Not bad for three minutes.
My Dad went to Phuket when he was in Thailand. We had a lot of fun with pronunciation of "Phuk-et" on the t-shirts he brought back.
I hope your journal and photos and stuff are okay! Yahoo for helmets. You were clearly the cool kid at the climbing site.
From a Junior Kindergarten teacher point of view, children who DON'T wear snowpants when there's snow on the ground end up trailing in water and sitting in damp clothes and complaining all day about how they're wet and cold. Kudos to Mrs. Ash.
SATC I'd just like to say, that in Adri's version of this part of your travels, YOU dragged her to the movie, not the other way around. hahaha. Keep up the blog, I love reading your updates!
Fras! Reading your blog makes me feel like I'm on vacation myself. For one, we are probably on the same time zone since I'm working night shifts and secondly I have no life except work and sleep. As for riding a bike overseas, I cannot describe how jealous I am. To be honest, a helmet would hamper your view of the country side. My vote is to Live Free, Ride Free! As for Scott's comment, I couldn't agree more. See Iron Man and than see The Hulk. It must be in that order! Take care.
Breathing a sigh of relief... Man, when I first received the 'new blog' email with the title of this entry my heart stopped. But, I'm glad to see your little Buddhist retreat hasn't turned you all 'Richard Gere' on me. The fact that you're doing pub trivia in Thailand makes me very happy... and more than a little jealous. We'll have to find a good trivia pub in Toronto when you get home. In closing, a word of advice: GO SEE IRON MAN. Not only is your required Y chromosome right in the title, but it's a generally kick-ass film. And, for some reason, I seem to think that you have a thing for Gwyneth Paltrow.
1) I still can't believe you saw Sex and the City while I saw Indiana Jones.
2) Do you even HAVE enough hair for any wind to blow through it whilst you are recklessly endangering your life?
3) I'm so sad the elephant riding was not at all like Legolas makes it out to be. Probably because those were "oliphaunts," and you rode "elephants."
Hit count Per your new message at the top (agreed, thank you for changing), I've got to say that nothing boosts a hit count like new posts.... not suggesting anything, just saying....
Travel hard bro,
Neil
I appreciated the shout-out. I've been struggling to come up with some kind of witty rejoinder but sadly I haven't gotten very far. I will say this, though: I have a hard time believing that Adrienne wasn't in heaven seeing reruns of Friends everywhere she turned. Have fun in Thailand. And I'd recommend avoiding whatever the ladyboys are selling.
You're like Superman stopping the bus! I tried to find an image for you, but you'll just have to trust me that he does, in the first episode of Superman: The Adventures of Lois and Clark.
I sure hope by "as one feeds a bird" you don't mean regurgitating your stomach content for the monks.
And last, darling, you don't sound bitter at all about the Friends thing... maybe convince them to play Mad About You instead? Who doesn't need a little Paul and Jaime in a foreign land.
Alas, I was stuck reading the apparently un-fabulous non-PHOTO version like a sucker. I'm glad you've figured out how to use your fancy travel blog features to their full potential.
Personally, I enjoyed your throwback to the Logdriver's Waltz more than anything else in this entry - even more than the unsophisticated chuckle I received from the caption about "the view from atop [your] junk."
The sitting on the roof taking in the stars sounds lovely. Did I ever tell you what Patrick wrote about me? He was supposed to write a characteristic of the people in his story, and mine was "Laura is my cousin, she likes looking at the stars."
I can't believe helmets aren't mandatory on the CHILDREN.
I'm also glad I was too busy to read this until now, as I get the fabulous PHOTO version!
vang vieng you're ARE heading to vang vieng, right?? right?? i'm hoping. i really loved it there. also just for your information, there is a public bus from vientiane to vang vieng... (and vice versa) go to the bus station next to the morning market. it's only a 3 hour ride or so and you can take one of the crap buses for like 3000 kip i think it was. you can pay on the bus. and in vang vieng you can stay at a hotel with your own bathroom (maybe no shower) for $3/night. oh and you can just walk from the 'bus station' there to the main street, you don't need to take one of the free tuktuks. although they actually ARE free, surprisingly enough.
whew, i'm done.
kat
A better solution Go to Clark Airport then take either one of the budget carriers like Air Asia, Tiger Airways, HK Air etc. I believe you can also reserve your tickets online If I'm not mistaken. I'm just not sure if their prices are cheaper than Cebu Pacific.
Correction: "it really seems there's no better way to see a country than from the back of a motorcycle while wearing a fabulously safe and protective helmet."
I enjoy the poncho story. You can make such a statement with a poncho!
Agreed - an excellent update all around.
Your endorsement of colonialism - albeit French - warmed my heart... almost as much as the tale of your trip to the orphanage.
Sounds like an incredible experience.
that one was really good... but i'm worried that those poor kids will get a thiamine deficiency eating only rice every day! i've read it's very common there.
It's the same in any language... I made the mistake of reading this post while sitting in the law library here at Osgoode... when I reached the part about you getting hit on by the visa guy and his type being (apparently) "wiry westerners" I actually burst out laughing.
I'm glad to see that some things - like your hilariously well-documented history of being hit on by dudes - transcend borders and cultures. Hey, if you'd played your cards right he might have gotten you your visa for less than $25...
Rebuttal Quality points, Mr. Cooper.
It is true that you would think Mothra would probably be more apt at taking down Asian aircraft, but I was thinking of the Simpson's episode where Godzilla took hold of their aircraft and wouldn't let go. The Godzilla movie with that P-Diddy song also referred to him being able to blow Ice-Fire, which I think could potentially destroy some aircraft. Or, at least, cause some turbulence.
As for Godzilla bring in the Philippine's.... well you got me there. Maybe he terrorizes them too, and their news is just lacking. Or maybe I just lump Japan/Korea/Philippine's/Cuba (why not?) all together.
What is Rodan? Wikipedia....
I'll ignore the unauthorized use of my name/maneuver for now, because I'm still in the early phases of the patent process. But be warned, my friend. Be warned.
... So, can I have the names and last known whereabouts of the Visa Guy, so next time I drop into Cambodia I can destroy him?
I'm glad the Landmine museum was a good sidetrip, and that you insisted on seeing it. When watching that Digging for the Truth special on Cambodia, they really brought the landmine issue to the forefront. You keep telling those pushy people who's the boss.
Chris, please... It's never "too early" for stereotypes. They're funny 'cause they're true. But since when is Godzilla lumbering around the Philippines? And can Godzilla fly? I feel like Cebu Pacific would have to be more concerned about Mothra or Rodan.
After two months of vainly logging in to see how many people have been reading my blog, I grow tired of seeing the same stupid quote each time.
My name is Fraser and this is my blog.
Now tell your friends about it so my hit count goes up...
... full info
Scott
non-member comment
Not bad for three minutes. My Dad went to Phuket when he was in Thailand. We had a lot of fun with pronunciation of "Phuk-et" on the t-shirts he brought back.