krabi.

a coddle fish on the beach in krabi.

arriving on the andaman sea as the sun rose over the aqua ocean in thailand woke bryn & india up bright and early. as their bus zoomed along the coast line, the two kept their noses pressed against the glass in awe. in the same way that bangkok had wowed them with it's modern atmosphere and traditional people, the southern coast sparkled their eyes open and kept them that way until the bus finally stopped at an empty roadside cafe on the edge of krabi town. here, bryn & india hopped off the bus, grabbed their bags, and hailed a cab to the hotel that they had prebooked on the internet.

after twenty minutes of winding through coconut tree forests, passing remote open air restaurants facing the water, and families crowded onto smoking motor scooters, bryn & india were dropped off in front of the krabi tropical beach resort. is this right? their driver asked. bryn turned to the sign welcoming a misspelled mr. little and guest. oh yes, bryn said. this is it.

despite their early hour of arrival, bryn & india were immediately assured into their swanky room where they admired the towels folded in the shape of swans, tried on their terrycloth bathrobes and slippers, and bounced on the bed before donning their bathing suits and heading down to the pool.

the pool at krabi tropical beach resort.

bryn & india's first afternoon on the beaches of thailand was spent just like that: on the beach. the two swam in the pool, walked along the water, watched the longboats float out into the distance, their pilots off to catch dinner for their restaurants and their families. they sipped fruity cocktails and made friends with the few other guests at their hotel and, after bryn had properly scorched his freckled pale skin in the sun, the two showered, dressed, and began the walk to ao nang beach, the most frequently visited stretch of sand in krabi.

when bryn & india got there, they understood why.

the boardwalk at ao nang was a bizarre mix of international corporate fast food joints next to literal hole-in-the-wall bars manned by a teenage thai boy with a cooler full of chang beer. the small town feel mixed with the familiar sight of a starbucks reminded india of seaside, oregon. but, you know, totally tropical. the two walked hand in hand along the beach, dipping their toes in an ocean for the first time since goa, and felt comforted by being back on a coast again. they walked and walked until the beach ended against a steep brushy hill. here hung a sign warned against the feeding of monkeys. what monkeys? india wondered aloud. and then they saw.

across a wooden step bridge that hung over a small tributary hung a colony of lanky, chattering sand-colored monkeys, beckoning bryn over to them. hesitant at first, bryn was soon in the thick of things, the monkeys pulling at his thumbs with their tiny fingers, dangling from his hands, crawling up his arms and onto his head, preening his thick hair, kissing his sun burned ears. these were so unlike the growling territorial monkeys of india! the little guys of ao nang craved your attention and were shameless in their attempts to get it fully. for an hour, bryn & india sat in the setting sunlight with monkeys crawling all over them.

fighting over bryn.

mr. monkey man.

that night, bryn & india shared chips and salsa and a half dozen games of backgammon at a mexican restaurant on the beach called 'crazy gringos.' and after three strawberry margaritas each, that's exactly what bryn & india became. they crawled into bed that night in their fancy bathrobes and slept for 12 hours straight.

the next morning was cloudy but warm, and bryn & india put on their bathing suits for breakfast down in the hotel cafe. after munching on sliced dragon fruit and poached eggs, the two were approached by a blond and bronzed young couple in search of some coffee. aric & tracey were (like bryn & india's favorite travel partners in india, randy & avi) from toronto. after working in surfer's paradise in australia for three months, the two had flown to thailand for some asian travel before heading back home in the fall for graduate school. bryn & india immediately took a liking to these talkative canadians with matching stretched smiles. the four decided to adventure together for the day and, after breakfast, the four headed down the street to a pier where they rode a longtail for twenty minutes to the hidden beach of railay.

after being shoved off the boat into two feet of glass colored water, tracey, aric, bryn & india made their way through a sort of tunnel carved out of the rising limestone mountains. winding along the path, they were spit out into a curved bay protected from the wind by towering mountains on either side. here, thai women spread out coolers of beer, 20 baht a can, and set up table top barbecues that grilled citrus drenched shrimp and buttery corn. the four sat in the sand, sharing changs and leos, dipping into the wavy ocean, watching the tide roll in.

schmoozing on railay beach.

after soaking up the best sun they could through the fluffy gray clouds, bryn & india and their new friends waited patiently for a longtail driver to give them a ride back to ao nang. the thai people are a relaxed people. in thailand, with the small waves rolling and slow cooking food smoking around their feet, the pilots of the skinny wooden boats found no rush to leave the hidden coves of railay. after an hour of digging their feet into the cool sand beside the pier, the four were finally ushered into a boat and zoomed through the water to ao nang. here, still covered in sand with damp hair, the four found a happy hour and shared 'buckets' of gin and tonics. a few hours and a few drinks later, aric and tracey bumped into two british boys who they had met earlier in their thai adventure, and the six of them found an open air bar with a pool table where they made friends over drinking games which, in turn, gave tracey and india the confidence to take off into the dark ocean in the late night for a midnight swim. the evening concluded with india (in a burger king crown) dancing to four thai boys performing aggressive american classic rock songs in a dingy dive bar.

new friends share buckets.

bryn & india spent their last day in krabi lounging by the pool, reading their novels, making friends with their hotels employees. after saying goodbye to tracey and aric and promising to meet up the following week for the full moon party, the sun came out and prompted a series of death-defying launchings of india off of bryn's shoulders in the pool. more fruit salads, more sweet cocktails, and an impromptu viewing of a 'hot tub time machine' dvd purchased bootleg on the side of the street is how bryn & india recovered from their krabi party night.

early the next morning, the two set off on their first thai public bus ride over to the island of phuket.

bangkok.

riding through the busy streets of bangkok in the back of the airport taxi cab, bryn & india both stuck their heads out of the window, stupid grins plastered on their faces. the sky scrapers scratching the clear blue sky. the sidewalks, garbage free. the cleanliness, the polished surface that bangkok greeted the pair with after two months in india made them gape.

thanks for the ride, man.

bryn & india took advice from their friends tristan & liana who traveled through southeast asia earlier this year. they directed their cab to khao san road with zero expectations. what they found was a single stretch of city crowded so tightly with bars, food carts serving pad thai and crunchy spring rolls, skinny teens hawking 'cheap beer' and 'real ray bans, real leather wallet,' and wrinkled faces promising a ride to the best ping pong show you see. there were coffee houses and 7-elevens and alleys with tables covered in plastic jewelry. there were hookers and foreign families in cargo pants and dreaded druggies and really everything in between. khao san was a safe haven for crazies and cool kids.

bryn & india checked into the khao san palace hotel and took their first real showers in over a week. they felt like a million bux. there was a pool but they didn't use it because they were busy.

during their first day on the consumerist touristy loud party street of khao san, the two went a little crazy. stuffed themselves with spicy noodles and got three dollar pedicures and started to drink beer too early in the day. it was a sort of relief to be back in the society of a working city after so many weeks in the wonderful but dysfunctional mountains in northern india. that first night, they slept soundly on their firm bed to the sound of cnn buzzing on their television that hung in the corner.

khao san cracks off.

homie is subtle.

the next day, bryn & india braved the hot hot sun and walked along the river in search of a boat tour. after some friendly bartering, bryn's price won out with a tiny woman selling boat tours out of her riverside restaurant. so bryn & india joined a silent man in a motorized long tail boat who revved the engine and took them off into the middle of the wide stretch of water. after a few miles of the big city view on either side of them, the driver swung the boat down a tiny canal, and for the rest of an hour, bryn & india sailed past ancient looking homes on stilts, their front yards the calm tributaries to the river in bangkok. they saw a crocodile like water monitor lounging in the sun. they bought cans of cold beer from a woman selling iced beverages out of her small boat. they cut through the brown water at a quick pace, the greens of the surrounding jungles flashing past them.

what's up, rivah.

from her, we bought 3 beers.

the rest of the day was spent walking, past the city palace with blooming flowers in the front yard, through multiple markets where they shared a fresh fruit shake and bought ancient looking buddhist charms for pennies. after dinner that night, close to their hotel, the two continued their walking tour of the city, and strolled for hours in the dark, past the giant swing and the gaudy democracy monument, next to skinny canals with the surrounding sidewalks busy with the smell of dried fish and hot cooking oil.

the next day, bryn & india decided to try out a day on their own. after the small town trekking in india, the two were excited to be in a big city where they could separate and attempt to be independent travelers, even if for only an afternoon. bryn wandered around the neighborhood, picked out a thai restaurant with cushy chairs, and soaked up the sun with pad thai and a book. india walked towards the river and spent a few hours winding through the wide corridors of the bangkok national art gallery, where she discovered a variety of thai modern artists who painted stories that made her head spin.

in the late afternoon, after their private adventures, bryn & india met at an internet cafe and watched their first thai monsoon come in. the pounding rain came in heavy sheets, pouring hard for five minutes before reducing to a pitter patter, and then suddenly starting up hard again. finally, after the sun had set, the clouds disappeared and the sky opened up and the sidewalk shone with puddles and the football fans came out.

the world cup final was broadcast in bangkok at 1:30 am. but from the moment that night set in, the tourist center of khao san was booming with spanish and dutch fans. the population was split almost evenly down the middle into a pack of screaming orange and a crowd of chanting red jerseys. bryn & india, looking ever so gentile with their fair skin and strawberry hair, were mistaken twice for holland natives, and approached by fellow foreigners who would ask them questions in thickly accented dutch before realizing that bryn & india couldn't understand a thing. the two took the mistakes as a sign, and quickly donned orange tee shirts, painted their cheeks with the image of the dutch flag, and set off into the wild crowd cheering for the netherlands.

        

go holland.

yikes!

needless to say, their cheering was, unfortunately, quieted for good around four am when the spanish scored on the netherlands with minutes left in the game. still, their night sipping cold changs on the street in front of a huge projection screen showing the game was a memorable one.

the next day, after recovering from their late late night, bryn & india walked along the river to find wat pho, one of the most famous, and oldest, buddhist temples in bangkok. here, they saw their first giant buddha, an indescribably large reclining gold buddha, looking serene in his relaxation. the surrounding smaller temples were filled with thai women doing their daily prayers. as india slipped off her sandals and entered one of the smaller buildings, a woman turned to look at her and eased herself off of her knees gracefully, despite her older age. without speaking, she took india by the hand, and mimicked her own prayers as a lesson for india, teaching her how to light the many sticks of incense, touch them to her head over and over, place a blooming lotus flower in a vase at the base of the buddha, and then touching your head to the ground. after practicing, the woman seemed pleased with her pupils efforts, and india left the pho feeling elated.

        

big buddha / wat pho

got taught by a woman with kittens.

that evening, the two travelers joined a group of british and australian surfers all headed down to the very south of the country. krabi, and the beaches of thailand, awaited them.

a conclusion: you know you're in india when...

you know you're in india when...


• there are more cows that people in the streets. and the cows always have the right of way.

• there are more unsubtle, paparazzi-like pictures taken of your whiteness every day than the ones of paris, mary kate and miley combined.

• every shop owner is your 'friend' and each friend's product is the 'best quality in town.'

• recycling becomes a distant memory. and the sidewalk becomes your trash can.

• a filling meal for two, with cold beer and fresh rice, costs under five US dollars.

• your usual alcoholic nightcap is replaced with mango juice. and your morning coffee with masala chai.

• monkeys turn from cuddly creatures to annoying pests.

• you're too nervous to brush your teeth with anything but bottled water.

• every american standard of child safety is ignored.

• you shower with a bucket of warm water.

• you cross your fingers as you enter bathrooms, hoping for a western toilet, as you are sick and tired of squatting over holes in the ground.

• weekly beard trims become weekly facials become the best way to spend twenty five cents.

• showing your knees is worse than showing your cleavage.

• you eat, drink, socialize, do most things, really, on the floor. 

• if you don't barter, you don't get respect.

• you want to adopt each and every dog you see.

• you sing harder, dance harder, eat harder, breathe harder, love harder, than you have anywhere else in the world.

 

the parvati valley.

a winding ride through the forest along the parvati river brought the group to a small town named kasol. the group hopped out of the jam packed jeep - feeling a little nauseous- in a ghost of a town at five in the morning. kasol was empty and no guest houses seemed to welcome the five-some. at least the rasta making beauty salon was open... "i don't need a got damn weave, i need a bed," explained bryn, as the group marched on across a bridge over one of the small tributaries into the parvati river and up a hill to find a guest house overlooking the city and river.

after slurping up some tea, taking in the views and finding a new puppy dog companion at guesthouse pick number one, india, randy & avi headed off to find something more reasonably priced, while jose and bryn napped. pick number two was considerably cheaper due to the shared bathroom & shower. since hot water flowed in the plenty from the shared shower head, the group was more then happy to pay the lesser price and stay at a homey guest house owned by a single indian mother of two who brewed fresh chai every morning for the group of backpackers who kicked it on the porch reading, smoking & playing music. the guest house had history and tradition, as seen on the walls scattered with retro pictures of large groups of israelis, american's, indians, and canadians hippying out in the valley that is parvati valley.

it should be said before the group continues their adventures in the small villages throughout parvati valley that the area is known far and wide for their mass production of "charas" or hashish. and as the group marched along the trails and rivers edges they couldn't go five feet without finding a fresh cannabis plant growing or hindu babas smoking the hashish that is widely known as the best in india.

the first day the group familiarized themselves with the town, eating at a few local restaurants, bargaining with street vendors, and avoiding the rain by playing cards inside a great little place with floor seating called greenhouse. greenhouse played a wide variety of music with the only similarity being the extremely sexually explicit lyrics. the group left the greenhouse giggling like fifth graders learning sex ed. slowly discovering that the parvati valley just might be one of their favorite stops in india.

that night the group hiked across the sketch suspension bridge over the raging river, all silently worrying about the bridge collapsing and being swept away by the tears of shiva that sped underneath their feet. with small flashlights, they continued along down the river towards the loud sound of trance music playing on a nearby hilltop. there, they hiked up to find a large tent cafe packed with young indians & foreigners; always a great combo. the group sat down with three indians in their early twenties from kashmir and the two groups got to know each other. each sharing knowledge of their respective lands, the five-some listened intently about kashmir and leh, as they all planned on going further north to visit these interesting areas filled with conflict. soon, the once welcomed trance music became unbearably loud and put an end to any conversation, so the five-some decided to find a different venue.

the next day, while walking through the city after lunch, randy and avi spotted their sadu baba friend who they had met in rishikesh. this specific baba had been honoring a vow of silence when they first crossed paths, so naturally they were very excited to learn that he was now speaking. and in decent english. the group was invited by the baba to come down to a special area that he and other spiritual figures spend their time eating, smoking and praying. so the group made their way off the trail, to a place that was mysteriously described to them as a 'cave near the river.' upon their arrival they found just that; a large, self cemented ground outside of a small cave about 20 paces away from the rushing river. the baba greeted them with open arms, a smile and a full chillum. they all sat in a circle, talked, and randy even indulged in the questionable looking tea brewing over the open flame. after they were all comfortable, the baba showed each of them around the small cave and the shrine inside. meeting many new indian friends and speaking the most broken of english, the group headed back to town, satisfied with another wonderful indian experience.

the rest of the time spent in kasol was filled with eating, drinking, world cup football, and a whole lot of swimming in freezing cold rivers and basking in the sun when it showed itself. the group hiked up the river one day to find a nice little spot to lay out in the rays, read, and hollow out coconut bowls. avi and bryn plunged into the icy, fast moving water, fighting their way against the strong river as if attempting to conquer mother nature herself.

at the end of their last day in kasol, the group arrived back at their guest house surprised to find streamers, music, & dancing... an indian birthday party! their host's little nephew was celebrating his seventh birthday and they pulled out all the stops. the kids were having a blast and loved seeing foreigners file through.

although kasol was the main town in the parvati valley, the group had heard it was far from the best. and after getting their fill of kasol, the group left the bulk of their bags at the guest house, keeping the rooms they had previously rented and taking only a small backpack full of clothing and other necessities for the upcoming week of small village hopping.

taking a bus in the late afternoon, the starting five made their way along a very narrow road, squeaking around each corner, sending gravel fly into the surging river that lay 200 feet below. the allotted time scheduled for the bus ride was around one hour, but the journey was extended when the group found themselves in a lineup awaiting an avalanche cleanup. once off the bus, the five-some started walking along rocky dirt roads towards a dam construction site, around big puddles of muddy water and up through the thick brush of marijuana plants surrounding herds of cattle with supplies on their backs, until they found the first guesthouse filled with israelis, a pool table, picnic tables, and special chocolate balls.

indulging in some delicious chocolate goodies, mazzaa and arguing over the rules of pool started off the groups stay in kulga. feeling sky high after meeting the other guests and filling their bellies, the five got comfortable in their respective rooms that cost them 100 rupees a night per room, or about two american dollars. over the next couple days randy, avi, jose, & bryndia all continued meeting fellow backpackers, mountain locals, and watching world cup soccer. busying themselves during the day by hiking, finding huge cliffs, giant pot fields and seeing beautiful people working their land while loving life made their stay in kulga wonderful.

the small town of kulga was overly enjoyed for a couple of days so the fivesome decided to head over to the next small village of pulga. after taking some hot bucket showers, and getting directions from the owner of the kulga guest house the group hiked down one big hill and up another. bryn snagged some chocolate balls for the long journey and after a stop to take a dip, snap some amazing photos and enjoy the beauty surrounding them, the group found themselves at their next homestead in pulga.

the pulga guest house was a giant log cabin housing many other backpackers from all around the world. a restaurant owned by the guest house stoood right next door and both buildings looked out over the small village below. just past the guest house and the restaurant was a large open park area that continued on all the way to a waterfall and river. after eating a thali, the group started their hike to check out the forest and waterfall. they soon stumbled upon some other travels so the larger group continued toward the waterfall & enjoyed a quite afternoon next to the noisy waterfall.

pulga was a quite town but significantly larger then kulga. it was disconnected, removed from the business of modern life, in a very nice way. there were only two computers connected to the internet in the entire city and no cars anywhere. the world cup games were broadcasted via satellite, which was a nice way for the group to start and end the nights, while during the day they explored the city watching the people interact, work, and even pave a new road. everyone had their hand in helping the community and everyone had smiles on their faces.

when the furious five finished in pulga they had to say their sad fair wells to one of the greatest additions to the group, jose, the best ambassador of the south american country of columbia they had ever known. so after the hugs kisses and well wishes on his future adventure to china the group gathered their things and prepared for the long long hike to khirganga.

before heading out on the four hour hike, bryn began to feel pains in his stomach. passing it off as upset from breakfast, their journey would continue as planned. the group decision was made to make the trek on their own, avoiding the small cost for a porter to lead the way through the prickly forest. bryndia, randy & avi made great time until about halfway through when bryn's upset stomach turned into a stomach bug. the rest of the hike consisted of constant breaks where bryn would backtrack to rid his body of the bug in one of two ways...

finally at the mountain town of khirganga the group made there way up the grassy hill to the first guest house where they would spend the next four nights. calling khirganga a village is a stretch. the place is more of a collection of tarps piled together to resemble shelters at the top of a treacherous climb. there are, as jonathan nicholas might say, more cows than people in khirganga. the people like it that way. 'so, most likely, do the cows.' the holy animals are the only life form consistently moving in the space. for a lot of the day, the few people who live there permanently are hiding in their homes or wandering mysteriously throughout the thick forest that surrounds the place on three sides. climbing up the hill, you pass three guest houses, a collection of tents and tarps serving as homes for residents, and one solitary 'store' that sells, really, toilet paper, candles, and oreos. at the top of the tiny path lies the draw of this tiny town: the hot springs. pouring from an unseen source on the mountain comes scalding hot water, rushing fast into a large pool dug and paved by the residents. within the pool, one corner is walled completely with rotting wooden planks eight feet high. this private section is where the women were allowed to soak, hidden from the scathing eyes of scandalous men.

the guest house was agreed upon immediately. fifty rupees a night for a part of the long roofed tent divided into rooms by stretched tarps. in the middle was a large open air room containing three iron stoves that the guests would gather around during the day. the group dropped their belongings off and headed straight up to the hot springs for a soak after their hike.

here, they found raya and shani, two israeli girls who randy & avi had been consistently running into around india and nepal. they confirmed that they were, also, staying at the cheapest guest house, and would meet the group for dinner in the communal room that evening. for the next hour, india soaked her tired body in the privacy of her own special hot springs while the boys talked shop in the larger part of the pool.

exhausted from the hike, and feeling sicker than he wished to admit, bryn excused himself early and fell into a deep fourteen hour sleep. india, being the doting girlfriend that she is, joined him. and although bryn woke up feeling refreshed and healthy, india woke up with bed bug bites all over her face and neck. needless to say, she switched mattresses the following night.

on that first morning in khirganga, the thick storm clouds rolled in. and for over 48 straight hours, it didn't let up. not for one moment. the sound became a constant humming on the tin roof of the communal room. the solitary sweet french woman running the guest house temporarily, as a favor to her indian boyfriend who had hiked down into town for supplies, became overwhelmed quickly by the fact that her boyfriend was stuck down in kasol due to flooding, and her two dozen guests could not leave because of the dangerous condition of the steep, wet path. the two full days spent on the mountain passed leisurely. card games. conversations. india finished two full novels. bryn beat avi at backgammon too many times. raya celebrated a birthday with chocolate cake baked by india and their french hostess. and each and every guest house guest shared their story and their journeys in a sort of stranded camp fire style desperation. oh, and, of course, the hot springs were continuously visited.

finally, in the early afternoon of their fourth day, the rain began to let up. deciding to be brave and take the risk on the potentially flooded solitary path down (more because of the fact that india & bryn had a flight to catch in delhi in a matter of hours than anything else), avi joined bryn & india in the journey down the mountain, while randy remained to wait out for a little sunshine.

despite all the desperate warnings of their wonderful french friend and her sherpas, the three made it down the path quickly and easily. the landscape had changed dramatically. where only a few days before had stood a green canvas of firs as far as you could see, the mountain was now dotted with dozens of newly formed waterfalls, cutting through the foliage, creating a whole new system of streams and rivers. avi & bryndia crossed them carefully but excitedly. the rushing water beneath dry skies was a refreshing change.

reaching the pass to kalga, bryndia hugged their friend avi goodbye, as he had to return for a night in kalga to pick up belongings he had left there earlier in the week. bryn & india made the last leg of the trek on their own, eventually finding a man with a car who agreed to drive them the last thirty minutes to kasol. here, they returned to their familiar guest house where there were excruciatingly disappointed to learn that the cities water supply was off due to the storm that had hit them, as well, over the past few days. the seven days without a shower was beginning to take a toll on the two of them. begrudgingly, bryn & india packed their heavy bags and walked into town to watch a late world cup game and wait for the early morning meeting they had arranged with a taxi driver who would drive them the ten hours to delhi.

unfortunately, the english to hindi language barrier came into full effect that night. for whatever reason, their driver did not show up at the meeting spot at their planned two am departure time. panic hit. the two would miss their flight if they didn't leave by six am at the latest. and with no phone, and no contact number for their driver, bryn & india felt very, literally, stuck. back to their guest house, the two tossed and turned restlessly until the first light shone in their window. grumpy, dirty, the two put their bags back on their backs and trudged towards the meeting spot with no plan and little hope. without an excuse, a reason, or an apology, their driver was now sitting in his car at the spot, quickly loaded their belongings in to his old van, and the three began a hot and uncomfortable drive to the new delhi airport where they would leave india, despite their extreme desire to stay, and begin their explorations of southeast asia in thailand.