Delayed, but only because of so much fun!

Songkran was wet, wild, and crazy. You couldn't step outside a building without being soaked. Even vehicles weren't safe. Songthaews, the primary method of public transport in Chiang Mai which are just a pickup with a roof over the bed, fell victim to the vicious cycle of celebrants dousing passengers with water when stopped due to traffic which caused even more traffic stops. Many people were on scooters, and they weren't exempt - just crazy. The road was soaked, but I only saw one scooter go down (fortunately with no injury). It was all fun for a few days, but by the fourth day I wanted nothing more than to be able to grab lunch without getting soaked.

It was from Chiang Mai that I resumed traveling solo. I set the island of Koh Tao as my destination and after nearly two days of travel by train, bus, taxi, and boat, I landed on the small but beautiful oasis in the sea. It was here that I went diving everyday, and I will return there to dive some more. I got my Advanced Open Water, Wreck Specialty, Deep Diver Specialty, and Emergency First Responder certifications. Next up when I return are the Rescue Diver and Divemaster certifications. I can't wait!

During my courses I had the honor of a surprisingly lengthy swim with a whale shark. It was younger, maybe only 4m/15ft long, but it and its entourage were a sight to behold. I was quite lucky, too, as one girl there had been waiting to see one for a year.

I met some great people while there at Crystal Dive Resort, and I don't know if I've properly listed them all below. My first instructor there was named "Kiwi" and he's from New Zealand. An older guy who left a secure and well-paying job 8 years ago to spend the rest of his days diving. Great attitude, and the accent tops off his sarcasm nicely.

I also met two German girls, Laura and Lydia, who made great drinking partners for my last few nights on the island. It was nice because until then I was meeting only divers. They dragged me onto the dance floor (I didn't make it easy; I am not a dancer), and our first adventure was babysitting a far-too-drunk Aussie until 3am. I still wonder how he fared on his dives the following morning...

Others of note are: Ochna (I'm not sure of the spelling) from Ireland; Matt from Florida; I ran into Chris, a Canadian I had met briefly in Pai; Kamren from Canada; and quite a few others I look forward to getting to know better when I go back.

Today I sit here writing this from a hostel in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was so hard to leave Koh Tao, and I was having trouble getting excited for this new destination. I have to say, though, that so far I have nothing but positive experiences here, even if they are relatively minor.

First was the ease and friendliness of the Visa process. I had forgotten to bring a photo but for only $2 and no hassle I got one right from the officer.

Second was finding a problem-free taxi service from the airport. It may be that I was just lucky - I hear taxis are worse here than Thailand - but I'll worry about that when I need one next.

Next I was impressed by how green all of the vegetation is. It really adds to the view. The location and quality of the hostel I picked - Hanoi Backpackers - is leagues above most of the places I've stayed in Thailand. The buildings around here have a certain endearing character about them that I cant fully describe.

The hostel's dorms were full so I had to check into a private room for a whopping $25 (the dorms are $8). The room is very nice with elegant wooden furniture, paintings on the walls, a comforter on the bed, towels, air conditioning, hot water, a BATHTUB (I can't express how much I have wanted a bath in the last few weeks), and that's just the room. It's leagues above the Motel 6 back home for less than half the price.

The hostel offers free breakfast and free drinking water (unheard of in Thailand). The staff is friendly and the social atmosphere appears to be excellent.

So far I'm happy. I already miss the beach, but Hanoi should be fun!

Temples and bananas and water, oh my!

After Bangkok, we took a quick stop in Sukhothai, the old capital of Thailand, where I lost both Koen and Dave. Koen took a separate bus and I couldn't find him. I hadn't heard from Dave before we left. So I took off to the old city by myself on a bicycle and saw the temples. So many of them and after a while they start to look the same. There were a few notables, including the two very large Buddha statues, one accompanied by a gorgeous view.

I ended up meeting a nice Finnish woman named Anna who was kind enough to let me accompany her through the second half of my journey through the old city. We picked up another, Claire from England, not too long after lunch. At the end of the tour we went separate ways, and I ran into Koen. He had met two Canadians, Max and James from Toronto, and they were headed to a little village called Pai next.

Pai is tucked away in a valley and is such a relaxing place. Not only was the weather a relief (still hot but less humid, and quite cool at night) but everyone was so relaxed and positive. We ended up seeing Dave the night before we left - he should meet us in Chiang Mai before the weekend. It was near here where I met Ot. She was 30 years old, so right around my age. Very sweet and playful, and we were at the hug stage almost right away. She was a bit on the large side, and somewhat hairy, but that wasn't important. She also loved bananas!

I only got to spend an hour with her but it was a time filled with nothing but laughs and joy. We went to the nearby river where I would climb on her back and she'd splash me with water and try to throw me off. It was difficult but each time I went into the water she was happy to lift me back out. I was so sad when our time was done. She was the greatest, and only, elephant I have ever loved.

This weekend is the New Year celebration of SE Asia, called Songkran in Thailand, but celebrated all over. It's called the 'water festival' by foreigners, and that's because of how much water gets thrown around. It's a perfect way to cool off during the hottest and driest time of year.

The celebration started as a spiritual spattering of a few drops of water on Buddha statues and fellow people as a well-wishing. Since it's the hottest time of the year, one can see how it evolved into and 2-3 day long all-out water fight. I'll be celebrating the festival in Chiang Mai, a busy city that has the old section surrounded by a moat and large stone gates. I will mention that the vendors here are notably more pushy here than the other three cities I've been to, and I hear it's still tame compared to what i can expect in Vietnam.

We're rooming here with three English folk - Kristian, Ellie, and Laura - and Lucas from Brazil. There's hardly a dull moment when Ellie and Laura are around, especially when rum is thrown into the mix.

I'll lead into the festival with a Thai cooking course tonight and mountain biking tomorrow. Then it's a weekend of wet and wild fun!

It's only been three days?

Wow, what a weekend. I just arrived in Sukhothai after four days in Bangkok and a 7-hour bus ride. So far I've been to Chatuchak - one of the largest weekend markets in the world, to the Sky Bar on the top of one of the tallest buildings in Bangkok, got drunk on the party street of Kao Sarn (pronounced "Ko Sahn"), ate and shopped in Chinatown, and met so many new people.

I met Koen (pronounced kind of like "koon") from Amsterdam almost right away. His bunk was next to mine in the hostel. Very cool and laid back guy who decided to travel after not being able to find work back home. I've spent most of my time exploring Bangkok with him and will be continuing onward with him for at least another week or two.

Dave is French-Canadian and 20 years old. He's originally from around Quebec and is traveling before he really decides what he's doing in life. Also a very cool guy, he was supposed to go with Koen and I up north but we couldn't find him before we left. He has been battling jet lag pretty hard so he likely overslept. Hopefully we'll see him here soon.

Other people I've met include, but are definitely not limited to: Bastion, also from Holland; Rich from england but who's teaching in Japan and on break; Sarah from England; Lauren and Hannah from Scotland; Joe who lived in Santa Barbara for a few years and is trying to clean up his life; a girl from Iowa (I can't recall her name, sorry!) Who is volunteering with the Peace Corps; a mother and her two children from Colorado; a local Thai girl named Mimi; a trio of girls from England - Lauren P, Lauren G, and Maude... Everyone has their own stories, reasons for traveling, and experiences. It's so amazing meeting such varied individuals.

I stayed at a hostel in Bangkok named Saphai Pae which means "backpacker" in Thai. Very nice place with all of the amenities you'd need. Almost too nice, though, since most people I see have their faces buried in a screen of some kind. I'm guessing the ones that are more active don't typically hang around the hostel. Here in Sukhothai I'm at the 4T guesthouse - it was closest to the bus terminal but is a little more expensive.

Dave, Koen and I will heading to Chiang Mai and then onto Laos. Koen plans to go to Vietnam, but neither Dave nor I have a visa for entry and we're not sure we'll be in one place long enough to get one.

There really isn't enough time or space to describe the all of the things that I have seen and learned in only three days that have made this an experience of a lifetime so far. It feels like it has been so much longer. I'll try to post plenty of pictures!

Picasa album

I have arrived!

After a two hour layover in Tokyo and a seven hour layover in Kuala Lumpur (a very nice airport, by the way), and then getting ripped off by a taxi driver for an additional $5, I am settled into the hostel in Bangkok and meeting people. It's very hot and humid here, but it seems most places have A/C of some kind. I'm beat but so excited.

It begins.

I have just boarded the train to LA where I will catch my flight overseas. The first few days in Thailand shouldn't be terribly exciting; I'll have a significant jet lag to recover from as I gather my bearings. Here's hoping for safe travels!