ChrisinLA
Chris Eckert Joined: December 24th 2006
Logged in: December 8th 2009
Logged in: December 8th 2009
Travel Blog Posts
It's been just about a year since I began this log... I wrote on my travels with Dad Bud, Brother Daniel, and myself, Brother Chris... January is literally just hours around the corner and a new trip awaits us. Yet, on this trip we find ourselves without an amazing tour guide, without a conservative spender, without a global historian, and most of all, without a father to guide us along the way. Yes, it's true... Bud has decided to let Daniel and myself travel this time alone... Well, not quite- We have two new additions to the pack- Brother Sean, the oldest but (and this is where the benefit of this being MY blog comes into play) not the most mature... And Best Friend Katherine, my soul-mate-sista-lova-from anotha motha! We'll be traveling to CENTRAL AMERICA, ... read more
Mt. Batu
Go to Bali. For yourself. For the local economy. And for your future friends from all over the world you are sure to meet there. Especially if you’re traveling with my dad. Which you probably won’t be. Still, just go. Trust me. Go. Now. Buy a ticket. You can buy me a thank you card for the fantastic advice later. I reached the bay area about a week ago and have put this off day after day… That’s probably because I’ve been telling my adventures of Bali paradise in person rather than through the web. Still, it’s best to finish what you started so here it is. We arrived in Kuta, Bali late at night and found ourselves with a group of 7, rather than the ‘boring’ 3 we had been. I mentioned on my previous ... read more
The Singapore River
My apologies for not updating my blog in the past week or so… I’ve had the most amazing time in Bali, an experience I’m not soon to forget and one I’d repeat over and over if I could. I will, however, backtrack and hold off on detailing my experiences in Bali and first describe my ‘interesting’ experience in Singapore. I figure I’ll start with the trip from Chang Mai to Bangkok… As I mentioned earlier, I’m in love with the beautiful and culturally quenching city of Chang Mai… Having spent four wonderful days there, complete with treks, cooking classes, and about a dozen massages, my dad went ahead and purchased a bus ticket for the 12 hr. ride back to the buzzing city of Bangkok. On the day of departure Bud and Daniel went rafting and ... read more
This isn't a blog about my travels but moreso an update to friends and family. We flew from Chang Mai to Singapore thinking that our vacation was near over. Upon arriving we called the Singapore Military base and found that no flights are leaving for at least another week. The entire base is closed. Therefore, we're stuck here... And so we've decided to take a 2 hr. flight to Bali, Indonesia. No complaints here... That was near top on my list anyways. Let's just hope that we can finally get back to America. Daniel has classes. I'll write from Bali! -Chris... read more
Elephant Hungry...
So, I have mood swings. No surprise to anyone that knows me... Add on cold showers, a break out, and humid weather... and you'll have yourself mood bungie-jumps... Up and down in a matter of minutes. After spending a few days in Chang Mai, it's safe to say that I've fallen in love with the national treasure of Thailand... I stand by the statement that parts resemble a mini-Bangkok but this comparison erodes with each cool purchase, each wonderful meal, and each $2 foot massage within the massive markets. The people are fantastically wise and love their city with a deep passion that has, for many, been passed on from generation to generation. Tourism has, like every small town or large city alike, taken it's toll on Chang Mai but the deeper you venture into the ... read more
We arrived in Chiang Mai after a truly agonizing 12 hr. bus trip, which adds to a cumulative 24hrs. of travel via bus in the past 3 days... No fun. As expected, we're coming to our wit's end's at certain points... Yesterday, while attempting to find a spot on the many cramped buses at a public station, Dad blew up at me for leaving to use the bathroom and not letting anyone know. "Christopher, you do that ONE MORE TIME and we're leaving Thailand!!!" Alright Dad, I didn't realize that in Thailand 20 years old means 12... Hey, I'm a kid again! So here I am, by myself (thank god) and I sit here at this local internet cafe trying to find something in this city to satisfy my mind and spirit. I should have read ... read more
The Cabanas
In continuation with the last blog on Phi Phi... Part Two: Rai Lei, Probably The Most Beautiful Place On Earth. I was sad to say goodbye to Phi Phi... And the massive party-scene! But our time is limited and we'd met a girl that spoke so highly of Rai Lei that we knew a visit was in order. So we got on another boat for another two hour journey... Once again, it poured rain throughout the journey. And to our surprise, upon arriving at Rai Lei we realized we had to board another much smaller wooden boat to get to the shores of the island... There isn't even a pier! At this point I knew that this place just might be close to the fantasy land I'd been dreaming and reading about. My dad compared ... read more
Phi Phi
Firstly, my apologies to those who looked for a blog in the past few days and didn't find one... My time is already stretched thin with the many locations I've been able to visit. Within each island or town are about a hundred+ activities I'd love to be a part of... I'm writing from Bangkok, having spent a few days exploring the islands of Kho Phi Phi and the beautiful-exotic-wonderful-green-and amazing island of Hat Railay... Thus, my blog today will be in two parts... Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be many eco-attractions in Bangkok (beyond some of the "food") so I have a bit of time to get caught up... Part One: Party and Phi Phi... I very much enjoyed Phuket and admit that I would have liked another day there.. Unfortunately, I got outvoted once ... read more
Beach Sites...
I'm sweating buckets... I just got off a rather large boat and am now safely upon Phi Phi Island... I figured I'd log a journal on Phuket before attempting to write about this new and very different island... Dad has managed to embarrass me around 439 times so far on this trip... From trying to find me a bride (yea, cause that works...) to attempting to reduce a set price that a seller and I had already agreed on... Still, I love the man and remain ever thankful for the wonderful experience that this trip is... I feel like I left the bay decades ago and yet I'm only a few days in on this adventure. Mom, I miss you masses and wish you were here... So you'd find yourself embarrased alongside Daniel and I! ;) ... read more
We boarded a dc-8 with about a dozen other flyers and shot off into the sky... Mom, I'm telling you- for once, dad was not bloating the truth... This charted flight is, simply put, better than anything you could ask for in economy commercial airfare. And they feed the living daylights out of you... We recieved two full meals, candy bars, a sandwich snack, chocolate cake, cookies, and an assortment of drinks throughout the flight. I basically had 6 seats to myself, two of which I used as good seating for the 3 films they showed, and 3 others as a makeshift bed... It was amazing and the crew was kind and comforting to our every beck and call... I felt odd getting treated so well for a free military flight. 9/10ths through, the flight ... read more
