A Bumpy Start

We were both sad to leave what had become a home away from at Hillside in Patong but we were also excited to head off to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see what was in store for us. The flights went smooth except for the bounce on the landing at the Siem Reap airport. It was quickly forgotten however as the reception that we received on the tarmac was beautiful traditional dancing and music. Unfortunately, what awaited us at our next hotel was less than ideal conditions and a bit of a shock to the system after what we were used to. We were picked up from the airport in a scooter driven tuk tuk, a common site on the road here to take Barang (foreigners) around to their next destination. At the hotel we checked in and were led up to our room where a Tokay gecko greeted us at the door. It all seemed very promising till we opened the door and discovered a bathroom that looked like a workbench, wires hanging from the ceiling and an overpowering, throat burning stench of detergent and air fresheners. Also, there was a monastery next to us that played mantras and music which at first seemed exotic and pleasant but after waking up to it blaring from a loud speaker at 5am and going all day long it quickly lost it's appeal.

We were not to be deterred by our unforeseen living conditions and headed out for the next few days to wander and see what Siem Reap had to offer. We found the supermarket to get cheap snacks and drinks, pub street for a great place to eat and have a beer after a long day (or at the start of one) and meandered up the river which was a nice quiet place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We decided to head to the Angkor National Museum to get some background on Angkor before going out to the site. The museum is new, high tech and very well done with info listed in both Khmer and English. The gallery of 1,000 Buddhas was definitely our highlight of the visit.

We slept in and then went out for a late breakfast on Pub street. When sitting having a bite to eat during the day you invariably get harassed by the street kids. This meal was no different. They are far more persistent than the adult touts that we encountered in Thailand and really lay on the guilt trip heavy about paying for school or not having enough to eat. We always try to refuse them politely but that never has much of an effect. This meal however, Ryan offered one boy half of his loaf of bread which resulted in the little guy leaving us alone for an entire five minutes before starting up again.

Cambodia has really started to grow on us as we've found our footing and gotten into the groove a little. We've switched hotels and we are much happier with our room, we also now have a gorgeous pool to take a refreshing dip in! The people here are warm and friendly and really appreciate it when we use the small amount of the Khmer language that we've picked up so far. Until next post, lee hi (goodbye)!

Bamboo for Two

It never ceases to amaze me that when you start looking for something you need, it always seems more difficult to find than the day before, when it was everywhere. This is exactly what happened to us when we tried to find a tattoo tout that we had met on the beach when we first arrived. Every other day that we went to the beach we stumbled upon him again (or rather he wandered up to us on our beach chairs). Since we couldn't find "James Bond" (the tattoo tout) we decided to try to find Patong tattoo, which according to the reviews on the internet was the most reputable place for bamboo tattoos in the area. Again, we were out of luck as the streets and addresses here are remarkably confusing. We found the sign for it once, but it was no where near the actual tattoo parlor.

We ended up asking another tattoo tout that was working the beach if she knew who James was and where we could find him. It turns out that he was sick, but she and her partner would be able to take us to the same tattoo parlor that James worked for. We figured that we had tried looking around enough, lets go for it. The tout and his partner went to go get their scooters so that they could take us to the parlor which was on the other end of the beach. It was our first scooter ride in Thailand and although we were a little nervous about hoping on the back, our fears turned out to be unfounded and it was an awesome ride.

As we zoomed down the road, passing parlor after parlor (getting a tattoo seems to be a very popular thing to do while on vacation here) we pulled up to none other than Patong tattoo, the place that we had been hunting for! We met Mit and Wat, the owners and tattooists and Ryan took a look at some of their work and designs. They had the exact tattoo that Ryan had been looking for, khmer script that is used for protection. Since they had the time and Ryan had the nerve, he decided to get it done right away. Ryan was definitely nervous, it had been more than 10 years since his last tattoo and that was done with a gun. He had no idea what this experience had in store for him. The spot that he picked for his new work was the inside of his bicep which is a very tender area. Prior to getting the tattoo, Ryan watched them prepare the brand new needle and the bamboo method was a more elaborate set up than he anticipated. The tattoo turned out very well and unlike gun tattoos there was no bleeding and he would be able to go into the water after only a few hours.

After a couple days, Ryan decided that one of the other tattoo designs that he looked at while deciding on the first one caught his attention heavily because it was a design that he had seem previously to coming to Thailand but never thought he would be able to get. We decided to go back to Patong tattoo to see what we could work out with Mit and Wat. The deal was pass up and they even offered a trip to a temple to get both new tattoos blessed by a monk to receive the protection that the tattoos truly stand for. The second tattoo went as well as the first although it took about twice as long to do. This one was also in a rather awkward and ticklish spot, on the side of his torso. Once it was complete, Ryan made arrangements to come back in a couple hours to travel to the temple.

The monk that he encountered once he arrived greeted him happily and Ryan was prompted to remove his shirt to show him the tattoos that he had received. The monk, who was himself covered in similar tattoos all over his body including the ones Ryan had, invited Ryan into the temple which was covered in amazing statues and imagery. Ryan was instructed to sit, legs crossed, looking out of the temple. The monk then started lighting candles and incense and gathering items he would need. He then smothered the tattoo in rosewater, started patting the tattoo, chanting and blowing against the it after he finished different sections of the chant. Once this was done, he read through the tattoos all the while holding a lit candle. After reading through it he put out the candle by flicking the candle towards the tattoo, dowsing the flame and sending the wax towards the tattoo. This was repeated for both tattoos. It was an intense moment and the hair on the back of Ryan's neck was standing up at the end of the blessing.

Island Bouncing

The morning we went on our first tour started off suspiciously stormy and rainy which is not the type of weather that you are hoping for before hoping on a boat out into the ocean. The minibus that brought us to our departure point could only be described as a land Cessna and the other occupants of the van, mostly German, seemed to share the same apprehension. Once we got to Chalong bay to board our boat, we discovered it was a large tour group - about 57 people. The tour boat itself was a four engine, open bow speedboat which was quite reassuring considering the choppy seas.

Our guide Yousee gave us the option of taking a motion sickness pill before we got on the boat as he explained to us that normally the ride to our first destination, Phi Phi Ley, takes about 45 minutes but due to the rough conditions it was going to take us 1 hour. We arrived at Maya bay on Phi Phi Ley, the location that part of the movie "The Beach" was filmed on, after a bumpy ride that saw a few people using the barf bags that were given to us. Maya bay was gorgeous, but overcrowded. It probably would have felt far less crowded if it had not been high tide.

Next stop was Pileh cove for a little snorkeling. It was incredible and the crystal clear water was teeming with life. The experience was short as we only had 30 minutes before we got back on the boat and headed to our next sightseeing destination, Viking cave. This cave is where they harvest the swallow nests, made from their saliva, that is used in bird's nest soup. This delicacy is popular in Asia for health and vigor. Up next, Monkey beach, but at the time there was a distinct lack of beach due to the high tide. The monkeys were still happy to receive the bananas that were thrown at them while they were in the trees and hanging on the side of the cliff face.

It was a good thing that our next destination was lunch on the island of Phi Phi Don. Honestly I wasn't expecting that much because how good free lunch on a tour possibly be. Surprisingly it was a very tasty Thai lunch that had a hint of western thrown in with a spagetti and meat sauce option. We had a little time to wander the island after lunch and met a cute kitty that was very friendly and used Ryan's shadow for shade.

We then headed off for our last stop of the tour, tiny Khai island. This island was so small that you could have walked around the entire thing in 10 minutes. We sat down in a couple chairs facing the beach and relaxed for a minute before putting on our snorkels and heading into the water. It was shallow and sandy making it difficult to see more than a couple feet in front of us but there were schools of brightly colored fish that swam inches in front of our faces. After our excursion into the water we headed back to our chairs and enjoyed a yummy mai tai served in a pineapple. The weather had cleared up long ago so the boat ride back was much less bumpy. We ended the day tired but thoroughly happy with our first tour experience.

Dinner at the Poo

We have gotten into the tasty, yet cheap, habit of going to the supermarket for breakfast (and sometimes lunch or dinner too). But a couple of days ago we wandered past the Poo restaurant and we knew that we would have to eat there. It turned out to be an excellent choice as the food was great and the staff, a wonderful Thai family, were fun and welcoming hosts. We had the chicken in sweet and sour sauce, deep fried prawns and fried rice. It was so good that we ended up going back the next night for some Thai curry, barbecued prawns and more fried rice.

I have also now experienced the wonder and relaxation that is the oil massage. My lower back was hurting me a little bit from all the walking we have been doing so I figured I would treat myself and I was not disappointed. It was an hour long full body massage, it was very effective and my masseuse had very strong hands. Ryan waited outside while I was relaxing and had a very interesting conversation with an Australian and two Thai masseuses.

On Earth Day one of the local scuba shops organized a beach clean up. It is the time of year when the winds shift here so there was piles of plastic and other junk washed up all over the beach. Unfortunately, other than the scuba staff there was only three other people that showed up to help. We filled many garbage bags with every kind of garbage you could imagine, from toothbrushes and candy wrappers to pieces of rope and condoms (eww!).

On the way back to our hotel we were stopped by a Thai guy named Jarlie (nickname Jar) who had scratch tickets for us which were a promotion from a time share company. Ryan scratched his and got three stars which meant he won the "big prize". Jar was very excited because this meant that he would receive 5000 baht if we went to the presentation. We had nothing better to do for the afternoon so we decided to follow him to his office. It was well worth the trip as some amusing events occurred. We got to teach our new friend Jar the word "cool". We also got our first Tuk Tuk ride (for free) and since the presentation was at a nearby beach called Kata, we got a free tour of the island as we were taken to and from the office. On the way we saw some elephants, including a cute little baby one. The time share presentation was what you would expect, and our sales man claimed to be not only a butler for the Queen but also was previously employed by Aaron Spelling (hahaha). Needless to say we did not buy in, but I now have a new really large shirt to sleep in that has Premier Holiday Club Phuket on it. All and all it was an amusing experience and a great day.