See ya Khao Lak

Today was definitely a bust.  I talked Sam into renting a car rather than a motorbike because he wanted to drive up to the Khao Sok National Park (which is about 90 minutes away from our hotel) and the weather has been so bad I didn't feel comfortable making the trip unless we had a little shelter on the journey.  Sure enough, we went through some pretty insane rain on our way up into the mountains, but I navigated like a pro despite having to drive on the right side of the car on the left side of the road!  

We got to the park and checked out the center.  They had some interesting literature about the flora in the park, and we picked up a map of the waterfalls we wanted to hike to.  Just as we walked up to the path, we saw a couple from Holland coming down.  The guy looked at Sam and I, and said, "If I were you, I wouldn't go up there like that.  We just pulled 30 leeches off our socks and sneakers."  At that moment I looked down at his poncho, which he was holding inside-out at the bottom, and there was a leech chillin' on it.  I nearly fainted.  Leeches are a deal-breaker for me.  He and the girl he was with proceeded to tell Sam and I they hadn't waded in water or stopped moving as they walked, but somehow the leeches got all over them.  Disgusting!  Sam and I walked up to the end of the pavement and we debating for quite a while- Sam did try to persuade me that he could get leeches off no problem with a cigarette butt- but at the end of the day we decided that the last thing we need is leeches.  Also, as we headed back to the car, Sam mentioned that 1 out of 10 times the leech dies before it lets go and then there can be issues with infection.  Wow, really glad we decided NOT to risk that one!

As a consolation, Sam and I drove out to the dam to see the river- it was beautiful!  We decided to head back down to Khao Lak to get some rest and hang out.  On our way back down the hill we stopped to check out the waterfall next to the highway.  It was very pretty, and just about the brightest spot in our day.  

Once we were back in Khao Lak,  Sam and I took showers and settled in to watch some Entourage before getting ready for dinner but the power went out.  We waited three episodes (about an hour) but there was no luck with the power and we discovered the water was nonfunctional too, so we found our clothes in the pitch black and went to dinner.  Luckily the power DID come back on while we were eating, and now we're getting packed up and ready to hit Railay tomorrow- hopefully so that we can get some diving and beach time in!

Happy Mother's Day!

Sam and I rented a motorbike this morning and took a ride out to one of the waterfalls on our way North up the coast.  We stopped and ate lunch along the way because the rain started again and we were pretty wet.  Then we also tried to find a dive company who would take us out, but we really are too late to get anything out of Khao Lak. 

Since we couldn't go diving, we took a trip down the coast to the Similan National Park Headquarters and the pier.  It was pretty neat to see all the boats in the harbor and some of the countryside and local people.

Tonight we took the motorbike back out and went to dinner at Pinocchio's, an Italian Restaurant that was highly recommended in our Lonely Planet book.  Nonna & Papa Santi would approve!  They import their wine and cheese from Italy and the pastas and pizzas are made onsite.  Back in 2004 the restaurant was destroyed during the tsunami but  they have rebuilt.

Most importantly, Sam and I want to wish all the mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day!  We wish we could have spent the day with our moms (shout out to Camille and Sue) but there's always next year.  

Rainy Season

So, our epic travel day has been followed by a very stormy time in Khao Lak.  The weather has been incredibly windy, rain has been heavy at times, and we've lost power a couple of times yesterday afternoon and this morning.  Also, the Similan Islands, which Sam really wanted to dive, are closed for the season due to the rough seas & poor visibility.  Apparently yesterday was the last day for several of the companies and they said it was nearly impossible to see anything because the water is so churned up.  C'est la vie.  Obviously we'll have to come back during the high season!  :-)  And there is a possibility that we'll be able to dive out of Railay or Phuket later this week.  

The weather let up last night and it was actually pretty nice, so we walked up to the main road and had dinner at Jai Bungalow which was pretty good.  Sam and I agree that so food so far has been very good overall.  There hasn't been anything (yet) that's been inedible, the prices are incredibly reasonable, and we've tried one new thing at almost every meal.  

Yellow curry & prawns 

Papaya Salad

Barracuda & vegetables 

Now we're off to see if we can visit the Khao Sok National Park and see some of the rainforest.  

Back to Thailand

Sam and I hopped on a bus in Siem Reap yesterday morning at 8am that arrived in Bangkok at 5pm.  We went directly to the bus depot to catch the 7pm overnight train to Phuket, and then get back on another train at 8:10 finally arriving in Hat Khao Lak at 10:15 this morning.  Did I mention that on the final let of our trip the bus was over-crowded and one of the little girls was carsick?  Yeah.  So Sam and I are treating ourselves to a nice beachfront bungalow for the next three nights before we head over to Railay.

The overnight bus wasn't that bad, nor was the additional 2 hour bus ride today, but altogether is was a little too much traveling for me!  Upon arriving our first order of business was to wash our dirty laundry, take showers, and brush our teeth.  It's amazing how much better I feel just having accomplished that!  Now, after surviving for 29 hours on a canister of Pringles and a sleeve of Ritz crackers, I am sure you'll pardon me for cutting this a bit short as we need to find a decent meal!

We've got functioning wifi in our bungalow so stay tuned for more posting the next few days!

View from our room

View from our porch

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Crossing the boarder into Thailand was incredibly uneventful and we are having the time of our lives in Siem Reap.  I am SO thankful we decided to come to Cambodia and am thoroughly enjoying the fabulous guest house Tina and Dan recommended to us, La Villa Loti.  Score one for our amateur travel guides!

Yesterday the husband and wife owners at the villa set us up with their tuktuk driver, Mr. Thea.  He took us to see Angkor Thom and some of the surrounding temples, which was much more interesting than I anticipated it being.  There was definitely a real world Indiana Jones feeling, and a little bit of the Jungle Book minus Baghera.  After a morning checking out Angkor Thom and the Jungle Temple, we headed to the back gate of Angkor Wat.

Let me tell you, after all the reading I had done from Tina's Ankor book, walking through the jungle waiting for the temple to show up was very surreal.  I felt like I was Indiana Jones, whom I love dearly, and was totally unaware of how horrifically hot and humid it was.  Once we came upon the temple I was speechless.  Sam and I stood at the back right corner for about five minutes in silence, just taking it all in.  I promise you, the photos DO NOT do it justice.

We did what we could in the little time we had left, and headed back this morning to climb to the top of the third level and do some exploring of the second level.  I wished my dad were with me- we watched those Indiana Jones movies endlessly growing up (especially when I was home sick) and I would love to experience the real life adventure with him someday.

Tonight Sam and I went to the night market and picked up a few souveneers for our amazing moms (Hi Sue & Camille) and had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Siem Reap.  It's hard to believe we're going back to Thailand tomorrow because this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and definitely the best ruins either Sam or I have seen (yet). But we are anxious to get to the beach and work on our tans and hopefully get a little relief from this horrendous jungle heat.

The internet won't let me upload photos right now- it's too slow, so here is the link to the facebook album I made.  Mom, Nonna & all other family members who don't have facebook: click the link, you don't have to have facebook to view the album.  :-)

xoxoxo
Sending lots of love!

Link to the online photo album 

Bangkok

I'm not much of a big city person, and Thailand is a little bit big for me.  It reminds me of Hawaii- hot, lush, and very humid.  We spent yesterday wandering around Bangkok looking for a massage place Justin had recommended to us from his recent visit.  After a series of comical events we finally found our second choice massage parlor which, after wandering the city for 3 hours, was amazing.

Best $10 spent of the day

Then we came back to our hotel and decided it was time to take the plunge and eat some street food.  Most of what we'd seen was of questionable origin, and the food looked like it had been sitting out, uncovered for a while.  We chose the lady outside our hotel and were very pleased.

First encounter with Street Food!

And one last photo before we head out for Cambodia- the sunset in Bangkok last night.

From the rooftop pool at the Rikki Inn in Bangkok

On the Plane

There is a cool option for scheduling posts to go live at a specific date and time, which I thought would be neat to take advantage of.  When this post hits the internet Sam and I will be about half-way into the first leg of our trip.  We should be landing in Hong Kong around 4:15pm PST, and then we hop on a second flight that arrives in Bangkok, Thailand around 7:35pm PST.  I have promised to post that we've arrived safely at some point on our first day- but I want to make this disclaimer known now: I may not get a chance to update everyone on our status until we get checked into our hotel which will be sometime in the middle of the night back in California.

After our bon voyage dinner with the Grants- getting ready to leave for the airport!

I hope you're looking forward to some great posts and pictures- we'll be in touch soon!

xoxoxo

Gianna & Sam