Part I of Part I (Bangkok and Delhi)

After twelve days backpacking, two Asian mega-metropolises, and mind-blowingly bizarre street food we now officially have way too much to write about in a single blog. A small tragedy, although one that has many rewards for us, the travelers. I apologize now for not posting pictures with this entry; we promise to do so soon.

We last left our trip at the quiet seaside town of Prechuap Khiri Khan on the Gulf of Thailand coast. From there we headed straight north to Petchaburi, a slightly larger city that has been the confluence of historical currents throughout Thailand's history. We went looking for Wats and found nothing but angry and aggressive long-tail macaques far too adjusted to city street life for any animal of the wild. Small wonder that we hopped on a bus to Bangkok the next day.

And what a great choice that was. Bangkok, known as the City of Angels to Thais, offers everything to everyone and more. We arrived in typical backpacker fashion (hopelessly lost) and spent the next day re-adjusting to city life after spending four weeks on relaxing beaches. We stayed with Jen's aunt, Jeanette, and her family at their condo in central Bangkok for the week that we were there. Jeanette has lived in Thailand for over two-decades and speaks fluent Thai. We appreciated such an incredible "in" for the first of many times the first night when we spent the evening devouring all the savory dishes that we never had the chance to try (ok, because we don't speak Thai and know hardly anything about the limitless possibilities of that awesome cuisine). We at yum salad, stir-fried snapper w/ exotic vegetables, fried springs rolls with taro root, clams in chili sauce, moong noddles with spicy salad, and delicious tangy shrimp soup. Yum!

The next few days were spent just taking in Bangkok. We went to Koh Ratanakosin to explore the Thai Royal Family's Grand Palace and other ancient Wats. On the way there, I felt I had entered a new world. The streets of Bangkok are filled with churning steel, chaotic movement, reckless scooters, and lung clogging exhaust. But the human traffic and colorful cacophony that fills the sidewalks is glorious. At the Grand Palace we made our way past the "guides" and into the main complex. Stop. Turn 360 degrees around. In every direction, on every square inch, looming above and resonating below were giant statues, ornate friezes, stupas and chedis in every color of the rainbow and more. We didn't know where to look, so we looked everywhere. In the Palace grounds resides the famous Emerald Buddha, a small jade-color statue of Buddha that has served as a symbol of Thailand's power for hundreds of years. It is decked and gold and countless Thais come to it to pay homage to everything Buddha. After the palace we walked around the rest of the old part of Bangkok and took in more Wats, Buddhas, and Bangkok street life before boarding a river taxi and cruising down the Chao Phraya.

The next day we went to Siam Paragon, supposedly one of the largest super-malls in all of Asia. Now, I have seen glimpses of wealth and modernity that put America to shame in some of the places I have traveled before, but nothing like this: seven stories, top-end boutiques, an entire floor filled with every cuisine and treat imaginable, a farmer's market, SE Asia's largest aquarium, an Imax, bowling alley, and a movie theatre with reclining chairs and full menu service. On top of this decadence, we happened to be there during a traditional north Thai food festival that was located right outside the mall. We ate Burmese curry, noodle-wrapped-noodles, a salad made with green black pepper, and much more. We were also entertained by traditional Thai ballads performed by the Lanna Troop. All this at a mall!

Now, I could go on forever more about the other awesome and exciting places, food, and people we experience in Bangkok, but sadly I have run out of time for this entry. I hate to leave on a cliff hanger, but we promise to update soon.

We still have India to talk about.

End of Part I (Bangkok and Delhi)

We are now in India, an ancient and chaotic country.

Gibbons, caves, and motorbikes

...and wake up to the calls of gibbons we did! No other sound can match the eerie, high-pitched wooping of those great apes echoing in the morning.

We arrived in Khao Sok National Park in the afternoon of the 8th after eight long, arduous hours on the road from Koh Lanta. It was worth the trip. Khao Sok, as Jen mentioned in the last blog, is considered to be one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Although, it's not a "true" rainforest like its counterparts to the south in Malaysia. Technically speaking the park consists mostly of tropical evergreen forests, but to the clueless farang (foreigner) like us, it oozes with plenty of jungle vibes.

We spent the first day in Khao Sok trekking around in the cool morning, attempting to escape the heat of the day. We walked through giant groves of monastery bamboo, creeking and groaning, and soon spotted our first Dusty Langurs. They were cruising across the tops of the massive trees across the the river. These are Jen's favorite monkeys and I can see why. They are almost completely black, except for a large white-mask that looks like oversized goggles. They are nimble tree climbers too. Moving along, we happily meandered through the forest until we were startled by the explosive whooshing of giant birds above us. From the floor of the jungle we could just barely make out streaks of black and white until all of a sudden we saw three massive birds the likes of which we had never seen come into full view. Enter the hornbills. Residents of Khao Sok, there are over six species of hornbills (and if you don't know what they look like, I recommend looking them up). These were the massive white-crowned hornbill; they have giant gray-white beaks and fuzzy white mohawks. We listened in rapture to their loud cackling and booming woot-woot-wudwudwud. As I said before, Khao Sok oozes with jungle vibes.

And we got to find out just how much the next couple of days. That evening we booked an overnight safari into the jungle with the most reputable looking agency in town. A.k.a. the one with the most Bob Marley paraphanelia and least amount of hype. It was a great choice. Our guide, Sak, was a local who had spent 21 of his 32 years as a guide in the forest. He was filled with an encyclopedic knowledge of the park and happily shared it with us. We left early in the morning with three other farang and drove an hour east to Bantakun, grabbed some tasty fried banana treats, and then made our way north to the massive 165-sq. km. man made made lake created by the Rajjaphapa Dam. We hopped onto a sleek long-tail and zoomed across the water for an hour and a half. For you geography-geeks (like me), the entirety of Khao Sok is your classic karst topography. In other words, there are massive limestone cliffs and mountains that jut into the air to dizzying heights and are littered with undergroud caves (more on that soon). So as we skimmed the water we took in the breathtaking cliffs that lined the lakes shore.

We stayed in National Park lake-rafts at Tone Teuy that night. The rafts were made out of bamboo, which squeeked under our feet as we walked. But that was the only sound we heard except for the myriad hoots, chirps, and buzzing emanating from the forest. Before settling in for the night, however, we made an afternoon trip to Nahm Tah Lu cave. Only an hour long hike, my feet were soon shredded to pieces by the three dollar sandles I had bought the day before so that I could hike through forest streams and swim in the cave. We arrived quickly however and after pulling out our flashlights submerged without any ado into the dark opening of the cave. Soon we were dazzled by the massive stalagtites shimmering in the faint glow cast by our lights. Thousands of bats clung to the ceiling and ominous six inch spiders passively observed us in the dark. We walked, swam, and climbed our way through the cave for an hour before emerging on the other side into radiant brightness. Only afterwards did Sak, our guide, regall us with tales of rescuing people from the cave the year before. Thanks for that Sak.

That night we drove by longboat around the lake searching for nocturnal creatures. Unfortunately, because it was a full moon, the skiddish animals didn't put on a show for us, except for giant great hornbills sleeping high above us. The next morning we woke up before the sunrise to go out again in the boat, hoping to catch a glimpse of the ellusive gibbons we had been heard each morning since we had arrived in Khao Sok. No sightings there, but plenty of pig-tailed macaques and langurs sedately munching on the fruit of palm trees. In the afternoon we hiked to the top of a viewpoint about an hour north of Tone Teuy. The climb was steep and a little treacherous, but everyone handled the terrain easily. At the top we gazed in silence at the pre-historic jungle breathing below. Gibbons' calls reverberated against the limestone cliffs and echoed down the valleys of time. I felt as though I could fly.

We packed up the following day, February 12th, and began our slow return to Bangkok. We stopped in at Prechuap Khiri Khan, expecting to stay for only a night, and have ended up hanging around for four. Far different from its cousins to the south, Prechuap is a quiet seaside metropol that caters mainly to vacationing Thais. We rented a scooter the following day to explore the surrounding areas. On the first day we discovered an out of the way temple complex called Wat Ao Noi. The grounds were covered in Bougainvillia and colorful roosters. A giant Wat made of dark teakwood stood in the center. One of the resident monks beckoned us up the hill nearby, intoning simply "Big Buddha". He was right! At the top of the hill we found a cave with two reclining Buddhas, each over 50 feet long. Supposedly over five-hundred years old, we felt like we had stumbled into a very sacred place. For the rest of the day and next we took some time to relax and get rejuvinated after almost a week of non-stop moving, trekking, and exploring.

Yesterday, however, we got right back to it. Waking up at 6 am we drove north from Prechuap to Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. Known for its bird diversity and excellent caves, we found ourselves like children in a candy store. We hiked early in the morning to a viewpoint and watched playful swifts and martins. In the afternoon we went to Tham Phraya Nakhon, the supposedly most photographed cave in Thailand. We found out why. Discovered several hundred years ago, and then officially "blessed" by King Rama V in 1890, the cave is made up of two massive karst sinkholes each over two-hundred feet deep. There is an ornate pagoda built to commemorate Rama V that hordes of Thai tourists flock to each day to pay homage to their king. We spent several hours simply wandering around taking in both the natural beauty and the cultural spectacle.

Now we leave for Petchaburi for a night before we complete our last leg of our trip in Bangkok! Sawutdee-krup!

Dugongs, Diving, and Delicious Thai Cuisine

Quite a bit has happened since our initial post. But first and foremost, we've got some big news, and we might as well let the cat out of the bag. We've been officially invited into the Peace Corps, and our country of service will be... *drum roll*... Cambodia! So for all of you who've dreamed of traveling to Southeast Asia, or simply have a sense of adventure, you'll soon have a place to stay over in this part of the world. Needless to say, we're thrilled to have our assignment. Neither of us know much about Cambodia aside from the basics of its tragic history, and that the people are supposed to be incredibly kind (I was there briefly several years ago to visit the magnificent Angkor Wat temple complex, and I'm ashamed at how little I learned about the country at the time; sorry Lonely Planet, but your history section just doesn't cut it). We're looking forward to doing research. My aunt, a longtime resident of Bangkok, commented that Cambodia is the "wild west" and that the Khmer language sounds like slurred, lethargic Thai. Sounds like we're in for quite the ride!

We'll be leaving to begin our training on July 20th, exactly two months after we arrive back in Seattle from Delhi. Nathan will be teaching English and I will be working with youth. Beyond this we don't know much. We'll keep you posted with any updates... One of the most fortuitous elements of this whole process of discovery is that we received our assignment on Nathan's birthday (more on that later).

But now we turn our thoughts back to Thailand. The day after our grueling 68 mile kayaking trip we embarked on a search for the elusive dugong. The waters around Ko Libong are known to be one of the last homes of this rare cousin of the manatee. We chartered a long-tail boat from the Nature Resort and headed to the dugongs favorite spot with the resort manager, two giggling archetypal German women, and the boatman who was dubbed simply as the "Captain." After some time floating around and gazing out over seemingly empty waters, we began catching glimpses of the sandy-brown backs of dugongs as they surfaced for a breath of air. According to Thais dugongs are auspicious, and the manager assured us accordingly that we are now "lucky, very lucky." During the course of our time on the water we also stood in awe as a pod of dolphins jumped and cavorted near to our boat; climbed out onto a sandbar teeming with migratory birds; and snorkeled with tropical fish of all shapes and sizes. I even got to live out my fantasy of diving off a long-tail boat in the middle of the sea.

No day on Ko Libong is complete without being a spectator at a womens' soccer match - well, at least ours wasn't. Upon hearing word of the goings on, Nathan and I trooped down to the nearby fishing village's school yard. It appeared as if the entire population of the island had turned out for the game. The only non-locals there, we had more fun watching the enthusiasm of the crowd than the match itself. Not to mention that we chowed down on some seriously tasty eats prepared right there on the goal line. Mmmmm, fresh papaya salad.

After our blissful beach-bumming on Ko Libong, it was time to hit the urban fray. We'd enjoyed Trang town so much the last time we were there that we decided to make another stop-over. The tasty smorgishborg at Trang's night market was waiting for us. Armed with the equivalent of roughly $4 US, we tackled four curries, an unidentifiable fishy thing wrapped in a banana leaf, a hunk of fried chicken, mango and sticky rice, a coconut filled crepe-style dessert, a tangy orange-tamarind drink, and a bottle of water. And we even thought to bring our camera this time around.

Our taste buds satiated, we left Trang town the next morning for Ko Lanta, and island in the Krabi province. Our primary reason for coming for this destination was the world-class diving... and oh what diving it is! For Nathan's birthday on the 5th we hopped aboard a Scandinavian run dive boat (I swear, we took the plunge with every Swedish person in Thailand) and cruised out to Ko Ha. "Ko" means island in Thai, and "ha" means five. This collection of karst formations in the middle of the Andaman Sea was strikingly beautiful both above water and underneath. Along with a myriad of coral and fish species, we communed with a green sea turtle, a swimming moray eel which looked like a long undulating ribbon in the water, a banded sea snake, giant lobsters, lion fish, scorpion fish, and a varicose wart slug (it's prettier than it sounds).

That evening as the sun sank into the Andaman we strolled down a lengthy stretch of white sand beach to Time for Lime, a gorgeous Thai cooking school and restaurant with what we have deemed to be some of the world's most delicious food. When we were scuba diving with a school of banded barracuda earlier that day I never would have guest they'd melt so sublimely in my mouth.

Seeing as we just couldn't get enough of Time for Lime, we headed back there yesterday for a spectacular 6 hour cooking class. We are now well versed in the secrets of Thai cooking! Okay, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but at least we know where to start. After spending time discussing the cultural elements of Thai cuisine and its key ingredients, we got to try our hand at creating green curry, fresh spring rolls, lemongrass steamed fish with a spicy seafood sauce, and vegetable fried rice. I don't think either of us have ever been so eager to eat our own cooking.

Today we went on another spectacular dive with the same Scandinavian company, this time to Ko Bida Nok and Ko Bida Ni. Highlights from the deep include a leopard shark, blue-spotted stingray, a ribbon eel, a pipe fish, an anemone crab, dancing durban shrimp, and tons of clown fish.

Next up: the jungle. Tomorrow we head to Khao Sok, a national park home to the world's oldest rain forest. We're hoping to wake up to the sound of gibbons calling....

After 68 miles, we emerge victorious!

A Chou Leh woman making Jen's papaya salad

These women took their game serious

Local spectators enjoying the football match

This dolphin put on a show for us!

Surveying the land (of deliciousness)

We bought the one in the middle...

Better than KFC!

We weren't the only ones who

had a tough time deciding

Foodie translation:

"3 stars" in Thailand=

Holy Shit

Our masterpieces

Nathan after a dive in the Koh Haa Lagoon

The "Killer" Knife

Mortar and Pestel ,

the key ingredient to Thai Curry