Buttz

Hey dudes! It's been a while since I last updated this, but I've been living in a monastery on the side of a mountain for a week, so I figure that's a decent enough excuse... Wat Thaton is a 9 level Buddhist Monastery scattered up the side of a mountain behind the thiny northern town of Thaton, basically right on the Thai-Burma border. It's a tiny little out-of-the-way place that most people don't bother going to unless they're just passing through en-route to the border for a visa run. Interaction with the outside world is seriously cut off, especially when you live in the monastery, but it was definitely a kick ass experience. The style of meditation taught at the Wat is called "Dynamic Vipassana" and essentially uses various movements of the body to focus the ... read more

Hey! It's been nearly (another) 10 days in Bangkok, and I've just been too lazy as of late to update my blog with anything worthwhile... told you not to expect much! The majority of the time in BKK has been spent doing insane amounts of shopping with my sister before she left to head home, so needless to say I'm nearing the point where I need to get back out of this city for a while. A couple days after Lisa took off, I literally bumped into Raylene and her Aunty, who had just gotten back into Bangkok themselves from Koh Phi Phi. They were kind enough to pick up an extra ticket for me to a Lady-boy show they had planned to see that evening. So, I tagged along, a tad nervous about the whole ... read more

What's up! After a couple of day trips in and around Saigon to see all the touristy stuff, we jumped a (terrrrrible) night bus to Nha Trang, and have been chilling out for a few days, planning the next move. Nha Trang caught me a bit off guard. I knew that it's the most popular municipal beach in Vietnam, for both foreigners and Vietnamese people, but I was still blown away by how crowded it was when we arrived. The beach was PACKED with people. Granted it was a Saturday and the crowds have since thinned out, but I was still stunned to see how many people were on the beach. It's a little too busy for my tastes, so we've booked a short bus trip to Mui Ne, a more laid back beach with much ... read more

Sawadee Khap! Another picture-free update from yours truly, the lazy-ass wanderer. I know it's been a while since I updated the blog, but I'm back in Bangkok without any spectacular new pictures to post, so bear with me. So plans have changed slightly since the last entry. Instead of heading down to Koh Tao to do some snorkelling and/or diving, I'm now back in Bangkok and headed to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam! Our flight leaves Bangkok on Sunday (June 4th), so all going well, a few days after that I should have some sweet pictures to post. Booking the flights to Vietnam was a pain in the ass, more specifically the wallet area on the ass. Apparently, for reasons completely unknown to me, flying from BKK to Ho Chi Minh City (aka: Saigon) is ... read more

Hey dudes, Just wanted to add a quick update saying that I've posted some pictures on the previous entry. I'm still on kicking back on Koh Phangan, and well be doing so for the next 2-3 days before I make tracks for Koh Tao to do some snorkelling and diving, if the time and weather permits. Life is still good here - how's everything at home? I hear the Oilers are still kicking face, which is wicked to hear. It also makes for a good time whenever I run into other backpackers from Calgary - nothing like a little Battle of Alberta on the beaches of Thailand! Looks like Edmonton wins again! (Sorry Michelle!) Anyways, someone keep me posted with how they're doing - it's too bloody expensive to write emails, update the blog AND check ... read more

Yeeeesh, it's been an interesting past few days. After waking up to monsoon rains (yet again) on the fourth day in Railay, I decided it was time to move on and try to hit some sunshine. The problem with backpacking in Thailand, or any tropical country for that mattter, is that once your stuff gets wet, it doesn't dry without the sun. So after having my bag and most of my clothes soaked for close to a week, without getting the chance to really dry off, things started to mould and rot - not the most pleasant of situations. So after a longtail boat ride, a 2 hour minibus ride and 2 ferries, we arrived on the island of Koh Lanta, hoping the weather might be a bit better. Wrong. It pissed down the entire time ... read more