Hong Kong Skyline

Our trip is almost over. In a few hours we head to the Hong Kong airport for our flight home to Vancouver.

We were very happy to get out of Bangkok. The city can be incredibly frustrating with a large amount of poverty leading to a huge amount of tourist scams. Even heading to the airport was challenging. We loaded into a taxi that was refusing to turn on the meter and trying to extort us by telling us a fixed rate way beyond what we knew it to cost, despite me explaining that we had been in Bangkok before and were very familiar with the price. We forced him to let us out after opening the car doors and yelling for help from the buildings security guards. We got our bags and hailed another taxi. The security guard helped confirm this one would use the meter as required by law. Sure enough once we were driving away he started shrieking incessantly, “no meter, no meter.” We argued but the price he proposed was actually less than he would have made by the meter. He was not the person in the driver’s photo license on the dash. He seemed irrational and drove excessively fast which caused us some worry. On arrival we were dropped away from the usual spot near the end of the terminal as he tried to avoid the traffic control. We flew with Emirates Air and were very impressed.

Happy Valley Racing

Our flight was filled with tourists from mainland China. In the airport waiting lounge they started posing for photos with Leanne and then with the two of us together. We were quickly surrouned and had as many as twelve people at a time taking photos of us as everyone took turns getting pictures. We must have posed with about 50 different people and are in hundreds of photos. We were mobbed for pictures by the entire group, and aren’t really sure why as we weren’t the only foreigners taking that flight. It was very amusing and is the closest we will probably ever feel to being a celebrity in front of paparazzi.

Teresa enjoying our local cuisine.

We spent two nights in Hong Kong. On the first night I went to the island to meet up with Marco and Teresa for drinks and food. We hopped around three different places including a Russian ice bar. On our second day Leanne and I spent the afternoon at Ocean Park, which is part aquarium, part zoo, and part theme park before going to the Peak of Hong Kong to admire the skyline since the weather was good. We later met Marco and Teresa again and went to the Horse Track for Wednesday night racing. It was busy and a lot of fun, but Leanne and I left without any winnings. We had dinner on the street nearby at a place we would never have visited without local help. We enjoyed the company and it was great finish to our last day.

Photos from our last day are posted here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=123235&id=673382190&l=792a22407c

I plan to post one last blog entry once we are home, but that will be it for now. Our around the world trip is done.

Our private pool and villa

We have spent the last week in Thailand relaxing as our big around-the-world trip winds down. The most interesting news is that I was nearly clobbered by a huge seven pound coconut that fell from 80 feet above into our small private pool. I had been floating on my back with my eyes closed and my head in the exact spot it hit only a minute earlier. I only moved away because Leanne got in the pool. We were only a few feet away in the water when it hit beside us. While there is no doubt it would have caused serious injury, Leanne is convinced it might have killed me. With all the risk taking things I have done in my life, it would be ironic that this might have been my demise. The resort staff came and cleared out all the coconuts from nearby palms shortly thereafter and the general manager sent us a nice bottle of champagne as an apology for the scare. They do regularly clear the coconuts and it was the first time they had one come so close to hitting a guest.

The place we were staying in is a luxury resort near Krabi. It is accessible only by boat and is surrounded by nature. It is nestled between jagged karst formations and extends between three distinct beaches. They include the popular Railay Beach, but most importantly it is the only resort with direct access to Phra Nang Beach, which is easily the best beach in the entire area. Resort guests get it to themselves in the morning and late afternoon, but during the day boats of tourists pour in to pack it up as all beaches in Thailand are public by law. When this happens resort guests can move into comfortable loungers overlooking the beach with attentive staff bringing you yummy cocktails.

evening view from Phra Nang Beach

We were thoroughly impressed with the location, the grounds, and the staff. It was decadent. We had a very private two floor pavilion with a large fenced garden area with sunning loungers and our very own private pool. While we loved our privacy here we also enjoyed visiting the beaches and in particular the massive, inviting, infinity pool that overlooked Railay Beach. There are four staff members to every villa at this resort and you are pampered by everyone. It was certainly a splurge, but we booked directly with the resort and received a package with a free night of accommodation, two massages and a set dinner for two at our choice of their amazing three restaurants. We used it at their fine dining Thai one overlooking Phra Nang Beach on our final night.

Leanne about to sample food from our cooking class

In our five day stay we had one rainy afternoon, so Leanne and I took a private cooking course at one of the restaurants. It was great fun and great food. Even with a bit of rain, the view from the kitchen was incredible.

One of my favourite days was when we took the resort’s luxury speed boat out with another couple from the UK who were on their honeymoon. They are wonderfully likable people and we were thrilled to have spent the day with them. We saw boats of similar size on the water that were packed with over twenty people. We loved the exclusivity of ours. We were just four people being taken care of by three staff. We went island hopping and visited a number of places including Koh Phi Phi, where the movie The Beach was filmed. The beach there is packed with backpackers. Whenever possible the crew of our boat did a great job keeping us away from the hordes of tourists. We did some great snorkelling and enjoyed plenty of swimming. We also had a fantastic picnic lunch on Bamboo Island. Thanks again Steve and Edwina for the beer. The weather held out and it was a fantastic day.

a monkey in the tree above our villa

The rest of our time was spent lounging and simply enjoying being on holiday.  When we first arrived Leanne was still recovering from bad food in Myanmar. While she rested I redeemed my complimentary massage for an indulgent two hour full body oil treatment with a well trained professional masseuse. I was on cloud nine when it was done, and so incredibly relaxed. There is nothing like getting a professional to make you feel good when your wife isn’t feeling well. Leanne redeemerd her’s for a facial when she was feeling better.

On our last night at the resort we had the entire main pool to ourselves. We swam in the warm water as the sun set and gazed at the horizon across the infinity pool. It was a fitting end to our time here.

Vertigo Restaurant, Bangkok

We returned to Bangkok for one last night in Thailand. We had heard of the incredible views at the rooftop Vertigo Restaurant at the Banyan Tree Hotel. We thought we would treat ourselves to a view room at the hotel to enjoy the scenery both before and after dinner. Check in was a bit of a nightmare and instead of getting a room “some 50 floors up in the sky” as it said when we booked directly online, we were given a room on the 17th floor that stared directly into an apartment building. After frustrating interactions trying to get this resolved, because of occupancy (or false advertising) they couldn’t give us what we paid for. Only after finally complaining directly to the general manager did they offer some remorse and treated us for most of the cost of our dinner. The restaurant and bar provides a stunning view and we had great food and good service. If you come to Bangkok you really must try to visit the rooftop here, just don’t stay in the hotel. And if you do go to the bar, be warned women are not allowed to wear sandals. They told Leanne to either wear the ugly opened back slipper shoes they had available for loan or to go and put on sneakers. Seems like a ridiculous policy.

Photos are posted here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=135184&id=673382190&l=acb1b31bc5 

We are off to Hong Kong for a couple more nights and then our trip comes to an end when we return to Vancouver. We have been travelling for over six months continuously since we first started in Colombia and it feels like it is time to return.

Girls ready for the festival in Mandalay

Myanmar (Burma) Myanmar is the 80th sovereign country I have been to and is easily in my shortlist of favourites. It is a place of beauty (well maybe not Yangon) with some astonishing world wonders and the people we met here are incredibly wonderful and friendly. Like Bhutan it is a predominately Buddhist country with a founding principal of altruism and bringing happiness to others. It is also non-westernized. There are no familiar stores, and the country is still mostly analog. By example they handwrite on the plane tickets when taking flights. You cannot use ATMs and credit cards can only be used at the occasional high-end hotel. Your only access to money is what you bring in. Fortunately there is very little crime here to worry about.

Michael and Leanne at the Schwedagon Stupa

We had a whirlwind tour visiting Yangon (Rangoon), Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake all within one week. We employed five different local guides as well as drivers on our visit to see as much as possible in a short period of time. We also had to fly between each of these regions as by land they are each at least 10 hours apart.

Yangon is the largest city in the country and its old British colonial buildings are in a serious state of decay. While the city itself looks quite drab, it is home to the phenomenal Shwedagon Stupa. This massive gold covered stupa is caped with the second largest diamond in the world. The whole area around it is filled with shrines and it is a sight to behold. We spent the late afternoon until early evening there people watching and seeing the whole area light-up.

A misty sunrise in Bagan

Visiting Bagan is like entering another world. There are over 4000 stupas, pagodas, and shrines across a small lush green valley. It has a tiny population and the dirt roads and laid-back life of people here make the place very charming. We climbed up a number of the buildings and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and sunrise over the valley. When we had dinner in the evening we could see small home made fire balloons lighting up the night sky. As in previous countries we encountered people visiting from villages who starred at us gobsmacked as we were the first foreigners they had ever seen in person. I love it when this happens. This region is one of my all time favourites.

Lady selling owls near Mandalay

Our next visit was to Mandalay. Unlike Yangon this is an attractive city. We arrived on the day of a huge festival that takes places during the full moon this time of year. Kids were dressed in costumes and had road blocks everywhere trying to collect money from vehicles to use to party with that night. It was fun to see. The whole place had a very convivial atmosphere. We visited a long teak bridge, saw a girl selling owls, apparently locals buy them and free them on their birthday and watched monks in a nearby monastery line up for the morning meal. In the evening we watched 9000 candles lit in numerous patterns on top of Mandalay Hill where we saw the sunset and had clear views of the full moon. A head military commander was coming to the hill to see the candle offering to the Buddha. We left as he was arriving.

Children playing on Inle Lake

Inle Lake was another real gem. The lake is large, but shallow and only about 3 meters deep. It is picturesque and homes are built on stilts above the water. With no land kids play on wooden boats on the canals. We stayed in a terrific resort only reachable by water and we were greeted by a welcoming raised Canadian flag. We had a large two room villa here. We spent the entire day on the lake visiting floating islands and tomato fields, fishing villages and weaving workshops. Here we were offered to share some of the local’s lunch of tomatoes and chillies. I politely declined but Leanne obliged and had a little. Unfortunately we think this caused her a bad case of food poisoning since she would have no tolerance to the bacteria of the local water. She spent the last night in Myanmar in agony and luckily made it back through to Thailand after an unpleasant flight.

We have already posted photos and will make an effort to comment on them soon. They can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=134675&id=673382190&l=8ec48feecd  

Government propoganda not reflective of the people

I was going to avoid writing about it but since we have already met someone who questioned why we went to Myanmar (formerly Burma) I offer the following explanation. We were apprehensive about going, but did plenty of research on the situation before making the decision to visit. There has been an informal travel boycott on the country since 1995 when Aung San Suu Kyi, the lady who was elected by the people years earlier but was imprisoned by the military and never allowed to rule, publically requested tourists not visit the country until later. The military government was opening its doors after years of self-isolation for what it hoped would be a big year of tourism money in 1996. It was thought at the time that going to the country was supporting that government and the money brought in by foreigners would keep it in power. Years later the government has done billion dollar deals with India and China for rights to natural resources, making tourist money almost insignificant. As a result, since 2003 the country no longer forces tourists to change money at a horrendous rate with the government when you arrive. Tourism is now mostly privatized and outsiders now estimate over 80% of the money brought in by tourists goes directly into the hands of the people living there who desperately need it. We met people who love Aung San Suu Kyi and still consider her the mother of the country and in their eyes her call for a travel boycott was her one mistake. It has hurt the locals for 13 years much more than it hurt the government. Next year Myanmar is planning on holding elections to show itself as a new democracy, but the government has gone out of its way to ensure Aung San Suu Kyi will not be on the ballot.

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

We have had such an incredible time wandering through the many ruins in the Angkor region of Cambodia. Leanne felt like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider and I felt like Indiana Jones as we explored them. In one of the larger complexes we had the place to ourselves and purposefully went in opposite directions to have the wonder of being alone through the crumbling long corridors and many rooms. We saw snakes, spiders big enough to eat birds, as well as numerous bugs including a massive poisonous millipede in our path. There are around 16 major ruin sites within Angkor of varying sizes some have been restored and some have been preserved the way they were found with the jungle taking over the ruins. We managed to see most of them over the days we were here. It would impossible to do the site justice with a single day visit. It boggles my mind how this all would have looked in its prime. They are truly impressive and incredibly ornate. Every section of wall was carved with artwork.

Our days consisted of waking up in the dark to make our way to Angkor Wat for sunrise. We’d spend the early morning around the ruins before retiring back to the hotel through the mid-day heat and returning again in the afternoon until sunset. It was a perfect way to explore and remarkably, with the notable exception of Angkor Wat, we avoided the tourists in the ruins. It was an incredible way to see them and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We had met such a great, friendly, tuk-tuk driver (Sam) on our first day that we hired him exclusively for the remainder of our time here. You can get a tuk-tuk and driver for about $15 USD a day! For a break from the temples we also had a little tour through Siem Reap and visited a memorial that contained many of the skeletons of those massacred in their dark days when one to three million people were killed under the Khmer Rouge regime.

Leanne exploring a vacant Angkor Thom

The highlight of our visit was the sunrise we witnessed behind Angkor Wat on our second day. The clouds were perfectly positioned and as the sun rose it set the sky on fire and the colours were remarkable. As much as I tried to capture it on camera, events like these just can’t be reproduced. I was much more impressed with the area than I expected to be. I can’t believe we were able to climb all over the ruins. They are talking about roping it off to preserve the ruins from the erosion by the tourists. I am so happy I got to visit here before this was done. It has left us with wonderful, happy memories.

Photos are posted at: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133170&id=673382190&l=ea2b72f447

Tiger's Nest, Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan seems to be everything the rest of Asia is not. It is not crowded, not polluted, no scams, almost no crime, more women than men, and even smoke free. The selling of cigarettes here is, for non-smokers like us, blissfully illegal, but they still have some excellent local beer. It has been ranked the happiest country in Asia. Everyone is fed and they measure country success based on Gross National Happiness rather than GDP. Bhutan was never colonized and their pride and strength lies in their traditions and culture. There is only one runway for the whole country and only two planes that use it. It is nestled in the Himalayan Mountains and the scenery is stunning. Most people still wear their traditional dress which consists of different patterned robes and sashes. While it is not a place for action and excitement, it is a traveller’s dream for being somewhere very different and being able to visit wonderfully friendly people in a safe environment. I’ve heard a lot of seasoned travellers say this is one of their favourite countries and I wholeheartedly agree. When we first arrived there was a fellow from Texas who came to celebrate his 60th birthday. He had been before and wisely told us the only thing we won’t like here is leaving. He was right.

One of the strangest curiosities of Bhutan is that many of the buildings are depicted with painted erect penises, often at the point of ejaculation. There is a large following of a Saint known as the Divine Madman who used this as his symbol and these images on people’s homes and businesses are thought to ward off evil spirits. If you’ve had a chance to see the pictures we already posted you were probably surprised to see what looked like pornographic cartoon material. It is everywhere here and no one but the tourists think anything of it.

Dawa, Michael, and Wangchuk

We were met at the airport by our guide Thinley (Wangchuk) and our driver Dawa. They have been incredible throughout the week and perfect hosts for our visit. During our week in Bhutan we visited the following areas: Paro, Dochula pass, Punakha, Wangdue, Phobjikha and Thimpu. We saw numerous highlights including a number of fortresses known as Dzongs. They are a combination of a monastery and administrative building in each town. I really like them, particularly the one in Punakha. We have done some trekking through blue pine forests, muddy marshes, and climbed to a cliff side monastery. We drove through mountain passes and we visited people in their homes to share drink and food. We spent time feeding the national animal, the Takin, which is unique to Bhutan. It looks a bit like a goats head stuck on a cow’s body. We watched archery competitions and tried throwing large darts which is their other favourite pastime. We tried on local dress and I even had a $2 haircut that is as good as the best I’ve had that also included an extended head massage.

One of the most identifiable places in Bhutan is the Tiger’s Nest Monastery and on our last day we spent plenty of time admiring it and wandering through it. I’ve really enjoyed my time here and have appreciated the slower pace of the country. I certainly recommend coming here and would love to recommend the agency we used if anyone plans on going.

Photos are posted on Facebook at : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132085&id=673382190&l=8e393130f5

The Grand Palace

We flew from Kathmandu to Bangkok for a brief two night visit. We decided to make an effort to get to Bhutan after talking to someone in Africa who had seen 120 countries and ranked it as one of his all time favourites. Unfortunately the late itinerary change made flights a bit complicated and we had some trouble booking things overseas. Many thanks to Moe and Earl back home for helping us getting things sorted out.

Leanne at the Palace

We stayed at our favourite hotel chain in absolute comfort.  Our time in Bangkok was spent doing legwork for the next couple weeks of travel, but we did have time to venture to the former Royal Palace, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and the Grand Palace. On arrival we were steered clear of the entrance being told it was closed to foreigners for the morning due to a religious ceremony. We followed a chain of three colluding scammers to the point where they tried to get us to take a Tuk-Tuk for a cheap tour. If you have ever been to Bangkok you know taking a Tuk-Tuk can often lead to being dumped at a jewellery or tailor shop regardless of where you ask to go. We parted from the scam at this point and went back to the hotel. When we were told  the Palace was closed to foreigners until the afternoon by a number of people it seemed plausible, but I asked the hotel about it anyway. They double checked and confirmed no restriction existed. We rushed back only to have the group of scammers try the same thing again. This time I took blatant photos of everyone involved as armed guards were in close range if it became ugly. Our intent is to send the photos to the Tourist Police when we go.  They scattered and we went in to enjoy the palace. When we left we interrupted the scam a number of times to the relief of the tourists about to fall for it. We stayed for a bit thwarting their business, but when we saw mobile phones come out we reconsidered as it is organized crime and if it is linked to the mob we could get ourselves in trouble. We quickly made our exit back to the hotel. We are now at an airport hotel preparing for a very early flight to Bhutan. We are excited about the trip and hopeful that it goes well.

Michael with locals in Nepal

Arriving in Nepal I had a rush of nostalgia. It was one of my favourite countries when travelling through Asia with my friend Vic over ten years ago. The nostalgia wasn’t just returning to the country, almost all of the cars near the border were four-door sliver 1976 Toyota Corollas. They are almost identical to my first car, except the steering column is on the opposite side. Regretfully, I thought I’d be able to get a photo with one in Kathmandu, but we stopped seeing them when we got into the valley.

Nepali Bus

The drive from Tibet to Kathmandu was scenically stunning. Rice terraces covered the hills as we followed a glacially fed river from Tibet to the Kathmandu Valley. We passed buses packed inside and outside beyond their capacity, and watched locals carrying goods equal to their size while hiking up the hills to their villages.

We were slightly delayed arriving by a bus that had gone off the road earlier in the day. I shudder to think what injuries might have been sustained by the passengers. The driving in Nepal is chaotic at best. Almost all the vehicles have dents in them and it is a non-stop horn honking festival as drivers remind others they are there. Kathmandu was a dusty, busy mess, and it didn’t feel like it had any charm. We spent our first night in a noisy budget hotel around the busy Thamel area. The few streets around here have the highest concentration of tour operators in all of Asia. It is packed with tourists, shops and it is always a challenge to avoid the motorcycles that keep going down the narrow roads.

Bodnath Stupa, Kathmandu

We had a farewell dinner with our group and ended the night at a bar before we wandered home through the seedy streets with all the prostitutes and drunks spilling onto the streets as everything closed down.

The following day we moved into pure luxury accommodation. It is a quiet and calm oasis in Kathmandu, a short walk from the incredible Bodnath Stupa. We had an incredible dinner there that would rival the best of what we could get at home. We spent the next few days exploring some of the gems of the region. The old town and square around Bhaktapur was as I remembered, but the monkey temple was run down and was even missing the iconic eyes that should have been painted on the stupa.

Photos of our time there are posted on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130514&id=673382190&l=f71900c82b

Mount Everest. The highest point on Earth.

Getting to the base camp of Mt. Everest involved some very long travel days, some incredibly bumpy roads and some of the best mountain views imaginable. We stayed in incredibly basic accommodation. We spent the night at the world’s highest monastery at over 5000 meters. No running water and multi-share rooms. The toilet was simply a raised outdoor hut split for men and women each with two side-by-side holes in the floor for multiple no-privacy use. The women’s side had no door so it could be seen from the outside and I was told the floor felt like it could give way into the massive pile of excrement that had built up over the years. Not Leanne’s favourite accommodation. The views of Everest helped make up for it. The weather couldn’t have been better and we had picture-perfect views of the world’s tallest mountain. From where we stayed we could get to tent city in 3km and from there to Base Camp One in another 4km. Visiting Base Camp required a permit, which we had, but it only offered a closer view as there were no climbers there preparing for an ascent to the top. They are expected to arrive in early November.

Leanne and Michael at Everest Base Camp

From Everest we made a long journey to a lousy little town called Nyalam. It is a tiny place and the locals were generally unfriendly. One little kid was trying to run cattle down the street into us. We had shared squatters to use a distance from the room and I had to go across the street and pay to use the public showers to wash up after our Everest visit. In the evening a few of us went to a pub on the top floor of a neighbouring building. The girls who worked there were really funny and wanted to learn a bit of English. They also tried to get Leanne to dance with them, but had little success. We were the only ones there in the main area, but there was a private room that had some others in it. It turned out to be a good night. The following morning we didn’t hear my alarm. This is the first time ever on our trip. It was on my wrist buried under five layers of blankets as there was no heat in the room. We awoke to someone banging on our door. It was 6:10 AM and we needed to be packed and leaving at 6:15. The urgency to go was to make it through a road pass that had a lot of washouts on it before construction resumed at 8AM and would keep it closed for 12 hours. The road seemed treacherous but it was too dark to see any of the scenery. We arrived eventually in the border town of Zhangmu where we left our bus behind and carried our bags a kilometre or two past all the trucks waiting to clear customs. Leaving China from this border is a royal pain. They pick through everything in your bag and flip through all the pages in your books and magazines looking for anything supporting the independence of Tibet from China. Leanne and I were lucky that the person who searched us was taking a break from being thorough after the people ahead of us. Everyone eventually made it through and we crossed into Nepal.

Photos can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130514&id=673382190&l=f71900c82b or on our web at http://mcwilliams.ca/photos/China

Michael jumping above the Himalayas

On our last day in Lhasa I went with three others to visit a monastery out of town. It is situated at 4750 meters above sea level. The highlight of the day for me wasn’t the monastery but the climb we did to the top of the mountain beside it. We each bought some prayer flags and wrote our family name and the date on it and tied it to others atop the hill. The view was stunning and we felt like we were above all the mountains. The same day Leanne had a more relaxing time walking the city with some of the other travellers. She was back in the hotel room when a girl knocked on the door. She let her in and she sat on one of the beds and motioned for a photo. I had the camera with me so Leanne couldn’t take one of her, but she was probably showing Leanne how she wanted her to pose. Leanne sat on the bed, the girl took her photo, and then she left. It was such an unusual interaction. There is something about Leanne that really fascinates the people here.

looking at the Glacial Lake

The following day we took a stunning drive through the mountains to the small town of Gyantse. The views along the way were incredible and we stopped numerous times. One of the passes was over 5000 meters and we wandered around looking at the snow capped mountains that rose above 7000 meters. We also saw a glacial lake that was coloured so brightly the colour did not look real. In the evening a few of us went for a great dinner at a tiny restaurant with the friendliest most likable cook imaginable. He put on an impressive display with a flaming wok.

the friendliest cook

Yesterday we drove to Shigatse. We wandered through the local markets and explored the town. This morning we are off to see another monastery before heading to the town of Sakya. We are on our way to the Mount Everest base camp and will likely be out of touch until we reach Kathmandu in four days.