Ravenous bloodsucking leeches of Borneo

Before getting to the leeches, we enjoyed a few days of world class diving at and around Sipidan.

Getting there involved about 90 minutes of discouraging driving: Instead of thick jungle terrain, there was mile after mile of palm tree plantations (for palm oil). Uniform rows of palm trees extended as far as the eye could see in every direction - like a terrible infection spreading across the land. Later, on the bus ride away from Sipidan, the blight continued for hours more in the other direction. No wildlife here! And sad to think that the need for alternative energy that I strongly support could inadvertently drive the spread of palm plantations for "bio" fuel production - a very bad solution from this perspective. But on to Sipidan...

The diving was great! We saw dozens of sea turtles: The green turtles let you scratch their back; the hawksbill do not. There were giant "bait balls" of Jacks and of Barracuda. These are swirling masses of a thousand fish swimming together in a giant ball shape - so dense it is dark. As you approach, the giant ball envelops and surrounds - very cool! (see it in motion here)

But perhaps the best sighting in Sipidan was of a whale shark. These gentle giants grow to 40 feet long (size of a bus), but this one was just a twelve foot long baby. It is a filter-feeder, so there is no danger. We are still hoping to see an adult someday, but whale sharks are elusive.

Next, a jungle boat excursion on the Kinabatangan river provided the chance to see lots more Proboscis monkeys and macaques. But the highlight was finding a courting pair of wild orangutans perched high in a tree beside the river. Seeing an orangutan in the wild is quite rare, so we were very happy to get to see them - it was one of the reasons we included Borneo on our trip.

Watching the different primates was fascinating. Orangutans high in a tree will use their body weight to rock it back and forth until they can reach the tip of a neighboring branch. The branch is then reeled in to bring a stronger limb (or the trunk) close enough to climb across. The Proboscis monkeys also rock back and forth, but when they feel close enough, they leap across for the neighboring tree. But the Macaques are crazy jumpers! They seem not to care at all about their destination - they just jump as far as they can and grab a handful of whatever they find when they get there. They were all like superheroes up in the trees: Turns out that an Orangutan is 3-6 times stronger than a man.

We also did a few hikes along the river through the deep jungle mud. We had hoped to see wild Pygmy elephants (or a very rare Sumatran rhinoceros), but instead we were besieged by leeches. I've never encountered leeches before, and I had no idea what we were in for. These critters are much bigger, faster moving, and craftier than I had imagined. They drop on to you from their perch underneath a leaf as you brush by. Then they relentlessly stretch and wiggle their way into the seams or edges of your clothing and search for bare skin. With some sort of natural anesthesia and anticoagulant, they painlessly bite into you and start filling with blood. Sorry, there are no pictures of the leeches, as they were always too urgently dispatched. I lost a few milliliters of blood to these foul creatures on my ankle and toe, and then proceeded to bleed slowly into my socks for hours afterward.

Every hike ended with a "leech check," where we inspected each other clothed and then naked for unwanted hitchhikers. We missed two of them one night until we reached our room and promptly flushed them down the toilet. Bad idea! A minute later they came climbing up the side of the bowl. Could have been really bad timing! Another flush brought the same result, so we had to take them outside.

From the jungles of Borneo, we made our way to our departure city. Our trip home has taken 52 hours: From Kota Kinabalu to San Diego (thru Manilla, Tokyo, Atlanta, and LA). While quite arduous, the long trip back did give us a chance to slowly re-adjust to civilization as we know it.

Settling in at home has been wonderful - we live in a truly delightful place, and there is so much to appreciate. We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take this trip. Enriched by experiences I had never imagined, I hope to carry a new appreciation for keeping life simple and for the freedoms and prosperity of our democracy. Thanks for following along with us.

P.S. Upon our arrival in Los Angeles, the pilot announced that we were carrying a fallen soldier home from Iraq. Everyone remained seated as the soldier accompanying him departed the plane first, and it was a tear-jerking moment to see the rows of uniformed men and women standing in formation on the tarmac below. It is the closest I've been to the terrible sacrifices being made (profoundly sadder for the ignorant policies that caused it).

P.P.S. Here are some final figures to summarize the trip: 7 countries, 74 days, 21 flights (24,870 miles), 6 buses (1,364 miles), and 0 days of food poisoning.

P.P.P.S. The final slide show of our best Borneo photos is here.

Finally, wildlife ...in Borneo

We wouldn't really be able to use the folding bicycles much in the jungle terrain of Borneo, and the extra weight and bulk would cost us a bit of freedom. So, during a stopover on our way to Borneo, the friendly policeman with a machine gun pointed us to the post office -about a mile walk outside the airport. We took the opportunity to mail our bike suitcases home. It was wonderful to have the bikes with us until now, and it was a bit sad to see them go.

One of our main objectives in Borneo was to see the Orangutans. And so we were very pleased that our first stop was the Semengoh Orangutan Preserve, where we saw half a dozen orangutans coming out of the forest: first hearing something distant high in the trees, then after a minute seeing some closer branches swinging, and finally watching the Orangutan as he made his way from tree to tree towards the platform with food (the forest there does not contain sufficient fruit to support the population without some supplementation). Before arriving, I was worried it might feel a bit like a zoo because of the feeding platform, but I was transfixed watching a juvenile climb up a vine and make his way from tree top to tree top. He would swing the trunk back and forth with his body weight until he could just reach the leaves of a neighboring tree. Then he'd reel the branch in until he had something substantial, and finally let go of the original tree. Watching this beautiful and effortless display, I was fulfilled. [video I took of the process]


Eileen's favorite day of the entire trip was nearby Bako National Park. Walking along a path in the jungle you can sometimes focus on the ground too much - where you put each step. When I looked up one time, I found myself face to face with a large Proboscis Monkey at eye level sitting on a branch just 6 feet away. I nearly walked right by him, and he was watching me calmly to see what I would do. He was the most bizarre creature I have even seen, yet somehow almost human too. I would have been only mildly surprised if he said "oh, hello there."


Both the Proboscis Monkeys and the Silver Leaf Langurs we saw next would have been right at home in a Dr. Seuss story: Absurdly long-nosed or pointy-headed characters. We watched a troop of about twenty Silver Leaf's making their way thru the jungle. At a break in the canopy they had to drop to the ground to cross: Some bold, and some timid (dragged along by the mother's hand - very human).


The third kind of primate we saw that day was the long-tailed Macaque - called "Naughty" Macaques locally. One tried to steal the water bottle from the backpack I had momentarily set on the ground. When I ran to shoo him away, he didn't back down surprisingly. The size of a small dog, he came after me with some aggression. I put up the sole of my boot in a kicking motion to back him off, but he simply hissed at me and bared his teeth ...and then came at me again. It was a bit scary because of the disease his bite might carry (e.g., Rabies). It was a battle of wills, and I had to get more aggressive with the little guy to back him off finally.

Bako also contained the most wild jungle - just what we'd expected from Borneo: giant trees, hanging vines, tree ferns, spiky palms, exposed roots, mud, and giant boulders. In addition to all the primates, we also spotted a deadly green tree pit viper and a wild boar.

Accessible only by plane or boat, we traveled next to Gunung Mulu, the largest cave system in the world. It contains the largest single chamber and largest passage, which is big enough to fly a 747 through. You may have seen parts of it in the "Caves" episode of "Planet Earth." We were in awe as thin streams of water came down in apparent slow motion from the roof hundreds of feet above.

After proving our agility in an intermediate cave (with snakes and spiders), they took us to the "Clearwater Connection," a 5 km long trek underground that includes a section of the longest underground river in the world. Most of the journey was walking, but there were roped sections to be climbed or descended and three small "squeezes." One of the squeezes was so narrow my chest would not fit through ...until I exhaled completely and forced myself between the rock walls (a tense moment). Another squeeze took the form of a chimney whose vertical walls were only twelve to eighteen inches apart - we entered from the side, about 20 feet above the exit hole at the bottom. It was too narrow to "fall," but also too narrow to bend your arms or knees to find the next hold. Reaching the underground river was the highlight for me. It's pristine waters provided a chance to rinse off all the cave muck (guano) and to cool down (caves here are hot and very humid inside).


Our next destination in Borneo is Sipidan, another top ten SCUBA spot!

Stunning but sorrowful Cambodia

We stopped in Cambodia for one thing: the extensive ruins of Angkor Wat. It was built by 300,000 people over 37 years - that's almost 12 million man-years (for comparison the pyramids at Giza took only half a million man years)! It is the largest religious monument in the world (the outer wall is 2.2 miles on each side). And Angkor Wat is just one of hundreds of ruins in the surrounding area. They were built almost 1000 years ago, when the local population was one million - at a time when London was just fifty thousand).

We also visited Bayon, famous for the four giant faces atop each of 54 towers. It had many levels and interior rooms - easy to get a bit disoriented. But our favorite was the "Jungle Temple," Ta Prohm. Left un-restored, it has giant trees growing all over and within. You may have seen it in the movie "Tomb Raider." It was otherworldly - immense mature trees growing right out of the temple itself: gnarled roots twisting through rock walls.

Each of the temples was built by a king during his reign. Some were Buddhist, and some were Hindu. Unfortunately one of the Hindu kings ordered the (accessible) images of Buddha in the other temples destroyed. Damned religious intolerance. Curiously, the Buddhists that came later did not deface the Hindu symbols.

Cambodia was very hot and humid, so we did our bike rides in the morning before it got too hot. One morning we woke up before dawn and rode about four miles in the dark to arrive at Angkor Wat before sunrise. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were not alone. Several hundred other people crowded the prime viewing locations, but thankfully we were able to tune them out with some choice music on our iPods. Once the sun was up, we rode on to see other ruins, encountering a troop of playful macaques on the way.

Cambodia is a terribly tragic place. Eileen and I watched "The Killing Fields" on our laptop one night, and it was a sobering reminder of the brutal rule of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. One quarter of the adult population was killed - over one million people, mostly focused on the educated class. And it was not that long ago - peace only began in 1993. One of our guides told us he had difficulty learning as a child. The military would sometimes shoot at the schools, and the kids would all run home. We didn't see many middle-aged people. And because of the widespread deployment of land-mines during the struggles, we encountered a sad number of amputees.

When we asked our guide about the current government, he said it was a Democracy. Probing a little deeper revealed that there was only one party, without opposition. And after cautiously looking around a bit to see who was nearby, he told us that free speech was not possible. We've encountered this non sequitur quite a few times in the countries of Southeast Asia: "Democracy" without free-speech.

Outside the ruins was the town of Siem Reap, where some very high-end hotels and lot's of good restaurants catered to the large tourist population. We enjoyed the good food, but stayed in a more modest hotel that was perfectly adequate. The local taxi's were appropriately called "moto-trailers:" A seating platform on two wheels attached to the rear of the motorbike's seat. It was a heavy load for a small 100cc motorbike, but it was the braking that was most problematic - often skidding the motorbike's only braking wheel to slow the full weight of the trailer and passengers.

Our next and last visit is to Borneo, where we hope to see more wildlife, especially the Orangutan.

Central and Southern Vietnam

First the 12 hour sleeper bus to Hue: What is a sleeper bus, you might ask. In place of conventional seats, there are interlocking reclined torture pads: your feet go into a small wedge shaped compartment that forms the back of the person in front of you. My feet are not wedge shaped. And my body is much, much longer than the average Asian body. Thus I had to sleep forceably pigeon-toed (and I didn't walk normally for the next two days). Eileen and I were on upper "bunks" but unfortunately not next to each other - I had an aisle spot, but Eileen was sandwiched into a spot with five across, sleeping just inches from strangers.

Upon our arrival in Hue, someone from our hotel met us at the bus station and put us in a taxi to the hotel - he was driving a motorbike himself so was only there to guide us in safely. In fact, the hotel staff were falling all over themselves to be helpful at every opportunity. They enjoyed seeing (and test-riding) our folding bikes and brought them in for safety each night. The staff was always joking with us, and at times it was very funny (just my kind of irreverent humor). I've heard that humor doesn't always translate across cultures well, but I have to say the Vietnamese people are hysterical.

They are also very passionate - speaking with great intensity or animation in their voices. For example, we had a silk sleeping liner made and the seamstress raised her voice quite a bit while explaining to us how the maximum length was dictated by the fabric somehow. It seemed like she was angry, but I don't think she was - she only wanted to do the best job she could for us. She was very helpful and accomodating to make it extra long for my height.

We enjoyed a few days in Hue, riding our bikes to the local temples and other historic sites. Hue was the capital for awhile, and there is a massive imperial city enclosed within a moat and several walls. We learned all about the emperors' strange way of life. They had hundreds of wives and only eunichs could be trusted in the inner compound (no other men permitted).

Back in Thailand, as we were riding an elephant, I thought "King of the Jungle." Then one day at the zoo looking at the massive adult tigers, I thought the same thing. So who is the real king of the jungle, I wondered: the elephant or the tiger? Well in Hue, I found the answer: Apparently one of the emperors there built an arena for the two to fight. Disgusting, right? Would they even fight each other? Turns out there is a consistent winner - which do you think? Turns out, it was the elephant somehow.

Our next stop was Hoi An, by far the most pleasant town we visited in Vietnam. The rest of Vietnam seemed to be composed in a Lego assembly of identical concrete homes (tall and very narrow unpainted cement - very communist looking). But Hoi An was a very old trading town on the river, and it has retained it's character. It has adapted to tourism and has many great restauraunts. At night, they light up the streets with oriental silk lamps and open the streets to just foot traffic - beautiful.

The streets are lined with silk shops and tailors, and we had custom clothes made. As little as $15 for a silk dress for Eileen or a shirt for me. The area is famous for this, and some people bring photos of designer or wedding dresses and get them custom made for a tiny fraction of the cost back home. Again, it was great fun to interact with the Vietnamese people - they always wanted us to be happy.

The food here was so good, we decided to take a cooking class. We spent half a day preparing AND EATING five or six dishes, each at our own workstation. It was wonderful - so many yummy spices and unique flavors. We have all the recipies and can't wait to make it for everyone when we get home.

We took the bikes with us in a taxi to the ancient My Son ruins about 30 miles away. They were Hindu temples very well built from brick without mortar so they were well preserved for the 1000 years since their construction. Sadly, we learned that the few structures we were looking at were all that remained of dozens more that were bombed by the Americans in the war. I don't know the details, but it was another discouraging reminder about the profound losses of war.

During the bike ride back from the ruins, we saw someone carrying a full sized refrigerator with him on the seat of his motorbike - quite a balancing task, not to mention the wide profile he presented driving down the street. But I still think the live cow was the greater feat.

Our last stop was a brief stay in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City. Every bit as crazy as Hanoi, we only stayed for the opportuntity to visit the Cu Chi tunnels. This was an area of extensive tunnels and underground living quarters used by the Viet Cong - the guerilla resistance in south Vietnam. Unbelievably, they extended all the way from Saigon to the Cambodia border (including directly beneath a US military base) - over one hundred miles! We got to go down inside the tunnels a bit (very claustrophobic), and see some of their military strategies like bamboo spiked pits and land mines (made from the gunpowder of US bombs that failed to detonate on impact). And we watched a documentary film there that glorified their struggle against the Americans, "a crazy bunch of devils that bombed civilians and killed women and children." It was very interesting at one point when a (brave) Dutch person in the audience asked our host why he kept refering to their fight with the Americans - weren't the South Vietnamese involved as well? "Yes," the host conceded and from that point on he aways mentioned the Americans and South Vietnamese together.

Vietnam was great. I was worried for a few days when we in Hanoi at the start, but our visit turned out beautifully. So many great things to see and do here. Here is a link to a slideshow of our best photos (press F11 for fullscreen). Next stop: Cambodia.

Natural Beauty of Northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam has similar limestone rock formations to Phang Nga Bay we visited in Thailand, but at a far greater density and abundance. We spent two nights on the water among them in Halong Bay. Tall humps of white limestone and vegetation surround you in every direction. We visited floating villages of subsistence fisherman, and kayaked around the maze of giant monolithic rocks. We even paddled a hundred meters into a tight sea cave that turned several bends in complete darkness to reveal a serene lagoon isolated INSIDE the rock island. The way in was quite an adventure as my flashlight was one of only two among the seven of us and the path was wide enough for only one kayak at a time!

We spent more time around this same odd and beautiful landscape inland at Tam Coc. Here, the local women paddle tourists in small boats up a flat-water river surrounded by the tall rock formations and through three caves. Wherever the land is flat, it is irrigated with water and planted with rice - a beautifully vivid green grass.


We also visited Cuc Phuong National Park for a hike through the jungle. The vines there are amazing! Seeds from bird droppings deposited high in a tree somehow grow on a branch in the moist air. They drop a vine all the way down to the ground and then take hold by thickening and running hundreds of vines down the "host" tree until they strangle it to death - ultimately taking it's place in the jungle (even using the original now-dead trunk for structure of it's own).

But whatever you do, don't start your Vietnam trip in Hanoi! It was a crowded noisy chaotic city that we couldn't wait to get out of. The streets are a bit surreal - like a science fiction dystopia of the future (overpopulated, oil almost gone, bladerunner-esque).

I may have mentioned that drivers in Thailand didn't pay attention to the lines on the road. Well that was perfectly civilized compared to Vietnam, where they don't pay attention to the traffic signs or even the DIRECTION of lane travel. You really have to see it to understand: imagine a very busy street at home, now replace each car with 10 motorbikes. Now imagine it is a one way street so the traffic completely fills the road, but add one motorbike travelling against traffic - he weaves around the oncoming traffic avoiding one head on collision after another. Finally, add another hundred motorbikes moving against traffic, some hugging the side, some right up the center, and some turning across the traffic to cross streets. I know this is hard to imagine - I would not have believed it if I had not seen it myself. Here is a video of one intersection (the really busy intersections were far too intense to operate a camera near)

Unbelievablly, the motorbike drivers never look when they enter the road or make turns. Eventually, I noticed that most do not have side mirrors - they don't care about anything but what is in front of them. No kidding: At a four way intersection, they slow down a bit as they approach, honk so people coming from other directions might hear them, and then drive right thru - adjusting their speed to avoid hitting the cross traffic.

While Vietnam seems to be missing the three wheeled cargo motorbikes, they certainly can carry a lot on the back seat of their standard two wheeled motorbikes: Trees (6 ft tall potted peach tree), oversized propane cylinders, and unbelievably even a full sized LIVE cow draped over the seat with his head tied down to the foot peg on one side and the tail on the other - not very comfortable for the cow (I may be understating that)! They carry the cargo balanced on the back of their seat, usually just holding on to it with one hand behind their back (the cow was strapped down of course).

In each country, we've have enjoyed learning just a few words of the language like hello and thank you. People always seemed appreciative of it, until Vietnam. No one here ever responded to our hello - they just seemed to ignore it. I even bought a Vietnamese phrasebook from a street vendor to no avail. Then we asked one of our guides why, and apparently the vowel sounds are subtle and there are like six different intonations for the words we are using to say hello. While it means hello when said one way, our guide told us it also means "give me a bowl of rice soup" if said differently. For some reason, we cannot really hear the difference when our guide says it each way. So we've stopped trying to speak Vietnamese.

During our brief stay in Hanoi, we visited the prison where POWs were kept ("Hanoi Hilton"). Today, it is a museum where they describe the horrible treatment the Vietnamese people received from the French colonists. They also mention that they were forced to hold American bomber pilots there, but they document with photos what great treatment they received - playing basketball, smoking cigarettes, preparing a group Christmas dinner. The obvious propaganda of it all was a bit sickening truth be told. John McCain crashed in one of the many lakes in downtown Hanoi, and it was only about a block from the prison - they have signs about him there.

As if we haven't learned our lessons on the bus in Thailand, the journey south is on a "sleeper" bus - 12 hours overnight to Hue...

Friendly Laos

Leaving Thailand, we debated making a stop in Laos. While we were worried that it might be more of the same, many folks told us it was a highlight of the region so we decided to risk it. Our turbo-prop landed in the remote town of Luang Prabang, Laos. It was definitly the most beautiful city we'd seen so far: French colonial buildings with an old world feel with lots of fine stained wood and very clean streets. The local people are always smiling, and often laughing - a genuinely happy place. And perhaps because tourism is so new in the area, folks were unusually friendly. For example, our host at the hotel said he wanted to treat us as family guests, and shortly later offered us his cell phone to use for the day.

There were no 7/11s in Luang Prabang - or any other familiar franchise. Just a simple city still somewhat untouched by western influences. That's not entirely true because there are a lot of tour operators in town that cater to tourists - mostly Australian, German, French, but almost no Americans. And it was bizarre to see western style marketing emerging: man on the street handing out fliers heralding 2 for 1 drinks at the nearby restaraunt/bar.

Laos is a Communist country, but the only obvious difference we could sense as brief visitors was the curfew - everyone had to be inside at midnight. I wanted to go outside and see if the streets were really empty, but didn't. It is a very poor country, and they said the average wage was about $1 per day. Folks in town drive motorbikes so they are earning more than that. But if an hour-long skilled massage at the "spa" costs $5, the staff can only be earning a couple of dollars an hour - maybe a few thousand per year.

We enjoyed kayaking down the famous Mekong river, a scenic trip that included another elephant ride along the river at the lunch stop. This time we felt a strange sensation emanating from our elephant - I wonder if elephants can purr? It was like he was vibrating us with an inaudibly deep tone. This was our first female elephant, and they are gentle enough that you can pet them, unlike the males which you do not get near (unless you are on top!).

Another day we visited the Kouang Si waterfall, a surreal multi-terraced waterfall cascading emerald green water inside the dense jungle environment (each adjective totally necessary). Then we biked 20 miles through the countryside back to town. On the way, we'd hear little kids excitedly shouting "Sabadie!" (hello) to us from their windows as we biked by. One boy walking on the street even put out his hand to slap me five as we rode by. Did I mention they were enthusiastically friendly?

For the complete best-of photos (eleven), click here (F11 for full screen). Next stop: Hanoi, Vietnam.

Tigers and more...

Our last stop in Thailand was Chiang Mai. It is a reasonably large city surrounding an inner "old city" of one square mile which is encircled by a moat and remnants of an old wall. Getting around was easy - either walking or by the ever-present "tuk tuk." And while the traffic was haphazard and relentless (no chance to cross ever), we did get out the bikes for a few days of riding. One day we took them in a taxi up into the mountains outside town to the Doi Suthep temple to enjoy the mostly downhill (brake melting) bike ride back.

On the way back to town, we passed the public zoo and thought it might be interesting to see inside. While not up to the high San Diego standards, it was quite nice, and most of the animals had spacious enclosures. There were a few differences however: In many places, it was possible to pay a small fee to feed the animals. I took advantage of this opportunity to feed a jaguar. There were two in the large enclosure, and when they saw me talking to the guy who sells the meat on a stick, they made their way right over. Once I picked up the stick, they got fierce with each other growling and swatting to jockey for position. Not wanting them to fight, I quickly shoved the pound of droopy raw meat at the smaller one, who grabbed it and carried it off to eat. The other difference was just how active the animals were - for some reason they all seemed to be moving about unlike American zoos where they just lie around, sometimes hidden from view.

Another day we rode around the Mae Sa valley, where there is a great concentration of interesting "attractions" along the rural road: Tiger sanctuary, snake wrangling, orchid and butterfly farms, monkey "shows," and even the Four Seasons Resort, complete with beautifully landscaped (but artificial) rice field terraces. Our first stop was "Tiger Kingdom." This breeding facility actually lets you get inside the enclosure with the tigers. We had twenty minutes inside with four 3-month olds, where we pet, played with, and snuggled actual tigers - I won't forget that soon. Here's a few seconds of video we took. Eileen and I are both allergic to cats, but it was only as we exited the enclosure that we realized we were sniffling and sneezing - allergic to tigers too!

From there, we biked about a mile down the road to find a monkey show, where we got to see how working monkeys have been trained to retrieve coconuts from high in the palm trees. We also got to see other tricks like riding a tricycle and shooting a basketball (a surprisingly good free throw). It was here that we debated the possibility of animal exploitation - where is the line between educational zoo and freak show? I suppose it might have to do with how the animals are treated and where they come from. We were a bit uncomfortable with the monkey show and wouldn't recommend it for that reason.

Perhaps my compassion for snakes is smaller, but I wasn't so worried about their well being: We thoroughly enjoyed watching the handlers manipulate cobras and pythons at the snake show. Signs proclaimed that they do not take responsibility for any danger, and they often let the vipers and cobras escape from the ring just a bit into the stands before grabbing their tails to pull them back - scared me enough to climb up out of my front row seat more than once!

The food in northern Thailand is not as good as the southern dishes we are familiar with in America: coconut milk and spicy curries. So we were delighted to find a good burrito restaurant in Chiang Mai run by an ex-patriot from New Orleans. And there was a 7/11 mini-mart on virtually every block. In fact, this has been a frequent sight here in Thailand - even the smallest towns have one. I had no idea how global they were - all over Singapore and Manila too. Another oddity here is that Diet Coke costs more than Coke for some reason (twice as much in some cases)?

Okay, here's the slideshow of our best photos from all of Thailand (press F11 once it loads for fullscreen view, at least in Firefox).

Immersed in Thailand

The scuba diving in the nearby Similan Islands of Thailand is frequently listed as one of the top ten sites in the world, and it did not disappoint. We spent two days living on the dive boat, and saw a few things we'd never seen before, like a sea snake and the beautiful lion fish (poisonous). The water was very clear, and at times there so many small fish swimming in giant schools all around us that it felt like it was snowing fish! Living on the boat also gave us the opportunity to do our first night dive: dive lamps illuminating a path through the darkness in front off us like extra-terrestrial spaceships on patrol. Among lots of sleeping fish, we saw a really cool octopus and noticed that the fan corals seem to really open up at night.

After splurging on the dive trip, we decided to "go local" and use the bus to get to our next destination in northern Thailand. It took two different buses and two different taxis to get to Chiang Dao twenty four hours later. I must admit this was a low point of the trip for me personally, which I will describe in a comment below in case anyone is interested. But we shook that off quickly, and we've been having a wonderful time seeing and doing interesting things in Northern Thailand. Temples are everywhere here, and we've enjoyed their beauty and the ubiquitous tall staircases which seem designed to encourage contemplation during the long ascent.

We spent one afternoon walking through the cave system that the town is named after. A small portion of the cave has been wired with electricity for lights, but to go deeper requires a local guide with an gas lamp. Our guide spoke only a few words of English - they were: "watch your head" and "be careful, slippely." (sic) Another day, we rode an elephant up to visit one of the "hill tribes." This time our elephant was a bit more "reluctant" at times. It can be quite scary sitting 12 feet up in the air on the back of an unhappy beast - I began to wonder at what point we should be concerned about his grunting at the handler and his willful deviation from the trail. Would he buck us off to fall on the rocks below or roll over to crush us? Either way, there wasn't much we could do about it. In fact, the worst that happened was he pointed his mucusy trunk back up at us all (the handler was riding on top too), and to show his displeasure, blew - like a giant disgusting sneeze.

Later, we went floating down the river on a bamboo raft, which was interesting in part because we got to see the gravel mining operation: about 10 guys standing in waist deep water next to open boats a bit larger than canoes. They crouch down under the water to scrape their bucket through the gravel bottom to scoop it up and deposit it in their boat. When the boat is so heavy with gravel that the lip of the boat is just one inch above waterline, they walk the boat upstream to waiting trucks, where it is shoveled out and taken away, presumably to make roads or cement or something.

Along the way, we've discovered some more strange little differences in the world here. For example, napkins are always scarce for some reason. If a restaurant offers them at all, they are actually thin sheets of tissue paper - far too fragile to keep my grubby fingers clean when eating. Similarly, toilet paper is also unavailable in many public restrooms. But there's always a water hose sprayer attached to the wall next to a toilet - some sort of hand bidet I have been too timid to try.

That's all for now. Next time I'll tell you how we discovered we are allergic to tigers!

Exotic Thailand

Before we get to all the unusual and exciting details of Thailand, we first had to overnight in both Manila and Singapore. There are no direct (or simple) routes from Palau to Thailand, so our first leg left us in Manila for the one night. What we saw briefly was a dirty overcrowded city. And you cannot imagine what I mean by overcrowded unless you've witnessed it yourself. There is nothing like it I have ever seen in the states (or our other world travels so far). Basically every inch along the street is occupied somehow – by people, bikes, carts, or possessions. In fact, much of it seems to spill into the street and the cars squeeze thru. And strangely, the lines on the street are completely ignored - often just driving down the road straddling the line. Here's a quiz for you: how many people can ride on a motorcycle? Now add a sidecar to it? I was amazed to see SEVEN people on one small 100cc motor bike. The driver, and two people on the seat behind him (sitting side-saddle), and then four people in the sidecar - two facing forward and two facing back! Then at night, these "motor-bike taxi" drivers appear to sleep for the night laying down horizontally on the normal sized bike seat.

The next morning our journey continued through Singapore, and we decided to see the city for a couple of days while we were there before continuing to Thailand. Quite coincidentally, my Mom was actually in Singapore herself - for a cruise with friends that left the day after we arrive. So we got to meet up with her for a few hours to see all the things she enjoyed most in the few days prior. It was great to connect with friends and family halfway around the world from home. Singapore seems like a really great city - extremely clean, free flowing traffic, and reportedly very very safe – kind of a utopia, at least from the outside looking in briefly. And lot's of good multi-cultural cuisine: We enjoyed the "hawker's markets," where dozens of food stands offer everything from dim sum to stir fry to pig organ soup (which we did not sample). Our walking tour of the city also included many extraordinary buildings - very interesting architecture seems to be the norm. Trekking around the streets of Singapore for suitcase wheels (melted towing the case behind the bike in Palau) we found that some things are amazingly cheap ( $1.40 for silk pillowcases), and some things are outrageously expensive ($400 for a replacement Samsonite suitcase that cost me just $100 on the Internet back at home).

Eventually, we reach Thailand, and it is a bit more difficult so far. I am sure it will get easier, but I thought I'd write my initial thoughts before we accommodate to the new environment. First of all, almost nothing is written in English (or even with recognizable letters for that matter). And very few people speak English, so getting help isn't easy either. That's not to say it isn't worth it. We had a wonderful Thai dinner this evening (Pad Thai and a yellow curry) for less than $8 including drinks. Our hotel room was $18. And after struggling with a pay phone for 20 minutes trying to figure out why our local calls wouldn't go through, we just purchased a SIM card for our existing cell phone for $1.50 and loaded it with 100 minutes for another $3! Later we would enjoy hour-long Thai massages for $8 - I think I'll do that every day it is available at that price!

Our first day here was an excursion out into the beautiful Phang Na Bay on a local “long-tail" boat. The entire bay is filled with islands: If the Rock islands of Palau were shaped like giant mushrooms, these islands are like tall gumdrops. They are scattered randomly around the bay, and rise straight up to one thousand feet high above the water, with vertical limestone walls. Everywhere there were natural arches and sea caves, with impossibly contorted stalactites hanging down.

We were surprised to learn that the kayaking portion of our day trip would be powered by a local... in the kayak with us. So instead of getting some exercise, we had a “ride” around some of the sea caves – while listening to our paddler proudly repeating the phrase “Barak Obama, Barack Obama” - perhaps the only English he knew. Speaking of Obama, most all the locals we meet (Palau, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand) mention him with great enthusiasm. The world seems very optimistic about a new posture of diplomacy and cooperation from the United States. We got to watch the inauguration speech on a stuttering video stream by the pool here in Khao Lak, Thailand. Inspirational, as always.

In case you have this romantic image of folks in Asia all riding around on bicycles, let me tell you that progress has arrived - and they all ride motor-scooters. Everyone. Young school girls, old ladies, even parents taking their children somewhere. They far outnumber automobiles (>10:1), and the only bicycles we've seen were tourists (almost). Some of the scooters have sidecars – some have sidecars with charcoal grills and ice chests built in to serve as a food service cart.

Walking back from dinner one night in the beach town of Khao Lak, there appeared a line of lights burning bright orange high in the sky above us. They obviously weren't planes or helicopters, but what else could they be? Was this the beginning of a massive UFO invasion? Or a battery of military rockets being launched? After a few puzzled minutes (with just a hint of apocalyptic uneasiness), a local told us they were rice paper lanterns lifted by the hot air of onboard wax candles – to carry people's wishes aloft - very beautiful once you understand it.

90 butt-numbing minutes on a rental moped ($8 for the day) took us to Khao Sok National Park. There we met “Too-Too,” the elephant who would carry us on a jungle walk. It was remarkable how large and powerful he was, carrying us through the jungle, up and down meter-high ledges in a very rough "trail" that no 4wd or horse could ever navigate. Riding the elephant is odd: First, there's the sensation of your bare feat are on his leathery skin with coarse hair, and you find yourself rocked back and forth quite a bit with each step he takes, and finally, when you sit on his neck (a truly special privilege), you find his head is oddly spongy. All very cool! There is a tight bond between the elephant and his handler, who carries only a long sharp stick (which we never saw him use). After years of "relationship-building," the handler can encourage the elephant to do what he wants, and rewards him with food and by washing him.

Next up, scuba diving from a live-aboard off the Similan islands...

Palau - Week 2

During the second week in Palau, we did another four dives, and saw more turtles, sharks, giant clams, corals, and this amazing pair of Mantas (click here to see them fly right over my head). In case you are wondering about these pictures, we received a waterproof housing for Eileen's camera from Amazon the day before leaving on the trip, so we're still learning how to use it under water (movies and stills).

After a couple of dives one day, we got to stop at the famous Jellyfish Lake. Apparently, changes to sea level trapped jellyfish in this marine lake and without predators for generations and generations, they lost the ability to sting. So we splash in with our snorkel and mask and kick out in to the lake, passing an occasional jellyfish pulsing along. Then, in perhaps the most surreal experience of my life, we are floating among jellyfish so dense I can't see Eileen if she is more than a few feet away. The official count is over 20 million jellyfish, and it felt like we brushed up against thousands of them – very smooth, soft, and gelatinous (obviously).

We also spent a few days kayaking around the “Rock Islands” (the name for the 300 tiny islands of Palau). Their entire perimeter at the water is an overhang – like a giant mushroom rising out of the ocean. The kayaking here is great – weaving around the inlets and islands. And excellent snorkeling is everywhere – just slip overboard into the water at almost any time. Some of the most amazing corals were present in the sheltered shallows rather than the deep scuba diving sites.

Aside from the glorious sites, there are the unique experiences of international travel. Palau has been quite easy in that regard, as the US dollar is the official currency here, and just about everyone speaks English (as a second language). But some things are just a little unusual. For example, we had a breakfast of french toast and eggs, only there was no syrup and inside the french toast was peanut butter – strange. Oh, yeah, and it included a green salad – for breakfast.

And I still don't understand the bed in one of our hotels: There is no top sheet – just a comforter inside a duvet. This means the minimum you can cover yourself with is a down comforter! In the tropics!? What are they thinking? We extracted the down comforter and used the empty duvet as a top sheet. If anyone knows how this system is supposed to work, please tell us. Seems like the hotel caters to Japanese and Taiwanese customers so, perhaps it is done for them.

And finally, there's the red juice everyone is constantly spitting on the streets. The locals chew something called a Betel nut for a buzz. But the nut alone is unpalatable, so they add lime (the mineral, not the fruit!), and for an extra buzz, they break off the end of a normal cigarette and chew that with it. It is very addicting, and it seems like all the locals do it – some have completely destroyed their teeth as a result – yuck! (mercifully, no pictures).

Back at home, we struggled with the decision to bring folding bikes: Would the burden of travel with an extra bag be worth the freedom of bicycle exploration? So far, we've been enjoying them greatly. Not only because of the places they take us, but also from the wonderful feeling one gets by pedaling a bike. And wherever we go, local kids (and sometimes adults) always shout: “nice bikes!”

We spent one afternoon pedaling around the island of Peleliu. It was the sight of a bloody battle between the Americans and Japanese during WWII. The bikes allowed us to circumnavigate the island (14 miles) and see all the rusting tanks, crumbling military buildings and war memorials scattered around.

It is hard to imagine this is still just the very beginning of our trip. Already it feels like quite a fulfilling vacation. The biggest challenges undoubtedly lay ahead – with language, currency, food, water, transportation, etc. It is not the same as living in the van (12 weeks to Alaska), where we always had our home with us. Now we need to find a clean inexpensive place to stay each night. And we can't drink the water (or ice, so no pina coladas – damn). Next stop, Singapore for a few days, then on to Thailand.

Here is a slideshow of some of our best shots in Palau.

Palau - Week 1

Hello again. With great expectations, Eileen and I are off on what we hope will be an epic journey. This time, we plan to spend 11 weeks traveling around Southeast Asia. We'll start in Palau, then on to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and finally the island of Borneo. While we won't have the camper van with us this time, we will have our bicycles – hopefully they will give us great freedom to explore new places.

Given the 7 hour time difference, we started “time-shifting” before our departure. We went to bed 30 minutes later each night for the 10 days prior, making for some strange hours the last few days: up at noon and to bed at 4am, for example. The day of our flight (New Year's Day), we left the house to drive to LAX at 3:30am. Forty hours later, we arrived in the island nation of Palau (via Honolulu and a 20 hr layover in Guam).

A bounty of frequent flier miles left over from my business travel days allowed us to enjoy 1^st class service. International first class is amazing! Succulent cut fruit, freshly baked cookies, attentive service, and above all room to straighten your legs and actually recline the seat! The leg to Hawaii wasn't like that though, and the flight attendant admitted it is because it is not a money maker since most of the travelers there are using frequent flier miles.

The first thing we noticed in Palau was the overwhelming humidity. The temperatures were mid 80s, but our skin was constantly slick with sweat. I have never been so hot in all my life. I think I lose about 20 IQ points in this condition – I can't entirely think straight. Maybe we'll acclimate eventually.

But when there is a breeze or you are in the shade, it is truly paradise here. I didn't know there were so many shades of color between blue and green. From deep dark blue to shockingly brilliant turquoise (we haven't been able to catch it in photos yet, but we'll keep try trying). And the water is so clear and inviting – it is always calling you to get in. And get in again and again until your fingers are wrinkled like prunes.

So far, we've done six amazing scuba dives. I'd forgotten how great it can be under the right conditions. Starting with the wonderful feeling rolling backwards off the boat into the weightlessness of the water after suiting up in all the heavy scuba equipment. The water feels just like body temperature (it is 85 degrees). So far, we've seen a tremendous amount of sea life: sharks, turtles, fan corals, clown fish in their home anemone, and other colorful fish too numerous to mention.

At the famous “German Channel” site, we got to watch a giant manta ray fly thru the water to the “cleaning station” where cleaner fish were waiting to remove parasites (a tasty meal for them). Mantas are not just big sting rays, they are massive! Seems like they'd make a great submarine – 2 or 3 people could fit inside the body no problem.

Diving in Palau is described as challenging – not a beginner site because of the strong currents. We carry a “reef hook” with us so we can “attach” ourselves to the bottom against the strong current whenever desired. It allows you to effortlessly watch the sea life swimming by in the current. We had heard of divers' being carried away and lost in the current, so we were extra careful.

That said, after diving one day, we discovered that our guide divemaster was in the news a few years ago when he was swept away and drifted for some time (rumored to be 8 hrs to several days) before he was luckily discovered miles away in the Pacific Ocean by a passing fishing boat. Upon reflection, he did seem very very cautious about the currents on our dives – makes sense. Wish we could have asked him about it.

Internet has been harder to find than I anticipated. And when we find it, it is painfully slow. Loading a single page can take more than a minute – or never return! Turns out most of the island is running at 28 kbps – wow, who can remember dial-up speed? It simply doesn't work now that the web is optimized for high-speed access. It could get better or worse on the mainland – we'll see. Hopefully, we'll be able to keep the blog up to date in a timely fashion.