Goodmorning starshine

Well, I didn't start as early as I would have liked, but I made it to Sichon, a nice one hotel town. The road was very very nice, not too hilly with beautiful mountains to the left. I like it when the road is mostly flat but there are beautiful mountains for eye candy. I am currently listening to the monks chanting from the temple just next door to the internet cafe. It sounds much better than most of the Thai pop. In Surat Thani I got offered a job teaching, but again, I'm not sure what I want to do. One of the 'goals' of this trip was to figure out exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, or at least next year. I still haven't figured it out. I know I should try to get something that will let me continue to travel, allow me to use my creativity, an live fairly well. Teaching did that, but ......
I guess we'll see when I get back.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun

Hey Hey hey, what's going on

I've made it to Surat Thani, which wasn't hard, since someone else was driving. When I got to the bus station, they didn't want to take my bike since the bus was already a bit overcrowded. I forgot about the full moon party at Ko Samui. Well, finally I told them how to re-arrange some things nad they were able to get my bike. The one guy wasn't happy but, then I don't really care.
I'm staying one night in Surat Thani because I couldn't sleep on the bus. The seats were too big to put my feet down, and too small for me to put my feet up. Plus they stopped twice.
It was good though because I got to speak to a German journalist. There have been bombings in Hat Yai, one of the places I planned to go. He confirmed my view that it was still ok to get there, but not any further south. (I'll take a train to the Malaysian border) I still want to go down the East coast. ( don't freak out, but I've been following the papers and the way I see it, they get upset, then it boils over into a bombing, then they've cooled down somewhat- so I won't expect any more bombs until next year. My journalist friend confirms this theory)
So.... Now that I have more regular access to the internet, What is going on with all of you?
Do tell me either in ej-mail or in the comments. I would love to know how you are doing.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

leaving on a big bus

Well, yesterday I got almost nothing done. It was Sunday. I thought it was Monday, but that happens when you are traveling a lot.
I did have a pretty good day for all that, I went to a bookstore and browzed for a while, had a coffee and watched people go by, ate steak, and saw Pirates 3 (a rather fun movie)
Not very exciting, but very very nice. Today I made an appointment for the dentist and got a massage, and saw some of the sights. Tomorrow I will leave on the night bus to Surat Thani, and then on to the East coast, until I can't go anymore because of the fighting.
I might just get another massage tomorrow.
I find Bangkok really strange in one thing. This is supossed to be a paradise for older "farang" men. Lots of ways to behave badly with young beautiful women and even if you aren't rich in the States you are here. So why do they all look so grumpy and miserable?
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Yeah baby, she's got it

I seem to have a weird tape loop of songs going through my head most days.
I left Korat early early early, and did indeed make it to Saraburri. It was dark by the time I found a hotel. The town had 4 hospitals and 2 hotels. I thought it a bit weird. I also find I'm a bit disappointed because I thought Thailand was more developed, so I had hoped there would be more places to stop and sleep. ( on the road to Saraburri there were a couple of resorts- one was a winery kinda like Nappa valley in Thailand, and they were all at least 11 km away from the road on a dusty dirt road.) The road wasn't too bad, except for a couple of viscous dogs and an even more viscous tree - it scratched me up! - and some serious hills, and a very large snake that was thankfully already dead.
The hotel I wouldn't have found if it weren't for a very cute kid who spoke surprisingly good English, didn't have a very beautiful bathroom. Now mind I've just gone 145 km and I am beyond exhausted. I can barely move to go back downstairs and grab my bag. Plus the lady gave me an excellent discount when she saw the bike. The shower had the best water pressure I've had since I started my trip. It was wonderful. I still didn't sleep well because I was just too tired.
I planned on getting a bus at Norburri. Ha.
First the signs were a bit confusing, so I wound up on the wrong highway. (still going to Bangkok, but not to Norburri) I am going fairly slow, mostly because I can't go fast.
I try to get a bus, but the only buses are "local" buses. And they won't take my bike because they don't have room. Then I try one of the pick-up buses. The guy who was driving wanted 1,500 baht. (this is about $ 40 US- and to put it in perspective, most hotels I've been staying at are about 350-400 baht, and you can buy a very nice sofa for 1,000 baht. I go another 5 km to another bus station. I finally find a pick-up truck taxi and get into Bangkok. I couldn't get into the city without it, not just because I was tired, but because the traffic was unbelievable. I also had a hard time finding room for tonight because no one could find a safe place for the bike.
Tomorrow I will go to the bank, go to the tailor's, go to the dentist, and the bike repair shop for another tune up. The next day I will rest. After that, I plan on getting a tourist bus - one with the big luggage compartments- to the next town, and out of Bangkok.
At least that is the plan for now.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

Against the wind

I am so tired. So far I have had to go at least 100 km, and it has been against the wind. It makes it much more difficult. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get to Saraburri in one day.
Leaving Khon Kean the road was great. Until. I saw a truck get a flat tire. I heard it first, then saw him go over to the shoulder. I thought, poor guy. Then I got a flat tire. I thought a bunch of very bad words. I was lucky though, because I very kind old man and his very kind daughter picked me up in their truck. They dropped me off at a tire repair shop. I was able to keep going.
I stoped for a few minutes a Phon, where I had originally planned to stop, but they were having major road repairs. Finding the hotel would have been difficult. I asked a highway cop if there was anything down the road. There was. So I headed down the road. I kept going, and kept going. I knew there was something supposed to be there, but I couldn't find it. Luckily again there were some highway cops hanging out on the shoulder.
They tried to explain where the hotel/resort was, but because their English was pretty bad, they gave up, and had me follow them. In their car. In the heat. After I'd already gone 100 km. I thought I was going to die. But the hotel was very very nice. And, bonus, they spoke English. Their son had studied in the US, and we had a very nice talk over lychee fruit and pepsi.
One of the things I don't like about Thailand is that instead of little fruit/sugarcane juice stands they have little convience stores. So instead of juice, I drink alot more pepsi and 7up. On the plus side, the cows here have floppy ears. It is like someone switched their ears with flopsy rabbit's ears. It makes me smile.
I'm now in Korat. A small little city that tourism kinda passed by. I'm going to get something to eat, then crash early. I have to start by 5 am if I want to get to Saraburri by tomorrow evening.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Sunshine, on my shoulder

gives me sunburn. Actually not today, I stoped about 40km from Khon Kean, but I'm here now. The stop was supposed to be 7km from the main road. The happy time resort. Although I'm not sure why they called it a resort, but it was clean, and had good air con.
the road is actually a bit boring, although I hate to admit it. It isn't flat, and I've had a head wind, but there isn't a lot to see. However the snake was special. It didn't bite me, but gave me quite a scare. Needless to say, I was disinclined to donate to the King Cobra club (yes it does exist, and I passed it yesterday, but after the snake on the road .. a small one, but nevertheless..
It is 200 km to the next big town, but there is somewhere to stop; actually two somewheres. But..it means at least one leg will be 120km. I don't know if I can do that.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun

zzzzzzzzzzzz

I overslept today, so I decided that yet another day off was a good idea. I wish I had felt that way in the beautiful guest house, but.....
I'm off tomorrow, and I should be near Bangkok in 5 days. I'm not sure if I want to go into the city or not -- They have good dentists and it would probably be a good idea to get my teeth cleaned and checked. On the other hand, it is a big, sprawling, expensive city with lots of scary dogs. I don't want to get rabies when I'm so close to the finish line.
On other scary notes, apparently the three provences that are on the Malaysian border are still pretty dangerous. My plan is to go as far south as I can, then either get a train, or boat to the border (there are ferries I believe). I'll check it out as I get closer. I hate that the state department are such chicken littles. They always say "its too dangerous" even when I know it isn't, so I don't know what to believe.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun

Truckn'

Made it to Udon Thani. The road to the friendship bridge was a )long and b) seriously messed up. They were doing construction. I got to Nogkai early still, and found a very very very nice guest house right on the river. I also found a good used bookstore, one cool lady who was doing a yoga retreat, and an older retired man who told me my journey was quote "epic" unquote. I felt pretty good. Overall a very cool vibe. The road to Udon Thani was good, and I made good time, and finally found a hotel. Actually I found a few. One didn't have toilet paper. (It really wasn't that cheap) The other was nice, but expensive. I finally found one that was nice enough, and cheap enough.
Thailand is way noisier, dirtier and busier than Laos. I think I might have some culture shock today. (Nogkai was kinda Laos-ish)
Tomorrow is a big day, the next big town is 100 km again. I'm starting to get used to it. I thought about getting the Lonely Planet, but really it doesn't have much that I need. For example, where are the places to sleep that aren't in the big towns and cities, and are on the road? That is the question I want the guide books to answer. (So far, neither Rough Guide, Lonely Planet or Let's Go have this crucial information.-- I decided to save the money and have a very very nice dinner instead.)
Oh and lest I forget again, in Laos I met a guy who was cycling around the world for charity. He was very nice, and so was his girlfriend who was joining him for part of the trip.
His blog, and info on the charity is

www.cyclingroundtheworld.co.uk

Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Can't think of anything cute

Well, tomorrow I head to Thailand. It will take about 3 hours total. I had some chocolate chip cookies and one of the best lattes ever. Life is good, but ....Laos is such a jewel. I'm sorry to leave it so soon. However, I have mixed feelings about Thailand. On the one hand, I won't have to worry about 100 km days if I don't want them, as Thailand is much more developed. On the other hand, Thailnad is much more developed and therefore doesn't have the endless empty roads. Sigh.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Hurts so good

I was told that the road from Pakxan to Vientiane was boring. It was long, but not boring.
I stayed one extra day in Pakxan, because when I woke up, I felt every single kilometer of the 300 I did to get there.
The road was gorgeous. Mostly hugging the river, and when it cut into the jungle you could see the tops of temples and once a giant golden Buddha set into a cliff carved from the mountain. Bridges cross rivers that snake through the jungle. It is a different green than Vietnam, darker, richer.
I stayed in Thabok, about 50km from Paxan, and it was a charming little village. My guesthouse landlady spoke English well, and her daughter went to the market for me and got meat balls and veggies. Laos is often so quiet you remember just how noisy nature can be. Geckos laughing for a sweetheart, crickets singing, a symphony of various insects and lizards, and other unidentified thingies. I still slept good. It was cloudy when I woke up, a good sign (although I prefer sunny in the morning, cloudy in the afternoon-- the heat here weighs )
I set off in good time - Vientiane is only90 km. Despite the day of rest, and a "short" day, it seemed as if the kilometers were stretched out. Then it rained. Hard. The water felt bruising, and there was nowhere for me to stop. I could barely see the road. Oh when I finally find a little drinks stand, you want to know what happens. Of course the rain stops. After I got soaked.
Well, I finally made it to Vientiane, tired & hungry. I found a nice enough hotel, and took a shower, got dinner, had a banana shake, and found the Internet. Tomorrow I will get laundry done, look for a bookstore, and hang out a bit.
The next day, I go to Thailand.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.

Spring is in the Air

I will be in Vientien in 2 days. Wow. The last three days I've been cycling 100 km. That's right.
I left Savahnaket and went to Xeno. It was not very exciting, but I did get to catch up on my reading. (ha) Then from Xeno to Thakek. 100 km. On the way I stopped at a market, and found the most interesting thing to date. Bats in a basket. Yes that is right, here you can eat some grilled bats for lunch. I declined. (I also declined the grilled weasel, and the crickets on a stick)
In Thakek I did treat myself to a very nice room at Traveler's Lodge, a place that was built up by a guy from Denmark (I think). The room was beautiful, and they had a garden restaurant. I guess I could have gone out and explored some, but it was sooooooooooo nice. So I drank lots of banana and orange shakes, and talked to some ex-pats who live here and didn't leave.
From Thakek I went to a small town called Namthone, and if you would blink you would miss it. The guest house was pretty nice anyway, even though it was the only one. The next morning, I was on my way to Pakxan, where I found an Internet place (finally).
The reason for the title, is because every one has babies all over the place. It is cute overload Laos style. Baby people, dogs, cats, goats, cows, pigs, ducks, chickens. Even that ugly bird I still don't know the name of (and even the chicks aren't that cute) Every time I stop for a break there is always a cute overload somewhere close by.
(ok I break a bit too often, but.....I did 100 km in one day! so sue me)
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun.

four is the magic number

Four flat tires in one day. Can you believe it?
Ok let's start from the beginning. I woke up in Pakse raring to go, but for one small itty bitty problem. It was raining. Hard. I decided that if it didn't let up by 7:00 am I would stay in Pakse for one more day. By 6:30 it had quit. By 7:30 it started again. I kept stopping for coffee and letting the rain ease up, but by 10 I had enough and got the cutest little guesthouse near the airport. (I paid an extra dollar for T.V. because it was rainy and I thought I'd be bored. Unfortunately it had CNN in English, and Discovery and Animal Planet dubbed in Lao. Sigh.)
The next day was cloudy, but no rain until I got to Kongshedone (where I planed to stop anyway) My guesthouse was not the cutest. But it was ok, and as it started to rain the rest of the day.....
I went on to Paksong. The next town with a guesthouse. The road was nice and it was overcast for most of the day. A bonus because it meant that it wasn't too hot. Paksong was 100 km from Kongshedone. Whew. I was so tired when I got there. My guest house however had a mouse. It was in my bathroom, and I really had to pee. I looked at the mouse. The mouse looked at me. I really had to pee so I threw a soap at the mouse. The mouse left. I woke up and noticed that my front tire was flat. Again. I was very lucky because there was a repair shop right next door to my guesthouse, and the guy was open, and he was cute. I had him change my inter tube. I now don't have any spares left, and I don't know if I can find one in my size. Then, about 20 km away, I had another flat on my front tire. I am upset to say the least. Plus it is only open road. I don't see any villages on my map, and I kinda lost a bit of hope. Fortunately there was a tire repair shop ( in the middle of nowhere). I got my tire fixed and was feeling good, plus I thought I've been very lucky, as my back tire has been good. Then my back tire gets a flat. I get it fixed by a cute kid who spoke a bit of English. I'm only 20km away from Savanahket, so I think if all else fails I can walk there. As soon as I got into town, guess what happened. If you guessed that my back tire had a flat, you would win the prize. Sheese. Lao, land of mellow, land of smiles, land of relaxation, land of hidden charm, land of flat tires.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun

Off to see the wizard

I am glad I decided to stay in Pakse one more day. I found a good map of Laos, and got some very good information on where to stay on the way, including how to do a home stay at one of the villages if I can't find a guest house by evening. Apparently it is not a problem and all I have to do is ask the headman of the village. I still would rather either arrange a home stay in advance, so that I know I'm not intruding, or stay at a guesthouse. I also walked around a bunch, read my book by the river and generally goofed off and drank lots and lots of banana shakes. I also found a ....sugarcane juice stand.... There is hope that as I travel further north I will find more.
Till I post again, be good, be happy, and have fun

slow hand

After writing my blog entry, I went back to the little riverside cafe to watch the sun set. I sat and watched a cloud shaped like a laughing whale slowly sculpted by the wind to resemble a Chinese dragon. A ginger cat jumped up on the table and watched with me. The next morning I woke bright and early and caught a boat to the mainland. The sunrise was as spectacular as the sunset.
I couldn't make it to Pakse, so I stopped at a guesthouse by the road in Phaifay. And no, I'm not really sure how to pronounce it either. The guest house seemed very charming at first. It was set off from the road, but you could still see it between the trees. It was also very very quiet. (I think the whole country is an island of silence in the general chaos of the rest of S.E.Asia)
It seemed clean enough until I went into take a shower. Upon the ledge were three things that I think were mouse poo. At least I hoped they were mouse poo, and not the poo of the mouse's larger cousin. I took my shower and rinsed off the poos, because really I had no choice. There was no way I could make it to Pakse, and I wasn't sure there would be another guest house before it got dark. I put the rabies and bubonic plauge out of my mind. As I steped on to the porch it began to rain. I was like three drops then someone in the sky turned on a faucet. Sheets of rain. I got the chair from my room and decided to sit and watch the rain, and as I did I saw a small black bug dying. It looked just like a mouse poo. I decided then and there that on the ledge of my shower were dead bugs. The rain stoped after only 5 minutes. I went to the little resturant at the cross roads and then went back to my room where I sat and watched the world go by. There were ants passing messages upside down on the eves of my portch, and two butterflies dancing in circles on the breeze. There were some ugly birds doing a strut, and children taking turns pushing each other on a wagon. The cows wandered home, and some goats chased a dog. Oh yeah and two cars, a bus, a monk on a motorcycles, and a stretched out tractor thingy went by on the road. It is not exactly exciting, but kinda nice none the less. I slept well despite thoughts of plague before turning in.
The next morn I went into Pakse, and found a decent enough hotel ( I could have gotten the fancy dancy one for 20.00 us, but ....it always disappoints me when I treat myself with the hotels)
I found a book exchange and drank some watermelon juice. ( there wasn't any sugar cane juice on the road, and it breaks my heart.) But maybe there is some as I go more northerly. I'm going to have to decide if I want to stay one more day. I like Pakse, but I haven't really been on my bike much. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.
Till I post again, be good, be happy and have fun.