28 Days

Living in Korea for the last year, I’ve been able to experience a very unique East meets West culture in a way that will forever impact my life. Korea, however, is a very small part Asia, so I decided to take a little time try and learn more about the history, people, nature, and beer from this ancient continent. I had 28 days to make Asia my wonderland and venture anywhere I pleased. South East Asia is a popular destination for travelers because of its warm sun, beautiful beaches, and mysterious jungles. Before I could enjoy all this however, I had a personal goal I had to accomplish. Here is a brief chronicle of my experience.

Beijing, China

Before a enjoying warmer climate I had to make a stop in the capital of a the newest emerging superpower (I still don’t believe the hype). Though I took in the financial and corporate growth of this communist country rife with homelessness, the real reason I was here was because it’s the best place to access the scenic and historic Great Wall of China.

If the Great Wall were still fully intact today, it would stretch 6000km across the beautiful mountainous regions of Northern China. I hiked a modest 10km (6mi), but with the rugged ups and downs of a crumbling wall, I was exhausted well before we reached our exit point. Even the most fit members of my tour group (you have to go with a tour), said they struggled to finish.

There’s three common parts of the wall that a guided from Beijing. The most popular is the Ferris Wheel section, which has recently been completely restored. Then there’s the more beautiful, and moderately challenging portion, and finally the immaculate 10km where I hiked, which in March is almost completely void of people as there are plenty of warnings that this tour is not for the meek. What attracts travelers to this portion is that there are parts which were last reconstructed 500 years ago, and other parts which have never been restored.

Aside from the Great Wall, the highlight of Beijing was getting to cycle around the city. Insane is the only word to describe the experience, though bike lanes help, and if confusion sets in, following the hundreds of other cyclist can easily simplify matters. Wall and cycle aside, I did not like Beijing. It’s a big, busy city, it smells, lacks excitement and I always felt like people were trying to scam me. After accomplishing a long-time goal, I was anxious to move on to South East Asia.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is a delightful city with a population of approximately one million and located in Northern Thailand. I went to Chiang Mai to meet up with my good friend Rob and his delightful girlfriend Cami, who would be my travel companions for the next two weeks. There are an abundance of wat (monastery temple) scattered around the city, but other than that, there’s not much to see in Chiang Mai. My personal highlight was watching an elephant walking the streets to seek out prostitutes. Still, Chiang Mai is a laid back and enjoyable city which attracts tourists because it is a gateway for adventure seekers. From the city you can easily indulge in jungle trekking, kayaking, cycling, zip lining, white water rafting, or visiting an elephant sanctuary. Additionally, it’s the ideal place to begin a tour of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. I had to leave out the latter for visa reasons.

The Slow-boat

It’s a four hour bus ride from Chiang Mai to the port on the Mekong River located on the Thailand-Laos border. From there it’s a two day boat ride down the beautiful and scenic infamous river. We had heard many things about this boat ride exclusively carrying tourists. Mainly that it’s long, boring and uncomfortable. I personally found it to be delightful. It was basically a party full of people who have a thirst for adventure. Not to mention scenery that even the most uninspired person could never become bored with. The slow boat was also where we picked up Laura, a charming and well travelled young Irish girl who became the fourth person in our group and more importantly, my roommate. With Laura around I was able to share the cost of my accommodations.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Like Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang itself doesn’t offer much. It’s a touristy city on the Mekong with a population of just one hundred thousand, but is a gateway for adventure seekers. Laos is a poor country, but the insanely jacked up prices for tourists make it expensive for backpackers looking for a budget holiday. The highlight of Luang Prabang was Beer Lao, which might be the best beer in Asia, and the street food. For just a few dollars you can enjoy a delicious meal from barbequed chicken, pork or fish, to soups or a delectable vegetarian buffet. Add an extra dollar and you can enjoy a 680ml Beer Lao with your meal.

A thirty minute tuk-tuk ride from Luang Prabang will take you to a national park with beautiful waterfalls, deep blue fresh waters and lush greenery. It’s natural beauty that I never tire of. Though the waterfalls didn’t rival those of Plitvice National Park in Croatia, this park allowed swimming and also had a rope swing and a 7m (20ft) waterfall to jump off.

The Trek

Despite being the most challenging part of my holiday, the jungle trek in Northern Laos was the the most memorable part. Laura, Cami, Rob and myself picked up a Welshman and an Israeli for the trek to make a group of six. The two day trek started with a six hour hike. The first two hours flew by. The terrain was pretty flat but we constantly had to cross creeks by either balancing on slippery rocks and logs or by just taking off our shoes and socks and walking through the water. (Yes, we were all rocking the shorts and socks.) After a quick lunch break we kept on trekking. Quickly the terrain became much more difficult. Hills seemed be piled on more hills, and for a jungle, we hardly seems protected from the warm sun. By the end we were all thoroughly exhausted and an overpriced warm Beer Lao, from a village shop (hut), never tasted so good.

We settled for the night in a remote jungle village. For a larger sized village they receive a small amount of electricity from a nearby creek. I don’t think they receive enough electricity to keep a refrigerator running, but some houses actually have a television, which is more than I have. As we sat there eating and drinking our warm Beer Lao the local children gathered to observe the miracle of non-villagers. We seemed to be the most fascinating thing they had seen. They stared in curiosity, though all we did was sit and talk. There was nothing interesting happening between us, but we were more interesting to them than the dead rodents and machetes the young children used as toys. The stay in the village was an experience I’ll never forget, but it also taught me a true animosity towards roosters. They start at 03:00 and continue until about 08:00. They seem to stop their incessant crowing just after you’ve actually gotten out of bed.

The second day of our trek was a 4 hour kayak down a beautiful river. I only wish I could have actually stopped to admire the beauty. There were 3 two man kayaks and 2 individual (6 plus two guides). On account that I have never kayaked before I thought it would be best for me to paddle on my own. I felt my lack of coordination would interfere with other people’s natural flow. This was a terrible idea. After a couple hours everyone was so far ahead of me, at one point I couldn’t see them anymore. The calm river became rapid in the shallow areas and carried you into rocks spanning across the river and tiny drops that felt mammoth to an inexperienced kayaker. By the end I survived without getting wet and with a new respect for the sport of kayaking.

Aside: I lose cell phone reception for the most part of the journey between Ottawa and Toronto on a major highway. Our guide is proving Canadian cell phone inferiority by having a conversation at a remote Laotian jungle village elementary school that doesn’t even have electricity.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

After the trek Rob, Cami and myself parted with the others and took a flight down to Siem Reap. I had issues at immigration because I didn’t realise the visa took a full page and I had no free pages in my passport. After much stress, that problem was quickly solved with a $20US bribe to make them paste the visa over stamps on a used page. So off we were into town to find a bed to sleep in and bar to watch the biggest football game of the year (Man U 1 – Liverpool 4; happiest day of my life).

After a night of heavy intoxication (Rob is a fellow Liverpool fan, as are many Cambodians), we woke up quite late and decided the day would be best spent taking a short tuk tuk ride out of the city to see the floating village. Since non of us had actually heard of the floating village, credit goes to the tuk tuk driver for knowing this truly unique hamlet. Everything here floats. Homes, a school, a church, and even a basketball court, they all float in a massive lake created by the collapse of an equally massive volcano.

The reason tourists travel to Siem Reap is to see Angkor (meaning city, but describes the period 802 – 1431 AD) Wat. This is a true Indiana Jones experience. The main event is Angkor Wat, but the grounds contains dozens of Angkor. It’s a 5-10 minute tuk tuk ride to the next Angkor so it was nice to have our own driver who patiently waited for us while we explored the grounds, ruins and temples. We only saw 5 ancient cities, but Angkor Preah Khan was my personal favourite. This was a massive set of ruins with endless alleyways to explore and 5 square meter temples offered as the reward for those lucky enough to find the hidden entrance.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Rob and Cami had booked a flight to Bali, Indonesia, so they had to take a bus from Siem Reap to Bangkok. Though I also had plans to go to Bangkok, I felt that a trip to Cambodia necessitates a trip to the killing fields, and I was told that Phnom Penh was the best place to experience this important part of history. After saying our goodbyes I was back to travelling alone, something I’m more experienced and comfortable with.

I took a 5 hour bus ride down to Phnom Penh. I think that if the bus drove a normal speed, the ride would have taken 8 hours, but apparently it’s safe to pass other vehicles at 160km/h despite oncoming traffic. Cambodian drivers seem to believe that that is why there are shoulders on the side of the road.

Upon arriving into Cambodia’s capital, I was anxious to find a place to eat, drink and perhaps find some company for the evening. I found a restaurant with great food, but more importantly, I met perhaps the most interesting girl I’ve encountered during my travels.

Eng is 24 years old. She has grade 8 education, works from 7 am to midnight, seven days a week. She lives in a small apartment with her older brother, who she helps support, and six other co-workers. She has an email address, but no computer to check it on. She’s never heard of Hitler, and doesn’t know what WWII is, but is knowledgeable about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. She’s basically a typical Cambodian person, but the warmth and friendliness she showed me made her so much more. Despite the fact that her life is basically to work and sleep, Eng always had a comforting smile. Meeting people like Eng is the type of experience that gives travelling real value.

Krabi, Thailand

I felt that the best way to end my vacation, having to go back to work upon arriving in Korea, would be to spend it relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Southern Thailand. The East coast is known for parties, including the infamous full moon party as well as half moon and quarter moon parties. I chose to visit the West coast, considered to be prettier and more relaxing than the East, though parties were never hard to find. I had a memorable time in Krabi, mostly because of the people I met. There really isn’t much exceptional about Krabi, but with the right company, this is a place you can easily fall in love with.

Kho Phi Phi

As far as night life was concerned, I didn’t love Kho (island) Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee). A couple bars with fire shows were okay, but the beach party full of Scandinavian and North American lust seekers had a distinct smell of desperation in the air. What made Kho Phi Phi memorable was the day life; the beach. The beach was busy, but never overly busy. It was pretty and not overly big, but what really made the beach special was the waters. In mid-day, you can walk out about 300+ m and the waters would never pass your waist. Incredibly, the water was so warm that you could comfortably and happily sit in bliss until every inch of skin begins to prune.

Phuket

Despite being a popular tourist place, Phuket is not special. The highlight of this place is the prostitutes. The main street is full of girls and lady boys on bars and stripper poles in the middle of the street trying to sell their body to you, and dirty guys inviting you to ping pong shows (use your imagination). I couldn’t decide if this place was more degrading towards men or women, but I don’t think you could argue that this place was a spectacle and something that must be seen if you’re in Phuket.

After 28 days of exploration and daily partying, I was quite content to go back home in Korea to see my friends. Given the opportunity to live or travel again in South East Asia, I would be thrilled to go back. I felt that Thailand, Cambodia and Laos were all more laid back and relaxing places than Korea, Japan and China. In two of the countries, people had so little, but in all three, locals seemed to enjoy life simply because it’s the most valuable thing we have. As cliché as it is, it creates a hospitable environment, and an experience far from one you could find in North America, Europe or Northern Asia.

note: this blog took me hours to write, edit and publish; I really appreciate you taking a couple minutes to leave me a comment