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Asia-Pacific 2017
  • Kirsti Mathiasen

Asia-Pacific 2017

A 127-day adventure by Kirsti Read more
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  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Little India

    February 22, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    I got moving much quicker this morning than usual, things to do! I had breakfast at the hostel and then left to meet Youngmin at her new hotel. We first stopped by a purse store in a nearby mall as she wanted a new bag. We then wandered over to Little India, which I loved!

    The streets definitely reminded me of Nepal, there were the small little shops selling random things, and it even smelled similar :) I don't think that Youngmin enjoyed the smell all that much but for me it was a familiar thing <3 All the curry spices and foods cooking everywhere. It wasn't as busy as I would have expected but it was still busier than other areas of town. There were lots of shops selling phones and cheap clothing, very reminiscent of Nepal. There was a neat little park too that had trees with the canopy made from umbrellas. I guess that it's supposed to help offer shade in areas that don't have very many trees. Cool idea! There weren't people using the park at the time we were there but it looks like a place that would be quite popular.

    We went into the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple that is on the main street before continuing our journey. The temple was quite ornate and very rich looking, very very different than the ones I had seen in Nepal. There were people in there praying and practicing while tourists wandered amongst them.. I wonder what they think about all the people coming through taking photos, sometimes of the worshippers as well as the building itself. But anyway, I enjoyed the temple and the area of Little India as a whole really made me miss Nepal! It's interesting how there are so man little subcultures in Singapore. It truly is a city filled with diversity.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Bugis Round Two

    February 22, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After Little India, Youngmin and I took the MRT over to Bugis Street and Market. Second visit for me, but totally worth it :) I like those little shops, and I didn't really look around too much when I went with David as we spent more time talking that browsing. I also absolutely love all the fresh juices that they have there and was very happy to get another one. Kind of. I decided I'd try a sour plum flavour and oh boy was it disgusting! It tasted like salt water. Nasty. I threw it out even though I hate to waste food/drinks... But I didn't let that experience stop me and I went back and bought a lime juice instead, that was much much nicer. Haha. Each juice was only $1 so it's not like it was a huge deal or loss... Honestly I wish that I could have tried all the different flavours but that would be require a lot more time as there's no way I could humanly drink that much juice in one day. I think there are maybe 20 different juices? I'm not really sure.

    There actually happened to be some sort of religious event going on at the Chinese Temple while we were here this time. The streets outside the market were packed with people! And there were many more stalls than the last time that I was there. It was clearly a very specific clientèle being targeted, local Chinese. The different booths in the outdoor market were manned by people with microphones advertising their products... Products ranging from juicers, to household plants, to clothes, to dishes and other housewares. Definitely not touristy items which was kind of nice. As we were exploring the market I got the feeling that we were being herded and forced into one direction.. So we quickly turned around and forced our way out of the crowd. They all appeared to be going to the temple for worship of some kind. Each person was carrying burning incense, the scent was a little bit too much for me, but it was interested to see. I tried to ask someone there if this was a special event or not but they didn't really speak English so Youngmin and I moved on.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Walking Around

    February 22, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After Bugis Street we decided to walk over to the Fountain of Wealth and then to Marina Bay, Youngmin wanted to see it during the day before she leaves tonight. I really enjoyed the walk! I really do just enjoy wandering here and looking at all the different, impressive architecture. Along the way we found an overpass that went through a Marriott hotel (I think) and I loved the building itself! Black stone everywhere, beautiful curving wood mixed with glass for the courtyard ceiling. It's great. I notice that there seems to be a number of buildings that feature black and wood mixed together. Personally my favourite combination! I think it's rather elegant and sleek. Anyway, after nerding out about this building a bit we continued trying to find the Fountain of Wealth. It is so confusing navigating here sometimes! Google Maps doesn't tell you when to use an underpass or overpass or a "link" between two malls - it's pretty neat actually you can pretty well walk the entire downtown area without ever leaving a building because they're mostly all connected somehow. But anyway, eventually we found our way to the Fountain after a ton of walking and stopping for a cheap, and not very good lunch at a food court Thai place.

    The Fountain of Wealth itself was pretty neat! But honestly I was so tired of walking at that point that I don't think I really truly appreciated it. There are some pictures attached, but what I really thought was neat is that the Fountain can be enjoyed from two levels. The upper area is outdoors and there were benches that you could sit at and a nice spray from the water to keep you cool. The lower level is indoors and you see the Fountain from where the water comes up through glass. There were a bunch of restaurants surrounding the Fountain base but none were all that busy. I guess because it was something like 2 or 3 pm at that point.

    After the Fountain we walked to the Marina Bay area one last time. While sitting enjoying the view we both Recieved phone calls at the same time, a good coincidence! My call was from the teachers at the school <3 It was so cute and so nice to see them all! Ganesh organized the call from his account but I spoke with Beda, Bobita, and Mahadev! And waved at the other teachers in the background. Nice to see that some of the things I helped them with are working ;) They told me how much they miss me and it made me feel like I really did have an impact, but also I miss them. I hope that I can continue to talk to them in the future :) They were all curious about the weather and I forgot that I was only wearing a tanktop when I answered. Oops haha. Recall that bare shoulders are not a thing over in Nepal ;) One of them commented that I wasn't wearing enough clothing lol. Oh well. Anyway, I guess I haven't describe the weather much? It's hot. About 30 degrees Celsius and Humid! Constantly sweating and gross. It's been fairly overcast too the last few days, I can only imagine if it were sunny.. Even as it is I think I burned today while walking around. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to suck haha.

    After our respective phone calls, Youngmin and I said goodbye :( She had to return to her hotel to pick up her bag and go to the airport. So I walked back to the hostel and had some time to myself before other people showed up. I wrote a few postcards - the first I've ever written - while drinking a very refreshing beer. Mmmmm. While I was writing a man came up to me telling me that he "saw" me in a dream last night and if I could just spare a few minutes of my time and go with him around the corner where he's meeting some of his students because he's a yoga instructor. I definitely did not go with him. What a strange experience..

    At some point my Brazilian friends returned from their own day's journey and we chatted for a while. We also met two new people staying in our room at the hostel, a guy from Argentina living in Vancouver and a girl from Peru. A lot of South American's this time around! We all decided that we wanted some beers and walked to the market together. We drank the beers at the hostel and the guys went out to the Gardens by the Bay while the girls stayed in and got much more rest than the men did ;) It was a good evening just socializing, playing Uno, and jenga. Much needed after a day filled with walking!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Me Time

    February 23, 2017 in Singapore ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Today was all about me. I was being selfish and just wanted to spend some time alone. Tomorrow I meet up with the tour group and I know I won't have much space for a while, so I politely excused myself from all group activities and did my own thing :)

    I started the day by calling mom and talking to her a bit, I sent her some pictures that I haven't had a chance to upload to my blog yet and she was amazed! I think I've convinced her that Singapore would be a great place for her to visit ;)

    After talking I wandered out to find a post office. Same comments as before, finding places in Singapore can be a challenge! I was wandering around following Google Maps, right at the spot that it said the post office was supposed to be just not seeing it. And there were hardly any people around for me to ask for help... Eventually someone was able to direct me to the post office haha. I had to go underground 2 levels through this sketchy stairwell in the middle of a plaza. Who would have guessed! After the post office I decided to see how far I could walk underground before the "links" between the malls ran out. Quite far apparently, actually I didn't even go the full distance I could have because I saw an exit I wante. to take. I started at the Ocean Colours Financial District building and ended at the Marina Bay Sands building. Maybe 20 minutes of walking?

    In the Marina Bay Sands building I decided, as persuaded by Mom earlier on the phone, that I should spoil myself a bit and get a pedicure. Tomorrow is my birthday afterall and I'll be travelling, not enjoying ;) I also got my eyebrows down because, why not? Then I had a nice lunch, no rush no need to consult anyone, it was nice! Although making a decision was tough because I really wanted a soup and sandwich. I did find a place that met my needs but it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping :p you know how some places try to make themselves seem fancy by overdoing their food with fancy items? That's pretty much what this was, but it was good! Because I was in the Marina Bay Sands I had planned on going up to the Skypark to get a 360 view of the city and an original Singapore Sling but sadly I didn't get to. I was going to but then I heard thunder and it looked like it was about to start pouring. So instead I wandered back to the hostel while giving Alanna a virtual tour of the city via a Messenger Video Call ;)

    On the walk home I ran into some folk from the hostel who were heading to eat but I declined joining them and went back to catch up on some writing. Pf course while enjoying another beer :p after a while my friends returned and I stopped writing in order to be social and so goodbye to Nick, the Argentinian living in Vancouver. Maybe we'll cross paths at home! Isabela and I then went to the market again to grab a few more beers. Sounds like there are plans brewing to drink at the hostel tonight. Another Canadian girl, Monika, has friends flying in tonight and has a bottle of vodka to share with us apparently.

    And lots of drinking did occur! I ended up going to bed at 5am with a 7am alarm set :/

    It was interesting night with people jumping around from outside to inside and across the street for food and just random mingling, maybe 8 people at the max? We played some card games and did a lot of talking. One woman staying there tonight is an expat who needed to get away from home for a while. And oh man I will not complain about Vancouver housing prices ever again after talking to her! Currently they pay $4000/month in rent for a one bedroom just outside of the city centre!! In some places rent can get as high as $10,000. Absolute insanity. Although income is of course mich higher as well, her husband earns twice what rent costs, but still. Absurd! I really enjoyed talking with her. It's a different life here clearly... Money flows freely it seems, or if not freely then easily. Most people who live in Singapore aren't locals but expats and there's an entire "wives of expats" community that don't work and just take care of the home and go out drinking with friends etc etc. Crazy. I suppose that the majority of the people who come here for work are highly educated and very intelligent, the best of the best. Very very interesting. Would explain why so many of the locals seems to party a lot and let loose on all evenings of the week.. Work hard play hard right?

    That was evident during the trips we made for food over the course of the evening. We went to McDonalds twice and to a food court type place one. Don't judge haha. Everything is close by so it's not an issue! The first McDonalds trip a very drunk guy was asking everyone if he should break his 18 month vegetarian streak for a McChicken, the second time another drunk was going around smelling everyone trying to see where the flowery smell was coming from (hint, outside lol), and the third time there was a drunk man touching peoples hair! Haha everytime that we go out in the evening we see very intoxicated locals. And we know they're locals because they either mention it or ask why we don't just move to Singapore already. Very interesting.

    Anyway, at midnight all the people around the table sang me happy birthday it was so sweet! And of course I asked the Brazilians to sing in Portuguese because it reminds me of home when the family does the same <3 I guess because of the time change I'll get almost 2 days worth of birthday wishes, that'll be fun ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Goodbye Singapore, Hello Bangkok

    February 24, 2017 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Morning came way too fast today... Somehow I manged to get out of bed, shower, pack, eat, and checkout all on time. I have a feeling it's going to be a long day though!

    I made it to the airport easily and had a relatively short wait. While I waited I called mom and dad and they also sang me happy birthday :) that was sweet! I have to comment that I saw the strangest way to queue for a toilet today..... Instead of forming one long line and using whichever stall became available next, women were lining up outside of individual stalls... I don't know why that struck me as so strange but I don't like it! How do I know who's going to take the longest?! Or be the quickest?! Anyway, just a fun fact.

    We landed in Bangkok on time after a very turbulent flight. That was annoying and made me a bit dizzy to be honest.. Maybe something to do with the rain in Singapore? The guy sitting next to me was terrified haha always jumping and grabbing the armrests. I don't think that he's flown all that much? But anyway, we landed without any problems and I was able to quickly and easily find my way out, collect my bags, and get a taxi.

    What I noticed immediately was the chaos of the city, even in the airport, compared to Singapore. Compared to Nepal though it was still fairly structured. There is definitely a lack of personal space here too that I was expecting from Asia but didn't notice in Nepal and Singapore. And it's hot. Very Humid as well. To get a taxi from the airport you line up to take a number from a machine and then walk to the appropriate parking stall. I was so exhausted that I ended up dozing on the almost 30 minute ride to the hotel. I tried really hard to stay awake but it just wasn't working for me.. They drive on the left side of the road here in Thailand too, and don't use turn signals at all. The lane markings are more of a guideline here too I notice, but again, not as bad as Nepal!

    When I arrived at the hotel I checked into my room and organized my things into one bag, putting all my items from my carryon into my backpack. My roommate hadn't arrived yet, but there is a Facebook group for all the members on the tour which someone had posted in saying they were down at the bar. So I fought sleep and went down to meet my first new friend! I should mention that the tour company I'm with is Free and Easy Traveller, just in case anyone is interested. Anyway, this fellows name is Josh and we had a few beers and shared some apples while Chatting and observing other people coming in. At some point the group leaders, Toni and Eric, came by and introduced themselves. We were also eventually joined by more travellers from the group.

    We all went out for dinner to a nearby restaurant and I had a red curry soup thing with rice. It was really great! The prices here are so much more reasonable than in Singapore too. I think that dinner and a couple beers was only the equivalent of about $5. It seems like the group is a good mix of people all from different points in their lives. There are first time travellers, experienced travellers, recent high school graduates, and folk well established in their careers. There are about 20 of us all together, should be a good group to spend the next 25 days with!

    From dinner we walked over to Khao San Road, the party street of Bangkok and apparently the place to be. And, I accidentally let it slip to one person that it was my birthday and he told everyone so I had to go out and celebrate with them :p Khao San Road is crazy! You can drink anywhere on the streets and there are buckets of alcohol you can buy for about $10 that contain a ton of alcohol and just get you right done. It wasn't long before things became a bit fuzzy for me.. But the vibe was pretty neat! Tons of people in the streets from all over the world just partying and having fun. There were folk walking around with fried scorpions to eat and lots of men asking if we wanted to see "ping pong shows" luckily my friends from Brazil told me what they are ahead of time. Basically women on stage doing things with ping pong balls and their intimate parts... Not the vibe I'm feeling! Anyway, the night slipped by and was a ton of fun :) Eventually I couldn't fight the sheer exhaustion anymore and walked back to the hotel. The walk seemed to take forever even though we were only a few blocks away... Must have gotten lost ;)

    A fun fact, as I go through my days I make notes before turning those notes into a fully formed blog post and here's one note that I wrote to myself while drinking on the streets of Bangkok:

    "So much party can't handle"

    Was a good start to the trip, we'll see how the rest goes ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Transfer to Siem Reap

    February 25, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today we left at 9am to catch a bus to Siem Reap, Cambodia. If my lovely roommate, Jessica, hadn't worken me I would have missed it. I had forgotten to set an alarm! I probably fell asleep with my phone in my hand.. I felt surprisingly good today though :)

    The drive to the Cambodian border took about 4 or 5 hours and we stopped to use the washroom and for lunch. We ate chicken with rice and I had an iced coffee which was lovely. I slept for most of the bus ride, still exhausted from now 3 nights of very little sleep.

    The border crossing was crazy! It seemed so informal to me and had I been alone I'm sure that I would have messed something up somehow. First you leave Thailand, then walk a few hundred metres to the Cambodian Visa office to obtain your visa. The walk wasn't direct though, it was through a little town and didn't have much signage. Makes me wonder how they truly monitor who's entering the country. Anyway, after obtaining our visas we walked to the "entry point" which was just a small office along side a street as you walked into the country.. All very confusing. But of course, the group leaders knew exactly what to do so it went smoothly.

    After officially entering the country we waited at a little shop for a transfer bus to take us to the bigger bus we'd complete our trip in. We all had a beer here! And the bus arrived sooner than expected so we brought them onto the bus with us... All totally normal apparently, the driver didn't even blink. Our laws are so strict at home it's ridiculous.Once onto the big bus we were far more comfortable and the ride went quickly. It feels strange to be driving on the right side of the road again... Toni and Eric delivered their formal welcome speech and ran over a few important things with us. It reminded me of being in school again.. But totally necessary I know, and I don't feel like the rest of the trip will be so formal. They just asked about respect, not to give to child beggars, quality of life is different here, don't expect comforts of home, etc etc. What I found particularly interesting is that the primary currency is USD. And the secondary the Riel. And even more confusing, it that the USD is predominate, but you will receive any change less than a dollar in Riels. So no coins at all. Which will be fun to figure out haha. 1000 Riel is approximately $0.25 USD

    When we arrived at the hotel, Popular Guesthouse, I had so many notifications on my phone it took me almost an hour to go through them all.... Mostly birthday wishes! And that left me a short time to socialize before heading down to the restauarant to meet the group for a "family dinner" and get to know one another a bit better.

    After dinner, most people went to bed as they were exhausted form last nights activities and travelling all day, and probably jet lagged too. Glad I don't have to worry about that one!

    So even though I was exhausted, my new roommate Kayla and I walked the 5 minutes to pub street. We stopped at the Temple Bar because it looked pretty fun and shared two $4 pitchers! The rooftop had a live band, a fountain, and all bean bag chairs. It was pretty great. It was nice to just relax and listen to music from home sung by great voices. When we decided to leave at about 11pm the club downstairs was going strong. I'm sure that we'll be back! When we're not exhausted and have a big day tomorrow exploring the Temples at Angkor Wat!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Temples - Bayon

    February 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We left first thing in the morning to explore 3 of the Temples at Angkor Wat! We had a local guide for the entire day and two private vans to take us around.

    On the ride over our guide, Potha (spelling?), explained a bit of the history of Cambodia to us. Recently, 8 million people were killed in genocide, and for comparison, there are currently 23 million people living in Cambodia. Our guide himself lost 4 of his family members because they were doctors. The genocide focused on killing all educated people. Presumably so that the population would be easier to control and there would be more labourers to grow food for China. Apparently there's a good movie to watch to learn more called "First they Killed my Father" in partnership with Angeina Jolie. She apparently has a soft spot for Cambodia, and we'll be visiting the temple that tomb raider was filmed in. We also learned that all of these Temples were once covered in gold and jewels but were raided when Thailand defeated Cambodia in a war. The first documentation of the Temples of Angkor Wat were photographs by a French man in 1920.

    We stopped before entering the grounds to obtain our passes which are good for three days. They took our photos and we were good to continue on! The Temples are surrounded by a huge moat and even though the water looked quite disgusting there were children swimming in the water.

    So, the first temple we visited was called Bayon which means magic because of all the faces carved into the towers on the temple. There are four faces which face NSEW and stand for love, compassion, sympathy, and neutrality; the four faces of a good person.

    The temple was big and filled with very steep steps, narrow corridors, and lots of space for praying. Restoration efforts haven't been completed yet and there are still piles of rocks lying around, but the effect is impressive nonetheless. Some of the carved faces have been defaced as the Temple was originally Buddhist, but at one point in history an evil king tried to change all the carvings to represent the Hindu religion. So third eye has been added in many places. All the carvings were done after the stones were placed for construction and you can see in some stones holes that were drilled so that workers could insert sticks into the stones to ease in transportation. The quarry is 55 km away and of course during that time everything would have been walked over on the backs of labourers.. Or floated down the river for a short while. A person would have dedicated their entire life to building one of these Temples.

    For those of you who maybe don't know, Angkor is a "city" filled with Temples, and there is a specific temple in the complex called Angkor Wat, the famous one that some consider a wonder of the world. That was the third temple that we visited.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Temples - Ta Prohm

    February 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The second temple we visited is best known because Tomb Raider was filmed there. On the way there we learned that all the green spaces in between the various Temples would have been where common folk lived in wooden structures. The main temple is apparently in the shape of a lotus, but I didn't see that personally. To be honest I wasn't really paying too close of attention, just following the quick moving guide and trying not to fall behind too much. This temple is incredibly complicated and I definitely almost got lost a few times.. Too busy taking photos and observing things!

    This temple is less "touched" than the others, it's been allowed to remain a bit overgrown and there are trees and other plants growing out from between rocks where you wouldn't even think they could survive. It's a pretty neat temple! Definitely my favourite of the three we saw today, but of course my favourite places always seem to be ones that don't photograph all that well. Places you have to see for yourself I guess ;) I just can only imagine what these Temples must have looked like back in the day when they were still covered with gold and gems. One room we saw had a bunch of holes in the walls that apparently would have once housed gems like sapphires. The light in there would have been incredible! I wonder if anyone has ever done a virtual reconstruction. I'd love to see it.

    We stopped for lunch after this temple at a nearby restaurant and I tried a traditional Cambodian dish of Beef Lok Lak which was amazing. It was beef cooked with green peppers and onions in a semi sweet sauce, then you mixed into it a spicy, sour black pepper sauce and ate with rice. So delicious! One of the best things I've eaten to be honest. I hear that Cambodia is famous for it's black pepper, I'll probably have to bring some home. I also had a fresh lime juice for lunch that was pleasantly sour ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Temples - Angkor Wat

    February 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    After lunch we went to Angkor Wat, the main attraction. I wish we had seen it first because at that point I was tired and grumpy and didn't really want to be there anymore. I couldn't even tell you why I was grumpy.. I think from all the rushing around we've been doing, I prefer a more relaxed itinerary I think. I hope the rest of the trip isn't going to be this fast paced and busy. I'm sure it won't!

    But anyway, I understand why we went to the other Temples first, because after seeing Angkor Wat the other ones aren't as awe inspiring. Still incredible and worth visiting but not as big or grand. All were equally busy though, which was probably contributing to my grumpiness, I really don't like crowds that leave no room for personal space.

    There are only two gates giving access to the Temple, one at the east and one at the west. The temple is lined up perfectly too which is impressive, we used a compass to check! The east west orientation is partly to do with Chinese Fung Shui (how the heck do you spell that?) and also to do with the sun rising and setting. I guess on June 21 the sun is aligned perfectly with the top of the tower. We entered through the smaller, secondary gate and approached the temple from the back. There was a long walk to the temple and it offered some good views! The temple is definitely massive and showing signs of wear and tear. There are multiple courtyards inside and vast, tall walls. Pretty cool place! I really wanted to stay longer and just sit and soak in the peaceful feeling I was getting from being there. Surprisingly the temple seemed quiet even though there were TONS of tourists there. There were also a few monks scattered throughout doing their thing independent of the tourists wandering around. Was pretty cool :) We didn't wait in the two hour line to climb the steps to go to the upper, most holy portion of the temple though. Speaking of steps, the thing that amazed me the most about Angkor Wat was the incredibly steep stairs! Imagining people climbing those every day is crazy. My knees would not like that one little bit. I also really enjoyed all the little carvings scattered throughout the temple, and the wide variation in colouring of the stone. I know that the lighter coloured stones are more recent and come from restoration work, but the dark greys, blacks, and oranges are pretty cool! Definitely glad to have seen it.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Evening Out in Siam Reap

    February 26, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    After visiting the Temples we returned to the hotel and almost everyone jumped into the pool. It was a much needed respite from the heat! Scorching hot. I drank 3 litres of water while walking around, gotta fight that dehydration.

    Afterwards a few of us went out for dinner at the Red Piano Restaurant on Pub Street. Turns out there wasn't much in the way of Cambodian Food here and I ordered a spicy penne pasta that was not spicy at all. I had to douse it in hot sauce.. I'm starting to think that I developed an even higher tolerance for spice while in Nepal though because there are things here that everyone is calling spicy that I can't even taste the spice in. My measure of this theory will be when I get back to Canada and have a much missed Caesar ;) Because there was a group of about 10 of us we left a tip which is not customary in Cambodia. I think we only left about 5% but the staff were so grateful they looked close to tears, it was a good reminder about how much even a dollar helps people here.

    After dinner we went to the night market and watched an amateur Lady Boys show! While receiving an hour long foot rub for only$6. It was fantastic. The shows were so funny, the ladies really got into it once they realized that there was a large group watching and cheering and genuinely enjoying themselves. They sang, danced, and acted a small skit out as well. So great. I'm sure the pros would be more skilled but I kind of enjoyed watching these folk do it for the pure enjoyment of it, not as a way to make money. Did I mention that it's a free show?

    After the show we walked to nearby Pub Street and had a very fun, very crazy, very alcohol filled evening! There was dancing in the bars of course but also on the streets. There was this local woman too selling bracelets that the group leaders know very well who just decided to dance with us for a good portion of the night. It was good fun :)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    War Museum

    February 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Today was a very busy day, but also very good! We started out by visiting the War Museum. And took a tuk Tuk to get there! My first ever tuk Tuk ride :) and because we took multiple tuk Tuks we played a game of "tuk tuk tag" which was fun but also slightly terrifying. Terrifying because one girl almost fell out while trying to make another group "it". So we'll have to make sure we're careful ;) The tuk Tuks are fine though, not overly scary since they go so slowly. Though when they turn too sharply it does feel like you're riding on two wheels. But, nothing like driving in a taxi in Kathmandu!

    So anyway, the War Museum was pretty powerful to see. We had a local man who was actually once a child soldier give us a tour of the museum. His entire family was killed during the war and genocide and he still has many pieces of shrapnel and ball bearings in his body. He let us touch them, and they move around. I guess when it gets cold it's quite uncomfortable for him too.. It's intense. He also lost one leg to a landmine and when it exploded a piece of his bone embedded itself in an eye. He was blinded by the explosion and I think he said 6 years later he was taken by the UN to receive a surgery that restored vision to one of his eyes. And yet he's still so happy and energetic. Just happy to be alive I suppose. Oh, and he's only 48. It's tough to realize just how recent this history is for them, that only recently the entire country was in war and turmoil, while we were all enjoying a quiet and peaceful childhood. I think they said it was in 1991 that things started to settle down? He also told us that there are many birth defects due to high uranium levels Fr bombs. And also that there were approximately 2.5 Landmines per person at one time..

    There were so many different types of guns and tanks on display in the museum, as well as photo of victims and other former soldiers. Very powerful. One of the tanks had a bunch of damage from a bomb and they left everything in it that was found with the tank. Including a shoe and a tibia bone from a passenger.. That in particular made things real. To see someone's actual bone in the situation in which it would have been discovered really made it hit home. We are so incredibly lucky to live in a country like Canada where we haven't had any true problems in a long time. Really brings a new meaning to the phrase "first world problems"

    The museum wasn't all that big but was still worth the visit. While I was there I was wishing we could stay a bit longer but the next stop, the landmine Museum, was well worth the time!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Landmine Museum

    February 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We hopped back into our tuk tuks and took a ride to the Landmine Museum which is slightly out of the city but 1000% worth the time. They're more than just a museum too, they also give disadvantaged kids a home and access to education, a true Cambodian NGO. I think our guide said that there are 18 kids there now? When the centre first opened it was in the city, but in 2006 the police got involved and shut down the program. Canada stepped in and defended the landmine centre to the Cambodian government and the centre was moved and reopened. Canada is apparently the largest benefactor of the landmine relief efforts in Cambodia which I didn't know. And to show their appreciation flag flies at the entrance to the building! Pretty neat :) there are also other major benefactors like American and Australia who have a flag flying outside the centre. To get a flag out there you need to have donated at least $100,000 a year for three years straight.

    Our guide is an American Vietnam War Vet who got involved with the centre a number of years ago and he moved to Cambodia permanently with his wife 8 years ago. He's the reason that the centre is still operational. When the founder, a Cambodian named Aki Ra who dedicates his life to landmine deactivation and disposal, was told by the government he needed to cease his work or get licensed legally to do the work or be arrested, our guide stepped in to help. The founder didn't have the financial resources to obtain the license or proper equipment, he was using plyers and risking his own life everyday to remove Landmines he's found. So our guide funded the legal matters, apparently about $300 USD and started to get more involved. Now he runs the legal side of the centre from obtaining funding to helping with legal matters like the 2006 police incident.

    At the centre itself there are actually no power lines or internet, they run off of solar power. When the centre first opened all of the children they housed were landmine victims, but as time has gone on there have been fewer and fewer victims and most of the children here now are actually polio victims. All the kids go to public school and are given a scholarship for university or trades school. Of the first students the centre ever helped one is in law school, some are barbers, and all are doing well for themselves. Opportunities that they'd never had if not for this place. They likely would have otherwise ended up as beggars, prostitutes, or involved in drugs and gangs.

    So anyway, back to Landmines. They are a part of why the Cambodian population is so young. Survivors suffer from PTSD but aren't able to get help because they won't talk to foreigners and the genocide eliminated all the professional physchatrists.. And there are still a ton of Landmines in the country today. No one really knows how many.. But most of the known fields are marked now. Occasionally, random ones are discovered in rural areas though. There are 4000 people employed to clear Landmines and they're out everyday working... That is intense. I had no idea about that before coming here.. The majority of the funding for this work comes from international governments or individuals. Unfortunately funding has been cut recently by many countries. They're actually putting all efforts on hold right now waiting to see what Trump is going to do.. Because they worry they won't receive funding for a while.. Sad. Especially because part of their program also involves building schools in the rural areas they visit to clear landmines. The positive thing is that only 3 countries are still using Landmines today so hopefully once they're cleared the people can stop worrying...

    There's a complicated history of where all the landmines came from. They are predominately from the Vietnam war, but there are Landmines from all over the world... The museum had all the different types on display, there are so many! Another fun fact I didn't know is that landmines are designed to maim, not to kill. Because taking care of a wounded soldier is expensive and slows down an army.... Vicious.

    This organization now has 3 bomb squads and offers bomb education as well as medical treatment to the villages they visit. Apparently it can take up to 2 years for a bomb squad to get out to a village after a bomb is reported because of finding cuts.. I guess they just mark the location and hope that nothing happens? Terrifying. When the bomb squad does get out there they set up a grid system and clear about 50m a day. They basically go bush wacking in the dense jungle with a bomb and metal detector slowly and carefully... They've had no deaths on their team from bombs going off though which is great!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Koulen Restaurant and Show

    February 27, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    After the Landmine Museum we went back to the hotel to relax for a while before heading to the Koulen Restaurant which was a buffet and had traditional Cambodian dancers. The buffet itself was ok, there were lots of different Asian foods to try which was cool and lots of soups which I filled up on! Love the soups here, definitely my style.

    The dancing started after most people had finished eating and was pretty cool! There were maybe 6 different songs being danced to, some as solos some with only women, and some with men and women. They wore very fancy, colourful clothing and had headdresses covered in gold and jewels, I imagine they're very heavy! Their movements were very slow and precise for the most part. Each movement was deliberate, their steps and hand movements very thought out. Very different than the quick moving and vibrant dancing of the Nepali, but just as beautiful and graceful.

    After the show finished most of us went back to the hotel. Everyone was exhausted from the night before... I walked back with two girls and we made a quick detour into the night market since it's apparently our last chance to see it before we leave Siem Reap. The night market is quite extensive, far larger than I thought it would be! Most shops Carey the same items of course, ranging from shirts/pants/dresses to shawls to artwork to Souvenirs to jewellery, etc. I saw a painting that I loved and picked it up to add to my collection. For a home i don't yet own lol. But when I do I'll have an interesting mix of artwork for it ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Angkor Wat Sunrise

    February 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    I got up at the ungodly hour of 4:30am today... I wasn't planning on going with the group to watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat but when Kayla's alarm went off and I heard she was sick so wasn't going I decided I would go in her place. It was pretty cool I guess! But kind of overrated if you want my personal opinion. Others in the group would disagree though. We arrived about an hour before sunrise and good thing too. Eric took us to a spot he knows and we got front row seats, by the time the sun actually started coming up there were hundreds of people in our little spot. I'm sure there were thousands of people in the vicinity as a whole it was crazy. The colours were pretty too that's for sure, but my camera saw more colours than my eyes did, hence the underwhelmed feeling even though the pictures turned out great.

    After the sun came up myself and a few of the other girls decided to stay a while longer before heading back to the hotel while the remainder went back via tuk tuk. We went back into Angkor Wat to climb up to the top of the temple! The tip part that had a two hour wait when we were there the other day. This time is was only 20 minutes. The view from the top was pretty great! You could see the jungle, a few other Temples, and the entry walk to this temple. The structure and building a style itself was very similar to the rest of the temple we saw before, nothing too special there. The steps up to the top were incredibly steep! My knee was protesting but I made it. I'd say it was worth the 20 minute wait, but not the 2 hour wait.

    After exploring the top we wandered around a bit longer and saw a few new areas we missed the previous day. Which I'm glad of because I had felt a little shorted on time before. I found my favourite part of the temple, a quiet courtyard with very few people there and a ledge about 2 metres wide and 15 metres above the ground that we sat on and just relaxed for a bit.

    We had intended on exploring a few more Temples while in Angkor but I think we were all just too tires. So after eating a fresh mango from a street vendor we decided to head back instead. At the time I was desperate to get home but also really sad not to have been able to see a few more. My body thanked me though after a long nap. I can't keep running off of no sleep!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Phare, The Cambodian Circus

    February 28, 2017 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After Angkor Wat and a nice refreshing nap Jessica, Kayla and I went to grab some food. We ended up at pretty neat cafe that had great iced coffee and eggs bennies! Yummy. Didn't think I'd find that while here. Afterwards Jessica and I wandered the market for a bit just browsing. Or so we thought until we started buying things.. I ended up with two tank tops and a dress. But I really needed some variety in my wardrobe and a dress because I miss those.

    After deciding we'd bought enough we went back to the hotel and got ready to go to the circus! That was amazing. Totally worth the $20 for the ticket and tuk Tuk ride over. The name of the show we watched was Sokha and it was all about the the history of Cambodia. The story started with an "old" woman who went back in time to relive her past. Starting from happy childhood days going into the Genocide then being reunited with her family then the war and then finally back to modern times. It was pretty cool! The group preforming is again a group of underprivileged youth that were given an opportunity to improve their lives and go to school. The school focusses on arts and most students become artists or performers when they graduate. Pretty neat how many social initiatives there are here. I appreciate that FNEZ brings us to places like this and they support sustainable travel. Wonder if they'll ever expand into Nepal ;) The show was filled with pretty impressive acrobatics and took place in a round tent with wooden benches. Our seats were pretty decent! I really enjoyed it, more than the cirque shows I've seen.

    After the show was finished the group went to a nearby bar called the Mad Monkey. The floor was covered in sand! It's in a hostel that's known for it's partying so I'm glad that we're not actually staying there. It's nice to have a quiet place to go home to. Also at this bar they had a beer pong table and people were playing flip cup. Our group started a game of truth or dare which was pretty fun! Watching folk to sand angels, lick strangers, and take random hats off people's heads was a hoot. When this bar closed we went to a different bar, Yolo, which was close to Pub Street. It was cool, some people painted their faces in glow paint and the toilet was a shack across the street. Then we migrated to Pub Street proper and went back to the Angkor What Bar and we're drinking in the street again. At some point I found Toni and she showed me a great street cart where we got some fried noodles with an egg. So amazing. And I showed someone how to use chopsticks lol.. They'll need to learn pretty quick if they want to continue travelling in Asia haha. I don't even know what time Jessica and I eventually made it home but I don't think it was too late!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Flying to Vientiane

    March 1, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today we left Cambodia and took a flight to Laos! Thankfully we didn't have to leave until noon so we had some time to sleep in a little bit. We took two flights to get to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. Each flight was only an hour and we went through immigration during our layover. That was a process. They only had one person taking visa applications so it took about an hour and a half to get through, and we only had about 5 minutes before our next flight boarded. I don't even remember where the layover was but the airport was tiny. So was our plane too!

    When we got to Vientiane and our hotel we were all exhausted. We wandered out to find a place to eat and some ATM's. A lot of people are having issues withdrawing cash but I've had no problems so far. I think I might end up taking cash out for Jessica and having her etransfer me... Something about Laos and debit cards that is giving people issues! We ended up at a pizza place close to the hotel and went to bed early. A good night's sleep is much needed!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Bus ride to Vang Vieng

    March 2, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We went out for breakfast at a cute little bakery nearby the hotel and had an "Aussie Breakfast" with Lao Style Coffee. Best coffee I've ever had!! It's so thick and so strong I absolutely love it. I will definitely be drinking lots of that while we're here!

    After breakfast we boarded a bus and started the drive to Vang Vieng where we stay for 4 nights, apparently it's a very pretty place. It used to be known for being a party place but it's been tamed down a bit apparently. The drive there was fun and passed pretty quickly. The entire group joined in on signing songs like Sweet Caroline and Bohemian Rhapsody when they came on and when the fun of signing wore off the scenery was amazing. Reminded me a bit of Nepal actually, winding roads, mountains (Cambodia was pretty flat). The driver was a very happy person, always smiling and laughing at us (or with us?). I've noticed that the Laotian people are very friendly and very complimentary. I mean they were nice in Cambodia too, but here they seem almost flirty in a way. It's kind of nice actually, just genuinely happy people. I did find it funny on the drive how many people were freaking out and panicking with the road conditions and lane changing. I must have gotten accustomed to it in Nepal, because this seemed rather tame to me. Makes me wonder what kind of driver I'll be when I'm back... Probably out of practice after not being behind the wheel in 4 months.

    When we arrived in Vang Vieng it was about 2pm and we wandered out to explore. It's a pretty city, pretty small but man the mountains are impressive! They're so jagged and protrude straight up, like they just extrude out of the ground, there's not gradual start to them like the mountains at home. Basically just like a rock planted in the ground. Our hotel is the Khampone Guest House and has a great view of the town. Sunset from the balcony was pretty unreal! Though the view is slightly marred from a tall building under construction. I can only imagine what it would have been like in prior years.

    We went out for a "family dinner" at Peeping Som's Bar & Restaurant Lao BBQ which was absolutely fantastic! We shared a traditional Lao style BBQ between a few people. They brought a bucket of hot coals which they set in the middle of the table with a little grill on top. We poured soup broth into the base of the grill, put chunks of lard on top, marinated our meats in garlic, onions, peppers, and a sauce, and then cooked it on top of the grill. While the meat was cooking we put veggies, noodles, and eggs into the broth to cook. It was absolutely amazing. Might be the best meal I've eaten this trip! I would definitely recommend it.

    After dinner we went as a group to a bar called Sakura which was very popular with the Korean tourists. There they had a dance floor, but also a fire pit out back and some beer pong tables. That's where I hung out with a few other group members. They also had an unlimited drink special... For the equivalent of about $9 CAD. Definitely took full advantage of that and got quite familiar with the local Whiskey. Eventually we moved on to another bar when this one closed, one that I wasn't all that into as it was more of a club. We stayed for a bit then went home at some point, couldn't even tell you what time!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Caving & Tubing

    March 3, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    This morning, after finding a place to have breakfast, we went off a cave adventure! It was the coolest thing. We were picked up by the local version of tuk tuks, a pickup truck with benches in the back, and took a drive about 20 minutes long to a small village. We walked through the village filled with buildings on stilts, and cows roaming around everywhere to a little adventure "park" where we would do our cave exploration.

    There was a large group ahead of us so we hung out at the restaurant and went swimming in a little hole, had a beer, and then ate a delicious lunch of rice wrapped in banana Leaves and chicken and veggies on a skewer. Followed by fresh watermelon and bananas. Delicious. Then it was time for the caving! I didn't bring my phone with me, so there aren't any pictures, but you'll just have to take my word when I say it was a must do.

    The entire cave is filled with water, hence the tubes, so we plopped into the tubes and ducked under the rock hanging down only about 18" above the water and began our adventure. We were given headlamps to help see but of course mine was barely working. Which honestly made it more fun at first, though later I wished I had a stronger one so I could look around a bit more. Because it's so hot here - although cooler and much less Humid and much more pleasant than Siem Reap at a balmy 28 degrees instead of 35 - the cool water was very refreshing. The water wasn't all that deep, maybe 3 feet at the deepest and in some parts we had to walk it was so shallow. The ground was a combination of rocks, sand, and slime, and you couldn't see which one it would be so I preferred to float as much as possible. They also had ropes tied along the length of the cavern so that you could pull yourself along easily and also not get lost. Which was good because there were a few little side caves that were tempting to explore but we were good and stuck to the rope path only.

     At one point there was a little side cave that Eric had discovered in the past that we did walk through. We left our tubes on a little beach and wandered through. When we turned a corner and couldn't see light from the main cave anymore we all shut off our headlamps and just enjoyed the darkness. True total darkness and silence, all you could hear was the sound of breathing and dripping water. Pretty neat. We didn't go out of our little side cave the same way as we came in and the return trip was interesting. It was very short, but took a decent amount of time to get through because you had to crawl like Gollum. We were joking that this was his home, that's exactly what it looked like! Some of the rocks were still growing too, they're super slimy and what not. Hope that people continue to respect that and don't start touching them.

    After we finished our little detour we continued along the main cave until the ropes ended. Wish we could have explored more but of course that would have been quite dangerous! I particularly enjoyed the "rope tow" back as I was at the end of the group looking backwards with no lights. It was so cool just looking at the different types of rocks and enjoying some dark, dank, coolness.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Kayaking on the Nam Song River

    March 3, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    After we finished caving we hopped back into our "tuk tuks" and drove a few minutes to a spot on the river where we'd kayak into town from. I started my tracking app but accidentally had it on run mode instead of bike mode so it didn't actually calculate the distance for us since we were moving too fast for someone running, it thought we were in a vehicle. Oh well though! I think it was probably about 10 km or so though. I honestly couldn't even tell you how long it took us either, I've lost track of all time and days on this trip it's fantastic. The only time I check the time is when we have a reservation for something.

    The kayaking was an amazing experience. It was so peaceful and the views were breathtaking! Photos just don't do it justice. Plus I was focussed on steering since I was in the back. The few times I did take my phone out to take picture we may have accidentally gotten stuck on rocks because I wasn't paying attention. But it's all part of the experience ;) I really enjoyed going through the rapids in the rocks too! I think that I'd love to try white water rafting now. Navigating the rocks was a ton of fun. Laos, and Vang Vieng, is just so pretty. The essentially two travel days to get here was totally worth it and I'm glad we're here for a few days.

    On our journey down the river we passed by the "bar area" where there are bars lining the river. Tomorrow we'll be partaking in a tubing bar crawl. We'll start at the first bar then float in tubes down to the next bar, stopping at each one along the way. Apparently you can float all the way back into town but most people take a tuk Tuk from the last bar back because they're so drunk.. I'm a bit worried about that part, the getting too drunk midday in the hot sun. Good thing I have lots of practise from the lake ;) See Mom and Dad, those skills will come in handy! Haha kidding. But anyway, it was nice to see the river and the landscape at a slow pace and actually take it all on. My kayaking buddy was also okay with taking it easy and we enjoyed being at the end of the train with a few other slow folk. What's the point in rushing through when you could just sit back and enjoy?

    At the end of the kayaking we hopped into our tuk Tuk and went back to the hotel. I took a brief nap before meeting some of the others and going for dinner. We ended up at an Irish Pub and I had roast chicken with gravy and mashed potatoes. A little taste of home! We were all so exhausted afterwards that we went home and called it an early night. We're getting up early tomorrow morning to watch the sun rise from a Hot Air balloon!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Hot Air Balloon & Tubing the River

    March 4, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    After a full night's sleep - but still not long enough - we woke up early to catch the sunrise from a Hot Air balloon! That was a very cool experience.

    We were split up into 3 different balloons and took off at about 6:30 am. The entire ride was but 30 or 45 minutes long which I guess was a good amount of time to be up there. I've never seen a balloon up close before and they were much bigger than I expected. The basket itself was just made from wicker, looked exactly like you'''d expect from a wicker basket except bigger. Each "half" carried 5 people, we were packed in very tightly though! Like sardines haha. The center of the basket was reserved for the "pilot" and his gas canisters. He was a pretty chill dude and was just listening to his music the entire time, and he laughed when some of us decided to pull out beers and shotgun ;) That'll be a good one for 'Never Have I Ever' haha. What a way to start the day! The views were fantastic. We could see the entire countryside, rivers, and mountains unobstructed. It was quite peaceful really. When we finally came down we landed in a random field and there were workers down there who caught a rope our pilot through over and they guided us down to the proper landing spot. Before we were allowed to get out we had to wait for the next tuk Tuk load of passengers to arrive. One out then one in so that the weight stayed balanced and the balloon didn't take off.

    After our balloon ride we got back to the hotel and went out for some breakfast. Everyone else went to bed but I took advantage of the down time to do some reading and writing. And to go shopping with my partner for our theme party in the afternoon. The theme was "Korean Couples" and we were randomly assigned a partner, then randomly given the name of another couple to shop for. As you can imagine the costumes were quite ridiculous! Crazy hats, shirts, dresses, etc. It was fun! At least we all looked silly together.

    We were dressed up because we were going on a Tubing Pub Crawl down the Nam Song River! That was a hoot. I didn't bring my phone because of course I didn't want it to get wet or lost, but thankfully there were a few go pros in the group that captured a few candid moments ;) There was less Tubing involved than I thought there would be, and less drinking too actually. For myself anyway, I think I was the most sober person there. All that practice down at the lake really paid off today!! There were two bars open and we stayed at the first one for quite a while. There was a game of musical tubes that was played, beer pong, flip cup, etc. I recognized all the staff from the bar the other night, I guess they're employed at multiple places. And they seem to be paid to be drunk.... And they're all foreigners. I've decided that this city reminds me a bit of Whistler, transient population and lots of partying. But it's cool! It's also so pretty and lots to do aside from partying. Anyway, we eventually tubed down over to the second bar which was also fun. Again, I was the most sober one there even amongst some of the staff and had a great time watching people mingle. We played a game of giant Jenga too which had different dares written all over them. So funny to watch people do them! And clearly only very drunk people would actually do them... Like motorboating a stranger, lacking someone, playing spin the bottle, etc etc. When a few people had clearly had tooooooooo much to drink the entire group took off in tuk Tuk back to the hotel. Somehow the entire group aside from myself fit into the first tuk Tuk so I took one back with some of the staff members. It was cool to hear their perspectives of living in town and why they moved their. Again, similar to the folk I've met living in Whistler.

    When the tuk Tuk dropped us back off at the tube rental place I got my deposit back, caught up with the group, ate a street sandwich - best things ever by the way!! So delicious especially the chicken bacon cheese on a baguette - and found a few people at the hotel who were still interested in hanging out. The majority of the group went immediately to bed, but some of us hung out in the hotel for a bit before making the move back out to Sakura Bar. We didn't stay for too long there as we were all exhausted, but it was good to just relax by the fire pit out back. In bed by 10:30 pm ;)    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Relaxing in Vang Vieng

    March 5, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today was a free day and was much needed. We took it easy in the morning, ate some food, and tried to figure out what we wanted to do. Originally I had wanted to go out to the waterfalls and swimming area but after thinking about it I really didn't want to go too far. I wanted to stay close and be able to make my own rules so to speak. The waterfalls were about a 20 minute drive away and would have required sharing a tuk Tuk.

    So instead we went out to a hotel, Silver Naga Hotel, and used their pool for the afternoon! It was a great way to relax and just chill. I ordered some fancy (non alcoholic) drinks, read my book, swam, and just did my own thing. It was great. The views were also pretty nice! Unobstructed views of the river and the people kayaking below. I chatted with an older gentleman for a bit and learned that a lot of foreigners who work in the city, like yoga instructors and horse trainers for example, work for free in exchange for their flights, accommodation, and food. Not a bad deal!! I'd probably do that if I had such a transferable skill.

    After we were finished at the pool we wandered back to the hotel to shower and get ready for a "family" dinner. Today is one of the group members birthdays so we're all going out to eat. The leaders also arranged a cake for him! I guess because my birthday was the first night and we weren't yet assembled as a group I don't get a birthday celebration. But that's cool, I'm with it just being another day of the week.

    After dinner most people were just so exhausted that they all went back to the hotel. Myself and a couple others went back to Sakura bar for a drink and chill by the fire pit. They have these awesome shirts at the bar that a couple of the girls wanted to buy before we leave tomorrow so it was a good excuse! It was a tame night though and we were in bed by 10 or 1030 at the latest.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Bus Ride to Luang Prabang

    March 6, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    This morning we took a bus ride to Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage city. The bus ride was supposed to be about 5 hours, but 8 or 9 hours later we arrived... I think I slept for most of the trip though so that's ok. We stopped along the way at an awesome viewpoint with views overlooking the valleys and mountains. Whoever designed the bathrooms clearly thought so too because the toilets had open air views of the valley.

    When we arrived in Luang Prabang we settled into our rooms and wandered around a bit. The city is charming, quaint, and cute! And because it's a world heritage city, there's a strictly enforced curfew of 11pm where everything shuts down, except for one bowling alley. It will make for a bit quieter of a trip I think and I'm looking forward to that! There are so many monks here too! We saw 3 just on the short 2 minute walk from the bus to the guest house.

    We met the group shortly after and all went to Utopia Restaurant for dinner. That was pretty cool! Their motto is "Zen during the day and wild at night" or something similar. I saw the Zen part for sure! There are winding paths and planted areas, different seating styles of stumps, benches, repurposed missiles, and cushions on the floors. There were split levels too with some seating secluded down a few steps, and there's even a beach volleyball court. All a 2 minute walk from our guest house. Our group sat at one of the cushions on the floor tables with a river view, although it was kind of too dark to see properly by the time I noticed it. I had a tuna melt sandwich that was delicious!

    After dinner the group returned to the guest house to drink and play card games. I wasn't feeling it so I hung out in my room alone for a bit, decompressing. I almost fell asleep but figured I'd wander outside and see what was happening. Guess the group had gone back to Utopia and as I was about to go back to bed they all came back. They were heading bowling! Since it was probably the only opportunity I'll get I decided to join them.

    The bowling alley is the only place on late in the city that is open late and is about a 10 minute tuk Tuk ride away. Once there we bought a 26 of vodka, mix, and ice to share for only 70,000 kip or about $11.50 CAD. Bowling was 20,000 each for a game of 10 pin and because it's Asia we bowled barefoot which is so much easier than wearing those annoying shoes like we have to at home! I was one of the only sober members of our group so it was quite entertaining, especially when on the second round of bowling they decided it would be a "fun" round. I watched this round because I didn't bring enough cash out with me to play again, and I'm quite okay with that. The fun rounds involved bowling from the ground, backwards, doing dance moves, finding a stranger to bowl for you, etc etc. I was so exhausted by the time they were finally finished the 2nd round I thought I was going to fall asleep at the table.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Kuang Si Waterfall

    March 7, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we went to some amazing waterfalls!! So pretty. That's what I imagined SE Asia to be.. At the waterfalls there was also a bear sanctuary where they house bears rescued from people who kept them for their bile, a common ingredient in ancient Chinese medicine apparently... The bears were pretty adorable! Funny that a bunch of Canadians would be so intrigued by bears like we've never seen them before ;)

    Anyway, the waterfalls. I can't even describe how pretty they were! We started out at the bottom of the falls and were greeted by a clear blue pool being filled by a small waterfall coming off of another clear blue pool being filled by a small waterfall coming off another clear blue pool etc etc. Just layers of water! It was pretty spectacular. Then there was the main waterfall itself which was just gorgeous. We hiked up to the top of the waterfall, and by hike I really mean more like climbed.. Shoes were useless because the rocks were so slippery from sand, and the way up was just a path over rocks and roots. No stairs or anything convenient like that, it was sketchy not gonna lie! But I made it, even with my knee and a bum toe. Did I mention my old foot injury, the one I had surgery on, decided to start acting up again? I've been trying to keep quiet with the complaining even though each step is painful now. Not quite sure what I'm going to do about that. Hoping a few days of light use will just ease it up a bit.

    At the top of the waterfall there was a pool that we swam in and was super refreshing after the climb! The water was cold but not overly so, and I thought I could have lounged there for quite a while. But as not the entire group did the climb we returned down to meet up with them and swim in the lower pools. The lower pools were just as nice! Just busier and not shaded by overhanging trees. But still very nice to sit in and just chill for a bit. There were sharp rocks in the water that we're difficult to see as people were kicking up all kinds of sand and a couple of us definitely have some scrapes to show for our efforts. Also, there were fish in these pools that would suck your dead skin if you sat still long enough! Was kinda cool haha. Wish we could have stayed longer just so that they'd give me a free pedicure ;)

    But we had to move on and make it back in time to go visit the temple at sunset time!    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Temple at Mount Phousi & Night Market

    March 7, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    When we got back from the waterfalls we had a short amount of time to eat and get dressed in our "temple attire" We hiked up a small mountain in the city centre to a Buddhist temple to watch the sun set. I was more interested in the temple itself than the sun setting although it was pretty. I learned that there's a different action for each day of the week in Buddhism. There were gold plated statues of the different actions lining the stairs on the way to the top of the temple. The temple itself was pretty small but we'll taken care of and clearly well loved. Lots of people were praying and giving offerings while the tourists mingled..

    A group of us decided not to bother fully watching the sun go down, we caught a glimpse and that was good enough for us! I personally didn't feel like waiting an hour smashed in between a bunch of other people, not my idea of fun. I saw the temple though and that was what I wanted!

    We walked down the opposite side of the temple that we came up and we're placed smack dab in the centre of the night market. The night market is huge! I wasn't really looking for anything in particular so we just kind of wandered looking around. I do really want to get a sarong but I didn't see many here, guess it's not really a beach town. Maybe in Thailand! I did buy a few small small gifts that I thought some folks would enjoy, actually there were so many things I'd love to have if only I didn't have to lug them around with me :p

    My favourite part of the night market was the little alley packed with food vendors! I know I've written a few times that I've had my best meal yet, but I think I really mean it this time with the grilled chicken skewer and coconut pancakes I ate tonight <3 So delicious!! I wish that we hadn't filled up on mediocre food before climbing the temple so that I could have just eating a ton of food there. Oh well, there's always tomorrow! Seriously thought, that chicken...

    After the night market I forced myself to stay up until 9 pm before hopping in the shower and falling promptly asleep.    Read more

  • Kirsti MathiasenAsia-Pacific 2017Kirsti Mathiasen

    Relaxing Poolside

    March 8, 2017 in Laos ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    After a glorious 11 hour sleep, I met up with the group at the Aussie bar down the road for brunch, had a beer and pizza, and took off for a much needed day of R&R Poolside.

    The pool was at a resort nearby and had 360 views of the city. It was glorious. I don't really have anything to say about it other than I read my book, had a few cocktails delivered by very attentive staff, swam at my leisure, talked when I felt like it, and just had a great afternoon.

    When we got back to the hotel from the pool a few of us continued the day of self indulgence by getting massages! It was an hour long Lao style massage using coconut oil and it was glorious. I almost fell asleep a few times and only didn't because she said to turn over or sit up just at the right moments.

    After our massages we walked back to the night market to eat at the same little alleyway we stopped by last night. We had a "buffet" where we just filled our plates high with food a single time for about $2.50 CAD. A great idea in theory, but I wasn't all that hungry and was kind of grumpy because I just had juice spilled all over me - my own fault really, I hit my head on a ledge and it just fell all over Kayla and I UGH - so I really didn't enjoy it all that much. I regret not getting another chicken skewer that probably would have improved my mood but I just wanted to get the heck out of the oppressing crowd at that point.

    So we did, and I exchanged my leftover kip for Thai baht, bought some fruit and a muffin for breakfast tomorrow, hit a pharmacy, and went back to the room. Jess and I packed up our bags and then joined the rest of the group at Utopia. They were there playing a volleyball game. I watched for a bit and had a beer before ditching the rest of them for bed. I want to get up early tomorrow to watch the monks receive alms!    Read more

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