Budget

Day 144

I arrived into Chiang Mai, Thailand on Tuesday, and this time not for ultimate Frisbee. I met someone in Luang Prabang who told me about this little town called Pai near Chiang Mai. She said that it was beautiful and totally relaxing. With only about 2 and a half weeks before I have to go back home, I figured to do as much relaxing as possible before I would start having non-stop all-nighters.


Money usually isn’t too much of a hassle for me because of the crazy exchange rates and because things in Thailand are so cheap. However, the geniuses at my bank decided to not allow any ATM transactions to occur for an undisclosed amount of time in the areas of Malaysia and Thailand; due to a high number of pin # fraud. So I came into Thailand with about 2000 kuai, which equals to about 8,160 Baht, which is equal to about $230. My trip just got increasingly more interesting. Usually when traveling I do not worry about spending a little because it is so cheap, but now that I am on a pretty strict budget, I will have to holster my want for some things. My idea behind buying things, I believe is pretty rational because I will generally only buy something if I feel that I will use it often or if it is important. That will have to be true now more than ever because there are so many cool things here that I want, but do I really need?


My first meal in Chiang Mai was a Thai style BBQ buffet in a giant warehouse complex. Tons of tables and tons of fresh meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, ice cream, pastries, and so much more. The set up is similar to that of Chinese hot pot. These is a “pot” that looks as though it could be a hat, and it is heated by burning coals. Water or broth is poured around the brim of the hat and then the middle is used as a regular grill. It was delicious and very filling.

Apple Pie Shots

Day 141

Day two of the Malaysian tournament was one filled with excitement and more laziness. We, Cowboyz, continued our ways of not warming up and it showed, but only cuz we played the team that would eventually finish 2^nd in the tournament. It was hot again, and as bodies started to fall, our team chemistry started to grow. We beat our next team 9-2 and it felt really good because here we were a team of “misfits” and we are starting to really click. It was our last game against a team from Singapore called: Freakshow that really showed how far we had come. It was a back and forth battle but the Cowboyz finally came out with the win and we finished in a very respectable 5^th place out of 16. And we were seeded 11^th. Kuala Lumpur was a great tournament with awesome people and I look forward to hopefully playing again with the great people in Bangkok. Cheers and to your apple pie shots!

Ultimateness

Day 140


So I’m sitting in a guesthouse in KUALA LUMPUR!!! I guess before I tell you why I’m in Kuala Lumpur, I should fill you in on what has happened in the past week.

Last week Beijing held an awesome ultimate tournament. It was China Nationals and it is meant to determine the National Champion of China. There were over 20 teams at this tournament and it was just awesome to see so many Chinese people playing ultimate. Shanghai wasn’t able to win the title of national champion because we are a team of “wai guo ren”-foreigners/ expats. So we had two fairly even teams and we had a good time playing against the other ineligible teams. My team, Tres Eckes! played just ok, and what I mean is that we lost to a Beijing high school team. I’m was more frustrated because at how poorly we played in a strong wind, but it is good for those little buggers to win cuz that’s what this tournament was all about. Hong Kong won the title from Beijing Bang, and it was just another quality tournament to put in my resume.



Kuala Lumpur is HOT! I found out about this tournament through my friend, Aeoy, who I met at the Bangkok Hat tournament earlier in the year; through facebook. I asked her if I could play and she said, “totally!” so I joined the Bangkok Cowboyz and now I’m here in Kuala Lumpur playing ultimate Frisbee. It is really incredible what I and so many other people do, we travel to different countries around Asia and the world, and then play ultimate Frisbee. We make great friends and see awesome places. My team struggled heavily in the first game because we are all new with one another and we are basically a pick-up team. I played alright, but I wasn’t too impressed with the play that I was seeing from the “top” teams here from Singapore and other places. That is one thing that I am excited to doing when I get back to the states, and that is to play some ultimate that is always competitive and is just at a different level than it is here in Asia. But until then, let my domination continue…

I called my blog this for a reason

Day 130

My time is Laos was not exciting, and that was perfect. I scheduled two full days in Luang Prabang and for those two full days I basically just did nothing…and taken from Tony the Tiger: it was GGRRREAT!!! Some of biggest differences between Laos and Cambodia to China is that the people are nicer, they are more relaxed (mainly because it’s too hot to do anything but lie around), people don’t try to hit you with their motobikes or their cars, and that they don’t bargain the same as they do in China. In China, I’m able to bargain and haggle my way to possibly 1/3 of the price, but in Cambodia and in Laos, they are nicer and not as pushy, but they don’t allow you to go even close to half of their price. Laos was great, and my final destination for this trip is to the Tiger Leaping Gorge in China.

Tiger Leaping Gorge is known as one of the world’s biggest and deepest gorges in the world. My friends in Shanghai have constantly praised how beautiful this place is, so my expectations were pretty high. Siem Reap was amazing, Luang Prabang was restful, but Tiger Leaping Gorge was breathtaking. It is difficult to put into words at just how majestic this place is. The people living on the gorge are known as the Naxi’s and they are incredibly resourceful and friendly. I would love to come back to China and just live with one of the families and learn more about their culture and their way of life. Pictures are said to speak a thousand words, so I’ll let them speak for themselves.

$1= 8,550 Kip

Day 125

I arrived into Laos yesterday after a farewell to the lovely Bun Kao family and my trusty driver, who I can’t remember his name. I arrived into Luang Prabang around 3 and had no idea what I was going to do. I added Luang Prabang to my list of places to go because my friend and travel agent Jon told me that it was a good place to go. I trust him and so here I am! The city of Luang Prabang is very small and is run by the Buddhist temples and the monks. The main attraction for Luang Prabang is to visit the temples and the huge waterfalls. I chose to stay at the Spicylaos guesthouse and it has been great. I walked around the city, tried some of the street food, not as good as China, and some of the traditional drinks, (an iced bag that with a coffee flavored liquid). Laos is crazy beautiful and the people are also very friendly, but it is soo HOT!!! The host of the guesthouse took me and other guests to a local restaurant called Utopia and it was fantastic.

Inside Utopia, there is a sand beach volleyball court; the seats are either floor seating or gigantic rocks with the tables being rocks as well. It is right on the lake and it is really a great design. If only my camera was working the way that it should, then you would be able to see it…sorry.

Today I went to the waterfall called Khuangai Waterfall. My driver from the airport picked me up and we left at 9am. I arrived at the waterfall around 9:45 and started my hike up the mountain. It was so beautiful. The people did a great job of making the waterfalls and pools very accessible without disturbing the natural too much or making it extremely obvious that you are on a trail. I of course got lost and wandered a bit, but eventually made it to the very top of the waterfall and continued for another 3km to a cave. It was all worth it.

Being in the sun all day is very tiring and for the rest of the day I vegged and didn’t do much. I was about to pay my driver 20,000 Kip but he said 40. So I gave him $40. dang…I lose.


The saddest part of the trip so far has to be my interaction with the cat that lives in the guesthouse. She is a mother of some kittens but about 4 days ago the kittens were killed. The mother cat roams around all day in the guesthouse and around it, calling for it’s babies and there is no response, there will never be a response. It makes me think of just the love that this cat has, but has no clue as to where it’s kittens are. I have no idea how long she will keep it up, but it is certain that she cares.

Guilt

Day 123

My camera is broken, but my spirit isn’t. I went to the lake today to see the countryside and to see the people again. The lake is a huge economic help for the Cambodians, who fish like crazy and then sell them to the surrounding countries. On the lake is a floating village and just like the rest of my days, breathtaking. Luckily for me I didn’t need to use my broader lens and only needed my telephoto lens to capture the essence of what I was seeing. I am someone that will take pictures at will and my favorite thing to take pictures of is people. This was the first time that I felt guilty for taking these pictures. I was on a boat and we rode through the village and I could see the people going about their normal business of fishing, lounging around, eating, sleeping, playing, etc. I started to think of what they must be thinking. Imagine a life without privacy, where strangers would come to your neighborhood and home and just take photos of you, your friends and your family. How does it make you feel when someone is pointing a camera directly at your face? For me it feels weird, but it could have a total different feeling for others. I didn’t take as many photos today out of respect for these people, and I hope now that I can show more respect in the future.

The Good, Bad and the Sad

Day 122

Today I went to the mountain that contained the waterfall that is used by the Hindu religion for healing and to the temples of Banteay Srey. The hike on the mountain was only 1500m and the waterfall and nature was just what I needed. It’s hard…impossible to find quiet areas and peaceful areas in Shanghai. It was a huge thing for me to be completely alone in nature and to just listen to the water flowing and the birds chirping. The temples of Banteay Srey were by far my favorite. In my opinion, these temples and this site was more impressive than Angkor Wat and co. Angkor Wat and Co. were amazing because of their hugeness, but Banteay Srey was breathtaking due to the level of detail. I sat in my spot and just marveled at these temples and all I could do was hope to capture what I saw in the photos. This was by far a great day because I saw a level of craft that I have never seen before and was inspired, and then when I returned back to the guesthouse I brought out my Frisbee and just started to play with the kids. I must say that there was some good talent and great promise. The kids here are amazing, the have the ability to play with the simplest of things forever. They play with balloons for hours, then have a game where they kick their sandals in the dirt, they are always smiling, always curious and always ALIVE! It is really inspiring too to just see their spirit and to remember times when there wasn’t the distractions that we have today of internet and TV. I gave my Frisbee to one of the locals because he wanted to buy it from me. Ultimate isn’t like most sports/games, it is a community and it’s about spirit. I was more than happy to give my YUC Cincinnati disc to him and I hope that it can help start something big in the ultimate world. Look out cuz here come Cambodia.

It was a great day, until it took a turn for the worst. I took a bike into town again to get some dinner and after riding around for a bit, looking at the restaurants that were around, I saw a BBQ place that caught my eye. I looped around the market again, crossed the bridge and only had to go straight to reach the restaurant. As I was approaching the BBQ I could start to smell the awesome aroma of food and came to a sorta 4 way intersection. In Cambodia, there aren’t really any stop signs or yield. I was riding towards this intersection, looking back and forth looking to see if there was any cross traffic and saw to my left there was a van slowly approaching with a caravan of other cars and motobikes. I sped up on my bike so that I wouldn’t have to stop and wait to cross the right of way. I cut in front of the van and see that I’m in the clear until I see a “gang” of 5 motobikes turning left from the oncoming traffic. They start to turn and start to cut me off. I look at my choices: stop in the middle of the road, crash into them, or avoid them by turning left and go behind them. I chose to avoid. As I start to turn left I hear one of the worst sounds known to my life, the sliding of tire on dirt. My bike falls over and I am thrown to the ground. I bounce up like a ball to see onlookers and people coming to help me. I am too shocked and too flustered to do anything but just leave. I pick up my book and look down to see my Nikon D40 SLR digital camera on the floor…with the lens separated from its body. I grab everything and rush away on my bike towards the restaurant.

I got a few bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes, nothing I haven’t had before; but I was more bummed and sad about my camera than anything else. The lens is broken, it is stuck on one setting and can only focus to a certain point. The focus of the lens: zoomed to the max. Say goodbye to broad pictures and I could see my arsenal take a dramatic turn for the worse. Dinner was good, but I couldn’t help but try to forget about the death of my camera lens.