Dec 2006

bangkok's seedy areas rarely phase me these days with the last few towns we've stopped at in laos. the absolute poverty the people live in here is more appalling than transvestites with bulges in their pants.
my brother and i rendezvoused in bangkok on the 19th and quickly made our way up to the northern center of thailand, chiang mai. after scoping out some ornate temples we hopped on a bus and headed for the mekong. once we reached the thai side we had a good look at what life was like across the river in laos. nothing is quite like walking around a port town with people who want to stuff their pockets with your money. that was the vibe in both Chiang Khong, Thailand and its' Lao counterpart Houesai. we only spent a night in the enchanting village of houesai, but we quickly got the idea that the communist government is still fully in control of the lao people. that includes cutting the power at 11pm. the next day we cruised down the mekong and got to see the outside of raw jungle. a few stone faces were thrown in between the lush forest, but for the most part it was the shit-brown color of the mekong against a backdrop of giant green trees.
we slept in pakbeng, another village that exists to extract money from tourists and give lao people the true feeling of capitalism. the food was tasty, especially the morning glory and spring onion. we've been sampling the cuisine from both the street vendors and restaurants, and our expert opinion concludes that vendors are the way to go. not only are they cheaper but the fresh vegetables in the stand just give you a good feeling.
from pakbeng, laos we had another day on the mekong full of dice games, exquisitely-rolled white cylinders and some conversation about taking pictures of poor people (make a post and let me know your thoughts......)
as for luang prabang, the general feel here is much more subdued than in bangkok, a bussling metropolis with seemingly no soul. the people here aren't as hawkish about selling goods, throwing you in their taxis or ripping you off (or maybe im just that naive...)
the temples here have the lao style with a french walkway of red-bricks and cement. surprisingly the two make a nice pair and the mesh of boulders, gold buddhas and colonialist architecture make a nice atmosphere. we just climbed Mt. Phousi and viewed the beautiful setting luang prabang has at the corner of the mekong and nam khan rivers. from here we'll probably be off to Vientiane to explore more of what the french did to lao culture. should be quite a treat.

When I set foot in Japan, which is my new "home" country, I met up with my mom and brother for a whirlwind tour of Japan. We sped through Nara, the old ancient capital, and also through a few sections of Kyoto that are a must-see for anyone who comes over. The best part of this trip was practicing my Japanese to help my family get around. It's pretty amazing how much you can learn living in the native country of a language, and it doesn't hurt that I take free lessons every week. Without thinking about it, I left all my guidebooks at home and just asked people their recommendation on temples, shrines, restaurants etc. It turned out to be a blast, although I don't think a full-time tour guide position is quite up my alley.
The trip ended with my brother and I going on a 2 day hike in a gorgeous area just south of where the Nagano Olympics were held. We summited Yarigatake, which literally means spear mountain, and had to work pretty damn hard getting up the last stretch. There were a few vertical ladders and helpful chains along the way. Once we reached the summit there was an awesome 360 view of the N. Alps, not to mention the chocolate and peanut butter goodness we devoured.