"Lady, lady, you like I give you good price. You are very beautiful, I give you good price. Just for you. How much you want to pay. Real price, no joking price. You very clever. I give you good price." And so this goes on with the seller giving me an amazingly high price, and I countering with an incredible low price, and then going back and forth a few times, me trying to walk away, she actually grabbing my hand or blocking my way, me finally leaving, her yelling after me, "no, no come back, I give you good price." I go back, we disagree on what I good price is and I leave a few times more, before we agree on our price. I was told I was very beautiful and clever, more times then I can count. In this instance we were bargaining over a Northface jacket, which I eventually got for $17. I also bought a "Prada" purse, some nice capris and a couple shirts. The whole process is actually quite fun, if you can take it with a some humor and a grain of salt.
China was an interesting country. We only had time for Beijing, as we have to get to Russia by a certain date on our visa, but we made the most of our few days. We saw the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, the Hou Hai area of lakes and teahouses, we rented bikes and rode though the streets and ate street food, we ate Peking Duck, and of course, we shopped. And now we are off on the Trans-siberian Railroad. Stay tuned for more adventures.
First, pile as many people as you can onto the back of the motorbike. You can easily fit 3 adults, 4, if you squish, on the back of a motorbike. Families of 4 work best, big sis in the front (usually standing up on the front of the bike - see pictures), then dad, and mom in the back holding the baby - or a variation thereof.
Next, you want to see what else you can put on a motorbike. Be creative. Ladders (see picture), tires (I saw a guy with 9 tires hanging off his motorbike today), large boxes, live animals, laundry buckets, really it can all be piled on. Extra points of you can balance both objects and people, such as the lady balancing on the top of a large tool box, that I saw today.
Remember, there is no driving age. If your feet can reach the pedals, you are good to go. Oh, and don't forget to bring your brother along on the back for good measure, maybe even a few more siblings.
Traffic lights are outdated in Cambodia. Basically, you just go where you want to go. When you need to cross five lanes of moving traffic, you just go, cars and motorbikes will swerve out of your way, and you will make it to the other side. This works for crossing traffic on foot as well. If you need to merge, just drive along on the wrong side of the road, like our tuk tuk driver did today, and cross over when you see a good opening.
Other important rules
Show no fear.
Use your horn often and loudly, you really don't need a reason.
Drive very very fast. This will make you less of a target.
Do not be afraid to duck into oncoming traffic, weave around traffic, create your own lane, or even a new traffic rule.
Helmets are optional, as is safety gear. Flip flops, shorts, skirts (you just sit side saddle and balance) are all fine.
And most importantly have fun.
"The next Express bus is at 1pm, but we have an ordinary bus leaving in 2 minutes." The man told us. It was barely 8:30am, we needed to get to Ta Kheak our next destination. How bad can 5 hours be on an ordinary bus? Sure it has no air-con, but we can do it. We boarded the bus to find it packed front to back with large sacks of something that filled the bus half way up the seats, perched on the bags were at least 20 or so people, we grinned. It was going to be a fun ride. Maybe that should have been the tip off that our three day motorcycling adventure was going to be more then we bargained for, but really the ride was not so bad. We even had a Laos guy giving us commentary on the scenery as we drove and the bus stopped at random places along the side of the road every hour so you could wander off and find your own special bathroom among the bush.
The next morning we had our motorbike rented and were up and out by 6am, despite gray laden clouds, ready to see the amazing caves, countryside, and native villages along the way. By 6:05, God had opened up the sky and began pouring down buckets of water upon us. We returned to our guesthouse, among laughter from our fellow travelers, completely soaked. We dryed out, ate breakfast, and started out again at 1:30. The earlier storm led to a beautiful ride, and we motored along, slowing to avoid cattle, water buffalo, goats, dogs, even a huge snake in the road. Local kids waved at us as we passed and called out Sabaidy! The villages, greenery, huge cliffs, and feel of the breeze and fresh air as we rode, made for an incredible ride. We arrived at our destination five hours later, a huge cave. We stayed overnight in a Homestay in the village. We shared our room and bathroom with a couple huge spiders (see picture). The next day we took the three hour trip through the giant cave by boat. The cave was amazing, huge, spooky, and, well dark. Despite all the adventures along the way, it was a great trip. One of my highlights.
Now we are off to Cambodia. I cannot wait. As you can see, I am now traveling with Dan. We are giving this another go, so stay tuned for more of our adventures.
Well, I have fallen in love with Laos. It is a stunningly beautiful country. Much like Thailand in many ways, but different. The people are more open and friendly. Less jaded by tourism. Everywhere you go you are greeted with a friendly Sabadee. The scenery is postcard. I can't stop taking pictures and yet it does not do justice to the beauty. I spent three days getting here from Thailand - which was quite a fun adventure. A day on a bus from Pai, to the border in Chiang Kong. Overnight and up early to catch a boat over to the Laos border. Then a 16 hour two day slow boat down the Mekong to Luang Prabang. I spent my days gaping at the gorgeous scenery, talking wtih fellow passangers, playing cards, reading, and relaxing. It was a great trip.
From Luang Prabang I heading into Vang Vieng, an interesting mix between the beauty of Laos and tourism. Literally every restaurant was playing friends episodes. There are big comfy seats with pillows and you just lay back and wile the day away watching TV. I actually spent most of my time out an about. I went inner tubing down the river, stopping along the way at the restaurants to relax and jump off the ziplines. I spent a day touring caves, and kayaking. Another day motoring around the countryside exploring the caves and lakes. It was awesome. Now, I am heading out to explore more of the countryside and then on to Cambodia!!
