bhkann

Kia Ora!
New York, United States
This blog will be made up of posts and ramblings from our trip to New Zealand. I will try to update throughout the next two weeks as time and wi-fi access permits. Will try to add photos too, but will probably be difficult until we return. There won't be much proofreading, so apologies for spelling mistakes or run-on sentences. Now off to the other side...
written by  bhkann on December 2, 2012 from New York, United States
from the travel blog: New Zealand, 2012

¡HOLA!
Cuzco, Peru
Hello there,
This is the first entry of the trip, though it has been a few days since we arrived here in South America. Joe and I landed in Lima, Peru late on Thursday night, pretty beat. We had taken SpiritAir, which left something to be desired. Let´s just say I had to basically sit cross-legged in order to not be constantly kicking the person´s seat in front of me. Guess that´s the price you pay for such cheap international tickets. Can´t really complain all in all. We took a taxi through some very shady parts of town to our hostel in Miraflores, one of the "upscale" neighborhoods in Lima. We checked into our hostel and got some food at a local eatery. Decided to play it safe tonight and got a grilled cheese sandwich and some corn'bread.
Plaza de Armas - Cusco
The next morning we woke up early and got a taxi back to the airport to fly to Cuzco. It´s kind of a bummer we didnt get to spend any real time in Lima. It seems like a bustling city with a bunch of things to do. But we´re on a tight time frame and Peru just has to much to offer to stick around.
We decided to fly into Cuzco (a nice 1hr flight as opposed to the 20+ hr bus ride!!), and arrived late morning. I was struck with how dry, clean, a crisp the air was, until we actually started walking around the city...where buses constantly spew unfiltered smog onto the sidewalks. Overall, Cuzco is really a pretty city.
Cuzco from Sasquaywaman
Lots of interesting colonial architecture and some great Inca ruins, which we will check out today. Yesterday, we checked into our hostel, which is great, took a quick nap, and started exploring. The elevation here is HIGH, over 3,000m, so it definitely gives you a bit of a light headed feeling when you´re walking around. I think Joe is having an easier time adjusting than I am, but hopefully after a couple days things will stabilize before our trek.
Our Hostel in Cusco
The high elevation and thin air here makes for some extreme climate changes during the day. The sun is very strong, and when in it, it feels like the temp is mid-70s to 80s. But when you step out into the shday the temp drops a good 15 degrees. At night, we´re talking Northeast winter temps that hover in 30s. Good thing I brought a winter hat (also bought some 2 dollar gloves at a market). We explored the Plaza de Armas, the center of town that has some old cathedrals and monuments (pics to be posted later).
Today we´re going to check out some big ruins on the outskirts of town and then go to an orientation for our trek tomorrow.
Sasquaywaman
We are taking a 5 day/4 night trek up the mountain, Salcantay. It is supposed to be an amazing and challenging hike. The hike then leads us to Macchu Pichu. I will be sure to post more about that later. Anyways, time to head out into town, hope all is well with everyone, and I´ll try to post some pics before we head off for our trek tonight!
Adios!
Side note: Sitting in this internet cafe I´ve confirm my suspicions that people just about all over the world people are completely obsessed with Michael Jackson, moreso than in the US. Right now I´m listening to a spanish'dubbed version of "You are not Alone," and last night at dinner, the entire time they were playing jazzed-up versions of MJ. Pretty funny. I actually haven´t heard any music hear yet that isn´t American, although after having traveled to other places around the world I´m really not that surprised. No matter what happens to the U.S. economy at least we´ll always have Lady Gaga and Jonas Brothers.
written by  bhkann on August 7, 2010 from Cuzco, Peru
from the travel blog: Peru 2010

Trekking in the Andes - Salkantay: Day 1
Mollepata, Peru
Basecamp - Day 1
Day 1:
5am - I've been up for about an hour, having had a little more than 3hrs of sleep. We take a taxi and wait to board the bus to our trek's starting point. It's eerily silent outside except for stray drunken tourists and the faint sound of a disco still going strong. We board the bus and take off. Driving up and down winding mountain roads with cliffs on either side. We pass by a few small satelite towns and I notice a soccer match going on well before dawn. It is still very dark, though from beyond the mountains you can begin to see a rim of blue light that is slowly rising. It is cold. Glad that I bought those 2 dollar mittens from the market yesterday.
There's some delay going on with the bus and the guides are arguing about a taxi or something. The sun is now starting to rise, but unfortunately our view is obstructed by the gas station we are stuck at.
We jolt forward. That's better. The scenery looks gorgeous now with a little sunlight. There are towering snow-capped mountains appearing off in the distance. Maybe that's where we're going.
10pm: Sitting in our tent now after a long day of hiking. Around 8 hours of it. We started off with a nice breakfast in a mountain town called Mollepata and then continued by truck to the start of our trail. The truck ride was crazy - we were loaded on the back of the pickup and it rocked up and down a cliff side dirt road for about 30 min. Once we almost hit a pack of donkeys, and about 10 minutes later almost hit another truck full of donkeys barreling down the same single track road. Yikes. Then we started the hike. Today was mostly a flat hike day, and we are told tomorrow is by far the toughest - basically all uphill for 9 hours! The scenery was gorgeous, we hiked alongside a mountain that overlooked a giant valley/canyon with a stream running underneath it. Off in the distance we began to see the snowcaps. It was warm and very sunny throughout the day. We stopped for lunch and had a great 3 course meal prepared by our tour's cook. Then we continued on and finally turned a corner and saw the might Salkantay in the distance.
Salkanty - Savage Mountain
Salkantay means "Savage Mountain" in the indigenous language because on the opposite side it leads down into the jungle. The Salkantay route has been used for hundreds of years as a way to transport goods from mountain town to town. It stretches about 60km (around 40miles) from end to end, the highlight of which is the ascent to Salkantay pass at around 15,000ft, which passes right by the peak of the mountain.
Happy to report that I feel completely acclimatized at this point. We finally reached basecamp #1 as the sun began to shy away and the temps dropped. We have a tent that was set up by our porters, which is pretty nice if a bit snug. We've got a happy hour in a few minutes with tea and popcorn, and then dinner a bit later. Tomorrow we start at 5am for the long ascent up to Salcantay pass.
written by  bhkann on August 8, 2010 from Mollepata, Peru
from the travel blog: Peru 2010

Enter Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand
If there's any kind of jetlag that is "good" jetlag, than this is likely it. Traveling to New Zealand, you cross the international date line and are thrust forward 12 hours in the blink of an eye. Add a few more for good measure, and you're looking at an 18 hour positive difference. When trying to think of how you stand relative to your home time, an easier equation to wrap your head around is 6 hours back, one day forward. The point is, it is now 4am (on Monday) - the perfect time for blog rambling, and more importantly, prepping for an early start to our day hikes.
We touched down in Auckland yesterday. From the moment we stepped into the Air New Zealand terminal at LAX, we were reminded that we were heading on a middle-earth adventure. Everyone knows The Lord of the Rings trilogy and upcoming Hobbit movies were filmed here. What people may not know is how intrenched those movies are in the tourism industry here, at least from outside the borders of the country. Stepping up to the ticketing booth, the floor is painted with thick green Shire-grass and Hobbit feet. On the plane, the security announcement is delivered via a video starting a cast of a fake Aragorn, Legolas, orcs, elves, hobbits, and golems, and a very real Peter Jackson (ok, enough geeking out for now). Arriving in Auckland, the walls are lined with gorgeous photo-murals of fairy tale mountains, lakes, and forests - they are all real New Zealand, but the effect is that, with some imagination, you yourself feel like a Hobbit on the cusp of adventure (strong work, New Zealand tourism industry).
The funny thing is, when you step out of the airport and into the Auckland surroundings, it looks more like a quaint American suburb than anything else. Auckland, the largest and most cosmopolitan of the cities in New Zealand is far from the postcard middle-earth-inspiring setting. It is a nice, clean city, with some interesting features. Auckland sits atop a large Volcanic field that is "active", which basically means that in last 1000 years there has been some activity, but you wouldn't know it except for the countless number of hills. Auckland also lies on an isthmus of land that is surrounded by water on most sides. The climate and look of Auckland resemble San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. It is mild in temperature, and at least on the day we arrived, overcast, rainy, and windy - they don't call it the "City of Sails" for nothing.
We arrived in the morning, having had a few hours of sleep on the plane (Vivi more than me - I was too busy watching the awesome selection of in flight TV/movies). We checked into our motel - it is on the outskirts of Auckland in a nice suburb, right next to the Eden Park Rugby Field (unfortunately no matches were being held). We strapped on our hiking boots and hit the city. We first walked to the top of Mt. Eden, one of the cities many "volcanic" peaks - I use quotes because it's not what you imagine a volcanic peak to look like - it is essentially a hill covered with grass and foliage, with a crater at the top. We stopped to get coffee along the way - coffee culture is apparently huge here and there are tons of these nice coffee shops everywhere. We then walked into the city center and to the wharf, stopping to have "Auckland's Best Fish and Chips" (according to the chalkboard outside the restaurant). We continued walking through the area of Ponsonby, a strip lined with interesting bars, restaurants, and hippie/hipster shops, and finally made it back to our motel, a round trip of around 8 miles for the day. For dinner we had Thai food - another thing we are starting to realize is that there seems to be know distinct New Zealand cuisine - which makes sense, as it is a relatively young island nation of largely European immigrants mixed with the native Maori and others.
This morning we pick up our rental car and ditch the city life for the duration this trip. Auckland seems like a nice, livable city - but that's not what you endure 10,000+ miles and 20+ hours in a plane to experience. Today we hit the road - south to the central volcanic zone of the North Island and the one of the key reasons we even included the North Island in our itinerary: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
written by  bhkann on December 2, 2012 from Auckland, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand, 2012

The Volcanic Plateau
Taupo, New Zealand
We set out from Auckland Monday morning and headed south in our rental car. Driving on the left side of the road was a bit harrowing at first, but after a couple high-stress hours of confusion and a close call or two, I got the handle of it. As we headed south the New Zealand countryside changed from average suburban, to gorgeous lush green countryside (think the Shire), to sweeping, barren mountains. The were a lot of "wow" moments and me continually pestering Vivi to take pictures out the car window.
We passed through Hamilton and reached our first destination, Taupo. Taupo rests on a massive inland lake in the Center of the North Island. It is a town that sees a lot adventure-travelers looking to skydive, bungee jump, and water-sport, but, being part of the volcanic plateau, also has its share of geothermal attractions which was our main purpose. We visited a thermal area deep into the outskirts of town called Orakei Koraki. It sits on private Maori Land and is stunning. You take a boat ride across a River to reach an area filled with hot springs, Sulphur pools, mud pits, silica terraces, and one of only two geothermal caves in the world. We felt like we were in the Lost World (minus the dinosaurs). Pictures hopefully to follow...
Orakei Koraki geothermal area
We ate lunch in Taupo and stocked up on protein bars, water, and "scroggin" (what Kiwis call trail-mix) in preparation for next day's main event: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
written by  bhkann on December 3, 2012 from Taupo, New Zealand
from the travel blog: New Zealand, 2012

Salkantay - Day 2: The Ascent
Mollepata, Peru
Last night was interesting. It became frigidly cold, even with sleeping and a full set of clothing on. To catch any more than an hour or two of consecutive sleep without waking up shivering or uncofortable was an accomplishment. I think I ended up taking a series of 5 power naps throughout the night, which would have to be sufficient.
5am wake up - to coca tea served at our tent. Very nice. We braved the cold and wind and made our way to the breakfast tent. After a nice breakfast of eggs and toast we set off for the most difficult part of our trek - the ascent to Salkantay pass. For the next 3-4hrs the hike was basically all uphill, but the scenery was still gorgeous.
Before the Ascent
Our group consists of 8 people - a group of 4 Brits and a couple from Canada - everyone in their 20s. Our guide taught us how to chew Coca leaves to help with altitude sickness and give us energy. We were hiking through a rocky valley, and on our way up we passed a lake. Finally we reached Salkantay pass - at 4700m (over 15,000ft).
From the Top
This is as far up as we'd go. Our guide said noone had ever reached the summit of Salkantay - one Japanese man had tried years ago and died. The views were breathtaking and we took some group photos.
The View from Salkantay Pass
View from Salkantay pass
Then we continued on - the next part of the treak would be all flat or downhill. We started descending through a rocky canyon between large mountains, and after a lunch, we continued down into the tropical cloud forest.
At Salkantay Pass
The change in climate, from snowcap mountains, to rocky grassland, to lush tropical forest was amazing - and the transition occurred within only an hour or two.
Descent into cloud forest
Descending
We continued on until reaching our campsite for the night. We are at lower altitudes now here in the forest - so thankfully the temperatures are much milder. This should hopefully make for a better night of sleep. Also I've never seen such an amazing look at the stars in the night sky - literally thousands crystal clear. That's all for now. Goodnight.
Note about pictures: I´m still trying to find a fast internet connection that will let me upload pictures to the blog without taking forrrrrever. Hopefully I´ll find one by tomorrow. Until then, I´ll just be posting text...
written by  bhkann on August 9, 2010 from Mollepata, Peru
from the travel blog: Peru 2010

Salkantay - Day 3: Jungle walking
Aguas Calientes, Peru
We woke up sore, cold, and filthy on the third day of our trek. Today would be a relatively easy day with 6 hours of hiking through up and down terrain on a horsepath. We were now firmly in the tropical forest, which means the conditions become hot, muggy, and mosquito infested. It is fascinating to experience the drastic changes in climate in only a few days, and I feel like Peru is one of the few places that can offer such and quick transition.
Today's trek followed a path alongside the base of mountains and a river. We crossed many bridges and even a few waterfalls. We got a chance to see some interesting wildlife too - different kinds of birds and insects, plus a Lizard and some ferret-like thing. We passed by a passionfruit grove and the fruit-pickers dropped us fresh passionfruits from the trees above. Very tasty. We finally reached our destination in the village of Lucacamba. Since the Salkantay route has increased in popularity (over the last 5-10 yrs) villagers along the route have set up kiosks catering to trekkers needs like water, Gatorade, and candy. At our campsite at Lucacamba, they also had a bathroom with shower! I've never appreciated soap and water! Another nice thing about this campsite was that there was an actual toilet. For the past two nights our toilets consisted of holes dug in the ground with a small privacy tent surrounding them. Let's just say late night trips to the great dung hole in 20 degree weather were not so fun! After taking the best cold water shower I've ever taken, we capped off the night with a great meal prepared by the tour's cook and a few beers.
For the first time it was a pleasant night out weather-wise, due to being at a relatively low altitude and I finally got a decent night of sleep.
written by  bhkann on August 10, 2010 from Aguas Calientes, Peru

Lift Off
New York, United States
Hey All,
I'm sitting here at JFK Int'l waiting for my flight to Bangkok via
Hong Kong. I've got plenty of time to kill and thought I'd take the
opportunity to post my first blog entry. I figured this would be a good way to keep a running log of my trip without the risk of losing it (as I did with my Europe hand-written journal). Also, I thought I could get away with just posting blogs for you guys to read without actually having to send individual e-mails. So, I guess it really just comes down to laziness.
Unfortunately, I have nothing interesting to report right now except
that I'm seeing a handful of people wearing surgical masks. (I've
heard that Hong Kong is particularly paranoid about the Swine Flu
scare). Anyways, I just wanted to get this kicked off while I still
have internet access. Once I get to Thailand, Hopefully I'll be able
to post semi-regularly. See ya on the other side.
-Ben
written by  bhkann on June 17, 2009 from New York, United States
from the travel blog: Ben's SE Asia Voyage

Machu Picchu!
Aguas Calientes, Peru
The 4th day of our trek had us traveling by bus to a hot Spring in Santa Teresa and swimming there for a few hours, we then made our way to the town of Aguas Calientes which serves basically as a tourist gateway to Machu Picchu. There really wasn't much trekking on that day, but that was fine by us. Our knees and calves were still sore from the days before, and we could use a break before the granddaddy of all ancient Inca sites.
Machu Picchu is really breathtaking. One of those places that lives up to all the hype. It is easy to see why it is packed with tourists every day. There is such demand to see it, that the Peruvian government sets a limit of 2000 visitors each day - slots that are pretty much sold out throughout the year.
We woke up at 4am again, yay, and caught a bus that took us up to the Mountain on which MP sits. We walked up the rest of the way by dirt path and finally reached the top. The site itself is massive, but it is really its surroundings that make it so awe-inspiring and memorable. Cue the pictures...
Another nice thing about MP is that there is are relatively few guard rails or roped-off sections. You can kind of explore freely and there is no set path. We spent a little over 5 hours there and then headed back to Aguas Calientes to catch our train to Cuzco, and then night bus to Arequipa.
written by  bhkann on August 12, 2010 from Aguas Calientes, Peru

Walking on the Moon
Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
On November 21st, 2012 the Te Maori crater that sits on top of Mount Tongariro erupted with a 10 minute explosion of smoke and ash. This was the second of two eruptions in the past few months, a sign that this volcano may be becoming more active. Mount Tongariro is situated in Tongariro National Park, smack in the middle of New Zealand's North Island and volcanic plateau. This plateau is part of the Pacific's "ring of fire," a highly geothermally active zone that straddles tectonic plates. It is also the site of what many say is one of the greatest single-day treks in the world: the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (TAC). The venting Te Maori crater sits alongside this crossing, and thus the New Zealand DOC shut down the track following the eruption. This almost made us cancel, but we discovered a few days before leaving that much of the track had been reopened and so we decide to keep our plans. The TAC is a 19.4km (12 mile) one-day hike across some of New Zealand's most incredible scenery. It passes along/through three volcanoes - Tongariro, Ngaurohoe (Mt. Doom from LOTR), and Ruapehu.
We stayed in small town called National Park, woke up early and reached the turn-off to the crossing a little before 7am. The morning was filled with dense fog as we slowly crept towards the start of the trail. I certain points it was difficult to see past a few yards in front of the car. It added to the air of mystery and excitement to the adventure - though also a little scary. A few minutes into the drive the fog burned off and we were greeted with incredible views of the three peaks and the volcanic landscape around them. We park and started in the trek.
Words and even photos cannot do justice to the views and natural beauty experienced on the TAC, so I'll (try to) keep it brief - it starts through a mountain valley with streams, waterfalls, and volcanic rocks and tracks uphill to a massive crater with a lake. From there, you can choose to continue or add on a 3hr side trip up to the summit of Mt. Ngaurohoe. We elected for the side trip and started the straight vertical climb up the mountain face to the top. This was the hardest hike I've ever attempted - up a lava flow - think of hiking up a steep mountain of sand and loose rock - and about 2/3 of the way up, with our legs burning and the winds blasting, we decided to return to the crossing so we wouldn't be too tired/miserable to finish. We walked through the crater up to another ridge where we were greeted by a red volcanic cliff.
We kept on and finally reached the end of what was open on the crossing: the emerald lakes. They are bright turquoise lakes that dot the inside of the crater. There is also a massive blue lake in the distance, Mt. Doom behind, and mysterious, primordial-looking volcanic mud fields below. To add to all of this, behind the lakes on the horizon you could see the steam bellowing up from the still-venting Te Maori crater - little bonus for the travelers who did not cancel their trip. It really felt other-worldly, like a distant planet, or the moon, and I've never seen any scenery on earth quite like it.
We completed the round trip exhausted, sore, and hungry after about 7hrs and 30min and returned back to town. I imagine we will be very sore in all types of place tomorrow. Fortunately, tomorrow is a "chill" day. We leave the North Island for good, and fly to the South Island where we will spend the bulk of our trip. We'll start in wine country .
written by  bhkann on December 4, 2012 from Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Marlborough Wine Country
Renwick, New Zealand
A short flight on a small dual-prop plane and we were touching down in Blenheim, a city at the Northeast of the South Island and gateway to the Marlborough wine region. New Zealand has a relatively young wine-making history that really took off in the 1970s. The most famous of their wines is Savignon Blanc, but they also known for Pinot Noir. The countryside in this area is beautiful. We rented a car and drove around the region exploring the sweeping sunny wine fields and lush mountains surrounding them. We checked into our hostel, Watson's Way - a very chill place with friendly owners, hammocks and picnic tables outside. We decided to treat ourselves to dinner at one of the Vineyards - Hans Herzog - we had a delicious meal and great bottle of wine.
The next morning we visited a vineyard, did a wine tasting, and then took off southward down the coastline to the marine wildlife capital of New Zealand - Kaikoura.
written by  bhkann on December 5, 2012 from Renwick, New Zealand

Arequipa
Arequipa, Peru
The night bus to Arequipa was surprisingly comfortable and I got decent sleep (only woke up a few times when the bus took particularly sharp turns along the [[United-States/Mountainside]] roads). Martin had joined us in Cuzco and was pretty beat in Arequipa after multiple flights from BA plus the overnight bus. We arrived around 6am and found out that we couldn't check into our hostel until noon. We groggily stumbled around the city for a few hours, got some breakfast and went to a museum where "Juanita" the famous "ice mummy" was housed. The incas occasionally sacrificed children to the Mountain gods, and explorers had uncovered some of the bodies that had been preserved in thick ice up in the Mountains for hundreds of years. Pretty interesting exhibit aside from us being very tired.
We then walked around the main plaza and stopped for a drink by a cafe. We were sitting there enjoying ourselves when a few locals began hassling the waiter for a table, a few minutes passed and next thing we knew Martin's backpack was gone. Stolen right in front of us! I had read about this type of distraction theft but didn't think it would happen at noon in broad daylight. Luckily, Martin had all his important documents and wallet in his pockets so only lost some clothing and a few other things. Some crazy welcome for him to Peru though...
We checked into our hostel and then went out to explore the city again - this time extra careful with our belongings. We visited some markets, got lunch, and planned our excursion to Colca Canyon for the next day. Arequipa celebrates the day it was founded on August 15th every year - perfect timing for us. We hope to catch some of the festivities when we return to the city on the 15th - but we will tomorrow day and night in the canyon.
written by  bhkann on August 14, 2010 from Arequipa, Peru

1st Arrival
Bangkok, Thailand
Three flights, two layovers, one Ambien, one sprint through the Hong Kong airport (JUST made my flight), and about 27 hours later I finally made it into Bangkok's international airport. Shortly after, I met Corey at the information terminal.
Exhausted and somewhat delirious, fortunately we did not need to navigate our way to the hostel ourselves. My Thai friend Werapong or "Joe" as he is known to his American friends picked us up from the airport. I was pleased to learn that he not only would be around that night, but for the next couple days in Bangkok, and that he would take us around the touristy sight-seeing attractions by day and take us out by night. Already from our check-in at the hostel, I can tell you it is GREAT having a local with us (Our check-in rate mysteriously dropped from >2,500 baht to ~1,400 bht (approx. $20 for each of us).
Joe also taught us a few key expressions in Thai (which is completely unrecognizable to English-speakers):
"Kob kun krap" - which means "thank you"
and "Saw wa dee" which means hello/what's up
I'm on my way to fluency...baby steps.
Also, not that it was a shocker, but it is HOT here. H-O-T. Stepping out of the airport, the air that hits you is thick, steamy, and immediately sticky. And this was at midnight (my friend Joe remarked that this was a "mild night" as we walked out of the airport). Due to the extreme heat, A/C is extremely prevalent, however, so we slept very Comfortably last night. The recipe for Comfort here seems like frequent showers and continual applications of Gold Bond. I'm prepared, at least, on that front.
Anyways, today we are meeting up with Joe and he is going to take us around the "must-see" Bangkok attractions (including the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple). More later.
-Ben
written by  bhkann on June 19, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: Ben's SE Asia Voyage

Bangkok Sprawls and the "Must-Sees"
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok has a type of confusion, chaos, and complexity that I have not experienced while traveling before. We did not come fully to grips with this until Joe (my Thai local friend) left us for only a few hours. But that comes a little later.
Yesterday morning we woke up around 6AM - not because we had places to be, but because the jet-lag really makes not want to sleep when you should be sleeping (Bangkok is 11 hours ahead of Eastern time, so you start wanting to pass out sometime in the mid-afternoon). My friend Joe met us at our hostel. - A short bit about that: we are staying at the Lub D Bangkok hostel. It has turned out to be a great pick. The rooms are all air-conditioned, the bathrooms are nicer than most hotels I've stayed at, and there is free wi-fi throughout the entire place. It is ridiculous that we are paying less than $20 a night for this, although I am getting used to ridiculously cheap prices for just about everything, from food to transport to massages. The dollar goes a VERY long way here.
We set out for some of the big touristy attractions of Bangkok - the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple. To get there we took a 30 min boat-shuttle up the river. We passed by lots of river-side markets, pretty cool sites. We arrived at the Temple and met up with our Tufts friend Mike and his girlfriend, Sierra. Joe took us around the temples giving us some insight into their origins and cultural importance (no 500bht tour-guide necessary!). The temples were really breathtaking and fantastic to look at (I'll post pictures in the next couple days). Afterwards, we got lunch at a Thai restaurant and proceeded to a new museum in Thailand called the "Museum of Siam," followed by another temple with a massive (must've been 100+ feet long and 40+ feet high) reclining Buddha. Buddhism is a huge part of Thai life and I'm learning some stuff about that.
After the big Buddha we went to a massage school (on the temple grounds) and got our first Thai massages, which involve some creative and sometimes painful techniques like jumping on top of your back and cracking all your fingers and toes. Very relaxing!
Corey and I split off from the group, our afternoon jet-lag in full swing. We got back to the room and passed out for about an hour. Our plan was then to meet Joe, his girlfriend, Mike and Sierra at a Thai super mall, and have dinner.
It was a big change trying to get around without a Thai-speaker. Our first cab drive tried to convince us that, rather than go to the super mall for dinner, what we really wanted to do was visit a tailor and buy shirts. After repeatedly saying no, we finally made it halfway to our destination, and took the highly modern and really fast SkyTrain the rest of the way. That night we had dinner at a great Thai place and spent a couple of hours on a really nice rooftop bar overlooking the city (pictures to follow here). Afterwards Corey and I headed back to our hostel which is situated surprisingly close to one of Bangkok's Red Light District. We decided took soak in the Thai culture and take a walk through the nightime Red Light Baazar and market. It was slightly amusing, but overall actually pretty depressing. We bounced out of there and passed out at the hostel, trying to get some sleep for today's trip - we're heading with Joe and his Girlfriend's family to Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital. I'm looking forward to it, though I am pretty exhausted. Overall, so far, Bangkok has been a real assault on the senses, but in a great way!
written by  bhkann on June 20, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand
from the travel blog: Ben's SE Asia Voyage

Colca Canyon
Chivay, Peru
It's big. The deepest canyon in the world (arguably it's neighbor a few Miles away is bigger). Due to our limited time, we decided to take a bus tour of the canyon instead of a trek on foot. This proved to be a mistake, but there was little we could do about it. We spent the majority of our time on a bus - but when we did get out to see the canyon, it was awesome! The canyon is also known for the giant condors that live there. We stopped at the peak of the canyon to see them. They are very rarely spotted outside of the canyon (although we saw two on our Salkantay trek) and they are really impressive to see. The swoop around with 10ft wingspans at the very top of the canyon. Cool. We then got back in the bus, and are now headed back to Arequipa for one last night before Joe heads back to Boston. Martin and I have booked for tomorrow a trip to Lake Titicaca, which is the highest navigable lake in the world, and the largest in South America. Largest this, deepest that...its starting to feel like a trip of superlatives and extremes - kind of like Peru in general.
written by  bhkann on August 15, 2010 from Chivay, Peru

Seals Gone Wild in Kaikoura
Kaikoura, New Zealand
As we drove the 140km or so down the coast, we began to get a taste of the insane, awe-inspiring beauty of the South Island. Lush green countryside, within the backdrop of alpine, snow-capped mountains on our right, with bright Emerald Ocean, beach cliffs to our left. Most of the conversation down to Kaikoura consisted of "wow," "holy-$&@!", and "please watch the road!" -Vivi (when my eyes strayed too far). Along the way, Vivi spotted seals to along the beach, so we pulled off to the side of the road and it turned out we had stumbled upon a seal breeding colony. We snapped a bunch of pictures of the New Zealand Fur Seals, before continuing along our way.
Finally we arrived in Kaikoura and settled into our hostel, the Albatross, which turned out to be quite close to a hippie commune - we walked into a guitar jam session and people twirling bow-staffs on the front lawn. We decided to go out on a highly-recommended walk of Kaikoura's peninsula track. The walk took us past the town Center, fishing villages and a giant Fur Seal colony where you could walk right up to the bathing seals.
The track continued along the peninsula, yielding some of the most unbelievable scenery I've ever seen in my life.
Gorgeous beach cliffs, on top of which were thick, high grass pastures dotted with violet wild flowers and limestone rock structures. All of this again, with the backdrop of snow-capped mountains. It was surreal, out of a movie, or the Garden of Eden, like it had been designed and painted. Around every corner, a Kodak moment.
Needless to say my camera battery died about 3/4ths through the walk. We returned to the town Center, had a meal of fish and chips (the town is big on fish/seafood), and crashed early for our swim with dolphins the next day.
written by  bhkann on December 6, 2012 from Kaikoura, New Zealand

Dusky Dolphins in Kaikoura
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Kaikoura lies on a peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean. It's waters and geological nature have a few characteristics that make it New Zealand's Premier marine wildlife destination. Its Shoreline runs very close to a vast and extremely deep underwater canyon. It is also the hub of intersecting Ocean currents. Cold, nutrient-rich water from the deep levels of the canyon encounter warm currents from the North and are propelled toward the surface quite close to land. These unique nutrient-laden shallow waters initiate the marine food-chain in a place where it usually does not exist. This means there is a surplus of large marine sea creatures - seals, whales, and dolphins - just off the shore. It also means that we get to swim with them.
We signed up for a swim with the wild dusky dolphins, of which there are around 2,000 in local waters. A short boat ride took us out around the or peninsula until a pod of dolphins was spotted. At this point we got on our snorkel gear and jumped in. Within minutes there were dozens of curious dolphins swimming around us, checking us out, and following our movements. It was incredible - amazing how, without any enticing, training, or persuasion (expect for us making lots of noise and movement to pique their interest), the dolphins would approach us. Using Vivi's parents spiffy waterproof GoPro video camera (thanks guys!), we were able to get some great HD footage of all this happening. After the swim, up on the boat, we followed around a pod of what appeared to be hundreds of dolphins who would race around the boat, sometimes performing impromptu jumps and tricks. Very cool.
We returned to town and grabbed lunch before heading further south and west, leaving the coast and heading inland to the South alpine Mountain region.
written by  bhkann on December 8, 2012 from Kaikoura, New Zealand

PICTURES
Arequipa, Peru
NOTE ABOUT PICTURES:
I haven't had enough time to upload pictures here, so instead have been putting them all in a Picasa album here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/BHKann/BKPeruSummer2010#
AND here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/BHKann/BK2010#
written by  bhkann on August 16, 2010 from Arequipa, Peru

PICTURES!
Bangkok, Thailand
I've uploaded some photos from the trip thus far and will stick them in the appropriate blog entries. For now, you can just click on "photos".
written by  bhkann on June 21, 2009 from Bangkok, Thailand

Finding My Inner Buddha - Ayuttahaya
Yesterday we set off on an excursion with Joe, his girlfriend, Arm, and her friend, mother and grandmother. They had rented a luxurious minivan to travel in, and due to some extra space, they were gracious enough to invite us along for the day. It was great meeting the family and getting a glimpse into Buddhist Thai culture and tradition. Arm's family occupies an entire four-story building. Her whole family lives together - parents, both sets of grandparents, uncles, aunts, you name it. (And I thought my family was close!) Apparently this set-up is typical of traditional Thai culture (though apparently less so now than it used to be) - the younger generation is responsible for taking care of the elders - no nursings home here! Throughout the day we learned tidbits of Buddhist culture and custom from our Thai hosts. I feel like I have just taken a course on it.
We set off on a two hour drive to Ayutthaya, which was Thailand's capital over 500 years ago. We saw some very cool temple ruins and climbed up them. We also saw some current temples and some gigantic Buddha idols (see pictures) including the biggest Buddha in Thailand (even bigger than the reclining Buddha). We took part in some Buddhist customs - one involed shaking a jar of numbered sticks until one falls out - then you get a corresponding horoscope-esque fortune that can either be very good or bad depending on your stick's number. I was very proud that mine spoke of being very powerful and successful or something. We joked about ours, but Buddhists take it extremely seriously. A bad fortune can really break their day.
We ate lunch at a restaurant that was way set back from the road and looked like a deserted, dilapidated shack at first glance. It turned out, however, to be packed with Thais on the inside, and the food was pretty good. We visited more temples in the afternoon, and then Arm's family braved the Bangkok traffic and graciously dropped us off at our hostel.
Last night we met up with Mike and went to a Muay Thai match - a form of boxing/martial arts popular in thailand. It seemed like a typical fight except that there were about a hundred Thais off to the side of the ring gambling and placing bets and passing money around like crazy. Picture the floor of the new york stock exchange - with the symbols and gestures and yelling - on crack. People were taking it very seriously - to us, it was almost as entertaining as the actual match.
That's it for now. Tomorrow we are leaving Bangkok and heading to Kanchanaburri, the site of the river Kwai.

Puno and Lake Titicaca
Puno, Peru
We had a great meal last night in Arequipa and a few Pisco Sours, and woke up early this morning to catch a bus to Puno - which is a city by lake Titicaca. Joe left Martin and me for the U.S., and we arrived at the crazy bus terminal around 7:30am. The bus ride was interesting and included locals getting on and off to sell food along with a Jehovah's Witness who preached to us for 20 minutes or so and then tried to get us to buy wafer cookies. Awkward. We arrived to Puno in the afternoon, and walked around a bit. It is a nice, bustling town with a good number of tourists. It's also the highest city we've stayed at - over 3800meters - so we're feeling a little short of breath again. We got some food, visited a local market, and then went back to our hotel. Exhausted from the early mornings and traveling, we passed out before 7 and slept for almost 12hrs!
This morning we hopped a taxi to the docks for our tour of the islands of Titicaca. As I mentioned before Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, and largest in South America. It sits on the Peruvian/Bolivian border, though we will only be visiting the Peruvian side. It is also believed to be the sport where the Incas originated - specifcally on one island on the Bolivian side of the lake.
Our first stop was at these amazing man-made floating islands made solely out of reeds. The about 2,000 Uros people have lived on these islands for thousands of years and literally make everything out of reeds by hand - huts, boats, furniture, and like I said, even the islands themselves! It was a really crazy feeling walking around the squishy, forgiving reed - ground - it was kind of like a giant haystack. We walked around the islands and took a reed-boat to another. Martin opted for a half day tour to get on a nicer bus back to Arequipa.
On my own now, I'm continuing on to the island of Taquile which is another 2.5 hrs from the floating islands. There are two main indigenous cultures that inhabit this area of Peru - the Aymara and Quechua - each with different languages. These are pre-Inca cultures that have retained their traditions for thousands of years. Taquile is primarily a Quechua island, and about 6,000 people live there. They have their own sets of laws, and are isolated from the rest of Peru. The town square is situated at the top of the island as requires about a 25minute hike up, which is no fun at this altitude. The top of the island has fantastic views of the surrounding lake and mountain ranges in Bolivia. I decided to skip lunch (well I had no money) and ate a tangerine, banana, and Snickers I had brought along the way. I'm perched up on top of a cliff overlooking the lake now, and the view is spectacular. The lake is very peaceful and quiet. After this stop, we get back on the boat and head back to Puno.
Tomorrow morning I head back to Lima for one more day, and then it's back to the U.S.
written by  bhkann on August 17, 2010 from Puno, Peru

Arthur's Pass - From East to West
Craigieburn, New Zealand
We left Kaikoura and drove down the East coast towards Christ Church, taking a hard right into Arthur's Pass, an alpine crossing that connects the Islands East and West coasts. You may have noticed that many of the cities/routes/regions in New Zealand have two different titles: English and Maori. The Maori people make up close to 10% of the population of the country and were the first Settlers - arriving around 1200 AD from various areas of Polynesia. Their cultural influence is seen throughout. A common name used for the country is the Maori name, Aotearoa, which translates to "Land of the Long White Cloud." Prior to 1200AD, New Zealand lived in virtual isolation, encountering no humans or even land mammals, since it Split from the giant land mass Gondwanaland millions of years ago. Its evolutionary isolation, along with its position in the Pacific's Ring of Fire and its unique weather patterns, gives New Zealand many of its fascinating displays of nature at its finest.
The drive from coastal Kaikoura through Arthur's Pass is a prime example of this. The drive was stunning and we transitioned from Crystal blue beaches and rainforest to grassland, to otherworldly, vast alpine Highlands in matter of hours. By evening we had reached the Arthur Pass township at the Center of the Island, a single strip of houses with a few hostels and a cafe or two nestled in the mountains. We spent a night here and did a nice day hike the following day called Temple Basin. Gorgeous alpine scenery.
We continued through the pass and saw an even quicker change back to lush rainforest as we approached the west coast highway. Here, were absent the cliffs of the east coast - this was flat, desolate beach land. We stopped for lunch in a small town called Hokitika and then on through the rainforest to our next main attraction, Fox Glacier.
written by  bhkann on December 9, 2012 from Craigieburn, New Zealand

Glacier Climbing
Fox Glacier, New Zealand
The Westland of New Zealand's South Island is filled with lush rainforest, and glacial-carved valleys.
Two easily accessible glaciers remain in this area Fox and Franz Josef - and they form a hub for tourists and adventure activities. We did a short walk to view Franz Josef and then continued on to Fox for one of these activities - ice climbing.
We stayed in a cabin and made some store bought ravioli in the communal kitchen for dinner. The next day we met our guide and began our preparation for the day of climbing. They suited us up with harness, climbing gloves, crampons, and, of course, badass ice axes, and we trekked up the face of the glacier, past gorgeous ice falls and ravines to a suitable spot to set up a climb.
The Fox glacier, like the Franz Josef and the U.S. economy is currently in a recession-period that began around 2009. Geologists think it is in part due to global warming, but also specific New Zealand weather patterns like increased rainfall. They aren't sure how long it will continue but the glacier has been receding in the 100s of meters per year. This makes hiking it a dynamic challenge where the guides have change trail design and devise new ways to explore the glacier. It also makes the glaciers themselves look less impressive. However, not all hope is lost - there have been recession periods in the past even more drastic than currently, that have rebounded with periods of great growth - as recently as in the early 2000s - so who knows what the future holds. For our purposes, there was plenty of ice to go around. Our guide set up pulley mechanisms right into the ice and we began to practice our newly-learned skills. It was a lot of fun and a bit challenging. We got to do 5-6 climbs of varying difficulty before the evening rolled through, including a climb out of a glacial hole that we first were instructed to climb into. Elliot, you would be proud. Very cool! Needless to say, we were sore in strange places the next day.
We woke up the next morning and had breakfast at a cafe by the nearby Lake Matheson - a lake famous for its picturesque reflecting of Mount Cook (New Zealand's highest peak) in its still waters. We did a short walk around the lake and took in the view before jumping back in the car for one of our mega-drive days down the west coast and back inland to Queenstown.
written by  bhkann on December 10, 2012 from Fox Glacier, New Zealand

Living on the River - Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
On Sunday we said goodbye to Joe and Bangkok and set off for Kanchanaburi. Kanch is a region made famous by the move, "The Bridge over the River Kwai," but also has many other things to offer the tourist/backpacker.
We arrived at the bus stations and took a pcik-up truck taxi to the main backpacker strip (for whatever reason, all taxi rides in this area consist of getting on the backs of covered pcik-up trucks - nice breeze). A really cool thing about this area is that many of the guesthouses have accomodations that are literally on the Kwai River (see pics).
View from our room at Sugar Cane
Though our rooms are far from luxurious and we have discovered that we are sharing them with a family of salamanders, waking up to sunrise right on the river is really really cool (and so is paying 5 bucks a night).
Our Deck (comes with mosquitos free of charge)
Sugar Cane Guesthouse
On Monday we decided to take a guided tour that coveed the highlights of Kancha. First off was a hike and swim up the incredible 7-tiered waterfall, Erawan Falls. Virtually a water playground paradise, this was easily the highlight of the entire trip so far, an one of the coolet experiences I've ever had. Something about jumping off rocks through waterfalls into crystal-blue water just does not get old. The waterfalls were breathtaking, and we even saw a group of monkeys during the hike.
At the bottom of Erawan
Mike gets major air
Fall #2? (i think?)
Next we visited Hellfire Pass and its War Museum.
Hellfire Pass WWII Memorial Museum
Hellfire Pass was a stretch of railroad cut through solid rock (a sort of gorge) that the Japanese forced POWs and other Asians to build during WWII.
Hellfire Pass
Following this, we saw a cave that was a war-time malaria hospital now converted to a Buddha-filled temple, and the bridge over the River Kwai itself (they try to hype it up, but it's really just a bridge....).
Cave near hellfire pass. I don't know why my hat is so shiny.
Bridge over the River Kwai
One of the most entertaining parts of the day was conversing with our Thai guide, Mai, who was very charismatic, though had a very poor grasp of the English language. Her answers to our questions were basically always an oblivious "Yes" accompanied with a smile and a laugh, even when we her answers contradicted each other. Often she would not even realize we were asking questions. Example:
Us (sweating vigorously after our hike): Hey Mai, is there AC in the restaurant we are going to?
Mai (smiling and laughing): hahahah
Us (shrugging): ....
Though we perhaps didn't learn as much as we could have, our conversations ended up being sources of constant humor throughout the day.
After our tour, we hung out at some of the bars around the strip that were all somewhat empty and desperate for clientele. It seems like, in general, whether due to the economy tanking our it just being the off-season, the tourist trail is significantly less crowded than what I expected. This is a great thing when it comes to sight-seeing (we had the waterfalls to ourselves most of the time) and having cultural experiences, but it would be nice if there were more travelers out to meet. This will probably change, for better or worse, when we get to the islands down south.
Today (Tuesday) we will wrap up here and head to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. More later.
written by  bhkann on June 23, 2009 from Kanchanaburi, Thailand

The End - Lima
Lima, Peru
Well - the trip is coming to an end. I hopped a flight from a tiny little airport outside of Puno to Lima this morning, checked my luggage into a locker at the airport, and took a taxi into the center of Lima for a day of walking around and snapping photos.
Lima is a hectic, loud, and crazy city. It's also extremely diverse socioeconomically, I guess like most other giant cities. I started in the touristy historic district where there is lots of old colonial Spanish architecture (nothing in Lima pre-dates the Spanish - no Inca ruins here). I went to the catacombs of San Fransisco monastery which were pretty cool, got some delicious 3 course Peruvian lunch, and started to walk. About 6 hours later I had made it across the city to the ocean. Here I am in the ritzy Miraflores district, sitting at a trendy, brand new oceanside mall situated on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. The last hour or two of my walk had been through very nice sections of Lima. This is where most tourists stay, and where the Lima elite live. Before that, I passed through Barrio Chino, Lima's Chinatown (lots of Chinese people and restaurants in Lima) - which was crazy. I had continued on for a few hours through areas that were quite poverty stricken. Most of the vehicles in those areas where old, loud, smoggy buses packed to the brim. In Miraflores much more private cars (and also public bathrooms with toilet paper!). The change in atmosphere reminded me of walking from East Harlem into the Upper East Side of NYC (though even the ritzy Lima district doesn't really come close to the UES). Lima, in general, is completely different than the other cities I had been to in Peru - where the economy seemed to totally revolve around tourists. I walked pretty much the whole time without getting touted or hassled, which is pretty much unheard of in the other cities I was in.
Anyways, it was a great walk, and now I'm going to grab some food before grabbing a taxi back to the airport for the late night flight back to the U.S.
Overall, it was an exciting, if at times exhausting, great trip!!
¡Adios!
-Ben
written by  bhkann on August 18, 2010 from Lima, Peru

Backpackers, Tigers, and Temples - Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Yes, they let you chill with tigers here. Gotta love Thailand.
We arrived in Chiang Mai Tuesday evening and finally were greeted with a scene full of foreign travelers. I guess we finally picked up the typical backpacker trail. We met a guy named Adam, an Israeli living in LA, who was alone and decided to check into a guesthouse with him. The following night we met tons of traveler's out at night - some with really interesting and crazy stories. One in particular - a 24-year old Brit who was on his 11th month of travel and had visited, among others, Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, Somalia (stowed-away on a cargo freighter), and Sudan. Sounded like a "how can I get myself killed fast enough?" kind of trip. But he had some incredible stories about people he met there. Maybe next trip, Dad? HAH.
Chiang Mai is the second biggest city in Thailand (I think), but compared to Bangkok it seems like a small suburb. It is easily walkable and dotted with old Buddhist temples (like just about every city I've seen in Thailand so far). It also has rained a bit more here, which is nice because it cools down afterwards. Yesterday, we met a guy from Toronto and hired a taxi to take us around a few of the major sites/attractions of Chiang Mai. First we went to the Tiger Kingdom. There are a few places where you can hang out with Tigers in Thailand, but we heard that at this place, there was less of a chance that the animals were really treated cruelly and drugged up, and other nasty things.
Anyways - the pictures speak for themselves, I guess - it seemed a little crazy at first. We asked the guide bringing us into the dens if anything bad had ever happened to tourists here. He said yes. We asked him what, and he started laughing and said he wasn't allowed to tell us. Sweet. It was a really cool experience, once the fear wore off, but I think I'll just check that one off the list and not try it again.
We continued on to a lake settled in the midst of some mountain ranges, got lunch, and went for a swim. Chiang Mai is known for having great food, and although we haven't ventured or explored to much to find great places, even the little cafes near our guesthouses serve of very tasty Thai standards - curries, pad-thais, soups, etc. This is more of the Americanized-Thai variety, unlike the foods I was eating with Joe for the first few days in Bangkok - but that is OK by me.
After the lake, we visited a temple on top of a mountain that overlooks Chiang Mai, and got massages.
Today, we are going to head to a town in very-Northern Thailand and take a 2-day Jungle trek. And we are in the process of getting our Vietnam Visas, so it looks like if those com through, we will be squeezing Hanoi into our itinerary before returning to the southern islands of Thailand.
written by  bhkann on June 25, 2009 from Chiang Mai, Thailand

South to Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand
We continued down the increasingly scenic West Coast highway which winds along the shoreline with desolate, rocky beach to the right, hilly rainforest to the left, and occasional dives into pristine farmland valleys and sheep-and-cow meadows (man, are there a lot of sheep here).
One of the greatest things about New Zealand driving (aside from the astounding scenery) is you are often the only car within eye-shot on the road. It definitely gives an end-of-the-world type feeling, especially when you look out into the ocean and realize that if you could see far enough, Antarctica would be visible over the horizon.
We stopped in the tiny town of Haast for a quick pit-stop and sampled the local favorite white-bait pattie on bread with butter for lunch. The pattie is essentially a slew of minnows squashed together and fried - slimy yet satisfying?
From there the road leads inland, back through the Southern Alps. It gets windier, and the road passes around gorgeous, massive, deep blue mountain lakes. The camera was constantly firing. The road to Queenstown twists downhill through switch-backs with stunning green mountain valley below.
Queenstown itself is enveloped in cinematic beauty - sitting snugly by the massive lake Wakatipu, it is pushed up to the shore by green mountain peaks behind it, only outmatched by the view across the lake if "The Remarkables" a barren, indigo, rocky, snow-capped mountain range. This begged the question, "Where are we?" (A repeating theme throughout our trip).
We checked into our hostel (with private bathrooms and a lakeside view!!), strolled around town, had dinner, and took in some of the active Queenstown nightlife - even a cover band that I swear stole my old band's setlist. The town dwarfs all others in terms of its international tourist cachet, which we found a little off-putting after spending so much time in the quiet serenity of the rest of New Zealand. There are hordes of 18-22 Brits and Aussies and East Asians prowling the streets, drunk, immature, inconsiderate, and energized post-skydive, bungee jump, or whatever other high-adrenaline activity they dared (man, I sound old now...). Bottom line is, being centrally located in town, we got very poor sleep the next two nights. On the other hand, the food was great and we had some great meals including sushi, fish, and middle eastern.
The next morning we took the skyline gondola to the top of the nearby peak and did a few "luge" runs (an alpine slide), while trying to decide if we would try something more extreme (to be continued...).
We also walked around the garden park. We left Queenstown after two days, thankful for the city-comforts but ready to jump back into the less-disturbed wilderness of New Zealand.
written by  bhkann on December 11, 2012 from Queenstown, New Zealand

Fiordland
Milford Sound, New Zealand
We set out for another 5ish hour drive to one of the prime destinations on our list, Milford Sound. The southwest if New Zealand's South Island is known as Fiordland, as it is filled with numerous glacial valleys that extend to the sea. Perhaps the most impressive is Milford (also the most accessible). From Queenstown we headed south along more mountain lakes until reaching the sleepy lakeside town of Te Anau. We ate lunch there, and then continued down what is regarded as one of the most spectacular drives in the world, the Te Anau-Milford Highway.
At first winding through mountain farmland and plains, the road enters the Fiord and you are surrounded by progressively more dramatic and deep cliff faces. Through the center of the magnificent Fiord runs a river, laced with mountain wildflowers of purples, pinks, and white. As you venture deeper into the gorge waterfalls begin to appear all around the cliff walls - spilling from glacial beds atop the cliff peaks.
The road then literal goes into a mountain - a one way alpine tunnel controlled by a set of traffic lights complete with cave walls and water streams around you - - spits you out into one of the most staggering scenes I've ever seen. The hundreds of waterfalls dotting the huge cliff faces with lush forest in the middle only split by the river and the road alongside it. I was waiting for the teradactyls to start flying above or some other prehistoric creature to appear. Breathtaking stuff...
We stopped midway to hike part of the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand's "Great Walks" to Key Summit.
Atop Key Summit from Routeburn Track
We continued along until we hit the "town" of Milford at the point where the sound opens up to a one mile wide deep blue water channel that leads to the Tasman Sea. We stayed in a lodge here for the night in what seemed like paradise - except for the unyielding swarms of sand flies that pounce the second you step outside. These pesky sand flies may actually be the saving grace of Milford, as the locals believe they keep the hordes of day-tourists from setting-up shop for too long, and maintain the unspoiled ecosystem of the Fiord.
The next morning we joined up with a guide for a sea kayaking trip of the sound. It was great! Being in the midst of the staggering cliffs was very cool, and our trip involved kayaking into a waterfall, Stirling Falls.
Milford Sound from the shore
We also spotted some seals on the shore and some interesting bird species (but no dolphins this time). The wind picked up in the afternoon and the sea got very choppy - on of the pairs we were with capsized (they were fine). By the end we were riding the waves back into the port. We did a short nature walk around the sound and then started tye drive back across the stunning Te Anau-Milford highway in reverse.
written by  bhkann on December 16, 2012 from Milford Sound, New Zealand

The Dude Abides in Pai
Pai, Thailand
If there is one expression that sums up this hippie-minded, New Age mecca in northern Thailand, it is "no worries." Pai, (pronounced "Bai"), is a small towm of about 3000 residents, mixed between native Thai and ex-pats, who settled here to live or raise families in a care-free, mountain village environment.
Though it is only accessible by an extremely bumpy and stomach-churning minibus ride, pai is still packed with backpackers and tourists.
We checked into our river-side hostel and went out around town. As one might imagine in a community filled with artists and musicians, there is a great nightlife and music scene. The bars are all very funky and creatively designed. The people here are also incredibly friendly and actually not looking to scam foreigners.
Pai is situated close to the hill tribe villages, and the next morning we embarked on a trek through the rainforest to see a few of them.
First we went through a Lisu village, then a Lahu one. Our trek guide, Toi, was great and taught us (well tried to teach us) how to make cups out of bamboo shoots. He also like to sing Beatles songs throughout the trek.
We returned to the town center and went out with a few people to a classic rock bar (they love all old rock/hippie music here).
The next morning we rented mopeds and rode them around the back mountain roads. This area proved to be a perfect place to learn how to ride, as there is no traffic, and the scenery is beautiful (after realizing how tough it was getting used to left-side of the road driving, we were thankful that we had decided not to try mopeds in Bangkok).
My beloved moped - Blue Steel
Mopeds
After riding around for a bit, we parked at an elephant camp outside Pai and had our first elephant rides. It was pretty awesome for the first 2-3 minutes, but then its gets kinda sore and uncomfortable. The trainers had the elephants do a crazy stunt where they basically fall into the river with us still on top of them (see pics).
On the elephant
Off the elephant
Back on the elephant
Afterwards, we returned to town, ate and chilled out with some people we had met over the last few days. It is crazy to think that a place like this exists in the middle of northern Thailand. Many people we met had lived elsewhere and then decided to settle down here. The care-free, friendly-neighbor, and fun-all-the-time attitude is infectious. Lying in a hammock with faint jazz music in the background, I could see why.
Chilllll hammock lounge
Nevertheless, it is time to move on, away from the career-and-money-don't-matter mindset, back to what one might call "the real world." Oh well. Maybe I'll buy a hammock for my med-school dorm when I get back.
We decided to postpone our trip to frenetic Vietnam and instead first get our full dose of Thailand's southern islands. First stop: Phuket on the Andaman coast.
written by  bhkann on June 28, 2009 from Pai, Thailand

First Taste of Island Life - Phuket is a Zoo
Phuket, Thailand
After a 12 hour travel extravaganza minibus, flight, flight, taxi), we finally arrived at Patong Beach in Phuket. Phuket is on the Andaman coast (west side) of the Thai peninsula. The coast as a whole is known for its ridiculously scenic beaches, cliffs, and rock formations. Phuket itself is a bit of a different story. Though I'm sure there is some fantastic natural beauty on Phuket, Patong beach is a highly developed zoo of hotels, malls, bars, disco, and prostitutes. Not to mention our newly discovered phenomena of older white men out on dates with young Thai womens (basically escort services). The emphasis on Phuket is on partying - at all times.
Arrival to Phuket
So, we went against the grain, and saw Transformers 2 when we arrived at a spankin' new, giant movie theater complex.
We spent the next day on the beach (which, aside from the crowds, is actually quite nice). Beacuse Thailand is in its low tourist season, we've found that places are actually never that crowded. We've been told by guides that the crowds increase about 4-fold in the winter months - I can't even imagine how hectic it gets.
Patong beach by day
At night, we met a few locals and went to a healthy handful of bars, including a rock-cover band bar - brought me back to my Fat Tuesday days - followed by a Euro-style disco.
ROCK OUT
Lots of these signs everywhere in Phuket
Though the nightlife is pretty awesome here, we decided to step out of one tourist trap and head to another - an incredibly beautiful one: Ko Phi Phi - apparently the be-all-end-all of Thailand's beaches and island scenery. More on that later.
By the way, I've posted a few more pics from Pai (including the elephant ones, Mom). Also, I haven't written about Ko Phi Phi yet, but I've posted a few pics from there, as well (in the general photo section).
written by  bhkann on June 30, 2009 from Phuket, Thailand

The End
Queenstown, New Zealand
During a period of reflection in between in-flight movies on our 24+ hour trip back to New York, one word that came to mind when I thought of New Zealand was staggering - staggering in landscape, natural beauty, and scope and range of activities to experience there. It is a place best experienced a little outside of your Comfort zone and through challenging yourself both physically and mentally - whether it be hiking too high, driving too far, jumping out of a plane, freefalling from a bridge, settling into a cabin in the woods, pitching a tent in the Wilderness, swimming in ice cold water with wild dolphins, climbing a wall of ice (don't worry, Mom and Dad, we didn't do all of these things). New Zealand offers an endless range of opportunities to push yourself. At the same time, however, it is a country that gives you the choice to stop pushing yourself at any moment and simply sit back, relax, and Admire the spectacle. If you were simply going to drive around in your car, only stopping to get out for the panoramic views and breath in the fresh air, it would still be worth the price of a plane ticket. Also, despite the opportunities for hardship, New Zealand, in many ways is an incredibly easy country to travel through. Clean drinking water and food throughout the country, friendly and helpful (English-speaking) people, very little crime, excellent plumbing, well maintained roads and trails, cosmopolitan cities, and amazingly reliable guide/tour companies and service. It has the efficiency and convenience of a 1st world country while maintaining the undisturbed, isolated and vast nature of what often feels like an undiscovered, uninhabited, almost mythical continent.
Total Trip Driving Distance: ~1,700 Miles
Overall, we had an incredible trip and are looking forward to hopefully returning someday for more.
[Also - was able to upload some more photos. Some might appear within the blog entries, while others are in the "photos" section.]
written by  bhkann on December 17, 2012 from Queenstown, New Zealand

Oh yea...
Queenstown, New Zealand
We went skydiving!
Post-dive
Me and my instructor / dude who had my life in his hands
written by  bhkann on December 15, 2012 from Queenstown, New Zealand

Our Full Dose of the Andaman Coast
Ko Phi Phi, Thailand
Almost poster-worthy
Sunset + Beer = Awesome
Ko Phi Phi (pronounced Pee-Pee) is one of those places that comes to mind when words like "pristine," "breathtaking," and "enchanting" are tossed around. The landscape of the Andaman coast is truly beautiful - limestone cliffs jutting out of crystal blue, warm waters that lap against sandy shores lined with palm trees.
Bamboo Island
If you like those tropical/beach posters that college students and stressed out white-collared workers tack onto there walls - you can thank the Andaman coast. And if you like the gorgeous scenery in that Leonardo DiCaprio movie, "The Beach," you can thank Ko Phi Phi (it was filmed there).
Sunset with cool rocks
We arrived via ferry from Phuket and walked (there are no cars / scooters on Phi Phi) to our Guesthouse. We settled in and enjoyed the sunset on the main beach. Our Guesthouse there was pretty dingy (our room was RIGHT next to the septic system and we saw cockroach and her child crawling skittering around our floor a couple times). No matter - we spent very little time here, because everything is outside in Phi Phi.
Maya Bay - Location of "The Beach"
The next morning we took a long-boat tour around Phi Phi and its neighboring islands. We stopped to swim a few times and did some excellent snorkeling (TONS of fish here and the visibility is incredible). We visited "Monkey Beach," which hosted many, many Li monkeys who were not shy.
Monkey Beach
We visited Maya Bay (the actual beach where "The Beach" was filmed), which was gorgeous as hell, and watched the sunset from our boat.
Ahhhh, the beach (Maya Bay)
SWEET - Bamboo Island
Sunset on a Boat
There are a lot of young tourists / backpackers around Phi Phi and thus lots of nightlife to keep us satiated. Eventually, late into the night, the crowds wander down to the beach where makeshift bars / clubs / discos offer specials on "drink buckets." They are also big on "fire-shows" on the islands - professional fire jugglers perform and they get the drunken tourists involved with "fire limbo" and jumping through fire-hoops. (No pictures of this have been found yet...)
The next day we left Phi Phi and took a ferry to Krabi, which is on the mainland of Thailand. Again, we were greeted with stunning beaches, but this time with less of a crowd, and huge cliffs.
Krabi is a top destination for rock climbers, so I felt that I needed to get a taste of it here. Today, we took a longboat to Railey beach, and I signed up for a half day rock-climbing tour.
It was the first time I climbed outdoors, and it was awesome! The climbs were of varying difficulty but most had great views of the bay and the islands at the top of them. I will be sore tomorrow, I'm sure.
Speaking of tomorrow - we will be switching to the east coast of the peninsula - The Gulf of Thailand. First stop is Ko Tao where will be getting our SCUBA certifications. More later!
written by  bhkann on July 3, 2009 from Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Open Water SCUBA - Ko Tao
Ko Tao, Thailand
With about 15 people squeezed into a minibus (fit for about 11 people), we set off for the east coast. A high-speed catamaran called the "Lomprayah" took us from the port to the island of Ko Tao.
At the pier in Chumpon, east coast
Ko Tao (which means "Turtle Island" in Thai) is the smallest and least developed of the chain of three islands in the gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui and Koh Phangnan are the other two - see the map). It is known for its laid-back atmosphere and its multitude of scuba dive-shops. In fact, Ko Tao is the second-most popular place in the world for getting scuba certifications, apparently.
We enrolled in a 4-day course to get our open-water scuba certs. The course was a ton of fun.
Scuba Junction - Our training spot
The first two days involved watching a few movies, learning about a slew of possible things that can go wrong underwater (gulp), learning to use the scuba gear, and taking our first few breathes underwater. The last two days were where we really got a chance to experience diving with 4 open-water dives with our instructor up to about 60 feet deep!
The team! (with our awesome instructor, Sandra)
At the end of day 4, we took a final exam, and I'm happy to say I am now a certified openwater scuba diver (I can dive anywhere with a buddy up to 18m or ~60 feet). We celebrated last night with a few drinks with our instructor and then passed out, looking forward to sleeping in for once in the last few days.
Aside from diving, Ko Tao is great. Again, it is an island with very few cars, and although the scenery isn't as breathtaking as the Andaman coast, it is still one of the most beautiful islands I've seen.
Sunset over Sairee beach, Ko Tao
Today we rented mopeds and explored some less traveled-to beaches on the island. In a few minutes we will be hopping on the ferry over to the largest island in the Gulf, Koh Samui.
Sairee beach, Ko Tao
Here we will meet up with another Tufts friend, and it will be our jumping off point for tomorrow night's full-moon party.
written by  bhkann on July 7, 2009 from Ko Tao, Thailand

End of the Islands - The Full Moon Party
Ko Samui, Thailand
The full moon is significant to many cultures for various reasons. In southern Thailand, it is an excuse to host an enormous island beach party, the scale of which is dizzying, with 50+ bars/clubs, techno/house/rave music, and, of course, tens of thousands of people. The Full Moon Party was to be the grand finale of our island stint, and as it turns out, our last hurrah in Thailand all together.
Fresh off our diving certifications, we took the ferry south to the island of Ko Samui. Ko Samui is a less developed version of Phuket, but still way more developed tahn the typical backpacker destination. There are many tourists here of all shapes and sizes. There are more families and older couples, perhaps due to the abundance of midrange-to-luxury accomodations. The, or maybe it's all the McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Subways squeezed together. We were able to find a decently priced guesthouse called Embassy that was great. We met up with our friend Ash, from Tufts who currently lives in Hong Kong, and two of his friends. The nightlife in Samui is strong - lots of beach bars and clubs. Turns out our hostel was next to a great, 24 hour thai food place - great for the late night pad thai cravings.
Ash was staying at a really nice hotel on the beach, so the next day we went over there to relax by the pool and rest up for he full moon party.
The party takes place on an island called Koh Phangnan, which is sandwiched in between Ko Tao and Ko Saui. During the night of the party, speedboats are run constantly from Samui to Phangnan, so we hopped on one at night, and set off to the party spot.
Arriving in Ko Phangnan was something like stepping into a hedonistic/bohemian/teenage wasted-land. Locals were selling 'buckets'of drinks being gulpd down by the masses. Some people were shirtless and most had neon paint splattered over themselves in trippy-hippy patterns or slogans. We decided to blend right in and got neon-ed up (In case your were wondering - at the advice of many people, I did not take a camera with me and currently have no pictures of this madness - maybe that is for the best, however, Ash's friend brought her's and is going to give them to me next week, so I'll post a couple then). We entered the beach and were greeted by thousands of people on the sand, up on platforms, on roofs, dancing to blaring techno music. There were fire jugglers and torches all over the place. It had a kind of tribal feel to it.
We stayed out until sunrise (the place was still packed by then), and took a longtail boat back to Samui around 7am for some much needed zzzzzs. We relaxed by the pool later that day, and stayed one more night (only thing notable here was getting locked out my hostel, having to track down a place to sleep at 3am - it all worked out fine though. That, and Corey and I have finally come down with a bit of stomach problems). Today, we sadly leave Thailand and head to Cambodia to see, among other things, Angkor Wat. More later!
written by  bhkann on July 11, 2009 from Ko Samui, Thailand

Viva Cambodia
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Though we have only spent 3 days in Cambodia, I feel like I could write pages and pages on this place. It is an complex land, with complex people who have gone through incredibly tragic things in recent past. This is set side by side with the other-worldly beauty of Cambodia's ancient past - that of the awe-inspiring temples and cities constructed by the Khmer empires from hundreds up to a thousand years ago.
Welcome to Cambodia
Despite having gone through so much hardship (from the Khmer Rouge genocide which claimed over 2 million lives in the late 70s to the brutal Vietnamese occupation to the recent communist party takeover) along with being an incredibly poor population (average income is a couple dollars a day), the Cambodian people we encountered were all extremely nice, gracious, and had a certain pride for their country - an eagerness to show-off what Cambodia has to offer (I should note that we were only in Siem Reap, where most Cambodians we encountered were affiliated with the tourist industry - our view may be slightly skewed). By the end of our time there I really came to admire them.
I learned more from our taxi driver in a few days than I learned about Thailand our entire trip.
We were picked up by our driver and agreed to let him take us around the Angkor temples over the next 2 days. He had an incredible, tragic story that I get the feeling is similar to that of many other Cambodians: His father, a teacher, was murdered by the Khmer Rouge when he was seven. His brother was killed by a Vietnamese-planted landmine in later years (Cambodia is on of the most heavily mined countries in the world - 4 to 6 million still remain). He explained the current plight of his family and many other Cambodians: Education is not encouraged or supported by Cambodia's government. There is only one public university in the country and even that one costs around $500 a year. On a salary of a few dollars a day, hardly anyone can afford that, and thus, the population stays uneducated. Meanwhile, while elections are held in name every few years, the communist party controls the police and the army, and is unwilling to give up any power. Thus reforms, like funding for education and medical care, are impossible to implement. There is no freedom of speech, and any denouncing of the prime minister can result in harrassment or arrest. It seems Cambodians are forced to deal with a government that's goal is the suppression of its people - keep them uneducated and unconnected in order to stay in power.
That said, the people seem to maintain a cautious optimism that someday things might change, though without heavy international pressure, I'm not so sure.
I could go on and on, but nowwww, back to our trip!
We settled into our guesthouse (which was VERY nice for a price of $6 /night per person). The next morning our driver picked us and we started our tour of the Angkor temples.
Street outside our guesthouse
The Angkor temples were built over hundreds of years, from around the 800s to around the 1600s. There was a large Hindu influence in Cambodia in the early years, and thus, many of the temples are Hindu temples. Later, Buddhism took over, and many of the later temples reflect that.
Bayon Temple - Happy faces
Our first stop was Angkor Thom - which literally means "Great City". The architecture was incredible. It is really hard to capture this stuff in pictures and I recommend that it definitely checked out in person. The first temple we saw was Bayon - famous for its 54 towers containing 4 faces in opposite directions for 216 total faces!
Outside Bayon
Bayon Temple
Angkor Thom
We then visited a few other temples including my favorite - Ta Prohm. This one was overgrown with these amazing, huge trees. I felt like I was on the set of an Indiana Jones movie. Actually, it was used as the movie set for a recent temple hunting movie, Tomb Raider.
Temple hunting in Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm
Sweet - Ta Prohm
After a few more temples and palaces in Angkor Thom, we had lunch, and made our way over to the main event - Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is the largest religious structure in the world, and damn is it large...Again, the pictures here don't do it justice, go yourself.
The Big One - Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat with some kiddies
Angkor Wat carvings
Inside Angkor Wat
We returned back to the guesthouse in the afternoon and wandered into town for some food. We had a specialty Khmer dish called "fish amok" which is a curry-like prepared fish served in a banana leaf.
Fish Amok with assorted side dishes
The next morning we set out for the second half of our Angkor temples explorations (there are tons and tons of temples everywhere, and apparently some people spend up to a week and beyond exploring them). This time we drove out through the countryside where it is rice-paddy dominated.
Watch out for the ox-carts
Rice farmers
Rice farmer
We visited a few amazing ruins - Banteay Srei, Sumrai?, and the Roulos Group.
2nd day temples
Banteay Srei, i think?
Boo!
Roulos
Kid dosing under elephant - Roulos
Towers in Roulos Group
Holy Cow
By then end of the day we were templed out, and because our time is short, decided to take off to our next destination: Hanoi, Vietnam. Cambodia was really great though, and I'd like to come back here sometime to get a fuller experience of the country.
written by  bhkann on July 13, 2009 from Siem Reap, Cambodia

Frenzied in Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam
First glimpses of Hanoi
We had heard a slew of negative things about visiting Hanoi - "the people are aggressive," "you will get hustled," etc... The Lonely Planet said that scams were common, especially when booking excursions out of the city. We were pleased that during our three days in Hanoi, we found, with an exception or two, people to be extremely hospitable and friendly. The exception or two was getting out of the airport (some random guy, who smelled like booze, followed us around for a while trying to convince us to ride with him to the city - no thanks) and dealing with Hanoi traffic (crossing the street was an adventure - there are very few traffic lights in Hanoi and intersections are pure chaos - Corey nearly got knocked over by a moped going the wrong direction out of his lane).
Corey attempting to cross the street at night
Aside from that, Hanoi was great! It was good to see locals out everywhere and not feel like we were in a strictly tourist zone for once.
We arrived at our hostel to find that it had been fully booked for the night - no worries - we were hooked up with a free upgrade to the owner's hotel a few minutes away. The hotel was extremely nice - we even had our own computer with internet in the room (for a total of $16 US / night).
For dinner we had Pho, a Vietnamese specialty that is a chicken noodle broth with various spices - kinda like Ramen.
The next morning we walked around Hanoi in the blistering heat. The city is chaotic and noisy, but in a cool, culturally interesting way.
Crazy Hanoi at night
The streets are packed with scooters and bicycles, and people walking with baskets of food and fruit everywhere. It was very cool. We went to the Temple of Literature, an important cultural landmark in Vietnam that honors, among other things, Confucious and his impact on Vietnamese culture. At night we went out for some cheap beers (around 80 cents a pint) and sampled some of the nightlife.
Sweet beer-hall
The next morning, we would be traveling to Ha Long Bay, originally the reason we had headed to Hanoi in the first place.
written by  bhkann on July 17, 2009 from Hanoi, Vietnam

Ha Long bay
Ha Long, Vietnam
Ha Long Bay
Through our hostel we arranged a two-day, one-night excursion to Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is in northern Vietnam near the Chinese border. It is a bay dotted with thousands of limestone cliffs. We boarded our boat and set off.
Our boat
The scenery was breathtaking, and, as seems to be the pattern on this trip, too big, and too beautiful to be captured properly on my 6-megapixel Canon. Here are some pictures anyways...
Cave at Ha Long Bay
We stopped at a large karst formation and walked through a few of its caves. We continued on through the bays, stopping at a fishing village where they had on display a virtual aquarium of different types of fish and sea creatures. Finally, we parked for the night and were given time to jump off the boat's deck and swim.
Jumping...
...into the water - Halong Bay
Chillen on the boat
The next morning we kayaked around the bay for a bit and then returned to the port. Back in Hanoi, we found a great beer hal that served Czech beer, and to our Surprise was dominated by locals. It was a nice way to cap off our time in Vietnam. With our trip approaching its end, we have one last stop where we head today: Hong Kong.
written by  bhkann on July 17, 2009 from Ha Long, Vietnam

Car #2, End mileage

Car #2, Start Mileage

Me and my instructor / dude who had my life in his hands

Post-dive

Milford Sound from the shore

Atop Key Summit from Routeburn Track

Mist clears

Morning mist on the drive up to the base of Tongariro

Steam from the Te Maori crater

Orakei Koraki geothermal area

...into the water - Halong Bay

First glimpses of Hanoi

Corey attempting to cross the street at night

Crazy Hanoi at night

Chillen on the boat

Jumping...

Ha Long Bay

Cave at Ha Long Bay

On the boat - Ha Long Bay

Sweet beer-hall

Our boat

Ho Chi Minh's Masoleum

Holy Cow

Towers in Roulos Group

Kid dosing under elephant - Roulos

Roulos

Rice farmer

Roulos Group

Rice farmers

Cool carvings - Roulos Group

Watch out for the ox-carts

Boo!

Banteay Srei, i think?

2nd day temples

Fish Amok with assorted side dishes

Inside Angkor Wat

Street outside our guesthouse

Angkor Wat carvings

Angkor Wat with some kiddies

Band of landmine victims

The Big One - Angkor Wat

Sweet - Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm

Temple hunting in Ta Prohm

Angkor Thom

Bayon Temple - Happy faces

Bayon Temple

Outside Bayon

Welcome to Cambodia

Landed in Cambodia

Sweet pool Ko Samui

Poolside Ko Samui

Maya Bay - Location of "The Beach"

Nice sunset of of Phi Phi

Bamboo Island

Sunset on a Boat

Off of Bamboo Island

SWEET - Bamboo Island

On a boat

Almost poster-worthy

Monkey Beach

Corey w/monkey

Viewpoint #1

Sunset + Beer = Awesome

Sunset with cool rocks

Phi Phi - Love these little boat shots

Fishing boats - Phi Phi

More sunsets

On the boat to Phi Phi

Patong Beach

ROCK OUT

Big-ass mall

Lots of these signs everywhere in Phuket

Chilllll hammock lounge

My beloved moped - Blue Steel

Cave near hellfire pass. I don't know why my hat is so shiny.

Hellfire Pass

Hellfire Pass WWII Memorial Museum

What's the difference between these categories?

Tree-Branch/Vine at top of Erawan

Fall #2? (i think?)

At the top Erawan Fall (#7)

At the bottom of Erawan

Sugar Cane Guesthouse

View from our room at Sugar Cane

The main event

A major Wat at Ayutthaya (Chat - something)

Hidden gem Thai restaurant by the river

Had to get one...

Big reclining Buddha

Wat near Grand Palace

Spiky Thai fruit - Rambutan