I pick up from last week as my time in Taiwan came to a close. A place as different as Taipei, but currently home to a good friend was the perfect exposure to just how different (and how similar) of lives we have on the other side of the world. However, two weeks had gone by and the next leg of my trip was set to begin. This time I had no safety net, no friend to fall back on for help getting around. I had to reach out and actually make friends. That was no easy feat for me to do at will (still isn't). Still, I wasn't worried about friends or putting myself out there. I just finished two weeks in a setting that I never thought I would ever be in. The high from that was still in effect, and I was just so excited to go to Thailand. Plane ride comes and goes, a short queue at immigration and I'm waiting in line for a taxi at an airport in Bangkok. I had no hassles with anything except translating the address I needed to get to from English to Thai. Even that was a small inconvenience. Thirty minutes later I arrive at Lub.D Silom, my hostel and quickly get checked in. I drop my stuff off in my room, grab a beer and head to the terrace where other travelers are enjoying their drinks and cigarettes. These types of trips are supposed to be all about leaving your comfort zone, becoming a better person and yada yada. I ask to join them and in 30 mins I'm already invited to go eat lunch and join them for a foot massage at the closest massage parlor. Before I continue I have to touch on the temperature. With the humidity, it was the hottest and most miserable I had been ever. It's worse than Florida ever has been and still that seems a bit of an understatement. At times in my six weeks in SE Asia, it was 111F with humidity. So there was almost no relief from the heat seeing as air conditioning wasn't as popular as it is here. Back to my first day in Bangkok, during the coarse of lunch and foot massage, the topic of cooking courses come up. One of the awesome people I met, Becca R invited me to join her the next day. That course was exceptional! It lasted just a few hours, but I learned to cook a couple of different types of curry, a delicious Pad Thai and sticky rice. Mango sticky rice was by far the best dessert I tried on my trip. I know that the food we cooked that day and later in my class in Chiang Mai was the best local food I ate in five months of travel. With the day still young, we decided to hit up Khaosan Rd. Khaosan was the most touristy part of Bangkok. I actually regretted staying so far away from the center of all the action (a two hour walk in 100F+ weather I made one day), but once I saw Khaosan Rd, I knew I made the right decision. Countless hostels and bars catering to foreigners dominated the street. It looked like a busy Friday evening in a local city in the middle of the day. I wondered how anyone ever got any sleep staying on that road. A week or so later, I questioned it even more. Vendors lined the streets selling all types of cheap merchandise mostly consisting of cheap clothing. Here the art of haggling is most on display. In SE Asia you cannot do anything outside of going to a restaurant without haggling the price of something. I mean everything. Haggling for taxis was the absolute worst. It was really what made me dislike Bangkok the most in the end. I really have never disliked any city I've visited. I think Paris is overrated, but there is still so much to love. Bangkok will never be a place I want to spend more than a night or two in again. It was illegal for a cab driver to not use his meter. That means nothing when your fare was a foreigner. If you didn't force the meter to be used or agree on a set price before hand, there was no telling how much your fare would be. It's an argument you really had no leverage in either. It's such a big issue, I was kicked out of cab after traveling a little bit because I wouldn't relent. I threatened to get the authorities a couple of times, it either meant the cab driver relented or I was back on the street. The price difference was never significant in terms of our currency, but you had to rely on taxis so much the cost added up over time. While it's prevalent all over SE Asia, Bangkok was worse. Being in SE Asia, Buddhist temples are a must! Bangkok didn't disappoint with it's selection to visit. Like Gothic cathedrals, Buddhist temples are some of the most beautiful structures to have ever been built. I was able to see the golden Buddha statue. Climbing to the top of these temples also provided some of the best views of the city. The next day marked the first instance of me learning why it was important to have fluid travel plans on this trip. I originally planned to stay in Bangkok two weeks, which was about 9 days too long. Luckily Becca invited me to join her in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. I also previously decided to head down to the western islands during my time in Bangkok. Going to Kanchanaburi meant I had to shift those plans a bit. It really worked out well in the end. Kanchanaburi was a completely different experience than Bangkok. It was really just a small town whose only attractions were the site of World War II atrocities at the hand of the Imperial Japanese army and a beautiful national park with seven waterfalls. The significance of that town was it's the location of The Bridge on the River Kwai and Hellfire Pass. The most famous point on Japan's attempt to build a rail line to help move supplies quicker through the region, Hellfire Pass, was the site of atrocities that I honestly knew nothing about before going. It was a somber and enlightening experience. The audio tour took us on the path that was carved for the railroad while telling the terrifying stories of the men who suffered while forced to do the life threatening work. Hellfire Pass and The Bridge on the River Kwai were the second half of a day long tour. The first half was much lighter, a trip to Erawan National Park. Now despite temperatures over 100 before humidity was taken into account, the park was a sensational place to visit. Not only were there seven waterfalls to see there was also natural pools you could take a break in to cool off from the intense heat. We had three hours before the bus was going to pull out and head to aforementioned stops, and we wanted to make it to all seven waterfalls. That left time to enjoy the falls, but it meant we had to maintain a decent pace to not only make the ascent but to also get back. In the end we had to skip one fall because of a fork in the path. To reach the highest fall in time (the ultimate goal) we had to sacrifice the path to the right. I hope the pictures do it justice because I'm not sure I would be able to properly describe everything going on. The next day brought the decision to alter my plans in the islands or not. Becca had booked a day of volunteering at Elephants World, an elephant sanctuary that rescued elephants from cruel living conditions. It sounded like an amazing thing to do and like something I might not get the chance to do again. So really, it wasn't that hard of a choice. Now it was a volunteer experience that you paid to experience, but the money helped fund the care of the elephants and helped purchase elephants from those places that abused them. Our "chores" included feeding the elephants when we arrived. It was really cool to be that close to elephants and have them grab the food right from your hands. We watched them play in the water and give themselves a dust bath. Afterwards we helped make food for the older elephants that couldn't eat the whole fruits and vegetables the others ate. We cooked the food and formed the rice balls and again fed them out of hands. The final highlight of the day was the chance to wash and play in the water with the elephants. I didn't take part, but it was still great to see everyone else enjoy themselves. Ultimately, I walked away feeling like the whole experience was more geared to donating money for the chance to be up close with the elephants. I don't mean that in a negative way at all. It was well worth the money and for an amazing cause that I would donate to without the opportunities I was afforded that day. Becca and I headed back to Bangkok after our day with elephants. I had a plane to catch to Krabi, Thailand. So we parted ways, but she was the first person I met on my trip that I still talk today. My plane arrives in Krabi and I catch the bus to where I thought was supposed to be the dock to catch a boat to Koh Lanta. Instead I was dropped off at a restaurant that also served as a connecting point to the dock. Being guided off the bus to the point where I buy my boat ticket so fast, I questioned whether I was being taken advantage of being forced to buy a more expensive ticket. After a long wait, though, I was finally dropped off at my boat. The boat ride to the island was incredible. The islands were a decision I made after I already arrived in Thailand. The water was bluer than I had ever seen in person and going by the islands proved my decision to be the right one. My hostel was just off Long Beach. I mean, I had to walk five minutes to be on a beautiful beach that was on an island without the party reputation so many others had. The result was a tranquil four days. The Andaman Sea is supposedly one of the best dive sites in the world. And lucky for me, there were several places that offered open water certification classes. Now the course was expensive, just over $400, but a day of course work and skills practice in the pool coupled with four dives, I couldn't pass it up. The first day was spent going over videos that explained all of the technical information of diving. Mainly the relationship between depth and oxygen use and rate of ascension were the topics of choice. Later that day, we moved to the pool to get my first practice with the scuba gear. Going underwater and willingly breathing while under was one of the strangest feelings I ever experienced. I really appreciated being in the pool to practice. When I panicked, I was able to quickly surface. It was something that helped me day one, but almost ruined my chance of completing the coarse day two. Fast forward to day two, we're on the boat headed out to the dive site, and I was incredibly nervous. I was about to do something I know I will never forget, but I was about to go 30 feet below the surface of the sea. Every instinct in my body told me it wasn't something I was supposed to do. Still we motored on and I was closer and closer to taking the plunge. When the time came, if you can eagerly and reluctantly do something at the same time, jumping off the boat that first time was exactly that feeling. Now came the moment of truth. It was time to go under water and practice some of the skills I worked on the day before. Panic set in. I got no more than a few feet under water before I had to immediately surface. I knew that once I was down, I was unable to simply jump up and be above water like in the pool. It was shaking so much and worried so much that I told, Steve, my instructor that I couldn't do it. I simply wasn't able to go down to the proper depth. To Steve's credit, he stuck with me. He didn't let me quit and after a few minutes I calmed down. We descended down to work on the skills. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the dive time exploring what was around us. It was so thankful I didn't quit. I swam with barracuda, clown fish, poisonous scorpion fish. The next day I even saw leopard sharks below and above me. It honestly felt like I was in Finding Nemo. However, I did run into one final obstacle. Anyone who knows what I look like and knows me well, can tell I'm not in the best of shape. The final test was an unassisted 200m swim. Now throw in the dives before hand, I was already behind the 8-ball. I got two cracks at completing the swim day one. I failed both times. Set up day three where if I failed I wan't going to be cleared for solo open water diving up to 18 meters. I would still earn 12m group diving certification, but I really wanted to get all of my money's worth. Day two, I tried my hardest and luckily completed the swim. The last day of diving was my final night on Koh Lanta. I decided to take my camera out to the beach and just take pictures of the sunset. As I took them, I didn't realize how good they turned out. After Koh Lanta came a few more days in Bangkok before heading off to Cambodia. Once again I quickly met several other people spend those days with. With those people I made my way to Khaosan Rd for the night life. One of the nights we noticed a young Thai woman who had way beyond more than she could drink. We spent several minutes trying to help, but the language barrier prevented us being able to explain how best to help her. It quickly put a damper on the night.
That last day in Thailand, I began to feel a little sick to my stomach. I would feel better later that night, but it was the harbinger of what was to come in Phnom Penh. But that is a story best kept for next week.
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First off, I'd really like to thank all of you who have kept up with my weekly blog. You've all been privy to some special moments, and I'm sure you have gotten to know my pretty well. As you no doubt know I was bitten by the travel bug some time ago. The desire to see the world finally manifested into me finally getting off my ass and leave. So I quit my job at the beginning of 2016 and on March 1 of last year I took off a five month long odyssey around the northern hemisphere. Really those adventures are the inspiration of this series of posts. Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the beginning of the trip. The days leading up to it (especially yesterday) left me feeling pensive. So since I am unable to hit the road today, I thought I would share a little bit of my trip. Both as a way to hopefully encourage others to get out there but also as a way for me to relive some of those times. My adventures started with a trip to Taiwan to see a friend that teaches in Taipei. After lunch with my friend, I set off alone to find my hostel. The subway was easy enough to navigate. All the stops were in English, so I got to my stop with no incident and had just a 10 minute walk to finally shed my backpack. As soon as I stepped out onto the street, there was little hope of it being just 10 minutes. I instantly felt as if I had been transplanted into a totally different world. If you ever wonder how difficult it is to navigate new city where you not only don't speak the language but also can't even make sense of the characters, trust me. The degree of difficulty is high. I even had a map. With the difficulty of reading signs and processing sights that I had never been exposed to, that 10 minute walk wound up taking about 40 minutes. Finally I arrived at Taipei City House, checked in and just relaxed a while after three flights and two layovers that saw me leave on Tuesday and arrive on Thursday (time change will get you). Dusk set in and it was time to head out and meet my friend again for a bike ride through the city and a stroll through the night market. I never saw more mopeds on the road before I arrived in Asia. There were hoards of them on every street. Traffic laws like we're accustomed to here, forget about them. It was basically a free for all that was really only governed by traffic lights. We rode our bikes on those streets too. I was the most nervous I'd ever been. Getting passed by people going three times as fast as you so close you could give them a high-five was not comforting. Then we took our chances on the side walk. So many bicycles going at various speeds, all trying to dodge oblivious pedestrians that were unfazed by the constant barrage of mobile dangers. Of two weeks in Taipei, that was the only time I rode a bike. Eventually the time came to hit up one Taipei's night markets. Picture the crowd of a state fair walking up and down a street with various vendors lining the way. That's about the crowd level there. I don't always like being crowds that large, but it was all worth it. The US needs night markets like the ones in Asia! I know they can never be truly imitated. Some reading this would be appalled by the appearance of some stalls, if not all. Hell, on most of my morning strolls there many restaurants washing there dishes outside on the street. But the whole experience was worth it. Once you think about how many people live in Taiwan and how they're all fine, there is absolutely no issue at all. Back to the food. Everything I tried was incredible. I'll concede the sausages seemed better just because of the setting. They were good, but they were still just sausages. However, I would fight someone over the spicy fried squid! Perfect bite sized pieces with just enough spice. As far as food, it was the highlight of the market. Visually, what awaited on the other end of the market was a beautiful temple. I can't even properly describe it. I would never be able to do it justice. Hopefully the pictures will tell what I cannot. Another highlight of my time in Taiwan was a day trip out of the city. Someone I met at the hostel and I went to a few towns to the east of Taipei on what was the worst day for weather during my entire two weeks. Almost constant rain coupled with chilly temperatures tried to put a damper on our day. Our first stop of the day was to the famed cat village of Houtong. Once a mining town, it is now almost over run with cats. We couldn't even step out of the train station before we were greeted by a couple of them. As we walked around, we couldn't go anywhere without seeing at least four or five. The town embraces the notoriety, too. Several shops are dedicated to their feline friends. Almost any type of merchandise you could think of, they had it with a picture of a cat. There wasn't much to do except see cats, but it was actually a fun experience. Jintong was the next destination. Here we made a paper lantern to release up into the sky. You choose the color of your paper based on the meaning of the color. There was one that symbolized money, health and so forth. Once you decided on those, you then paint your "prayers" on each side. After all said and done, you release the lantern in hopes of those requests coming true. Definitely touristy but worth the little bit money it cost to take part. Everyone must do it if ever given the chance, even here at home. We finished our day in Jiuten. It's a beautiful town that over looks the water. Had we been with better weather, I'm sure my pictures would have shown it more. I'm not going to lie, we chose to make that our last stop for a specific reason that escapes me at the moment. It's not really important because after many hours in the cold rain we decided there was no way we wanted to stick around any longer. Tired, cold and wet, we opted to head back to the city and call it a day. I was most surprised by the hiking trails in Taipei. I knew it's geography pretty well, but I didn't really expect to be able to climb a mountain for incredible views of the city. It was such a great view that I spent several days exploring. There was so much to see. Not only did Elephant Mountain provide excellent views of the city, but nestled away down seldom taken trails were more beautiful temples. I had to take one day just to walk the trails to see the temples. I took my first trip up the mountain around midday just looking to take a walk and see a little bit of nature. I would say luckily there were steps to aid in climbing the mountain, but I don't think it made much of a difference. It was still basically a vertical climb up. There is nothing more fun than quickly realizing just how out of shape you really are. Just when I thought about turning back, I reached the first lookout point. No more thoughts of quitting ever entered my mind. In fact once I reached the final lookout over Taipei I decided I had to wait until sundown to capture the view at night. It's impossible to fit in everything I experienced in Taiwan, but I hope everyone enjoyed the glimpse into the first leg of my journey. Again, thanks to all of my loyal readers for continuing to care.
Next up will be my time in SE Asia. Looking back, it was probably the best six week stretch of my life. So much happened that I might have to break it up into its own little mini series. Just a little teaser; those six weeks were insane and I'll divulge some parts of the trip that I don't tell too many people. I guess the idea of a blog really started with Travis, which if you know him you would understand the level of irony that idea brought. But once he suggested it we all immediately ran with the it and quickly football and barbecue became our common theme.
I've long toyed with the idea of starting a blog. This was the perfect avenue in which to do so. I plan on using it to explore all of my passions in life and share those experiences with any and all who care to read. Some topics I'll write about, in addition to football and barbecue of course, will be food (I love to bake, so plenty of desserts), literature, video games and my topic for this post - beer. I love beer, plain and simple. I love when I find that refreshing beer that pairs perfectly with porch sitting on a warm summer evening. I love a dark and heavy beer when the temperature drops and each sip seems to cut the chill. Finding a beer that pairs with every situation ensures that I have a wide variety of choices. The search for new beers is a constant for me. It really is a never ending journey when you think about it. New breweries are popping up all the time. The existing ones are coming out with new brews constantly. When you think you have a grasp on what's being offered, you discover an avenue you've never explored. Whenever I'm out with friends, whether out for a drink or just having dinner, a beer I've yet to try is among the first to catch my eye. Honestly, though, I find myself in rut as of late. I'm not branching out and taking chances like I used to. Once I had a mission to try anything from a brewery in an adjoining state. The search seems to be over, and this is the ultimate reason I decided to christen this blog with beer. When I started to think about what I could write about I wanted something that could involve you guys. At least once a month I want to take time out to talk about the new selections I've tried, to share my favorites and suggest the best of those to any who wish to branch out as well. In addition, I would always love to hear any of your favorites. The search of a great beer is on going and too great for a single person to attempt. Initially I'll just talk about two of the closest breweries to me, RJ Rockers and Highland Brewing Company. Rockers, to me, is the measuring stick to which I judge other breweries. I've yet to try one of their offerings that wasn't tasty in some way. In fact, several of their beers are some of my favorite of all time. Honey Amber is the best amber that has ever been made. Strawberry Bomber is a fantastic warm weather beer that has a fantastic strawberry flavor but isn't so sweet that you can only have one. Highland brews my most consistent go to beer when I'm out. Their Oatmeal Porter....it's tough to explain how much I enjoy it. First I need to digress just a bit. My first beer was a standard brew you find in a 24-pack. Very little taste and what taste you do have really isn't fit to discuss. Oatmeal Porter was one of the first beers that I was actually able to discern the flavors I was supposed to taste. And much like one remembers their first car with a fondness that no subsequent car can match, it never disappoints me in any way. As I begin to try new beers with greater frequency I hope to spend more time discussing them. I encourage, actually I implore you to get involved and give me suggestions. With every blog on this topic you'll get a couple of the best I've tried. I'll do my best to seek out and try the ones you suggest. I'll include what I think of any of yours I try and hope you'll leave a me your take on mine. To start out, you must try Founders Breakfast Stout. It's an oatmeal, coffee and double chocolate stout. You might think it would be a bit much and you couldn't be more wrong. Each flavor is distinctly present without being over powering. It's incredibly smooth. Until recently it has been incredibly hard to find locally, but Total Wine in Greenville and Oasis in Spartanburg have had plenty of it lately. My other suggestion is a bit more tame for those not looking for such a heavy beer. Unknown Brewing Company, out of Charlotte, offers a wheat beer called No Shame. Again, it's very smooth, but this beer doesn't have too much going on flavor wise. At first sip I was even a little bit disappointed with the flavor, but that feeling quickly went away. I didn't get much of anything. But as soon as I begin to lament my decision, I got that great citrus taste you expect on the back end. It's mild and a great choice for when you're looking for something not filling and light. I haven't seen it in stores yet, but I was able to try it at Growler Haus in Spartanburg. |
RichESPN and Food Network are my TV stations of choice. I can enjoy almost any sport, but football and soccer are my favorites. I'm a devout Gamecock despite being associated with these other gentlemen. Food is a passion. I haven't come close to seeing the world, but I'm working on that as best I can. ArchivesCategories |