Syri 1 Guesthouse, Vientiane, Laos

We placed our faith in Lonely Planet on this one (one of their “Our Pick” listings) and they came through for us. Pretty cheap, about $18 USD per night for all of us and that included A/C, cable tv and enough beds for all of us to fit (that would be one double and two twins. Only two nights here, including the Pirates of the Caribbean triple header on New Years eve.

The place was clean, staff friendly and it was just outside of the main, i.e. noisy, area of Vientiane. We could walk to everything in 5 minutes.

Luxury in Laos.

WGGSH - No

WWSHA - Yes

Worst Ferry Ride

Inside is a poem by Eliot, written today in his journal. He agreed to share it with all of you. The picture is of Eliot curled up for the ride on the 2nd ferry, a much better ride than the one that spawned the following poem. You will notice that there is sun shining in this picture and it almost looks cheerful.  The day of the Worst Ferry Ride was actually almost as dark as night because the waves crashed over the windows and the rain pelted down non-stop from thick, dark clouds.  We are sure you understand the reasons that there exist no photos to document Worst Ferry Ride.  But Eliot’s words do a good job.  Enjoy.  We did.

Worst Ferry Ride

Destination Thailand.

Quote rough.

Smells pukey.

Suggestion night in Koh Tao.

I felt sick.

“We were lucky”

Update:

Our second ferry ride was better than the first, with only 1 to 2 meter seas and just Jack getting sick.  We were really impressed with the crew’s professionalism on both trips and were very thankful for their attention and care.  The ferry ride ended and we rode the 8 hours by bus uneventfully on to Bangkok.

Original Posting:

Many times during our stay at Haad Tian we saw the high speed ferries move across the Gulf of Thailand at comparatively high speed, with ease and grace. It looked enjoyable and we were all looking forward to our ride on them for our return to Bangkok.

Departure day, December 27th, came and we woke up early to all eat breakfast at 7 AM and leave for the ferry port. Robert from Haad Tian drove us in their “pickup” with seats in the back. Upon arriving at the ferry pier he asked us for the tickets and he proceeded to the ticket booth to finalize our departure. He returned and asked us if we had “confirmed” our tickets. Unfortunately, no one ever told us that confirmation was required and as we purchased them as one package complete with train and bus travel on certain dates we had no inkling that it was necessary. A small moment of panic (nothing like what was to come) came over Kelli as our entire return trip to Bangkok seemingly vanished in a moments time. We asked if there was any way to get on the boat and Robert replied “not with this company. They don’t overload the ferry at all. Others might, but not this one.” After some more discussion about alternate plans, Robert and I returned to the ticket window to standby in case we could still get on due to some no shows. A little bit later our wish came true and we were given five spots on the ferry. We walked back to the truck to deliver the good news and Robert remarked “You are lucky”. Yes, at that moment we were, but later everyone in the family would question if that were true.

When departing the resort we had noted the larger than usual waves hitting the beach and someone remarked about the couple swimming in the water. “Probably from Germany” Robert said jokingly. Little did we know that those waves meant something more was in store further off of the island.

Upon embarking the boat we found some seats (which is no small task) and then settled in to see that one of the boy’s favorite movies was on the TVs. None of the typically age inappropriate fare we found during most of our travels. It looked like the trip would be a fine one.

But, once we left the pier it became a bit rougher and some concern came over Kelli as the waves crashed over the side of the boat. I played my role as the former Naval Officer assuring her that everything was fine. As the boat staff began to circulate in the aisles with plastic bags we began to grow concerned, specifically about Jack who is prone to motion sickness. The waves continued to get larger as we headed off shore and the tension on the boat, at least for the passengers, began to rise. We kept an eye on Jack who was sitting about 5 rows up from us. When a woman rushed into the aisle next to Jack I headed up the aisle in time to help him with his seasickness bag. After profusely thanking her, she stumbled in the aisle a few times trying to get back to her seat. I then assumed my position on the floor of the aisle, where I would remain for the next one and a half hours. The waves continued to build and at one point I overheard one of the staff say that they were 2 to 3 meters and the boat was built to withstand 5 meters. Good, but not quite the level of margin that I would want. I had experienced 30 ft seas once on a Navy destroyer, much higher than these, but with no offense to Thai captain, it was a bit more comforting to know that the US Navy was on the job.

The next hour and a half crawled by at near stop motion. We watched as the luggage on the deck in front of us went airborne with each wave and then came crashing down. More plastic bags were handed out to the passengers. The staff began to put some type of good smelling substance around their noses to ward off getting sick from the smell in the cabin. The sounds of vomiting filled the air. A staff member turned over a plastic four-legged stool and put a large green trash bag in it to collect the small bags. That was when Kelli knew things were going to be bad. A young woman from Japan sitting next to my aisle seat was clutching her young baby as she used her bag numerous times. The baby remained calm and content the entire time though. I could only imagine how awful she felt clutching her baby to her chest. Jack asked again and again how much longer to Koh Tao. He then began to ask if we could get off the boat at Koh Tao rather than continuing on to Chumporn on the mainland and our train to Bangkok.

The next 30 minutes or so passed much the same. Wave after wave and Jack burrowing in for the ride. Then the biggest wave hit, seemingly covering the entire right side of the ferry, with loads of water still streaming down the windows well after the boat exited the wave. The staff that was calm the entire time talked a bit more among themselves after that one, but did the right thing to show that all was still fine. I did my best to keep my eye on Eliot who was 2 more rows up from Jack. I couldn’t really see Kelli or Ainsley, who were still together behind us. At one point Eliot finally succumbed as I saw one of the staff members head his way to help him with his bag. I reached him at about the same time and he then joined Jack and me, sleeping on the floor in my lap for much of the remaining trip. If only all of us could have slept like that.

I fixed my gaze on the TV for the duration of the trip to keep my mind away from the events and my stomach calm. But, holding Jack and Eliot’s bags, hearing all the noises and smelling the smells finally became too much and I joined most of the passengers with a bag full. (Kelli was the only one of us not to get sick. She closed her eyes and clutched the two handles in front of her seat the entire time.)

Finally we heard that Koh Tao could be seen from the boat and that gave us comfort that the trip would end soon. We soon pulled into the dock and everyone slowly got up and started to move around. Jack, Eliot and I joined Kel and Ains to see exhaustion and relief on their faces, with a few tears as well. No one felt that “We were lucky” anymore!

With the rough seas making our connection time to the train unlikely and the mental state of everyone very fragile it was an easy decision to stay on Koh Tao for the night and take the ferry the next morning.

As time distanced us from the voyage we were able to talk about it more with a smile at dinner. We also knew that we would need to get back on the ferry again and the trip could be a similar one. As I sit here at the pier writing on the computer the wind is up and the skies are gray. The official Thai weather forecast is for 1 to 2 meter seas. Not quite as rough, but we may be in for a similar ride.

One note, especially for the grandparents. The boat is a very new, modern one equipped with all of the necessary safety equipment and properly trained crews. It is not one of the old, overloaded ferries that we hear about in the news. While the above story is a bit dramatic at times, we were truly safe throughout. Not enjoyable, actually downright awful, but safe. So, don’t worry as we prepare to board our final ferry to the mainland.

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to all of our friends and family!

Everyone here had a great Christmas and are enjoying an extended week+ of downtime from our travels at the beach here in Thailand. We are on Koh Phangan, an island on the Western side of the Gulf of Thailand. The journey involved an overnight train, bus, ferry and 4×4 totaling a mind-boggling 18 hours of travel time. Good thing the beach and our little resort are truly relaxing. It will be hard to leave the life of leisure and return to our enjoyable, but at times tiring travel schedule. Next up is a short visit to Laos (to fix our visa issue previously mentioned), a stay with the father of a work colleague who lives on a rice farm in the Northeastern part of Thailand, a visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand and then we are off to India and after that New Zealand. We will see Bangkok for a day or so a couple more times as it will be our hub for travel in between these places.

We’ve enjoyed all of the e-mails, Skype calls and photos of everyone’s Christmas back home. Thanks for keeping us up to date on all of the celebrations! Here are some pictures from our time in Thailand so far.

First, some pictures from our short visit to Bangkok.

Next, pictures of our travels to the beach.

Lastly, pictures from Kho Phangan.

Key dates for our future plans include:

December 27th - train back to Bangkok

December 28th - train to Vientiane, Laos (actually Nong Khai, Thailand and then cross the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong river)

January 1st - return to Thailand via bus

January 15th - flight from Bangkok to Delhi, India

February 4th - return to Bangkok from India

February 6th - flight from Bangkok to Christ Church, New Zealand (via Melbourne, Australia)

Haad Tian Resort, Kho Phangan, Thailand

We covered our stay here rather extensively with two Featured postings about Christmas and the ferry ride. (The links are copied below)

We really enjoyed our time here, but in talking with other guests it seems that we showed up a year or two late to really experience the more laid back Thai island experience. Development on Kho Pangan is here and “upgrading” many of the resorts. I would personally have rather stayed in rustic bungalows, but this also wasn’t quite a high rise, corporate owned resort either.

WGGSH - Yes, but not sure she would endure the 18 hours of travel to get here.

WWSHA - Definitely.

http://exploringthemarble.net/2008/12/25/happy-holidays/

http://exploringthemarble.net/2008/12/28/we-were-lucky/

Temples of Angkor

We would be remiss were we not to document our stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We spent three of our six incredible days there touring the amazing temples of Angkor. There are more temples in this general area than one can imagine, the earliest having been built in about the year 1000 and the last some 400 years later, all by kings of the Khmer empire, the most famous and revered being Jayavarman VII, whom the Cambodians simply refer to as Seven. The temples are a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist stemming from the religious influences of India into Cambodia at the time Cambodia rested in the middle of the silk trade routes. It was fascinating to view the intricately carved sandstone and marvel at the immense feat of engineering, architecture and artistry. The people used a combination of huge sandstone, brick they had made, and a very porous but hard stone for the structural parts. The stone carving in the sandstone is simply glorious. We found ourselves comparing the stone works of the Incas at Machu Picchu and the Japanese at a shogun castle in Kyoto. The massive stones these people moved are just incredible. Of course, at Angkor, there were elephants to do some of the hauling. These stones almost speak directly to you, reaching back through history to flood your imagination to a different time and different culture.

Some of our favorite temples were of course, Angkor Wat, but also the Bayon Temple with its many, many faces, and Ta Prohm, the one temple that has been left more or less as it was rediscovered, with huge trees climbing on top of walls and buildings. This is the temple where film footage was used in movies like Indiana Jones. It is spectacular and a stroke of genius on the part of the archeologists to leave it mostly as is.

As we have experienced throughout our trip while touring religious sites and buildings, from the churches of South America to the temples and shrines of Japan, Cambodia and Thailand, the children have continued to absorb the essence of these places with such open hearts. We hope our pictures will capture a bit of that same essence for you, too.

Crossing into Thailand

A few days ago we made the 8 hour journey from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok, Thailand via the Poipet, Cambodia crossing. So far on our trip we’ve only entered the next country via an airline flight and most everyone was looking forward to this bit of adventure. Our guest house owner in Siem Reap was very experienced at this and setup a taxi to the border, gave us some instructions about where to go at the crossing and setup a van to pick us up on the Thai side. All in all things went very smoothly, save for the new November 25th law that reduced the visa exemption from 30 to 15 days for people coming into Thailand at a land crossing. More about that a bit later.

The 3 hour drive in Cambodia was by far one of the most interesting rides we’ve had yet. Km after km of beautiful rice fields with the occasional “hill” in the distance. The scenery of the local people along the way made it the most interesting and fascinating to me. The pictures below give a bit of a peek into what life in the countryside of Cambodia is like for so many. The change on the Thai side of the border was striking. No rice paddies, no bikes, no motorcycles, no tractors, no people really to speak of, just a paved highway the entire time. It was a bit like advancing the clock a good 50 years.

We are now in Bangkok and spent most of our first day planning our next few months of travel. This was partly spurred on with some urgency because, as mentioned above, Thailand just changed their visa exemption law. Before, citizens from one of the 42 exempt countries (including the US) were given a 30 day visa exemption at the airport or border crossing. But, less than 3 weeks prior to our arrival, and unknown to us, they changed the law to 15 days for those entering Thailand at a land crossing. Supposedly this was done to limit the border runs that many foreign workers do in order to come to Thailand for work. Others said that it was done to encourage more tourists to enter the country via airlines that are now ailing from the recent airport closure. Either way, it messed our plans up a bit or at least limited our options. We are scheduled to go to Koh Phangan, and island in the Gulf of Thailand, from Dec 18 to Dec 27 for a special time at the beach over Christmas. Our visa exemptions expire on the 28th and we were left with the option of leaving Thailand or paying $40 each for a 7 day extension. We wanted to visit Laos and/or Vietnam anyway so we decided that leaving and coming back later was the best approach. But, we were extremely limited on our departure day and had only expensive flights from which to choose. So, much to the kids delight, we are taking the overnight train from Bangkok to Nong Khai/Vientiane and will cross the border on land into Laos. We may fly back in and get our 30 day exemption and have more flexibility to stay longer the second time.

Bangkok has been enjoyable so far with much more to see. Friendly people, great food, interesting sites and easy transport around the city with the SkyTram and cheap taxis. The kids are beginning to get excited about Christmas and the beach. We are all looking forward to staying put for 10 days and doing nothing but swimming, reading, snorkeling, walking the beach, etc. Getting there should be quite interesting too. We leave on the overnight train tonight at 7:30 to Surat Thani, arriving at 6:30 AM. We then take a bus to the port where we catch a ferry that stops at Koh Samui before arriving at Koh Phangan where we will be picked up in a 4×4 to take us to our bungalow “resort.”

Happy Holidays!

Eliot’s New Smile

Here is Eliot’s new look these days. He wiggled and wiggled the baby tooth for a number of weeks and it finally gave way yesterday. As you might imagine, he was thrilled and is very proud of his new smile. The adult tooth will look quite funny in his small mouth when it comes in the whole way.

Most Missed Montage

We have been thinking and talking lately about all of the things we miss while we are out exploring the marble. Yes we are having an amazing time, but as we reach the 4-month point and close in on Christmas, homesickness crept into the St.Clair travel camp. So, here we are being driven across the Cambodian border into Thailand and this is our list. By no means is it all inclusive, nor is it really in any ranked order.

All Missed by Everyone

• Family
• Grandparents
• Minnie
• Friends
• Millie and Gussie
• Minnie’s Cooking
• Durham Friends Meeting
• Mom’s cooking (Gabriel’s chicken)
• Our house

Special Mentions

• Foster’s BLT Chicken Caesar Wrap (Ainsley)
• My bed and bedroom (Kelli)
• My bikes (John)
• My morning runs with Rob and the boys (John)
• My runs (Kelli)
• Carolina Friends School (Ainsley)
• Everything (Jack)
• Anna (Ainsley)
• Matthew and Jamie (who the boys haven’t seen for 2 years)
• Eric and Ben (Eliot and Jack)
• Microbrews (John)
• Legos (Jack, especially Ben’s lego room)
• Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese (Ainsley and Eliot)
• Dad’s hamburgers on the grill (Jack)
• My routine (Ainsley)
• Being alone (Kelli)
• Japan (Jack, even though it isn’t home, he really misses it)
• Mom’s lentils (Jack)
• Martha’s House (the kids)
• BMBT – Boy’s Mountain Bike Trip (John)

Cambodia - Phnom Penh and Motorbikes

Three months in South America, nearly two weeks in Japan and a whirlwind three days in Hong Kong had us feeling like veteran travelers, prepared for any challenge. Well, I think that Cambodia has been a bit of a gut check for everyone.

It’s hard to know where to start.

With the still present scars of a war stricken country that will take generations to heal? With the constant movement and mayhem of motorcycles, mopeds, tuk tuks, bicycles and Toyota cars? With stories of rampant government corruption and greed? With the air hanging thick with dust and smoke, hurting your eyes and challenging your lungs?

Or…with the serenity and peacefulness of saffron robed monks walking silently by? With the history and simple splendor of buddhas from the 12th or 13th century? With the amazing friendly and welcoming nature of the Cambodian people?

We spent 3 nights in Phnom Penh, blessed with an extremely pleasant and restful place to stay. As Ainsley reported, The Fancy Guesthouse. Not really fancy, but very clean, quiet and run by the nicest family possible. Everyone felt good to be there and it was a nice place to retreat after exploring the streets of Phnom Penh. The first full day in the city brought a bout of home sickness for Ainsley. She was really missing her extended family and I think the streets of Phnom Penh had quite an impact on her. She has held my hand along the way during our travels, but here she grasped my hand and held on the whole time as we navigated the streets. Then as we toured the National Museum she shared her surprisingly vast knowledge of Buddhism and Hinduism, learned at Carolina Friends School, where in one course they studied the world’s five great religions. I learned as much from her as I did from the tour guide.

Now, after a 6 hour bus ride through the countryside of Cambodia, we are in Siem Reap. Here, Jack had his own bout of homesickness yesterday, really missing his friends Matthew and Ben. Thinking about how much he loves to play with Legos at Ben’s house. How Ben kept a lego creation of Matthew’s put aside for the entire year he and his family were away in CA. How Ben is doing the same with one of his own creations, but lamenting that it wasn’t the best one he ever built. How it will be two years before he will see Matthew, with our families’ times away from Durham happening in succession. Jack ended the day by giving Kelli an early Christmas present, purchased with his own spending money, a small buddha statue in a pretty silk pouch. He was smiling.

So, taking advantage of a comfortable place to stay here in Siem Reap we will stay a bit longer than originally planned, probably a total of 6 days, before heading off to Thailand. The American owner of our guest house is well versed in the border crossings with Thailand and will help us navigate our way there via taxi/bus/etc. Many have reported that the journey from Siem Reap to Bangkok overland was a highlight of their travels in South East Asia. We hope it will be one for us too.

Soon we will explore the temples of Angkor Wat, attend a local dance performance, ride elephants and setup more of our plans for Thailand and beyond. That’s all for now!

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