A Long Week

Its been a while since I have had a chance to actually sit down, collect my thoughts, and make a blog entry. The past week or so has been insane and I have been on the move almost everyday. My last blog was from Nah Trang which was good fun. From there I headed to Ho Chi Min City also known as Saigon. Saigon was basically the same as Hanoi, absolutely chaotic. Taking a motobike taxi is something I would recommend to everyone. One of the craziest things I have done in a long time. They dont follow the rules and sidewalks are as good as the road in their mind. In Saigon I went to the War Remnants Museum and the Chu Chi Tunnels. They were haunting experiences for me as an american visting them. Some of the things I saw at the museum and heard at the tunnels really made me think and I learned a lot about the other side in the Vietnam War. (Vietnamese call it the American War). After Saigon I took a bus into Cambodia. Cambodia was definetly one of my favorite places. The people are so friendly and I couldnt get enough of them. My first day was in Pnom Penh where I went to the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields. So In three days all I did was learn about the war in Vietnam and the Genocide in Cambodia. It was a depressing three days. If you want to know more I can tell you about it when I get back. From there I went to Siem Reap which is where Angkor Wat is. Angkor Wat is the biggest temple in the World and is said to rival the pyramids. I was really hung over when I went so I took a nap in one fo the corners. When I woke up I had no idea where I was only to realize I was in the biggest temple in the world on Cambodia of all places. The reason I was hung over is because I ran into my 3 Aussie boys the night before and we got pretty crazy. The guys that worked at my hostel loved my and everytime I came out of my room they would chant "Mr. Kyle! America FuckYeah!!" which always made me laugh. (Sorry about the language.) I also shot an AK-47 in Siem Reap which was really fun. From Siem Reap I took a horrible bus ride to Bangkok to meet up with Mr. Tom Headley. To kill time during the day waiting for our night bus we went all over Bangkok in tuk tuk which is like a three whell taxi. It was a pretty interesting day. On the bus I ran into my good friend Rich who I met in Pai and traveled with for a couple weeks. He is my favorite Kiwi. We finally got to Ko Pha Ngan a couple days ago where I met up with all my friends. Reuniting with little Janez brought a big smile to my face. Last night was the full moon party which was absolutely insane. It is by far the biggest party in the world. Anywhere from 20 to 30 thousand people were on the beach. It was a good time had by all. I paced myself and didnt get too intoxicated because it was just so much to take in. At about 6am I got a taxi back to our place. There was an idiot on a motorcycle in front of us driving crazy. I watched him closely and finally he completely missed a turn and went flying into the jungle. I yelled for the taxi to stop and ran out and jumped into the jungle. It was think and I had no idea where he was or what I was jumping into. I finally found him about 30 feet away from his motorcycle. His face was covered in blood. Other things happened but I wont go into them. I thought he was going to die on the spot. I screamed for an ambulance and after 20 minutes of squeezing the guys hand and yelling at him to hold on they came. I dont know what happened to him but I hope he is ok. After that I went back and crashed out and now I am writing this blog. Hopefully that wasnt too dipressing for you guys. I will probably stay here for a couple more days and then head to Koh Tao to possibly meet up with Mr. Doof. After that its time to go home! I hope everyone is good and I cant believe that Heath Ledger died. I love getting comments from you guys so keep them coming. Take care and dont work too hard.

Kyle

Same Same but Different

I am currently in a beach town called Nah Trang (I think thats how you spell it). Since my last post I have had an ablosulte amazing time in Vietnam. I went to Halong Bay which is beautiful (my memory card broke halfway through so I have some photos). On the boat we had a great group of which I hung out with three Australian guys the whole time. They were absolutely crazy. To give you an idea they were like three drunk Siamacs, very loud and obnoxious. That night on the boat they brought a bunch of vodka and we drank it all and did karaoke all night. We owned the boat. We sang so many songs that I cant even remember which ones we sang! After that I returned to Hanoi and re-entered the terrible traffic. I have gotten really good at crossing the streets now. I just act like I own the road and walk across the street at a constant pace. If you walk fast or stop, youre probably going to get hit. I bought some postcards to bring back because they actually show how crazy the traffic is. My pictures dont do it justice. From Hanoi I took a night train to a city called Hoi An in central Vietnam. It was a great little town. I splurged and bought two suits and two shirts. I broke the budget with it but I saved a lot of money compared to buying them back home. While there I met 4 Aussie girls who cracked me up. I was basically their brother. One night i took three seperate trips taking them home because they drank too much. After Hoi An I took a sleeper bus to the town of Nah Trang. I took some sleeping pills and it was a great ride. All there is to do here is literally lay on the beach and I have been soaking up some good rays. Last night I had dinner at a place and I was the only person eating there. I ended up eating dinner with my waiter who was trying to learn english. I taught him english over my dinner and we had a great time together. After this I will probably go back to my hotel and then to the beach to lay out for a while. I leave tomorrow morning for Saigon (Ho Chi Min City) before heading to Cambodia and eventually Southern Thailand. Hope everyone is doing good and I cant wait to see all of you!!!

In Vietnam

Just wanted to let everyone know I made it to Vietnam alright. This place is absolutely insance. I cannot even begin to explain to you the amount of motorbikes in this town and how crazy they drive. Its fun just to sit on an intersection and watch four directions of traffic converge and make it through with no injuries. Its about 7:30 here and I'm about to head to Halong Bay for a one night cruise around the bay. Its supposed to be beautiful. Wanted to let everyone know that Im safe and that I didnt die on my flight. The flight was actually very nice and we were treated great. Other than that not a whole lot. Whenever I upload pictures my memory card locks up and it costs $10 to unlock it so Im gonna have to wait until I get back home to upload anymore pictures. Sorry. Hope everyone is good. Talk to you soon.

Kyle

Slow Boat, Laos, New Years

Hello from Laos!
I hope everyone who reads this had a great christmas in new years. My were obviously very different that what I am used to, but were great. My last post was from christmas and a lot has happened since. After that Janez and I hopped on a bus up to the northern border of Thailand. From here we crossed into Laos and took a two-day slow boat ride down the Mekong to Luang Prabang, Laos. The boat ride was slow, cramped, and fairly uncomfortable, but it was very enjoyable. We met a lot of people, played a lot of cards, and drank a decent amount of Beer Lao on the boat. In the middle of the two days we stopped in a little town called Pak Beng which only has electricity from 6-10pm. The scenery was also amazing on the Mekong. Unfortunately we only got to spend one night in Luang Prabang before heading south to a town called Vang Vieng. The bus we took was more of a roller coaster than a bus ride, pretty intense. Ive never been on a bus that goes down 10-15% grades, around sharp curves, and actually ACELERATES. I dont know how I didnt get sick but we did make good time. Now we are in Vang Vieng and I am loving this place. Our days are mostly spent by the river doing a little drinking and going off rope swings and ziplines. One day we rented motorbikes and drove up to a big cave which we hiked into. Other than that this is a really lazy town as well. Every restaraunt plays the show Friends on repeat, so I have been catching up on some episodes I never saw. New Years was awesome. Our group got together and we definetly hit it hard. There was an amazing party at a place called smile bar. It was packed with backpackers. Lots of buckets were consumed. I think I have most of my itinerary figured out now. I got my vietnamese visa and booked a flight from Vientiane, Laos to Hanoi, Vietnam this Sunday. A british guy named Nathan and I are going to kayak from here to Vientiane and then fly together on that flight. From there I rapidly head south through Vietnam, cross into Cambodia for 5 days before meeting Tom in Bangkok. Then its 2 weeks on the Thailand Islands and I come home. Thanks for all of your comments on my blog, they mean a lot to me. Love you guys.

The Slow boat ride, the card playing crew on the boat, New Years eve with Janez and Rich.