luang prabang.

the hills and clouds of a summer in laos.

after a very windy bus ride - during which a tiny laos woman continuously vomited so very quietly, so very politely, into a paper bag next to india - bryn & india arrived in luang prabang. knowing very little about the place, they had borrowed a lonely planet guide from a british couple on the bus and had scribbled down some suggestions in to their notebooks. they headed towards the main stretch of street, th sakkarin, and dipped into a few guest houses before finally deciding on one for 40,000 kip (or about five u.s. dollars) owned by a sweet single mother and her three children. retrospectively, bryn & india are still amazed by this: for a mere five dollars a night, they slept in a clean room with a ceiling fan, a strong shower, a television equipped with cnn and bbc, and were greeted each morning by a smiling and fussing family who offered sturdy umbrellas and cheap laundry service. incredible.

luang prabang was the first part of laos that bryn & india were able to truly feel the french influence on the country. the buildings resembled those in the french quarter of new orleans - skinny balconies, bright wooden shutters over every window, tall double doors leading into grand entry ways. the food was seafood with french flair; delicious buttery white fish caught fresh from the mekong river that wound its way around the peninsula city. the wine was warm and fruity. the weather was sticky. and the art was detailed and bright. bryn & india immediately fell in love with luang prabang.

wine and fish on the french boulevard. 

their days were spent roaming the tiny town, dipping into dozens of buddhist temples that dotted the emerald and sand colored city. the details of wat xieng thong particularly spoke to them; each hand painted wall showed pictorial stories of the history of both the religion and the city. the open air gardens smelled of the fresh river that flowed around it and smokey incense that was pitched tall in each temple. the mornings were spent in a discovered coffee shop, saffron, founded and owned by a northwest native. he had single handedly replaced the opium fields with coffee fields and was buying exclusively from the laoian plantations he had helped facilitate around luang prabang. the afternoons were spent swimming in waterfalls with new friends, ankles nibbled at by tiny biting fish. bryn was taught how to properly rope swing into the watery abyss while india remained in the sun, nursing her fish bitten feet. evenings, the two ate the most delicious mekong fish they could find - each restaurant grilling butter and herbs on fire fueled grills on the sidewalk. after, full and tipsy, bryn would barter hard for hand painted art and silk bedding in the night market - the best that they found in all of asia.

an interior of a temple in wat xieng thong.

mingling with the locals.

french boules played next to the mekong.

practicing meditation.

bryn learns to rope swing properly.

afternoons at the waterfall.

 after a slow week of quiet days, writing and reading and lounging and exploring, practicing their french and avoiding the night monsoons, bryn & india discussed their next move. back to thailand and trek the north? head south to cambodia and find ankor wat? spontaneously, the two booked a flight from the tiny luang prabang airport headed for hanoi, vietnam in hopes of finding hot bowls of pho and some scuba friendly beaches.

the most beautiful airport she'd ever seen.

vang vieng.

after a boat from koh tao to the mainland, a luxury bus to bangkok, a sleeper bus through the north of thailand, a stopover at the laos border for visas and fees, and a public bus up through the mountains, india & bryn arrived at their first official stop in laos: vang vieng.

boats on the nam song river in vang vieng.

here is must be said: vang vieng is exactly what you think it's going to be. like shasta lake on memorial day weekend, or vegas on new years eve, vang vieng is a non stop party, a rustic disneyland-like natural adventure park for twenty something travelers. it is, truly, a different world.

bryn & india arrived knowing very little about vang vieng other than it being party central. the majority of what the knew sounded like an urban legend: rope swings over rivers, homebrewed booze flowing, loas hospitality bursting at every open cafe, each equipped with old televisions that blared fuzzy viewings of your favorite american sitcoms.

turns out, that's exactly what it was.

making friends with the livestock on the side of the road.

bryn & india were dropped off in the middle of the six block stretch of road that made up vang vieng. they walked three yards to the first hotel and booked a space - a creaky corner room with big windows and a lavatory that held the toilet in the very middle of the tiled room. they paid about 50,000 kip (or 6 u.s. dollars) a night, and were pressed to take off their shoes at the entrance, as keeping the floors clean kept the maids happy.

after a breakfast at one of the dozen cafes on the street, bryn & india followed the small but steady crowd of white tourists to the rent-a-tube station in the center of town. here, they paid 8,000 kip each (or about 10 u.s. dollars) to rent an industrial sized black rubber inner tube and hitch a ride in a crowded truck towards the start of the float. perhaps two miles up river, bryn & india were dropped on a muddy bank among a thick green jungle, and dove into the rushing brown river.

tubing is for lovers #1

tubing is for lovers #2

because this is why tourists come to vang vieng: about ten years ago, a pair of australian boys (or british? or american? is it urban legend?) came to vang vieng and saw the potential of it. it was a tiny native community with zero tourists but beautiful scenery - and a river perfect for tubing to boot. they built a river side bar where inner tubes were rented out and the rest was history. today, about two dozen bars dot both sides of the murky river for about a five mile stretch. some have rope swings, or gigantic slides, that will push you back in to the water after a few beers, a few shots. some will hand you a pre-rolled cigarette filled with dry marijuana if you purchase a fifty cent beer. whichever ones you stop at, you'll meet friends and have fun. (though favorites are inevitable: bryn & india were fond of rope swings, power slide, and 'slingshot bar'.)

beer pong at the first annual 'tubefest' on the nam song river.

one of the many rope swings.

the rope swing before an impressive cannonball.

team u.s.a. - clearly a dominating force.

two days of tubing left the pair exhausted. beer pong tournaments, shared shots of warm liquor, countless jumps from the rope swing, high fives between new friends, buddhist blessings for safety in the form of colorful bracelets.

for a brief moment, after making friends with a brit who had been there for months, india & bryn entertained the idea of staying in vang vien. work in my bar! i'll pay you in room and board, and you'll drink whatever you like, whenever you like. but as the liquor wore off, the charm wore off, and as gorgeous as the surrounding jutting mountains were, bryn & india left on their third morning, exhausted by the tourists and the alcohol.

view from the pitstop on the bumpy bus into laos.

koh tao.

after a long night celebrating the full moon on koh pha ngan, bryn & india and their friends zach, tracey and aric returned to their hotel on the next island over, koh samui. exhausted but determined, the five celebrated a crazy last night together on the island before all parting ways the next day. tracey and aric headed up back to bangkok to catch their flight back home to toronto. zach was also homeward bound; he hopped a ferry south to phuket and then on to sydney. bryn & india, ready for a serious detox, headed north through the bay of thailand to the warm island of koh tao. 

on the ferry over, boys bombarded them with pamphlets for different scuba resorts, packages of hotel rooms, scuba lessons, and breakfast options. but india & bryn were determined to learn at ban's resort, a scuba resort recommended to them by their friends liana and tristan and recently visited by tracey and aric. both teams had nothing but good things to say – so, upon docking, bryn & india jumped in the back of a pick up truck with a bright yellow ban's scrawled on the side, and set off for the beach.

mango smoothies on koh tao.

ban's was like disneyland – a picture perfect paved village in the edge of the small island. there was restaurants with traditional thai and overpriced americana cuisine. there were movie nights and glow parties at the bar. there was a 24 hour mini mart that sold grilled cheese and 20 oz. chang beers. everyone was barefoot, most were shirtless. everyone was tan and crunchy from the saltwater. and everyone was happy. the pools were filled with laughing and the staff at the bar poured shots for themselves when you bought one for your friend. bryn & idia were happy. they signed up for a three day open water diving course.

winding paths cut through ban's lush gardens.

their diving instructors, jimmy and jessie, were from ireland and england, respectively, and took bryn & india, and their 11 other classmates with patience and encouragement. after a classroom session and a night of homework, bryn & india took to the water immediately, and passed their water certification easily. they swam with schools of orange clownfish and pairs of bright butterfly fish. after five dives, the class took their final written exam, all passed, and celebrated by having a long night of partying on the beach.

staying warm on the boat after a stormy afternoon dive.

the beach at ban's lights up at night.

over their three day open water course, bryn & india got to know a nice irish boy named A who had been living in koh tao studying to be a diving instructor. after months of the island life, he had grown tired of it and had decided to move back to the u.k. it was his last week on the island and with his encouragement, and the promise to be their diving partner again, bryn & india signed up for the two day advanced open water diving course.

the next two days, bryn & india were spent back on the boat in rocky waters. the sun had given way to monsoon season, but under the water, bryn & india could have cared less. they swam 30 meters deep, did a night dive using only flashlights to see, and dove guideless, just the two of them, floating in the underwater world. it was a surreal and wonderful feeling; breathing underwater, swimming so deep you couldn't tell up from down, was like being the most alive you've ever felt while totally disconnected from the world.

two days more of that, of movie viewings on projection screens, of fresh mango smoothies and coconut milk curries, of nighttimes walk with A, and they never wanted to leave.

scuba is sexy.

india and a: ah! real monsters. 

unfortunately, bryn & india's 30 day tourist visa they had received when they flew into thailand was about to expire. and to renew a short term tourist visa in thailand, you needed to leave the country and re-enter. so bryn & india kissed their friend A goodbye, swam in the warm turquoise waters around koh tao one last time, and headed back to bangkok where they boarded a bus bound north for laos.

on koh tao, the bartenders pass out condoms with the drinks.

koh pha ngan.

full moon is an experience.

highlights of our party included the following:

1. an afternoon spent swimming in the hot water of the ocean with tracey and aric, their tans set in to a burnt marshmellow coloring.
2. drinking whiskey out of sturdy blue plastic cups as the sun set.
3. watching thai boys poi and juggle with burning instruments, their hands seeming to fly with fire.
4. painting their bare feet and faces with glow in the dark paint; everyone's feet showed glowing bones of their skeletons.
5. the whole beach being filled with people of every color, age, shape, nationality, humor, personality, scent.
6. house music. everywhere. forever.
7. rain storms in the middle of night night, short bursts of hiding from the pounding water under flimsy umbrellas.
8. morning arriving, the dim light purpling the sky, at six in the morning.
9. falling asleep on the five dollar speed boat ride back to koh samui at seven in the morning.
10. very few photos.

#1.

#2.

#3.

koh samui.

searching for monkeys in krabi.

koh samui, the biggest of the three coastal islands in the gulf of thailand, beckoned bryn, india & their friend zach for a few reasons. first, they had been promised elephants. secondly, bryn & india were excited to reconnect with their friends tracey and aric whom they had met a few weeks before in krabi. and thirdly, koh samui would be the groups base camp for the epic journey to the island of koh pha ngan for the full moon party at the end of the month.

bryn, india & zach rode a large ferry into the port of koh samui, playing card games and drinking coconut water. after finding a map and reorienting themselves, the group strapped their backpacks to the top of a pick up truck and hopped in the back, speeding along to the hotel that they had previously booked. walking into the lobby of the chaweng lakeview condotel, the three whirled. a sky blue pool surrounded by flowering trees. a collection of couches overlooking the nearby lake. when they were shown to their room, the three knew they had found the best deal on the island. the apartment was gigantic; a full kitchen, a large balcony, towels folded like swans on the bed. the owners were bubbly, fussing over the group, bringing up an extra bed and chair for zach, making sure we felt as at home as possible. india blushed over all the attention. the three felt like movie stars.

that night, the three explored their neighborhood, a stretch of road that curved around the lake. they stopped in the sole second hand shoe shop on the island; rows and rows of leather cowboy boots and dusty adidas charmed them. they ate at a korean grill, where vegetables were thrown into a pot of boiling savory liquid and cooked fresh soup at their table. and they found a bowling alley, where they bought a tower of chang beer and india beat both the boys. (that's... a lie.)

        

great form, sir.

india upon defeat.

the next morning, bryn, india and zach took a long stroll towards chaweng, the long stretch of white sand beach, to find a rent-a-scooter shop. when they found one, bryn was reminded of renting a scooter in goa in india: no drivers license check, no 'have you driven one of these before?' unfortunately, the group learned the importance of practice as, minutes later, vroom vrooming down the street, zach's wheels got caught in a rut and he was thrown from the scooter.

here was a moment in which everything could have gone wrong - and the thai people made everything right. immediately swooping around to tend to their friend, bryn & india were already moments too late as a group of shopkeepers had come rushing into the street as soon as they saw zach fall, roll his scooter up into their shops, assist him into a chair, tend to his cuts with neosporin and band aids, and forced two bottles of water in him. so often these guys must see tourists without the proper skills renting scooters and jumping on, you would think they would be sick of saving them! but these study and sweet thai men took such good care of zach, the group left them feeling relieved.

the traveling trio poses on a break from the scooters.

india took over the scooter and the three zoomed around all day, discovering rolling hills dotted with palm trees and shops set up along the deserted dirt roads selling fresh tropical produce. india grabbed some mushrooms, peppers, and spices and the three went back to their hotel where they cooked up a delicious noodle soup in the kitchen in their room.

that night, bryn & india's friends tracey and aric (from toronto, who they met in krabi) showed up and the group headed off on their scooters in search of an interesting bar. down a sketchy alley in a dark area of koh samui, the group found an open air bar owned by a sweet british guy and his thai wife, who served them cold beers and rolled them harsh cigarettes and talked with the group over pool for hours.

the next few days with the five friends on koh samui were spent on the scooters. zach quickly gained his confidence back and tackled the rough road. the group rode a gigantic elephant, through the jungle of palm trees, taking turns riding the elephant's neck. after their ride, they fed her gigantic sugar cane stalks and whole bananas and pet her trunk and gushed over how gorgeous the 47 year old elephant was. the group hiked some lush mountains alongside beautiful crisp cold creeks, perfect for swimming. they visited big buddah, a giantic gold homage to the god, surrounded entirely by water, where they got caught in a rainstorm and was forced to wait it out in a rickety cafe with wooden shutters. they lounged on the beach, populated with henna artists and volley ball courts. they ate bowls thick with spicy noodles and drank snowy glasses filled with cold thai beer.

channeling the jungle book.

our elephant was as old as the hills.

warm hikes and waterbugs.

after a few days in the very modern jungle island, the group began to prepare for their next big adventure: the full moon party on koh phangan.

koh phi phi.

after a long journey that included a nauseous ferry ride, a quick sleep back in krabi, a van ride, a bus ride, and another ferry trip, bryn & india and their travel buddy zach arrived into the turquoise waters that surrounded koh phi phi, an island in the south china sea that is often called thailand's most beautiful southern island.

the three amigos understood why immediately.

sunset on koh phi phi.

the small island was surrounded by lush green forests that crawled up into the center where a short hill stood overlooking the town. the town itself, one of skinny sand covered roads that allowed only pedestrians and bicyclists, was big enough to cover on foot in ten minutes. with barely any enclosed buildings, the town of phi phi looked and felt more like an open air market than an actual city. grocery stores resembled the dioramas you made in elementary school - a ceiling and three walls with the forth torn away so one can stare in and observe it all. the boutiques and scuba shops were concrete walls with tarped ceilings. and the restaurants never closed - because none of them had doors. zach and bryn & india walked through the curving alleys for ten minutes before they found a cheap guest room with big beds for 200 baht a night, dropped their bags, and headed off to find lunch.

with the recommendation of their friends liana & tristan in mind, the three oregon friends wandered until they found breakers bar, a wood paneled, picnic bench filled, beers-on-tap restaurant that was opened by two portland boys. covering the walls were oregon license plates, pictures of autzen stadium, and plenty of university of oregon memorabilia. after almost six months of traveling, india & bryn felt like they had arrived home. pineapple chicken and pints were consumed and, feeling very northwest and very full, the three walked down to the beach.

only zach and bryn are allowed to park in breakers.

as the sun set pink over the water, the three waded out into the bay. the ocean was so still, so protected from wind because of the curving mountains, that the group felt like they were swimming in a giant jacuzzi. when the night had finally set in, bryn, india & zach dressed and positioned themselves on low leaning chairs at the front of a bar. stomachs still weak from the previous days food poisoning, india and bryn opted to share a sweet smelling hookah while zach sipped bright girly drinks. india was taught to poi by a dreaded thai boy, and zach got drunk and lost in a game of musical chairs.

poi is the new juggling.

early the next day, the three joined a crew of fellow tourists for a boat tour of the island. the three made friends with an older couple from toronto who admired india's trailblazers jersey and the group sucked on pineapple and watermelon in a longtail piloted by a man who spoke no english whatsoever. every thirty minutes, the boat would stop, the driver would spread his arms wide over the water, and the five adventurers would don flippers and masks and jump into the water. they swam over shallow coral reefs, dodged cloudy jellyfish, and searched endlessly for a turtle. exhausted after three snorkel stops, their driver found an empty stretch of beach, and handed out styrofoam bowls packed with luke warm fried rice. india sunbathed, zach and bryn played cards. they played with monkeys. at the end of the day, their driver pulled them into maya bay, a part of the island hidden from the oceans view where leonardo dicaprio filmed 'the beach'. the three watched their driver catch a baby shark with his bare hands and swam and swam and swam. back to the dock by six pm, sunburned and sleepy, the group took turns showering before returning to breakers bar for another taste of home.

sunburned and happy.

the walk to maya bay.

snorkeling superstars.

maya bay - there's leo! look! right there!

that night, the three slept on top of the sheets with the fans on their faces. the next morning, they returned to the pier, bought bracelets and shared dragonfruits and boarded a boat bound for the mainland.

true luvz xxx.

phuket.

standard. 

the public bus ride from krabi to phuket was a much easier jaunt for bryn & india than their long distance public bus escapade in india. thailand's bus system was well organized and on time. mangoes dusted in chili powder were served in plastic bags with toothpicks. sweet thai pop melodies played low over the bus' loudspeaker. compared to their rocky and uncomfortable indian ride, this one was a piece of cake. and another classic example of the major differences between third world india and tourist-packed thailand.

bryn & india arrived in phuket in the early evening and were helped along through a modern city to an unmarked bus stop. around six pm, bryn & india hopped in a commuter bus headed from phuket town to patong beach where they would stay. the bus, a large pick up truck with bench seats build into the sides of the bed, roared over the solitary mountain in the center of the island and down into a glistening bay on the andaman coast. that night, bryn & india shared pad thai by the pool at their hotel, club bamboo, and soaked in the warm night air with limey cocktails.

the next morning, the two awoke early and strolled the twenty minute walk to the beach. india was surprised to find how gentrified phuket was. dozens of mcdonalds and starbucks. familiar pharmacy chains stood next to mom and pop souvenir stands. but what was most shocking were the people. patong beach held every kind of traveler one could imagine. greasy european men slathered themselves with raw coconut oil, trying to avoid the heavy gold on their wrists and chests. tan toddlers with braids and beads sewn into their hair threw sand at their baby brothers. bejeweled indian women avoided the sun in their bright saris. american boys threw frisbees and beer cans. and among them all were hundreds of hard working thai men and women, dragging their feet through the sand, jovially offering their goods, whether it be a bundle of bananas or ceramic dinner plates. here, bryn & india spent their day running in and out of the warm water, body surfing, and repeatedly refusing the dread locked thai boys for 'cheap cheap' rides on their jetskis.

that night, india was reminded of christmas morning as bryn prepared to pick up his friend zach harrison from the airport. zach, who is living in australia, had spontaneously decided to come and travel with bryn & india throughout the islands for two weeks, and bryn bounced his way around the hotel room, preparing bottles of beer and a witty sign to greet zach with. bryn left for the airport, and two hours later returned to the hotel room with zach, tipsy, punching each others arms and burping loudly. india said a private prayer: 'please don't let me get over boy-ed.'

on zach's first night in thailand, bryn & india led the way into the crowded strip of busy bars on patong beach. after tom yum dinner and (maybe, now, retrospectively, too many) changs, india introduced zach to a favorite drink special of hers: the bucket. in thailand, the bucket of booze reigns as the most bang for your buck. around 200 baht, or about six american dollars, will get you a pint of whiskey, a can of sprite, a bottle of syrupy thai red bull, and a nice primary colored plastic bucket to mix them all up in. after doing so, grab a straw, wrap your fingers around the handle, and you've got the largest, cheapest, most portable mixed drink on the block. and because zach is a party boy graduate of the university of oregon, he, of course, took to the bucket quickly.

zach even had the shirt to match.

friends don't let friends drink alone.

a few hours - and a few buckets - later, bryn, india & zach were shedding their sweaty clothes for a midnight swim with their four new thai girlfriends. the group was led into the water by a round faced beauty named apple who caught crabs in her bare hands and flipped her long flat hair like a mermaid. the night concluded with a long, sobering walk back to the hotel.

beach side nighttime picnic.

apple (in the blue) and the gang.

needless to say, the three amigos didn't feel too hot the next morning.

but zach's enthusiasm for the sun rubbed off on bryn & india and the three gulped gatorades as they rode in a tuk tuk down to the south of phuket island. hidden just a few miles south of the tourist center of patong beach was the quieter, white sanded stretch of karon. here, the tourists were fewer and the waves were bigger, and the three got some color on their cheeks and water in their pores. they burnt off their hangovers in the hot sun, rubbed out their aches with hour long thai massages, and nursed their stomachs back to regularity at a deserted beach side cafe. that afternoon, the group returned to their hotel and swam in the deep blue pool while india listened as the boy reminisced about the good ol' days of brotherhood in the sigma chi house at university of oregon.

bro-ing out #1.

bro-ing out #2.

a few, short hours later... disaster struck.

first, it was india, complaining of a sore stomach. then, it was bryn, whining about his throbbing head. and before either of them knew what was happening, they were cursing themselves for ordering uncooked sandwiches at their lunchtime restaurant ("why would we ever go to a restaurant with no one in it?!") while holding each other in a disgusting pile on the bathroom floor.

food poisoning struck the duo at the worst possible time. zach had been in the country for a mere 24 hours and now his partners in crime were huddled in bed, muffling moans and cries of 'why me'. though a valiant attempt at composure was attempted by bryn, the two lovebirds had turned to sickdogs. and zach was forced to tackle his second night in thailand alone.

the next morning, the trios plan to take a ferry boat to the island of koh phi phi had to be followed through on. weak kneed, india was carried to the dock by her two handsome friends and cuddled under a blanket for the two hour boat ride. bryn, ever the fighter, had almost entirely recovered overnight, and kept zach company on the top deck, taking in the sights of the turquoise waters and bikini clad tourists while they headed towards the snorkeling mecca of koh phi phi.

(thanks to zach harrison for the gorgeous technicolor photos!)