2 Days as Mahouts (Elephant Trainers)

After two days bumming around in Luang Prabang taking tuk tuks to Buddha caves and waterfalls, enjoying the great coffee and pastries, and hanging out with our posse of 8 other worldy travelers we met on the slow boat here (see photos), we decided to experience two days as elephant trainers (in Lao - "Mahouts"). It seemed kinda touristy initially, but Eric agreed to humor me since I had this burning desire to get up close with these amazing animals. In the end, even he had to admit it was one of the coolest things we've ever done.

On day one, we began with an hour and a half ride atop one of the "saddles" and were accomanied by a number of other tourists doing a day ride. That in itself was cool enough because we weren't just going round in circles on a path in the elephant camp, but were actually going through the jungle, in streams and along the river. After lunch, all the other people departed and it was just Eric and I and our own personal English speaking guide, Lue. Lue comes from the Hmong tribe and was very willing to share with us about his people and tell us interesting facts and traditions about Laos. He was also quite keen to learn about the USA and California (there are some tribes of Hmong people in CA...the USA brought them there after the Vietnam war).

Around 1:30PM, it was time to take our elephants to the jungle to rest and eat for the rest of the day/night. After some instructions on the elephant commands for"go," "stop," "right," "left," "sit down," etc. we were ready to begin the journey to the jungle. We were each paired with a real Mahout (you didn't think they'd actually let us try to steer one of these gigantic animals ourselves!), and swung up onto our elephants necks as they leaned down for us. We sat in front, our legs over their necks and hands on their heads. Our Mahouts sat behind us and held lightly at our hips in case we should need help with balance. Then we were off, one big step at a time, down the road and then up a narrow path into the jungle. Our elephants stopped frequently to sneak bites of trees (they eat constantly, but only drink once a week...and sleep an hour a day) and we had to kick and holler the commands to keep them going. It was a bit intimidating at first, but once you got the hang of it, it was really fun.

Since the elephants go to bed so early, we spent the rest of the afternoon with Lue tubing on tire tubes down the river...also a blast. We then decided to do a bit of exploring around the area because we heard all these kids playing nearby. Turns out the village is only 5 mins away and we timidly walked down the path to see what was happening. We were quickly welcomed by children saying "hello! hello!" in Lao and the adults also smiled and seemed not to mind our presence. One woman let us watch as she prepared her family's dinner and showed us the ingredients and how to cook it. We also looked on as several older boys played a local game similar to volleyball, but with the feet kicking the ball over the high net instead of hands. One little girl showed us a newborn kitten that fit in the palm of her hand. By the time we left, we had a following of about 7-8 young children between 5-10 years old playing chase games with Eric and showing off their talents. They followed us all the way back to our lodging and didn't want to say goodbye.

We finished off the evening with an excellent curry dinner and spent a couple hours before our bed time playing card games and brain teasers (which Lue provided). It was just so relaxing to sit at the open air restaurant and play games and chat in the midst of the jungle and all the night jungle sounds. We slept in a thatched bungalow under a mosquito net and heard a variety of creatures scampering around outside throughout the night.

At 6:30AM came our wake-up knock and we quickly dressed in our Mahout outfits to head to the jungle with Lue and our Mahouts to retrieve our elephants. They were quite a long way in, but finally appeared and we jumped on board their necks once again. Mine had a couple stubborn moments, as did Eric's...they like to eat and not always move as quickly as one wants. We took them down to the river this time and got to give them their morning bath. They waded in until their body was mostly emersed and then the Mahout gave them the command to sit so they were fully submerged except for their head. We splashed water all over them and rubbed them down, which they seemed to enjoy very much. They also like to dunk their heads and spray water with their trunks...so you get completely soaked! After the bath, we rode them back to the camp and jumped off so the Mahouts could prepare them for their morning tourist rides. This was the most amazing experience and more than I could have hoped for in terms of bonding with an elephant.

After breakfast and a short nap, we were off by truck and then boat to a famous local waterfall - Tad Sae. It is so beautiful it almost looks man made...there are tiers and tiers of pouring water and dozens of pools for swimming. Eric was still a bit tired, so decided to enjoy from the shore, but I was eager jump in, swim around and explore the multi-levels. A great way to end our little adventure.

Tomorrow, we head south by road towards the capital and then hopefully more time down the Mekong from there. We will keep you posted!

2 Days on the Mekong

After our hill tribe experience in Thailand, we headed for the Thai/Loas border to cross over and follow the Mekong River into the heart of Laos. We made a one-day stop at a town called Chiang Sean and the Golden Triangle - famous for the opium growing/trading that occurred here 30 years ago - and visited the opium museum. The Golden Triangle is where the borders of Laos, Burma and Thailand meet at a river junction...a cool place to say you've been, but not really too exciting. We also ran into our friend Jean Francois here again (see Chang Mai blog entry) - he'd been delayed getting into China, so was also spending a day or two in Chiang Sean. We all had dinner together along the bank of the Mekong and had insightful conversations about the state of the world, the role of the USA and then eventually talked a long time about religion and spirituality. All topics we've been interested in exploring during our travels - and JF, also traveling for a long period and just having finished his 21-day meditation retreat, had some very interesting opinions.

From Chiang Sean, we high tailed it to Chiang Kong, the official border crossing with Loas. We had an interesting truck ride that took almost 6 hours...turns out the first truck only takes you half way, then drops you at a random town in the middle of nowwhere to wait for a second truck that is supposed to come at 2PM. We weren't so sure, but luckily after an hour of waiting, it did show up and we arrived safely and crossed the border the next day.

From here, we decided to take the 2-day slow boat to the city Luang Prabang - known for it's easy access to trekking and adventure tours and remnants of French colonization (especially the great coffee and pastries). The slow boat was packed with Farlang (Lao translation: foreigners), but a few locals also hopped aboard. The seats were hard wooden benches with worn cushions...not exactly comfortable. Turns out the best seats were at the back on the floor where you could sprawl out a bit. The first day's 5 hour ride was uneventful...some nice scenery along the river, lots of small villages of thatched homes and children playing in the river. We arrived to the town where we'd spend the night - Pak Bang - around 6PM.

Pak Bang is a lovely little town right on the river with a ton of guest houses for the daily boats that come through. It cost us around $2.50 for a really nice room...though the electricity only runs from 6-10PM because everyone is on generators. So much for the fan. What we were struck by most in this town was the children - there were a TON of them, and a notable amount of pregnant women as well. Must be something in the water - or maybe too much spare time for "extracurricular activities." The kids were great though...incredibly friendly and full of life and energy. At one point when walking up the road, we were acosted by a gang of about 7 or 8 little ones between age 2 and 4 all screaming "sabqai-dii" ("hello"). At first we thought maybe they were going to put out their hands for money, but instead they were much more interested in playing. We picked them up, swung them around, gave them high fives...they laughed and laughed. Most kids in the town run free, some half-clothed and most a bit dirty from their playing, but all the adults and older children seem to look after them and it's very accepted. Kinda like a cool neighborhood gang.

In the morning, when looking for a place to have breakfast one guy lured us into his restaurant. I was craving french toast, which he didn't know how to make. I told him that I could teach him and then he could put it on his menu. He eagerly agreed. Turns out his wife was out of town for the day (she usually does the cooking) so he was a bit stressed from all the multi-tasking. I ended up cooking our meal and couple other customers' as well...and had him and his friends running errands to find the ingredients. It was pretty comical, but we got a great breakfast out of it, and they have put french toast on the menu. Yet, despite my cooking for us and others, he still charged us almost full price for the food...ah well.

The second day of the boat ride was a bit more eventful...about 10 minutes after departure from our dock, the boat pulled over to the river bank and two canoes filled with bags of barley pulled up alongside. We assume cargo transport is a side business for the captain and a way to earn additional money to paying passengers. The Lao people on board proceeded to load 50 plus huge bags of barley onto the boat leaving hardly any room to move. Some people had to sit atop the bags and you had to climb over a large mound to get to the toilet. At one point the boat was a little lopsided, but we got them to at least rearrange things so it was a bit more steady. After the canoes departed, they went to start the engine...no go. We waited another hour while they tried to start the engine, then had a local mechanic row over in his canoe to finally get it working. At least we weren't stuck there all day!

Then it was hours and hours of sitting, laying and trying to relieve butt cramps from too much sitting on hard surfaces. I finished my book and Eric made a good dent in his. We chatted with a couple locals on board and shared some food with them. I also spent some time with one little local girl about age 3-4 teaching her how to say colors in English using a colorful pillow. She never quite repeated any of the words, but seemed to enjoy the attention and the game. We also met a lot of other travelers about our age from Europe, UK and Australia and formed a group of about 10 of us that have been hanging out together since we arrived in Luang Prabang. The last hour of the boat trip was the most exciting...we came across a wild boar in the water swimming to avoid a boat of fisherman hunting it. It swam right up along our boat and was in complete distress. In the end, they of course captured and killed it - slightly disturbing to witness. As we continued, the river widened, the sun began to set and the scenery became more stunning. I spent the last hour with my feet over the side of the boat listening to my ipod and creating a soundtrack in my memory of the perfect setting and moment.

Next time...tales from our time in Luang Prabang...stay tuned!

Mariah

Venturing Off the Beaten Track

While we loved the places we have visited in Thailand, we have found them to be well-touristed and sometimes with lack of access to local culture. Everywhere we have been, there are an assortment of food choices (especially Western), tourist agencies on every corner, and shops and touts trying to sell you souvenirs at every turn. After our couple days in Chang Mai, we were longing to get off the main tourist track and see a bit of the quieter side of Thailand...

After taking a mini-bus to the town of Feng, we hopped in a sawngthaew (basically a small pick up truck with bench seats in the back) to the small river town of Tha Ton along the Northern Thai border. The truck ride was the most interesting...aside from us, there were only locals jumping on and off at points along the way. At one point, the old granny sitting next to Eric greedily extended her hand for a Halls cough drop from the package I'd taken from my bag. I of course didn't mind giving her one, but she didn't indicate a thank you and soon got told off in Thai by her granddaughter sitting across from her. It was slightly amusing.

We went to Tha Ton because we had heard you could hire a bamboo raft to take you down the Mae Nam Kok river to the town of Chang Rai. This is actually a well touristed area, however, it's low season so very few tourists were to be found. Without 4 people for the bamboo raft, the price was too expensive, so we decided to wait until the following day to take the public boat. We showed up the next morning at 11AM to buy our public boat tickets, but they said the boat wouldn't go unless they had 5 people. We waited until the departure time of 12:30 and decided we would pay the additional fare to take it anyway - what could we do?...we wanted to take the boat. At the last minute, one lone tourist showed up - a guy from Belgium - and agreed to split the fare three ways, which was better than two.

The boat trip was relaxing and scenic...we stopped at two Lahu Villages along the way before arriving to the Hot Springs - not more than a scalding hot and muddy pond. Eric and I had picked up a brochure for a guest house 3 km walk from the hot springs up in a hill tribe village, so we decided to disembark here. The brochure just said to follow the signs to "Akha Hill House"...no problem, right?

After asking directions, we saw the first sign...excellent, on the right track. After another 10 mins walking along a dirt road up and down hills, we saw a second sign...and a village up in the distance. By this point our 40-50 pound bags were starting to feel quite cumbersome, but it didn't seem much further, so no sweat. By the time we arrived to the village, my legs were starting to ache, but we felt relief because we'd arrived. Not so. We asked the villagers where the "Akha Hill House" was and they just kept pointing up the road, which by this point was narrowing into a small path. We came to the last thatched cottage at the top of the village and asked the old woman washing her clothes on her porch about the Akha Village and she nodded in recognition, pointed upwards on the steep dirt path and made a sound and hand gesture to indicate it was a long long way...then she smiled, and laughed. We didn't fully believe her when she said it was a LONG way, we thought it had to be just up the hill. Again, not so.

By this point, we had acquired a dog from the local village who seemed quite happy to tromp along ahead and beside us for our journey. Her presence was actually quite calming (knowing that we couldn't be lost because the dog was sure to know the way) as we continued up the path that kept getting more ambiguous. There were no longer any signs and we had no idea if we were heading in the right direction considering the path went into the jungle and we were surrounded on both sides by head high grass and shrubs. We finally came across another villager and she indicated again to keep going...so we did. We finally came to a clearing and a cross roads. At this point, it was nearing 5PM (it gets dark between 6-6:30), my hips were bruised from the weight of my bag and Eric had to dole out continual encouragement to keep my legs moving up the steep path. We discussed the situation and decided, worse comes to worse, we can go back to the first village and ask to stay there. For the time being, we'd make an educated guess (due to the lack of any signage) and went left. Our dog hopped happily along.

Another 10-15 minutes...and another cross roads. Eric went to explore up left and I stayed put and listened. I thought I heard rushing water in the distance (towards the right path) and since the village was meant to be near a waterfall, we chose right.

Another 10-15 minutes...and yet another cross roads. Shoot! We were both feeling a little uncertain now, though Eric maintained optimism and went to explore up to the left again. And low and behold, down below he could see the village. He came back down and we continued to the right and after another 10 minutes strode into the village with our bags and our dog. The local dogs were not a fan of our new friend, but she stayed loyal and near us for protection. (In fact she stayed with us all evening and slept overnight on our porch. It wasn't until the next morning when one of the villagers threatened her with a sling shot - shame on him! - that she took off for her real home).

As we entered the village, we were welcomed by smiles from the people, all pointing us in the right direction and came upon a group of villagers chatting near the guest house entrance. There were no other guests at the moment, so they offered us a VIP room (i.e., jungle bungalow) for 350 bhat ($11) per night. FINALLY, we took off our bags and were able to relax and have a nice meal. If nothing else, a hike like this convinces you to get rid of some of the crap you pick up and carry along in your bag - time to lighten our loads again! After dinner, we went to explore the village, play with the local children and chat with some of the younger people and tour guides who spoke some English. We felt very at home here and the setting was amazing.

The next day, we decided to do a jungle trek with our guide Apa. The first part of the hike was all uphill (yippee!) to see the waterfall and then around the mountain and down into another valley. We stopped early at 10:30AM for lunch because Apa was going to prepare our lunch using bamboo cooking. He first went down to the river to cut a few large shoots of bamboo. He cut them into smaller 3-4 foot sections and we helped carry them back to our picnic spot (at the base of a rice hill). Over the next hour, he made us 3 bamboo cups, 3 sets of chopsticks and 3 bamboo cylinders for the food. He chopped up lettuce, cabbage, onion, tomatoes, lemon grass and spring onion and stuffed half the mixture into one shoot with water. The other half the mixture, he mixed with egg and stuff down the second shoot. In the third shoot, he just left the water, but later added several leaves from a nearby tree to make us tea. He placed the three shoots over the fire we'd made and let them cook and boil for about 20 minutes. He then made a bowl from bamboo and banana leaves and mixed the vege mixture with noodles. Whoa-la...lunch is served in our bamboo cups and eaten with our newly made chopsticks...and it was delicious. Seriously, the coolest cooking we've ever witnesses!

After lunch, we continued our hike for another several hours up and down hills and valleys, through thick jungle and open rice fields and over waterfalls...all very scenic. Lots of fruits and vegetables are grown on the hillsides by local villagers including lychee fruit, corn, rice, cucumber, melons, lemons and even coffee. Everything is done by hand, which makes you truly appreciate all the labor that goes into food production. When living in a city, you take for granted that food just shows up on the shelves and you don't really think twice about what it takes to grow it - especially in a developing country. Here, in the hills of Thailand, life centers around tending and harvesting your crops on your little plot of land, daily tasks like the washing, cooking, raising children and spending time with family and friends. It's much simpler - and in many ways the people here seem just as happy, if not happier than those of us in the West working overtime so we can have the latest and greatest stuff. Not to say that even the villages in remote Thailand don't have some of the modern conveniences like satellite, internet and cell phones - many do. But their lives are not centered on these things...and they get to wake up every morning to the natural sounds and beauty of the jungle. There are of course benefits to every way of life - our point, is that people around the world, in developing and developed nations, in all different circumstances and with many different life styles find ways to happiness as long as basic needs are met. It's quite refreshing actually.

We spent one more night in the village before departing on Sunday to Chang Rai and up further North to Chiang Saem (i.e., Golden Triangle). We were hoping to attend church with the villagers - surprisingly, the Akha villages in the area are Christian, and not Buddhist - but there was some sort of meeting, so church didn't happen. So we jumped in the back of the village pick-up truck for an hour and held on as we bumped up and down the dirt road through the most amazing scenery to Chang Rai.

What's next...well, our route has changed due to tips from other travelers and we have decided to head to Laos for a week or two. We have the romantic notion of following the Mekong River all the way into Cambodia, and maybe even to Vietnam, if we can find public and private boats to take us. Stay tuned for more adventures off the beaten path...

Our Ramblings in Chang Mai - Thailand

We arrived weary after our 30hrs of travel by train from the island of Koh Tao to Chang Mai in the North of Thailand. We were ready to take it easy and enjoy what we had hoped would be a relaxing northern city. However, we found Chang Mai to still be very much on the tourist path - even during low season it is filled with tourists and savvy Thai's who know how to cater to Westerners. Due to the these circumstances, we opted to spend only a couple days here doing a self-guided walking tour of the city's wats (i.e., Buddhist temples) and markets, and spending one day taking a Thai cooking class before heading on to more isolated hills near the Burmese border.

While exploring the city of Chang Mai, we were struck by the many friendly people we encountered...

Wat Thung Yu: at this wat we ran into an architect, or rather he went out of his way to meet us. This guy was so friendly and stereotypically kind, as we have experienced with so many Thais in the north. He explained that his father had helped design pieces of the wat and that it was his responsibility to check up on it to make sure everything was functioning properly. He was extremely excited to talk to us about the US and was quick to mention that he had many American acquaintances which he was working with to try and expand his business. Meeting and chatting with this guy, along with many others, has been a blessing for us and made our time in Thailand so much the better for getting to talk with some of the local people appreciate their kind and friendly culture.

While at the same wat, we also had the privilege to spend some time with a monk who was closing down the temple. We talked with him in broken English about his life and where he was from. He was not as outgoing as the architect, but was shy, yet playful at the same time. He, unlike many monks you see in Thailand, has dedicated his life to the belief and service of Buddhism. Many Thai men will spend 21+ days during their childhood as a young monk (almost a right of passage), but will resume normal life after that period. The monk we met had been a practicing monk for the last 11 years (must have joined in his early teens).

Walking the streets: While cruising around Chang Mai, taking in the local flavor and enjoying people watching, we were approached by a businessman from the South of Thailand who was in Chang Mai shopping with his daughter, who goes to school in Sweden. This gentleman was helpful in giving us the lay of the land and was extremely excited to hear that we were from California (we have grown accustomed to answering the "Where are you from?" question with California instead of the US because it typically differentiates us from the rest of Americans. Most Thais know people from the US, but not necessarily California so it gives us a chance to tell them about where we live). Funny enough, the man had a good friend who moved to Santa Cruz and opened up a Chinese restaurant called "Charlie Hong Kong's" - small world...this is a place I know.

Wat Chiang Man: Outside this wat, Mariah struck up a conversation with another Thai man as we were putting our shoes back on (you must remove your shoes before entering a temple). He was in Chang Mai visiting his sister and was extremely helpful in discussing the Northern Thai region and the local Chang Mai area.

Night Bazaar: After a long day exploring the wats, we were excited to get to the Night Bazaar and get some food and checkout all the fun handicrafts that we couldn't buy (because our backpacks are way too full). While taking in some Pad Thai from a local vendor, we sat down next to a French Canadian guy who was definitely a little wound up. We started talking and he explained that we were the first people he had talked to in the last 21 days. After arriving in Thailand, he went up to Wat Doi Suthep for a 21 day silent meditation retreat. We thought this was very cool, even though we knew we would never be able to survive the thought of being silent for so long. The guy, Jean Francois, was a yoga teacher near Quebec and was traveling around Asia taking in different meditation styles to mix and match to find his own style of Yoga. We talked for over an hour about traveling life, companions and getting to interact with the locals on our travels. He also had a very interesting thought about pollution. Not just environmental pollution, but also the noise and touching pollution you constantly experience while traveling, especially in the big cities. He helped us to identify in words some of what we have felt along the way and thus better understand the reasons we sometimes get home sick and get fed up with some of the cultural idiosyncrasies. Now, we are at the point of trying to find places where we can escape the pollution (of all types) and set aside some quiet time to let our thoughts run free. We've realized this is totally necessary to enjoy the travel experience and to not get burned out. Jean Francois was heading next to Tibet to study a form of Kung Fu and Thai Chi and was invited to work in Bali as a Yoga instructor during the winter months.

Cooking Class: Once again, Mariah and I picked up our aprons and tried our hands at cooking. Unlike Chinese food, I do believe I could have Thai food every day of my life and not get sick of it. I'm excited to try cooking some Thai curries (red is my favorite, Mariah prefers green) and some desserts when we get home. We were joined by a number of other international couples and singles for the all day cooking course at "The Best Thai Cooking School" put on by a hilarious Thai guy who has been teaching Westerners to cook for far too long.

The best part of the day was learning to "adventure cook" with our woks...while cooking sweet and sour vegetables (Mariah) and spicy cashew chicken (Eric), we had the chance to singe our eyebrows practicing making fireballs with our perspective dishes:

All in all, the cooking class was a hit...we will soon add an easy red curry recipe for you to try at home (our recipe books is currently in our backpack being stored at the bus station).

Thanks to everyone for keeping in touch...we will keep you abreast of our travels and thoughts.

Eric

Eric and the Elephant

Once upon a time...there was a lovely little elephant who dreamed of her prince charming. One day, unexpectedly, she found him standing in front of her at her home in Koh Samui. Just as she had been told, she kissed him three times to turn him into her elephant prince. However, much to her dismay, his human girlfriend was standing jealously nearby and prevented the spell from working. In the end, he remained his human self, but will be forever changed from his elephant kisses! Ok, cheesy, I know, but check out the video...

Thailand - The Beaches

We keep telling ourselves we are going to blog more often so we don't have so much we want to share in each entry, but then life and travel gets away with us and we find ourselves sitting here in front of the screen wondering what we most want to share without boring you with too many details...so here goes...


Bangkok
Not too much to share about Bangkok really...it's a big Asian city with lots of temples (which we ashamedly neglected to see - we were a bit templed out after China and needed a break). The most notable things we did in Bangkok were get daily massages at a place called Sumali's. One word: Incredible! Enough said.

We also ended up each evening in the Middle Eastern/African district at Nefartiti's Restaurant, which just happened to have the most amazing hookah and shisha Eric has tried (hence, why we ended up there every evening). This was the real deal - great Mediterranean food, and a mix of Middle Easterners smoking the water pipes.

And the last thing we did of significance was splurge on the VIP Theatre at a fancy new mall to see "Bourne Ultimatum." Ok, ok...so the seats were $15 each in THAILAND, but it was the only theater playing the movie at that time and we really wanted to see it. It was a cool experience though...lounge seats that reclined all the way back (careful not to nap!), blankets, pillows, your own special waiting lounge - very posh. And the movie was great - suspense filled and just what the doctor ordered to lift us away from traveling and into the world of the movies where it feels the same as home. After the show, we headed back to the hostel to grab our things, hail a taxi and catch a flight to Koh Samui...

Koh Samui
It took us awhile to get into the swing of beach life and actually relax after our fast paced travel the last few months. But beautiful islands eventually get to you and you find yourself drifting into a serene daily routine that consists of sleeping (including napping), eating, drinking, swimming and sun bathing. We can't complain too much. :)

What we most enjoyed during our time on this island in the Gulf of Thailand was our day excursion to Angthong National Marine Park - which is an archipelago of small limestone islands and crystal clear water. We met some really nice people and couples on the tour from Italy, Singapore, France and even California. After a two hour boat ride to the park, we spent about an hour snorkeling and then an hour kayaking.

Kayaking - if you've never done it as a couple - can be an interesting challenge. It certainly tests your abilities to coordinate your efforts and stay speaking by the end. I think it's safe to say that Eric is better at paddling and steering, and I'm better at looking about and enjoying the ride - that doesn't always go over so well. :) Luckily, we were still speaking by the end, albeit about the need for me to paddle harder. On the kayak journey, we maneuvered through several limestone caves and one even led us to a beautiful sea lake in the middle of one of the small islands.

After kayaking, we had a nice Thai lunch on the boat and then did some sight seeing at one of the islands (check out our photos). We also had a chance to do some diving and swimming from the boat, which was extremely refreshing.

The coolest part of the day though was elephant trekking. We got to meet a couple baby elephants (did you know elephants live until 80-90 years old?)...who loved giving elephant kisses. And we got to go on a short elephant ride through the area. They are such huge animals...and very gentle (or the ones we rode were - thank goodness).

After 5 days in Samui, we decided it was time for a change of scene, so we made our way by speed boat to Koh Tao...

Koh Tao
This island is a backpacker's paradise and known mostly for its scuba diving. There are more than 30 dive shops on the island offering courses and fun dives. Both of us have our PADI Open Water certification, but we decided it would be fun to get our Advanced Open Water certification since it was relatively cheap and would allow us to do 5 dives and get certified to go to 30 meters deep. On our first day, we took a scuba review course to brush up on our skills, and over the following two days we did the course work and 5 dives required including...

1 deep dive - where we got tested for having nitrogen narcosis (essentially, at a certain depth people may be susceptible to getting "narked" as they say...which is having too much nitrogen in your system at once and getting a bit woozy). Neither of us had any problems, and it's an easy problem to solve - all you have to do is go a bit shallower and the symptoms go away

1 navigation dive - we had to use a compass to navigate a straight line, a square and then go along a certain course. No problem with the first two, but we had a bit of difficulty on the coastal navigation and figuring out who is leading and following (imagine that!). In the end it was a good thing because we had a good talk about how we can improve our "buddy" diving skills and learned how important it is to discuss a solid game plan at the surface before we go down

1 night dive - Eric was excited and I was a bit nervous about this dive...but it was so cool! We went down as one group and each diver has their own light. It's actually not as dark as you'd think down under because of the natural light from above. We even turned our lights off at one point at the bottom to wave our hands around to see the sparking bio luminescence (like underwater fire flies) and swam around briefly in the dark.

1 multi-level dive - we started out deep (30 meters) and were able to see 3-4 sharks swimming around at the bottom. The sharks were reef sharks, so not aggressive. Eric even got pretty close to get some cool photos. We finished the dive in shallower water (12-18 meters) checking out the corals and tropical fish

1 digital photography dive - we are so glad now that we bought a waterproof camera case for our digital camera - check out all the cool photos we took! This dive we did completely on our own and it was a great success. We even saw a sea snake - but didn't get too close considering they are quite poisonous.

After three days of dive mania, we have decided to spend the next few days relaxing (maybe we'll sneak in one or two more dives). We found ourselves the most idyllic beach bungalow (for $15 a night) directly on the beach overlooking the most gorgeous blue water. Now THIS is paradise! We have a little porch to sit out on to read, journal and just relax and enjoy the view. In a couple more days, we'll head by train (30 hours worth) up to the North of the country to spend about 2 weeks in the Chang Mai region.


Until next time...
Mariah and Eric

Hong Kong

We've been on the road for 3 months now and are having some chill out time on the islands of Koh Samui and Koh Tao off the south-east coast of Thailand.

After our epic Chinese tour and cultural immersion, we headed to Hong Kong and indulged in all the western delights we were missing and spent some time with my good friend Ben. Ben has been teaching English in Guangzhou for the last year working with physically handicapped. He was on his way back to China after spending the summer at home and was kind enough to be our "mule" and bring in a few different meds and clothes we were missing or couldn't find while in China.

In the 3 days we spent in Hong Kong with Ben, we explored the Kowloon markets, took the tram to the summit of Hong Kong Island and wandered around Stanley beach (opposite side of Hong Kong Island, feels like Malibu). While all of those cool sightseeing expeditions were fun, we most enjoyed decompressing with Ben about on our time in China and the culture and people we were trying to understand.

Ben, while working at a party-supported school and living in Guangzhou, has been exposed to more of the political difficulties the Chinese face daily that tourists have trouble understanding, or even seeing. We had some great conversations and definitely filled in our understanding of how the government plays a role in the daily lives of those who are working under the Chinese umbrella.

As Mariah wrote about earlier, we are extremely interested to see how China reacts to the influx of western culture over the next year before the Olympics. We are also excited to see how they are able to host the Olympics and have thousands of journalists digging around looking for stories both good and bad.

There were two instances during our stay that caused us to doubt how the Olympics will be run. While we were there, a number of journalists were detained for trying to cover a political group that was against the Communist party. Also, a brand new bridge that had just been built in Beijing to reduce traffic congestion for the Olympic stadium collapsed on the day of its opening when they took the last of the scaffolding off. Now you can always find someone or something to blame in these instances, but the Chinese government instead decided to dynamite the whole site, burying up to 80 people that had been killed in the accident, to cover up the story and ease international fears about Olympic buildings most likely constructed by the same workers...

There are other stories such as this which we did not cover in our previous entry - wanting to focus more on the positive aspects of what we observed and share our hopes for the future of this developing nation. The 2008 Olympic games in Beijing will be a huge indicator of what "face" they show to the world, and how they react internally to the international pressure and scrutinity.

Enough of my ramblings, but these are some of the topics we have been in conversation about with each other and other fellow travellers we've met who've been to China. While we are chilling out and sunning ourselves on the beach, we have also been challenging ourselves to better understand and make sense of how our globalizing world is coming together - and China is a large piece of that puzzle that is yet to be defined.

Best,

Eric

Impressions of China

After a month in China, we've come away with many thoughts, learnings and impressions about this remarkable country. When we've asked others around the world about their thoughts on the future, the most common response we heard was the rise of China. With the growing influence of this nation of 1.3 billion people, it has been fascinating to come here for ourselves and speak to and observe the Chinese to form some of our own opinions.

We had the opportunity to converse with a number of the locals - especially young people who speak English - and have had many friendly encounters with people of all ages simply by smiling and saying Ni Hao ("hello"). We've asked many questions - some simple...and others more difficult, which we often saved for our tour guides who are used to being asked direct questions about Mao, The Cultural Revolution, The One Child Policy and so on. As you might expect, what you read and hear about China in the States is very much from the Western perspective sprinkled with our propaganda. And what you see and hear in China is very much from the Chinese perspective with their propaganda. Perhaps "truth" (if there is such a thing) lies somewhere in the balancing of the two perspectives.

In general, our impressions of this rapidly changing country have been very positive and optimistic. But we also encountered situations and people that left a bad taste in our mouth. Knowing that we have only skimmed the very surface of this complex and growing nation, we would like to share with you some of what we liked and disliked about our experience...

What we loved...

• The friendliness of Chinese people to foreigners - In general, we have been overwhelmed by how welcoming the people are. While some novelty of Western tourists is wearing off in big cities, it is still very much present in most the country. People are excited to come speak to you - even if they only know a few words of English. They smile at you, wave at you and often watch you with curiosity. And they love to take photos with fair haired individuals. While at Mt. Emei Shan, in a 10-minute period while waiting for Eric, I was asked to pose in 6 photos and was photographed by others from a distance. I felt like a movie star!
  


• The opening up of China - This was most apparent when speaking to the Chinese youth in their 20-somethings who have experienced the drastic changes in the last 10 years. In comparison to the past, people can speak much more freely about their opinions and beliefs. And while censorship is still present, it is becoming less strict all the time. People can now choose what they want to study and choose their own professions (The down side is that the government is no longer responsible for finding jobes for everyone and gives no garuntee that after university there will be enough jobs). The youth are hungry for the opportunity to prosper based on their own talents and ambitions and all say that they want a better life.
  


• Focus on family - The Chinese have a great appreciation for family values and expect to put family first. Families tend to be very close and support and help each other on a regular basis. This might mean having several generations living under one roof, children financially supporting their parents or grandparents, helping immediate or extended family on the farm or with the local businesses, and so on. Some children leave home to go to university in another city, but most stay local and those who do go away often return to their home to be near their families.
  
  One changing, and potentially negative, element in Chinese families are the growing number of very spoiled and self-centered only-children due to the One Child Policy. When the policy was first instituted, cousins served as siblings so kids learned the basics of sharing and caring. But now, with no cousins or siblings, parents are often putting too much attention and money into their one child. To help with this growing phenomena, the government is beginning to allow couples who both come from only-child families to have 2 kids.
  


• Sense of social community - As we mentioned in our other blog entry on China, the older Chinese LOVE to gather in the evenings and mornings in public squares, parks, tea houses and outside their homes on the sidewalks to play games, dance, sing and exercise. There is a very close-knit neighborhood feel even in the midst of big cities. People don't come home after work and go into their homes and hole up. They get outside to talk to their friends and neighbors and they love to socialize and be an active part of their communities.
  


• Pride and excitement for the 2008 Olympics - Beijing 2008 is everywhere! The country is gearing up for this big event in every way possible and using it as a good excuse to improve its local and national infrastructure in terms of transport, tourist sites, local amenities and more. There are so many building and restoration projects all over the country you can't even believe. It's the talk of the nation on TV and radio stations, on billboards and in newspapers. There is even a campaign in the capital city to help teach better "manners" to its residents to impress the world (e.g., no spitting/hawking on the streets and floors, stand in line and wait your turn). It's a very exciting time for China and a perfect time for this event to take place here to showcase how China is changing and emerging as a major nation on the world stage.
  


• Deep rooted traditions and history - Having been around for so many thousands of years, the historical and cultural past of China is awe inspiring. We had the opportunity to learn about some of their favorite holidays including Spring Festival, Chinese New Year, and China's National Day. We also got a chance to practice the art of calligraphy, observe the religious traditions of prayer and offerings and learn about some of their prized artistic traditions such as Chinese paining, folk music, Kung Fu and Tai Chi.
  

What we didn't love...

• Lack of basic social "manners" - Probably the most frustrating part of the Chinese culture is the absence of consideration for strangers and an "out for yourself" mentality when in large groups. While Confucius' behavioral laws may apply to family, friends, colleagues and neighbors, they do not apply to strangers on the street. This means that a great majority of Chinese do not know how to wait in line (you are likely to get crushed in the crowd when boarding a bus or subway), have no problem hawking and spitting in public on streets and even floors, allow small children to alleviate themselves (number 1 and number 2) on streets and sidewalks (and as we discovered sometimes on buses), often get up before performances are over and do not clap, and in general can be very pushy and impatient.
  
  This lack of consideration also applies to driving...pedestrians beware - cars, motos and bikes will not yield. And the unstated rule of the road is the bigger vehicle has the right of way - so if you're smaller, get out of the way. Some of these cultural differences may be slightly worrisome if the Chinese continue to become more influential. Hopefully, as the country continues to develop, some of the basic social norms of respect and courtesy will filter into the mainstream.
  


• Squat toilets - You're used to what you're raised with...and we were not raised with these. We have managed just fine, but have had to practice our squatting and aiming abilities. What we dislike the most is that a number of these toilets don't flush, so they get quite smelly and gross quite quickly. There are many that are clean and pristine, but it all depends on where you are. Train toilets and train station toilets tend to be the worst, so you just have to plug your nose and get it over with as quickly as possible!
  


• Gap between rich and poor - China is becoming increasingly wealthy, but not everywhere. The cities are beginning to look a lot more Western and many people are migrating there for better opportunities and jobs. And there is a huge focus on "getting rich" in the younger generation. But the countryside and other parts of China are still quite poor and undeveloped. Most farmers still use only manual techniques and many people in rural areas live in one or two room concrete block houses - though, interestingly, most people have a TV.
  
  The poor are not necessarily unhappy...in fact, many seem quite content with their lives, not having known anything different. Life is simple and as long as basic needs are met, perhaps this isn't all bad. What is disheartening is when basic needs cannot be met, or when the poor are taken advantage of and treated badly by those who are rising on the social ladder. We were told some very sad stories of how the rich treat the poor, especially in big cities - often ignoring their existence completely, mocking them, or even throwing things at them. This probably happens everywhere in the world, but the economic and social divide in China is very pronounced and basic human respect we were told is not always present. It will be interesting to see in the coming years how this divide is either bridged or widened. And how the focus on wealth and riches will play out in a country that is becoming more consumerist all the time.
  


• Outward appearances and saving face - A major part of Chinese culture is the need to impress with outward appearance and save face in any situation that could hurt one's pride or ego. What this means is that while external appearance are impressive or grand, below the surface things may be falling apart. The Chinese are constantly undertaking grandiose building projects (e.g., Three Gorges Dam, huge bridges, buildings, etc.). The projects tend to be completed at breakneck speed and are quite awesome to the eye. However, there certainly have been reports about questionable quality and durability of some of these projects. And because of the need to save face, when something does go wrong, there is a tendency to point fingers or hide facts so as not to damage one's reputation. This can play out very negatively in government and business affairs (and the government still controls many aspects of the country).
  
  Or, as we found, it can also play out negatively on train dining cars. On two separate trains, fights broke out in the dining car involving train staff and passengers that usually hinged on saving face. In the first scenario, the train chef came to the rescue of a waitress who was being yelled at by a passenger after she had spilled hot tea on the passenger's lap. By the end of the dispute, the chef had to be held back and his knife taken away as he was defending the pride of the waitress and both sides were getting very violent. Quite an interesting display to show how this cultural phenomena plays out in everyday life.
  


• Environmental concerns - China is going through its industrial revolution - but 100 years after everyone else. The consumerism of the West and desire for lower prices is fueling China's growth. But to produce products at such cheap prices, you have to have cheap labor and loose environmental standards so manufacturers can do what it takes to get the job done. While environmental concerns are starting to become a topic of discussion for the Chinese due to pressure from around the world, it is still not a top priority. Their main focus is on economic growth and development and it's highly unlikely they will sacrifice that for the environment at this stage. This could be a major problem in the years to come.
  


• One Party - While China still claims to be socialist (though they are looking more consumerist and free market all the time), what really makes them a communist nation is the fact that there is still only one party - the Communist Party. Many Chinese feel positive about their government (and even Mao) and credit it with the unification, and now development, of their nation. However, the downside of one party means that there is no opposition, no questioning and no balance of power. Party favors, corruption and shady dealings are still quite common, but of course have no way of being publicized to the general public. You only know of them if you or someone you know is involved. And while the "watch your neighbor" practices are much less than before, it does still happen (i.e., with the One Child Policy, your neighbors and community are supposed to hold you accountable for having only one child...if you break the rules and they don't report you, they will also get a small fine for your lack of obedience).

This entry has actually been very hard to write because we know that our initial impressions and learnings are only a small snapshot into the many complexities of China - its development, people, culture and role in the world. There are no black and white conclusions - but rather a lot of gray and unanswered questions that will play out over time. If nothing else, what we've seen, heard and experienced here has challenged our thinking and encouraged us to reflect thoughtfully on a whole host of social, political and cultural issues. For that, we are very thankful.

If you are interested in reading about China, some books that we've either read or that have been recommended to us include:

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, by Jung Chang


• The Long March, by Sun Shuyun


• Mao's Last Dancer, by Li Cunxin


• Journey to the West, by Wu Chengen (a Chinese classic)


• The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck


• Daughter of China, by Meihong Xu


• Mao: The Unknown Story, by Jung Chang

What the Chinese Had to Say About...

We wrote back in July about some of the major themes we are asking people about that we encounter on our travels (i.e., religion, culture, perceptions of the US and thoughts about the future). In addition to the blog on our impressions of China, we wanted to share with you some of the answers we got to these questions...

Religion
As you might know, China has historically been a Buddhist nation and still today the majority of those who are religious are Buddhist. However, Christian faith has also been growing in popularity. There are also some small Islamic communities. During the stricter communist days, religion was not permitted, so a large majority of Chinese grew up in a secular society. Now that the country is opening up and are able to more freely practice religion, some people are turning back to their faith.

From the perspectives of one of our guides, most people that she knows don't believe in anything and are largely secular. In general, she thinks many people don't see the need for or value of religion in this day and age. She imagines, however, that as more and more Western ways are adopted, Christianity will become more prominent since it is the primary religion of the West.

Another of our guides felt a bit more positive about the benefits of religion to society in terms of teaching core values. She said that she has some friends who have converted to Christianity and are now trying to get others to convert as well.

For now, I think it is safe to say that the majority of Chinese are pretty secular and are more focused on improving their lives and wealth than on their spiritual beliefs. But you will still find a strong Buddhist following here - even if it's more cultural than truly spiritual (e.g., the equivalent of Christians who only go to church at Christmas and Easter).

Culture
There is SO much we've learned about China it would be hard to summarize. Topics we've covered with people have included China's recent communist history from WW II to present day, ancient history, political policies, traditional holidays, foods, and arts, marriage, weddings, divorce, children, education, job opportunities, lifestyles, wealth and poverty...and much more. If you are interested to learn more about any of the above please send us an email and we'd love to chat!

Perceptions of the USA
We've asked a few Chinese about this and the general response is always very positive. Most Chinese - especially young people - love everything Western and are quite taken with our movies, music, fashion, culture and what they find on the Internet. One of our tour guides summed it up well in four main points. She said, when people think of the USA, they think...
1) it is a very rich place with many opportunities;
2) it is a very open place - the government, the press, the people, everything;
3) we have great movies and entertainment - which they sometimes believe is our reality; and
4) we think we are the world police and they can't quite understand why we are always butting into everyone's business.

On this last point, our other tour guide mentioned that China views itself as a peaceful nation and she believes it will not get involved in conflict unless it's defending itself. She says China sees itself as a mediator - and balancing power - between the USA, Russia and other major powers.

The Future
What is forefront in the minds of most Chinese is creating a better life, which generally means having more opportunities and acquiring wealth ("I want to be rich") and everything that goes with it. There has been such major change in the last 10 years with China opening up and loosening up, that many Chinese in our generation and below are very excited to take advantage of the opportunities. People are very eager to get involved internationally and many young people want to learn English and one day have the chance to travel globally.

When we asked people what they thought about the future on a more global scale, many had not necessarily thought specifically about it. They are aware that China is growing economically and becoming more powerful, but most are more concerned with their immediate environment and taking advantage of the new opportunities for the sake of their own futures.

Note: Bear in mind that with all of these answers, our "sample size" is very small. However, the responses do provide some insight into the thoughts and perceptions of this country. Most people we spoke with were young people age 17-30 who spoke decent English (tour guides, friends we made on trains, etc.), with the exception of the family we stayed with in Beijing who we also had good conversations with.