cambodia following a yeoman's effort to get here in one push all the way from Koh Tao.  Everyone did great and it was very much a typical travel experience.  Here is the breakdown:

• Left apartment at Koh Tao at 11:00 am in the back of a pickup truck for the pier. Said goodbye to our hostess Zaneta who was on the mend from her contraction of Dengue Fever. Lovely.
• Boarded the Lomprayah high speed catamaran for the return voyage across the Andamman Sea. Dramamine consumed by most in our party in an effort to stave off Barf-O-Rama II.
• Made port at Chumphon after an uneventful crossing. Boarded a bus for the 1 hour ride to the train station.
• Managed to leave the snorkel gear (5 masks/snorkels) on the bus. Buh Bye...thankfully, we were done with them and intended to send them Stateside with the Butzer-Pelsters. Oh well.
• We were now at hour 7 or so on our travels.
• Settled in for what was expected to be 6 hours at the train station waiting for our midnight train to Bangkok. It pulled in at 0200.  That was a tough stretch. Caught some Zzzs on the floor of the train station while Rock pulled sentry duty on the family of nearby rats.
• Sleeper car to Bangkok. Pretty cozy after we booted the dirtbag Kiwi sleeping in one of our berths.  
• Breakfast at train station in Bangkok. Quick transition to mini van for the drive to the border.  About 3 hours drive. The first hour was getting 4 blocks from the train station (no joke).
• Walk across the border exiting Thailand and entering Cambodia. The usual rigamarole of forms, stamps, fees, and touts.
• Another mini van to Siem Reap.  About 2 1/2 hours. Half of it in the dark.  
• Dropped off at the town center for a transition to three Tuk Tuks to get our party of 9 to the Lotus Lodge. Arrived at 2000 (8pm). 
• Dinner and cold beers followed immediately upon arrival.
• Total time in transition = 33 hours. Total means of conveyance = 8. Whining episodes = ZERO.  
• Strong work indeed.

The Ducks kickoff against K State in the Fiesta Bowl in 20 minutes. I actually have terrific internet bandwidth. Somewhat torn. However, I have wanted to see the ruins at Angkor Wat ever since I learned about them over 20 years ago.  Can't wait. Anticipation is high.

Go Ducks!!!

Potty Talk

It is often an adventure going to the bathroom abroad. A variety of devices, stances, hoses, buckets, lack of paper, and occasional deviance from western expectations all add to the rich experience. It is helpful when English is included in the instructions...

Got it. Pee elsewhere. Copy.

"Excuse me, can I use your toilet?"

OK. Got it. No Asian style peeing on western toilet. Copy.