Welcome to South-East Asia

Bangkok, Thailand:

I arrived in Bangkok about a week ago and have surprised by all the things I have seen.  In Thailand (like the rest of South-East Asia) everything is on discount.  My money has never gone farther than here.  A nice pad taxi for $1 or t-shirt for $4.  With my money going so far, I have added new items to my already maxed out luggage.  One of the other nice things about Thailand is the nightlife.  There is tons of bars and clubs where you live like a king without spending more than $30.

In Bangkok, what you see is not always reality.  One, when you see a ‘Thai girl’ the first thing you should ask yourself is if that’s really a girl.  Height, hand size, and facial hair are all indicators, but even with this you might be wrong.  Lady boys is the name for these men who pretend to be woman.  Second, your in a club dancing with your new friends from the hostel and a Thai girl approaches you.  She just wants to dance and offers you a sip of her drink.  What does she want? Either she is looking to make some money or she just wants to have a good time, but there is no way to know.  For example on Thursday night, I was out with two English guys and we went to club Boosy (or least that what was stamped on my hand in the morning).  A girl approached us and said, "Come over to our table. It my friends birthday."  We all hesitated and weren't willing to go anywhere.  Then she said, “I am not a hooker!”  Then after that, things were clearer we headed over to talk with them.  And to keep minds from wandering, I returned alone back to the hostel.

Siam Reap, Cambodia:

From Bangkok I traveled overland to Cambodia for two days.  I wanted to see Angkor Wat and the many other beautiful temples left from the Khmer dynasty.

My journey from Bangkok started with a 5.5 hour train ride with only 3 hours of sleep.  After the train, I took a tuk tuk to the border and met three other travelers.  As we went through customs, we had to pay an additional tip to get are Cambodia visa.  They call it a processing fee, but its just a scam to bring in supplemental income.  After crossing the border we shared a taxi the rest of the way.  It was quite an adventure.

I only spent one day at the temples and the other day I spent lounging around Siam Reap.  The temples were amazing and I highly recommend seeing them for yourself (check out pics).  The city had a nice market and great food.  On the lodging side, my hostel did not have any AC, which meant I was sticky for 3 days.

My journey back to Bangkok was a bus ride for $10.  Transportation is cheap! The bus ride was crammed with people and the bags were all over the aisle.  I was in the back middle seat with two guys on each side.  As the bus stopped a bag above me flew and hit my head.  It didn’t hurt, so we all just laughed.  After  crossing the border we changed to mini-vans luckily, which made the rest of the trip pleasant.

With two long days of traveling and two days in Siam Reap, I was able to get a good look at the city and the temples.  I wish I could of gave Cambodia more time, but the Full Moon Party was calling.

Now:

I have to play some ping pong as my new friends need one more person.

Chris

Rwanda

For the last week I have been in Rwanda staying with my friend Fidelis.  He and I attended Santa Clara University’s MBA program where we met.  In January, I told him about my round the world trip and he was nice enough to offer to host me in his home country of Rwanda as he planned to be there this summer.

So months later, here I am in Rwanda staying with his family.  During the week, I have met his parents and all, but one sibling.  We visited Akagera National Park, Genocide Memorial Center, King’s Palace, and an orphanage where his brother Emmy works.  I have learned a great deal about the history of Rwanda and its people.

Traveling with someone from the country was a nice change from staying in hostels.  I was absorbed into their life, which was like taking a compacted one week school course about Rwanda.  While I was here, the people were friendly and I felt very safe in the country.  All the food was natural and the meat was delicious.  Brochette was my favorite food.  Brochette can either be beef, chicken, goat, or fish, which is barbecued and put on skewer.  They flavor the meat perfectly and if you want a little heat you can add Akabanga sauce (hot chili sauce).  My favorite was the beef brochette.

During my stay, the hospitability of Fidelis’ family has been amazing.  They have fed me and each taken the time to drive Fidelis and I around Rwanda seeing different sites.  It has been a great learning experience and I have enjoyed his family.

For now, I head to Bangkok, Thailand.  I will stay in Bangkok for a few days and then head over to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat.  After Cambodia, I will find my way back to Thailand to Koh Phangan island to experience the Full Moon Party.  Then on the 30th, I take an overnight flight on Air China to Tokyo, Japan.  I stay in Japan for one week then head home roughly August 6th.  Three more very exciting countries!

Chris