Day 51-April 25th: I woke up early, but didn't get up til 8ish. I ate breakfast at the guesthouse, then went off for a walk to see some sites. Here's what I saw in my wanderings: - Independence Monument - a large statue commemorating, what else?, Cambodian independence. - I followed the grassy boulevard along the avenue leading from the monument to the river. - Tonle Sap River - the riverfront is under construction, they are building some water/sewer project; this river is reminiscent of the Mekong River in that it's a busy waterway and many people live and work near [View Full Entry]

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Day 48-April 22nd: I was up at 4:30 AM today and took a tuk-tuk at 5:00 AM to the airport. My flight from Vientiane, Laos to Siem Reap, Cambodia was at 6:30 AM. I after an uneventful ride, I landed at about 8:30/9:00 AM in Siem Reap. I met up with two fellow travelers: Charlotte and Lillian from Ireland. We split a taxi into town and found accomodation at the same hostel. We checked into Smiley Guest House and relaxed for a bit. It's a great place to stay if you're ever in the neighborhood! Clean, friendly, comfortable, quaint, good location. [View Full Entry]

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Day 47-April 21st: I got a good night's sleep and then set out on my day of sightseeing around Vientiane. I walked down the street and booked a flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was only US$166, not too bad. Plus it'll save me a lot of time, which I am quickly running out of! After booking my flight, I wandered all over the city. Well, all afternoon anyway. Here's what I saw: - Wat Impeng - temple at the end of my street - Wat Ong Teu - there were musicians playing traditional music here, so I stopped and listened [View Full Entry]

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Day 45-April 19th: I got up around 7ish, and had breakfast with the Bangkok residents (Alex, Chelsea and Nathalie). Wouldn't you know it, we saw Jeff, Rachel, Blake, and Libby walking down the street! It's a small (backpacker) world! Six of us agreed to go on a private tour (Chelsea and Nathalie opted out). We first visited Elephant Caves. We took our inner tubes into a dark cave to check out the stalagmites and stalagtites with our head lamps. We weren't sure how safe it was having a battery hanging around our necks and being in the water and all.... but [View Full Entry]

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Day 42-April 16th: We landed in Luang Prabang at dusk, and I asked if I could buddy up w/ Libby to share accommodation, since she was also traveling solo. This is the best way to travel on a budget, so I always look for other solo travelers or people who would seem willing to take on a solo traveler to share expenses. Libby and I walked through town with Rachel and Jeff (Aussies), Blake (MA guy), and the 3 Bangkok residents: Alex (Aussie) and Nathalie and Chelsea (TX gals). We found a guesthouse together called Tanoy Guesthouse. The 3 Bangkok folks [View Full Entry]

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Day 41-April 15th: I got up at 7:00ish and ate breakfast at the guesthouse. I walked over to the Thai exit point with my backpack on my back, and caught the ferry across the Mekong to Houie Xie, Laos. I checked in at Thai Customs, switched some money from baht to kip, and then bought a ticket for the slow boat to Luang Prabang. It's a 2-day journey down the river. The boat was scheduled to leave at 10:00 AM, so I was rushed over in a shared taxi to the slow boat pier, which was down the road a bit. [View Full Entry]

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Day 40-April 14th: I awoke at 7:00ish and ate breakfast at the guesthouse before checking out. I walked into town to where you can catch a songthaew (shared taxi, like a semi-open/semi-closed pickup truck) to Sop Ruak, a.k.a. Golden Triangle, and the MaeKhong (Mekong) River. I walked around the tourist zone known as the Golden Triangle, the place where Myanmar, Thailand, Laos meet. They actually meet at the river, which visibly branches off to divide the three countries. I climbed up the hill to a temple for a better view of the area. I took the requisite photos and was off [View Full Entry]

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Day 39-April 13th: It is officially the first day of Sonkran - Thai New Year - and there are people throwing water EVERYWHERE! All my valuables were kept in a plastic bag for the next few days. I walked (carefully) around town, thankfully in the early daytime there are less people throwing water. The masses of water-throwing people take to the streets in the afternoon and evening. I only had one day in Chiang Rai, so I packed in what sights I could: - the clock tower: under reconstruction - Wat Phra Kaew: the Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha in [View Full Entry]

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Day 37-April 11th: I awoke early - 8 AM - due to Anna's alarm going off. We shared a room to split the cost, since we were both traveling solo. I said goodbye to her as she was off to a cooking class. I tried to sleep some more, I was still feeling the effects of last night's partying! I finally got up at 12 noon and got myself showered and headed out around 1 PM for some sighseeing. The Brits from the trek were up and ready to eat also, so we ate together and chatted a bit. Then I [View Full Entry]

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Day 33-April 7th: I didn't get much sleep on the night train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai, but I was ready to plow through the day and get a good night's sleep. As the train was getting closer to Chiang Mai, the day was dawning, the sun was coming up over the hills/mountains of northern Thailand. It was beautiful outside. We arrived in Chiang Main around 7:30/8:00 AM. I met a guy named Anthony at the train station, he and I both weren't sure where to stay in town, so we decided to walk to the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) [View Full Entry]

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