NateTheGreat

It's wild to think that its been almost four months on road out here in South East Asia. Each country I've been to has been incredible. Burma was full of adventure, Thailand a gluttonous vacation, Laos a bumpy ride, and Cambodia a land of smiles and hope. It was always a region of the world that I never had much interest in until this past year, and I couldn't be happier with my travels. I entered Cambodia through its northern border with Laos. I was coming from Si Phan Don, Laos. Si Phan Don in English translates to The 4,000 Islands. It was a gorgeous, and tranquil place set on the Mekong a few kilometers north of the Cambodian border. Most of the areas inhabitants live on Don Kong, Don Det, and Don Khon. The river ... read more

Trekking through the river I didn't think anything of it, but as we climbed out of the river bed I felt something crawling on my foot. I spread my toes apart and there it was. A thick black blood sucking leech clenching right in between my second and third toe. Welcome to the Jungles of Laos. I had arrived in Laos a day earlier making my way from the Thai border town of Chiang Khong to Huay Xai in Laos. Crossing the Mekong in a rickety old bamboo boat, I could already feel myself being enchanted by Laos. Sitting to my right was Champion, a brown and red champion cock-fighter held by his owner. There's big money in cockfighting in Laos. Kids grow up training their prize roosters. I wasn't expecting to spend much time in ... read more

I met Indiana Jones on my train ride to Chiang Mai. He was fatter than I thought he would be, not American but Finnish, and had a twitch. Sitting across from each other I introduced myself and told him about my travels. He was interested in my trip to Burma as he had been there a handful of times since 1990. “What were you doing in Burma in 1990?” I asked. Unable to speak softly and with a thick accent he adjusted himself and answered “Well, I have a bit of an addiction. I collect artifacts. Not to sell, but to keep in my home.” Funneling through his bag he continued, “Here, let me show you some pictures”. I was expecting him to hand me a camera, or maybe a computer, but instead, he handed me ... read more

Leaving Mandalay, I opted for the slow ferry heading to Bagan. With a 5:30 am departure, it was only $10. The ride should have been between eleven and fifteen hours, though it slowly turned into seventeen hour cruise down river. Lined with Burmese families, they spread themselves across the floorboards laying on their mats. Families huddled together draped in their handmade blankets to stay warm. I wasn't expecting Myanmar to be this cold. Roosters crowed and the sun beganto rise as we slowly pulled out of the dock leaving Mandalay behind. As the morning progressed I could see the families were very interested in the handful of foreigners along for the ride. The people I met were kind and generous. Sure, some of them wanted to sell me blankets, and food, but how else would they ... read more

Well, its been a long seven days, but I've finally found myself awake, coherent, and sitting still in Bangkok. The first three days were tough. I was tired, jet lagged, and really just a wreck. I was on three hours of sleep from new years eve with a twenty-one hour trip ahead of me. The ride to my hostel was a quick wake up call to life in Bangkok. Speeding cars with no regard for lines in the road, endless streams or motorbikes and and Tuk-Tuks overtaking one another in the street. After settling down in hotel the adrenaline kicked in and with piss poor judgment I headed out to Koh San Road for the night. Koh San Road in my eyes can best be described as New Orleans Bourbon Street on Crack. Its a non-stop ... read more