Mentawai

If you told me three days that I would take an uncomfortable overnight boat to a sketchy powerboat to a remote island where I'd get pounded by waves, cut my feet on reef and bow out after less than an hour. And if you told me that I would leave a few hours later to take the same powerboat to the same overnight boat and be completely satisfied by the experience, I may not believe it.

The Mentawai Islands are like surf Mecca to many. I didn't know this and when looking through guide books and on the internet, few specific places were mentioned. I had endured enough tourist swamped locations and didn't want to go to Bali so I went to the Mentawai Islands from Padang.

Shortly after disembarking, I called over two fellows with surfboards slung over their shoulders. They agreed to split the cost of the speedboat charter. After a small breakfast and some coffee, we were off. The pair of British guys had been traveling through Indonesia from surfspot to surfspot for 4 months and had 3 weeks left. One of them has been doing this for 5 years straight and is only 22 years old. I warned them that I was no good at surfing and that I could only stay one night. They picked up supplies for a week as there are no shops or markets on Nyangnyang where we were headed. An hour and a great downpour later, the boat was filled with groceries and we were on our way. Rain and sea spray soaked us within minutes but the narrow mangrove forrest route we took was worth it. A few close calls with other boats and dug-out canoes kept it exciting as we gradually made it to open water. We passed seaside homes and fishing boats and after just over an hour, we made it.

We offloaded the boat and instantly met a few other surfers who told us that the conditions were the worst they'd seen in their three weeks on the island. They planned to stay through September if possible.

After deliberating over which of the many surfspots to venture towards, we chose the closest. A twenty minute walk took us to the spot and it was time to paddle out. I have some experience on small waves on a buoyant and forgiving longboard leading to a soft beach break. This day, I was on a borrowed 6'6" board on large, powerful waves and ruthless reef break. A few strokes into paddling out I knew I was WAY out of my league. The four guys I was with took off with ease, powering along with the well formed back muscles they'd been using day in and day out. I quickly fell behind and after the 200 or so meters of paddling it took to go around the reef, I was already exhausted.

I took a breather and got a feel for where the waves were breaking but I was still quite gunshy. The guys around me were off and running, each with their share of good rides and wipeouts. I missed a few waves before finally getting the timing right but the ability all wrong and I got tossed. In the tumult, I lost hold of my board and re-surfaced to a scared and appropriately upset fellow surfer who'd almost been skewered by my board. Duck diving waves on the way back out, I was getting more and more fatigued and after not too long I called it in for the sake of everyone involved. I sat and enjoyed watching the others surf, getting no grief from them when the came in.

"They were terrible conditions, awful for learning. Like learning to ski on moguls."

"You're a legend for even making the effort to come for a day, I've been in Indo for 5 years and just made it."

Kind words even though I felt defeated. This is a place worth working up to. Take a look for yourselves. A video of a fellow UCSB Gaucho and his brothers. The conditions in the video are much better than when I was there but either way, I was way out of my element.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDG0PjCWyrE

Looking back

I can only give a brief entry on the time spent in Vietnam but want to do so before it's too far in the past. A 30 hour "sleeper" bus brought us from Vang Vient go Hanoi. The sleeper consisted of an overcrowded bus with reclining seats that had foot cubbyholes. My feet only fit in the cubbyholes at certain angles and I was too tall for the seat but it was manageable.

I loved Hanoi instantly. Cheri and I decided not to go with the hawkers who boarded the bus immediately upon arrival. Instead, we wandered the street to find food and took a taxi to a hotel. We paid a bit more but got a better feel of the place.

The next morning, we took a bus to a boat to Ha Long Bay. The first stop made me nauseous. The geologically awesome cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites was turned into Disneyland Vietnam. We waited in line after line in order to work our way around crowds of people posing for photos, climbing over barriers and pushing through to get as many pictures of the purple and pink lighted cave.

It could only get better and it certainly did. A bit more time on the boat showed us the gorgeous landscape of jutting islands in calm water. Boatmen sold goods like you'd expect street hawkers to do. Boats filled with chips, drinks and fruit.

We were dropped off and because we were piecing our trip together, we didn't stay in the tour affiliated hotel. Instead, we paid 5 dollars between us for an ocean view, third floor room with a hot shower!!! So nice!!

We left Ha Long Bay to meet up with a couchsurfing connection. Not knowing what to expect, we were pleased to meet a Vietnamese business owner and her British NGO executive husband. We were treated well, got to relax and discussed our goals. On our last full day in Vietnam (much too short a trip) we aimed to go to a national park. I thought that we were spending too much time "doing things." I couldn't put it better but felt that Following tour books every day was keeping us from seeing the places we were visiting. Instead, we wandered around Hanoi and felt great. Aimless and care free how I like it.

Unfortunately, my ATM card was lost somewhere in Vietnam so I've been working to fix that situation. My saviors in Singapore helped me by using their address as my new mailing address and lending me cash for my Indonesia leg. Yesterday, however, I had only foreign currency on a Sunday. I had to use my passport as collateral at a hotel and wandered the HOT and HUMID Padang city hungry and useless. Today, a friendly bank assistant took me around on his moto, being sure to show me some of the destruction from last September's Earthquake. There are huge splits in the asphalt and destroyed buildings all around the city. A bit out of the loop regarding world news, I only remembered there being the huge earthquake in 2007. The language barrier kept me from learning too much before visiting Google this morning.

Now I hope to get a day on the Mentawai islands. I will try to surf if it's not too far out of my ability level.

Love to all!!

Hmm

I am now in Padang, on Sumatra in Indonesia. It is dumping rain and the local transport (small van with colored lights and blaring music) dropped me off where I asked but now it doesn't seem to be where I want to be. I feel safe though tired. There haven't been too many days like this. Starting this long travel journey, I expected there to be more days with no proper communication, bad weather, exhaustion and confusion. Here it is!!

Just looking at March Madness and baseball news while the weather subsides.


Love to all.

A changed man

After romping with Tigers and Elephants, riding a bamboo raft and visiting hill tribes, Megan, Cheri and I headed into Laos.

Before crossing the border, we met a fun couple that shared our path. A French woman and American man, the pair met while in Australia over a year ago and have traveled together on and off since.

An overnight bus took us to Luang Prabang, a nice slow, relaxing place in Laos. Megan only had a few hours before she had to head to the airport (an overnight bus and a new Visa just to catch a flight due to a change in plans) so Cheri and I teamed up with the other couple.

On our first full day together, the four of us hired a tuk tuk and traveled to some nearby waterfalls. You may think the same thing that I did... more waterfalls? Somehow they just don't get old. This set-up was one in which we got to see the Laos countryside before visiting a bear refuge and finally visiting a series of waterfalls. Hours of hiking, sweating and feeling disappointed finally found us at a sign that read "Do not swimming." So we went ahead and checked it out.

This place may have been the inspiration for the infinity pool. Waterfalls ranging from four feet to well over forty feet fed into a surprisingly calm pool perfect for swimming. The edge of this pool led to a drop of nearly ten stories but the water was shallow enough to allow one to walk up and look over the edge the the waterfall below.

A few days later, in Vang Vieng, Cheri and I joined the couple for a day of rock climbing. Having climbed man made climbing walls only a few times in my life, I was by far the least experienced of our group. I learned a great deal but relied too much on upper body strength and was totally drained for the last two climbs. Feeling the wonderful fatigue of a day well spent, we cooled off by taking a huge zip line into the nearby river.

The following day, we all did was most travelers in Vang Vieng choose to do. We went "tubing." We had heard that the water level was too low to actually need a tube so we took advantage of free shots and plenty of hugs swings and zip lines into the river. A few years ago, I think that I may have been more interested in the free shots than the activities but the adrenaline was enough of a buzz for me. St. Patricks Day was the following day and sticking to our budget, Cheri and I went bar hopping in a way that allowed a free drink at each bar. Maybe I'm old or maybe I'm more comfortable with myself but I was ready to call it in early rather than wait for the sun to chase me to bed.

I still need to update my time in Vietnam. This will teach me to procrastinate while traveling. More to come.

Love to all. I'm in Singapore again before heading to Indonesia solo tomorrow. Enjoy March Madness!!!

A quick one

Internet is crazy expensive here in Vang Vieng, Laos. The town is full of people aiming to get drunk and float down a river on inner tubes (but the river is too low so they walk). Instead, Cheri and I did some great rock climbing yesterday with another couple we met during our travels. It was an exhausting but excellent day.

Much of this region is based around the Mekong but due to Chinese dams, the river is incredibly low. Slow boats that are a hit with tourists are not running and drunk tubers become drunk walkers.

I will update more when I have cheaper internet access.

In the B-school world, no decisions will be made until waitlist situations are sorted out. The wait continues.

Love to all.

Not a bad way to wait

With business school responses slowly approaching, I have managed to fill my days to the brim, keeping my mind at bay as much as possible.

Thanks to forethought and planning my Cheri's sister Carrie, four of us (two sib pairs) woke early after a day of temples, markets and relaxing at a 5 star hotel (feels like 95 stars after backpacking and Ghana).

Our tour guide Tong approached with more energy than the four of us combined and had me thinking that the day might be too much. We were briefed on the plan for the day and Tong repeatedly told us that if we were to get the most out of the day, we would have to follow her lead without question. We started with a visit to a local Bangkok market that stretches across train tracks. Each stall has tables on wheels to make for easy and quick motion when the train comes. We say pig tails, fish sauce, blue crabs and many other things for sale but didn't have much time to linger as there was more to do.

Our next stop was the floating market. Touristy but beautiful, we floated in a long boat among other boats full of tourists. We ate great Thai noodles, drank iced coffee from a bag and admired the merchants when not haggling for goods. We shopped a bit but had to keep moving if we were to arrive at the Tiger temple at the ideal time.

A bit more than an hour in the car and we arrived at the Tiger temple. Tong dispelled rumors of Tiger drugging but agreed with criticisms of the overall layout of the temple. The Tigers are well taken care of but live in an environment far different from their natural habitat. After getting the run down, it was time to "get happy." at the gender appropriate restroom and get ready to see some tigers. Though many other tourists were milling around the entrance, our group of four was the first to enter. We were the first to be signed up to feed baby tigers and we were the first to take photos with the big tigers.





The experience was above and beyond my hopes. I first heard of the Tiger temple five years ago when a college friend had the experience. I thought that it would be closed before I had the opportunity so when I was kneeling behind 500 lb tigers nad feeding a 4 month old out of a baby bottle, I was elated. We started by walking up behind full grown tigers and having photos taken. We did this for a bit and as our adrenaline started to slow a bit, it was time to feed the babies. We went into a caged in play area of maybe 25' x 20' with three baby tigers, three workers and the four of us. We were told that we should never turn our backs on the tigers but once in there, I followed a cute 2 month old, trying to get her to play with me. Almost immediately, the vivacious 4 month old leapt onto my back, ripping my shirt and instantly proving herself my favorite. We spent nearly an hour playing with the tigers (not dissimilar to playing with big, bumbling puppies) before we got to settle down and feed them. Paws the size of small fists rested on our laps as the playful tiger cubs settled down into feeding mode. It was a great experience to share with Megan as she and I fed the fun 4 month old.

We took a few more photos with full grown tigers before rushing off to ride elephants. Seriously, we went from feeding baby tigers to riding bareback on large Asian elephants. Tong handed us each bundles of bananas and told us to bribe our elephants before our ride. We could put the bananas (one at a time or in bunches) in the end of the trunk or directly on the huge slimy tongue. We fed each of our two elephants around fifty bananas apiece before climbing aboard. Tong warned us that we would be brought into the water and shaken off by the playful performers. If we didn't fight to stay on, the elephants might think that they were doing a bad job and be sad. When we got into the water, sitting on the bare back of a beautiful beast, the shaking did not start. Our elephant simply knelt down with her head below water. It was hard enough to hold on at such an extreme angle while laughing as Carrie and Cheri were sprayed repeatedly by their elephant. The next hour exhausted us all as we climbed aboard and were summarily launched into mud and dung filled water. We could hang onto ears, handfuls of skin or anything else we could grasp but seldom were we able to hang on for long. On our way back to Bangkok, we discussed our arrogance in thinking that we could possibly hang on when the elephant really wanted us off. The weight disparity is roughly that of a newborn baby to a man my size. While I would never throw a newborn baby into a lake full of elephant dung, I know that if I really, really wanted to, I could do it.

Exhausted, we finished our tour walking along the bridge over the river Kwai. The bridge and the history that surrounds it gave a new perspective on the region to say the least. We spent only a brief time at the railroad bridge before settling in at our riverside guesthouse and getting hour long Thai massages.

The following day, we hiked to seven water falls at Erawan falls. Monkeys played on branches above us and fish ate the dead skin off of our toes when we went for the occasional dip (no need to pay at the spa). The views were gorgeous and the water felt good on our tired, aching muscles.

Carrie has since gone back to the states while Cheri, Megan and I have traveled (by 17 hour train) to Chiang Mai. We trekked to see hill tribes, swim in water falls, take a bamboo raft trip and ride elephants again. I had the joy of being nuzzled by a 5 month old elephant baby this morning. Hoping to get a good photo, I walked closer that initially felt comfortable with a mother so close. After some time, the baby turned and walked a a fairly fast pace right up to me and rubbed against my leg like a 220 lb. kitten. Oddly, when planning the trek, we discussed the fact that we had alrady ridden elephants and seen water falls. Neither seem to get old, I must say. I love today. Now I have a matter of hour to wait before hearing form b-schools. We shall see what happens but the wait has been easier on elephant back than it ever would have been in a cubicle. I am thankful for that.

Love to all.