tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381514669861098002024-03-13T02:09:40.926-05:00Texans in Transit“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark TwainMatt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-8661110488835375402013-08-06T22:08:00.001-05:002013-08-06T22:08:05.939-05:00Where are we now??<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Well, we made it back to the States without much trouble and to be honest, we actually had a little reverse culture shock when we arrived at LAX. However, once we got to DFW, we left the airport and went straight to a BBQ joint near by and felt right at home. Matt was sooo happy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We then hit the ground full speed: seeing family, taking megabus between Dallas and Houston, going to a great friend's wedding, searching for cars/apartments/jobs, and regaining our bearings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In order of progression:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">While we were away, Kristin was actually offered her old job at EXCO and it was a no brainer to come back and take it. Luckily, she had about a month and a half of free time to adjust back to life before she went back to work. She spent most of that time enjoying being around family, seeing friends, looking for a car, and looking for an apartment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Matt acted swiftly and got his dream car; an electric blue 2009 Toyota Corolla, what more could a boy want?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Soon after, Kristin found her a deal on a Honda CR-V (we are practical people).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After that, Matt emailed, called, visited, interviewed, and more for his job search. After it was all said and done, he chose to go to Dallas Samuell High School to teach Algebra I and coach Football. He's looking forward to continuing his career in education!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We felt like we were really back to reality once we found our apartment. We lucked out and ended up in a great location by White Rock lake, a part of Dallas we really enjoy, and it's smack dab in the middle of both our jobs (we got the apartment before we knew where Matt's job would be).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After we returned to our normal routines, what could possibly come next to add to the adventure? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, we got engaged!!! :-) On July 24th, Matt popped the question and Kristin said YES!! Part of his proposal involved this awesome collage he made of pictures from our trip!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is Texans in Transit's last blog post, so we wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU to all of our family, friends, and blog readers. It meant the world to us to know that people back home were sending us their thoughts, well wishes, prayers, encouragement, and love. We both feel incredibly blessed to have gone on this life-changing trip with each other :-). It was more than we could've imagined. Thank you again for reading, and please don't hesitate to contact us with questions or comments about anything! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">- Matt and Kristin</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">BTW, one more thing.... We forgot to include this on the World Recap, so we'll just have to include it here.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">We wanted to let y'all know that thanks to everyone's prayers and thoughts we were blessed during our trip with no mishaps. We were lucky enough to: not have ANYTHING stolen, no electronics broke, nothing was lost (passports, credit cards, etc), no bed bugs, NO injuries, no sicknesses (cold, flu, or serious stomach issues), no missed flights, no lost luggage, no accidents while on modes of transportation, no malaria, and lastly we didn't run out of money ;-). Thanks again for all the love!!!!</span><br />
<br />Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-89271980882086847742013-07-21T23:21:00.000-05:002013-07-21T23:21:28.849-05:00World Recap 7/8/12 - 4/29/13<b><span style="font-size: large;">Recap of Texans in Transit's World Trip:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Time traveling:</b> 10 months (July 8, 2012 - April 29, 2013)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Money spent:</b> $20,700 USD each. Includes pre-trip costs such as vaccinations, storage costs for 11 months, netbook, etc. as well as ALL of our costs while we were gone! Not too bad given that we estimated a budget of $20,000 each....even if that budget was for 11-12 months ;-). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Food:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This was definitely one of our favorite parts about the whole trip (well, food and meeting people). If we had to choose favorite places for food, we'd say Thailand was at the top, and the Argentine beef (and wine) was a close second. Here is a jumbled collection of dishes we had around the world:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Grilled fish, fried fish, rice, beans, salads, "meat sticks", cinnabon, arepa con queso, sausages, guinea pig, llama steaks, various potatoes, pastas, great pizza, good pizza, very bad pizza, churascarrias, steaks (various cuts), empanadas, chimchurri sauce, choripan, McD's, fried chicken, BBQ chicken, griled chicken, lamb, pastries, bread, wines, beer, meat pies, kangaroo steak, fish 'n chips, gummy shark, sushi, dumplings, oysters, soups, noodles, ramen, pancit bihon, dosai, naan, red curry, green curry, yellow curry, papaya salad, roti, satay, laksa, pad thai, mee goreng, fried rice, banana pancakes, ice cream, coconut rice, shrimp, pork, avacados, crackers, trail mix, egg noodles, spring rolls, pho, coffee, tea, cocoa leaves, salami, cheese, warm yogurt, passion fruit, watermelon, mangoes, pineapples, thai tea, fruit smoothies, salads (only in NZ), fresh coffee, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Of course, BEER:</span><span style="font-size: large;">Aguila, Bogota Brewery, Poker, Pilsen, Club Colombia, Pilsener, Cusquena, Cristal, Pacena, Skol, Bavaria, Antarctica, Brahma, Bohemia, Quilmes, Andes, Patagonia, Victoria Bitter, Cooper's, Carlton, Speights, Tui, Monteith's, micro brews, Tiger, Anchor, Singha, Chang, Leo, San Miguel, Red Horse, Beerlao, Angkor, Klang, Saigon, Hanoi, home-made, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Countries Visited (in order):</b></span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b> Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and then back home to TEXAS!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Random Thoughts:</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Transportation: Planes, trains, automobiles...AND bicycles, LOTS of walking, hiking, tuk-tuks, "tuk-truck", moto-taxis, motorbikes, taxis, scooters, busses, pangas, boats, ferries, jeepneys, kayaks, speed boats, go-kart buggies.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Landscapes: Waterfalls, beaches, palm trees, jungles, forests, caves, coral reefs, oceans, bays, lakes, rivers, salt flat, islands, mountains, glaciers, fjords, canyons, hills, farms, country side, cities, cliffs, karsts, valleys</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Animals: Tigers, kangaroos, koalas, llamas, yacare caiman (Brazillian crocodiles), sea turtles, starfish, angel fish, trigger fish, king fish, clown fish, barracuda, golden dorado, parrot fish, eels, sea snakes, pink dolphins, whale sharks, red deer, sheep, wallabees, seals, nurse sharks, elephants, monkeys, rabbits, cattle, blue footed boobies, humpback whales, penguins, toucans, parrots, rats, lots of stray dogs, cats, roaches, goats, chickens, pigs, and of course we couldn't forget the roosters that woke us up bright and early in many countries.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Lodging: Hostels, guest-houses, hammocks, campgrounds, holiday parks, friends' homes, trains, buses, planes, airports, hotels, tents</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Activities: Scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, bike tours, self-guided tours, museums, city tours, markets, jumping off bridges, river sledging, island hopping boat tours, dune buggies, hot springs, kayaking, swimming, biking, zorbing, food/cooking classes, zoo, shopping, talking, eating, drinking, researching, relaxing with friends, and although there's more we're leaving out...last but not least, pictures and BLOGGING!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Nationalities of friends we made along the way: British, Australian (Aussie), American, Swiss, German, Swedish, Dutch, New Zealander (Kiwi), Italian, Israeli, South African, Brazilian, Canadian, Singaporean, Filipino, Malaysian, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, French, and Irish.</span><br />
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In addition to the "random thought" lists, we thought we'd throw in a couple of the most commonly asked questions once we returned.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
"What was your favorite place?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was way too hard for us to choose one favorite place because of the many various factors to consider such as food, weather, people we were with, activities, etc. Having said that, Colombia, Argentina, Thailand, and New Zealand were a few of our favorites because of the amazing scenery in those countries and delicious food in Thailand and Argentina!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"Besides family and friends, what did you miss the most?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Matt: Barbeque, mexican food, and quality micro-brewed beers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Kristin: Salads, fresh vegetables, cooking, taking showers without flip-flops on, and clean sheets</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Where will your next trip be?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Most likely, a road trip to the mountains of our very own American West. Sure, it's a place we have been and know, but there are still plenty of new places to see and perhaps there is a quaint village with our name on it that takes us back to memories of Patagonia and/or the South Island of NZ.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">"What did you learn or take-away from your trip?"</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We've learned so much about ourselves, each other, the world, and life, that it's hard to put it into words. A few key things though: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Keep life simple and enjoy each and every day you can with people you love; before you know it, it'll be gone. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Be thankful and aware of all that you have, materially speaking it is way more than most. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Love is the universal language: treat others as you want to be treated. Respect everyone. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Get outside your comfort zone and experience new things! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer!!</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We apologize for being so delayed in writing this post. We got caught up with life once we got back. Thanks for being patient! We have one more post, so stay tuned....</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-91501487803877910432013-06-30T21:19:00.000-05:002013-06-30T21:19:38.325-05:00Vietnam Recap 4/15/13 - 4/28/13<b style="font-size: x-large;">Recap of Vietnam:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Time in country: 14 days</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Money spent: approximately $700 USD each</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Currency: Vietnam Dong</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Conversion Rate: 21,000 VND to 1 USD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Food:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The food in general was pretty tasty and made with herbs, spices, and vegetables. A relief after Cambodia!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Their biggest and most well known dish is Pho (pronounced f-uh). It contains a broth, rice noodles, herbs, and usually beef or pork. We loved it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also loved the spring rolls which were available either fried or fresh. Both very tasty, but the fresh ones were great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Coffee was usually great here when done right. We liked it with condensed milk and over ice.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Places Visited (in order):</b></span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b> Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Hoi An, Hanoi, Halong Bay</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Random Thoughts:</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are millions upon millions of motorbikes. You may have heard about this as we had, but it is hard to fathom until you actually experience it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Women aren't afraid to wear hoodies, jeans, socks with their sandals, and masks to cover themselves head to toe in order to avoid the sun and prevent from darkening their skin. It was hard to find women's deoderant in Asia that did not have whitening in it! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">The cities and most of what we saw was very developed. There wasn't the filth and poor infrastructure like we saw in Cambodia.</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-55775020329094819842013-06-30T21:18:00.000-05:002013-06-30T21:18:17.040-05:00Hanoi and Halong Bay 4/23/13 - 4/28/13<span style="font-size: large;">On our train ride from Hoi An, one of the stops was where our good friend Evan, who we met in the Philippines, was boarding to carry on with a few of his friends to Hanoi. We randomly ended up in the same train car a few doors down. It was cool how our paths crossed again. We met up with him and his friends the next evening for some Vietnamese food and cheap draft beer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After leaving the train station and settling into our hotel we had booked, we researched and figured out the best option for us to take a Halong Bay tour. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles scattered amongst the very calm, blue/green water. It's one of the New 7 Wonder of Nature. The usual way to tour the area is by small cruise boats. We had heard great things about Halong Bay and its mystique. We heard it was similar to the limestone cliffs of Thailand but with a darker, mysterious feel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We opted for what was called the "Luxury" edition with a company called Alova Gold Cruise. Our package provided us 2 nights sleeping on the boat and activities such as kayaking, swimming, cooking class, and tons of eating. We actually sought out and found the Travel Asia agency directly and were able to obtain a discount so that we could afford this option (otherwise, tourists pay premiums because the fees are split between the boat company, agency, and usually hotel). Since this was our last stop of the trip we decided to splurge and spend more on the cruise than we otherwise would have. We're glad we did because it was totally worth it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">First day of the tour consisted of taking a 4 hour van ride north of Hanoi to Halong Bay, meeting our boat mates (other tourists), and then we started off with a slow cruise after lunch taking in the sights. It was stunning!! We were extremely lucky because the weather was beautiful with clear skies. Part of what gives Halong Bay the mysterious feel is the fact that it's usually rainy or foggy. Not the case for the first day of our cruise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The boat took us to an island that allowed us to climb up hundreds of stairs for an impressive panoramic view of a part of the bay and enjoy a wonderful picture opportunity of the cliffs, blue water, and all the boats. Afterwards, we spent the next hour or so kayaking through a cave into a hideout lagoon which was nice for playing and swimming. We couldn't get over the incredible views and the awesome powers of nature!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At night, we had "cooking lessons" which were actually more of learning how to roll food into rice paper for fried spring rolls. They were delicious though once the cooks fried them up. We were full off the spring rolls alone, yet, there was still so much good food to eat at dinner. Crab, shrimp, vegetables, etc. We were impressed with the quality and quantity of the food on the boat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Matt then tired himself out playing with the 5 year old girl on board, Gia. Chase, throwing, catching, charades; there was lots of games played. There were only about 15 people on our boat cruise, and we really enjoyed getting to spend time with everyone and learning their stories.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our second day we went to big cave with all of our new friends from the boat. The cave was pretty impressive, it was huge!! On the way back from the cave we were transferred to a smaller boat with two others. We then proceeded to pick up about 4 others along the way. It was our boat for the day while the "one nighters" made their way back to shore. We delved a little deeper into the isles and went kayaking through some more caves and lagoons. It wasn't too strenuous, but it was so great to see the sights in such an up close and serene setting. After kayaking we hung out on the roof of the boat, ate a big, tasty lunch, and then went to a pearl farm. We weren't expecting much from the pearl farm, but we both actually learned a few things from the farm and were glad we went in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were taken back to our original boat to shower up and meet the new "one nighters". Of course Matt met his new best friend, the 6 year old girl from Italy, Livia. After rolling spring rolls, although this time they were fresh rolls and were edible immediately (delicious!!), we had another amazing dinner. Of course the night ended with play time with Livia. She and her parents were such a sweet family and fun to get to know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tour was very well planned and stuck to a detailed schedule, which was fine by us because after 10 months we were tired of making choices ;-). After returning to shore and eating lunch, the van took us all back to our hotels and we had time to relax and walk through the city some more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In our final days, Kristin finally got a trim and had a few layers put in (she liked the $15 - $20 range that it cost in Vietnam compared to home). Thank goodness she wasn't getting anything fancy because the stylists knew very little English. Matt bought a few leather belts at the market on the cheap, but came up short in finding a back pack at the price he wanted. Crazy enough though, Matt randomly found a Texas A&M hat in a store along one of our walks. He could not pass up getting a Texas A&M hat in Vietnam (for $4!!!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also met up with Dave, a Canadian that is teaching English in Hanoi. We originally met him in the Philippines and he graciously offered to show us a bit of the city once we made it there. It was cool to get the "local" tour and chat with him as we caught up about the rest of each others travels and adventures. He took us to one of his favorite restaurants, which on top of being delicious, was right on one of the many lakes in Hanoi. Great setting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That night we went threw our bags and left what we didn't want anymore (Matt left more than Kristin ;-) ). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The time really did fly by and we couldn't believe our trip was coming to an end :-(. The next day Kristin researched quite a bit trying to find a good/ clean place to get a pedicure, after the bad experience in the Philippines. She managed to find an awesome place where she got a spa pedicure with a leg rub for $13! We spend the last few hours blogging and talking before we had our last meal in Vietnam. And just like that, our time in Vietnam was over and we were in a cab on our way to the airport. We had a midnight flight to Narita, Japan with a 9 hour layover. And then to LAX before getting to DFW. 30 hours and 3 flights later we would be back in Texas!</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-24002654909147563722013-06-17T21:16:00.001-05:002013-06-17T21:16:18.015-05:00Hoi An 4/18/13 - 4/22/13<span style="font-size: large;">So after figuring out that our night bus only went from Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang, we had the fortunate (sarcasm) opportunity to spend all day and await another night bus. We managed to move around between 2 restaurants, 3 coffee shops, and 1 hotel lobby during the 12 hour "layover". Nha Trang is actually the largest and most well-known resort town in Vietnam. It was definitely much more built up and urban than other beach destinations we had visited in the past, so we didn't feel like we were missing out by not spending any longer there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, we got our night sleeper bus (second night in a row) to Hoi An, but it was definitely lacking in quality and a more "lively" ride than the night before. There was an old Vietnamese guy in the back whose cell phone was as loud as a bell tower, and then he proceeded to talk on it at a decibel level of a Van Halen concert. At first, slightly amusing, but by the third and fourth time around midnight, not so much. The two girls laying next to him on the three-seater row (all seats connected....talk about an awkward situation for strangers to lay next to each other) were so annoyed and were not scared of telling him to shut up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another side note is that the bus driver can make or break a bus trip. At this point of our travels all of this particular driver's honking and fast curves around mountainous roads was scary, unpleasant, and definitely did not make our bus trip much fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hoi An is perhaps most famous for inexpensive custom tailored clothing. The only hard part is working your way through the gauntlet of shops (over 400 of them) and land in one you feel confident about. Our first day, we made our way around to some of the different tailors we had researched and Matt eventually decided to get a suit and got his measurements taken. Kristin found a certain style of dress that she wanted to have made for the wedding in which we excitedly decided to return home for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After two days of fittings, we finally got the finishing touches on our suit and dress. Matt's suit ended up good enough and he was looking sexy for $70. Kristin's dress turned out nice as well, a custom made/ fit dress for $30!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from friend's wedding in our new digs.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The following days were a mix of relaxing and thoroughly exploring the streets, shops, and market of Hoi An buying a few souvenir items and such (it was finally okay to buy a few things because we had less than a week left). Hoi An is a popular tourist attraction in Vietnam thanks to the town's history, traditional architecture that has remained remarkably untouched, textiles, and ceramics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hoi An has a beautiful landscape at night with numerous colorful lanterns, lights, and signs. It was very festive and we enjoyed the fun atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A really cool part about Hoi An was the cheap beer by the glass. 5000 Dong was roughly $0.25 for a beer! We think what happens is that stores, shops, bars, etc. buy beer in bulk from a distributor and sell off the product before it goes bad. Either way, we enjoyed the cheap beer!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a relaxing time in Hoi An, we boarded an overnight train to take us to our last stop on the trip, Hanoi. We enjoyed some beautiful scenery riding along the water's edge and through the mountain side. </span><br />
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Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-16607900295520804152013-06-10T11:00:00.000-05:002013-06-10T11:00:22.066-05:00Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho 4/15/13 - 4/17/13<span style="font-size: large;">We made it to our bus by 9 PM and were at the Vietnam border by 7 am the next day. We eagerly crossed the border and made it into Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), the largest city in Vietnam. It was the start of our end as it was the last country and we only had another 2 weeks left of our trip.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were fortunate to run into a guy once we stepped off the bus promoting a guesthouse and decided to go with it. He ended up having a good price for a CLEAN, updated room with a/c, tv, private bath, etc. in his home which was quite a nice change from Laos and Cambodia. Our first stop was to get some Vietnamese Pho for lunch! Pho is basically a noodle soup with broth, rice noodles, some herbs, and either chicken or beef. Delicious!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After food we got down to business since we had time constraints being that is was the last 2 weeks. First, we made arrangements to get a bus south a few hours to Can Tho where there were the floating markets. After that was complete, we walked to the War Remnants Museum. The War Museum mostly dealt with the American phase of the Vietnam War. It showed everything from pictures of protests across the world, letters of peace from Ho Chi Minh, weapons used, graphic pictures, and even an exhibit of the effects of agent orange. Although there was a lot of propaganda, it was very, very difficult to get through and quite sombering. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once back to the touristy section of the city, we bought bus tickets to head north to Hoi An after Can Tho in a couple of days (or so we thought... more on this later). Sadly, because we were limited on days and trains/ buses were full, we didn't have time to go see the tunnels used during the war. Next time?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After our fast and furious day through Saigon, we hopped on a bus to Can Tho the next morning. We picked a hotel based on a review from friends that had previously stayed there, and it was a good choice. Our first evening, the hotel set up an outing where we went out with local college students. It was a good chance for them to practice English and learn about various cultures while they showed us a few highlight spots in Can Tho and took us to a traditional Vietnamese dinner, a hot pot. We really enjoyed conversing with them and learning about their familes, backgrounds, interests, future plans, etc. On top of that, it was a great local experience to be passengers on their motorbikes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Have we mentioned how many motorbikes are in Vietnam?!? There's more than 90 million people living in Vietnam and over 30 million motorbikes. In case you can't do the math- 1 motorbike for every 3 people!! Needless to say, the traffic is crazy!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free-for-all driving.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day we had another early morning that had us up at 4:30 am to get to the floating markets. We did a private tour through our hotel and our tour guide was very interesting and informative. Can Tho is a popular town to visit because they have some of the largest floating markets on the Mekong Delta. Every day boats are on the river selling vegetables, fruits, etc. We met our guide nice and early and walked down to the river to get on our personal tour boat. He took us more than an hour down the river to see the largest floating market in Vietnam. We also stopped at a local's shack (house) on stilts for amazing Vietnamese coffee and classic Vietnamese breakfast pho. Who knew that Vietnam grows some of the best coffee beans?!?</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise on the Mekong</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vietnamese women were the common boat captains navigating and rowing the boats by themselves!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bananas anyone??</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making our way through the canal system.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristin and our tour guide</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every boat had a pole with the respective food that was being sold from it hanging so that it was easy to see from boats </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later on the tour we stopped at a rice noodle factory and saw how rice paper (used in fresh spring rolls, fried rice noodles, etc.) was made. Throughout the tour we also had lots of engine trouble which added an hour of sitting around in the scorching sun while our engine was being repaired on the side of the river!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat engine mechanic</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once our tour was over, we jumped back on a bus for the 3 hour ride to Saigon. Then we made our way to the tour company where we were to catch an overnight bus all the way to Hoi An (we had wanted to take the train; however, thanks to a Vietnamese holiday the sleeper beds on the train were all sold out and the regular seats were more than double the normal price). Well, we found out once we arrived to the tour company that our plans were not going to happen. Even though the day before we told the lady that Hoi An is where we wanted to go, and she clearly acknowledged that is where we would get to, it turned out our bus only went half way, and we would have to wait 12 hours through the day in that town before catching another bus the following night to Hoi An. NOT what we wanted/expected/needed, but we sucked it up. Another instance of communication barriers/ lost in translation. This was one of the times we were okay with going home in less than 2 weeks.</span><br />
<br />Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-13878387695495867872013-05-21T23:28:00.001-05:002013-05-21T23:28:23.157-05:00Cambodia Recap 4/5/13 - 4/14/13<b style="font-size: x-large;">Recap of Cambodia:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Time in country: 10 days</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Money spent: approximately $360 USD each</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Currency: Riel (Only used for small change as coins as they operate on USD). USD is main currency.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Conversion Rate: 4000 Riel to 1 USD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Food:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Food is called Khmer and we truthfully didn't get true, traditional Khmer foods. We actually ate a lot of Mexican food and sandwiches.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Places Visited (in order):</b></span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b> Kompong Cham, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville (Otres Beach)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Random Thoughts:</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We found Cambodia to be kind of dirty. There was literally lots of trash on the side of the roads and throughout the country, not to mention that because of the time of year we were there, it was quite dusty and hot.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The people were friendly and nice. Surprisingly, and luckily since we had been warned, we were not overwhelmed by too many child beggars.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The videos shown on buses were HORRIBLE! It was Khmer music videos which included the same music played over and over with "dancers" making a few steps and doing some sort of hand waving thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-59496597431049026952013-05-10T13:44:00.002-05:002013-05-10T13:44:55.694-05:00Sihanoukville (Otres Beach) 4/11/13 - 4/14/13<span style="font-size: large;">We left Phnom Penh on a mini-bus journey to Sihanoukville town center where we hung around, ate lunch, and waited for the Vietnamese Consulate office to open up. We had researched that it only took 15 minutes to get a Vietnam visa here, and sure enough, 15 minutes and $60 later we had a visa! From the Consulate, we flagged down a tuck-tuck in the rain to pick up our bags and headed out to Otres Beach, a quieter beach farther away from town, to enjoy our last rays of sunshine by the sea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our days at the beach weren't perfectly sunny and lovely as much as they were rainy and stormy. Oh well, we had plenty of time for hanging out, walking the beach, working out, and hiding from the rain in the common area of the hostel where watching movies (they had hundreds to choose from) from the couches was a guest favorite. We stayed at a place called Footprints hostel, but we had our own bungalow which was pretty cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had planned it out to be there to meet up with our friends, Chris and Annie, other American travelers that we originally met in Brazil, saw once again in Thailand, and they were on their way into Cambodia from Vietnam. They got in late that evening after a full day of bus travel, but we all stayed up "late" for us old folks to catch up over some Angkor Beers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Chris and Annie stayed and our next few days were pretty identical. After breakfast each morning, we headed to the water for some fun in the sun, after that we would head in for lunch, get out of the sun, play cards, and watch a movie or two...or three. Then dinner, maybe some beer and more cards, but for sure another movie :-). It rained almost every afternoon and most nights, so there wasn't much else to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were so excited to get to meet up with Chris and Annie and had a great time catching up, sharing stories, and relaxing together. We had 2 weeks of our trip left and they had another 2 months, so it was fun looking back on our trips and talking about home as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We finally had to leave out one night for an over-night bus into Vietnam. </span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-81057404311843188992013-05-10T13:43:00.001-05:002013-05-10T13:43:52.603-05:00Phnom Penh 4/9/13 - 4/10/13<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> Subject matter and pictures may not be suitable for everyone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our way to the guesthouse in Phnom Penh, we noticed the Viva Phnom Penh location, and dually noted the location. That's correct, once we did a little exploring of our surroundings and went through one of the local markets, we headed to Viva for more Mexican food. We weren't that keen on what Cambodia had to offer us for food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many people skip over the capital city Phnom Penh because there's not too much to do there, but, there is a historical main attraction, for lack of a better word in this case. At the end of the Cambodian Civil War in 1975 the Khmer Rouge regime (read: Commies), lead by a Cambodian named Pol Pot, ruled over Cambodia from 1975 - 1979. During this time they committed a mass genocide of the Cambodian people resulting in millions of deaths. Cambodia lost between 1/4 to 1/3 of their population during those 5 years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We went out to one of the main killing fields Choeung Ek,15 km away from Phnom Penh, where the regime forceably transported prisoners to be killed. We were given headphones to take an audio tour of the grounds. Here's a little of what we learned from this day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was discovered that there were over 20,000 mass grave sites around the country, known as killing fields, where over 1.3 million people were executed. Prisoners included doctors, lawyers, teachers, intellectuals, suspected capitalists, professionals, non-nationals, monks, and citizens with glasses and/or anyone else who remotely had an intelligent idea of what an actual functional and healthy society should be. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holes in the ground from the mass graves (these were excavated in the '80s)</td></tr>
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There was no money for bullets, so executioners used hoes, axes, and other farm tools, and in this instance swung children against trees.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the memorial marked by a Buddhist stupa</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pol Pot wanted to do whatever it took to dwindle his people down to an agrarian society like hundreds of years ago. That time is now referred to as "Year 0". The monetary system was abandoned, people were forced to work in the fields in slave like conditions, and many more died from starvation and disease due to "the near destruction of Cambodian society under the regime of Pol Pot". Cambodia would eventually overcome this horrible situation, in 1979, with the help of international aid and a Vietnamese invasion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another part of the somber day was a visit to the S-21 Genocide Museum which was a high school turned prison where men, women, and children were held to be interrogated, tortured, forced into confessions, and later taken to the killing field to be executed. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Khmer Rouge kept detailed records of names/ pictures of every prisoner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was a tough day seeing and learning about the tragedy that happened here just less than 40 years ago! We were embarrassed that we really didn't know anything about the genocide in Cambodia before that day. As a banner at the killing fields stated, "Knowledge of past genocide is to prevent it from re-happening on Earth".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That evening Matt went along a street to get a $2 Cambodian haircut. Although a little skeptical given the price and the location (open-air room on the side of a busy street), it turned out quite well ;-). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgRGR-aDEGWYD_NRJuxopU5DpX5u6pAHK3Gdw8G8Eb_UmXLmbo-_xsWDqPYk9WGWq9P5XLE_TDid8YLnBWrq9NKPyk0IOZAHTG0W2BDY9YgPqIRVwiiEcih-8Gf1YOoySzdK46TqgJdY/s1600/IMG_9941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYgRGR-aDEGWYD_NRJuxopU5DpX5u6pAHK3Gdw8G8Eb_UmXLmbo-_xsWDqPYk9WGWq9P5XLE_TDid8YLnBWrq9NKPyk0IOZAHTG0W2BDY9YgPqIRVwiiEcih-8Gf1YOoySzdK46TqgJdY/s1600/IMG_9941.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N_5cg73e6CHYXLdnf7L8DvL-Mu6W6wnUzbBrfMuF6MzfidaOEQpBS3-WB2maP0IhhbGzxTps9C3f4wtr27EiHjMvAbSKnCbcehhbdidWIhyk0zQjpOUqQj42tYy6t7BWPKQowHxLBjQ/s1600/IMG_9945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-N_5cg73e6CHYXLdnf7L8DvL-Mu6W6wnUzbBrfMuF6MzfidaOEQpBS3-WB2maP0IhhbGzxTps9C3f4wtr27EiHjMvAbSKnCbcehhbdidWIhyk0zQjpOUqQj42tYy6t7BWPKQowHxLBjQ/s1600/IMG_9945.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning we took a mini-bus 3 hours south to the beach to relax.</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-40181909882997788952013-04-29T00:35:00.004-05:002013-04-29T00:35:27.074-05:00Siem Reap 4/5/13 - 4/8/13<span style="font-size: large;">When you cross over the border from Laos into Cambodia, there is usually a "bus helper" that takes all the passports and visa applications through customs to expedite the process. Of course, every traveler that uses this method over-pays a few dollars for the "service", but it was minimal enough to us that we went with ease and utilized the "service". It made it a very easy crossing and we simply walked to the other side, no questions asked, except for the medical device we were shot with in the neck. Not exactly sure what it was. But the note they handed us, below, made us feel really comfortable entering Cambodia :-).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">On our way to Siem Reap we stayed a night in Kampong Cham to break up the trip. From there, we managed to find our way on a morning bus (apparently it was another "holiday" and drove the demand up for seats) where we were put on the back row atop the engine, which caused our seats to be very hot and add to our sweat box of a ride... but we survived.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was not obvious to us before we started traveling; however, we quickly found out that the "thing to do" in in SE Asia was to go to Siem Reap and visit Angkor Wat. It's a staple for tourism such as Machu Pichu, the Great Wall of China, or the Eifel Tower. Thus so, the town of Siem Reap had plenty of restaurants, shops, spas, etc. focused toward tourists. Lucky for us, our first day there we found a Mexican place called, Viva. We know what everyone is thinking....."Mexican food in Cambodia???"......but we didn't care, it was actually pretty good. We had been craving chips and salsa, and Kristin loved the mango margarita (all 4 times we went).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, a little bit about Angkor Wat, which actually means "Temple City" or "City of Temples". The main temple, Angkor Wat, was actually built around the year 1100. There are other temples around it built in the years previous to its construction, and then others such as Bayon, and Angkor Thom which were built later in the 12th century. The wats were originally designed and used as Hindu temples, but in the 13th century transitioned into Buddhist use as they still are today. Angkor Wat has gone through the most extensive amount of renovation as it is the main attraction, but there is continuous efforts on the other temples in the complex as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The travel rumor mill informed us that we needed a minimum of 2 days to see the wats (temples). Our first day, we took bikes from our hostel and rode out to see the largest Hindu temple complex of the world known as Angkor Wat, in fact, it is the largest religious monument in the world! We slept in and went after breakfast which meant it was HOT, a Houston in August kind of heat. Despite the sun beaming down, we spent the afternoon riding around the temples and observing them in awe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To us the next most impressive temple after Angkor Wat was the Bayon temple. Each of the various temples throughout Angkor Wat were designed/built by a different king from the Khmer empire and has its own influences and symbolism based on the king's choosing. Bayon was memorable because of the number of massive stone faces on the many towers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">More pictures from various "smaller" temples.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That evening after some more Mexican food, we headed back to the night market. After all the walking from that day, Kristin decided to get a fish feeding pedicure while we watched a film on the history and significance of Angkor and how it was built. The little fish "bite" off the dead skin on the feet. Kristin said it tickled a lot! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Can you believe Angkor Wat was completed in roughly 30 years? Quite impressive given the lack of tools and technology back in that time, and the fact that because of the wet season they couldn't work for a few months out of each year. The Angkor Wat temple is a powerful symbol in Cambodia and is used on many various items such as their flag, national beer, etc. The temple is a source of national pride and means a lot to the country. Despite the many hardships the country has endured, the temple symbolizes a great accomplishment that was built by their own people and has survived the test of time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day we woke up at 4:30 AM and hit the road by 5 on our bikes (the evening before, Matt went and got a mountain bike to ride that was much better for him). It is common for hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists to try and capture the classic photo of Angkor right at sunrise when the sun comes up from behind the massive temple. Who'd want to miss out on that? Well, sadly it was very cloudy that morning and we all missed out on the "classic photo". Luckily, the people watching was still entertaining.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the sun was up, we grabbed a bite to eat and then went on the "small circuit" tour of more temples. It was much cooler starting out so early, so we were able to enjoy the temples a little more. Having said that, we still grew tired and perhaps a little bored by 10:30 AM (we figured that might happen). We felt like we had seen quite a bit of Angkor Wat (for us at least) and went back to rest, nap, and eat Viva (again) for lunch. Don't judge.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPriabmM_VxisrfGoskgsc0NKJjUTWh30hC9dc6QMlCFR3N1mndj21gUfFYDlPiXxBDU54nqCHsl6xlewxIc6CuiP4X_bKxEk3ceTMhJnuEvznB3PWtQoJNFcSmJW-Kts0q2f3SfYi4aw/s1600/IMG_9840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPriabmM_VxisrfGoskgsc0NKJjUTWh30hC9dc6QMlCFR3N1mndj21gUfFYDlPiXxBDU54nqCHsl6xlewxIc6CuiP4X_bKxEk3ceTMhJnuEvznB3PWtQoJNFcSmJW-Kts0q2f3SfYi4aw/s1600/IMG_9840.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning it was time to move on and catch a 6 hour bus to Phnom Penh.</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-72167781904155400662013-04-18T02:10:00.003-05:002013-04-18T02:10:28.629-05:00Laos Recap 3/21/13 - 4/5/13<b style="font-size: x-large;">Recap of Laos:</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Time in country: 15 days</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Money spent: approximately $480 USD each</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Currency: Kip</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Conversion Rate: 8000 Kip to 1 USD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Food:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The food wasn't that great and actually a mere imitation of Thai food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was a lot of French influences with Frech bistros and cafes. Also, lots of baguette sandwiches all over for very cheap ($1 or less). In Vang Vieng especially, there were food stalls up and down the road all selling the same thing: sandwiches, fruit shakes, burgers, and pancakes. They all wanted us to buy something whenever we walked by, it was hard to choose where to stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One thing we noticed is what many of the locals ate: in one hand the ate dried chicken and in the other they would roll up a ball of sticky rice and eat it together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lao BBQ, we saw a lot of signs, but only really had it in Luang Prabang. And the meat was delicious!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g1nRZiryPcztIBDv0vwk1OaGoSN7a1ALEz9lONiEjhX40NbwLDNYb1oZbdAsrRgy8mShO3E-vX0v5rwXjrKgynv1Iro52V-Tr1V8gW1h5Dfvz9qZk_c3fTnfjBnnLt_JCbbrOYJEZbE/s1600/IMG_9367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1g1nRZiryPcztIBDv0vwk1OaGoSN7a1ALEz9lONiEjhX40NbwLDNYb1oZbdAsrRgy8mShO3E-vX0v5rwXjrKgynv1Iro52V-Tr1V8gW1h5Dfvz9qZk_c3fTnfjBnnLt_JCbbrOYJEZbE/s1600/IMG_9367.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Places Visited (in order):</b></span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b> Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Thakhek (Konglor Cave), 4000 Islands (Don Det)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M3SaXHHTHQyRg0WifyZHrntD48AJ8ZFp_FFDnU9eNo7X1_2EjcozH3hygoY57p5dpxtEXf4YDCtVJeQ74ifu4ylo-ET_3J8QNBGvXH9u3ocgRw5IoUtFOAQPtwECwFS6jGzmQujH20M/s1600/map_of_laos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3M3SaXHHTHQyRg0WifyZHrntD48AJ8ZFp_FFDnU9eNo7X1_2EjcozH3hygoY57p5dpxtEXf4YDCtVJeQ74ifu4ylo-ET_3J8QNBGvXH9u3ocgRw5IoUtFOAQPtwECwFS6jGzmQujH20M/s1600/map_of_laos.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Random Thoughts:</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The people were very nice and welcoming. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Maybe it was because we were in Laos during the dry season, still, we were surprised at how dry and dusty it was, unlike the lush greenery of other places in Asia.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The northern part of Laos, ie- Luang Prabang, was better than we expected. The French influence helped create a good atmosphere with a unique charm.</span><br />
Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-50394420385079704432013-04-18T00:48:00.000-05:002013-04-18T00:48:41.875-05:004000 Islands (Don Det) 4/2/13 - 4/4/13<span style="font-size: large;">We thought we would be able to get a "VIP" bus which came with A/C the next morning when we arrived to the bus station; however, as it happens in Laos, that bus didn't seem to actually exist like the schedule said it did. Another local (non- a/c) bus showed up to take us south, was fine while moving and the windows open, yet deathly hot when idle. Did we mention the weather is like Houston in July (very hot and humid)?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given we feel like old people and Kristin couldn't take another four hours on a non-a/c bus, we had a stop over in Pakse for the night before continuing on to the islands in the morning. It turned out to be a good choice. We took a four hour mini-van the next morning to the pier where we took a 15 minute boat ride over to Don Det island. The 4000 Islands is a group of islands in Southern Laos amidst the Mekong River delta. The number of islands can vary from 2,000 to 4,000 depending on the water level between the wet and dry season. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoQGdSAKogBr_vdUvYLKsyugjzVFj1b0boD7lESi8BIstI82FHde7Yja9psdLcKSbkjNfz8TwJ7XIWOXn61-AK0ItV-zwbIDapckYIIJ3wHlxH0JyROHJFb0gkiu9PCH8D-p05IdWjZ0/s1600/IMG_9424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoQGdSAKogBr_vdUvYLKsyugjzVFj1b0boD7lESi8BIstI82FHde7Yja9psdLcKSbkjNfz8TwJ7XIWOXn61-AK0ItV-zwbIDapckYIIJ3wHlxH0JyROHJFb0gkiu9PCH8D-p05IdWjZ0/s1600/IMG_9424.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking the boat from the mainland over to Don Det island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRblSn1ofFHEDXJ265b4d_mKsDZDg-cZN-N6mZu1cDgMwJSiLjK65AwSBDi3MzGGQjg_6DPXe36BxY5AorLLbMEsuFUj3KAmV0HTngpD9ikpJ7blROrhRnLgI9O_ThmtHSssdBx1gtz4/s1600/IMG_9426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRblSn1ofFHEDXJ265b4d_mKsDZDg-cZN-N6mZu1cDgMwJSiLjK65AwSBDi3MzGGQjg_6DPXe36BxY5AorLLbMEsuFUj3KAmV0HTngpD9ikpJ7blROrhRnLgI9O_ThmtHSssdBx1gtz4/s1600/IMG_9426.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Don Det from the river</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We stayed in a very basic bungalow right on the riverfront for about $4 each. There was just a bed, fan, window, and porch with two hammocks (view of the Mekong river included). It was a very peaceful environment though. Good thing too because it was over 100 degrees and without air conditioning anywhere on the island we didn't want to move very much. Only from restaurant to restaurant looking for "cold" beer. Most of the places gave us room temperature beer and ice to add to the mug. Yum ?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEYUXhNMWw5T5YXidKMsWwZH0HOX8OxwkKyHY0u3cpPEuaKS5RxNP2gBA0uAnOa826NCF9b60wvIwrsTXKbSDqxoNWnrtCm9wBZpGXJmMuLGFkUqGv4_SbKQamvMNcU0ZVIzQk5wb4kM/s1600/IMG_9443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEYUXhNMWw5T5YXidKMsWwZH0HOX8OxwkKyHY0u3cpPEuaKS5RxNP2gBA0uAnOa826NCF9b60wvIwrsTXKbSDqxoNWnrtCm9wBZpGXJmMuLGFkUqGv4_SbKQamvMNcU0ZVIzQk5wb4kM/s1600/IMG_9443.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bungalow porch over the river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQxHVxJXpgo5paUiCbd9aaIZeuJB1zIUTP_MrdaaeKWU3NEZ8K4-Ygvz00HVdlhw7EPG4HxHQlIw54K3u8nxQOjKLAfYJX6C0ac3Lyi_xSUyiDs-rn9QwR9X1lDREKs81poTMnk3dBOs/s1600/IMG_9437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQxHVxJXpgo5paUiCbd9aaIZeuJB1zIUTP_MrdaaeKWU3NEZ8K4-Ygvz00HVdlhw7EPG4HxHQlIw54K3u8nxQOjKLAfYJX6C0ac3Lyi_xSUyiDs-rn9QwR9X1lDREKs81poTMnk3dBOs/s1600/IMG_9437.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling off and enjoying the view from the hammock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9MHABfExmXtRqU1snRI_jvg1bt-ltgfw6CGaqzf3huxtODSvzTInRt8Kiw7mnthZiNndrPQvaJRSIuABaOss_rNZrUdGcA7WCkiuTqR63NMXN-OIQlni_u1Z7-ca3uNt_XNNwJ64o0s/s1600/IMG_9448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9MHABfExmXtRqU1snRI_jvg1bt-ltgfw6CGaqzf3huxtODSvzTInRt8Kiw7mnthZiNndrPQvaJRSIuABaOss_rNZrUdGcA7WCkiuTqR63NMXN-OIQlni_u1Z7-ca3uNt_XNNwJ64o0s/s1600/IMG_9448.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the "ferries" </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioH1VPrI826pfjy5T2TnSpg3BImVayE0SbyY0iGvDuwxlA8m2Luylza-2quxlBIWmxDnAOP4V2u8pirEbwTYWBiQsCAiUIDCN7Z6SOBV9ELHS73_QN-ITW-ENjyYAXWEPkbWcO6QDdVEk/s1600/IMG_9449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioH1VPrI826pfjy5T2TnSpg3BImVayE0SbyY0iGvDuwxlA8m2Luylza-2quxlBIWmxDnAOP4V2u8pirEbwTYWBiQsCAiUIDCN7Z6SOBV9ELHS73_QN-ITW-ENjyYAXWEPkbWcO6QDdVEk/s1600/IMG_9449.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of sunset on the Mekong from our porch</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Don Det was hotter than hell, yet, we managed to take care of a few logistics that afternoon. We booked a kayak trip for the next day and a bus to Cambodia the day after.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The kayak trip was a full day, with about 16 other people, of kayaking, walking through villages, visiting waterfalls and swimming, lunch, seeing the highly endangered freshwater irrawaddy dolphins, and more waterfalls. It was a great way to casually enjoy the Mekong river and the region around it.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CrlBLPUbKabhRbV0Ee1EmEoh2MaU3cggh4B15o-sgR5DNzRSED3tQLB89tuHM4M7izRjZwMgDmcp3b1eURTITVeENKlyIrl1rBoL6-AC6zo5gJ7LoMQ5daNYC_7WJPCtiY5r22nzNM8/s1600/DSCN4708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CrlBLPUbKabhRbV0Ee1EmEoh2MaU3cggh4B15o-sgR5DNzRSED3tQLB89tuHM4M7izRjZwMgDmcp3b1eURTITVeENKlyIrl1rBoL6-AC6zo5gJ7LoMQ5daNYC_7WJPCtiY5r22nzNM8/s1600/DSCN4708.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group kayaking down the river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYD0eiiYAoJlH_uMBFF14jovxuH8sP3qwjW-KFPQuwBdxDzkfTvGM0sSN0nxg1g2c8CKA_lqfjEmmB0sWYgnU_h1HdNPTdFhkE0gpKJIdw_Me2xj5H582EH0iL-DNGKPc2D2zJvdb0R5Y/s1600/DSCN4712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYD0eiiYAoJlH_uMBFF14jovxuH8sP3qwjW-KFPQuwBdxDzkfTvGM0sSN0nxg1g2c8CKA_lqfjEmmB0sWYgnU_h1HdNPTdFhkE0gpKJIdw_Me2xj5H582EH0iL-DNGKPc2D2zJvdb0R5Y/s1600/DSCN4712.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local fishermen</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1op3RCUIo9N3YJagHlgC4Ip3Q2ZLeuiWID-UNZoEogUqLopVv0BtJ_WCcacXMyMRHqfP24KxSkKI9WnfFLOLGNGx7TbFROB9c4ZI4VUGiiJmh-nfniOKNTRlQDRCtTlrg4X92irboBTA/s1600/DSCN4720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1op3RCUIo9N3YJagHlgC4Ip3Q2ZLeuiWID-UNZoEogUqLopVv0BtJ_WCcacXMyMRHqfP24KxSkKI9WnfFLOLGNGx7TbFROB9c4ZI4VUGiiJmh-nfniOKNTRlQDRCtTlrg4X92irboBTA/s1600/DSCN4720.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First waterfalls and swim stop of the day</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjtgEceYh47j4RnT87k9TOtYyZqraKsqgBe-ZEQQ1ZWYHHir8zJlxoMaMyd6W03L8wgoIon_J6CVTJs5uZkBuPCWXFFPiRiu_Hv5G-mVnOGiWjeNvZgzasWgBreozSgLXcs9mgETkaPE/s1600/DSCN4724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjtgEceYh47j4RnT87k9TOtYyZqraKsqgBe-ZEQQ1ZWYHHir8zJlxoMaMyd6W03L8wgoIon_J6CVTJs5uZkBuPCWXFFPiRiu_Hv5G-mVnOGiWjeNvZgzasWgBreozSgLXcs9mgETkaPE/s1600/DSCN4724.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "tractor and cart" used to moved our kayaks from one point to another (very common throughout Laos)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0beaa_T7EZJGEH4hQnmbCwrC3Pz1TvGCXG0YOyfC3_y6zCAFPdEfRTd0p1VBNHA5tt4Jccp9NA1zVbzhx9p041z_5N3SLbSP-2dUI0ibxGfetzDW15jbB839qs-JqmcaeyOLefkL9gr4/s1600/DSCN4729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0beaa_T7EZJGEH4hQnmbCwrC3Pz1TvGCXG0YOyfC3_y6zCAFPdEfRTd0p1VBNHA5tt4Jccp9NA1zVbzhx9p041z_5N3SLbSP-2dUI0ibxGfetzDW15jbB839qs-JqmcaeyOLefkL9gr4/s1600/DSCN4729.JPG" height="301" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Break time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMY_zMQSTmAqB4WoDxKu-JNoWUt3uZA5oDal6AjzdRa8Tu3Jq5VbAHjhcS-qA8KlS-4vfeyTodz3V36r7-wssbr_DFpD0y_AvxlV5l5wslA7wX_AzRu7PvtgKZvngJVz3iEDsYjxSVodg/s1600/DSCN4749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMY_zMQSTmAqB4WoDxKu-JNoWUt3uZA5oDal6AjzdRa8Tu3Jq5VbAHjhcS-qA8KlS-4vfeyTodz3V36r7-wssbr_DFpD0y_AvxlV5l5wslA7wX_AzRu7PvtgKZvngJVz3iEDsYjxSVodg/s1600/DSCN4749.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our lazy guide enjoying his partner doing all the work ;-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVmIXTjGAK__K8ywfjbnbYMpdkUyb3G_DUQTvYQVF0qPe0OHlYoinfXdYA-T3tTmHV6I7p6Jdn-gTglHIqO_OukTZDl8b6BJoCVjxNDgmxu4BUh_a5rTAxT1CFMn1xNFD5CzjrcGFPYk/s1600/DSCN4733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIVmIXTjGAK__K8ywfjbnbYMpdkUyb3G_DUQTvYQVF0qPe0OHlYoinfXdYA-T3tTmHV6I7p6Jdn-gTglHIqO_OukTZDl8b6BJoCVjxNDgmxu4BUh_a5rTAxT1CFMn1xNFD5CzjrcGFPYk/s1600/DSCN4733.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2t1wYloGzIEn93dA3mlirDsLkDXCmlSDXVdE16FOxBvkvKAkhCJulLlxmRkYfBQhFZ0IrZplVXF7iwnZbCgdrLrcTtdzjt8JlyQsD20p1mFoqSK8au2al_1dssBYzHCWPBFN9wYT27w/s1600/DSCN4750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK2t1wYloGzIEn93dA3mlirDsLkDXCmlSDXVdE16FOxBvkvKAkhCJulLlxmRkYfBQhFZ0IrZplVXF7iwnZbCgdrLrcTtdzjt8JlyQsD20p1mFoqSK8au2al_1dssBYzHCWPBFN9wYT27w/s1600/DSCN4750.JPG" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another break time</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The last stop of the day was at the largest waterfalls, by volume, in Southeast Asia, Khone Phapheng Falls. These Falls are the reason why the Mekong is not fully navigable into China. Some Canadians in the group described it as a mini version of Niagra Falls because of the similar shape. Obviously it wasn't the same as seeing Iguazu Falls, but it was still very powerful, loud, and amazing to see.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQOE0fDLorNhsiaCJVGxwK69AdubW38zjWd9gU9ExpRHNsL-80NA8gokn3xoMMssUjnw7vGwxyFdNp3F47GOnKfDFQhmx-ZwK5uQzIr7u2NqM7YYmKcUMYJCq8FxdACye-kGGOfFQxNI/s1600/DSCN4764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQOE0fDLorNhsiaCJVGxwK69AdubW38zjWd9gU9ExpRHNsL-80NA8gokn3xoMMssUjnw7vGwxyFdNp3F47GOnKfDFQhmx-ZwK5uQzIr7u2NqM7YYmKcUMYJCq8FxdACye-kGGOfFQxNI/s1600/DSCN4764.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to capture the size of the falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry5JIhhh9dRpJKNS_mz1c-rMXVRZHX1nVihNvikzntVlrhE4K91e0y3RJ-EaC8USb2ZnAWuSaSyifThEtV0S2q4B_6ANToaQ9Z1aTB5I_l3zS3TkY20lnawG6pTuwwGLo9FWfXAXMtFQ/s1600/DSCN4772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhry5JIhhh9dRpJKNS_mz1c-rMXVRZHX1nVihNvikzntVlrhE4K91e0y3RJ-EaC8USb2ZnAWuSaSyifThEtV0S2q4B_6ANToaQ9Z1aTB5I_l3zS3TkY20lnawG6pTuwwGLo9FWfXAXMtFQ/s1600/DSCN4772.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standard pic with the falls</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next morning it was time to head out of Laos and into Cambodia!</span><span id="goog_465310216"></span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-6127093275215832452013-04-17T23:36:00.000-05:002013-04-17T23:36:01.108-05:00Thakhek (Konglor cave) 3/29/13 - 4/1/13<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived to Thakhek and made our migration to one of the main guest houses in town that plenty of travelers frequent. There was one reason we wanted to go to Thakhek and that was to see a cave. It took some time once we were there to figure out how to get to Konglor cave the most efficiently (time wise and cost wise). After plenty of reading up on information and asking questions to the tour agency and front desk, we still weren't exactly sure, but decided to wake up early the next morning and try to do it all on our own by local transport. The local transport option was definitely not the most comfortable option; however, it got the job done.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was the type of day where we had to go with the flow and have faith that the locals would guide us to where we needed to go, despite them capitalizing on making a few extra dollars in the process (it is what it is). We walked to the market area at 6:30 am and were promptly greeted by a Song Theow truck driver who wanted to take us 2 hours to connect to another truck. Certainly, sounded logical (and cheap- less than $3 each) enough for us. After the first 2 hours, we transferred to a new truck that was crammed with people past "maximum" capacity, and 1 hour later made it to Ban Na Him, a small village about 1 hour away from the cave. We found a guest house where we could leave our bags and stay for the night, found some lunch, and then boarded a bus for the last hour of the journey.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We hopped on the local min-bus that went to the cave. The lady, who we think was part owner of the operation, was having her birthday celebration and had about 8 or 9 of her friends on the bus to help celebrate. It was quite the "party" ride there and back. They brought cases of beer and stereo speakers for the party. They shared their beer with everyone on the bus and were hilarious to watch and listen to. Made the ride quite entertaining!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJ_RsQXCoPOFENLCIw_Y7rmpnvqflWymWHDXush-1m95qx0DYC_m-wVv7HqHa0p8UNstg5X-XK2e3L_s4jbUYFTU_eLIC8eVbkyEARZ22MFLrXaS7kCY0pRpRQwt7aWILTL3h0htN728/s1600/DSCN4702.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJ_RsQXCoPOFENLCIw_Y7rmpnvqflWymWHDXush-1m95qx0DYC_m-wVv7HqHa0p8UNstg5X-XK2e3L_s4jbUYFTU_eLIC8eVbkyEARZ22MFLrXaS7kCY0pRpRQwt7aWILTL3h0htN728/s320/DSCN4702.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partier with his concoction of home-brew rice liquor and beer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_S1QgkJFskd8eCA-kk8NOZiBopDiZ29GnPJPnf7WL3C_cZFbblksX4U8lb-cdvq3aFGZfuSC6nVOvZqJIqI2CikkUsDDTeB3QsD23XMNj6xvv2nCUTtpa-rZ_CZo1hQNePiycWf0KMI/s1600/DSCN4701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_S1QgkJFskd8eCA-kk8NOZiBopDiZ29GnPJPnf7WL3C_cZFbblksX4U8lb-cdvq3aFGZfuSC6nVOvZqJIqI2CikkUsDDTeB3QsD23XMNj6xvv2nCUTtpa-rZ_CZo1hQNePiycWf0KMI/s320/DSCN4701.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday girl singing (very loudly) and dancing </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Konglor cave was incredible! For sure a highlight of Laos, and even the trip as a whole. We took a boat/canoe that held three people and two guides who took us down the 7km long under ground river into the cave, starting on one side and going through the mountain to a lush village on the other side. There were parts of the cave as high as 300 ft! It was such a surreal feeling being in a cave that was pitch dark except for our head lamps. It was so quiet and calm. The cave hadn't been explored with a motorized boat until 2008. It was still a very natural, peaceful place. About a quarter of the way into the cave there was an area with some of the most amazing stalagmites and stalactites. The area recently underwent an illumination project, funded by the French, to string power into the cave and add lights to this area. We walked around the area in awe of what nature can do. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDDEt67LqfW-EPyqC7_v0utxKDrTQaOIKMNXcKOuDQSZW-YFxZF1_WxcSW4qZNlUBAOnpEcqT7ZYUBLX-2o8FgKMsZ6aql1FS82FfoFv1UT8C9MmNt61s-V6GPlmNYVylyN5rE5Jw3pY/s1600/DSCN4580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiDDEt67LqfW-EPyqC7_v0utxKDrTQaOIKMNXcKOuDQSZW-YFxZF1_WxcSW4qZNlUBAOnpEcqT7ZYUBLX-2o8FgKMsZ6aql1FS82FfoFv1UT8C9MmNt61s-V6GPlmNYVylyN5rE5Jw3pY/s320/DSCN4580.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerald pool outside the entrance to the cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYyJPPh0gnYgt1mNkoiFlNRl5jgLARt7iUZ1oK9PV_KY7_XbIYJK8bcIL61YG11OMLHoKRyEYUdY72QnOWLqI7b_e-W1UGKSIDYbBJQIDUweAJqATF2WRGIObH_3dE7CVGhCY_3JhImU/s1600/DSCN4586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYyJPPh0gnYgt1mNkoiFlNRl5jgLARt7iUZ1oK9PV_KY7_XbIYJK8bcIL61YG11OMLHoKRyEYUdY72QnOWLqI7b_e-W1UGKSIDYbBJQIDUweAJqATF2WRGIObH_3dE7CVGhCY_3JhImU/s320/DSCN4586.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking into the cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GIweFoPRDX3vX8HDjuUH02eEH3mtxvfqnee9nfd1krCU-uQRc-leeBpoa2PxhSHVsJX-arxlCzGPVxZxF6DV2m0G2J1zuEXKnSnqWe-R88tsKALfjjD8ZGLbjQde_ezcJ29_jYzcWUE/s1600/DSCN4592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GIweFoPRDX3vX8HDjuUH02eEH3mtxvfqnee9nfd1krCU-uQRc-leeBpoa2PxhSHVsJX-arxlCzGPVxZxF6DV2m0G2J1zuEXKnSnqWe-R88tsKALfjjD8ZGLbjQde_ezcJ29_jYzcWUE/s1600/DSCN4592.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting into the boats to go into the river and cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgtOfwcYu2eyjyoc76QABD6e4UWZL3FdlZdQ6hajOeoqR1VGPQwqrk-aVZvagqTTE-xMuU222SejrREKS9H0L2E1L50X0JfT-n7knYH8CmztwSmYQ61CFhLu4Dpge7mN6BELTxyOeD-w/s1600/DSCN4608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgtOfwcYu2eyjyoc76QABD6e4UWZL3FdlZdQ6hajOeoqR1VGPQwqrk-aVZvagqTTE-xMuU222SejrREKS9H0L2E1L50X0JfT-n7knYH8CmztwSmYQ61CFhLu4Dpge7mN6BELTxyOeD-w/s1600/DSCN4608.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big stalagmite, small life vest</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05OqDi-m3RKWzh3qWTAcGSnu7dra5HYI3suMTTcequhK7rTllqyv9fgxFBo_ouVdUlNjVamNu3Wk7u9QvUUvX4EWM8vc1vVIF0YA7Rw11o07QYMExEMnYkm3nJjv6Sbb9nSWY_nkzyvw/s1600/DSCN4627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05OqDi-m3RKWzh3qWTAcGSnu7dra5HYI3suMTTcequhK7rTllqyv9fgxFBo_ouVdUlNjVamNu3Wk7u9QvUUvX4EWM8vc1vVIF0YA7Rw11o07QYMExEMnYkm3nJjv6Sbb9nSWY_nkzyvw/s1600/DSCN4627.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More stalagmites and stalactites</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RFZti2tAPVCsCTuyYc0YF-hy60sWPuXb3O-R1k2ZqePBwsJYIf_RAXAhAEA5yukGARk2H9I3Juo3-CezirCA1zoj0-b2_vzKEOwS1rUjug7yt-XY9ppnIaqYw2xXs14A7BwbCwPcEJk/s1600/DSCN4630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RFZti2tAPVCsCTuyYc0YF-hy60sWPuXb3O-R1k2ZqePBwsJYIf_RAXAhAEA5yukGARk2H9I3Juo3-CezirCA1zoj0-b2_vzKEOwS1rUjug7yt-XY9ppnIaqYw2xXs14A7BwbCwPcEJk/s1600/DSCN4630.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More again...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-5wecFx2RnLSSyfjCvMTN7rzqYilL_o2r28s9jnWMevTX2eM2g7yTeKoe4CGuY9xc8LpAPFm2yCT_8X6FgC9d56vuZa8YbIpdUztyVJMLgiJIRJDbSmmUCz6VFnj2babqVRBcvtA1Ak/s1600/DSCN4635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-5wecFx2RnLSSyfjCvMTN7rzqYilL_o2r28s9jnWMevTX2eM2g7yTeKoe4CGuY9xc8LpAPFm2yCT_8X6FgC9d56vuZa8YbIpdUztyVJMLgiJIRJDbSmmUCz6VFnj2babqVRBcvtA1Ak/s1600/DSCN4635.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guide pushing our boat through the rapids and rocks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_XRf-Fow9G5L8xsyFPzq2MT9cl-6ff1ED1OEuy3I4eqBOvdgnRs0EBcSlvRAMM-RRmCRc9a_0rW4iaWri4r1LzcGUFtt4ckPZU42DS3sZF0g31H6cmi5xWInLmQ7VaACSu3rnZVs0NM/s1600/DSCN4640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_XRf-Fow9G5L8xsyFPzq2MT9cl-6ff1ED1OEuy3I4eqBOvdgnRs0EBcSlvRAMM-RRmCRc9a_0rW4iaWri4r1LzcGUFtt4ckPZU42DS3sZF0g31H6cmi5xWInLmQ7VaACSu3rnZVs0NM/s1600/DSCN4640.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another boat passing us by with their headlamps on (notice the monks in orange)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tAn3RT3nkkJJytxR_Jex9MUbS5-lQabppoFA29U5zc-2zh00c7LpTTZaYXXeYegyp34nK051oKnqDN_Jb37KjAYSjCdK_4icKLvZ5CVsOmEm7mjkAwKcHbVjKBCbILNCLo8PFDMaKp4/s1600/DSCN4665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tAn3RT3nkkJJytxR_Jex9MUbS5-lQabppoFA29U5zc-2zh00c7LpTTZaYXXeYegyp34nK051oKnqDN_Jb37KjAYSjCdK_4icKLvZ5CVsOmEm7mjkAwKcHbVjKBCbILNCLo8PFDMaKp4/s1600/DSCN4665.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the other side of the mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going back through the cave</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We stayed in the small town that night and the next morning made the return trip on the trucks back to Thakhek. After reviewing our options, we decided to stick around for the rest of the day and relax before taking a bus south to the 4000 Islands the next morning.</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-37707484752524395912013-04-10T08:53:00.000-05:002013-04-10T08:53:14.162-05:00Vang Vieng 3/27/13 - 3/28/13<span style="font-size: large;">We didn't want to force ourselves to go through another overnight gauntlet ride from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, so we decided to break up the trip and stay in Vang Vieng. This was only about a 6 hour ride on a "VIP" bus during the day (VIP is just a little better than local, rough transport). What was once a small river village along the Nam Song has turned into a much more busy and bustling town for travelers over the years. The town used to be full of backpackers there for one thing: tubing down the river. We</span><span style="font-size: large;">'ve heard the town used to be a crazy scene with bars all along the river, free shots, rope swings, people jumping from rocks, etc, etc. However, after some serious injuries and deaths, the craziness was removed and it's now more of a relaxing float down the river amongst the incredible scenery.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The town is quite small, and only took us about 10 minutes to walk through and see it the first evening. Although it was a for sure "touristy" thing to do, we really enjoyed stopping in one of the many restaurants/bars that had Friends episodes playing on their TVs non-stop. We went in for dinner the first night and stayed for the next 2-3 hours. We both love Friends!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We wanted to be active the next day so we went on a hike across the river to a few limestone cliffs (aka karsts) and climbed to the top where we could see rice paddies, cattle, forest, and a panoramic view of the town. It was a great activity for the morning and got us sweating quite a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We carried on to the Lus Cave and lagoon, but we had to go with a guide and we didn't want to take that much time, so we headed back to town to get tubes and float the river. Surprisingly, the water was clean, clear, and cool. There were a few bars along the way (nothing like it used to be). We were with three other guys that just so happened to be going at the same time as us. Kees and Bjorn from Holland, and Manu from Italy. We had a good time and the surrounding views of karst limestone mountains and Laos countryside made it totally worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a quick stopover in Vang Vieng, it was time to keep heading south.</span></div>
Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-43921922179265241792013-04-08T10:49:00.003-05:002013-04-08T10:49:28.174-05:00Luang Prabang 3/25/13 - 3/26/13<span style="font-size: large;">We made it to Luang Prabang by 6 in the morning which gave us plenty of time to go out and see a bit of the town. Matt walked around for a couple hours in the morning while Kristin took a nap and then joined him after breakfast. It was a quaint town at the junction of two rivers, the Mekong and Nam Khan. Many of the buildings were what you would imagine from a small village somewhere in the French countryside. The French actually controlled Laos from 1887- 1945. The French provincial style houses had charm, and were fused with Asian characteristics, such as wood carvings along railings and other detailings. Luang Prabang has been referred to as the most beautiful city in southeast Asia and it was easy to see why. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also made it to the "most impressive" Wat in town, Xien Thong, which was currently under a bit of renovation, yet, we could still appreciate its beauty. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also meandered to the junction of the two rivers, a key point as to why the city was placed here. After a lot of walking, it was the perfect place to stop, have a beer, and soak in the surroundings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">At night, a section of the main road in town was shut down and hundreds of merchants set up canopies and goods for the night market. There were wood carvings, Laos silk scarves, paintings, clothes, purses, jewelry, etc. One of our favorite spots of the market was an alley way of small food vendors, in particular the meat from the Laos BBQ. The meat on a stick and sausages ($1.00 for a huge chicken breast or sausage stick) were delicious and super cheap. There was also a stall where you could get a plate for $1.00 and fill it up with everything you could imagine. Cheapest buffet ever. We also really enjoyed the wontons and spring rolls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We felt like we had seen a lot of Luang Prabang on our first day, but we also knew there was a lot of talk about waterfalls just outside of town. So the next day we loaded in a Song Theow (tuk-tuk truck) and headed out for the hour long ride to Kuang Si Falls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Along the path to the falls, there was a Malaysian Black Bear sanctuary. Many Asian bears are currently threatened by de-forestion and poaching for their body parts. In particular, the bears are caught and their bile used for ancient Chinese traditional medicine practices. This sanctuary helps provide a peaceful home for them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kuang Si Falls is made up of multiple levels of waterfalls and serene teal pools with the highest fall towering roughly 200 feet. It was a beautiful setting to spend the afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a couple days in Luang Prabang we headed south, back the way we came from ;-).</span><br />
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<br />Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-78239082419008022922013-04-02T06:48:00.003-05:002013-04-02T06:50:33.539-05:00Vientiane 3/20/13 - 3/24/13<span style="font-size: large;">We spent enough time and money in Thailand, and it was time to move on to Laos. After a ferry ride from Koh Samui, we took a connecting bus to the train station for an overnighter to Bangkok. The sleeper train cars were all full, so we got to ride in seats that reclined maybe all of 5", needless to say, it was not the best train trip thus far. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bangkok train station</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We arrived early (6 am) and went into the city to kill time before our next overnight train that evening. It was our 4th time in Bangkok, so we felt like old pros with their sky trains and metro rails. We shopped around and ended up at the movies to see Django. Later that evening, we were finally on our train (in the sleeper car, yay) and headed north to the Laos border crossing. We arrived at the border the next morning around 10am. We got off the train and got a ticket for another train that would take us across the Thailand / Laos border via the "friendship bridge".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">While we were on the train that goes over the bridge, Matt noticed a guy wearing a cowboy hat. Matt curiously thought that he may very well be from Texas. As it turned out, after Matt found a way to casually tell him he liked his hat (only a little awkward to start a conversation), the guy, Colin, mentioned that he and his girlfriend were indeed from Texas. Being Texan, Matt kept probing with the "from what part" questions, and found out the girl, Kate, was from Spring and went to Klein High School (Kristin did too!). If that wasn't a small enough world, the girls looked at each other and then recognized one another from middle school where they played oboe together in band. They hadn't seen each other since early high school. It was pretty crazy to run into each other on a train in Laos!! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kate and Kristin with the same backpacks!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We took a van from the train station into Vientiane, the capital and largest city of Laos. The city is located along the Mekong river near the Thailand border. There's not a whole lot to see and do in the city (besides some more temples); however, we planned to stop here for a night or two to recover from the last couple of travel days. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The not-so pretty riverfront in Vientiane.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Naturally, we met up with Colin and Kate later that night for dinner and went out for a few Beerlaos. It was fun to catch up and hear about their trip, and what they're up to back home. The next day, our Texas friends moved on while we roamed the city a bit, and then made use of the internet to catch up on the blog and plan out our next few legs of the journey.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A temple right across the street from our guesthouse.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After two nights in Vientiane, we were rested and ready to move on. We booked an overnight sleeper bus to Luang Prabang, 10 hours north. This was the bus that showed up to the station.... </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">April Fools!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Luckily, it was NOT ours :-). </span><span style="font-size: large;">The sleeper bus was a different kind of sleeper bus than others we've been on. It had 3 rows of double-decker reclining seats. It looked great, but it really wasn't very comfortable. </span><span style="font-size: large;">It turned out to be quite humorous for Matt. Well, Kristin did most of the laughing as Matt tried to fit in the short, skinny "bed/seat" combo. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Matt didn't exactly fit in the small space where his legs/feet were supposed to go. Another instance where Kristin didn't mind being short ;-). Not to mention that the 10 hours through the night were on some of the windiest roads with huge potholes. Thank goodness there were seat belts to hold us down, otherwise Kristin might've ended up falling over the edge of her seat! No worries, we made it safely to Luang Prabang the next morning. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks nice in theory.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How Matt slept that night.</td></tr>
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Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-16049121380626557322013-03-29T10:28:00.000-05:002013-03-29T23:55:58.757-05:00Thailand Recap 1/4/13 - 1/14/13; 2/24/13 - 3/21/13<b style="font-size: x-large;">Recap of Thailand:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Time in country: 37 days (10 days in January for diving, then majority of time Feb.- March)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Money spent: approximately $1600 USD each</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Currency: Baht</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Conversion Rate: 30 Baht to 1 USD</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Food:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">First off, Thailand is a place with many different, delicious dishes. Overall, we agreed that the country has the best food.....perhaps in the WORLD (at least from where we've been)!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Noodles and rice are everywhere and are usually in some type of fried dish. It should be mentioned that in Thailand fried doesn't mean battered and deep fried, it simply means cooked in a wok with hot oil. There were thin glass noodles, a thicker rice noodle like what's in Pad Thai, and wide, fat noodles like in </span><span style="font-size: large;">Pad See Ew</span><span style="font-size: large;">. Then, mixed with veggies and/or meat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Curries are popular as well and are made from pastes which are ground down herbs, spices, peppers, etc with a mortar and pestle. The paste is usually mixed with coconut milk, veggies, and meat in combinations depending on which dish is being cooked. There's red curry, massaman (yellow) curry, panang (peanut) curry, and green curry. The curries have different levels of spice depending on the peppers used in the paste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are also various soups, the most abundant and most obvious to us was the Tom Yum soup. Traditionally very spicy and made with shrimp. There was also coconut milk soup (not spicy), and plenty of other soups to choose from. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you've read any of our Thailand posts you'd have heard about the infamous banana pancakes (also called rotee in certain areas). These are basically a crepe-like dough slapped around on a metal surface, filled with bananas (or sometimes mangoes or even egg if you want), and topped with various choices of toppings- chocolate (our favorite), honey, cinnamon, peanut butter, nutella, vanilla, etc. Delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As in the Philippines and other countries, fruit shakes are abundant and available on every street corner. Great afternoon snacks :-).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another drink we liked in Thailand was the Thai tea. It's red tea, condensed milk, and sugar. Yup, you guessed it, not healthy. But, a nice treat every so often.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Places Visited (in order):</b></span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b> Koh Tao, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pai, Phuket, Koh Lanta, Krabi, Koh Samui</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Random Thoughts:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In just about every city that had sewers and trash sitting out on the streets there were rats. Matt jumped and screeched like a small child any time we'd see a rat, or any time Kristin would mess with him and tell him there was a rat! They were pretty gross.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />If you ever wanted a custom tailored suit, shirt, dress, etc; just take a stroll down the street in any touristy Thailand area. There were an abundant amount of tailor shops, usually run by Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Burmese, etc, where you could get custom made clothing for pretty cheap prices. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Every town, no matter how big or small, has a Buddhist Temple, known as a Wat. They are very detailed, ornate, and interesting to walk around. The dominant religion in Thailand, 95% of the population, is Buddhism.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tourism is HUGE in Thailand. At times, it was a little too much with all the tourists, but it's understandable given that the country has so many great things to offer. Luckily, there's pretty good infrastructure to accommodate all the tourists.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />If you don't pass by a restaurant/bar, custom tailor, or tourist agency, then most likely you're passing by a massage place. They are ALL over and offer great massages for cheap prices. Foot massages for $7/hour or an oil massage or Thai massage for $10/hour. Great addition to any vacation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />The national symbol of Thailand is the elephant. It has become a symbol of fortune, and is widely used for decorative purposes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another tid-bit we learned is that before a movie at the movie theaters the national anthem is played with a quick video and everyone stands while it's being played. The national anthem is also played in the morning and in the evening at the bus and train stations and again everyone stops what they're doing and stands while it's played.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thailand has an extensive train system connecting most of the country. This is a fairly comfortable and affordable way to travel around different parts of the country given how huge it is. A 12 hour overnight train ticket for a sleeper train costs roughly $30 or so. </span><br />
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<br />Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-23675316017112454292013-03-29T10:20:00.001-05:002013-03-29T10:20:14.884-05:00Koh Samui 3/18/13 - 3/19/13<span style="font-size: large;">Before moving on to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, we had one more stop in Thailand for Matt to see a friend, Marc, from Lake Jackson. He and his wife, who lived in California, left in December on their own year long travels and were on Koh Samui. We all tried to meet up in the Philippines, but it didn't work out. Fortunately, they were close by (in relative terms) and Koh Samui was on our way north!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We went back to being travelers and deciding things on the fly to make our way over to the island via bus, ferry, and cab. Koh Samui is Thailand's third largest island and has plenty of white sand beaches, coral, and warm water. Over a million tourists head there each year, thus, it has been built up over the years and set up to accommodate a broad range of travelers. For us, it had a nice feel thanks to delicious food, a pretty beach front, and friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our first night we met up with Marc and his wife, Janie, for dinner and then headed to a fire show on the beach with the rest of the group. Marc and Janie had three friends visiting from home. It was an early night for everyone as we were all exhausted and they had to wake up for a long day of diving/snorkeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We stuck around for a day to explore Samui. In reality it ended up being more of an exploration down the street and along the shops for Kristin ;-). We also relaxed our weary bodies with some massages, and gave ourselves some time to enjoy the beach as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the day, we actually won $1,000..... or an iphone 5, or an ipad 2, or a 4 night stay at a new resort running the promotion. Two guys handed us a free sweepstakes card to open and surprise, surprise, we won something ;-). We knew it was "too good to be true", especially once they started on the bit about taking a cab to the new resort to hear a 90 minute spiel and have drinks. Lucky for us we met NONE of the criteria (must be: married, 30 - 65, staying in a place over 1,000 baht a night, and have a full time job (backpacker doesn't count?)) and used it to our advantage to walk away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet, from our sweepstakes experience, we did walk away with a new friend, Simon. He was a friendly Kiwi/Aussie that overheard our situation and was willing to help us get away from the sales pitch. Thus, after meeting up with Simon for dinner, the three of us met up with the rest of the group once they all returned from their big adventure at sea. It was a relaxed and enjoyable night with some drinks at the pink VW bus bar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were lots of activities to do in Koh Samui; however, we used the day and a half to be social and hang out with new friends. After Samui it was time to head north to Laos via train with a stopover in Bangkok.</span></div>
Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-45504913373096889022013-03-29T10:16:00.000-05:002013-03-29T10:16:03.837-05:00Ao Nang (Krabi) 3/14/13 - 3/17/13<span style="font-size: large;">We were in full force with 6 people traveling together (Dad, Mom, Matt, Kristin, Brian, and Karen), but we had a seamless transition from the ferry from Koh Lanta to Krabi to a van that took us straight to one of the nicest hotels around, Anyavee Tubkaek Beach Resort (on Tubkaek beach, north of Ao Nang). Random tidbit- this beach was actually used to film the Hangover 2's wedding scene. Dad way out did himself; the place was quite spectacular and nicer than anything we imagined we'd be able to stay in on this trip. Our rooms even had pool access via our patios! It also worked out that the hotel was directly next to Kristin's other brother, Mike, and his girlfriend Viviane. We hung out with them in Rio, and were excited when we heard they also booked a trip to Thailand for the family vacay : )!!! And then there were eight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a relaxing day on the beach, kayaking, reading, swimming in the pool (it was pretty hard not to relax at such a beautiful place), we met up with Mike and Viviane for beers while watching the sunset, then on to dinner with the whole family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day was our big adventure day, and Mike had arranged a private speed boat for just the 8 of us to tour Phi Phi Don island and the surrounding areas. It was awesome being able to have our own boat because we started earlier than all of the group tours which meant we were able to avoid most of the crowds. Plus, we could leave one spot and go to the next whenever we wanted. It took us to snorkeling spots, swimming areas, great beaches, lagoons, and allowed us to see some of the great limestone formations that pop out of nowhere and form islands. This area of the world provided incredible scenery and views, and we thoroughly enjoyed the entire day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a full day in the sun, we got to watch an incredible sunset on the beach and then share another dinner in Ao Nang town with the family. Afterwards, Mike, Viviane, Karen, and Brian got tickets to see a traditional Muay Thai fight (we had already seen one in Koh Tao, so we went back with the parents).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately we all had to say good-bye to Brian the next morning, but we were so glad and thankful Dad arranged for him to come out, even for a short time, and see us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We didn't let the sad feeling last long though, because we had another private speed boat booked for the day to do the "4 islands" this time. More sun, beaches, swimming, fun with family, snorkeling, and beautiful sights.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and the next day the 7 of us took a shuttle van 3 hours back to Phuket (where everyone flew out from). Krisitn and Matt had a hotel room for everyone to store their bags while we killed time waiting for everyone to take cabs to the airport. Mike and V flew out around 10pm, but Dad, Mom, and Karen not until 2 am. After searching out something to eat for lunch, we went to a local market for some last minute just in case shopping, a then Mike, Viviane, Karen, and Mom had their last bit of vacation Thai massages. Everyone packed up and took showers before their 20-30 hour journeys back home. It was sad to say bye to everyone, but at least we knew it wouldn't be too long before we see them again. We had the most amazing time with ALL of Kristin's family for the week and were so grateful for her Dad planning and making this family vacation happen. They were more than generous in taking care of us for the week and we appreciate everything so much!! </span><br />
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Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-814728195868758622013-03-24T04:07:00.001-05:002013-03-24T04:07:16.057-05:00Koh Lanta 3/12/13 - 3/13/13<span style="font-size: large;">We wanted Kristin's family to get a feel for "backpacker life" by keeping them on the move so that they could see a few different places in Thailand. Travel days can be long and the unpacking/packing is not the most fun; however, we wanted to maximize their experiences in a short time. So we boarded the 2 hour ferry to Koh Lanta and then had an exchange to another ferry, for the last hour, at the Phi Phi Don pier where we gathered up all our baggage and transferred everything onto a new boat. Everyone passed the backpacker test with flying colors and maneuvered on and off the boats with their bags in a quick fashion. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Five people's luggage ;-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferry to Koh Lanta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and Mom on the ferry</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views around Phi Phi island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the ride</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That afternoon/evening we arrived to the hotel, dropped our things off in our rooms, changed, and hopped in our hotel transport to the beach for sunset. Our hotel took a truck to one of the beaches each night at 6pm so that guests could enjoy the sunsets and then transferred us back at 7pm. All for free. This was a new concept to Matt and Kristin. Customer service at its best.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the sunset....again</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Once we returned from the beach, we decided to head straight to dinner at a place around the corner from the hotel. Kristin's brother, Brian, was supposed to be landing in Krabi that afternoon and taking a van over to Koh Lanta, but we thought he was running late because of some transportation issues. After arriving at the aiport he had his own fun and "backpacker adventure" in trying to find the transportation Dad had arranged for him, but wasn't there. It was a good thing Dad checked his phone while we sat around the table awaiting our dinner, because he saw a message that Brian had resolved the issue and was already in the hotel room waiting on us. Excitedly, the "kids" (Kristin, Matt, and Karen) took off to go get him and bring him to dinner. Another happy welcoming party!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZlk_Yy8ie65uKaW2Wk0jWNYwpTBeV-SSViH5IxW-3-8Tfa3LDbM4E0E_HmFeysU_SxptSax1BYydCz3hcIzKwxv3KTqigaSd_UIwGdvXmeQGjN4eYWoN_Aq5ZnHej-9DSheIhql5-ZA/s1600/DSC_0246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZlk_Yy8ie65uKaW2Wk0jWNYwpTBeV-SSViH5IxW-3-8Tfa3LDbM4E0E_HmFeysU_SxptSax1BYydCz3hcIzKwxv3KTqigaSd_UIwGdvXmeQGjN4eYWoN_Aq5ZnHej-9DSheIhql5-ZA/s1600/DSC_0246.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian arrived!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96PHJm1o_APGG0REV6CRVJNZ6G84iJXcIB1qiY3TS99Fnvop9H-9WSebeYZ3IiScrFumf5iSrJAyDL647HzjZ5anhiZpc5ofEDkwzKRLrul5C5c_24UzACQBi-MR2qIaoFWfyfiqVPs0/s1600/DSC_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96PHJm1o_APGG0REV6CRVJNZ6G84iJXcIB1qiY3TS99Fnvop9H-9WSebeYZ3IiScrFumf5iSrJAyDL647HzjZ5anhiZpc5ofEDkwzKRLrul5C5c_24UzACQBi-MR2qIaoFWfyfiqVPs0/s1600/DSC_0254.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look who made it to Thailand</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our next day was a FULL day at Long beach, 10:30 A.M. until sunset. Again, the hotel truck drove us the 5-7 kms to the beach and picked us up at the time we asked them to for free. We all had plenty of time to lay out, swim, talk, frisbee, and read. Kristin, Karen, Mom, and Brian decided that afternoon to get themselves massages by the beach. They were wonderful! $10 for an hour long oil massage with the sound of the waves crashing in the background, what could be better! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long beach on Koh Lanta</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day at the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrPh8wvBnCwffLXUnorVGExEX3HL0IUUwwFemPopC1bchA_iEUEfL15tnhVbCscZ_0m8CgukmvRMJ1lx88R4jBObGFSlYLG9btyxKn3t4vzPIdo71XfEq_JF0QfYShS25KXIW7PcRn-I/s1600/P3120234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrPh8wvBnCwffLXUnorVGExEX3HL0IUUwwFemPopC1bchA_iEUEfL15tnhVbCscZ_0m8CgukmvRMJ1lx88R4jBObGFSlYLG9btyxKn3t4vzPIdo71XfEq_JF0QfYShS25KXIW7PcRn-I/s1600/P3120234.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch spot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9JkJ96ka_3xYpO0C-JBVFUxjvjG3lsKLWeJ9pUy1NwMzrXma60AZRHZeYikTYZCvWzB0GHXsDKh0dAMj5qZmiI3V0-4f0Zog6sgv_mysi4Hz6t-5_tbuapFoBaNBSOr4aD1y9b7odbM/s1600/100_2730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9JkJ96ka_3xYpO0C-JBVFUxjvjG3lsKLWeJ9pUy1NwMzrXma60AZRHZeYikTYZCvWzB0GHXsDKh0dAMj5qZmiI3V0-4f0Zog6sgv_mysi4Hz6t-5_tbuapFoBaNBSOr4aD1y9b7odbM/s1600/100_2730.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four of us enjoying beach massages</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Afterwards Kristin and Dad went back to the hotel to arrange our next day of travel, via ferry, to Krabi. While they were gone, the rest of the gang had some drinks and picked out a spot for yet another sunset. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtYyMFhqiyH9OKGprB1johzeZ7UqtQrCDziv8zKXXbXnPQgif4Cs2SIs3vYOA8TmLVxIbVVjPjyZFsGSWGE70aUsTEWoWOHrDs5sZVOAauZRuCPBY91OB3ymZISshpZ8ptELpZnP3hKU/s1600/P3120241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtYyMFhqiyH9OKGprB1johzeZ7UqtQrCDziv8zKXXbXnPQgif4Cs2SIs3vYOA8TmLVxIbVVjPjyZFsGSWGE70aUsTEWoWOHrDs5sZVOAauZRuCPBY91OB3ymZISshpZ8ptELpZnP3hKU/s1600/P3120241.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen and her beach cocktail</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwS3p63ubwx5I1d-Lx66cBCfuO0_rfxAqP-NIFdFdv8ixzp0XeR2LLtBs6ze-W6EYUWz68H0fW4KWUxXMKoq_A_dT5tztMAZJ3_dXXwVnIzCMf7mKidGD1XFOxaS5r-XDjyvEhgDzD6Bg/s1600/100_2765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwS3p63ubwx5I1d-Lx66cBCfuO0_rfxAqP-NIFdFdv8ixzp0XeR2LLtBs6ze-W6EYUWz68H0fW4KWUxXMKoq_A_dT5tztMAZJ3_dXXwVnIzCMf7mKidGD1XFOxaS5r-XDjyvEhgDzD6Bg/s1600/100_2765.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny Football</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset with drinks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To cap things off for the day we went to a nice dinner with lots of fresh seafood for everyone, and then walked around the market. Plenty of souvenirs to buy for everyone, but surprisingly the only item bought was sunglasses for Brian because he forgot his. Maybe Matt and Kristin's scare tactic of insisting on traveling "light" worked ;-). And it would not be right to end a night without banana pancakes, so we had some more. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping at the night market</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That night we hung out in our "family room" and talked more over some beers and played cards. We couldn't stay up too late though because we had an early morning the next day to get the ferry over to Krabi. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0w_9Ev0Ygqu8GAP-u-Se64rP1-HGxxqG3U86yfcIUSsEjYnugki5brv-VrnveUsAVUOPr54M7gvDZSyiynGRfEC5O6Yrn14aRsyehQbjU4z_VW2GF1Lncpwo_0GFi9e9cqLik5H1bik/s1600/IMG_9061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0w_9Ev0Ygqu8GAP-u-Se64rP1-HGxxqG3U86yfcIUSsEjYnugki5brv-VrnveUsAVUOPr54M7gvDZSyiynGRfEC5O6Yrn14aRsyehQbjU4z_VW2GF1Lncpwo_0GFi9e9cqLik5H1bik/s1600/IMG_9061.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian, Mom, and Matt </td></tr>
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Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-7409941261155705562013-03-24T00:29:00.000-05:002013-03-24T00:29:04.560-05:00Phuket Island 3/6/13 - 3/11/13<span style="font-size: large;">Once we arrived by train into Bangkok, we attempted to book another overnight train to take us south to Phuket, but unfortunately all of the sleeper cabins were full for that night and the next. On to Plan B- taking an overnight bus to Phuket. So once we checked into our hostel (after a 50 minute walk with all of our bags on in 90 degree heat), much of our day was spent trying to get to the bus station and buying the right bus tickets. This task took us over 3 hours, multiple taxi rides, metro ride, rail link ride, and a lot of walking. Then, as it always seems to be in big cities, we walked around malls, crowded streets, and ended up at the movies to see "Silver Linings Playbook".</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We hadn't been on an over nighter bus since South America, but we rode it out like old pros. We gave ourselves an extra day before Kristin's family arrived and went to check out Patong beach on Phuket Island. It is known as the "touristy, party" beach, and it definitely holds up to its name. We weren't that impressed and were happy to be moving on the next day.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAxq6mUqOGpHAAM0oE-hXa5VlOn4XM_FJrUJjbsQu0MkBcQqqCfJY4DZ8As6uwagcXE-NsTT5EDIGgV2MkFZsZ1LpRc8oXf0vlMDvmn4c3aw42_sB7vR2mL6I7lfRyKAdW8V1WNP0XQ8/s1600/IMG_8981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAxq6mUqOGpHAAM0oE-hXa5VlOn4XM_FJrUJjbsQu0MkBcQqqCfJY4DZ8As6uwagcXE-NsTT5EDIGgV2MkFZsZ1LpRc8oXf0vlMDvmn4c3aw42_sB7vR2mL6I7lfRyKAdW8V1WNP0XQ8/s1600/IMG_8981.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patong beach </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then the fun began! We eventually made it to the Phuket airport that afternoon, after a frustrating 3 hours, and awaited the arrival of Kristin's parents, Don and Janis. They had been traveling for over 25 hours, but still managed to look excited and happy to see us :-). We hadn't seen them for over 8 months, and Kristin had been very anxious for this day. She was overtaken with happiness/ tears as soon as she saw them. Ahhh, to be reunited with her parents!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're finally here...happy day!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zJPmgAV88kgM_L2uscca8y3V91zyS3cLsNeM9nBCr6_igHAmNL0Tg9bXpzhZ28yvaA5zHPAcTOEBKdOgGXSNXUyLc8qfFzUr6nbtbsiIbqkCRLWEY08kUHF1onpVWsyRa-Z0482Q3RE/s1600/IMG_8993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zJPmgAV88kgM_L2uscca8y3V91zyS3cLsNeM9nBCr6_igHAmNL0Tg9bXpzhZ28yvaA5zHPAcTOEBKdOgGXSNXUyLc8qfFzUr6nbtbsiIbqkCRLWEY08kUHF1onpVWsyRa-Z0482Q3RE/s1600/IMG_8993.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don (Dad), Janis (Mom), and Kristin</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We headed out to Kamala beach where we planned to stay for the next 3 nights until Kristin's sister, Karen, arrived and we could move on. That evening we talked, talked, talked while we walked around town and the beach, and enjoyed a delicious dinner on the beach as well. We introduced Mom and Dad to Thailand's banana pancakes and they were fans, especially Mom and her choice of banana chocolate pancake. Once their bellies were full of Thai food, the jet lag started to take over and we had them in bed by 10 pm. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fo0CNKglXB4BGTKKihdKHeMk5n791epPENMvFNbc9z-yh_nC_AW4jq4al8_kBztj_AkQ5WIT2UKrzWnIfjksDkXBh7FPjJ69ye1IzGFp6y_4VNEqpi8gSRjfAUbF26ml58pOs5LChPE/s1600/P3080008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fo0CNKglXB4BGTKKihdKHeMk5n791epPENMvFNbc9z-yh_nC_AW4jq4al8_kBztj_AkQ5WIT2UKrzWnIfjksDkXBh7FPjJ69ye1IzGFp6y_4VNEqpi8gSRjfAUbF26ml58pOs5LChPE/s1600/P3080008.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom's favorite banana pancake lady</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS796ChebdWLUBErrszVIZU3XOBEYg2oU6M4KD4Y4sl0fqk0LAvPz9JMpDYBlpZJXnH1JCA_Z1E5GE0EviZ2SHvMn-OAGHRrg0l332Hm7Z3SUQZBnvrhp-WPSBZvi_2l46CGgxmyJ4fNI/s1600/P3090057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS796ChebdWLUBErrszVIZU3XOBEYg2oU6M4KD4Y4sl0fqk0LAvPz9JMpDYBlpZJXnH1JCA_Z1E5GE0EviZ2SHvMn-OAGHRrg0l332Hm7Z3SUQZBnvrhp-WPSBZvi_2l46CGgxmyJ4fNI/s1600/P3090057.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their first banana pancakes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We spent the next day starting their vacation off right by enjoying the beach and relaxing. Of course we had lunch on the beach consisting of Thai food and fruit shakes. Mom and Dad liked the fruit shakes, but Dad especially. I think he had at least one pineapple shake every day of the trip ;-). There was also some family frisbee time before dinner. After more Thai food for dinner, we had banana pancakes again. Mom became quite the pancake expert and had her favorite pancake lady by the end of it all. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVOhOuOPTpxBeco6qnFzpnUua0NvETajrrGgXT9TTUUfpJEHPJ1zNWV-ukFFWpQz9DZEgnqFq8TFVuq452-B8en-21PkQKccdM2T3P-_1kMrx45qFvS3_m7iqXmOq43NWnVSi58LPgVc/s1600/P3090049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmVOhOuOPTpxBeco6qnFzpnUua0NvETajrrGgXT9TTUUfpJEHPJ1zNWV-ukFFWpQz9DZEgnqFq8TFVuq452-B8en-21PkQKccdM2T3P-_1kMrx45qFvS3_m7iqXmOq43NWnVSi58LPgVc/s1600/P3090049.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kamala beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq44m7gsM7WGyG67onRa49gDNZfJ7c4gyowK9gutcw9s1adUREM0wtd1akXFvJ5dF9CHFd6e4oVeLI1VvA8GqgFdfhtSiFpMtjyFZ43hEVJWoPjNY1Bfa9SAOba7eFJP7WtbYRg3IYeTA/s1600/IMG_9000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq44m7gsM7WGyG67onRa49gDNZfJ7c4gyowK9gutcw9s1adUREM0wtd1akXFvJ5dF9CHFd6e4oVeLI1VvA8GqgFdfhtSiFpMtjyFZ43hEVJWoPjNY1Bfa9SAOba7eFJP7WtbYRg3IYeTA/s1600/IMG_9000.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kamala beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg1fQPypKxAe3KU419I-zbH2tZaMOtwOISQ_55VcwguUPzQNa4frGe5Hu7QNLtlcC2pVAys_pM7bax4Cfgx4I6lYm_xcUwcpP1_eBqkxESd4ObMPS9ySqJ9eERnXeIB0D917cLKn6JyY/s1600/P3090040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg1fQPypKxAe3KU419I-zbH2tZaMOtwOISQ_55VcwguUPzQNa4frGe5Hu7QNLtlcC2pVAys_pM7bax4Cfgx4I6lYm_xcUwcpP1_eBqkxESd4ObMPS9ySqJ9eERnXeIB0D917cLKn6JyY/s1600/P3090040.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMnHFCWgRUOA3Y2Ge2phqWZSbQ7Y_UZ2MKqyaVUHinM_m5mi8S6c3ddtRMD9KGnKANQh09pDvY7uVrv6vZ6vYd55XvxI9YsKaLBbMDXAp4mkPVDhuLzg8uEcopZNN6P5-7Y2TmrLh708/s1600/P3090031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZMnHFCWgRUOA3Y2Ge2phqWZSbQ7Y_UZ2MKqyaVUHinM_m5mi8S6c3ddtRMD9KGnKANQh09pDvY7uVrv6vZ6vYd55XvxI9YsKaLBbMDXAp4mkPVDhuLzg8uEcopZNN6P5-7Y2TmrLh708/s1600/P3090031.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and his fruit shakes :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLuhZ6u3LgZJXPwfk_Pk4id71O5uIb7mEZPcL7FfwqIxG4MbnnUwcnXv_x51l_RM6jhYrdalcoXT636xD3URLZ6fcoug_8IpPqpPI373rLuNGZXOcvTuBOvxJSEwLrMDloZRYIwrkABE/s1600/P3090036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBLuhZ6u3LgZJXPwfk_Pk4id71O5uIb7mEZPcL7FfwqIxG4MbnnUwcnXv_x51l_RM6jhYrdalcoXT636xD3URLZ6fcoug_8IpPqpPI373rLuNGZXOcvTuBOvxJSEwLrMDloZRYIwrkABE/s1600/P3090036.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom LOVED all the Thai food</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5CxU6eEZWwH6gdURepjzpauSkSefm84Iy8na0wPh92PuAOCPWtWhKyBJIuFkgEt_Cz9xQE9jXvStQdR1dWGUtP4c6GJWf_cg7Eo6r8e9AfphmTSBBnx_esvSZ8P92u7E7kISViSn3h0/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5CxU6eEZWwH6gdURepjzpauSkSefm84Iy8na0wPh92PuAOCPWtWhKyBJIuFkgEt_Cz9xQE9jXvStQdR1dWGUtP4c6GJWf_cg7Eo6r8e9AfphmTSBBnx_esvSZ8P92u7E7kISViSn3h0/s1600/IMG_9002.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longtail boats out on the water</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnE2htr-o2pY9FuszHes0y2lmR7AjwCUt10feURI3D8h6DWBRt3QevsqqR8BS-YzlIbW48Z3-AtMswB2WF1h7wTLCycQej3c1jFpdU5Fh2iWC9qQ2ylSymIkvKVQfAhbHE7DiHmYjDqI/s1600/100_2682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVnE2htr-o2pY9FuszHes0y2lmR7AjwCUt10feURI3D8h6DWBRt3QevsqqR8BS-YzlIbW48Z3-AtMswB2WF1h7wTLCycQej3c1jFpdU5Fh2iWC9qQ2ylSymIkvKVQfAhbHE7DiHmYjDqI/s1600/100_2682.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Kristin with their coconut shakes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Karen arrived the next morning so Kristin and Mom went out to the airport to pick her up. She was also very perky for such a long trip!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tBf1Gj6wzSh8qSndlBlSNFFSYQWy9rZMlfWqB6DMdgngBjoow438gIKyU40sh_j5Mq3s14quhxKFRpnRkFc3FmA2r_-RplNkT4OZ9R3NLLQtJ6OsGAWnk45AAOq75VSK2qDNmkcQUwY/s1600/P3100070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tBf1Gj6wzSh8qSndlBlSNFFSYQWy9rZMlfWqB6DMdgngBjoow438gIKyU40sh_j5Mq3s14quhxKFRpnRkFc3FmA2r_-RplNkT4OZ9R3NLLQtJ6OsGAWnk45AAOq75VSK2qDNmkcQUwY/s1600/P3100070.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy to see her sister!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made it back to Kamala and switched rooms that day to a really nice hotel. We took Karen to the beach for lunch, taught her our new card game we had been playing, and gave her some good Thai food. The rest of the afternoon we hung out and enjoyed the hotel pool, had more fruit shakes, went to the beach, got some sun, and enjoyed the sunset from our hotel balconies. It was so great hanging out and catching up with family in person since it had been so long. Karen was a rock star that day and despite arriving at 10am, she overcame the jet lag and made it until 9pm that night. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpdoJDi5tOLwr_7UuPmE2HbYRLYm-VBlnin_N1tYfxvXNBxnINvIl7DDb1p3CP3wTt8OWr_8Nph92mtkL-K55SXxqBG44l4XX_QsP4m34E-IciN1gJJ_MQZjyOmNlwGFLHp7sAkIAcus/s1600/P3100080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOpdoJDi5tOLwr_7UuPmE2HbYRLYm-VBlnin_N1tYfxvXNBxnINvIl7DDb1p3CP3wTt8OWr_8Nph92mtkL-K55SXxqBG44l4XX_QsP4m34E-IciN1gJJ_MQZjyOmNlwGFLHp7sAkIAcus/s1600/P3100080.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crew at lunch on the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PXzvCY0SbQlz2ELDaJcps_XKjX3gAwfELqK2k7E3hEYkGy2rT7Lbed_Ok6zAokqbXJRa2C4gE3hePrfNjW6QIOTd704iEWKPyNYJiHLwKiNXBC__1eNUwdeOpKwdIvgJcX6EE3OhU9I/s1600/P3100085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_PXzvCY0SbQlz2ELDaJcps_XKjX3gAwfELqK2k7E3hEYkGy2rT7Lbed_Ok6zAokqbXJRa2C4gE3hePrfNjW6QIOTd704iEWKPyNYJiHLwKiNXBC__1eNUwdeOpKwdIvgJcX6EE3OhU9I/s1600/P3100085.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad loving Thailand</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOA0J6f2Qmk_G_XfvtlRyi6BBNaQs8e6uDRd63y1qQIYtTdEBFtZj9vJW7M9Cb2hQ4ppOjDzIpZ7WMQjchWBAIXcEhPSgCIsEzrgooYl1mf-xK4WQhnTxp_E_JuySZWHLu1f8_CEkbewg/s1600/IMG_9013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOA0J6f2Qmk_G_XfvtlRyi6BBNaQs8e6uDRd63y1qQIYtTdEBFtZj9vJW7M9Cb2hQ4ppOjDzIpZ7WMQjchWBAIXcEhPSgCIsEzrgooYl1mf-xK4WQhnTxp_E_JuySZWHLu1f8_CEkbewg/s1600/IMG_9013.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice digs, obviously courtesy of Mom and Dad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0d3tNamk0_IZeoNJAc0DTe1UILgQCDPGD5XpPBFNj50XuqTqeKsVZgKeWXIt6srJ5mkR6GQuvk25LuNFr4H598umv1yvSu75-lPWcCD4FeuVYc1iajxUh_JQHfqtKCdtqwwHAxZZVVQ/s1600/P3100108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0d3tNamk0_IZeoNJAc0DTe1UILgQCDPGD5XpPBFNj50XuqTqeKsVZgKeWXIt6srJ5mkR6GQuvk25LuNFr4H598umv1yvSu75-lPWcCD4FeuVYc1iajxUh_JQHfqtKCdtqwwHAxZZVVQ/s1600/P3100108.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing around in the pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEJPtvJ91sizBbK9T75a-Wc00sCv7NDU5XfXOuiPq8m4wIyTC_imMmF_yju7yAPKCl4QFInCQZURwVnfySlLP6YZbYcKtQpd0YBFpE3TMxilsga_NT4JPY8MhwzfyuIs0dIVdFEZKRWs/s1600/P3100093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEJPtvJ91sizBbK9T75a-Wc00sCv7NDU5XfXOuiPq8m4wIyTC_imMmF_yju7yAPKCl4QFInCQZURwVnfySlLP6YZbYcKtQpd0YBFpE3TMxilsga_NT4JPY8MhwzfyuIs0dIVdFEZKRWs/s1600/P3100093.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soaking up the sun in the pool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ih2jXmT-qEkWSVOdEJWTWIB_urHk0N5w06NqaFXBkI0dPjuQivXFH3Uwf5Hi4itJXaTUA4ZyeJ5zZYFOXs966EbOOFllx0zuC_dGfYffxpiJyKgtVX_UPkKVvqgMaWOvwpSwebkj-z8/s1600/IMG_9008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ih2jXmT-qEkWSVOdEJWTWIB_urHk0N5w06NqaFXBkI0dPjuQivXFH3Uwf5Hi4itJXaTUA4ZyeJ5zZYFOXs966EbOOFllx0zuC_dGfYffxpiJyKgtVX_UPkKVvqgMaWOvwpSwebkj-z8/s1600/IMG_9008.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sisters!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxJEQ1hnXe60dt_F26HqsceAh0q7JBv0PPlGBJ-JzZLN5ITfGk3jbWWZtI4jyLCwkPys_DAIycn9k6Ob5eiENHieTh4fFMBYlmvKfA1E1TjvYdMarRulPS4Bqxd5cRKTcJi3hrtBGBYU/s1600/100_2704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxJEQ1hnXe60dt_F26HqsceAh0q7JBv0PPlGBJ-JzZLN5ITfGk3jbWWZtI4jyLCwkPys_DAIycn9k6Ob5eiENHieTh4fFMBYlmvKfA1E1TjvYdMarRulPS4Bqxd5cRKTcJi3hrtBGBYU/s1600/100_2704.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaADM0pwhgIbLoVyD8TWObt7FTwRhJ92nNYpo0ZboZ2aW4Bgi-h9YSE_QAXT8regkbsMtpHB2RoPfIdh3YHyHfSt6yQtdEryIc2TjMRdABbPbvAvTpTZPCDIb8lJs5hCKUljNDntWUkeM/s1600/IMG_9017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaADM0pwhgIbLoVyD8TWObt7FTwRhJ92nNYpo0ZboZ2aW4Bgi-h9YSE_QAXT8regkbsMtpHB2RoPfIdh3YHyHfSt6yQtdEryIc2TjMRdABbPbvAvTpTZPCDIb8lJs5hCKUljNDntWUkeM/s1600/IMG_9017.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another picture at dusk</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That day was Dad's birthday :-), so he got to choose where he wanted to go for dinner! His choice was an Australian BBQ place where he was able to get some ribs- his favorite! And of course we topped off his birthday with banana pancakes (because we had to show Karen what the fuss was all about). </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnOF3A8ZpeB-w68CadxVaQakAn5VinmtGmrzGqP9Q8rgvhTbWlQUQPPVDAsqsbKYfde1-4s1Iw_S0X3xPwKW8-xRkEbRX3ulVExCXWcoo3U33T9Uz69broGuX3rE8rnCmD61tO5BJtxo/s1600/IMG_9018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnOF3A8ZpeB-w68CadxVaQakAn5VinmtGmrzGqP9Q8rgvhTbWlQUQPPVDAsqsbKYfde1-4s1Iw_S0X3xPwKW8-xRkEbRX3ulVExCXWcoo3U33T9Uz69broGuX3rE8rnCmD61tO5BJtxo/s1600/IMG_9018.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Dad!! He liked the ribs :-).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNhmAcoimyHZXDmOwtLXAKhMh4RPGaY3uJTdPjg1n6DdTVdTqUzWqRfcuGyQCZXbVRIGY7p74LwQACzVebA-FemBtA4tJV1M2y5WKS_7xOAto6xJJTa3KySzQbxSwzJnfTOJ9ZgplLSw/s1600/P3100119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNhmAcoimyHZXDmOwtLXAKhMh4RPGaY3uJTdPjg1n6DdTVdTqUzWqRfcuGyQCZXbVRIGY7p74LwQACzVebA-FemBtA4tJV1M2y5WKS_7xOAto6xJJTa3KySzQbxSwzJnfTOJ9ZgplLSw/s1600/P3100119.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and the banana pancakes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a delicious breakfast that was delivered to our room terrace the next morning, we packed up our bags and said good-bye to Kamala beach. It was a great start to their trip to Thailand. We took a mini-van to the pier to board a 3 hour ferry to take us to the next destination, Koh Lanta. </span><br />
<br />Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-33008815458905839792013-03-23T05:26:00.000-05:002013-03-23T05:26:15.854-05:00Pai 3/2/13 - 3/5/13<span style="font-size: large;">After such an amazing time in Chiang Mai, we were running out of days before we needed to head south to meet up with Kristin's family. Luckily, we had enough time to make it north to Pai, a mountainous/hippy-esque small town. We headed through the mountains of the Thai countryside in a van packed with tourists and hung on as we took on all 762 curves of the windy road. Talk about a long 4 hours, but at least the scenery was beautiful. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pai was another town where we arrived and things just felt good. The town had a good, relaxed vibe to it! Our favorite part was the plethora of street food stalls that lined the streets at night. There was the traditional Thai food stalls with pad-tai and such, but there was so much more: burritos, sushi, kebabs, hamburgers, sausages, pancakes, vegetarian dishes, and a few more we might have missed. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQrqiSGqSOHRhEmNzHAB3GbzRchi8vvCJHjaxCHNk7LundoHODpXYVmpFPe5QjtEOGX0u_IhLUMJWF3huE_51OrBPFeIJ7qI1BDoQwbi5v6QFmBtUBNf78aX8xTtDS4-DnZkxBUDOUpA/s1600/IMG_8930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQrqiSGqSOHRhEmNzHAB3GbzRchi8vvCJHjaxCHNk7LundoHODpXYVmpFPe5QjtEOGX0u_IhLUMJWF3huE_51OrBPFeIJ7qI1BDoQwbi5v6QFmBtUBNf78aX8xTtDS4-DnZkxBUDOUpA/s1600/IMG_8930.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night food stalls on the main street.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOcLNYUMYbnRKAwxBWFs3vlTl_gMlPjghke1Vgk7utP89qKiaijfQAGaB-10YeY9SiLQSyViMZ0fadXsNf1RhncQ0UYnlNo2HY6hS-aOBLX1jIY8UcaaRCpxrWMcFfpJ36ft_WX8G5RQ/s1600/IMG_8928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOcLNYUMYbnRKAwxBWFs3vlTl_gMlPjghke1Vgk7utP89qKiaijfQAGaB-10YeY9SiLQSyViMZ0fadXsNf1RhncQ0UYnlNo2HY6hS-aOBLX1jIY8UcaaRCpxrWMcFfpJ36ft_WX8G5RQ/s1600/IMG_8928.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of meat on sticks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhUWRbQBHeXlFNBOGFTrcz4-IcMnJMJCoe7F3-M0qOx4UbSWmGK-3GBos3CuQfCn1Sy-5wJHGLsM4Xrr3K0VtBsCuDB6t84-Zfrj2T0kgBfaswsCBDnu-JPpT_rjqdtVmjjxrlVOopaw/s1600/IMG_8929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHhUWRbQBHeXlFNBOGFTrcz4-IcMnJMJCoe7F3-M0qOx4UbSWmGK-3GBos3CuQfCn1Sy-5wJHGLsM4Xrr3K0VtBsCuDB6t84-Zfrj2T0kgBfaswsCBDnu-JPpT_rjqdtVmjjxrlVOopaw/s1600/IMG_8929.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sushi in northern Thailand....we were brave and tried it (Matt two nights in a row).</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There weren't a whole lot of things to do in Pai, but relaxation was exactly what we were looking for. We stayed at a very nice guesthouse thanks to a recommendation from Chris and Annie. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJLOG164hyphenhyphenKsBB-pxSZgC5GSa3uxYkI0mo7j8oBGBWbBy00J6WIAs8HEBvAa3q2-1f-Z8Stgua0ftr7kYYwUmwtYy6hqzfl651Q1rydQW8jPLALs2_k1aR8gtRG-kOhizuqiZyEIA5jw/s1600/IMG_8921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwJLOG164hyphenhyphenKsBB-pxSZgC5GSa3uxYkI0mo7j8oBGBWbBy00J6WIAs8HEBvAa3q2-1f-Z8Stgua0ftr7kYYwUmwtYy6hqzfl651Q1rydQW8jPLALs2_k1aR8gtRG-kOhizuqiZyEIA5jw/s1600/IMG_8921.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the balcony.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We went to Pai looking for a nice place to spend Kristin's birthday, and use internet to catch up on long overdue blog posts. Kristin had a lovely, relaxing birthday spent enjoying delicious foods, walking around town, enjoying fruit shakes, and indulging in an amazing cheesecake for her b-day treat. It was the perfect environment to sit back and enjoy Thailand. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Nkqaui-BmB4Gh0a1ASHtCe9954vj1Kdjv6mPHuh2Zk7sHpzSgyRJn8XuxhzZikQ5RQ1QwtgYJR6GxYrafjFA5NN_xuhkrPf_6iD5Vsu9pJNDBIxGmDyWneOkoONNek-flWplVPAmDg/s1600/IMG_8941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1Nkqaui-BmB4Gh0a1ASHtCe9954vj1Kdjv6mPHuh2Zk7sHpzSgyRJn8XuxhzZikQ5RQ1QwtgYJR6GxYrafjFA5NN_xuhkrPf_6iD5Vsu9pJNDBIxGmDyWneOkoONNek-flWplVPAmDg/s1600/IMG_8941.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristin loved her energy fruit shakes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IIPGmbI0Ydeu3GL94WwrZGJOgPLc1Sw0cFNS2bWVWvToM2bv8QcBkYYiDwQcDtegcM2EcNVQIhIg_6V-5ORn000ylgO3dc3DDsRGK_Cnoq5hU_4tjhJ83OmWQCUetw8hz31T1xsRm6I/s1600/IMG_8948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5IIPGmbI0Ydeu3GL94WwrZGJOgPLc1Sw0cFNS2bWVWvToM2bv8QcBkYYiDwQcDtegcM2EcNVQIhIg_6V-5ORn000ylgO3dc3DDsRGK_Cnoq5hU_4tjhJ83OmWQCUetw8hz31T1xsRm6I/s1600/IMG_8948.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristin's b-day dinner of fried chicken cashew nuts (one of her fav Thai dishes).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7j80r5MgNXpLbHZxWaOfLOQSbxxQiTa1R-NSTVp1t2aOYv6E5j2sCW-3nQEzhHmJ0-Jbc0hHqVrcQdt_z4-YowkycgmyntylMacBFPlYgnRLZiHqgVX0xEXt1pGet6n1EodJghGNFgYU/s1600/IMG_8947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7j80r5MgNXpLbHZxWaOfLOQSbxxQiTa1R-NSTVp1t2aOYv6E5j2sCW-3nQEzhHmJ0-Jbc0hHqVrcQdt_z4-YowkycgmyntylMacBFPlYgnRLZiHqgVX0xEXt1pGet6n1EodJghGNFgYU/s1600/IMG_8947.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday cheers.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After enough relaxation, Matt decided to get out and see a bit of the countryside. He rented a bicycle and went out for a ride. Although it was nothing eventful, he was happy to be outside and be active while Kristin took care of the real duties like blogging and dealing with pictures. While we had reliable internet, we also worked on the not so fun task of buying a flight home. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZuUbc5KrkzdKCr3smeqrAwVOd-kwQzBlr32JhPWCmLd60psM66ArCKrpyIH53rsxkSh82DUL2VbFLx02A4A6qBemwbUe2FP-1sXxb1h3Jv1RjI20EY04Y8XvsKKfH4YTJOxwqxKmaWU/s1600/IMG_8940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZuUbc5KrkzdKCr3smeqrAwVOd-kwQzBlr32JhPWCmLd60psM66ArCKrpyIH53rsxkSh82DUL2VbFLx02A4A6qBemwbUe2FP-1sXxb1h3Jv1RjI20EY04Y8XvsKKfH4YTJOxwqxKmaWU/s1600/IMG_8940.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt's not so much a fan of "productive" days.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDJTNKezHuqOqRYwDn4lsYGsvgAS92wD8wMibDmqz6RtJeFSxHh5QvL2XqRc8uoiLCjkF-Ya75cSd-mbQWVNTb8aN-SHKOb_zyyFJ-LEtFSb1ZZsGC9Wds8cql079th7atMLm5DIHIhs/s1600/IMG_8937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDJTNKezHuqOqRYwDn4lsYGsvgAS92wD8wMibDmqz6RtJeFSxHh5QvL2XqRc8uoiLCjkF-Ya75cSd-mbQWVNTb8aN-SHKOb_zyyFJ-LEtFSb1ZZsGC9Wds8cql079th7atMLm5DIHIhs/s1600/IMG_8937.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristin's scenery for most of the day.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After two days of serenity in Pai, we took a van back to Chiang Mai and went straight to the train station to take the overnight train down to Bangkok. We had to figure out our game plan to meet up with Kristin's whole family!</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-40790384733072472912013-03-22T06:41:00.000-05:002013-03-22T06:41:26.239-05:00Chiang Mai 2/24/13 - 3/1/13<span style="font-size: large;">DISCLAIMER: Chiang Mai provided us with lots to do, so this post may be a little lengthy ;-). Sorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We got into Bangkok just after midnight and headed to a hostel to rest our heads before heading north the next day. In the morning Matt went to the train station and got us tickets on an overnight sleeper car that evening, so we had all day to lounge around and figure out a few activities for Chiang Mai.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even though Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand, it was a city with charm, culture, history, and one we quickly grew fond of. We also enjoyed the overwhelming amount of brochures and information that our guest house provided, which was a much welcomed feature compared to the Philippines. The guesthouse we stayed at was pretty nice and was in a quiet, serene setting. The city and surrounding area has wats (aka temples), biking, hiking, zip lining, cooking classes, massages, elephants, tigers, and the list goes on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first day in town we did a lot of walking around and got acquainted with the city. Thanks to one of the guesthouse brochures we made it to a well known tailor at Fashion King for Matt to get a white shirt custom tailored. He only wears a suit about 5 times a year, but when he does, he wants to look GOOD! That and his neck is so big that he can't find shirts which fit him well AND button all the way for a tie. And he got a new tie :-). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">That evening we walked over to the Night Bazaar. The bazaar is a bargain shopper's/tourist's paradise. There's everything from t-shirts, purses, shoes, watches, sunglasses, luggage, perfume, souvenirs, etc. Stalls line the roads and vendors are waiting for people to glance at their stuff so they can give them a "special price, just for you". Sadly, we weren't really their target audience and walked away with just a pair of flip flops to replace Matt's broken ones. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We love Thai food, so the next day we jumped at the opportunity to take a Thai cooking class. Our guesthouse lady got us a sweet discount, and we were "upgraded" from the full day cooking course in the city to the course out at the school's farm which included a tour of the 1 acre homestead. To start the day we were taken to the local market to check out the different foods used in cooking our dishes, and to buy the ingredients they didn't grow out at the farm. We would like to have our own garden (even if just a very small one) one day, so it was really nice to be able to see how their garden was set up and hear about the different foods they grow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made a variety of 6 dishes including: Pad-tai, pad-see-ew, papaya salad, coconut milk soup, tom yam soup, curry pastes, spring rolls, our main curry dishes, and of course desserts- sticky rice with mango plus bananas in coconut milk. YUMMY! After basically eating a five course meal throughout the day, we were thoroughly stuffed. Our teacher was amazing and we had a nice small group of just eight people which contributed to our great experience. We had the best time at our cooking class and are excited to try cooking the foods on our own since we were given recipe books with pictures and detailed instructions on how to make each dish. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next activity on our list for Chiang Mai was visiting elephants. However, we found out that the Elephant Nature Park we wanted to do was booked out for a few days, so we had time to kill. Kristin also wanted to go see tigers at Tiger Kingdom, so we made it there the next morning to check it out for ourselves. The word is that it is a tiger breeding program and has opened its doors to tourists to help fund it. It feels like an interactive zoo. We chose to see the smallest tigers and went in to see them and interact with them. The little ones were so cute and it was crazy how much they seemed like young puppies. Jumping around and ready to play with people. We had to remind ourselves sometimes that they were definitely not puppies, but tigers! We only got to play with the smallest tigers for 15 minutes, but we spent the next hour walking around the Kingdom and enjoying the different aged tigers. The bigger tigers were beautiful, huge creatures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later that day we borrowed a bike form the guest house and rented one for Matt so that we could ride around and visit some of the wats amid the old city. Some of the wats were huge, other parts small, but all of them remarkably decorated and tremendously beautiful. It was quite the experience seeing the Buddhist temples.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After a day full of fun, Matt made himself a dentist appointment for the evening. It had been awhile since his last cleaning because he hadn't bought dental insurance last year, shame on him. Luckily he could get a cleaning in Thailand for a mere $24. His pearly whites are still in great condition! To top off the long day we decided to follow suit and get massages on the street. Kristin got a 30 minute foot massage and Matt got a 30 minute back/ neck massage for only $3 each! And yes, the men love the massages as well. We couldn't pass up that kind of deal. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The next day was a productive day for us working on pictures, blogging, and completing some other tasks. That evening was our fun time. Chris and Annie (from the Flowtrells blog, know them though mutual friends and fellow travelers- Jon and Jenn, and we randomly met them in Brazil) were going to be in town for the night. Kristin and Annie have kept in touch as we trek the world, and it finally worked out that we were in the same town together, even if just for one night. Once we met up with them, it was like an explosion of conversation. Chris and Matt chatting up the things they have done and seen, plus of course some football talk, Annie and Kristin talking about girl stuff and sharing experiences, and all four of us comparing how our trips have been up to this point. We were all very glad to see each other and it felt like seeing old friends, despite our only brief prior meeting. Our late night (okay not that late, just late for us oldies) made our early morning the next day a little rough, but totally worth it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, the event we had been waiting for: elephants. Kristin saw her penguins, we saw our turtles, and now it was time for Matt's animal- the big, social giants. Elephant Nature Park isn't what you may be thinking. Perhaps you have seen tourists riding on baskets atop elephants, or elephants performing tricks? Well, this particular park is actually a sanctuary with over 200 acres created to save those very elephants, and tries to create a natural as possible lifestyle. The domestic Asian elephants are used for tourism, and used to be used in the logging industry before the logging ban in 1989. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are currently 35 elephants in the park, 31 of them female. The founder, Lek, founded the sanctuary in 1996. The organization's history and success of rescuing these elephants was truly inspirational and very moving. We were lucky to be able to see Lek interact with her elephants. Her love for these creatures was so apparent and touching. </span><span style="font-size: large;">There's lots of information, history, stories, and pictures at the park's website: www.elephantnaturepark.org.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lek and Hope.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We spent the day out at the park and were able to feed, watch, touch, bathe, and enjoy the elephants. It was amazing to be around the elephants all day. In the afternoon they played a documentary for us on the Asian elephants in Thailand and it was eye opening, particularly the part about the traditional Thai method used to "train" the elephants for work in tourism or logging . There are only 30,000 Asian elephants left and these animals have a long way to go, but Lek and the Elephant Nature Park are definitely doing their part. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt's first encounter with the elephants.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby Navaan, born at the park only 2 months ago.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The park's pantry- each elephant eats 10% of their body weight every day.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the elephant's story.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling off by playing in the mud.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathing the elephants in the river.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mahout, elephant caretaker, giving his elephant some love.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They eat the WHOLE fruit, banana bundle and all.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristin feeding the elephants.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had both been craving some Mexican food for a while, so when we heard there was a decent Tex-Mex place, we decided that might be a good way to end our time in Chiang Mai. And, surprisingly it was much better than expected. Homemade chips, salsa, guacamole, margaritas, and burritos... Maybe not the same as back home, but it hit the spot. Next up, head north to relax in Pai.</span><br />
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Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-43413864856917792672013-03-04T10:19:00.003-06:002013-03-04T10:19:56.112-06:00Philippines Recap 1/15/13 - 2/23/13<b style="font-size: x-large;">Recap of the Philippines:</b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Time in country: 40 days</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Money spent: approximately $1450 USD each</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Currency: Peso</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Conversion Rate: 40 Pesos to 1 USD</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Food:</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Typical food was pork or chicken with rice. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Rice was served with most dishes since it's cheap and abundant. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes they'd throw in some cucumbers and tomatoes for the side dish. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Chicken/ Pork adobo, with rice, is one of the popular dishes and it was delicious. The sauce was made up of soy sauce, vinegar, and black peppercorns. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Another Filipino dish was Pancit Bihon, which was a combination of a few veggies like cabbage, green bean bits, carrots and a little meat mixed with thin glass noodles. This dish could be found almost anywhere for pretty cheap ($1- $2 USD).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image from google</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mangoes in the Philippines are extra delicious because they're sweeter than most. Other tropical fruits are abundant as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">With all the tropical fruit, naturally, comes smoothies. The smoothies are usually made with condensed milk, and although not nutritious, they're delicious.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Overall, the food in the Philippines is fairly bland and nothing to write home about. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are only two kinds of Filipino beer- San Miguel (Pilsen and Light) and Red Horse (similar taste as San Miguel just a higher percentage alcohol). The beer isn't that great, but it's usually cheap.</span><br />
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<br /><u><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Places Visited (in order):</b></span></u><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b> Sabang (Puerto Galera), Boracay, Sugar Beach (Sipalay), Dumaguete, Apo Island, Siquijor, Puerto Princesa, Port Barton, El Nido</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSFMofvRrg4H8gEwdPreq2fpo9sZ3YLQDSdAG_Jg0tnB4jvYY3Z_scIOgXI2GnqVGO_QdauPtWYgifwVFXEjNLtVGd4ccfgRxOppaKMFZdzP5nkaDUdE9JJO3-3raSx4mysFbk54D_as/s1600/Philippines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSFMofvRrg4H8gEwdPreq2fpo9sZ3YLQDSdAG_Jg0tnB4jvYY3Z_scIOgXI2GnqVGO_QdauPtWYgifwVFXEjNLtVGd4ccfgRxOppaKMFZdzP5nkaDUdE9JJO3-3raSx4mysFbk54D_as/s1600/Philippines.jpg" height="640" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Random Thoughts:</span> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The Philippines is comprised of over 7,000 islands, roughly 2,000 of them are inhabited, and we barely skimmed 15 - 20 of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We read from a government agency that there are over 90 million people living in the Philippines (over half of the population lives on the island of Luzon) and over 50% of them live in poverty. The majority of the population is poor and has a very basic means of living. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Filipinos are some of the nicest people we've encountered so far on our journey. They were excited to see foreigners and would say "Hello, how are you, today?" as much as they could. We'd walk down a street and everyone, especially the kids, would say hello to us and smile big. The adults were very welcoming and helpful as well. I think we got more curious looks than most due to Matt being a much larger guy than the typical Filipino. It made it almost impossible trying to find shoes or shorts that fit him. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Filipinas really love their westerner foreign men. A few times, girls/ women even told us that they wish and hope to find themselves a westerner one day and move away. Lots of western men live in the Philippines and have restaurants, hotels, businesses, etc with their Filipina wives. The women told us that generally the Filipino men are no good. It was interesting to hear these sentiments.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unlike most Asian countries, the dominant religion in the Philippines is Catholicism due to hundreds of years of Spanish rule. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As mentioned in previous posts, transportation in the Philippines was always interesting. From the questionable boat trips and rough waters to the packed non-a/c buses on unpaved roads. As the marketing tourism slogan says, "It's more fun in the Philippines" and that includes the transportation as well :-).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hUqMVLFx8hMuBLEQz65f3STs8F_EBkElV5gd4zeo5aIdiQ86XvctkWDyhpg_1Mqncyz9PRj81TAzgderadHSDq4_bB45T8xRE8kR_fBBjPoTFxa2y2ftFn-gyXdSE7GGv1n8ohI4JSY/s1600/Its_More_Fun_logo_horizontal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hUqMVLFx8hMuBLEQz65f3STs8F_EBkElV5gd4zeo5aIdiQ86XvctkWDyhpg_1Mqncyz9PRj81TAzgderadHSDq4_bB45T8xRE8kR_fBBjPoTFxa2y2ftFn-gyXdSE7GGv1n8ohI4JSY/s1600/Its_More_Fun_logo_horizontal.jpg" height="146" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">www.tourism.gov.ph</td></tr>
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Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38151466986109800.post-44708568672162359102013-03-04T08:59:00.002-06:002013-03-04T08:59:40.315-06:00El Nido continued (Dagmay beach) 2/20/13- 2/23/13<span style="font-size: large;">While walking around El Nido we found a place, called Verde Safari, which had information about a beach 45 mins north of El Nido, off the beaten path. It included an in town pick up with round trip transportation, tents on the beach, and a hot breakfast. This sounded excellent to us. The property turned out to be run by an American ex-pat, Doug, from Arizona. He picked us up in town and we had a chance to chat with him on the drive out. He had his house with common area on the bottom, a nice back porch, a couple of nice rooms to rent out back, and a few tents for cheap backpackers like us. He was only a month in getting things under way, but we thought he had a gem of a place. It was great to get away from the noise of El Nido and out to a beach that was so quiet and empty. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvXkZOnWUSjkalkOAlr1kJVsgqXaWdEg9yM6r5w4xA3Rj5qbn5VFqDlg0kH0Jw4EXxVPjVlT9E3U4pf0pBhahZGS_4xDvtiq3MtsiAGWy0oQ5R2uatPhZJBYO8qcxUTx6WtcMiYeMXKQ/s1600/DSCN3423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWvXkZOnWUSjkalkOAlr1kJVsgqXaWdEg9yM6r5w4xA3Rj5qbn5VFqDlg0kH0Jw4EXxVPjVlT9E3U4pf0pBhahZGS_4xDvtiq3MtsiAGWy0oQ5R2uatPhZJBYO8qcxUTx6WtcMiYeMXKQ/s1600/DSCN3423.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dagmay beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXHQP2PVcBZMdmHVq7ZD30sc1bUTVSyhvJgeJaPY9i90MjAMuxrs5R5l9JXHlFnsp12IbAMcCC6Mvag7pcLWKuGlDAmDgOndThFzA8IWbI0X_JYKY641KX-4TTr_2C52VKH6Cp8-ohNk/s1600/DSCN3420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXHQP2PVcBZMdmHVq7ZD30sc1bUTVSyhvJgeJaPY9i90MjAMuxrs5R5l9JXHlFnsp12IbAMcCC6Mvag7pcLWKuGlDAmDgOndThFzA8IWbI0X_JYKY641KX-4TTr_2C52VKH6Cp8-ohNk/s1600/DSCN3420.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Doug's place from the beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7kmruHiL3vTw-_IRHUNZIzrkoU0S4eHQzCgc-_zO614SjO3tWR7uJZPoL8LwdOmciS0TrHO9TMytNp2n-6kkfBbneGtdoS5sxF9UBgD3CiLbv3s-qw53579ddBLMAPwyxTZgUy-WYfs/s1600/DSCN3382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7kmruHiL3vTw-_IRHUNZIzrkoU0S4eHQzCgc-_zO614SjO3tWR7uJZPoL8LwdOmciS0TrHO9TMytNp2n-6kkfBbneGtdoS5sxF9UBgD3CiLbv3s-qw53579ddBLMAPwyxTZgUy-WYfs/s1600/DSCN3382.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug's place</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLc-zYlpDQcDLjh6WKHNYNdGtL7ejj5xiG7P1JuqCIjBfk-OZTSUJdiuk6-dV-Lyg33AQooa3YJgngSJciPTP3stdXMWoveFdQQd8OHs5cd4RpF99LcXMfYChvxcK3YUIGPBnueyEDlo/s1600/DSCN3320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLc-zYlpDQcDLjh6WKHNYNdGtL7ejj5xiG7P1JuqCIjBfk-OZTSUJdiuk6-dV-Lyg33AQooa3YJgngSJciPTP3stdXMWoveFdQQd8OHs5cd4RpF99LcXMfYChvxcK3YUIGPBnueyEDlo/s1600/DSCN3320.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the patio area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXTIW2QuS4d85dPXUWdfrSxrztfLn2BNEyeoeG6k8Go_A_V5jCxLYMZe_46lMEHrlmEKYHbmR5H9KDodfOzHzI6fEXx-kQ7sl5W_vu2rh5cFiLBYbXiuA5H2HPnWlaLKUYkQfO2Al8byc/s1600/DSCN3312.JPG" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beachfront tent</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVRJWevq7E6VrOOG6vdwLfPEnIDioShRWVyxjOZqpMZM92NRtL_XuAlWhs60_g-3wZ9P7fDRNk_Pt5-J6fKM7lHJWlOKGJuPLZtS-vlZn8H6EjLvhlTNBurx8B7WfSS0QKaG3zrzcrWY/s1600/DSCN3442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLVRJWevq7E6VrOOG6vdwLfPEnIDioShRWVyxjOZqpMZM92NRtL_XuAlWhs60_g-3wZ9P7fDRNk_Pt5-J6fKM7lHJWlOKGJuPLZtS-vlZn8H6EjLvhlTNBurx8B7WfSS0QKaG3zrzcrWY/s1600/DSCN3442.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our tent window ;-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRi9BNxak1p8h2MrwEqVN1PfTq75E-C_cNcbMx_XdO82Su8ywRbLIm0ucE9cDRhZYbA-HveUNIxnRCRWwrFHeYgWzg_y6MlixMK3xNt7Yw3OxJm-uBGpPr8gnGLJW6Qbr4RK4FSRCGvQ/s1600/DSCN3330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRi9BNxak1p8h2MrwEqVN1PfTq75E-C_cNcbMx_XdO82Su8ywRbLIm0ucE9cDRhZYbA-HveUNIxnRCRWwrFHeYgWzg_y6MlixMK3xNt7Yw3OxJm-uBGpPr8gnGLJW6Qbr4RK4FSRCGvQ/s1600/DSCN3330.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Doug's cute dogs- Dinky and Pepper</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not only was there a secluded beach with no other buildings on it, and perhaps 4 tourists staying the night at a time (a number of people came out for the day and made a lunch stop at his place while riding motorbikes out to some of the nearby waterfalls and beaches), but there was also plenty of activities: football, frisbee, body surfing, skim boarding, volleyball, and a rock climbing wall with all the proper gear (our FAVORITE). Doug had a portable rock wall back home so he showed us the basics and taught Matt how to belay so we could do it as much as we wanted during the day. Plus hammocks for taking a nap, books/ magazines to read, and plenty of time so stroll up and down the beach. In addition to all of that, the food was delicious. He had a garden out back where he was growing vegetables and watermelons among other things. Watermelon with every meal and fresh green veggies = happy campers :-).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbrF4AbaFW69hrdZKj6aC6be_u7bFxNCFfOPAwGCN4BPnCaTMW07jxPoENSPwPb-6V2CcRYWvg4sHIolglv4gRiStckipW8Y1QpYVhOq-_TqsWXh9bthBAphMGPVbQIm77PWBBg_McDg/s1600/DSCN3332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMbrF4AbaFW69hrdZKj6aC6be_u7bFxNCFfOPAwGCN4BPnCaTMW07jxPoENSPwPb-6V2CcRYWvg4sHIolglv4gRiStckipW8Y1QpYVhOq-_TqsWXh9bthBAphMGPVbQIm77PWBBg_McDg/s1600/DSCN3332.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt giving it a go</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6PMc_iG6k6ZL3dVs3pxfbi1yymapLYRFxj7ZkfilZ3U9RQ8jNPrFxoEpn29VGr7YZgL8Mk0GG7nZL-1K8Hdk8-KtD6M5GCNLis2Khdhmli6nAA_ert7x4h-l_tbIar88NnDcaZ8gWIM/s1600/DSCN3436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6PMc_iG6k6ZL3dVs3pxfbi1yymapLYRFxj7ZkfilZ3U9RQ8jNPrFxoEpn29VGr7YZgL8Mk0GG7nZL-1K8Hdk8-KtD6M5GCNLis2Khdhmli6nAA_ert7x4h-l_tbIar88NnDcaZ8gWIM/s1600/DSCN3436.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxltprP_IiKeq_67e0LsIJq2GgSz8Fl47XFu8klurJFEN9Y0HR_0j3Ubko-wgRThZaxPw1uBs_iiMgc8NfP0pxJ9-j34EKN2m35Xm_P26FHJJUEh4ymjM_j2F0kZzvxEuAsT1QrOx-D6c/s1600/DSCN3438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxltprP_IiKeq_67e0LsIJq2GgSz8Fl47XFu8klurJFEN9Y0HR_0j3Ubko-wgRThZaxPw1uBs_iiMgc8NfP0pxJ9-j34EKN2m35Xm_P26FHJJUEh4ymjM_j2F0kZzvxEuAsT1QrOx-D6c/s1600/DSCN3438.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristin's turn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrS5Wo6SheWRrjZyLVt2g9zBRSWhLkQBPcbIfvRfQRHSLOZlYFxBvLJmMee5DZ_ZMdjxW1UxrXq7cXyOUTjJaAXO2dh9EFXqDJPU3vu5BiDUYuL_drcW_RlFkdqrBpADLknfCZz9w7iA/s1600/DSCN3359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrS5Wo6SheWRrjZyLVt2g9zBRSWhLkQBPcbIfvRfQRHSLOZlYFxBvLJmMee5DZ_ZMdjxW1UxrXq7cXyOUTjJaAXO2dh9EFXqDJPU3vu5BiDUYuL_drcW_RlFkdqrBpADLknfCZz9w7iA/s1600/DSCN3359.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt perfecting his skim boarding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI1YSYk43qYr4SBKzbEOd0J0EfoMndMHwTsKLz5tLI6zxAWTWc8FuEVPP4TKZeONWLA1EYun0ZVYaq8l0_f68IoEmCev0tRjSXnR3NSwyo6C9gafQbcFWzbtej-i23-MeL5C5sp1d2O4/s1600/DSCN3445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjI1YSYk43qYr4SBKzbEOd0J0EfoMndMHwTsKLz5tLI6zxAWTWc8FuEVPP4TKZeONWLA1EYun0ZVYaq8l0_f68IoEmCev0tRjSXnR3NSwyo6C9gafQbcFWzbtej-i23-MeL5C5sp1d2O4/s1600/DSCN3445.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cook grilling up the tuna for our dinner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kristin loved being able to walk up and down the beach in peace and quiet. The only people she saw along the way were the locals from the fishing village. The kids were so curious at seeing us because they don't see many foreigners in their village, and Doug's place is still fairly new. The locals she saw on her walks were so funny because they really wanted their picture taken! They spoke very little English, but enough to say, "Take my picture" and then they'd pose. The man took his shirt off and said, "show people in America" ;-). She had to oblige.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck0n8Ky5gZ-7ZpGuy__hly_K4A0ObwCzu-wLysh-iluBikykOvyQE-40zcV9s8J0LcLjgl59OCgu63Wf99leYLPMlzuzQD8YTfo_v4-kRVffJTKNNlLBeIj-CQ6tZu19VmVprraUmD3k/s1600/DSCN3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck0n8Ky5gZ-7ZpGuy__hly_K4A0ObwCzu-wLysh-iluBikykOvyQE-40zcV9s8J0LcLjgl59OCgu63Wf99leYLPMlzuzQD8YTfo_v4-kRVffJTKNNlLBeIj-CQ6tZu19VmVprraUmD3k/s1600/DSCN3367.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empty beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UaNisl8gggOM58ncfC1lrBw0zw8IGoWvopZhwUYlJ-a68hDtErCoIQanJ3HiRyaGWjWMJ36ifF3OS_Cgp8bdIzfydy_6_U97e9gfmrZdBOXr-x71qtKw2YYvXIUzOSLkwgm6ybHgh-w/s1600/DSCN3365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UaNisl8gggOM58ncfC1lrBw0zw8IGoWvopZhwUYlJ-a68hDtErCoIQanJ3HiRyaGWjWMJ36ifF3OS_Cgp8bdIzfydy_6_U97e9gfmrZdBOXr-x71qtKw2YYvXIUzOSLkwgm6ybHgh-w/s1600/DSCN3365.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villager's fishing boats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnsACL5mxiI5P54zrwvOezMv2P_WdWyqeT3t1oGKAereEa0qy7IKsIJww0pNU1OhZSe399M9mZ3xFcpA0cyI1gGMgODmGHPDP-35e7GyFHZqAGRQSzVV-BVVMnRbsuKyPve1Fz2UcEqc/s1600/DSCN3376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnsACL5mxiI5P54zrwvOezMv2P_WdWyqeT3t1oGKAereEa0qy7IKsIJww0pNU1OhZSe399M9mZ3xFcpA0cyI1gGMgODmGHPDP-35e7GyFHZqAGRQSzVV-BVVMnRbsuKyPve1Fz2UcEqc/s1600/DSCN3376.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical Filipino boat, aka- banka</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq-paCc_G7OHCnuCEpTXaL3L3T9Hffth5lCxA2W0sD73j-zxHawaM36wiil2tusTdDIAivQK3P9qDrn64M6LvnUhqAIfQYxFI703S18njlOq-NxBTIWz20_kipLHk35Uyu_A0U4S-F_A/s1600/DSCN3416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyq-paCc_G7OHCnuCEpTXaL3L3T9Hffth5lCxA2W0sD73j-zxHawaM36wiil2tusTdDIAivQK3P9qDrn64M6LvnUhqAIfQYxFI703S18njlOq-NxBTIWz20_kipLHk35Uyu_A0U4S-F_A/s1600/DSCN3416.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaceful setting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncLdgCt6k9M3OUfKcbdWp-Z-vgPYhWCcgYU2wY_5R3DLbzjq3dLNDaldPUzUUS5SwGmNX0GGwBfX_E95OeFrpW1vtzb0o6Uvn5-lC5eXuScUzAkQce5eIb2afXia-DrluPzAhidNN2LA/s1600/DSCN3419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncLdgCt6k9M3OUfKcbdWp-Z-vgPYhWCcgYU2wY_5R3DLbzjq3dLNDaldPUzUUS5SwGmNX0GGwBfX_E95OeFrpW1vtzb0o6Uvn5-lC5eXuScUzAkQce5eIb2afXia-DrluPzAhidNN2LA/s1600/DSCN3419.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaceful setting again</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-Og858wivOA4f0Wn9eGYro8DPIyb9Ph8YjOXSiotYArpVnqOo_9iuKv4sqEzskVyz479WC4pkcbJf2X68H4DRWSpGhPBhb4ZvbmTas2Rsh2V0IcOW3tQTtLhJ9Zl3hKG0h7Ch4bhEsw/s1600/DSCN3357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-Og858wivOA4f0Wn9eGYro8DPIyb9Ph8YjOXSiotYArpVnqOo_9iuKv4sqEzskVyz479WC4pkcbJf2X68H4DRWSpGhPBhb4ZvbmTas2Rsh2V0IcOW3tQTtLhJ9Zl3hKG0h7Ch4bhEsw/s1600/DSCN3357.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local kids posing :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabl1daTSSEkW-SpR-CrZpqIYfThsjvDWmAT-knm65Pp8KyybntDX39wh4W6VpBOUmUOv8XfwjuqREPluF5-O6XgU_eW1UisBDm6q76yaizZyo-EH4Kfz25-Gm1v7ljeoQkJDB9MHS-is/s1600/DSCN3421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabl1daTSSEkW-SpR-CrZpqIYfThsjvDWmAT-knm65Pp8KyybntDX39wh4W6VpBOUmUOv8XfwjuqREPluF5-O6XgU_eW1UisBDm6q76yaizZyo-EH4Kfz25-Gm1v7ljeoQkJDB9MHS-is/s1600/DSCN3421.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man posing for his picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We really enjoyed our two nights out at Doug's place. It was great getting to relax in such a serene setting while getting to know Doug and the other travelers. Plus, we loved all the activities at our disposal.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6CGgy7VpVMQET3EACgd0eZPupdxhZG7HJCMG9YlAiDfkFtxHOOtnEvB88MMT92_c3dnAHKXLyqgW7zyKsoCQbUwwHKLibiA5L3mcwkt4Fa49DypEKDamFwLU5qKQN_LTSY6VA_9KYzI/s1600/DSCN3447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6CGgy7VpVMQET3EACgd0eZPupdxhZG7HJCMG9YlAiDfkFtxHOOtnEvB88MMT92_c3dnAHKXLyqgW7zyKsoCQbUwwHKLibiA5L3mcwkt4Fa49DypEKDamFwLU5qKQN_LTSY6VA_9KYzI/s1600/DSCN3447.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Doug!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We left Doug's place and headed back to El Nido to catch a bus to Puerto Princesa where we stayed the night before catching our flight onward to Bangkok the next afternoon. We were sad to have to say bye to the Philippines.</span>Matt and Kristinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314373411261138878noreply@blogger.com0