kitkatkate

Hey all, I've finally finished uploading and sifting through all of my photos. It's quite time consuming writing captions for them all, but I wanted to do it while it was still fresh in my mind. You can check them out at the following link. Please let me know if the link doesn't work. It's definitely nice to be home. The only thing I miss is the warm weather, and not having to worry about finding a job. But it's great to be back and see my family and friends, even if it is pretty chilly. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures! ~K xo http://picasaweb.google.com/katesvrcek/Thailand02?authkey=xVpBDjgf-ko&feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/katesvrcek/Cambodia?authkey=AVd69uwpLKE&feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/katesvrcek/Vietnam?authkey=U2YU5lSFtlE&feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/katesvrcek/Laos?authkey=lV5X2F8uUxY&feat=directlink... read more

It's hard to imagine that 3 months ago I was arriving in Bangkok, absolutely scared to death of the journey I was about to embark on. I was scared to get pick pocketed or to lose my passport, to cross the extremely busy streets, to get sick, or to offend anyone. Luckily, the only thing that happened on that list is that I got really sick. I am happy to say that I didn't lose anything and nothing was stolen from me, and I didn't get ripped off any substantial amounts of money. I haven't loved every minute of my trip. I have had to stop myself from ranting on this blog from time to time about how frustrated I was about this or that. I have had to stop myself from going to an airport ... read more

I arrived on January 25 in Saigon and the airport was nuts because of Chinese New Year. I can honestly say I won't miss cab drivers trying to charge me 3 times the rate or taking me somewhere I don't want to go! It's getting tiring always feeling like I have to defend myself against being ripped off or taken advantage of or just generally harassed. We ended up going into town in the evening to see some of the TET festivities. However, our poor friend Rob got pick-pocketed! That kind of put a damper on the evening. My actual birthday on the 27th was a quiet affair. Jen and Darren (her photographer/designer husband) made me an amazing breakfast and gave me a beautiful photo that Darren took that I love! We hung out by the ... read more

I'm still not the biggest fan of Thailand, but I have to say that Ko Mak was really nice. I stayed at the Green View resort, which was quite isolated from the rest of the tiny island. I sat on the little dock every day and I was the only one there. Peace and quiet at last. That's the huge downer about some of the bigger islands... I don't want to go to and island to be bombarded by drug infused techno beach parties. I don't want to be surrounded by people and feel alone. I want to be alone and feel at peace. I want to feel like the island is my own private paradise. And that's what Ko Mak felt like. The water was blue and beautiful... so blue that it was hard to ... read more

Arriving back in Chiang Mai was a different experience than the first time. I enjoyed it much more thoroughly, due to the company I had. The Swedes were a blast! They are definitely some of my favourite people I've met. Easy to talk to, good sense of humour, and just a lot of fun. We ended up doing the same 1 day trek I did the first time I was in Chiang Mai, but we had a different guide and we visited different hilltribe villages. I actually ended up learning a lot more because of our guides proficiency with the English language. The elephant riding and bamboo rafting was the same, except that the bamboo rafting was 100 times more fun! We had a crazy driver who kept trying to tip us off the raft, so ... read more

It's been a few days since my last entry, so I'll do my best to remember everything that's happened since then. I took a 7 hour bus ride from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang. We drove through an extensive mountain range and it was breathtaking. All of the mountains are covered in jungle. It's hard to imagine any other part of the world that is as untouched as Laos. It's also crazy to think that Laos is the most bombed country in the world that has never been in a war. Luang Prabang was expensive, as it is a stopover for many American tourists on group tours of Asia. We did make it out to the Kuang Shi waterfall and spent most of the sunsets along the Mekong. There are a lot of temples around the ... read more

Vang Vieng is the place to be for tubing down the river. You get dropped off down stream with your tube, and there's bars on either side of the river that you stop at along the way. The people who work there throw empty water bottles that are tied to strings to haul you in from the river to their bar. You receive a free shot if Tiger whiskey upon arrival. There's also zip lines, swings, diving boards, slides and mudpits. The water isn't that deep in areas, and I've met tonnes of people who have seriously injured themselves. You have to be careful, but it's probably one of the best parties I've ever experienced. I managed to get up the courage to go off one of the swings, and it was actually a lot of ... read more

I arrived in Vientiane, Laos on December 28. It was such a relief to get out of the craziness of Hanoi. No one harasses you here to buy things from them or to take their tuk-tuk. Lots of people say hello to you in the street. Big smiles all around. Plus the weather has been amazing... sunny and +30C every day. Much improved from the cold and rain and the misery of northern Vietnam. I'm not the only one who feels this way... everyone I've met had a similar, unhappy experience. I met up with Ed and Liz, a couple that live in Switzerland, that I originally met in Siem Reap. I also met up with them in Hoi An as well. Ed was born in New Zealand but grew up in Australia, and now lives ... read more

I think I spoke prematurely about understanding the Asian driver. Hanoi is the exception to every rule I've experienced in Asia. Traffic here is more than insane, and I have seen accidents. No one obeys street lights, no one waits for one another or pedestrians. It's a battle to get across the street without getting hit by motorbikes. They even drive on the sidewalk. Also, the people in Hanoi are the least friendly people I've ever met. I'd even go so far to say that they're rude. It's like it's a chore for them to get me the cup of tea I ordered, and they don't appreciate it when you try to speak to them in Vietnamese. They just look at you like you're stupid. Needless to say, I don't really like the city. It's big, ... read more

In Canada, we have rules of the road that we are taught to follow. Speed limits, traffic signs, staying in your own lane, signalling etc. However, being a pedestrian, as well as renting bicycles and motorbikes, I have become fully aware of the traffic situation in southeast Asia. Simply put, there are no rules. IT's controlled chaos. In smaller centers, there are very few traffic lights or signs. Very rarely are there lines painted on the road. Motorbikes and bicycles weave inbetween larger vehicles that are stopped at a red light. I've seen a handful of speed limit signs throughout my travels. In some of the larger cities, I've seen quite a few traffic cirlces where it's a total free-for-all. When you want to pass someone on the highway, or anywhere for that matter, you simply ... read more